The Influence of Immediate Urban Surroundings on Energy Performance of Historical Buildings

High-density urban areas contain large number of historical buildings whose structures and artistic values are protected by regulations. This restricts the improvements can be made to building envelope to reduce energy demand of historical buildings. Therefore, immediate urban surroundings (IUS) may play a central role on energy performance of historical buildings (EPHB). Yet, literature has provided little or no evidence, so far. To address the gap, the current experimental inquiry aims to test the significance of IUS’s influence on the EPHB. To achieve, historical structure in hothumid climate was selected and surveyed thoroughly. Control and intervention cases were considered to measure the influence IUS. The control case corresponds to the former state of IUS; whereas the intervention described as the IUS which includes a recently built office block with reflective glass façade. The numerical result obtained from computational thermal simulations were used for comparison. Accordingly, the increase in heating demand substantially surpassed the decrease in cooling demand for the case under study. Therefore, a significant increase in total energy demand was observed in the presence of intervention. In addition, the energy performance of the individual volumes located in the lower floors presented higher fluctuations due to intervention’s shading effect

MICROCLIMATE ANALYSIS OF DIFFERENT URBAN FORMS IN COLD CLIMATES AND THE EFFECT OF THERMAL COMFORT

In this study, it is aimed to understand the relation between micro-climate and urban planning in the case of a cold-climate city, Erzurum. The effects of different urban patterns on micro-climate are analyzed in the context of this study. As a methodology, ENVI-met is used for processing micro-climate simulation of selected urban areas by using measured and obtained climate data such as air temperature, relative humidity, average reflected temperature, surface temperatures, sky view factor, wind velocity and direction. In order to check the accuracy of the simulation for the case study area, obtained data (from meteorology station) is simulated with ENVI-met and results were compared with measured data in the area. Also, land uses and field searches based on the observation of existing situation of urban environment were included into analysis. The findings show that irregular building plot sizes and building heights are mostly existing in historical areas and those urban forms increase thermal comfort under cold climate conditions. The results of simulations provided that same heights of the buildings, regular separation of buildings and regular plot sizes have led to severe urban micro-climates. In contrast, it is observed that variety of those urban physical environment features supported comfortable micro-climate conditions. Urban geometry and climate variables are two of the most important factors shaping outdoor spaces thermal comfort feeling

Moisture Compatibility of Portland Stones and other Oolitic Limestones

Approximately 30% of Europe's building stock comprises historic buildings, with the UK having a significant contribution of Portland stone structures. However, difficulties in sourcing the original material have led to the need for compatible material substitutes. Currently, the level of compatibility required between original and substitute material has not been quantified, and the approach has been to evaluate each case separately. This research aims to answer the question of how compatible is compatible enough, specifically in relation to moisture risk, and provide a guiding framework for the heritage conservation sector. The project uses a sensitivity analysis to quantify the compatibility of Portland Stone and other Oolitic limestones, considering porosity and age of the original/substitute stone as sensitive parameters when selecting compatible strategies for repair and reconstructio

Surfaces of Revolution with Constant Gaussian Curvature in Four-Space

In this paper, we show that the constant property of the Gaussian curvature of surfaces of revolution in both $\mathbb R^4$ and $\mathbb R_1^4$ depend only on the radius of rotation. We then give necessary and sufficient conditions for the Gaussian curvature of the general rotational surfaces whose meridians lie in two dimensional planes in $\mathbb R^4$ to be constant, and define the parametrization of the meridians when both the Gaussian curvature is constant and the rates of rotation are equal.Comment: 8 paper

A critical analysis of COVID-19 research literature: Text mining approach

Objective: Among the stakeholders of COVID-19 research, clinicians particularly experience difficulty keeping up with the deluge of SARS-CoV-2 literature while performing their much needed clinical duties. By revealing major topics, this study proposes a text-mining approach as an alternative to navigating large volumes of COVID-19 literature. Materials and methods: We obtained 85,268 references from the NIH COVID-19 Portfolio as of November 21. After the exclusion based on inadequate abstracts, 65,262 articles remained in the final corpus. We utilized natural language processing to curate and generate the term list. We applied topic modeling analyses and multiple correspondence analyses to reveal the major topics and the associations among topics, journal countries, and publication sources. Results: In our text mining analyses of NIH’s COVID-19 Portfolio, we discovered two sets of eleven major research topics by analyzing abstracts and titles of the articles separately. The eleven major areas of COVID-19 research based on abstracts included the following topics: 1) Public Health, 2) Patient Care & Outcomes, 3) Epidemiologic Modeling, 4) Diagnosis and Complications, 5) Mechanism of Disease, 6) Health System Response, 7) Pandemic Control, 8) Protection/Prevention, 9) Mental/Behavioral Health, 10) Detection/Testing, 11) Treatment Options. Further analyses revealed that five (2,3,4,5, and 9) of the eleven abstract-based topics showed a significant correlation (ranked from moderate to weak) with title-based topics. Conclusion: By offering up the more dynamic, scalable, and responsive categorization of published literature, our study provides valuable insights to the stakeholders of COVID-19 research, particularly clinicians.3417985

\u27Vitamin D and cognition in older adults\u27: updated international recommendations.

BACKGROUND: Hypovitaminosis D, a condition that is highly prevalent in older adults aged 65 years and above, is associated with brain changes and dementia. Given the rapidly accumulating and complex contribution of the literature in the field of vitamin D and cognition, clear guidance is needed for researchers and clinicians. METHODS: International experts met at an invitational summit on \u27Vitamin D and Cognition in Older Adults\u27. Based on previous reports and expert opinion, the task force focused on key questions relating to the role of vitamin D in Alzheimer\u27s disease and related disorders. Each question was discussed and voted using a Delphi-like approach. RESULTS: The experts reached an agreement that hypovitaminosis D increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia in older adults and may alter the clinical presentation as a consequence of related comorbidities; however, at present, vitamin D level should not be used as a diagnostic or prognostic biomarker of Alzheimer\u27s disease due to lack of specificity and insufficient evidence. This population should be screened for hypovitaminosis D because of its high prevalence and should receive supplementation, if necessary; but this advice was not specific to cognition. During the debate, the possibility of \u27critical periods\u27 during which vitamin D may have its greatest impact on the brain was addressed; whether hypovitaminosis D influences cognition actively through deleterious effects and/or passively by loss of neuroprotection was also considered. CONCLUSIONS: The international task force agreed on five overarching principles related to vitamin D and cognition in older adults. Several areas of uncertainty remain, and it will be necessary to revise the proposed recommendations as new findings become available

Laparoscopic management of mesenteric cyst: a case report

Mesenteric cysts are rare intra-abdominal lesions with variable clinical symptoms and signs that make pre-operative diagnosis difficult. Optimal treatment is surgical excision of the cyst with laparotomy or laparoscopy. We present a case of mesenteric cyst that was misdiagnosed as para-ovarian cyst and managed laparoscopically by gynaecologists

The Effects of Vitamin D Receptor Silencing on the Expression of LVSCC-A1C and LVSCC-A1D and the Release of NGF in Cortical Neurons

Recent studies have suggested that vitamin D can act on cells in the nervous system. Associations between polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor (VDR), age-dependent cognitive decline, and insufficient serum 25 hydroxyvitamin D(3) levels in Alzheimer's patients and elderly people with cognitive decline have been reported. We have previously shown that amyloid β (Aβ) treatment eliminates VDR protein in cortical neurons. These results suggest a potential role for vitamin D and vitamin D-mediated mechanisms in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and neurodegeneration. Vitamin D has been shown to down-regulate the L-type voltage-sensitive calcium channels, LVSCC-A1C and LVSCC-A1D, and up-regulate nerve growth factor (NGF). However, expression of these proteins when VDR is repressed is unknown. The aim of this study is to investigate LVSCC-A1C, LVSCC-A1D expression levels and NGF release in VDR-silenced primary cortical neurons prepared from Sprague-Dawley rat embryos.qRT-PCR and western blots were performed to determine VDR, LVSCC-A1C and -A1D expression levels. NGF and cytotoxicity levels were determined by ELISA. Apoptosis was determined by TUNEL. Our findings illustrate that LVSCC-A1C mRNA and protein levels increased rapidly in cortical neurons when VDR is down-regulated, whereas, LVSCC-A1D mRNA and protein levels did not change and NGF release decreased in response to VDR down-regulation. Although vitamin D regulates LVSCC-A1C through VDR, it may not regulate LVSCC-A1D through VDR.Our results indicate that suppression of VDR disrupts LVSCC-A1C and NGF production. In addition, when VDR is suppressed, neurons could be vulnerable to aging and neurodegeneration, and when combined with Aβ toxicity, it is possible to explain some of the events that occur during neurodegeneration

Paediatric Behçet's disease presenting with recurrent papillitis and episcleritis: a case report

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Introduction</p> <p>Behçet's disease is a chronic multisystem vasculitis characterized by mucocutaneous, articular, neurological, gastrointestinal and ophthalmological lesions. Ocular involvement is mainly represented by recurrent uveitis, especially posterior uveitis; however, iridocyclitis, retinal and choroidal vasculitis, optic neuritis and retinal vascular occlusion can also occur.</p> <p>Case presentation</p> <p>A 12-year-old Caucasian boy with a history of recurrent buccal aphthosis and nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms was admitted to our hospital with blurred vision associated with acute episcleritis and papillitis. The patient's pathergy test was positive, suggesting a diagnosis of Behçet's disease. Corticosteroid and cyclosporine therapy was started, but further episodes were noted in both eyes. The patient was then switched to intravenous infliximab, with complete resolution of the inflammation after the second infusion.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Episcleritis and papillitis should be added to the list of uncommon manifestations of pediatric Behçet's disease. Infliximab is an effective, new therapeutic approach for Behçet's disease that is refractory to the conventional corticosteroid and immunosuppressive therapy.</p