Knowledge-rich optimisation of prefabricated façades to support conceptual design

One of the principal challenges in façade design is to support the architectural intent by devising technically viable (i.e. standard-compliant and manufacturable) solutions from as early as possible in the design stage. This is increasingly relevant as prefabricated façades increase in complexity and bespokedness in response to current societal, financial and environmental challenges. In this paper a process that addresses this challenge is presented. The process consists of two sub-processes 1) to build product-oriented knowledge bases and digital tools for supporting design on a project-by-project basis and 2) to help designers identify a set of optimal solutions that consider the façade-specific trade-off between architectural intent and performance requirements, while meeting the largest number of production-related constraints. This process was applied to a case study and the results were compared with those obtained from a recently-developed façade. It was found that, although the proposed process produces optimal solutions that are approximated, designers can benefit from more control over the product’s manufacturability, performance and architectural intent in less time.Laing O'Rourke pl

ISIS Facchinetti: A Nearly Zero Energy Retrofit in Italy

The research presented here is about the energy retrofit of an existing high school building close to Varese (Italy). As the building was designed in the 60's with a peculiar architectural language, it has been protected by the conservation authorities. However, the construction system in exposed concrete and the large expanses of single glass make the energy performance of the building very poor. The Provincia di Varese, owner of the building, decided to realize an exemplary retrofit project, which would be the first renovated educational building in Italy in line with the future scenario of Nearly Zero-Energy Building expected from 2019 (2021 for private buildings) by the European Directive 2010/31/UE. In this work energetic and payback analysis are developed to delineate three different preliminary scenarios of intervention. The process has always followed discussions with the conservation authorities, which contributed to the definition of realistic scenarios. Interesting results are obtained: a potential energy demand reduction of 70% can be obtained with the passive solutions proposed; in combination with active strategies (efficient mechanical systems and controls) and with the integration of photovoltaic panels (BiPV), the overall energy need of the building can be reduced to nearly zero

When do children learn how to select a portion size?

The reduction of portion sizes supports weight-loss. This study looks at whether children have a conceptual understanding of portion size, by studying their ability to manually serve a portion size that corresponds to what they eat. In a clinical setting, discussion around portion size is subjective thus a computerised portion size tool is also trialled, with the portion sizes chosen on the screen being compared to amounts served manually. Children (n=76) age 5-6, 7-8 and 10-11 were asked to rate their hunger (VAS scale), liking (VAS scale) and ‘ideal portion size for lunch’ of eight interactive meal images using a computerised portion size tool. Children then manually self-served and consumed a portion of pasta. Plates were weighed to allow for the calculation of calories served and eaten. A positive correlation was found between manually served food portions and the amount eaten (r =.53, 95%CI [.34, .82, P<.001), indicating that many children were able to anticipate their likely food intake prior to meal onset. A regression model demonstrates that age contributes to 9.4% of the variance in portion size accuracy (t(68)= -2.3, p=.02). There was no relationship between portion size and either hunger or liking. The portion sizes chosen on the computer at lunchtime correlated to the amount manually served overall (r=.34, 95%CI [.07, .55], p<.01), but not in 5-6-year-old children. Manual portion-size selection can be observed in five-year olds and from age seven, children’s ‘virtual’ responses correlate with their manual portion selections. The application of the computerised portion-size tool requires further development but offers considerable potential

Filtro predictor basado en redes neuronales para pronóstico de series temporales de lluvia acumulada empleando submuestreo

En éste trabajo se presenta un filtro predictor basado en redes neuronales (RNs) directas para pronóstico de series temporales de alta rugosidad empleando submuestreo, contribuyendo a la nueva generación de herramientas que permiten conocer la previsibilidad de agua de lluvia. Se generan series temporales a partir de submuestrear a una serie dato original, partiendo del valor disponible más reciente hacia el más antiguo. Se usaron series provenientes de la Ecuación Mackey-Glass (MG) de 120 datos, donde se usaron para validar al algoritmo los últimos 18 valores. También se usó una serie de lluvia mensual acumulada proveniente del establecimiento Santa Francisca, Alta Gracia, Córdoba, que tiene 125 valores. Para cada una de las series generadas por el submuestreo, se ajustó a un filtro diferente basado en RNs, y cada uno de ellos genera un pronóstico que luego es promediado en su conjunto. La regla de ajuste utilizada en el proceso de aprendizaje se basa en el método Levenberg-Marquard y el desempeño del filtro propuesto se evalúa a través del índice SMAPE. En muchos casos se obtienen mejoras muy notorias respecto del resultado obtenido mediante el filtro basado en RNs sin submuestreo.In this work, a neural networks (NN) -based predictor filter for forecasting cumulative rainfall sub-sampled time series of high roughness is presented. It is intended to contribute to the generation of tools to ascertain the predictability of rainfall. Time series are generated from a series down sample the original data, based on the latest available value to the oldest. Using series from the Mackey-Glass Equation (MG) 120 data, which were used the last 18 values to validate the algorithm . Series of monthly rainfall accumulated from Santa Francisca, Alta Gracia, Cordoba, were used which consist of 125 values. For each series generated by sub- sampling, was adjusted to a different filter based on NN, and each one generates a forecast that is then averaged together. The adjustment rule used in the learning process is based on the Levenberg-Marquard method and the proposed filter performance is evaluated by SMAPE index. In many cases very noticeable improvements are obtained with respect to the result obtained by filter based on NN without down sampling.Sociedad Argentina de Informática e Investigación Operativ

Contacts and behaviours of university students during the COVID-19 pandemic at the start of the 2020/2021 academic year

University students have unique living, learning and social arrangements which may have implications for infectious disease transmission. To address this data gap, we created CONQUEST (COroNavirus QUESTionnaire), a longitudinal online survey of contacts, behaviour, and COVID-19 symptoms for University of Bristol (UoB) staff/students. Here, we analyse results from 740 students providing 1261 unique records from the start of the 2020/2021 academic year (14/09/2020–01/11/2020), where COVID-19 outbreaks led to the self-isolation of all students in some halls of residences. Although most students reported lower daily contacts than in pre-COVID-19 studies, there was heterogeneity, with some reporting many (median = 2, mean = 6.1, standard deviation = 15.0; 8% had ≥ 20 contacts). Around 40% of students’ contacts were with individuals external to the university, indicating potential for transmission to non-students/staff. Only 61% of those reporting cardinal symptoms in the past week self-isolated, although 99% with a positive COVID-19 test during the 2 weeks before survey completion had self-isolated within the last week. Some students who self-isolated had many contacts (mean = 4.3, standard deviation = 10.6). Our results provide context to the COVID-19 outbreaks seen in universities and are available for modelling future outbreaks and informing policy

TP25 218. Asistencia circulatoria de larga duración. Experiencia inicial

ObjetivosSe presenta la experiencia inicial en nuestro centro en el uso de dispositivos de asistencia circulatoria mecánica de larga duración, tanto en pacientes adultos como pediátricos. Han sido utilizadas tanto como puente a trasplante como terapia de destino.Material y métodosRecogemos la experiencia sobre 4 pacientes, 3 pediátricos y uno adulto. Los pacientes pediátricos fueron todos de sexo masculino, con una media de edad de 5,5 años. La etiología fue diferente en cada caso (coronaria izquierda anómala, miocardiopatía dilatada idiopática y miocarditis), recibiendo una asistencia de flujo pulsátil (1 ventricular izquierda y 2 biventriculares) como puente a trasplante. El paciente adulto es un varón de 72 años con una miocardiopatía hipertrófica con disfunción ventricular izquierda grave, utilizando una asistencia ventricular izquierda de flujo continuo con bomba magnética.ResultadosEncontramos un 100% de supervivencia. Los 3 pacientes pediátricos recibieron un tiempo medio de asistencia de 142 días (91–247), siendo los 3 trasplantados con éxito. Uno de ellos precisó de oxigenador de membrana extracorpórea (ECMO) postrasplante, siendo retirada en 7 días. Todos fueron dados de alta del hospital. Al año, uno de los pacientes ha fallecido, sobreviviendo los otros dos. La complicación más frecuente fue el sangrado en el sitio de canulación. El paciente adulto sigue actualmente ingresado en el hospital y ha presentado como complicación principal una hemorragia cerebral con secuelas neurológicas.ConclusionesLa asistencia ventricular de larga duración es una terapia segura y efectiva en pacientes con cardiopatías terminales, ya sea como puente a trasplante, recuperación o terapia de destino

Comparative analysis of distinct phenotypes in gambling disorder based on gambling preferences

Background: Studies examining gambling preferences have identified the importance of the type of gambling practiced on distinct individual profiles. The objectives were to compare clinical, psychopathological and personality variables between two different groups of individuals with a gambling disorder (strategic and non-strategic gamblers) and to evaluate the statistical prediction capacity of these preferences with respect to the severity of the disorder. Method: A total sample of 2010 treatment-seeking patients with a gambling disorder participated in this stand-alone study. All were recruited from a single Pathological Gambling Unit in Spain (1709 strategic and 301 non-strategic gamblers). The design of the study was cross-sectional and data were collected at the start of treatment. Data was analysed using logistic regression for binary outcomes and analysis of variance (ANOVA) for quantitative responses. Results: There were significant differences in several socio-demographic and clinical variables, as well as in personality traits (novelty seeking and cooperativeness). Multiple regression analysis showed harm avoidance and self-directedness were the main predictors of gambling severity and psychopathology, while age at assessment and age of onset of gambling behaviour were predictive of gambling severity. Strategic gambling (as opposed to non-strategic) was significantly associated with clinical outcomes, but the effect size of the relationships was small. Conclusions: It is possible to identify distinct phenotypes depending on the preference of gambling. While these phenotypes differ in relation to the severity of the gambling disorder, psychopathology and personality traits, they can be useful from a clinical and therapeutic perspective in enabling risk factors to be identified and prevention programs targeting specific individual profiles to be developed

Video Game Addiction in Gambling Disorder: Clinical, Psychopathological, and Personality Correlates

Objective. We studied the prevalences of video game use (VGU) and addiction (VGA) in gambling disorder (GD) patients and compared them with subjects with non-video game use (non-VGU) in relation to their gambling behavior, psychopathology, and personality characteristics. Method. A sample of 193 GD patients (121 non-VGU, 43 VGU, and 29 VGA) consecutively admitted to our pathological gambling unit participated in the study. Assessment. Measures included the video game dependency test (VDT), symptom checklist-90-revised, and the temperament and character inventory-revised, as well as a number of other GD indices. Results. In GD, the observed prevalence of VG (use or addiction) was 37.3% (95% CI:30.7% ÷ 44.3),VGU 22.3% (95% CI:17.0% ÷ 28.7), and VGA 15% (95% CI:10.7% ÷ 20.7). Orthogonal polynomial contrast into logistic regression showed positive linear trends for VG level and GD severity and other measures of general psychopathology. After structural equation modeling, higher VG total scores were associated with younger age, general psychopathology, and specific personality traits, but not with GD severity. Patients' sex and age were involved in the mediational pathways between personality traits and VG impairment. Conclusions. GD patients with VG are younger and present more dysfunctional personality traits, and more general psychopathology. The presence of VG did not affect the severity of GD