The thermal simulation of an office building implementing a new behavioural algorithm for window opening and the use of ceiling fans

This investigation of the window opening data from extensive field surveys in UK office buildings investigates 1) how people control the indoor environment by opening windows, 2) the cooling potential of opening windows, and 3) the use of an “adaptive algorithm” for predicting window opening behaviour for thermal simulation in ESP-r. We found that the mean indoor and outdoor temperatures when the window was open were higher than when it was closed, but show that nonetheless there was a useful cooling effect from opening a window. The adaptive algorithm for window opening behaviour was then used in thermal simulation studies for some typical office designs. The thermal simulation results were in general agreement with the findings of the field surveys

A window opening algorithm and UK office temperature field results and thermal simulation

This investigation of the window opening data from extensive field surveys in UK office buildings investigates 1) how people control the indoor environment by opening windows, 2) the cooling potential of opening windows, and 3) the use of an “adaptive algorithm” for predicting window opening behaviour for thermal simulation in ESP-r. We found that the mean indoor and outdoor temperatures when the window was open were higher than when it was closed, but show that nonetheless there was a useful cooling effect from opening a window. The adaptive algorithm for window opening behaviour was then used in thermal simulation studies for some typical office designs. The thermal simulation results were in general agreement with the findings of the field surveys

Addressing the speed-accuracy simulation trade-off for adaptive spiking neurons

The adaptive leaky integrate-and-fire (ALIF) model is fundamental within computational neuroscience and has been instrumental in studying our brains $\textit{in silico}$. Due to the sequential nature of simulating these neural models, a commonly faced issue is the speed-accuracy trade-off: either accurately simulate a neuron using a small discretisation time-step (DT), which is slow, or more quickly simulate a neuron using a larger DT and incur a loss in simulation accuracy. Here we provide a solution to this dilemma, by algorithmically reinterpreting the ALIF model, reducing the sequential simulation complexity and permitting a more efficient parallelisation on GPUs. We computationally validate our implementation to obtain over a $50\times$ training speedup using small DTs on synthetic benchmarks. We also obtained a comparable performance to the standard ALIF implementation on different supervised classification tasks - yet in a fraction of the training time. Lastly, we showcase how our model makes it possible to quickly and accurately fit real electrophysiological recordings of cortical neurons, where very fine sub-millisecond DTs are crucial for capturing exact spike timing.Comment: 15 pages, 5 figure

Non-operative management of abdominal stab wounds- an analysis of 186 patients

Background: The modern management of abdominal stab wounds remains controversial and subject to continued reappraisal. In the present study we reviewed patients with abdominal stab wounds to examine and validate a policy of selective non-operative management with serial physical abdominal examination in a busy urban trauma centre with a high incidence of penetrating trauma. Methods: Over a 12-month period (2005), the records of all patients with abdominal stab wounds were reviewed. Patients with abdominal stab wounds presenting with peritonitis, haemodynamic instability, organ evisceration and high spinal cord injury underwent emergency laparotomy. No local wound exploration, diagnostic peritoneal lavage or ultrasound was used. Haematuria in patients without an indication for emergency surgery was investigated with a contrasted computed tomography (CT) scan. Patients selected for non-operative management were admitted for serial clinical abdominal examination for 24 hours. Patients in whom abdominal findings were negative were given a test feed. If food was tolerated, they were discharged with an abdominal injury form. Results: One hundred and eighty-six patients with abdominal stab wounds were admitted. There were 171 (91.9%) males, with a mean age of 29.5 years. Seventy-four patients (39.8%) underwent emergency laparotomy. There were 5 negative laparotomies (6.8%). The remaining 112 patients (60.2%) were assigned for abdominal observation. One hundred (89.3%) of these patients were successfully managed non-operatively. The remaining 12 patients underwent delayed laparotomy, which was negative in 2 cases (16.7%). Non-operative management was successful in 53.8% of patients overall. The overall sensitivity and specificity of serial abdominal examination was 87.3% and 93.5%, respectively. Conclusion: Serial physical examination alone for asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic patients with abdominal stab wounds enables a significant reduction in unnecessary laparotomies

Video-assisted Thoracoscopic pericardial window for penetrating cardiac trauma

Objective: To report our experience with thoracoscopic pericardial window (TPW) for occult penetrating cardiac injury. Patients and methods: During the study period (1 January - 31 December 2000), a small group of haemodynamically stable patients with anterior leftsided praecordial wounds were selected for TPW. All patients underwent general anaesthesia with doublelumen intubation and collapse of the left lung. A rigid laparoscope was inserted through a 2 cm incision in the 5th intercostal space in the anterior axillary line. Another 3 cm incision was made in the fourth intercostal space over the cardiac silhouette. Conventional instruments were used to grasp and open the pericardium. Any myocardial injury identified was an indication to proceed to sternotomy. In the absence of a myocardial injury and bleeding, the procedure was terminated and considered therapeutic. Results: Seventy-one patients with suspected penetrating cardiac injuries were seen. TPW was successfully completed in 13 patients. All were men, with a mean age of 29.8 (range 19 - 38) years. Ten and 3 patients sustained stab and gunshot wounds, respectively. The mean revised trauma score was 7.84. Ultrasound was performed in 12 patients; the results were equivocal for 2 patients, and positive for an effusion in 4 patients. Haemopericardium was found in 3 patients, 2 of whom proceeded to sternotomy. No cardiac injury was found in 1, a left ventricular contusion was identified in the second, and the third patient had no further procedure after good video-thoracoscopic visualisation of the anterior myocardium revealed no injury. In another patient, pericardial bruising was evident without any haemopericardium. The mean operative time was 13.4 (range 10 - 15) minutes, with a mean hospital stay of 5.4 (range 3 - 8) days. There were no complications. The use of a double-lumen endotracheal tube increased the cost of TPW by 23% when compared with subxiphoid pericardial window (SPW). Conclusion: TPW is a feasible, although in our setting not cost-effective, diagnostic option for occult penetrating cardiac injuries

Dendritic cells cross talk with tumor antigen-specific CD8+T cells, Vγ9γδT cells, and Vα24NKT cells in patients with glioblastoma multiforme and in healthy donors

The finding that dendritic cells (DCs) orchestrate innate and adaptive immune responses has stimulated research on harnessing DCs for developing more effective vaccines for DC therapy. The expression of cytomegalovirus (CMV) antigens in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) presents a unique opportunity to target these viral proteins for tumor immunotherapy. Here, we demonstrate that Vγ9γδT cells, innate immune cells activated by zoledronate (Z), and Vα24NKT cells, innate/adaptive immune cells activated by α-galactosylceramide (G) can link innate and adaptive immunities through cross talk with IFN-DCs from patients with GBM and healthy donors in a way that can amplify the activation and proliferation of CMVpp65-specific CD8+T cells. The IFN-DCs derived from patients with GBM used in this study express lower levels of programmed death ligand (PDL)1 and PDL2 and higher levels of CCR7 than the most commonly used mature IL-4DCs. The expression level of programmed cell death 1 (PD1) on CD8+ T cells, including CMVpp65-specific CD8+T cells, expanded by IFN-DCs pulsed with the CMVpp65-peptide and Z plus G (IFN-DCs/P+Z+G) was lower than that expanded by IFN-DCs pulsed with the peptide alone (IFN-DCs/P). Multifunctional T cells, including HLA-A*0201-restricted CMVpp65-specific CD8+T cells, Vγ9γδT cells, and Vα24NKT cells, efficiently kill HLA-A*0201 positive GBM cell line expressing CMVpp65 protein (T98G). These findings indicate that DC therapy using IFN-DCs/P+Z+G and/or CTL therapy using CMVpp65-specific CD8+T cells expanded by IFN-DCs/P+Z+G may lead to a good clinical outcome for patients with GBM. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved

Novel Pressure Induced Structural Phase Transition in AgSbTe2_{2}

We report a novel high pressure structural sequence for the functionally graded thermoelectric, narrow band gap semiconductor AgSbTe$_{2}$, using angle dispersive x-ray diffraction in a diamond anvil cell with synchrotron radiation at room temperature. The compound undergoes a B1 to B2 transition; the transition proceeds through an intermediate amorphous phase found between 17-26 GPa that is quenchable down to ambient conditions. The pressure induced structural transition observed in this compound is the first of its type reported in this ternary cubic family, and it is new for the B1-B2 transition pathway reported to date. Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations performed for the B1 and B2 phases are in good agreement with the experimental results.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figure

Penetrating renal injuries: an observational study of non-operative management and the impact of opening Gerota’s fascia

Background Non-operative management has become increasingly popular in the treatment of renal trauma. While data are robust in blunt mechanisms, the role of non-operative management in penetrating trauma is less clear. Additionally, there is a paucity of data comparing gunshot and stab wounds. Methods A retrospective review of patients admitted to a high-volume level 1 trauma center (Groote Schuur Hospital, Cape Town) with penetrating abdominal trauma was performed. Patients with renal injuries were identified and compared based on mechanism [gunshot (GSW) vs. stab] and management strategy (operative vs. non-operative). Primary outcomes of interest were mortality and failure of non-operative management. Secondary outcomes of interest were nephrectomy rates, Clavien-Dindo complication rate, hospital length of stay, and overall morbidity rate. Results A total of 150 patients with renal injuries were identified (82 GSW, 68 stab). Overall, 55.2% of patients required emergent/urgent laparotomy. GSWs were more likely to cause grade V injury and concurrent intra-abdominal injuries (p > 0.05). The success rate of non-operative management was 91.6% (89.9% GSW, 92.8% stab, p = 0.64). The absence of hematuria on point of care testing demonstrated a negative predictive value of 98.4% (95% CI 96.8–99.2%). All but 1 patient who failed non-operative management had associated intra-abdominal injuries requiring surgical intervention. Opening of Gerota’s fascia resulted in nephrectomy in 55.6% of cases. There were no statistically significant risk factors for failure of non-operative management identified on univariate logistic regression. Conclusions NOM of penetrating renal injuries can be safely and effectively instituted in both gunshot and stab wounds with a very low number of patients progressing to laparotomy. Most patients fail NOM for associated injuries. During laparotomy, the opening of Gerota’s fascia may lead to increased risk of nephrectomy. Ongoing study with larger populations is required to develop effective predictive models of patients who will fail NOM

Whales as marine ecosystem engineers

Baleen and sperm whales, known collectively as the great whales, include the largest animals in the history of life on Earth. With high metabolic demands and large populations, whales probably had a strong influence on marine ecosystems before the advent of industrial whaling: as consumers of fish and invertebrates; as prey to other large-bodied predators; as reservoirs of and vertical and horizontal vectors for nutrients; and as detrital sources of energy and habitat in the deep sea. The decline in great whale numbers, estimated to be at least 66% and perhaps as high as 90%, has likely altered the structure and function of the oceans, but recovery is possible and in many cases is already underway. Future changes in the structure and function of the world\u27s oceans can be expected with the restoration of great whale populations

A novel pyrazolopyrimidine ligand of human PGK1 and stress sensor DJ1 modulates the shelterin complex and telomere length regulation

Telomere signaling and metabolic dysfunction are hallmarks of cell aging. New agents targeting these processes might provide therapeutic opportunities, including chemoprevention strategies against cancer predisposition. We report identification and characterization of a pyrazolopyrimidine compound series identified from screens focused on cell immortality and whose targets are glycolytic kinase PGK1 and oxidative stress sensor DJ1. We performed structure–activity studies on the series to develop a photoaffinity probe to deconvolute the cellular targets. In vitro binding and structural analyses confirmed these targets, suggesting that PGK1/DJ1 interact, which we confirmed by immunoprecipitation. Glucose homeostasis and oxidative stress are linked to telomere signaling and exemplar compound CRT0063465 blocked hypoglycemic telomere shortening. Intriguingly, PGK1 and DJ1 bind to TRF2 and telomeric DNA. Compound treatment modulates these interactions and also affects Shelterin complex composition, while conferring cellular protection from cytotoxicity due to bleomycin and desferroxamine. These results demonstrate therapeutic potential of the compound series