Quantifying measuring errors of new residential water meters considering different customer consumption patterns

Water meter measuring errors vary depending on the water flow rate. The difference between water actually consumed and registered by a meter will differ depending on how water consumption is distributed by flow rates. Published studies assessing the performance of new residential meters have only analysed the error curves of the meters without calculating the influence that consumption patterns have on their field performance. In most cases, research has been limited to analysing compliance with published standards. This work presents an evaluation of the actual commercial losses to be expected considering the consumption characteristic of domestic users. Several types of residential meters have been tested and the error curves obtained have been combined with measured consumption patterns of domestic users. As a result, this paper provides information about the order of magnitude of the initial measuring error as a function of the residential meter model and user characteristics.The translation of this paper was funded by the Universitat Politecnica de Valencia, Spain.Arregui De La Cruz, F.; Balaguer Garrigós, M.; Soriano Olivares, J.; García-Serra García, J. (2015). Quantifying measuring errors of new residential water meters considering different customer consumption patterns. Urban Water Journal. 13(5):463-475. doi:10.1080/1573062X.2014.993999S463475135American Water Works Association (AWWA), 1999. Water Meters - Selection, Installation, Testing, and Maintenance: Manual of Water Supply Practices (M6). Denver, CO: American Water Works Association.American Water Works Association (AWWA), 2009. Water Audits and Loss Control Programs: AWWA Manual M36. Denver, CO: American Water Works Association.Arregui, F.J., CabreraJr, E., and Cobacho, R., 2006a. Integrated water meter management. London: IWA Publishing.Arregui, F. ., Cabrera, E., Cobacho, R., & García-Serra, J. (2006). Reducing Apparent Losses Caused By Meters Inaccuracies. Water Practice and Technology, 1(4). doi:10.2166/wpt.2006.093Arregui, F.J., Martinez, B., Soriano, J., and Parra, J.C., 2009. Tools for improving decision making in water meter management. Proceedings of the 5th IWA Water Loss Reduction Specialist Conference (pp. 225–232). Cape Town, South Africa.Barfuss, S.L., Johnson, M.C., and Neilsen, M.A., 2011. Accuracy of in-service water meters at low and high flow rates. Denver, CO: Water Research Foundation, Denver.Blokker, E. J. M., Vreeburg, J. H. G., & van Dijk, J. C. (2010). Simulating Residential Water Demand with a Stochastic End-Use Model. Journal of Water Resources Planning and Management, 136(1), 19-26. doi:10.1061/(asce)wr.1943-5452.0000002Bowen, P.T., Harp, J.F., Hendricks, J.E., and Shoeleh, M., 1991. Evaluating residential meter performance. Denver, CO: American Water Works Association Research Foundation.Bowen, P.T., Harp, J.F., Baxter, J.W., and Shull, R.D., 1993. Residential water use patterns. Denver, CO: American Water Works Association Research Foundation.Criminisi, A., Fontanazza, C. M., Freni, G., & Loggia, G. L. (2009). Evaluation of the apparent losses caused by water meter under-registration in intermittent water supply. Water Science and Technology, 60(9), 2373-2382. doi:10.2166/wst.2009.423DeOreo, W.B. and Mayer, P.W., 2013. Residential end uses of water study update. Denver, CO: Water Research Foundation.ISO 4064-3, 1993. Measurement of water flow in closed conduits - meters for cold potable water. Part 3: Test methods and equipment. Geneva: International Organization for Standardization.ISO 4064-1, 2005. Measurement of water flow in a fully charged closed conduit - meters for cold potable water and hot water. Part 1: Specifications. Geneva: International Organization for Standardization.Lievers, C. and Barendregt, A., 2009. Implementation of intervention techniques to decrease commercial losses for Ghana. Proceedings of the 5th IWA Water Loss Reduction Specialist Conference (pp. 490–496). Cape Town, South Africa.Male, J.W., Noss, R.R., and Moore, I.C., 1985. Identifying and Reducing Losses in Water Distribution Systems. Saddle River, NJ: Noyes Publications.Mayer, P.W., DeOreo, W.B., Opitz, E.M., Kiefer, J.C., Davis, W.Y., Dziegielewski, B., and Nelson, J.O., 1999. Residential End Uses of Water. Denver, CO: AWWA Research Foundation and American Water Works Association.Mutikanga, H. E., Sharma, S. K., & Vairavamoorthy, K. (2010). Assessment of apparent losses in urban water systems. Water and Environment Journal, 25(3), 327-335. doi:10.1111/j.1747-6593.2010.00225.xNeilsen, M. A., Barfuss, S. L., & Johnson, M. C. (2011). Off-the-shelf accuracies of residential water meters. 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Economic analysis for replacing residential meters. Journal - American Water Works Association, 91(7), 72-77. doi:10.1002/j.1551-8833.1999.tb08666.

Pre-dialysis clinic attendance improves quality of life among hemodialysis patients

BACKGROUND: Although previous research has demonstrated that referral to pre-dialysis clinics is associated with favourable objective outcomes, the benefit of a pre-dialysis clinic from the perspective of patient-perceived subjective outcomes, such as quality of life (QOL), is less well defined. METHODS: A retrospective incident cohort study was conducted to determine if pre-dialysis clinic attendance was a predictor of better QOL scores measured within the first six months of hemodialysis (HD) initiation. Inclusion criteria were HD initiation from January 1 1998 to January 1 2000, diagnosis of chronic renal failure, and completion of the QOL questionnaire within six months of HD initiation. Patients receiving HD for less than four weeks were excluded. An incident cohort of 120 dialysis patients was identified, including 74 patients who attended at least one pre-dialysis clinic and 46 patients who did not. QOL was measured using the SF 36-Item Health Survey. Independent variables included age, sex, diabetes, pre-dialysis clinic attendance and length of attendance, history of ischemic heart disease, stroke, peripheral vascular disease, heart failure, malignancy, and chronic lung disease, residual creatinine clearance at dialysis initiation, and kt/v, albumin and hemoglobin at the time of QOL assessment. Bivariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to identify predictors of QOL scores. RESULTS: Multivariate analysis suggested that pre-dialysis clinic attendance was an independent predictor of higher QOL scores in four of eight health domains (physical function, p < 0.01; emotional role limitation, p = 0.01; social function, p = 0.01; and general health, p = 0.03), even after statistical adjustment for age, sex, residual renal function, kt/v, albumin, and co-morbid disease. Pre-dialysis clinic attendance was also an independent predictor of the physical component summary score (p = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that pre-dialysis clinic attendance favourably influences patient-perceived quality of life within six months of dialysis initiation

Urban futures and the code for sustainable homes

Copyright © 2012 ICE Publishing Ltd. Permission is granted by ICE Publishing to print one copy for personal use. Any other use of these PDF files is subject to reprint fees.A 6?6 ha (66 000 m2) regeneration site, commonly referred to as Luneside East, is to be turned from a run down, economically under-achieving area of Lancaster, UK, into a new, distinctive, vibrant, sustainable quarter of the city. As a result several aspects of water planning for 350 new homes and 8000 m2 of workspace needed to be considered before any infrastructure investment was undertaken. This included assessment of the future capacity requirements (i.e. inflows and outflows) for water infrastructure (i.e. mains water supply, wastewater disposal, rainwater storage and stormwater disposal) much of which will be located underground. This paper looks at the implications of various water management strategies on the Luneside East site (e.g. water-efficient appliances, greywater recycling and rainwater harvesting) in line with current policy measures that focus on technology changes alone (e.g. the code for sustainable homes). Based on these findings this paper outlines some basic implications for technological resilience discussed in the context of four ‘world views’ – that is, the urban futures scenarios considered in this special issue. Conclusions are drawn as to how far this can take engineers, planners and developers in understanding and planning for resilient water infrastructure within a development like Luneside East

Should the poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae be of wider concern for veterinary and medical science?

The poultry red mite Dermanyssus gallinae is best known as a threat to the laying-hen industry; adversely affecting production and hen health and welfare throughout the globe, both directly and through its role as a disease vector. Nevertheless, D. gallinae is being increasingly implemented in dermatological complaints in non-avian hosts, suggesting that its significance may extend beyond poultry. The main objective of the current work was to review the potential of D. gallinae as a wider veterinary and medical threat. Results demonstrated that, as an avian mite, D. gallinae is unsurprisingly an occasional pest of pet birds. However, research also supports that these mites will feed from a range of other animals including: cats, dogs, rodents, rabbits, horses and man. We conclude that although reported cases of D. gallinae infesting mammals are relatively rare, when coupled with the reported genetic plasticity of this species and evidence of permanent infestations on non-avian hosts, potential for host-expansion may exist. The impact of, and mechanisms and risk factors for such expansion are discussed, and suggestions for further work made. Given the potential severity of any level of host-expansion in D. gallinae, we conclude that further research should be urgently conducted to confirm the full extent of the threat posed by D. gallinae to (non-avian) veterinary and medical sectors

Pharmaco-genetically guided treatment of recurrent rage outbursts in an adult male with 15q13.3 deletion syndrome

15q13.3 deletion syndrome (15q13.3DS) is a common recurrent genomic disorder associated with epilepsy, intellectual impairment, aggressive behavior, schizophrenia, and autism. A 39-year-old male presented with 15q13.3DS, epilepsy, intellectual impairment, psychosis, and recurrent episodes of aggressive rage. We hypothesized that the patient's aggressive behavior reflected deficits in α7 nicotinic cholinergic receptor (NChR)-mediated neurotransmission, arising from haploinsufficiency of the structural gene CHRNA7 due to the deletion. Treatment with the NChR allosteric modulator and acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitor, galantamine, led to a dramatic decline in the frequency and intensity of rage outbursts, suggesting that enhancement of α7 NChR function can ameliorate 15q13.3DS-associated rage outbursts