The role of linked data and the semantic web in building operation

Effective Decision Support Systems (DSS) for building service managers require adequate performance data from many building data silos in order to deliver a complete view of building performance. Current performance analysis techniques tend to focus on a limited number of data sources, such as BMS measured data (temperature, humidity, C02), excluding a wealth of other data sources increasingly available in the modern building, including weather data, occupant feedback, mobile sensors & feedback systems, schedule information, equipment usage information. This paper investigates the potential for using Linked Data and Semantic Web technologies to improve interoperability across AEC domains, overcoming many of the roadblocks hindering information transfer currently

Technical note: : Differences in the diurnal pattern of soil respiration under adjacent Miscanthus ×giganteus and barley crops reveal potential flaws in accepted sampling strategies

For convenience, measurements used to compare soil respiration (Rs) from different land uses, crops or management practices are often made between 09:00 and 16:00 UTC, convenience which is justified by an implicit assumption that Rs is largely controlled by temperature. Three months of continuous data presented here show distinctly different diurnal patterns of Rs between barley (Hordeum vulgare) and Miscanthus ×giganteus (Miscanthus) grown on adjacent fields. Maximum Rs in barley occurred during the afternoon and correlated with soil temperature, whereas in Miscanthus after an initial early evening decline, Rs increased above the daily average during the night and in July maximum daily rates of Rs were seen at 22:00 and was significantly correlated with earlier levels of solar radiation, probably due to delays in translocation of recent photosynthate. Since the time of the daily mean Rs in Miscanthus occurred when Rs in the barley was 40 % greater than the daily mean, it is vital to select appropriate times to measure Rs especially if only single daily measurements are to be made

Recombinant human growth hormone and insulin-like growth factor-1 do not affect mitochondrial derived highly reactive oxygen species production in peripheral blood mononuclear cells under conditions of substrate saturation in-vitro

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to investigate the mitochondrial effects exerted by physiological and supra-physiological concentrations of recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) and recombinant insulin-like growth factor-1 (rIGF-1) under conditions of substrate saturation in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). METHODS: PBMCs from healthy male subjects were treated with either rhGH, at concentrations of 0.5, 5 and 50 μg/L, or rIGF-1 at concentrations of 100, 300 and 500 μg/L for 4 h. Mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ(m)) and mitochondrial levels of highly reactive oxygen species (hROS) were subsequently analysed. This analysis was performed by flow cytometry in digitonin permeabilized cells, following treatment with saturating concentrations of various respiratory substrate combinations and the use of specific electron transport chain (ETC.) complex inhibitors, enabling control over both the sites of electron entry into the ETC. at complexes I and II and the entry of electrons from reduced carriers involved in β-oxidation at the level of ubiquinol. RESULTS: Neither rhGH nor rIGF-1 exerted any significant effect on Δψ(m) or the rate of hROS production in either lymphocyte or monocyte sub-populations under any of the respiratory conditions analysed. CONCLUSION: That neither hormone was capable of attenuating levels of oxidative stress mediated via either complex I linked respiration or lipid-derived respiration could have serious health implications for the use of rhGH in healthy individuals, which is frequently associated with significant increases in the bioavailability of free fatty acids (FFA). Such elevated supplies of lipid-derived substrates to the mitochondria could lead to oxidative damage which would negatively impact mitochondrial function

The effect of growth hormone administration on the regulation of mitochondrial apoptosis in-vivo

The purpose of this study was to determine whether recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) would show any significant effects on the expression of apoptosis regulating proteins in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs). Additionally, the potential for post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression by miRNA was assessed in two cellular compartments, the cytosol and the mitochondria. Ten male subjects were subcutaneously injected with either rhGH (1 mg) or saline (0.9%) for seven consecutive days in a double-blinded fashion. Blood sampling was undertaken prior to treatment administration and over a period of three weeks following treatment cessation. Bcl-2 and Bak gene and protein expression levels were measured in PBMCs, while attention was also directed to the expression of miR-181a and miR-125b, known translational inhibitors of Bcl-2 and Bak respectively. Results showed that rhGH significantly decreased Bak protein concentrations compared to placebo samples for up to 8 days post treatment. While cytosolic miRNA expression was not found to be significantly affected by rhGH, measurement of the expression of miR-125b in mitochondrial fractions showed a significant down-regulation eight days post-rhGH administration. These findings suggest that rhGH induces short-term anti-apoptotic effects which may be partially mediated through a novel pathway that alters the concentration of mitochondrially-associated miRNAs