Investigation and determination of the geothermal parameters of the ground in Cyprus for the exploitation of geothermal energy and the impact of the results in the design of the geothermal systems

The Energy Service of the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Tourism has the overall responsibility for Energy matters in Cyprus and specifically for preparing and implementing programmes for energy conservation, the promotion of renewable energy sources (RES) and the development of technologies for the utilization of RES. The Government of Cyprus being aware of the benefits of geothermal energy and in order to increase the share of energy from renewable sources consumed in heating and cooling in 2020, promotes the geothermal energy systems through a Scheme that provides financial incentives for the utilization of RES for heating and cooling. However, the lack of valid data for the ground thermal properties in Cyprus was one of the main obstacles for the design of efficient geothermal systems, the implementation of the Schemes in the field of geothermal energy and the calculation of the share of energy from renewable sources for heating and cooling according to the methodology defined by the E.U in the directive 2009/28/EC. In an effort to identify suitable energy efficient systems for heating and cooling of buildings and the correct calculations of their contribution to the national targets, the Energy Service participated in a project founded by the Research Promotion Foundation of Cyprus to investigate and determine the geothermal parameters of the ground of Cyprus at six representative sites in Cyprus, for use in the design of ground heat exchanger applications and ground thermal storage. The paper presents the importance of the Isothermal map that helps consultants to design efficiently geothermal energy systems, calculate effectively heat losses of buildings to the ground and design the thermal energy storage equipment. The importance’s of the results are analyzed by national authorities’ experts’ point of view for evaluating geothermal applications bridging in this way the gap between technical output and commercial reality

Respiratory symptoms in patients with inflammatory bowel disease and the impact of dietary salicylates

Respiratory symptoms are over-represented in inflammatory bowel disease. There are similarities between the epidemiology of inflammatory bowel disease and that of respiratory conditions for which an adverse influence of salicylate has been identified. Natural salicylates exist within our diet

Below tolerable standard housing and ethnicity in Glasgow

SIGLEAvailable from British Library Document Supply Centre-DSC:6603.969(70) / BLDSC - British Library Document Supply CentreGBUnited Kingdo

Using wiimote for 2D and 3D pointing tasks: Gesture performance evaluation

We present two studies to comparatively evaluate the performance of gesture-based 2D and 3D pointing tasks. In both of them, a Wiimote controller and a standard mouse were used by six participants. For the 3D experiments we introduce a novel configuration analogous to the ISO 9241-9 standard methodology. We examine the pointing devices' conformance to Fitts' law and we measure eight extra parameters that describe more accurately the cursor movement trajectory. For the 2D tasks using Wiimote, Throughput is 41,2% lower than using the mouse, target re-entry is almost the same, and missed clicks count is three times higher. For the 3D tasks using Wiimote, Throughput is 56,1% lower than using the mouse, target re-entry is increased by almost 50%, and missed clicks count is sixteen times higher. Fitts' law, 3D pointing, Gesture User Interface, Wiimote © 2012 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

Infectious triggers of primary biliary cirrhosis: Do we know enough?

Primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) is an immune mediated liver disease directed against the biliary epithelial cells of the small bile ducts. The disease is characterised by circulating antimitochondrial antibodies (AMA), as well as antinuclear antibodies (ANA). AMA is considered pathognomonic for PBC, with AMA positivity predicting disease development in asymptomatic individuals. Middle aged females are most commonly affected, with increased incidence in families. Sisters and daughters of PBC patients are especially at risk. Epidemiological and twin studies have demonstrated that genetic predisposition, combined with environmental factors likely act together in the disease initiation. Among the environmental risk factors, infectious agents have been implicated. The mechanism by which infectious agents contribute to the pathogenesis of PBC appears to be through molecular-mimicry, and cross reactivity to antigenic epitopes of mitochondrial antigens. Although several bacterial and viral pathogens have been identified with PBC, Escherichia coli, Novosphingobium aromaticivorans, and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subspecies bulgaricus have been considered the most significant infectious triggers, and have also been the most studied. The pathogenic significance of these bacteria may be reflective of their relationship with other identified risk factors, such as recurrent urinary tract infections and alterations in oestrogen metabolism. This review will examine the literature surrounding the epidemiological and molecular studies which have characterised the role of these bacteria in the pathogenesis of PBC

Pancreatic anti-GP2 and anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies in ruminants with paratuberculosis: A better understanding of the immunopathogenesis of Crohn's disease

Introduction: Ruminants (cattle and sheep) with Mycobacterium avium (MAP)-induced paratuberculosis (ptb), the ruminant model of Crohn's disease (CD), exhibit pancreatic specific autoantibodies (PAB) against GP2 but not against CUZD1. Since anti-Saccharomyces cerevisiae antibodies (ASCAs) is a CD marker, we tested MAP-infected ptb ruminants for ASCA, and compared them with ruminants lacking evidence of anti-MAP serology or with ruminants, which were positive for anti-GP2 antibodies. Material and methods: A total of 98 samples from ruminants (48 cattle and 50 sheep) were studied. IgG anti-MAP antibodies, and CD-related ASCA and anti-GP2 antibodies were tested by modified ELISAs. Results: Nine cattle (18.75%) and 20 sheep (40%) were suffered from ptb. ASCA antibodies were present in 21/48 (43.7%) cattle and 10/50 (20%) sheep while anti-GP2 antibodies were present in 14/48 (29.2%) cattle, and 8/50 (16%) sheep. ASCA antibodies were more prevalent in anti-MAP antibody positive (14/29, 48.3%) than in anti-MAP negative ruminants (17/69, 24.6%, P = 0.022) and also in anti-GP2 antibody positive (13/23, 56.5%) than in anti-GP2 negative ruminants (18/75, 24%, P = 0.003). No association between ASCA and anti-MAP antibody concentrations were found (r = 0.159, P = 0.117). A significant association between ASCA and anti-GP2 antibody concentration were observed (r = 0.211 and P = 0.037). Conclusion: ASCA are present in a significant proportion of ruminants with ptb and correlate with anti-GP2 antibody positivity, a finding further supporting the notion that Crohn's disease and ptb share common immunological mechanisms of antigen-driven loss of self-tolerance. © 2020 Elsevier Masson SA