Occupant-Centred Control strategies for Adaptive Facades: A preliminary study of the impact of shortwave solar radiation on thermal comfort

Adaptive facades have the potential to shape resource-efficient and occupant-centred spaces only when their control strategies are tailored to meet transient, local and personal demands. State-of-the-art control algorithms are currently failing to provide occupant thermal satisfaction because the data on occupant response to the thermal environment is not sufficiently granular. This paper presents a preliminary assessment of the use of the adjusted operative temperature, which accounts also for the additional effect of shortwave radiation on occupants, to dynamically devise learning control strategies that meet individual occupant comfort requirements. Shortwave effects of solar radiation on occupant comfort and operative temperature are compared to those considering only longwave radiation and two alternative occupant-centred control strategies are devised and assessed. Lastly, a combined occupant-centred control strategy is also proposed for an open space office

Critical-point scaling function for the specific heat of a Ginzburg-Landau superconductor

If the zero-field transition in high temperature superconductors such as YBa_2Cu_3O_7-\delta is a critical point in the universality class of the 3-dimensional XY model, then the general theory of critical phenomena predicts the existence of a critical region in which thermodynamic functions have a characteristic scaling form. We report the first attempt to calculate the universal scaling function associated with the specific heat, for which experimental data have become available in recent years. Scaling behaviour is extracted from a renormalization-group analysis, and the 1/N expansion is adopted as a means of approximation. The estimated scaling function is qualitatively similar to that observed experimentally, and also to the lowest-Landau-level scaling function used by some authors to provide an alternative interpretation of the same data. Unfortunately, the 1/N expansion is not sufficiently reliable at small values of N for a quantitative fit to be feasible.Comment: 20 pages; 4 figure

Scaling in high-temperature superconductors

A Hartree approximation is used to study the interplay of two kinds of scaling which arise in high-temperature superconductors, namely critical-point scaling and that due to the confinement of electron pairs to their lowest Landau level in the presence of an applied magnetic field. In the neighbourhood of the zero-field critical point, thermodynamic functions scale with the scaling variable $(T-T_{c2}(B))/B^{1/2\nu}$, which differs from the variable $(T - T_c(0))/B^{1/2\nu}$ suggested by the gaussian approximation. Lowest-Landau-level (LLL) scaling occurs in a region of high field surrounding the upper critical field line but not in the vicinity of the zero-field transition. For YBaCuO in particular, a field of at least 10 T is needed to observe LLL scaling. These results are consistent with a range of recent experimental measurements of the magnetization, transport properties and, especially, the specific heat of high-$T_c$ materials.Comment: 22 pages + 1 figure appended as postscript fil

Renormalization group and 1/N expansion for 3-dimensional Ginzburg-Landau-Wilson models

A renormalization-group scheme is developed for the 3-dimensional O($2N$)-symmetric Ginzburg-Landau-Wilson model, which is consistent with the use of a 1/N expansion as a systematic method of approximation. It is motivated by an application to the critical properties of superconductors, reported in a separate paper. Within this scheme, the infrared stable fixed point controlling critical behaviour appears at $z=0$, where $z=\lambda^{-1}$ is the inverse of the quartic coupling constant, and an efficient renormalization procedure consists in the minimal subtraction of ultraviolet divergences at $z=0$. This scheme is implemented at next-to-leading order, and the standard results for critical exponents calculated by other means are recovered. An apparently novel result of this non-perturbative method of approximation is that corrections to scaling (or confluent singularities) do not, as in perturbative analyses, appear as simple power series in the variable $y=zt^{\omega\nu}$. At least in three dimensions, the power series are modified by powers of $\ln y$.Comment: 20 pages; 5 figure

Extreme Type-II Superconductors in a Magnetic Field: A Theory of Critical Fluctuations

A theory of critical fluctuations in extreme type-II superconductors subjected to a finite but weak external magnetic field is presented. It is shown that the standard Ginzburg-Landau representation of this problem can be recast, with help of a novel mapping, as a theory of a new "superconductor", in an effective magnetic field whose overall value is zero, consisting of the original uniform field and a set of neutralizing unit fluxes attached to $N_{\Phi}$ fluctuating vortex lines. The long distance behavior is related to the anisotropic gauge theory in which the original magnetic field plays the role of "charge". The consequences of this "gauge theory" scenario for the critical behavior in high temperature superconductors are explored in detail, with particular emphasis on questions of 3D XY vs. Landau level scaling, physical nature of the vortex "line liquid" and the true normal state, and fluctuation thermodynamics and transport. A "minimal" set of requirements for the theory of vortex-lattice melting in the critical region is also proposed and discussed.Comment: 28 RevTeX pages, 4 .ps figures; appendix A added, additional references, streamlined Secs. IV and V in response to referees' comment

Critical Dynamics of a Vortex Loop Model for the Superconducting Transition

We calculate analytically the dynamic critical exponent $z_{MC}$ measured in Monte Carlo simulations for a vortex loop model of the superconducting transition, and account for the simulation results. In the weak screening limit, where magnetic fluctuations are neglected, the dynamic exponent is found to be $z_{MC} = 3/2$. In the perfect screening limit, $z_{MC} = 5/2$. We relate $z_{MC}$ to the actual value of $z$ observable in experiments and find that $z \sim 2$, consistent with some experimental results

CASPER plus (CollAborative care in Screen-Positive EldeRs with major depressive disorder): study protocol for a randomised controlled trial

Background: Depression accounts for the greatest disease burden of all mental health disorders, contributes heavily to healthcare costs, and by 2020 is set to become the second largest cause of global disability. Although 10% to 16% of people aged 65 years and over are likely to experience depressive symptoms, the condition is under-diagnosed and often inadequately treated in primary care. Later-life depression is associated with chronic illness and disability, cognitive impairment and social isolation. With a progressively ageing population it becomes increasingly important to refine strategies to identity and manage depression in older people. Currently, management may be limited to the prescription of antidepressants where there may be poor concordance; older people may lack awareness of psychosocial interventions and general practitioners may neglect to offer this treatment option. Methods/design: CASPER Plus is a multi-centre, randomised controlled trial of a collaborative care intervention for individuals aged 65 years and over experiencing moderate to severe depression. Selected practices in the North of England identify potentially eligible patients and invite them to participate in the study. A diagnostic interview is carried out and participants with major depressive disorder are randomised to either collaborative care or usual care. The recruitment target is 450 participants. The intervention, behavioural activation and medication management in a collaborative care framework, has been adapted to meet the complex needs of older people. It is delivered over eight to 10 weekly sessions by a case manager liaising with general practitioners. The trial aims to evaluate the clinical and cost effectiveness of collaborative care in addition to usual GP care versus usual GP care alone. The primary clinical outcome, depression severity, will be measured with the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) at baseline, 4, 12 and 18 months. Cost effectiveness analysis will assess health-related quality of life using the SF-12 and EQ-5D and will examine cost-consequences of collaborative care. A qualitative process evaluation will be undertaken to explore acceptability, gauge the extent to which the intervention is implemented and to explore sustainability beyond the clinical trial. Discussion: Results will add to existing evidence and a positive outcome may lead to the commissioning of this model of service in primary care. Trial registration: ISRCTN45842879 (24 July 2012)

Exercise Therapy for Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia syndrome, a chronic condition typically characterized by widespread pain, nonrestorative sleep, fatigue, cognitive dysfunction, and other somatic symptoms, negatively impacts physical and emotional function and reduces quality of life. Exercise is commonly recommended in the management of people with fibromyalgia, and interest in examining exercise benefits for those with the syndrome has grown substantially over the past 25 years. Research supports aerobic and strength training to improve physical fitness and function, reduce fibromyalgia symptoms, and improve quality of life. However, other forms of exercise (e.g., tai chi, yoga, Nordic walking, vibration techniques) and lifestyle physical activity also have been investigated to determine their effects. This paper highlights findings from recent randomized controlled trials and reviews of exercise for people with fibromyalgia, and includes information regarding factors that influence response and adherence to exercise to assist clinicians with exercise and physical activity prescription decision-making to optimize health and well-being