Performance of a demand controlled mechanical extract ventilation system for dwellings

The main aim of ventilation is to guarantee a good indoor air quality, related to the energy consumed for heating and fan(s). Active or passive heat recovery systems seem to focus on the reduction of heating consumption at the expense of fan electricity consumption and maintenance. In this study, demandcontrolled mechanical extract ventilation systems of Renson (DCV1 and DCV2), based on natural supply in the habitable rooms and mechanical extraction in the wet rooms (or even the bedrooms), was analysed for one year by means of multi-zone Contam simulations on a reference detached house and compared with standard MEV and mechanical extract ventilation systems with heat recovery (MVHR). To this end, IAQ, total energy consumption, CO2 emissions and total cost of the systems are determined. The results show that DCV systems with increased supply air flow rates or direct mechanical extract from bedrooms can significantly improve IAQ, while reducing total energy consumption compared to MEV. Applying DCV reduces primary heating energy consumption and yearly fan electricity consumption at most by 65% to 50% compared to MEV. Total operational energy costs and CO2 emissions of DCV are similar when compared to MVHR. Total costs of DCV systems over 15 years are smaller when compared to MVHR due to lower investment and maintenance costs

All the Lab's a Stage: the Use of Drama to Promote Engagement in Higher Education Science

Communicating science can be challenging at any educational level. We used informal and experiential learning to engage groups of potential University applicants in one project that involved staging a play in one of the teaching laboratories at the University of Worcester whilst a second project designed a play in house and took this to schools. In the first project the plot centred on stem cell research. School pupils and students from FE Colleges were offered complementary sessions including a lecture exploring the science behind stem cell research, a discussion on ethical aspects involved and a practical using university facilities. We ascertained attitudes to Higher Education in the students participating before and after the event. We found an enhanced view of the science and a highly significant change in attitude to attending University for students taking vocational subjects at FE level. The second project was aimed at exploring attitudes to ethics and animal welfare among a cohort of 15 – 18 year olds. Students engaged with the issues in the drama to a high degree. Our conclusions are that drama is an excellent way to inform potential students about higher education and HE level science in particular. Additionally we demonstrated the importance of events taking place at HE institutions in order to maximise change in attitudes to HE

Micelle Forms in Lyotropic Nematics and Cholesterics

Nematic and cholesteric lyotropic liquid crystals (lyomesophases based on micelles) with positive and negative diamagnetic aniiSotropy wexe studied by polaxizing microscopy. The textures of nematics oriented in a magnetic field confirm the disc- · like and rodlike structure of the lyomesophases. The textures of cholesterics show a characteristic helical structure where the pitch of the helix depends on the composition and temperature

Micelle Forms in Lyotropic Nematics and Cholesterics

Nematic and cholesteric lyotropic liquid crystals (lyomesophases based on micelles) with positive and negative diamagnetic aniiSotropy wexe studied by polaxizing microscopy. The textures of nematics oriented in a magnetic field confirm the disc- · like and rodlike structure of the lyomesophases. The textures of cholesterics show a characteristic helical structure where the pitch of the helix depends on the composition and temperature

Facts, Interactivity and Videotape : Exploring the Design Space of Data in Interactive Video Storytelling

We live in a society that is increasingly data rich, with an unprecedented amount of information being captured, stored and analysed about our lives and the people we share them with. We explore the relationship between this new data and emergent forms of interactive video storytelling. In particular we ask: i) how can interactive video storytelling techniques be employed to provide accessible, informative and pleasurable ways for people to engage with data; and ii) how can data be used by the creators of interactive video stories to meet expressive goals and support new forms of experience? We present an analysis of 43 interactive videos that use data in a noteworthy fashion. This analysis reveals a design space comprising key techniques for telling engaging interactive video stories with and about data. To conclude, we discuss challenges relating to the production and consumption of such content and make recommendations for future research

Rapid growth of HFC-227ea (1,1,1,2,3,3,3-Heptafluoropropane) in the atmosphere

We report the first measurements of 1,1,1,2,3,3,3-heptafluoropropane (HFC-227ea), a substitute for ozone depleting compounds, in remote regions of the atmosphere and present evidence for its rapid growth. Observed mixing ratios ranged from below 0.01 ppt in deep firn air to 0.59 ppt in the northern mid-latitudinal upper troposphere. Firn air samples collected in Greenland were used to reconstruct a history of atmospheric abundance. Year-on-year increases were deduced, with acceleration in the growth rate from 0.026 ppt per year in 2000 to 0.057 ppt per year in 2007. Upper tropospheric air samples provide evidence for a continuing growth until late 2009. Fur- thermore we calculated a stratospheric lifetime of 370 years from measurements of air samples collected on board high altitude aircraft and balloons. Emission estimates were determined from the reconstructed atmospheric trend and suggest that current "bottom-up" estimates of global emissions for 2005 are too high by more than a factor of three

Episodic Occurrence of Field‐Aligned Energetic Ions on the Dayside

The tens of kiloelectron volt ions observed in the ring current region at L ~ 3–7 generally have pancake pitch angle distributions, that is, peaked at 90°. However, in this study, by using the Van Allen Probe observations on the dayside, unexpectedly, we have found that about 5% time, protons with energies of ~30 to 50 keV show two distinct populations, having an additional field‐aligned population overlapping with the original pancake population. The newly appearing field‐aligned populations have higher occurrence rates at ~12–16 magnetic local time during geomagnetically active times. In particular, we have studied eight such events in detail and found that the source regions are located around 12 to 18 magnetic local time which coincides with our statistical result. Based on the ionospheric and geosynchronous observations, it is suggested that these energetic ions with field‐aligned pitch angle distributions probably are accelerated near postnoon in association with ionospheric disturbances that are triggered by tail injections.Plain Language SummaryProtons of different sources have different pitch angle distributions (PADs). For example, warm plasma cloak protons, which come directly from the ionosphere, have field‐aligned PADs, while ring current protons that generally originate from tail plasma sheet have pancake‐shaped PADs. In this study, unexpectedly, we have found that about 5% of the time on the dayside, protons of ring current energies show two distinct populations according to their PADs: higher fluxes of field‐aligned populations overlapping with the original pancake populations. The newly appeared field‐aligned populations have higher occurrence rates at ~12–16 magnetic local time during geomagnetically active times. In order to find the mechanism that generates these field‐aligned energetic proton populations, we have studied eight such events in detail by using the low‐altitude DMSP, POES satellites, and the NOAA‐LANL satellite at the geosynchronous orbit. The results imply that these energetic ions with field‐aligned PADs probably are accelerated by ionospheric disturbances that are triggered by tail injections. These results provide evidence of another possibly important source of the ring current ions.Key PointsWe have found that about 5% of the time on the dayside, protons with energies of ~30 to 50 keV have strong field‐aligned PADsThe field‐aligned PADs have higher occurrence rates at ~12‐16 MLT during geomagnetically active timesThese energetic field‐aligned ions possibly are accelerated by ionospheric disturbances triggered by tail injectionsPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153687/1/grl60102_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/153687/2/grl60102.pd

Have clinicians adopted the use of brain MRI for patients with TIA and minor stroke?

BACKGROUND: Use of MRI with diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) can identify infarcts in 30%-50% of patients with TIA. Previous guidelines have indicated that MRI-DWI is the preferred imaging modality for patients with TIA. We assessed the frequency of MRI utilization and predictors of MRI performance. METHODS: A review of TIA and minor stroke patients evaluated at Veterans Affairs hospitals was conducted with regard to medical history, use of diagnostic imaging within 2 days of presentation, and in-hospital care variables. Chart abstraction was performed in a subset of hospitals to assess clinical variables not available in the administrative data. RESULTS: A total of 7,889 patients with TIA/minor stroke were included. Overall, 6,694 patients (84.9%) had CT or MRI, with 3,396/6,694 (50.7%) having MRI. Variables that were associated with increased odds of CT performance were age >80 years, prior stroke, history of atrial fibrillation, heart failure, coronary artery disease, anxiety, and low hospital complexity, while blood pressure >140/90 mm Hg and high hospital complexity were associated with increased likelihood of MRI. Diplopia (87% had MRI, p = 0.03), neurologic consultation on the day of presentation (73% had MRI, p 6 hours (74% had MRI, p = 0.0009) were associated with MRI performance. CONCLUSIONS: Within a national health system, about 40% of patients with TIA/minor stroke had MRI performed within 2 days. Performance of MRI appeared to be influenced by several patient and facility-level variables, suggesting that there has been partial acceptance of the previous guideline that endorsed MRI for patients with TIA

Accumulation of the transcription factor ABA-insensitive (ABI)4 is tightly regulated post-transcriptionally

ABA-INSENSITIVE (ABI)4 is a transcription factor implicated in response to ABA in maturing seeds, and seedling responses to ABA, salt, and sugar. Previous studies have shown that ABI4 transcripts are high in seeds and in seedlings exposed to high concentrations of glucose and, to a lesser extent, osmotic agents and ABA, but that transcript levels are very low through most of vegetative growth. This study examined ABI4 protein accumulation indirectly, using transgenic lines expressing fusions to GFP and GUS. The GFP fusions were active, but undetectable visually or immunologically. Comparison of transcript and activity levels for GUS expression showed that inclusion of the ABI4 coding sequence reduced the ratio of activity to transcript ∼40-fold when driven by the CaMV 35S promoter, and nearly 150-fold when controlled by the ABI4 promoter. At least part of this discrepancy is due to proteasomal degradation of ABI4, resulting in a half-life of 5–6 h for the ABI4–GUS fusion. Comparison of the spatial localization of transcripts and fusion proteins indicated that the protein preferentially accumulated in roots such that transcript and protein distribution had little similarity. The components mediating targeting to the proteasome or other mechanisms of spatial restriction have not yet been identified, but several domains of ABI4 appear to contribute to its instability

Stair Gait in Older Adults Worsens With Smaller Step Treads and When Transitioning Between Level and Stair Walking.

Older people have an increased risk of falling during locomotion, with falls on stairs being particularly common and dangerous. Step going (i.e., the horizontal distance between two consecutive step edges) defines the base of support available for foot placement on stairs, as with smaller going, the user's ability to balance on the steps may become problematic. Here we quantified how stair negotiation in older participants changes between four goings (175, 225, 275, and 325 mm) and compared stair negotiation with and without a walking approach. Twenty-one younger (29 ± 6 years) and 20 older (74 ± 4 years) participants negotiated a 7-step experimental stair. Motion capture and step-embedded force platform data were collected. Handrail use was also monitored. From the motion capture data, body velocity, trunk orientation, foot clearance and foot overhang were quantified. For all participants, as stair going decreased, gait velocity (ascent pA = 0.033, descent pD = 0.003) and horizontal step clearance decreased (pA = 0.001), while trunk rotation (pD = 0.002) and foot overhang increased (pA,D A D = 0.001) and their foot clearance tended to be smaller. With a walking approach, the older group (Group x Start interaction) showed a larger trunk rotation (pA = 0.011, pD = 0.015), and smaller lead foot horizontal (pA = 0.046) and vertical clearances (pD = 0.039) compared to the younger group. A regression analysis to determine the predictors of foot clearance and amount of overhang showed that physical activity was a common predictor for both age groups. In addition, for the older group, medications and fear of falling were found to predict stair performance for most goings, while sway during single-legged standing was the most common predictor for the younger group. Older participants adapted to smaller goings by using the handrails and reducing gait velocity. The predictors of performance suggest that motor and fall risk assessment is complex and multifactorial. The results shown here are consistent with the recommendation that larger going and pausing before negotiating stairs may improve stair safety, especially for older users