Genome-wide association study identifies six new loci influencing pulse pressure and mean arterial pressure.

Numerous genetic loci have been associated with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) in Europeans. We now report genome-wide association studies of pulse pressure (PP) and mean arterial pressure (MAP). In discovery (N = 74,064) and follow-up studies (N = 48,607), we identified at genome-wide significance (P = 2.7 × 10(-8) to P = 2.3 × 10(-13)) four new PP loci (at 4q12 near CHIC2, 7q22.3 near PIK3CG, 8q24.12 in NOV and 11q24.3 near ADAMTS8), two new MAP loci (3p21.31 in MAP4 and 10q25.3 near ADRB1) and one locus associated with both of these traits (2q24.3 near FIGN) that has also recently been associated with SBP in east Asians. For three of the new PP loci, the estimated effect for SBP was opposite of that for DBP, in contrast to the majority of common SBP- and DBP-associated variants, which show concordant effects on both traits. These findings suggest new genetic pathways underlying blood pressure variation, some of which may differentially influence SBP and DBP

Gezonder rendementsdenken : duurzaam waarderen van vastgoed

Rendementsdenken is vanzelfsprekend bij vastgoedontwikkeling. Wat betekent dit voor de kansen voor duurzaamheid? Duurzaamheid kan als aspect heel goed worden meegenomen in rendementsrekenmodellen, zo blijkt

De toekomst en duurzaam bouwen: XX kritisch bekeken

No abstract

De glasbak

Geen samenvatting

De aaibaarheid van beton (voorwoord)

No abstract

Een stap verder, Duurzame Architectuur

Het gaat de goede kant uit. Ook de installatiebranche ontdekt dat gebouwen niet voor eeuwig en onveranderd blijven staan. Afgelopen maand zijn we op de TU/e benaderd voor samenwerking, om de kennis die we hebben op het gebied van veranderbaar bouwen te delen met de branche

Kinderkunsthaus In Rotterdam : Children's Hall of Art in Rotterdam

No abstract

Sustainable lifepans of building systems in urban coastal tropical settlements : a literature review assessment methods

Many coastal settlements in humid tropical developing countries face the burdens of risks due to their location as well as due to a rather low quality of housing that does not meet the requirements of sustainability. The main aim of the paper is to investigate and identify the existing methodologies for the determination and adaptation of the performance for low cost housing in urban coastal tropical settlements towards improved sustainability. For this purpose a literature study was carried out whereby the existing methodologies are assessed by particularly investigating whether and how the sustainability requirements posed at present by the inhabitants as well as the possibility of future changes of these requirements during the lifespan of the houses are taken into account. Another aspect that was included is whether and how the local context such as that of urban coastal tropical settlements are taken into account in the assessment methodologies. This paper describes the literature review results on the assessment method and methodologies that have been used in previous research. The paper’s relevance is to provide proposals and recommendations for the development of methodological approaches to analyze building systems and research instruments that can be used for the assessment of context-dependent sustainability and lifespan performance of building systems. The methodology and research tools that will be developed are to be applied in a survey amongst low cost housing projects in urban tropical coastal settlements at Java, Indonesia. Once the performance of existing technologies as well as the features of the context in which they are applied is known, it will be possible to adapt or develop technologies that better respond to the contextual requirements. By means of applying the developed methodology and research tools in the survey also their usefulness will be validated for the purpose of increasing the insight and understanding of the sustainability and lifespan performance of building systems, particularly of those building systems that can be applied in low cost housing in urban coastal tropical settlements in developing countries. Key words: sustainability and lifespan, building systems, urban coastal tropical settlements, developing countries

Towards sustainable infrastructure development in Africa : design principles and strategies for lifespan-based building performance

Societies and economies the world over develop on the wheels of infrastructure. In Africa, it accounts for about one-third to one-half of all public investment (Kessides, 1993). Significant about infrastructure in general, however is the fact that they have very long lives. Consequently, their impact on capital investment, resource utilization, the quality of the environment and overall quality of human life can be very significant. It is important therefore that they meet performance requirements in terms of economic, ecological and social sustainability. By the same token, their long lifespan fraught the design task with enormous amount of uncertainties, compounding the already ill-defined nature of design problems. Given that change is importune, and the fact that it is impracticable to foresee all the changes that will occur over time, a defining characteristic of all infrastructure will be the capacity to respond to change. Focusing on the case of buildings, this paper presents a discussion on some design principles and strategies which assure responsiveness to change and hence sustainable performance. Although the concepts have been advocated for over half a century now, studies show that they still remain marginal to the design profession. To clarify the concepts for research questioning and extension of knowledge, this paper seeks to examine their basic tenets with the view to harmonize the core principles and strategies. A literature review method is used with examples from field observations where necessary. The paper first attempts to review and harmonize these principles, and highlights the practical usefulness. It then highlights the implications for research and development in building technology as well as technology capacity building for sustainable infrastructure development in Africa