High performance low-energy buildings

The era of legislation and creditable methods towards producing sustainable buildings is upon us. Yet, a major barrier to achieving environmental responsive design is in the lack of available information at the programming or pre-design phases of a project. The review and evaluation of climate as well as energy-efficient strategies could be difficult to consider at these preliminary stages. Until recently, introducing energy simulation tools at the design stage has been difficult and perhaps next to impossible at a pre-design or programming stage. However, analysis of this sort is essential to &lsquo;green building rating&rsquo; or performance assessment schemes such as LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) and BREEAM (Building Research Establishment Environment Assessment Method). This paper discusses the implementation of a particular tool, ENERGY-10, where &lsquo;basecase&rsquo; building defaults are compared to a low-energy case which has applied multiple energy-efficient strategies automatically. An annual hour-by-hour simulation provides a daylighting calculation with a subsequent thermal evaluation. Calculation results provide energy consumption, peak load equipment sizing, a RANK feature of the energy-efficient strategies, reporting of CO2, SO2 and NOx reduction, optimum glazing type as well as excellent graphic output. Consideration is given as to the approach of how such information can be introduced into the building project brief enforcing a low-energyperformance target.<br /

Modulation of striated muscle contraction by binding of myosin binding protein C to actin

Myosin binding protein C (MyBP-C or C-protein) is a protein of the thick (myosin-containing) filaments of striated muscle thought to be involved in the modulation of cardiac contraction in response to β-adrenergic stimulation. The mechanism of this modulation is unknown, but one possibility is through transient binding of the N-terminal end of MyBP-C to the thin (actin-containing) filaments. While such binding has been demonstrated in vitro, it was not known until recently whether such a link between thick and thin filaments also occurred in vivo. Here we review a recent paper in which electron microscopy (EM) is used to directly demonstrate MyBP-C links between myosin and actin filaments in the intact sarcomere, suggesting a possible physical mechanism for modulating filament sliding. Molecular details of MyBP-C binding to actin have recently been elucidated by EM of isolated filaments: the results suggest that MyBP-C might contribute to the modulation of contraction in part by competing with tropomyosin for binding sites on actin. New results on the structure and dynamics of the MyBP-C molecule provide additional insights into the function of this enigmatic molecule

Nonuniversal spectral properties of the Luttinger model

The one electron spectral functions for the Luttinger model are discussed for large but finite systems. The methods presented allow a simple interpretation of the results. For finite range interactions interesting nonunivesal spectral features emerge for momenta which differ from the Fermi points by the order of the inverse interaction range or more. For a simplified model with interactions only within the branches of right and left moving electrons analytical expressions for the spectral function are presented which allows to perform the thermodynamic limit. As in the general spinless model and the model including spin for which we present mainly numerical results the spectral functions do not approach the noninteracting limit for large momenta. The implication of our results for recent high resolution photoemission measurements on quasi one-dimensional conductors are discussed.Comment: 19 pages, Revtex 2.0, 5 ps-figures, to be mailed on reques

Less Is More: How Grantmakers Are Using Simple Financial Metrics

This article explores how the Financial Health Analysis Tool can bridge the gap between the capacity of grantmakers to conduct financial analysis and the need to incorporate financial considerations into both grantmaking and ongoing engagement with grantees. The tool presents four years of key financial indicators in graphs and charts that create a kind of dashboard of a nonprofit\u27s financial health over time. This small set of simple metrics highlights patterns and trends that can help grantmakers and nonprofits see how the financial management of an organization is advancing its mission and strategy. Using a series of interviews with a group of early users of the tool, this article looks at how these metrics are deployed in practice by grantmakers and illustrates three areas where they can be of particular utility: due diligence and evaluating grants; capacity building; and recognizing larger patterns and opportunities

Comprehensive characterization of canine meniscal pathology

The entire dissertation/thesis text is included in the research.pdf file; the official abstract appears in the short.pdf file (which also appears in the research.pdf); a non-technical general description, or public abstract, appears in the public.pdf file.Title from PDF of title page (University of Missouri--Columbia, viewed on July 13, 2010).Thesis advisor: James L. Cook"May 2010"M.S. University of Missouri-Columbia 2010.Meniscal injury is one of the most common causes of pain and dysfunction in the human knee and canine stifle joint. In the canine patient, meniscal injury is usually secondary to cranial cruciate ligament rupture, and the resulting instability in the joint. Despite the prevalence of meniscal disease, the literature contains relatively few reports addressing mechanisms of disease for cranial cruciate ligament-associated meniscal injury. Diagnosis of meniscal tears can be challenging based on clinical signs and history alone, and diagnostic tests to confirm tearing can be expensive, invasive, and unavailable in some areas. Additionally, controversy remains regarding standard of care for treatment of the canine meniscus. Therefore, our overall line of research was to comprehensively characterize canine meniscal pathology with focus on three areas: 1) comparison of clinical and bench top measures of meniscal pathology in early meniscal disease, 2) comparison of diagnostic modalities for pathology of the caudal portion of the medial meniscus, and 3) investigation of the effects of a commonly utilized treatment of the medial meniscus.Includes bibliographical reference