Draft of innovation and research roadmap

sepponen2014ano abstrac

Draft of innovation and research roadmap

sepponen2014ano abstrac

Innovation and research roadmap

hukkalainen2015aThe READY4SmartCities (R4SC) project examines the adaption of Information and CommunicationTechnologies (ICT) in energy systems, in order to improve their sustainability and energy efficiency insmart cities. This deliverable presents an innovation and research roadmap, suggesting thedevelopment needs of ICTs in short, medium and long term for the holistic design, planning andoperation of energy systems. The focus is on large energy systems at the city level: centralized anddistributed energy systems with connections to both national level energy systems and to theneighbourhood and building level energy systems.The roadmap is divided into five roadmap sections: citizens, the building sector, the energy sector,municipality and energy data. Each roadmap sector introduces drivers, needs and requirements,visions, barriers, expected impacts and key stakeholders. In the following, the goals of the differentroadmap sections are specified from the viewpoints of key stakeholders. The role of ICTs and energydata in enabling these goals is also identified.The involvement of citizens in decision making related to energy aspects should be increased. Citizensshould take an active role in the operation and use of energy to improve their energy behaviour. ICTscould help citizens to improve their energy behaviour by making them aware of the impacts of theiractions.Buildings should become connected objects operating actively with energy networks and are optimizedto balance the energy behaviour and thereby maximize the comfort of the inhabitants. Efficient energyuse and on-site renewable energy production in the buildings is expected to be of high importance.Buildings could also be able to act as energy providers. This requires the smart use of data from thebuilt environment, energy grids, the weather etc., implying that interoperability is ensured at differentlevels.The energy supply in cities should rely both on distributed and centralised energy production with usingmany renewable and local energy sources. Cities would become large power plants and virtual storage,reacting flexibly on the availability of renewables. ICT standards are needed for the communicationbetween all the energy systems.Municipalities should foster the integration of different city systems to maximize their synergy impacts.Efficient energy use and supply could be realized through appropriate decision making, energyplanning, development projects and daily operation within cities. Energy supply and use are integratedto other city operations with various ICT solutions.Access to open energy data would enable the sharing of cross-domain data between differentstakeholders, leading to the consolidation of energy-related knowledge in cities. The use of energy datawould also give the stakeholders a holistic view of the energy systems.The repeating theme throughout the roadmap is a strong need for broad collaboration, communicationand interoperability within all the stakeholder networks. This requires the standardisation of bothinterfaces and systems themselves, to enable cross-organisational operation

Results of WICOVIR Gargle Pool PCR Testing in German Schools Based on the First 100,000 Tests

Background: Opening schools and keeping children safe from SARS-CoV-2 infections at the same time is urgently needed to protect children from direct and indirect consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic. To achieve this goal, a safe, efficient, and cost-effective SARS-CoV-2 testing system for schools in addition to standard hygiene measures is necessary. Methods: We implemented the screening WICOVIR concept for schools in the southeast of Germany, which is based on gargling at home, pooling of samples in schools, and assessment of SARS-CoV-2 by pool rRT-PCR, performed decentralized in numerous participating laboratories. Depooling was performed if pools were positive, and results were transmitted with software specifically developed for the project within a day. Here, we report the results after the first 13 weeks in the project. Findings: We developed and implemented the proof-of-concept test system within a pilot phase of 7 weeks based on almost 17,000 participants. After 6 weeks in the main phase of the project, we performed >100,000 tests in total, analyzed in 7,896 pools, identifying 19 cases in >100 participating schools. On average, positive children showed an individual CT value of 31 when identified in the pools. Up to 30 samples were pooled (mean 13) in general, based on school classes and attached school staff. All three participating laboratories detected positive samples reliably with their previously established rRT-PCR standard protocols. When self-administered antigen tests were performed concomitantly in positive cases, only one of these eight tests was positive, and when antigen tests performed after positive pool rRT-PCR results were already known were included, 3 out of 11 truly positive tests were also identified by antigen testing. After 3 weeks of repetitive WICOVIR testing twice weekly, the detection rate of positive children in that cohort decreased significantly from 0.042 to 0.012 (p = 0.008). Interpretation: Repeated gargle pool rRT-PCR testing can be implemented quickly in schools. It is an effective, valid, and well-received test system for schools, superior to antigen tests in sensitivity, acceptance, and costs

Effects of Anacetrapib in Patients with Atherosclerotic Vascular Disease

BACKGROUND: Patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease remain at high risk for cardiovascular events despite effective statin-based treatment of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol levels. The inhibition of cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) by anacetrapib reduces LDL cholesterol levels and increases high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol levels. However, trials of other CETP inhibitors have shown neutral or adverse effects on cardiovascular outcomes. METHODS: We conducted a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial involving 30,449 adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive atorvastatin therapy and who had a mean LDL cholesterol level of 61 mg per deciliter (1.58 mmol per liter), a mean non-HDL cholesterol level of 92 mg per deciliter (2.38 mmol per liter), and a mean HDL cholesterol level of 40 mg per deciliter (1.03 mmol per liter). The patients were assigned to receive either 100 mg of anacetrapib once daily (15,225 patients) or matching placebo (15,224 patients). The primary outcome was the first major coronary event, a composite of coronary death, myocardial infarction, or coronary revascularization. RESULTS: During the median follow-up period of 4.1 years, the primary outcome occurred in significantly fewer patients in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (1640 of 15,225 patients [10.8%] vs. 1803 of 15,224 patients [11.8%]; rate ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.85 to 0.97; P=0.004). The relative difference in risk was similar across multiple prespecified subgroups. At the trial midpoint, the mean level of HDL cholesterol was higher by 43 mg per deciliter (1.12 mmol per liter) in the anacetrapib group than in the placebo group (a relative difference of 104%), and the mean level of non-HDL cholesterol was lower by 17 mg per deciliter (0.44 mmol per liter), a relative difference of -18%. There were no significant between-group differences in the risk of death, cancer, or other serious adverse events. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease who were receiving intensive statin therapy, the use of anacetrapib resulted in a lower incidence of major coronary events than the use of placebo. (Funded by Merck and others; Current Controlled Trials number, ISRCTN48678192 ; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT01252953 ; and EudraCT number, 2010-023467-18 .)

A Software Architecture for Simulation Support in Building Automation

Building automation integrates the active components in a building and, thus, has to connect components of different industries. The goal is to provide reliable and efficient operation. This paper describes how simulation can support building automation and how the deployment process of simulation assisted building control systems can be structured. We look at the process as a whole and map it to a set of formally described workflows that can partly be automated. A workbench environment supports the process execution by means of improved planning, collaboration and deployment. This framework allows integration of existing tools, as well as manual tasks, and is, therefore, many more intricate than regular software deployment tools. The complex environment of building commissioning requires expertise in different domains, especially lighting, heating, ventilation, air conditioning, measurement and control technology, as well as energy efficiency; therefore, we present a framework for building commissioning and describe a deployment process that is capable of supporting the various phases of this approach