Mu, Delta and Kappa opioid receptor involvement in the hypothermic response to caffeine and theophylline

This study describes the effect of the methylxanthines, caffeine and theophylline, on core body temperature (Tb); of unrestrained mice at normal ambient temperature. Acute administration (JP) of caffeine and theophylline produced a dose-dependent hypothermia; caffeine induced hypothermia war of a greater magnitude and longer time course than theophylline. The hypothermic response war attenuated (50%) by naloxone HCI, a peripheral and central non-selective opioid antagonist, showing that methylxamhine-induced hypothermia is partly mediated by opioid receptors. In part the hypothermic response appeared to be naloxone-insensitive (500A,) indicating that other mechanisms may mediate this effect. Only theophylline-treated mice exhibited an attenuation by 25% of this response when pretreated. with naloxone methiodide which only acts peripherally, indicating that part of the opioid receptor mediation of theophylline-induced hypothermia is dependent on a peripheral mechanism. No attenuation occurred when theophylline- and caffeine-treated mice were pretreated with low-dose naloxone Hel, a Mu- selective antagonist while naltrindole HCI. a Delta-selective antagonist produced a mild attenuation. The greater attenuation produced by nor-binaltorphimine, a Kappa-selective antagonist, would suggest that the Kappa receptors are mainly responsible for the opioid receptor mediation of both caffeine- and theophylline-induced hypothermia. The acute effects of caffeine and theophylline on thermoregulation are not unlike those of morphine and endogenous opioids. The pharmacological, clinical and biological significance of the thermoregulatory effects of caffeine and theophylline are discussedpeer-reviewe

Testing the potential of voltage regulation for achieving higher energy efficiency

This paper focuses on energy efficiency of household electrical loads. It concerns a commercial product that aims to lower consumption by decreasing the supply voltage. In practice, the utility voltage is variable and at certain locations it might be consistently on the high side. The potential energy saving of the VO4Home unit is experimentally tested with a real voltage profile. The VO4Home has three settings that correspond to constant voltage reductions of 13V, 16V and 24V. A mix of loads was selected to reflect a typical household load. For the load mix and operating pattern, a minimum energy saving of 7.3% increasing up to circa 8.7% was recorded. The VO4Home is supplied in Malta by CD Power Saving Ltd.Alternative Technologies Ltd., Energy Investment Ltd, JMV Vibro Blocks Ltd., Solar Engineering Ltd. and Solar Solutions Ltd.peer-reviewe

Performance of a solar-assisted thermodynamic heat pump for water heating

Malta’s domestic sector predominantly consume electric energy for the provision of comfort and operation of services within households. About 30% of the total national consumption is used by households, with the potable hot water production accounting for 24% of that energy. Nowadays, the major part of households heat water using an electric boiler, with an overall efficiency of 0.75. The EU Directive on Energy Efficiency 012/27/EU and the Renewable Energy Directive 2009/28/EU, as well as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive 2010/32/EC, have all identified energy use in buildings as the primary area where energy saving may have technically-sound and cost effective results. This paper focuses on the use of a thermodynamic heat pump for the production of potable hot water, which would reduce the electrical consumption in households. The Solar-Assisted Thermodynamic Heat Pump (SAHP) produces hot water using the primary energy source of solar energy and ambient air. Such a system is new to Malta and no local testing has been carried out to gauge its performance under local conditions. In this paper the potential application of a unitary type direct-expansion SAHP (DX-SAHP) system was examined. Testing was carried out during the most critical months between November and January.Alternative Technologies Ltd., Energy Investment Ltd, JMV Vibro Blocks Ltd., Solar Engineering Ltd. and Solar Solutions Ltd.peer-reviewe

Fil-lejl li kiber miegħi

Ġabra ta’ poeżiji u proża li tinkludi: Flus lura ta’ Charles Clews – Afrika ta’ Oliver Friggieri – 5 ta’ Ottubru 1798: Ir-rewwixta taż-Żabbarin kontra l-Franċiżi ta’ Achille Mizzi – Durham ta’ Joe Friggieri – Tifkiriet: Għand Majsi l-parrukkier ta’ Maurice Mifsud Bonnici – Jacqueline ta’ Carmel Azzopardi – Is-Sibt 29 ta’ Marzu 1986 ta’ Alfred Massa – Lill-għasfur ta’ Nikol Vella Apap – Nixtieq nibki ta’ John Caruana – Imbierka s-sapjenza ta’ Charles Clews – Par għajnejn fid-dlam ta’ Val. V. Barbara – Iż-żmien u l-bniedem ta’ Paul J. Debono – Dixx ta’ l-istejnles stil ta’ Paul P. Borg – Nota bene ta’ Sergio Grech – Ħitan ta’ Alfred Degabriele – Data base ta’ Philip Sciberras – Freddie Mercury – Ġieħ ta’ Charles Briffa – Ħolma ta’ Joe Bugeja – L-imsiebaħ firxu d-dwal ta’ Emanuel F. Attard – Żamma ta’ Manwel Cassar – Awtur tal-baħar ta’ Charles Bezzina – Nixxiegħa tal-kuxjent minn Triq Ħas-Sajjied Birkirkara ta’ Tarcisio Zarb – Ċfuf u żigarelli ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Taħt is-saffi tqal ta’ Ġorġ Borg – Fil-lejl li kiber miegħi ta’ Ġorġ Borg.peer-reviewe

Strengthening organizational performance through accreditation research - a framework for twelve interrelated studies: the ACCREDIT project study protocol

Background: Service accreditation is a structured process of recognising and promoting performance and adherence to standards. Typically, accreditation agencies either receive standards from an authorized body or develop new and upgrade existing standards through research and expert views. They then apply standards, criteria and performance indicators, testing their effects, and monitoring compliance with them. The accreditation process has been widely adopted. The international investments in accreditation are considerable. However, reliable evidence of its efficiency or effectiveness in achieving organizational improvements is sparse and the value of accreditation in cost-benefit terms has yet to be demonstrated. Although some evidence suggests that accreditation promotes the improvement and standardization of care, there have been calls to strengthen its research base. In response, the ACCREDIT (Accreditation Collaborative for the Conduct of Research, Evaluation and Designated Investigations through Teamwork) project has been established to evaluate the effectiveness of Australian accreditation in achieving its goals. ACCREDIT is a partnership of key researchers, policymakers and agencies.FindingsWe present the framework for our studies in accreditation. Four specific aims of the ACCREDIT project, which will direct our findings, are to: (i) evaluate current accreditation processes; (ii) analyse the costs and benefits of accreditation; (iii) improve future accreditation via evidence; and (iv) develop and apply new standards of consumer involvement in accreditation. These will be addressed through 12 interrelated studies designed to examine specific issues identified as a high priority. Novel techniques, a mix of qualitative and quantitative methods, and randomized designs relevant for health-care research have been developed. These methods allow us to circumvent the fragmented and incommensurate findings that can be generated in small-scale, project-based studies. The overall approach for our research is a multi-level, multi-study design.DiscussionThe ACCREDIT project will examine the utility, reliability, relevance and cost effectiveness of differing forms of accreditation, focused on general practice, aged care and acute care settings in Australia. Empirically, there are potential research gains to be made by understanding accreditation and extending existing knowledge; theoretically, this design will facilitate a systems view of accreditation of benefit to the partnership, international research communities, and future accreditation designers

FCC-ee: The Lepton Collider: Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 2

In response to the 2013 Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics, the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study was launched, as an international collaboration hosted by CERN. This study covers a highest-luminosity high-energy lepton collider (FCC-ee) and an energy-frontier hadron collider (FCC-hh), which could, successively, be installed in the same 100 km tunnel. The scientific capabilities of the integrated FCC programme would serve the worldwide community throughout the 21st century. The FCC study also investigates an LHC energy upgrade, using FCC-hh technology. This document constitutes the second volume of the FCC Conceptual Design Report, devoted to the electron-positron collider FCC-ee. After summarizing the physics discovery opportunities, it presents the accelerator design, performance reach, a staged operation scenario, the underlying technologies, civil engineering, technical infrastructure, and an implementation plan. FCC-ee can be built with today’s technology. Most of the FCC-ee infrastructure could be reused for FCC-hh. Combining concepts from past and present lepton colliders and adding a few novel elements, the FCC-ee design promises outstandingly high luminosity. This will make the FCC-ee a unique precision instrument to study the heaviest known particles (Z, W and H bosons and the top quark), offering great direct and indirect sensitivity to new physics

HE-LHC: The High-Energy Large Hadron Collider: Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 4

In response to the 2013 Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics (EPPSU), the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study was launched as a world-wide international collaboration hosted by CERN. The FCC study covered an energy-frontier hadron collider (FCC-hh), a highest-luminosity high-energy lepton collider (FCC-ee), the corresponding 100 km tunnel infrastructure, as well as the physics opportunities of these two colliders, and a high-energy LHC, based on FCC-hh technology. This document constitutes the third volume of the FCC Conceptual Design Report, devoted to the hadron collider FCC-hh. It summarizes the FCC-hh physics discovery opportunities, presents the FCC-hh accelerator design, performance reach, and staged operation plan, discusses the underlying technologies, the civil engineering and technical infrastructure, and also sketches a possible implementation. Combining ingredients from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the high-luminosity LHC upgrade and adding novel technologies and approaches, the FCC-hh design aims at significantly extending the energy frontier to 100 TeV. Its unprecedented centre-of-mass collision energy will make the FCC-hh a unique instrument to explore physics beyond the Standard Model, offering great direct sensitivity to new physics and discoveries

FCC Physics Opportunities: Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 1

We review the physics opportunities of the Future Circular Collider, covering its e+e-, pp, ep and heavy ion programmes. We describe the measurement capabilities of each FCC component, addressing the study of electroweak, Higgs and strong interactions, the top quark and flavour, as well as phenomena beyond the Standard Model. We highlight the synergy and complementarity of the different colliders, which will contribute to a uniquely coherent and ambitious research programme, providing an unmatchable combination of precision and sensitivity to new physics

HE-LHC: The High-Energy Large Hadron Collider – Future Circular Collider Conceptual Design Report Volume 4

In response to the 2013 Update of the European Strategy for Particle Physics (EPPSU), the Future Circular Collider (FCC) study was launched as a world-wide international collaboration hosted by CERN. The FCC study covered an energy-frontier hadron collider (FCC-hh), a highest-luminosity high-energy lepton collider (FCC-ee), the corresponding 100 km tunnel infrastructure, as well as the physics opportunities of these two colliders, and a high-energy LHC, based on FCC-hh technology. This document constitutes the third volume of the FCC Conceptual Design Report, devoted to the hadron collider FCC-hh. It summarizes the FCC-hh physics discovery opportunities, presents the FCC-hh accelerator design, performance reach, and staged operation plan, discusses the underlying technologies, the civil engineering and technical infrastructure, and also sketches a possible implementation. Combining ingredients from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the high-luminosity LHC upgrade and adding novel technologies and approaches, the FCC-hh design aims at significantly extending the energy frontier to 100 TeV. Its unprecedented centre-of-mass collision energy will make the FCC-hh a unique instrument to explore physics beyond the Standard Model, offering great direct sensitivity to new physics and discoveries