What heavy weight buildings in hot climates can tell us about their thermal performance

Concrete, masonry walls and stone finishes are high density materials and have high thermal capacity, they are referred to as heavy-weight construction or thermal mass, which is the main construction type in Lebanon. Although thermal mass construction is usually recommended in hot climates in order to reduce internal temperature fluctuation, its actual thermal behavior in Lebanon is not well documented through direct observation, relying instead on its theoretical performance. This study’s main objective is to characterize the actual thermal performance of such construction, in the context of building occupancy and intermittent A/C usage. The paper starts with a brief introduction of the residential typologies in Lebanon followed by the description of the three thermally monitored apartments, in use or empty, located in one same neighborhood of Beirut, Lebanon. The monitoring was undertaken during summer 2015 using hourly data loggers. The analysis of the recorded data provides a clear and empirical understanding on: 1. how heavy weight buildings interact within the hot and humid climate of Beirut; 2. how the effect of regulating the internal thermal fluctuation is shown; and 3. what are the most influential factors that would further enhance thermal performance of thermal mass construction

A review of minimum U-values for Lebanon and the associated effect of Internal gains

Since 2005 various publications have proposed different U-values to be used in Lebanon to reduce the buildings’ energy demand, creating confusion and a lack of specific and authoritative recommendation. Moreover, the various thermal performance guidelines are not easily comparable due to unexplained basic assumptions and guidance on the calculation of internal gains. This study has two interrelated objectives: a) test the most appropriate U-values for the climate of Beirut, b) study the consequence of increased internal gains have on the cooling energy load in low U-value construction. The paper does dynamic thermal simulation of the various U-values from local and international sources. The analysis allows the comparison and ranking of these various U-values based on the overall yearly energy demand for cooling. This is followed by a sensitivity study where a range of increased internal heat gains are inputted onto a low and a high U-value model to demonstrate that an increase in internal gains results in both models having the same cooling loads. Low U-values under this scenario due not result in a lower annual energy load. The study concludes that, although finding the appropriate U-value for hot climates seems uncontroversial, the effect of internal gains must be taken into consideration. Hence the importance of having consistent and harmonized national and regional benchmark values for U-values and internal gains

CXCR4 inhibitors: tumor vasculature and therapeutic challenges

CXCL12, also known as SDF-1, is the single natural ligand for chemokine receptors CXCR4 and CXCR7. CXCL12 has angiogenic properties in normal endothelial tissue and is involved in the outgrowth and metastasis of CXCR4 expressing tumors. Recent investigations have indicated that CXCL12 levels increase after chemo- and anti- VEGF therapy, favouring recurrences. The blockade of CXCL12/CXCR4 axis has emerged as a potential additional or alternative target for neo-adjuvant treatments. We have reviewed recent patent applications between 2008 and 2011 in tumor angiogenesis and the most clinical data supporting the potential use of anti-CXCR4 agents in this field. Among these, AMD3100, also known as Plerixaform (Mozobil® by Genzyme), is approved for stem cell mobilisation in patients with leukaemia, while BKT140 (Emory University), POL6326 (Polyphor Ag) and TG-0054 (ChemoCentryx) are currently in clinical trials in combination with chemotherapy for multiple myeloma and leukaemia. The aptamer Nox-A12 (Noxxon) is in trials for chronic lymphatic leukaemia treatment. MSX-122 (Metastatix) is in Phase I trials for solid tumor treatment, while CXCR7-specific inhibitor CCX2066 (ChemoCentryx) is still in preclinical studies. We have also considered other strategies, such RNA interference and miRNA, which could be tested for solid tumor adjuvant therapy

Leptospira seroprevalence in colombian dairy herds

Leptospirosis in cattle has important economic effects on the infected farms. Moreover, livestock farming is considered a major occupational risk factor for the transmission of Leptospira infection to humans. A survey was performed to determine the overall and within-herd seroprevalence and mapping of different Leptospira serovars in dairy cattle from farms located in some municipalities of the Colombian department of Boyacá. Nine hundred and fifty-nine animals, from 20 unvaccinated and one vaccinated herd, were included in the study. Anti-Leptospira serum antibodies were detected by the microscopic agglutination test (MAT). Only one herd was seronegative. Overall seroprevalence to at least one serovar of Leptospira was 24.1% for unvaccinated animals and 62.3% for animals from the vaccinated herd. A very high within-herd seroprevalence (>60%) was present in 20% of the unvaccinated herds. The presence in the vaccinated herd of 20/398 animals showing high titers, between 1000 and 4000, to at least one serovar of Leptospira suggest that some animals could have been infected. Moreover, due to the presence of seronegative animals, a failure of vaccination immunity or the presence of unvaccinated animals in the vaccinated herd cannot be excluded. In all farms, domestic animals other than cattle were present. Considering the farming practices occurring on dairy farms in the study area, higher hygienic standards and stricter biosecurity measures are suggested

Predictive modeling of die filling of the pharmaceutical granules using the flexible neural tree

In this work, a computational intelligence (CI) technique named flexible neural tree (FNT) was developed to predict die filling performance of pharmaceutical granules and to identify significant die filling process variables. FNT resembles feedforward neural network, which creates a tree-like structure by using genetic programming. To improve accuracy, FNT parameters were optimized by using differential evolution algorithm. The performance of the FNT-based CI model was evaluated and compared with other CI techniques: multilayer perceptron, Gaussian process regression, and reduced error pruning tree. The accuracy of the CI model was evaluated experimentally using die filling as a case study. The die filling experiments were performed using a model shoe system and three different grades of microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) powders (MCC PH 101, MCC PH 102, and MCC DG). The feed powders were roll-compacted and milled into granules. The granules were then sieved into samples of various size classes. The mass of granules deposited into the die at different shoe speeds was measured. From these experiments, a dataset consisting true density, mean diameter (d50), granule size, and shoe speed as the inputs and the deposited mass as the output was generated. Cross-validation (CV) methods such as 10FCV and 5x2FCV were applied to develop and to validate the predictive models. It was found that the FNT-based CI model (for both CV methods) performed much better than other CI models. Additionally, it was observed that process variables such as the granule size and the shoe speed had a higher impact on the predictability than that of the powder property such as d50. Furthermore, validation of model prediction with experimental data showed that the die filling behavior of coarse granules could be better predicted than that of fine granules

Climate change adaptation cycle for pilot projects development in small municipalities: The northwestern Italian regions case study

More than half of the European population live in small and medium size municipalities, where climate adaptation planning is an under-researched topic within the climate change field. Many constraints might hinder the implementation of adaptation pilot projects due to lack of economic, knowledge, and technical available resources. Local institutions find difficulties in building a coherent local adaptation planning and design processes with international and national frameworks. In this context, this article proposes a methodology based on the available international frameworks to support the small communities with the aim to implement adaptation pilot projects within different sectors. In doing so, this paper tests a climate change adaptation cycle for pilot projects development in small municipalities; the first in Italy for small municipalities under 20.000 inhabitants. The proposed methodology could lead local adaptation initiatives in climate change risk assessment by supporting the research communities in developing a coherent vision for the local territories and to identify proper oriented measures to enhance demonstrative pilot projects and to increase the level of resilience in small municipalities, avoiding maladaptation

The M3A multi-sensor buoy network of the Mediterranean Sea

International audienceA network of three multi-sensor timeseries stations able to deliver real time physical and biochemical observations of the upper thermocline has been developed for the needs of the Mediterranean Forecasting System during the MFSTEP project. They follow the experience of the prototype M3A system that was developed during the MFSPP project and has been tested during a pilot pre-operational period of 22 months (2000?2001). The systems integrate sensors for physical (temperature, salinity, turbidity, current speed and direction) as well as optical and chemical observations (dissolved oxygen, chlorophyll-a, PAR, nitrate). The south Aegean system (E1-M3A) follows a modular design using independent mooring lines and collects biochemical data in the upper 100 m and physical data in the upper 500 m of the water column. The south Adriatic buoy system (E2-M3A) uses similar instrumentation but on a single mooring line and also tests a new method of pumping water samples from relatively deep layers, performing analysis in the protected ''dry'' environment of the buoy interior. The Ligurian Sea system (W1-M3A) is an ideal platform for air-sea interaction processes since it hosts a large number of meteorological sensors while its ocean instrumentation, with real time transmission capabilities, is confined in the upper 50 m layer. Despite their different architecture, the three systems have common sampling strategy, quality control and data management procedures. The network operates in the Mediterranean Sea since autumn 2004 collecting timeseries data for calibration and validation of the forecasting system as well for process studies of regional dynamics

Central and Peripheral NPY Age‐Related Regulation: A Comparative Analysis in Fish Translational Models

NPY is among the most abundant neuropeptides in vertebrate brain and is primarily involved in the regulation of food intake. The NPY system is also associated with the aging process showing beneficial effects on neuronal survival via autophagy modulation. Here, we explore the age‐related regulation of NPY in the brain and foregut of the shortest‐ and longest‐lived fish species, Nothobranchius furzeri and Danio rerio, respectively. These two research models, despite some similarities, display profound biological differences making them attractive vertebrates to elucidate the mechanisms underlying the regulation of neuropeptide synthesis and function. It is noteworthy that in both fish species only Npya has been identified, while in the other teleosts two classes of NPY (Npya and Npyb) have been annotated. Our findings document that in both species: i) NPY is centrally regulated; ii) NPY levels increase in the brain during aging; iii) NPY is localized in the enteroendocrine cells as well as in the myenteric plexus and drastically decreases in old animals. According to our data, the age‐related regulation in the gut resembles that described in other vertebrate species while the increased levels in the brain offer the unique possibility to explore the role of NPY in model organisms to develop future experimental and translatable approaches