Open-Source, Open-Architecture SoftwarePlatform for Plug-InElectric Vehicle SmartCharging in California

This interdisciplinary eXtensible Building Operating System–Vehicles project focuses on controlling plug-in electric vehicle charging at residential and small commercial settings using a novel and flexible open-source, open-architecture charge communication and control platform. The platform provides smart charging functionalities and benefits to the utility, homes, and businesses.This project investigates four important areas of vehicle-grid integration research, integrating technical as well as social and behavioral dimensions: smart charging user needs assessment, advanced load control platform development and testing, smart charging impacts, benefits to the power grid, and smart charging ratepayer benefits

Sex Differences in Symptom Presentation of Schizotypal Personality Disorder in First-Degree Family Members of Individuals with Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SCZ) is a devastating illness, with clinical symptoms generally characterized as positive or negative. The reach of SCZ is broad, significantly impacting economic, social and familial facets of life. Current literature suggested optimal treatment for individuals with SCZ must include medication management and family psychological interventions to achieve patient stabilization. Literature has identified a likely familial and genetic link between individuals with SCZ and schizotypal personality disorder (STPD) in first-degree family members (FDFM), and has proposed a similar sex distinction with regard to symptomatology in STPD often noted in SCZ. The results of this investigation yielded clinically significant information; however, none of the study hypotheses was supported. Sex differences were not observed between relatives, compared with healthy comparison participants: male parents compared with female parents, and siblings compared with comparison subjects. A noteworthy finding was that relatives, including siblings, were found to endorse more symptoms significantly consistent with STPD when compared with healthy comparison subjects in all analyses. Implications for training and treatment were discussed. Limitations of the study and directions for future research were also addressed

Building Life-Cycle Carbon and Operational Energy Report

The premise of this report is to surmise the embodied carbon impact and anticipated operational energy use of the 57,995 sf crosslaminated timber (CLT) and glulam addition to the Advanced Structures and Composites Center (ASCC) on the University of Maine campus. The project will contain open lab space for the world’s largest prototype polymer 3D printer, offices, and a presentation venue. A life-cycle assessment is a methodology for quantifying environmental impacts at all stages of a building’s life cycle. This is a cradle-to-grave assessment of the building, beginning from raw material extraction and sourcing, to manufacturing, transportation, construction, energy use, maintenance and building end-of-life recycling/disposal. The intent of the life-cycle assessment (LCA) is to evaluate the embodied carbon impact of the timber design and identify opportunities for impact reductions. The primary goal of the engineering analysis is to understand and determine the feasibility of the project operational energy use to achieve Zero Net Energy (ZNE) for the new lab addition. Using the results from the LCA, low carbon benchmarks will be developed for major structural components, to inform future timber developments on the University campus and in the Northeast region at large

Towards an activist research: is Wikipedia the problem or the solution?

Is the internet a tool for democracy or the manifestation of the global digital divide? Using the colonization of the internet as a starting point, this article outlines some current issues with knowledge equity, asking if democratic open access products like Wikipedia are the solution or another manifestation of the systemic bias of society. Whilst acknowledging librarianship has its own colonial legacies to address, the suggestion is made that critical librarianship can provide a response in the form of library–based edit-a-thons and Wikipedia workshops. These show how the power of Wikipedia can be used responsibly not just for enabling critical information literacy, but as an instrument for activism. In considering librarian interventions done so far at the University of the Arts, London, the article outlines future practical possibilities for decolonization, as well as looking more widely at how to democratize information- in open access products and the Western publishing that sits behind them

Digitization after a fashion: The art of compromise

A case study concerning the in-house digitization of a small collection of Central Saint Martins graduate fashion shows. The background of the collection is outlined (VHS and DVD recordings spanning from 1979 to present), as well as the workflow put in place to deal with the technical aspects of recording, cataloguing, processing and archiving an audio-visual collection with minimal budget and staffing

The Tip of the Iceberg: Finding Patients with Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction in Primary Care

Background: Heart failure with preserved ejection fraction (HFpEF) is under-identified in primary care. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine what information is available in patients’ primary care practice records that would identify patients with HFpEF. Design and Setting: Record review in two practices in East of England. Methods: Practices completed a case report form on each patient on the heart failure register and sent anonymised echocardiography reports on patients with an ejection fraction (EF) > 50%. Reports were reviewed and data analysed using SPSS. Results: 148 patients on the HF Registers with mean age 77 + 12 years were reviewed. Fifty-three patients (36%) had possible HFpEF based on available information. These patients were older and multi-morbid, including high prevalence of overweight and obesity. Confirmation of diagnosis was not possible as recommended HFpEF diagnostic information (natriuretic peptides, echocardiogram parameters of structural heart disease and diastolic function) was widely inconsistent or absent in these patients. Conclusion: Without correct identification of HFpEF, patient management may be sub-optimal or inappropriate, and lack the needed focus on comorbidities and lifestyle that can improve patient outcomes. We have described in detail the characteristics of many of the patients who probably have HFpEF in a real-world sample, and the improvements and diagnostic information required to better identify them. Identifying more than the tip of the iceberg that is the HFpEF population will allow us to improve the quality of their management, prevent ineffective healthcare and recruit patients into research.This paper presents independent research funded by the National Institute for Health Research School for Primary Care Research (NIHR SPCR)

Predicting Hidden Links in Supply Networks

Manufacturing companies often lack visibility of the procurement interdependencies between the suppliers within their supply network. However, knowledge of these interdependencies is useful to plan for potential operational disruptions. In this paper, we develop the Supply Network Link Predictor (SNLP) method to infer supplier interdependencies using the manufacturer’s incomplete knowledge of the network. SNLP uses topological data to extract relational features from the known network to train a classifier for predicting potential links. Using a test case from the automotive industry, four features are extracted: (i) number of existing supplier links, (ii) overlaps between supplier product portfolios, (iii) product outsourcing associations, and (iv) likelihood of buyers purchasing from two suppliers together. Naïve Bayes and Logistic Regression are then employed to predict whether these features can help predict interdependencies between two suppliers. Our results show that these features can indeed be used to predict interdependencies in the network and that predictive accuracy is maximized by (i) and (iii). The findings give rise to the exciting possibility of using data analytics for improving supply chain visibility. We then proceed to discuss to what extent such approaches can be adopted and their limitations, highlighting next steps for future work in this area

Nitrate leaching losses and the fate of 15N fertilizer in perennial intermediate wheatgrass and annual wheat — A field study

Perennial grains, such as the intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium) (IWG), may reduce negative environmental effects compared to annual grain crops. Their permanent, and generally larger, root systems are likely to retain nitrogen (N) better, decreasing harmful losses of N and improving fertilizer N use efficiency, but there have been no comprehensive N fertilizer recovery studies in IWG to date. We measured fertilizer N recovery with stable isotope tracers in crop biomass and soil, soil N mineralization and nitrification, and nitrate leaching in IWG and annual wheat in a replicated block field experiment. Nitrate leaching was drastically reduced in IWG (0.1 and 3.1 kg N ha−1 yr−1) in its third and fourth year since establishment, compared with 5.6 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in annual wheat and 41.0 kg N ha−1 yr−1 in fallow respectively. There were no differences in net N mineralization or nitrification between IWG and annual wheat, though there was generally more inorganic N in the soil profile of annual wheat. More 15N fertilizer was recovered in the straw and all depths of the roots and soils in IWG than annual wheat. However, annual wheat recovered much more 15N fertilizer in the seeds compared to IWG, which had lower grain yields. 15N-labeled fertilizer contributed little