Supporting retrofit decisions using smart meter data: a multi-disciplinary approach

The UK Government’s flagship energy efficiency program, the Green Deal, provides retrofit advice for household occupants based on a technical house survey and an engineering modelling tool. Smart meter data provides an opportunity to give bespoke advice to occupants based on the actual performance of their home and their own heating practices as well as visualisations of hourly and daily energy use. This work presents initial results from one component of a complex multidisciplinary research project which aims to use smart meter and smart home data to design and develop retrofit decision support concepts. Home visits involving creative design based research activities were carried out in five homes. Household occupants were presented with two types of energy use report; 1) a Green Deal advice report which includes suggested retrofit measures and annual energy consumption figures based on a steady state modelling approach and; 2) a personalised energy use report, based on smart meter data collected in their homes over a 12 month period. The home visits were carried out with the occupants to discuss a range of possible retrofit measures and gather feedback regarding the communication method for advice about energy efficiency improvements. Initial findings from the home visits indicate that the provision of energy feedback using smart meter data did not directly influence the occupants to make energy efficient retrofits any more than the Green Deal advice reports. However, the visualisation of actual hourly and daily energy use enabled householders to make links with their lived experience and stimulated discussions about their energy use which may impact on their preconceived ideas about energy use and energy efficiency measures

Lipid cubic systems for sustained and controlled delivery of antihistamine drugs

Antihistamines are capable of blocking mediator responses in allergic reactions including allergic rhinitis and dermatological reactions. By incorporating various H1 receptor antagonists into a lipid cubic phase network, these active ingredients can be delivered locally over an extended period of time owing to the mucoadhesive nature of the system. Local delivery can avoid inducing unwanted side effects, often observed after systematic delivery. Lipid-based antihistamine delivery systems are shown here to exhibit prolonged release capabilities. In vitro drug dissolution studies investigated the extent and release rate of two model first generation and two model second-generation H1 antagonist antihistamine drugs from two monoacyglycerol-derived lipid models. To optimize the formulation approach, the systems were characterized macroscopically and microscopically by small-angle X-ray scattering and polarized light to ascertain the mesophase accessed upon an incorporation of antihistamines of varying solubilities and size. The impact of encapsulating the antihistamine molecules on the degree of mucoadhesivity of the lipid cubic systems was investigated using multiparametric surface plasmon resonance. With the ultimate goal of developing therapies for the treatment of allergic reactions, the ability of the formulations to inhibit mediator release utilizing RBL-2H3 mast cells with the propensity to release histamine upon induction was explored, demonstrating no interference from the lipid excipient on the effectiveness of the antihistamine molecules

Stent conditioned media for in vitro evaluation of hydrophobic stent coatings

In vitro cell studies of hydrophobic drugs face difficulties associated with their low aqueous solubility. To study poorly soluble drugs in bio-relevant media, solubilizing agents are frequently used to make stock solutions before final reconstitution in media. This results in drug concentrations that are not representative of in vivo conditions and may pose adverse effects on cells’ biological functions. This is especially true of typical hydrophobic stent coatings intended for vascular applications, where poor in vitro to in vivo correlation exists. To this end, a method for preparation of hydrophobic drug suspensions in bio-relevant media via stent conditioned media using paclitaxel (PTX) as a model drug is proposed. Since the drug is present as a suspension, this media was validated for its content uniformity and potency to induce formation of micronuclei, typical of cells undergoing prolonged mitotic arrest. Further, PTX uptake by endothelial cells was quantified and showed that the PTX stent conditioned media (at a theoretical concentration of 100 μM) suppressed cellular growth equivalent to the 0.1 μM DMSO dissolved PTX

EBTS-opetusympäristö

Tämän opinnäytetyön tarkoitus oli suunnitella Tampereen ammattikorkeakoululle EBTS-opetusympäristö ja siihen käyttöohje. Opetusympäristön avulla opiskelijat voivat tutustua järjestelmän mahdollisuuksiin sekä harjoitella sen käyttöä. Järjestelmään perehtyminen auttaa ymmärtämään talotekniikan ohjauksen lukuisia vaihtoehtoja. Työssä käsiteltiin EBTS-järjestelmän yleisiä asioita, sähköturvallisuutta, opetusympäristön komponentteja ja erilaisia ohjelmointivaihtoehtoja. Sähköturvallisuudesta kerrottiin, mikä on erityisen tärkeää vastaavia laitteita suunniteltaessa ja rakentaessa. Työssä kerrottiin, mitä komponentteja opetusympäristöön asennettiin ja mitä niillä voi tehdä. Opetusympäristön käyttöohje on tämän työn liitteenä. Valmis opetusympäristö on selkeä ja toimiva kokonaisuus, jonka käyttö on opettavaista ja helppoa. Järjestelmään voidaan liittää myöhemmin lisää komponentteja ja ohjattavia laitteita.The purpose of this thesis was to design an EBTS teaching environment and manual for Tampere University of Applied Sciences. With the teaching environment, students can explore the possibilities of the system and practice using it. Familiarizing themselves with the system helps people understand the many alternatives of building services con-trol. This thesis handles common things of the EBTS system, electrical safety, components of teaching environment and different control alternatives. Electrical safety part handles things that are important while designing and building this kinds of devices. The com-ponent part handles questions such as what kind of components have been installed to the teaching environment and what you can do with these parts. The manual is present-ed as an appendix at the end of this thesis. Ready teaching environment is a clear and workable entirety, the using of which is edu-cational and easy. It is possible to connect more components and control devices to the system later.Työhön kuuluu kaksi kappaletta keskuskoteloihin asennettuja EBTS-opetusympäristöjä

Citric acid functionalized nitinol stent surface promotes endothelial cell healing.

While drug-eluting stents containing anti-proliferative agents inhibit proliferation of smooth muscle cells (SMCs), they also delay the regrowth of the endothelial cells which can result in subsequent development of restenosis. Acidic extracellular environments promote cell anchorage and migration by inducing conformational change in integrins, the main cell adhesion proteins. This study addresses the feasibility of a citric acid (CA) functionalized nitinol stent for improving vascular biocompatibility, specifically enhancing endothelialization. CA functionalized nitinol vascular stents are compared to commercial bare metal (Zilver Flex) and paclitaxel eluting stents (Zilver PTX) in terms of re-endothelialization. To study the effect of stent coatings, a stent conditioned media methodology was developed in an attempt to represent in vivo conditions. Overall, distinct advantages of the CA functionalized nitinol stent over commercial Zilver PTX DES and Zilver Flex BMS stents in terms of endothelial cell adhesion, migration, and proliferation are reported. These novel findings indicate the potential of a CA functionalized stent to serve as a bioactive and therapeutic surface for re-endothelialization, perhaps in combination with a SMC proliferation inhibitor coating, to prevent restenosis

Modulating the release of pharmaceuticals from lipid cubic phases using a lipase inhibitor

Lipid cubic phase formulations have gained recognition as potential controlled delivery systems for a range of active pharmaceutical and biological agents on account of their desirable physiochemical properties and ability to encapsulate both hydrophobic and hydrophilic molecules. The most widely studied lipid cubic systems are those of the monoacylglycerol lipid family. These formulations are susceptible to lipolysis by a variety of enzymes, including lipases and esterases, which attack the ester bond present on the lipid chain bridging the oleic acid component to the glycerol backbone. The release of poorly soluble molecules residing in the lipid membrane portions of the phase is limited by the breakdown of the matrix; thus, presenting a potential means for further controlling and sustaining the release of therapeutic agents by targeting the matrix stability and its rate of degradation. The aims of the present study were twofold: to evaluate an approach to regulate the rate of degradation of lipid cubic phase drug delivery systems by targeting the enzyme interactions responsible for their demise; and to study the subsequent drug release profiles from bulk lipid cubic gels using model drugs of contrasting hydrophobicity. Here, hybrid materials consisting of cubic phases with monoacylglycerol lipids of different chain lengths formulated with a potent lipase inhibitor tetrahydrolipstatin were designed. Modulation of the release ofa hydrophobic model pharmaceutical, a clofazimine salt, was obtained by exploiting the matrices’ enzyme-driven digestion. A stable cubic phase is described, displaying controlled degradation with at least a 4-fold improvement compared to the blank systems shown in inhibitor-containing cubic systems. Sustained release of the model hydrophobic pharmaceutical was studied over 30 days to highlight the advantage of incorporating an inhibitor into the cubic network to achieve tunable lipid release systems. This is done without negatively affecting the structure of the matrix itself, as shown by comprehensive small-angle x-ray scattering experiments

Long acting injectables for therapeutic proteins

Biotherapeutic development presents a myriad of challenges in relation to delivery, in particular for protein therapeutics. Protein delivery is complicated due to hydrophilicity, size, rate of degradation in vivo, low permeation through biological barriers, pH and temperature sensitivity, as well as the need to conserve its quaternary structure to retain function. To preserve therapeutic levels in vivo, proteins require frequent administration due to their short half-lives. Formulation strategies combining proteins with lipid carriers for parenteral administration show potential for improving bioavailability, while preserving protein activity and bypassing the mucosal barriers of the body. Encapsulating protein in long acting injectable delivery systems can improve therapeutic indices by prolonging and controlling protein release and reducing the need for repeat interventions. Two lyotropic crystal forming lipids, monoolein and phytantriol, have been formulated to produce lipidic cubic phases and assessed for their use as long acting protein eluting injectables. Three soluble proteins, cytochrome c, glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase and one membrane protein, cytochrome c oxidase, were incorporated into bulk cubic phase formulations of each lipid system to comparatively assess protein release kinetics. The activity of the soluble proteins was measured upon release from a phytantriol bulk cubic phase and phytantriol cubosomes, produced using a liquid precursor method. </p

Additional file 1: of Circulating tumour DNA for monitoring colorectal cancer—a prospective cohort study to assess relationship to tissue methylation, cancer characteristics and surgical resection

Table S1. Characteristics of patients included in analyses. Table S2. Concordance between detection of methylated BCAT1 and IKZF1 in tissues and blood. Figure S1. ctDNA status before and after surgical resection for 93 cases. (DOCX 36 kb

Additional file 2: of Evaluation of an assay for methylated BCAT1 and IKZF1 in plasma for detection of colorectal neoplasia

Recruitment details for participating clinical sites. Table S3. Distribution of recruits from the four hospitals participating in the study. (PDF 97 kb

Additional file 4: of Evaluation of an assay for methylated BCAT1 and IKZF1 in plasma for detection of colorectal neoplasia

Age versus assay positivity. Figure S1. The proportion of positive blood results were calculated for <50, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-80 and >80 years of age. The binomial standard deviation was calculated using the formula S E p = p 1 ‐ p / n $$\mathrm{S}\mathrm{E}\mathrm{p}=\sqrt{\mathrm{p}\left(1\hbox{-} \mathrm{p}\right)/\mathrm{n}}$$ , where p = proportion of positive results, n = sample size ( https://www.easycalculation.com/statistics/standard-error-sample-proportion.php ). A two-sample Z-test two-tailed, 95 % significant level was performed on the terminal groups less than 50yrs of age versus more than 80yrs of age (the age span in study cohort) and 50-54yrs vs 75-80yrs (screen-eligible age) based on the assumption that if there was an age trend then that would be most pronounced in ‘young’ versus ‘old’. (A) non-neoplastic controls (n = 1288); (B) cancer (n = 129). (TIFF 2521 kb