The development of a real-time energy prediction framework in domestic buildings

The construction industry consumed 35% of worldwide energy, with domestic buildings accounting for 22%. Providing a healthy, positive environment in domestic buildings raised energy demand by around 80% in building operations, with thermal comfort accounting for about half of that increase. Furthermore, building energy consumption is 5 to 10 times greater than predictions given during the design phase. The discrepancy between the actual and intended design is called the performance gap. Although the term is widely used in the context of energy performance, it can also be found in indoor environmental parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, air quality, noise, and illumination. This thesis connects building performance simulation to building operational performance, focusing on real-time energy prediction for space heating in an indoor environment of domestic buildings. The work presented in this research is a technical implementation framework for examining the energy consumption of indoor space heating in real-time, focusing on energy-related thermal comfort conditions at the zone level. Unlike building performance simulation tools, The developed framework can be used beyond the design phase to encompass operations and assist in diagnosing and detecting building underperformance or performance discrepancy over time. Focusing on zone level can offer a greater understanding of the thermal state and energy usage of specific individual spaces, which can also assist in identifying performance disparity. Buildings with good indoor environmental quality are objectively assessed using simulation tools. However, the indoor environmental quality, especially thermal comfort, is experienced subjectively, making the building energy and thermal performance evaluation task challenging. The developed framework extends the use of the energy model to the operational stage by predicting thermal and energy performance based on indoor and outdoor environmental parameters. Moreover, using a parametric energy simulation and machine learning approach connected to an IoT sensor system enable users to identify thermal comfort conditions in the indoor environment and the amount of energy consumed for space heating. Finally, the research identified several lessons that can potentially inform and improve the existing domestic buildings, especially winter space heating. Following the framework, an innovative device was developed and validated using an experimental approach that focuses on real-time energy prediction of space heating. In this process, the experimental case studies' thermal comfort conditions and energy consumption were monitored and analysed to identify thermal-energy performance-related issues, also used for validating the proposed real-time energy prediction module

Synthesis and Evaluation Antibacterial Activity of Some New Substituted 5-Bromoisatin Containing Five, Six Heterocyclic Ring

This research includes the synthesis of some new different heterocyclic derivatives of 5-Bromoisatin. New sulfonylamide, diazine, oxazole, thiazole and 1,2,3-triazole derivatives of 5-Bromoisatin have been synthesized. The synthesis process started by the reaction of 5-Bromoisatin with different reagents to obtain schiff bases of 5-Bromoisatin intermediate compounds(1, 8, 19) by using glacial acetic acid as a catalyst in three routes. The first route, 5-Bromoisatin reacted with p-aminosulfonylchloride to product compound(1), then converted to sulfonyl amide derivatives(2-7) by the reaction of compound(1) with different substituted primary aromatic amine in absolute ethanol. The second route includes the reaction of 5-Bromoisatin reacted with ethyl glycinate to give 5-bromo-3-(Ethyl imino acetate)-2-oxo indole(8), which undergo react with hydrazine hydrate 80% to obtain hydrazine derivatives(9) that react with different acid anhydrides to obtain diazine derivatives(10-14). Also compound(8) reacts with urea and thiourea to give compounds(15,16) which undergo cyclization with p-bromophenacylbromide in absolute ethanol as a solvent to obtain oxazole (17) and thiazole (18), respectively. The third route included the reaction of 5-Bromoisatin with p-phenylenediamine in ethanol to obtain compound(19) which is converted to new substitutes 1,2,3-triazole derivatives(22,23) by diazotation of compound(19) and treating the resulted salt(20) with sodium azid, then acetylaceton or ethylacetoacetate, respectively. Newly synthesized compounds were identified by spectral methods. (FTIR, 1H-NMR, 13C-NMR) and measurements of some of its physical properties and also some specific reactions. Furthermore the effects of the synthesized compounds were studied on some strains of bacteria

Exploring virtual reality in construction, visualization and building performance analysis

In the past two decades, the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) industry has investigated different approaches to improve communication among project parties, including Virtual reality (VR) however these approaches have not been widely adopted by the industry. Today, the tremendous advancements in technologies and computer hardware have potentially improved the current approaches and enabled a significant enhancement of user experience of Virtual reality (VR) devices. Based on that the researchers have conducted a review to investigate the global VR applications research in (AEC) community in 2015- 2017 to understand the status and the trend of immersive virtual reality (IVR) research in the world using these affordable devices. This paper also presents a result of an experiment to integrate three different types of AEC digital modeling data and proposed workflows for IVR applications in construction, visualization and building performance analysis. The experiment deals with construction simulation, rapid generation of the VR scene for existing building and airflow visualization. Several workflows investigated game engine and VR tools have been use

The development of a digitally enhanced visual inspection framework for masonry bridges in the UK

Purpose: The utilisation of emerging technologies for the inspection of bridges has remarkably increased. In particular, non-destructive testing (NDT) technologies are deemed a potential alternative for costly, labour-intensive, subjective and unsafe conventional bridge inspection regimes. This paper aims to develop a framework to overcome conventional inspection regimes' limitations by deploying multiple NDT technologies to carry out digital visual inspections of masonry railway bridges. Design/methodology/approach: This research adopts an exploratory case study approach, and the empirical data is collected through exploratory workshops, interviews and document reviews. The framework is implemented and refined in five masonry bridges as part of the UK railway infrastructure. Four NDT technologies, namely, terrestrial laser scanner, infrared thermography, 360-degree imaging and unmanned aerial vehicles, are used in this study. Findings: A digitally enhanced visual inspection framework is developed by using complementary optical methods. Compared to the conventional inspection regimes, the new approach requires fewer subjective interpretations due to the additional qualitative and quantitative analysis. Also, it is safer and needs fewer operators on site, as the actual inspection can be carried out remotely. Originality/value: This research is a step towards digitalising the inspection of bridges, and it is of particular interest to transport agencies and bridge inspectors and can potentially result in revolutionising the bridge inspection regimes and guidelines

Iranian Herbalists, But Not Cooks, Are Better at Naming Odors Than Laypeople

Odor naming is enhanced in communities where communication about odors is a central part of daily life (e.g., wine experts, flavorists, and some hunter-gatherer groups). In this study, we investigated how expert knowledge and daily experience affect the ability to name odors in a group of experts that has not previously been investigated in this context—Iranian herbalists; also called attars—as well as cooks and laypeople. We assessed naming accuracy and consistency for 16 herb and spice odors, collected judgments of odor perception, and evaluated participants' odor meta-awareness. Participants' responses were overall more consistent and accurate for more frequent and familiar odors. Moreover, attars were more accurate than both cooks and laypeople at naming odors, although cooks did not perform significantly better than laypeople. Attars' perceptual ratings of odors and their overall odor meta-awareness suggest they are also more attuned to odors than the other two groups. To conclude, Iranian attars—but not cooks—are better odor namers than laypeople. They also have greater meta-awareness and differential perceptual responses to odors. These findings further highlight the critical role that expertise and type of experience have on olfactory functions

YB-1 expression promotes epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition in prostate cancer that is inhibited by a small molecule fisetin

Epithelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EMT) plays an important role in prostate cancer (PCa) metastasis. The transcription/translation regulatory Y-box binding protein-1 (YB-1) is known to be associated with cancer metastasis. We observed that YB-1 expression increased with tumor grade and showed an inverse relationship with E-cadherin in a human PCa tissue array. Forced YB-1 expression induced a mesenchymal morphology that was associated with down regulation of epithelial markers. Silencing of YB-1 reversed mesenchymal features and decreased cell proliferation, migration and invasion in PCa cells. YB-1 is activated directly via Akt mediated phosphorylation at Ser102 within the cold shock domain (CSD). We next identified fisetin as an inhibitor of YB-1 activation. Computational docking and molecular dynamics suggested that fisetin binds on the residues from β1 - β4 strands of CSD, hindering Akt’s interaction with YB-1. Calculated free binding energy ranged from -11.9845 to -9.6273 kcal/mol. Plasmon Surface Resonance studies showed that fisetin binds to YB-1 with an affinity of approximately 35 µM, with both slow association and dissociation. Fisetin also inhibited EGF induced YB-1 phosphorylation and markers of EMT both in vitro and in vivo. Collectively our data suggest that YB-1 induces EMT in PCa and identify fisetin as an inhibitor of its activation

PLASMA FERRITIN AND HEPCIDIN LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS

Objective: Iron disorder and abnormal expression of hepcidin play important roles in many diseases, but it is still unclear in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM).  Current study aimed to assess iron, ferritin and hepcidin levels in plasma of with or without T2DM and evaluated increased body iron stores as risk factor for developing T2DM. Methods: Plasma samples were collected from 88 participants, who were categorized into 2 groups based on the presence or absence of T2DM. Demographics and general health parameters were recorded. Chemiluminescence microparticle immunoassay and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were used to detect iron, ferritin and hepcidin concentrations. The geometric mean±SD of the plasma level of hepcidin, ferritin, iron and insulin among T2DM comparing with that of healthy controls were evaluated. Results: Plasma ferritin and hepcidin levels in T2DM group were higher than in the control group (P < 0.05). The geometric mean ± SD of hepcidin and ferritin for T2DM were 41.1±23.3 μg/l and 227.2±156.1 ŋg/L respectively;   higher than the 15.2±2.3 μg/l and 114.4±60.4 ŋg/l of controls respectively. There was a significant associated between high level of plasma hepcidin (OR=2.75) and ferritin (OR=2.24); with T2 DM. Conclusion: In conclusion: the regulation of body iron, an essential but also toxic element is strictly controlled by a small peptide hormone hepcidin. The present data demonstrated that the higher hepcidin level in diabetic patients may be due to that higher ferritin, the elevated hepcidin might have adaptive value through down-regulated iron absorb and play an important role in pathogenesis of T2 DM.                                 Peer Review History: Received 20 January 2019;   Revised 25 February; Accepted 3 March, Available online 15 March 2019 Academic Editor: Dr. Gehan Fawzy Abdel Raoof Kandeel, Pharmacognosy Department, National Research Centre, Dokki, 12622,  Giza, Egypt, [email protected]  Received file:        Reviewer's Comments: Average Peer review marks at initial stage: 6.5/10 Average Peer review marks at publication stage: 8.5/10 Reviewer(s) detail: Dr. Tanveer Ahmed Khan, Hajvery University, Lahore, Pakistan, [email protected] Dr. A.A. Mgbahurike, University of Port Harcourt, Nigeria, [email protected] Similar Articles: EFFECTS OF EMODIN ON BLOOD GLUCOSE AND BODY WEIGHT IN TYPE 1 DIABETIC RATS THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN DIABETES MELLITUS AND TUBERCULOSIS IN REVIEW OF PREVALENCE, DIAGNOSTICS AND PREVENTION PLASMA FERRITIN AND HEPCIDIN LEVELS IN PATIENTS WITH TYPE 2 DIABETES MELLITUS ORAL DRUG DELIVERY OF INSULIN IN DIABETES MELLITUS: AN ATTRACTIVE ALTERNATE TO OVERCOME INVASIVE ROUTE ANTIDIABETIC AND ANTIHYPERLIPIDEMIC ACTIVITY OF DRACAENA CINNABARI BALF. RESIN ETHANOLIC EXTRACT OF SOQATRA ISLAND IN EXPERIMENTAL ANIMALS PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND IN VITRO ANTIOXIDANT AND ANTI-DIABETIC POTENTIALS OF PERSEA AMERICANA MILL. (LAURACEAE) FRUIT EXTRAC