The Evaluation of the Sustainability of a Modern Residential Dwelling in a Humid Subtropical Environment

The objective of this research is the life cycle analysis of a high-performance, above-code home as compared to a more traditionally built home in a humid, subtropical environment. Building energy estimations and environmental impacts analyses were performed, and model development and results were presented. Renewable energy and rainwater collection systems impacts were also investigated. Annual operational energy was reduced 30% due to decreases in the HVAC energy associated with infiltration and building envelope differences between the ‘Reference’ and ‘As-Built’ models. Gas-based heating models embodied energies were 6% and 12% of the total energy and the use phase energy was 93% and 87% for the ‘Reference’ and ‘As-Built’ models, respectively. The embodied energy in the ‘Reference’ model was almost half of the embodied energy in the ‘As-Built’, but the ‘As-Built’ model achieved a reduction of life cycle primary energy of 23% compared to the ‘Reference’ model. A reduction of 6,314 GJ and 402 metric tons of primary energy and GWP was achieved for the ‘Reference’ compared to the ‘As-Built’ model. Total primary energy over the life cycle was 26,216 and 19,983 GJ, with energy intensities of 44.4 and 33.8 GJ/m^2 for the ‘Reference’ and ‘As-Built’ models, respectively. The electrical-based heating models followed similar trends as the gas-based model but with a small increase in operational energy. Global warming potential had similar distribution patterns as that of the primary energy and total life cycle global warming potential intensities were estimated for the ‘Reference’ and ‘As-Built’ models, respectively as 2,835 and 2,166 kg CO2-eq/m^2. Solar electric and hot water renewable energy systems decreased the annual operating energy by 12.5% and 15.5% and the total life cycle primary energy by 9.4% and 13.4% for the ‘Reference’ and ‘As-Built’ models, respectively. Finally, with no rainwater harvesting, total water consumption was 29.68 and 31.78 mega-liters for the ‘Reference’ and ‘As-Built’. The use phase dominates both models with 85% and 80% of the use phase for the ‘Reference’ and ‘As-Built’ model, respectively. Rainwater harvesting systems may offset the life cycle use phase and with a Monte-Carlo simulation yielded a 73% demand reduction with a 48% probability

The Physiologic Effects of Multiple Simultaneous Electronic Control Device Discharges

Objectives: Law enforcement and military personnel use electronic control devices to control non-compliant and actively resistive subjects. The TASER® Shockwave is a new electronic control device designed specifically as an area denial device capable of delivering multiple simultaneous discharges. This is the first study to examine the effects of multiple simultaneous device discharges in humans.Methods: Volunteers were exposed to multiple (two to three), simultaneous 5-second discharges from the Shockwave device to the chest, back, chest to abdomen, or thighs. Blood was analyzed before and after discharge for pH, lactate, potassium, creatine kinase (CK), and troponin. Continuous spirometry was performed before, during, and after the discharge. In addition, electrocardiograms (ECGs) before and after discharge were recorded, and echocardiography was used to determine the rhythm during discharge.Results: Small elevations of lactate occurred. Moderate increases in CK at 24 hours occurred and appeared to be related to the number of simultaneous discharges. There was a trend to a decrease in minute ventilation in the volunteers exposed to two simultaneous discharges, but it did not reach statistical significance. ECG changes only reflected an increase in vagal tone, and there was no evidence of capture by echocardiography. Five-second, simultaneous, multiple exposures to the TASER Shockwave device were reasonably tolerated by our human volunteers.Conclusion: Our study suggests that this device may have a reasonable risk/benefit ratio when used to protect an area from a threat. [West J Emerg Med. 2010; 11(1):49-56]

Performance of an environmental test to detect Mycobacterium bovis infection in badger social groups

A study by Courtenay and others (2006) demonstrated that the probability of detecting Mycobacterium bovis by PCR in soil samples from the spoil heaps of main badger setts correlated with the prevalence of excretion (infectiousness) of captured badgers belonging to the social group. It has been proposed that such a test could be used to target badger culling to setts containing infectious animals (Anon 2007). This short communication discusses the issues surrounding this concept, with the intention of dispelling any misconceptions among relevant stakeholders (farmers, policy makers and conservationists)

Dry Gas Seal Retrofit.

LecturePg. 221-230Conventionally lubricated shaft sealing systems have long been known to be unreliable, high in maintenance and in some cases hazardous in centrifugal compressors. Labyrinth sealing systems, while generally low in maintenance, are extremely high in operating costs (product loss and steam costs). Dry gas lubricated sealing systems retrofitted into centrifugal compressors are now recognized as a cost effective means of improving equipment performance. Step by step requirements for a successful retrofit of a centrifugal compressor with dry running gas lubricated seals is presented based upon experience and the review of numerous retrofit projects in which dry gas seals are now operating. A description and the advantages of dry gas seals are provided, along with a feasibility study to determine whether or not a retrofit is technically, environmentally, and economically desirable. A detailed proposal request narrative and steps suggested in awarding the contract are shown. This is followed by installation procedures for the dry gas seals along with the commissioning of the newly retrofitted machine. The significant issues presented are based on actual case histories

Morphine-Morphine Glucuronide Pools In the Rat Liver: Effects of Triton X-1 001

ABSTRACT ABBREVIATiONS: MG, morphine glucuronide; SAIl, segmented retrograde intrabiliary injection. 1

Effect of Intensive Versus Standard Blood Pressure Control on Stroke Subtypes

In the SPRINT (Systolic Blood Pressure Intervention Trial), the number of strokes did not differ significantly by treatment group. However, stroke subtypes have heterogeneous causes that could respond differently to intensive blood pressure control. SPRINT participants (N=9361) were randomized to target systolic blood pressures of \u3c120 mm Hg (intensive treatment) compared with \u3c140 mm Hg (standard treatment). We compared incident hemorrhage, cardiac embolism, large- and small-vessel infarctions across treatment arms. Participants randomized to the intensive arm had mean systolic blood pressures of 121.4 mm Hg in the intensive arm (N=4678) and 136.2 mm Hg in the standard arm (N=4683) at one year. Sixty-nine strokes occurred in the intensive arm and 78 in the standard arm when SPRINT was stopped. The breakdown of stroke subtypes across treatment arms included hemorrhagic (intensive treatment, n=6, standard treatment, n=7) and ischemic stroke subtypes (large artery atherosclerosis: intensive treatment n=11, standard treatment, n=13; cardiac embolism: intensive treatment n=11, standard treatment n=15; small artery occlusion: intensive treatment n=8, standard treatment n=8; other ischemic stroke: intensive treatment n=3, standard treatment n=1). Fewer strokes occurred among participants without prior cardiovascular disease in the intensive (n=43) than the standard arm (n=61), but the difference did not reach predefined statistical significance level of 0.05 (P=0.09). The interaction between baseline cardiovascular risk factor status and treatment arm on stroke risk did not reach significance (P=0.05). Similar numbers of stroke subtypes occurred in the intensive BP control and standard control arms of SPRINT

A description of the origins, design and performance of the TRAITS-SGP Atlantic salmon Salmo salar L. cDNA microarray

The origins, design, fabrication and performance of an Atlantic salmon microarray are described. The microarray comprises 16 950 Atlantic salmon-derived cDNA features, printed in duplicate and mostly sourced from pre-existing expressed sequence tag (EST) collections [SALGENE and salmon genome project (SGP)] but also supplemented with cDNAs from suppression subtractive hybridization libraries and candidate genes involved in immune response, protein catabolism, lipid metabolism and the parr–smolt transformation. A preliminary analysis of a dietary lipid experiment identified a number of genes known to be involved in lipid metabolism. Significant fold change differences (as low as 1.2x) were apparent from the microarray analysis and were confirmed by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction analysis. The study also highlighted the potential for obtaining artefactual expression patterns as a result of cross-hybridization of similar transcripts. Examination of the robustness and sensitivity of the experimental design employed demonstrated the greater importance of biological replication over technical (dye flip) replication for identification of a limited number of key genes in the studied system. The TRAITS (TRanscriptome Analysis of Important Traits of Salmon)–salmon genome project microarray has been proven, in a number of studies, to be a powerful tool for the study of key traits of Atlantic salmon biology. It is now available for use by researchers in the wider scientific community

Association of genetic variation in tamoxifen-metabolizing enzymes with overall survival and recurrence of disease in breast cancer patients

Tamoxifen has been a mainstay of adjuvant therapy for breast cancer for many years. We sought to determine if genetic variability in the tamoxifen metabolic pathway influenced overall survival in breast cancer patients treated with tamoxifen. We examined functional polymorphisms in CYP2D6, the P450 catalyzing the formation of active tamoxifen metabolites, and UGT2B15, a Phase II enzyme facilitating the elimination of active metabolite in a retrospective study of breast cancer patients. We also examined whether the combination of variant alleles in SULT1A1 and UGT2B15 had more of an impact on overall survival in tamoxifen-treated patients than when the genes were examined separately.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/44227/1/10549_2004_Article_7751.pd