Stochastic signal analysis of thermally induced vestibular electronystagmograms

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New Climate Economics: Methodological Choices and Recommendations

Projections of future impacts, benefits and costs of climate mitigation and adaptation policies are based on both detailed empirical research, and modelling choices and assumptions that frame the analysis. For instance, assumptions about the expected growth of population and incomes drive the projections of greenhouse gas emissions. Assumptions about the pace and nature of innovation, the economy-environment-society interactions and the relative value of future versus current resources affect the estimates of the long-run benefits or costs of climate policies. Assumptions about future population health in the business-as-usual scenario affect the estimates of the health benefits or harms of climate change mitigation and adaptation policies. Further, estimates and assumptions regarding climate variability affect the benefits of adaptation measures to tackle potential increases in climate-related extreme events. Also, methodological choices about the treatment of disparate, incommensurable impacts are often decisive for policy decisions. This document presents a series of what we refer to as critical issues for climate mitigation and adaptation policy analysis, involving overarching choices that affect multiple areas of expert analysis, and in particular the socio-economic assessments of climate policies. The following pages identify key issues for a comprehensive and realistic economic analysis of climate policies, present a few major options for answering those issues, and recommend a preferred course of action or option for analysts to consider (akin to what some refer to as "new economic thinking"). The issue of risk and uncertainty has been addressed in a separate supporting guidance document, due to its overriding importance and specific inter-disciplinary profile (available on the website of the MCA4climate initiative: www.mca4climate.info). In addition, some practical implementation aspects of the issues discussed below have been provided in Annex 1 at the end of this document. Some of the topics addressed here may be more amenable to qualitative than to quantitative analysis; potential examples include the valuation of non-market "goods" such as human health and environmental protection, and the goal of intergenerational equity. It is nonetheless important to understand the implications of both quantitative and qualitative approaches to these issues, since both approaches are often raised in the discussion of climate policy. The guiding principles underpinning the overall MCA4climate approach

Design of nanophotonic circuits for autonomous subsystem quantum error correction

We reapply our approach to designing nanophotonic quantum memories to formulate an optical network that autonomously protects a single logical qubit against arbitrary single-qubit errors. Emulating the 9 qubit Bacon-Shor subsystem code, the network replaces the traditionally discrete syndrome measurement and correction steps by continuous, time-independent optical interactions and coherent feedback of unitarily processed optical fields.Comment: 12 pages, 4 figure

An investigation of the influencing factors for occupants' operation of windows in apartments equipped with portable air purifiers

As operations of windows by occupants can greatly affect building energy consumption and indoor air quality, understanding the driving factors of this adaptive control behaviour is of great importance. The present paper reports on an investigation into the influencing factors for window operation behaviour in eighteen newly-built, low-energy apartments in London, UK. A range of indoor and outdoor environmental variables (including temperature, relative humidity, CO2 and particulate matter) as well as the window status (open/closed) were monitored for 6–11 months. About half of the apartments included monitoring for nearly three months during a national pandemic lockdown. Additionally, each apartment was provided with a portable home air purifier (HAP) to use during most of the study period. The effects of environmental variables and the use of HAPs on occupants' operations of windows in the main bedroom were analysed according to different periods (free-running, heating and lockdown period) and occupancy stages (arrival, departure and intermediate occupied times). Results indicated that analysing the heating period alone could lead to explanations of window operation behaviour that were contradictory to those from analysing other periods, and separating the dataset based on different occupancy stages to develop behaviour models was of little value. The results of statistical significance tests showed that indoor temperature was the leading driving factor for occupants’ window opening and closing behaviour, whereas neither air quality-related variables nor the use of air purifiers had a statistically significant impact on window operation behaviour

Indoor PM2.5 exposure in London's domestic stock: Modelling current and future exposures following energy efficient refurbishment

Simulations using CONTAM (a validated multi-zone indoor air quality (IAQ) model) are employed to predict indoor exposure to PM2.5 in London dwellings in both the present day housing stock and the same stock following energy efficient refurbishments to meet greenhouse gas emissions reduction targets for 2050. We modelled interventions that would contribute to the achievement of these targets by reducing the permeability of the dwellings to 3 m3 m−2 h−1 at 50 Pa, combined with the introduction of mechanical ventilation and heat recovery (MVHR) systems. It is assumed that the current mean outdoor PM2.5 concentration of 13 μg m−3 decreased to 9 μg m−3 by 2050 due to emission control policies. Our primary finding was that installation of (assumed perfectly functioning) MVHR systems with permeability reduction are associated with appreciable reductions in PM2.5 exposure in both smoking and non-smoking dwellings. Modelling of the future scenario for non-smoking dwellings show a reduction in annual average indoor exposure to PM2.5 of 18.8 μg m−3 (from 28.4 to 9.6 μg m−3) for a typical household member. Also of interest is that a larger reduction of 42.6 μg m−3 (from 60.5 to 17.9 μg m−3) was shown for members exposed primarily to cooking-related particle emissions in the kitchen (cooks). Reductions in envelope permeability without mechanical ventilation produced increases in indoor PM2.5 concentrations; 5.4 μg m−3 for typical household members and 9.8 μg m−3 for cooks. These estimates of changes in PM2.5 exposure are sensitive to assumptions about occupant behaviour, ventilation system usage and the distributions of input variables (±72% for non-smoking and ±107% in smoking residences). However, if realised, they would result in significant health benefits

Prevalence of electrocardiographic abnormalities in West-Asian and African male athletes

International audienceOBJECTIVES: To evaluate the electrocardiographic (ECG) characteristics of West-Asian, black and Caucasian male athletes competing in Qatar using the 2010 recommendations for 12-lead ECG interpretation by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). DESIGN: Cardiovascular screening with resting 12-lead ECG analysis of 1220 national level athletes (800 West-Asian, 300 black and 120 Caucasian) and 135 West-Asian controls was performed. RESULTS: Ten per cent of athletes presented with 'uncommon' ECG findings. Black African descent was an independent predictor of 'uncommon' ECG changes when compared with West-Asian and Caucasian athletes (p0.05). Seven athletes (0.6%) were identified with a disease associated with sudden death; this prevalence was two times higher in black athletes than in West-Asian athletes (1% vs 0.5%), and no cases were reported in Caucasian athletes and West-Asian controls. Eighteen West-Asian and black athletes were identified with repolarisation abnormalities suggestive of a cardiomyopathy, but ultimately, none were diagnosed with a cardiac disease. CONCLUSION: West-Asian and Caucasian athletes demonstrate comparable rates of ECG findings. Black African ethnicity is positively associated with increased frequencies of 'uncommon' ECG traits. Future work should examine the genetic mechanisms behind ECG and myocardial adaptations in athletes of diverse ethnicity, aiding in the clinical differentiation between physiological remodelling and potential cardiomyopathy or ion channel disorders