Investigating the Impact of Housing Energy Efficiency on Indoor Environment at the Overheating Summer – A Study in Southwark, London

This study investigates the impact of housing energy efficiency on summer overheating. Using indoor sensor data, energy performance certificates (EPC), and household surveys, it explores temperature variation among energy efficiency levels and the existence of communal heating. Applying two- sample t-tests, results reveal that energy-efficient homes could “trap” heat for good insulation, while inefficient ones experience fluctuating temperatures in Southwark, London. Moreover, the non- adjustable communal heating deteriorates summer heat. These findings suggest future energy retrofit practices as well as policies to adapt to overheating, by adopting better ventilation systems, adjustable communal heating systems as well as scientific EPC rating systems

A global view of porcine transcriptome in three tissues from a full-sib pair with extreme phenotypes in growth and fat deposition by paired-end RNA sequencing

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Elucidation of the pig transcriptome is essential for interpreting functional elements of the genome and understanding the genetic architecture of complex traits such as fat deposition, metabolism and growth.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we used massive parallel high-throughput RNA sequencing to generate a high-resolution map of the porcine mRNA and miRNA transcriptome in liver, longissimus dorsi and abdominal fat from two full-sib F₂hybrid pigs with segregated phenotypes on growth, blood physiological and biochemical parameters, and fat deposition. We obtained 8,508,418-10,219,332 uniquely mapped reads that covered 78.0% of the current annotated transcripts and identified 48,045-122,931 novel transcript fragments, which constituted 17,085-29,499 novel transcriptional active regions in six tested samples. We found that about 18.8% of the annotated genes showed alternative splicing patterns, and alternative 3' splicing is the most common type of alternative splicing events in pigs. Cross-tissue comparison revealed that many transcriptional events are tissue-differential and related to important biological functions in their corresponding tissues. We also detected a total of 164 potential novel miRNAs, most of which were tissue-specifically identified. Integrated analysis of genome-wide association study and differential gene expression revealed interesting candidate genes for complex traits, such as <it>IGF2, CYP1A1, CKM </it>and <it>CES1 </it>for heart weight, hemoglobin, pork pH value and serum cholesterol, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>This study provides a global view of the complexity of the pig transcriptome, and gives an extensive new knowledge about alternative splicing, gene boundaries and miRNAs in pigs. Integrated analysis of genome wide association study and differential gene expression allows us to find important candidate genes for porcine complex traits.</p

New Nonlinear Second-Order Phase-Locked Loop with Adaptive Bandwidth Regulation

Synchronization of large acquisition bandwidth brings great challenges to the traditional second-order phase-locked loop (PLL). To address the contradiction between acquisition bandwidth and noise suppression capability of the traditional PLL, a new second-order PLL coupled with a nonlinear element is proposed. The proposed nonlinear second-order PLL regulates the loop noise bandwidth adaptively by the nonlinear module. When a large input&#8315;output phase error occurs, this PLL reduces the frequency offset quickly by taking advantage of the large bandwidth. When the phase error is reduced by the loop control, the proposed PLL suppresses noises by using the small bandwidth to increase the tracking accuracy. Simulation results demonstrate that the tracking speed of the proposed PLL is increased considerably, and its acquisition bandwidth is increased to 18.8 kHz compared with that of the traditional second-order PLL (4 kHz)

A motion-planning method for dexterous hand operating a tool based on bionic analysis

In order to meet the needs of robot’s operating tools for different types and sizes, the dexterous hand is studied by many scientific research institutions. However, the large number of joints in a dexterous hand leads to the difficulty of motion planning. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a planning method abased on BPNN inspired by human hands. Firstly, this paper analyses the structure and function of the human hand and summarizes its typical strategy of operation. Secondly, based on the manual operation strategy, the tools are classified according to the shape and the operation mode of the dexterous hand is presented. Thirdly, the BPNN is used to train the humanoid operation, and then output the operation plan. Finally, the simulating experiments of grasping simple tools and operating complex tools are made by MATLAB and ADAMS. The simulation verifies the effectiveness of this method

A motion-planning method for dexterous hand operating a tool based on bionic analysis

In order to meet the needs of robot’s operating tools for different types and sizes, the dexterous hand is studied by many scientific research institutions. However, the large number of joints in a dexterous hand leads to the difficulty of motion planning. Aiming at this problem, this paper proposes a planning method abased on BPNN inspired by human hands. Firstly, this paper analyses the structure and function of the human hand and summarizes its typical strategy of operation. Secondly, based on the manual operation strategy, the tools are classified according to the shape and the operation mode of the dexterous hand is presented. Thirdly, the BPNN is used to train the humanoid operation, and then output the operation plan. Finally, the simulating experiments of grasping simple tools and operating complex tools are made by MATLAB and ADAMS. The simulation verifies the effectiveness of this method

An Accelerated Proximal Gradient Algorithm for Singly Linearly Constrained Quadratic Programs with Box Constraints

Recently, the existed proximal gradient algorithms had been used to solve non-smooth convex optimization problems. As a special nonsmooth convex problem, the singly linearly constrained quadratic programs with box constraints appear in a wide range of applications. Hence, we propose an accelerated proximal gradient algorithm for singly linearly constrained quadratic programs with box constraints. At each iteration, the subproblem whose Hessian matrix is diagonal and positive definite is an easy model which can be solved efficiently via searching a root of a piecewise linear function. It is proved that the new algorithm can terminate at an ε-optimal solution within O(1/ε) iterations. Moreover, no line search is needed in this algorithm, and the global convergence can be proved under mild conditions. Numerical results are reported for solving quadratic programs arising from the training of support vector machines, which show that the new algorithm is efficient

Ordered Lithium-Ion Conductive Interphase with Gradient Desolvation Effects for Fast-Charging Lithium Metal Batteries

Efficient desolvation and fast lithium ion (Li+) transport are key factors for fast-charging Li metal batteries (LMBs). Here, we report a self-assembled interphase (SAI) with ordered Li+ transport pathways to enable high Li+ conductivity and fast Li+ desolvation for fast-charging LMBs. A self-assembled structure originating from the intermolecular π–π stacking endows SAI with ordered Li+ transport pathways. The regular molecular stacking and a gradient distribution of functional groups of SAI contribute to a spatially confined gradient desolvation of Li+. Thereby, a stable Li metal anode (LMA) with durable solid-electrolyte interphase, accelerated Li+ transfer, and homogeneous Li plating/stripping is achieved at high rates. A full-cell battery of SAI protected LMA|LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 delivers a high capacity of 147 mAh g–1 with an improved capacity retention for 500 cycles at 3 C (1 C = 210 mA g–1), and the full cell can deliver over 71% of its capacity in 12 min

Ordered Lithium-Ion Conductive Interphase with Gradient Desolvation Effects for Fast-Charging Lithium Metal Batteries

Efficient desolvation and fast lithium ion (Li+) transport are key factors for fast-charging Li metal batteries (LMBs). Here, we report a self-assembled interphase (SAI) with ordered Li+ transport pathways to enable high Li+ conductivity and fast Li+ desolvation for fast-charging LMBs. A self-assembled structure originating from the intermolecular π–π stacking endows SAI with ordered Li+ transport pathways. The regular molecular stacking and a gradient distribution of functional groups of SAI contribute to a spatially confined gradient desolvation of Li+. Thereby, a stable Li metal anode (LMA) with durable solid-electrolyte interphase, accelerated Li+ transfer, and homogeneous Li plating/stripping is achieved at high rates. A full-cell battery of SAI protected LMA|LiNi0.8Co0.1Mn0.1O2 delivers a high capacity of 147 mAh g–1 with an improved capacity retention for 500 cycles at 3 C (1 C = 210 mA g–1), and the full cell can deliver over 71% of its capacity in 12 min