Feed-Forward Neural Network (FFNN) Based Optimization Of Air Handling Units: A State-Of-The-Art Data-Driven Demand-Controlled Ventilation Strategy

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)Heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems (HVAC) are the single largest consumer of energy in commercial and residential sectors. Minimizing its energy consumption without compromising indoor air quality (IAQ) and thermal comfort would result in environmental and financial benefits. Currently, most buildings still utilize constant air volume (CAV) systems with on/off control to meet the thermal loads. Such systems, without any consideration of occupancy, may ventilate a zone excessively and result in energy waste. Previous studies showed that CO2-based demand-controlled ventilation (DCV) methods are the most widely used strategies to determine the optimal level of supply air volume. However, conventional CO2 mass balanced models do not yield an optimal estimation accuracy. In this study, feed-forward neural network algorithm (FFNN) was proposed to estimate the zone occupancy using CO2 concentrations, observed occupancy data and the zone schedule. The occupancy prediction result was then utilized to optimize supply fan operation of the air handling unit (AHU) associated with the zone. IAQ and thermal comfort standards were also taken into consideration as the active constraints of this optimization. As for the validation, the experiment was carried out in an auditorium located on a university campus. The results revealed that utilizing neural network occupancy estimation model can reduce the daily ventilation energy by 74.2% when compared to the current on/off control

Fuel and Feminism: Oil, Women, and the Urbanization of Nature

The first season of the television series State of Happiness (2018) depicts the advent of the Norwegian petroleum industry between 1969 and 1972. To contextualize the chain of events that preceded and followed the discovery of oil in the North Sea, but also for dramatic purposes, the TV series foregrounds the lives of two young women, which imbues the seriesʼ narrative of growth with feminist tropes. Enquiring into the character arcs of the gendered figures in the seriesʼ historicization of oil, this article problematizes how State of Happiness alludes to the emancipation of Norwegian women to legitimize the urbanization of the North Sea and local farmlands for a contemporary audience in the heyday of energy transitions.publishedVersio

Micropiled-Raft Foundations for High-Rise Buildings on Soft Soils — A Case Study: Kerman, Iran

For the structures supported on soft soils, piled raft foundations have been shown to be more economical than conventional piled foundations. In piled raft foundations, the bearing capacity of the underlying soil is taken into account to support the superstructure loads and the piles are placed such that they increase the bearing capacity of the raft and control both the total and differential settlements of the superstructure. In the city of Kerman, Iran, the predominance of soft soils had historically hampered the construction of high-rise buildings across the city. Recently, an eighteen-story reinforced concrete building was constructed on a micropiled-raft foundation which was placed on a 30 m-thick layer of soft saturated calcareous silty soil. Conventional laboratory and plate loading test results on the foundation soil indicated that a raft foundation would have adequate bearing capacity, but would experience excessive settlements. As a remedial solution, a micropiled-raft foundation system was considered as a design option for the foundation of the structure. A prototype micropile was designed and installed based on the FHWA (2000) guidelines and tested at the site. The test results were used to design the micropiled raft foundation using a finite element program. The results of the analysis showed that micropiled-raft foundations can provide a cost-effective engineering solution for high-rise buildings constructed on soft soils. The results of this study were successfully employed to construct additional high-rise buildings in the city

Comparative Study of Applying Methods of Measuring Development in Regional Studies: A Case Study of 15 Regions in Isfahan

The wave of using quantitative models in social sciences during the 1960s along with issues of development and underdevelopment expanded the application of these methods in determining the degree or level of development. The present study aims at investigating and comparing some of the methods for determining the degree of development (Morris, Taxonomy) and addressing the question whether all methods yield similar results in determining the level of development. To do so, the level of development of regions in Isfahan was determined by selecting a variable in the form of 9 indexes of development and applying the data in each of the studied methods. The comparison of the results obtained by each of the methods shows that the degree or level of development in the studied areas is different from one method to another due to the type, or nature and the difference in measuring the indexes, and the peculiarities and specific features of each region. Therefore, it is necessary to take precautions in applying models, and quantitative methods, and the measures taken in planning based on the obtained results. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n1s1p36

Emergency Overcrowding Impact on the Quality of Care of Patients Presenting with Acute Stroke

Introduction: Emergency overcrowding is defined as when the amount of care required for patients overcomes the available amount. This can cause delays in delivering critical care in situations like stroke. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the possible impact of emergency department (ED) crowding on the quality of care for acute stroke patients. Methods: In this cross-sectional prospective study, all patients with symptoms of acute stroke presenting to the ED of educational hospitals were enrolled. All patients were assessed and examined by the emergency medicine (EM) residents on shift and a questionnaire was filled out for them. The amount of time that passed from the first triage to performing the required interventions and delivering health services were recorded by the triage nurse. ED crowding was measured by the occupancy rate. Then, the correlation between all of the variables and ED crowding level were calculated. Results: The average daily bed occupancy rate was 184.9 ± 54.3%. The median time passed from the first triage to performing the interventions were as follows: the first EM resident visit after 34 min, the first neurologic visit after 138 min, head CT after 134 min, ECG after 104 min and ASA administration after 210 min. There was no statistically significant relationship between the ED occupancy rate and the time elapsed before different required health services in the management of stroke patients either throughout an entire day or during each 8-hour interval (p > 0.05). Conclusion: In the current study, the ED occupancy rate was not significantly correlated with the time frame associated with management of admitted acute stroke patients

Nebulized Budesonide vs. Placebo in Adults with Asthma Attack; a Double Blind Randomized Placebo-Controlled Clinical Trial

Introduction: Asthma is one of acute respiratory diseases leading to emergency department (ED) referral. Management of acute attack plays an important role in its outcome. Objective: This trial was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of nebulized budesonide versus placebo in moderate to severe acute asthma attack in adults in the ED. Method: In this clinical trial, we enrolled patients with acute exacerbation of asthma and standard treatment of acute asthma attack was administered to all of them. 41 patients in our study were randomly entered into 2 groups. In one group, we prescribed nebulized budesonide and in the other group nebulized placebo (normal saline) was administered. Patients’ demographic data, vital signs, symptoms’ acuity and the time of symptom relief, patient and physician satisfaction were all recorded and compared between the 2 groups. All cases were followed and disease outcome, readmission, mortality and morbidity rates were documented. Results: In this study, 20 patients were entered the budesonide group and 19 patients were enrolled in the placebo group. The mean age ranges were 55.70±15.30 and 60.32±18.41 years old respectively. Heart rate, respiratory rate and O2 saturation in the first group were improved significantly after the treatment in comparison to the second group (p<0.05). The mean time of recovery and length of hospital stay were better in the first group than the second group but this difference was not significant (p>0.05). Conclusion: The addition of nebulized budesonide to standard asthma treatment might result in more improvement in O2 saturation and less patient’s distress