FDD Algorithm for an AHU Reverse-Return System

A fault detection and diagnosis (FDD) algorithm was developed for an AHU reverse-return system for air cooling. These FDD rules were generated using simulation in three steps. Cause-effect rules were established by connecting the faults and their related effects. The FDD rules were developed for the following faults: old valve, fouled return pipe, fault in the outlet air temperature sensor, fault in the temperature sensor for the inlet temperature, bad position of the sensor for pressure difference. The effects of the involved faults were observed on four system performances. The results showed that increase in both the cooling coil rate and the pump rate appear due to faults in sensors. The inaccurate measurement of the pressure difference and the fault in the control valve do not affect the AHU outlet air temperatures. Increase in both the outlet air temperature and the pump power consumption appears due to the fouled return pipes

The role of inflammation in sciatica: the contradictory effect of macrophages

Herniation of the lumbar disc can cause severe pain radiating down the leg alongside a dermatome. This pain can be caused by compression of the nerve root, but recent evidence has indicated that a local inflammation response may also play a role. This thesis focuses on how macrophages that infiltrate the herniated disc in patients with lumbar disc herniation, influence pain and recovery after discectomy. Our data shows that for most patients, if macrophages are present, they benefit the process of healing by leading to a quicker resorption of the herniated material which results in faster recovery. However, for patients with Modic changes, which indicates a degenerated endplate (structure between disc and vertebrae), the presence of macrophages is less beneficial, for they recover more slowly after surgery. The reason for this discrepency seems to be an altered differentiation profile in macrophages. Macrophages differentiate into different types with different behaviours: the M2 macrophages are known for its anti-inflammatory properties and tissue resorption. Our study found M2 macrophages in lower numbers in patients with degenerated endplates, which can explain their slower recovery. Together the data indicates that macrophage differentiation profiles in lumbar herniated discs are promising treatment targets.Dutch Spine SocietyLUMC / Geneeskund

Norwegian National Program for Lifetime Commissioning and Energy Efficient Operation of Buildings

The project “Life-Time Commissioning for Energy Efficient Operation of Buildings” is actually a network of industrial companies, private and public entities, and R&D organizations. The overall objective of the project is to contribute to the implementation of life-long commissioning of building HVAC systems, so that this becomes a standardized way of building, operating and maintaining the HVAC systems in Norway. The project is organized as an industry research program with minimum duration of five years. Project members pay an annual membership fee. The main goal for the project is to develop, verify, document and implement suitable tools for functional control of energy and indoor environment in buildings under continuous operation during the entire operational life of the building. This will improve energy efficiency and ensure a rational use of energy and a sound indoor environment. All achievements concerning energy improvement will also contribute to the decrease of CO2 emissions

Health Coaching in Primary Care: A Pilot Study

Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)http://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/116124/1/Health_Coaching_In_Primary_Care.pd

The contradictory effect of macrophage-related cytokine expression in lumbar disc herniations: a systematic review

Purpose Sciatic symptoms due to lumbar disc herniation are likely to be caused not solely by mechanical compression of the nerve root, but also by pain-inducing elements from inflammatory processes. Key components in the inflammatory reaction are M1 and M2 macrophages, with the M1 type being associated with pro-inflammatory processes and M2 with anti-inflammatory-processes. Method The present systematic review summarizes all studies on associations between M1 and M2 macrophages and their related inflammation factors and pain symptoms in lumbar disc herniations. Literature search was performed using an optimally sensitive search string. Studies were selected for inclusion by means of predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria and subsequently graded for risk of bias. A total of 14 studies were included. Overall risk of bias was moderate (8/14), and three studies had high risk of bias and three has low risk of bias. Results Regarding M1-related cytokines, high levels of TNF-alpha, TNFR1, IL-6, IL-8, and IFN-gamma were all associated high VAS scores. In contrast, high levels of TNFR2 were associated with lower VAS scores. Moreover, no associations were found for IL-1a and IL-1 beta. Results regarding M2-related cytokines revealed the opposite: high levels of both IL-4 and IL-10 were associated with lower VAS scores. No associations were established for TGF-beta. Moreover, the presence of macrophages (CD68) was negatively associated with VAS scores. Conclusion While M1-related pro-inflammatory cytokines worsen pain symptoms, M2-related anti-inflammatory cytokines alleviate pain symptoms. Nevertheless, the present evidence is limited, and further research on the underlying pathophysiological mechanism in sciatica is required. Graphic abstract These slides can be retrieved under Electronic Supplementary Material.Nephrolog

Implementation of triticale in nutrition of non-ruminant animals

Cognition of chemical composition and nutritive values of triticale grain as well as the effect of its application in non-ruminant animal nutrition were pointed out in this paper. There is a high level of proteins in the grain of triticale (2 to 3% more than wheat and 4% more than rye), with very beneficial amino acid composition, and is the reason for its usage in domestic animals nutrition. Nowadays, people are of the opinion that triticale is one of potential plant species with the brightest perspective in the production of food for domestic animals. Considering the increased production of triticale, some detail researching of its nutritional value is necessary due to the required evaluation of the role and significance in domestic animal nutrition based on triticale. Due to intensive plant breeding programs, there are new varieties of triticale in the market, distinctive by the higher yield and wide range of desired traits. As a result of this, triticale is becoming very attractive and is occupying larger portions of arable land. These review will show if there are some advantages of triticale compared to other cereals and how large the frame of these advantages is, as well as how it will affect the further spreading of triticale on arable land.Key words: Triticale, chemical composition, nutritive capacity, nutrition

Microwaves as Diagnostic Tool for Pituitary Tumors: Preliminary Investigations

To date, tumors, the second cause of death worldwide, are a modern medicine plight. The development of rapid, cost-effective and reliable prevention and diagnostics tools is mandatory to support clinicians and ensure patients' adequate intervention. Pituitary tumors are a class of neoplasm, which calls for suitable and ad hoc diagnostic tools. Recently, microwaves have gained interest as a non-ionizing, non-invasive valuable diagnostic approach for identifying pathologic tissues according to their dielectric properties. This work deals with the preliminary investigation of the feasibility of using microwaves to diagnose pituitary tumors. In particular, it focuses on benign tumors of the adenohypophysis, e.g., the pituitary adenomas. It is assumed to access the region of interest of the pituitary region by following a trans-sphenoidal approach. The problem was modeled by developing an equivalent transmission line model of the multi-layered, lossy tissues (front bone of sphenoid sinuses, air in the sinuses, posterior bone of sphenoid sinuses, the pituitary gland and the tumor). The forward problem was developed to investigate the transmission coefficient for identifying the most favorable propagation conditions. Then, it was analyzed if, by the solution of an inverse problem, it is possible to reconstruct the permittivity and electrical conductivity profiles and identify the tumor presence. The results are promising since a maximum reconstruction error of 8% is found, in the worst case, thus paving the way for the use of microwaves for the diagnosis of pituitary tumors

Modic changes in the lumbar spine: exploring their association with abdominal aortic calcification as a potential indicator of systemic arherosclerosis

BackgroundThis was a cross-sectional study on the correlation between abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) and Modic changes (MC). Little is known regarding the etiology of MC in the lumbar spine. Currently, insufficient vascularization of the endplate has been proposed to contribute to the appearance of MC. Our objective was to investigate whether AAC, a marker for a poor vascular status, is associated with MC in patients suffering from degenerative disc disease.MethodsRadiologic images of patients (n = 130) suffering from degenerative lumbar disc disease were reviewed. Type and severity of MC were assessed using magnetic resonance images, and severity of AAC was evaluated using computed tomography images or fluoroscopy. Both items were dichotomized into minimal and relevant grades. The correlation between them was studied using Spearman's correlation test, with age as a covariate.ResultsOf the patients, 113 (87%) demonstrated MC (31% type I, 63% type II, and 6% type III) (55% relevant grade), and 68% had AAC (44% relevant grade). Spearman statistical analysis revealed that AAC was correlated with age (P P = 0.142). AAC severity was significantly correlated with MC, remaining so after age adjustment (P P = 0.015); however, this association lost significance after adjusting for age (P = 0.057).ConclusionsAAC and MC (mainly MC type II) are associated, indicating that reduced blood supply or even a poor systemic vascularization status due to atherosclerotic disease may play a role in the formation of MC. Future studies focusing on the etiology of MC should pay more attention to patients' vascular status and determinants of abdominal aorta calcification.Afdeling Klinische Chemie en Laboratoriumgeneeskunde (AKCL

From model-driven software development processes to problem diagnoses at runtime

Following the “convention over configuration” paradigm, model-driven software development (MDSD) generates code to implement the “default” behaviour that has been specified by a template separate from the input model. On the one hand, developers can produce end-products without a full understanding of the templates; on the other hand, the tacit knowledge in the templates is subtle to diagnose when a runtime software failure occurs. Therefore, there is a gap between templates and runtime adapted models. Generalising from the concrete problematic examples in MDSD processes to a model-based problem diagnosis, the chapter presents a procedure to separate the automated fixes from those runtime gaps that require human judgments