A methodology and toolkit for the assessment and selection of LZC technologies in the building design process

The advent of environmentally driven building regulations, rising energy costs, and heightened client awareness of energy-related issues has increased the demand for the assessment of building integrated low-carbon (LZC) energy supply systems. However, it is seldom the case that any one software tool fulfils the needs for an appraisal of these types of systems. Therefore, there is a clear need for an effective methodology for the use of a range of software tools in LZC technology analysis. This paper describes a practitioner-driven project within which such a methodology and supporting software (termed a 'toolkit') has been developed. The application of this toolkit to a real design problem is described and the results from the analysis are discussed. The paper also addresses the means by which the results from the analysis can be presented to clients and other stakeholders in the design process

Living standards and plague in London, 1560–1665

We use individual records of 920,000 burials and 630,000 baptisms to reconstruct the spatial and temporal patterns of birth and death in London from 1560 to 1665, a period dominated by recurrent plague. The plagues of 1563, 1603, 1625, and 1665 appear of roughly equal magnitude, with deaths running at five to six times their usual rate, but the impact on wealthier central parishes falls markedly through time. Tracking the weekly spread of plague before 1665 we find a consistent pattern of elevated mortality spreading from the same northern suburbs. Looking at the seasonal pattern of mortality, we find that the characteristic autumn spike associated with plague continued into the early 1700s. Given that individual cases of plague and typhus are frequently indistinguishable, claims that plague suddenly vanished after 1665 should be treated with caution. Natural increase improved as smaller plagues disappeared after 1590, but fewer than half of those born survived childhood

Alyeska, Sullom Voe and the Oil Pollution Act of 1990: A Comparison of Tanker Safety Regulation and Environmental Monitoring

The Exxon Valdez oil spill in 1989 highlighted deficiencies in the Trans Alaska Pipeline System\u27s (TAPS) marine operation on both regulatory and operational levels. The United States Congress passed the Oil Pollution Act of 1990 to promote the prevention of oil spills and to improve our ability to mitigate the effects of spills that occur. An oil terminal roughly analogous to the TAPS terminal at Valdez, Alaska, exists at Sullom Voe in the Shetland Islands, west of Norway and to the north of Scotland in the North Sea. The Sullom Voe terminal has had an environmental advisory group guiding policy and operations since its inception. The advisory group\u27s contribution to the operation of the Sullom Voe terminal has helped generated an exemplary environmental record for that facility. The Act states that similar oversight programs should eventually be established at other crude oil terminals throughout the United States. If the example of oversight and monitoring provided by Sullom Voe is to be effectively applied to the Alaskan situation, an in depth analysis of the regulatory and political differences between the national, regional and local regimes in existence at the Alyeska and Sullom Voe terminals is needed. This report will concentrate on providing the historical background that fostered the development of model relationships between the local community, government and industry at Sullom Voe, and the legal milieu in the United Kingdom that made those relationships possible. Alaskan attempts to impose pollution control measures on oil tankers will be outlined, as well as the history of environmental monitoring in Alaska

Vascular Remodeling in Pulmonary Hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a rare but deadly disease whose victims bear a 40% chance of mortality within the first five years of diagnosis. Although current treatment strategies have been successful at subduing symptoms of PH, they have done little to prolong the survival of those afflicted. PH is characterized histopathologically by, among other characteristics, hyperplasia and hypertrophy of the smooth muscle cells (SMCs) that constitute the medial layer of the pulmonary resistance arteries and which are thought to decrease the compliance and increase the resistance of the pulmonary vasculature. Over time, these changes increase the burden on the right heart and ultimately lead to its failure and patient death. While recent advances have greatly increased our understanding of pulmonary vascular remodeling, knowledge of these mechanisms is far from complete. Furthermore, the translation of putative mechanisms to animal models is hindered by inadequate tools to quantify medial thickening. Here we present a new method for the quantification of vascular remodeling. In addition, we describe a novel mechanism whereby a conserved 20 amino acid peptide (SR20) in the carboxyterminal domain (CTD) of macrophage elastase (MMP12) induces the expression of tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL). TRAIL is known to preferentially induce apoptosis in tumor cells, and we demonstrate the efficacy of SR20 and the MMP12 CTD in vitro and in vivo as a cytotoxic agent against tumor cells. TRAIL is also known to paradoxically increase the proliferation of vascular SMCs, and we present evidence that the MMP12 CTD increases the proliferation of pulmonary arterial SMCs through upregulation of TRAIL with potential links to PH. Finally, we present the results of a genome-wide association study in 36 inbred and wild-derived mouse strains exposed to a chronic high-fat diet-induced model of PH to uncover novel candidate genes linked to PH pathogenesis. The results of these studies should aid investigators in all areas of basic PH research through the provision of superior methods. Meanwhile, the identification of the MMP12 CTD as a mitogen for pulmonary SMCs, and the identification of genomic regions linked to PH development, will help improve our understanding of PH pathogenesis

Conversation on Paul Oslington's Deus Economicus

Tony Kelly and Neil Ormerod respond to Paul Oslingtons Deus Economicus proposal. Finally, Paul Oslington responds to his respondents

Assessing Potential Shale Gas Impacts on Groundwater Resources: Recommendations for Groundwater Monitoring and Definition of Baseline Conditions

Exploitation of shale gas by hydraulic fracturing (fracking) is highly controversial and concerns have been raised regarding induced risks from this extraction technique. The SHEER project, an EU Horizon 2020-funded project, is developing best practice to understand, prevent and mitigate the potential short- and long-term environmental impacts and risks of shale gas exploration and exploitation. Three major potential impacts were identified: groundwater contamination, air pollution and induced seismicity. This presentation will deal with the hydrogeological aspect. As part of the SHEER project, baseline and operational groundwater monitoring was carried out at an extraction site in Wysin, Northern Poland. Baseline monitoring was carried out from December 2015 to June 2016 in four monitoring wells intercepting the main drinking water aquifer located in Quaternary sediments. Fracking operations occurred in two deviated horizontal wells in June and July 2016. Monitoring continued for 1.5 years post-fracking although no significant gas production occurred during this period. Collected data include measurements of groundwater level, electrical conductivity and temperature at 15-min intervals, field measurements of groundwater physico-chemical parameters and frequent sampling for laboratory analyses. Groundwater samples were analysed for a range of constituents including dissolved gases and stable isotopes. This presentation will provide an overview of the monitoring results and the ensuing recommendations for groundwater monitoring in the context of shale gas exploitation. These recommendations relate to: (1) site characterisation prior to any activity, (2) baseline and on-going groundwater monitoring, and (3) relationships between regulators, operators and general public. During the presentation, we will particularly focus on the monitoring methodology and establishing accurate background values for key parameters for baseline monitoring, including suggestions on how to clearly communicate the information to the general public. We will conclude on techniques to identify deviations from baseline values

Highway 68 Corridor -- Public Input on Safety and Transit

The University of Minnesota, Morris | Center for Small Towns worked with the Highway 68 Corridor Coalition to gather input from citizens and publicly available data relating to safety and transportation issues along Highway 68 from Canby to Marshall, MN. The compiled information in this report will be used to inform the Minnesota Department of Transportation concerning future changes to the Highway.https://digitalcommons.morris.umn.edu/cst/1077/thumbnail.jp

The reliability of force-velocity-power profiling during over-ground sprinting in children and adolescents

Anaerobic performance in youth has received little attention partly due to the lack of a “gold-standard” measurement. However, force-velocity-power (F-v-P) profiling recently showed high reliability and validity in trained adults. Therefore, the aim was to determine the reliability of F-v-P profiling in children and adolescents. Seventy-five children (60 boys, 15 girls; age: 14.1 ± 2.6 years) completed three 30 m sprints. Velocity was measured at 46.875 Hz using a radar device. The F-v-P profile was fitted to a velocity-time curve allowing instantaneous power variables to be calculated. Reliability was assessed using the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC), coefficient of variation (CV), standard error of measurement (SEM) and smallest worthwhile change (SWC). High reliability was evident for absolute peak (Ppeak) and mean power (Pmean), Ppeak and Pmean expressed relative to body mass, peak and mean velocity, 30 m sprint time, peak horizontal force (F0), relative F0, mechanical efficiency index and fatigue rate (ICC: 0.75–0.88; CV: 1.9–9.4%) with time to peak power demonstrating moderate reliability (ICC: 0.50; CV: 9.5%). The F-v-P model demonstrated at least moderate reliability for all variables. This therefore provides a potential alternative for paediatric researchers assessing sprint performance and the underlying kinetics

Atrial fibrillation and survival in colorectal cancer

BACKGROUND: Survival in colorectal cancer may correlate with the degree of systemic inflammatory response to the tumour. Atrial fibrillation may be regarded as an inflammatory complication. We aimed to determine if atrial fibrillation is a prognostic factor in colorectal cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A prospective colorectal cancer patient database was cross-referenced with the hospital clinical-coding database to identify patients who had underwent colorectal cancer surgery and were in atrial fibrillation pre- or postoperatively. RESULTS: A total of 175 patients underwent surgery for colorectal cancer over a two-year period. Of these, 13 patients had atrial fibrillation pre- or postoperatively. Atrial fibrillation correlated with worse two-year survival (p = 0.04; log-rank test). However, in a Cox regression analysis, atrial fibrillation was not significantly associated with survival. CONCLUSION: The presence or development of atrial fibrillation in patients undergoing surgery for colorectal cancer is associated with worse overall survival, however it was not found to be an independent factor in multivariate analysis