Application of a new dynamic heating system model using a range of common control strategies

This research investigates the overall heating energy consumptions using various control strategies, secondary heat emitters, and primary plant for a building. Previous research has successfully demonstrated that a dynamic distributed heat emitter model embedded within a simplified third-order lumped parameter building model is capable of achieving improved results when compared to other commercially available modelling tools. With the enhanced ability to capture transient effects of emitter thermal capacity, this research studies the influence of control strategies and primary plant configurations on the rate of energy consumption of a heating system. Four alternative control strategies are investigated: zone feedback; weather-compensated; a combination of both of these methods; and thermostatic control. The plant alternative configurations consist of conventional boilers, biomass boilers, and heat pumps supporting radiator heating and underfloor heating. The performance of the model is tested on a primary school building and can be applied to any residential or commercial building with a heating system. Results show that the new methods reported offer greater detail and rigor in the conduct of building energy modelling

Allergic Disorders in Africa and Africans: Is it Primarily a Priority?

In Africa, the burden of some diseases has been a problem for centuries. The spectrum of African diseases includes allergies, infections, nutritional deficiencies, and natural disasters. Efforts made by scientists to search for possible means of disease control have been outstanding; however, in some infections, solutions are still out of reach. In disease control programs, it might be worthwhile to pay attention to the most striking diseases than merely follow a holistic approach. This short review tackles the problems of allergy and allergens in Africa as compared with other disease burdens that may suggest the need for a more balanced approach based on priority

Childhood atopic eczema consensus document

No Abstract. South African Medical Journal Vol. 95(6) 2005: 435-44

Expression capable library for studies of Neisseria gonorrhoeae, version 1.0

Background The sexually transmitted disease, gonorrhea, is a serious health problem in developed as well as in developing countries, for which treatment continues to be a challenge. The recent completion of the genome sequence of the causative agent, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, opens up an entirely new set of approaches for studying this organism and the diseases it causes. Here, we describe the initial phases of the construction of an expression-capable clone set representing the protein-coding ORFs of the gonococcal genome using a recombination-based cloning system. Results The clone set thus far includes 1672 of the 2250 predicted ORFs of the N. gonorrhoeae genome, of which 1393 (83%) are sequence-validated. Included in this set are 48 of the 61 ORFs of the gonococcal genetic island of strain MS11, not present in the sequenced genome of strain FA1090. L-arabinose-inducible glutathione-S-transferase (GST)-fusions were constructed from random clones and each was shown to express a fusion protein of the predicted size following induction, demonstrating the use of the recombination cloning system. PCR amplicons of each ORF used in the cloning reactions were spotted onto glass slides to produce DNA microarrays representing 2035 genes of the gonococcal genome. Pilot experiments indicate that these arrays are suitable for the analysis of global gene expression in gonococci. Conclusion This archived set of Gateway® entry clones will facilitate high-throughput genomic and proteomic studies of gonococcal genes using a variety of expression and analysis systems. In addition, the DNA arrays produced will allow us to generate gene expression profiles of gonococci grown in a wide variety of conditions. Together, the resources produced in this work will facilitate experiments to dissect the molecular mechanisms of gonococcal pathogenesis on a global scale, and ultimately lead to the determination of the functions of unknown genes in the genome

Smoking and drinking habits of women in subsequent pregnancies after specific advice about the dangers of these exposures during pregnancy

Background. Although women are informed about the dangers of drinking and smoking during pregnancy when they book for antenatal care, it is uncertain whether this advice is accepted, or whether attempts are made to apply it in subsequent pregnancies.Objectives. To assess how pregnant women respond to the advice to refrain from smoking and drinking during pregnancy in subsequent pregnancies.Methods. Research staff were trained to obtain accurate prospective information on smoking and drinking during pregnancy in a prospective study, using well-standardised methods. Care was taken to inform participants about the dangers of smoking and drinking during pregnancy. They were also given pamphlets on these dangers in their own language and a list of telephone numbers where they could find help to quit should they need it. This information was repeated at subsequent study visits (ranging from 1 to 3, depending on the gestational age at which they enrolled). Gestational age was determined by early ultrasound. Z-scores of birthweight for gestational age were determined according to the INTERGROWTH-21st study. Pregnancy outcomes of women who enrolled twice (n=888) or three times (n=77) in the Safe Passage Study were compared with those of women in the first enrolment (n=889).Results. The proportion of drinkers did not change significantly (p=0.058) from the first to the second and third enrolments (63.8%, 59.0% and 54.6%, respectively). A similar trend was found for smokers (73.3%, 72.2% and 68.4%, respectively). Cannabis use was reported by 15.1%, 9.7% and 12.0% (p<0.005) of women, respectively, and use of methamphetamine by 10.1%, 6.6% and 12.7% (p<0.005). There was an increase in the rate of preterm births from 15.5% to 17.5% and 24.7%, respectively, but the increase was not significant. Although mean birthweight was lower in the third enrolment compared with the second, the difference was not significant. The z-score of birthweight for gestational age was significantly lower in the second enrolment compared with the first.Conclusions. Detailed information on the adverse effects of smoking and drinking during pregnancy was not effective in the population studied. Other methods to reduce or stop these toxic exposures should therefore be investigated. A short inter-pregnancy interval, as demonstrated by three enrolments in 7.5 years, is associated with preterm labour and fetal growth restriction, and is probably indicative of the role played by confounders such as poor socioeconomic conditions and drug exposure during pregnancy

Young people's uses of celebrity: Class, gender and 'improper' celebrity

This is an Author's Accepted Manuscript of an article published in Discourse: Studies in the Cultural Politics of Education, 34(1), 2013, copyright Taylor & Francis, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/10.1080/01596306.2012.698865.In this article, we explore the question of how celebrity operates in young people's everyday lives, thus contributing to the urgent need to address celebrity's social function. Drawing on data from three studies in England on young people's perspectives on their educational and work futures, we show how celebrity operates as a classed and gendered discursive device within young people's identity work. We illustrate how young people draw upon class and gender distinctions that circulate within celebrity discourses (proper/improper, deserving/undeserving, talented/talentless and respectable/tacky) as they construct their own identities in relation to notions of work, aspiration and achievement. We argue that these distinctions operate as part of neoliberal demands to produce oneself as a ‘subject of value’. However, some participants produced readings that show ambivalence and even resistance to these dominant discourses. Young people's responses to celebrity are shown to relate to their own class and gender position.The Arts and Humanities Research Council, the British Academy, the Economic and Social Research Council, and the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science Engineering and Technology

Depleting inositol pyrophosphate 5-InsP7 protected the heart against ischaemia–reperfusion injury by elevating plasma adiponectin

Aims Adiponectin is an adipocyte-derived circulating protein that exerts cardiovascular and metabolic protection. Due to the futile degradation of endogenous adiponectin and the challenges of exogenous administration, regulatory mechanisms of adiponectin biosynthesis are of significant pharmacological interest. Methods and results Here, we report that 5-diphosphoinositol 1,2,3,4,6-pentakisphosphate (5-InsP7) generated by inositol hexakisphosphate kinase 1 (IP6K1) governed circulating adiponectin levels via thiol-mediated protein quality control in the secretory pathway. IP6K1 bound to adiponectin and DsbA-L and generated 5-InsP7 to stabilize adiponectin/ERp44 and DsbA-L/Ero1-Lα interactions, driving adiponectin intracellular degradation. Depleting 5-InsP7 by either IP6K1 deletion or pharmacological inhibition blocked intracellular adiponectin degradation. Whole-body and adipocyte-specific deletion of IP6K1 boosted plasma adiponectin levels, especially its high molecular weight forms, and activated AMPK-mediated protection against myocardial ischaemia–reperfusion injury. Pharmacological inhibition of 5-InsP7 biosynthesis in wild-type but not adiponectin knockout mice attenuated myocardial ischaemia–reperfusion injury. Conclusion Our findings revealed that 5-InsP7 is a physiological regulator of adiponectin biosynthesis that is amenable to pharmacological intervention for cardioprotection

Oxygenic phototrophic biofilms for improved cathode performance in microbial fuel cells

The rate of oxygen reduction reaction in the cathodic chambers of microbial fuel cells (MFCs) is a typical limiting aspect of its performance. Recently, research on biocathodes has gained more interest as it allows circumventing the utilisation of exogenous and unstable mediators at a lower cost. It is shown here that the growth of oxygenic phototrophs as a biofilm, increases the current output by two fold. This was possible by forcing the biofilm to grow onto the cathode, thus, producing the oxygen directly where it was consumed. This enhancement of the cathodic efficiency was stable for over 30. days. © 2013 Elsevier B.V

Intermittent load implementation in microbial fuel cells improves power performance

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. This study reports on the response of small-scale MFCs to intermittent loading, in terms of power output over time. The aim was to understand the evolution with time of power output under different duty cycles, in conditions close to practical implementation. Inexpensive ceramic membranes were compared to cation exchange membranes, under continuous flow and with a pre-digester connected. Results show that at the minute-scale, all the duty cycles investigated, produced 78% higher power bursts from the MFCs (500. μW) than when under continuous loading (280. μW). These results were recorded from MFCs employing ceramic membranes, whereas the difference in performance for MFCs employing commercially available cation-exchange-membranes was insignificant. When normalising to daily energy production, only specific duty cycles produced more power than continuous loading. Furthermore, the introduction of a pre-digester increased the MFC power outputs 10-fold, thus confirming that separating fermentation from electro-active respiration, significantly enhances the system performance