Energy efficiency and comfort in office buildings: The german case

The building construction in Europe during the last 15 years has brought along a common solving target, to tackle the problem of Energy Efficiency and Comfort in work spaces. The proposals for change and betterment are oriented towards the development of a "transparent" architecture using large enveloping surfaces of glass panels. This approach is endowed with the concepts of being altogether ecology friendly and sustainable. Nevertheless, the usage and the experience through time have triggered an alarm to the field scientists. The objective of the work is to detect the most relevant aspects affecting both the Energy Efficiency (EE) and the users' Comfort of work spaces in order to elaborate a set of proper calculus and design tools. A field research work has been undertaken here on the basis of on-site measurements and questionnaire responses to study 19 office buildings in Germany. From the energy monitoring, and the analysis of comfort levels, certain optimization potentials have been discerned. It is observed that the EE cannot be achieved by just connecting the building to the energy networks after the construction is finish, but -quite on the contrary- by integrative planning and monitoring throughout the building's useful life, allows for proper correction measures that result in better EE and Comfort levels.La construcción de edificios en los últimos 15 años en Europa persigue el objetivo común de dar respuesta al problema de la Eficiencia Energética y el Confort en espacios de trabajo. Las propuestas de cambio se inclinan por el desarrollo de una arquitectura “transparente”, con extensas superficies de vidrio expuestas. Dicha práctica se hace llamar ecológica y sustentable. Con el tiempo, el uso y la experiencia ponen en alerta a científicos del área. El objetivo del trabajo es detectar los aspectos más relevantes que afectan la Eficiencia Energética (EE) y el Confort de espacios reales de trabajo para la elaboración apropiada de herramientas de diseño y cálculo. Para ello, se lleva a cabo un trabajo de campo en base a mediciones y encuestas en 19 edificios de oficina, en Alemania. Del monitoreo energético y del análisis del Confort se detectan potenciales de optimización. Se observa que la EE no se logra al conectar el edificio a la red energética una vez finalizada la obra arquitectónica. Por el contrario, la planificación integral, el monitoreo y el seguimiento en la vida útil del edificio permiten corregir y lograr mejores niveles de EE y Confort

European Research Center for Information Systems (ERCIS):Gründungsveranstaltung Münster, 12. Oktober 2004

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Autoinflammatorische Syndrome und Fieber unklarer Ursache

Fieber ist ein charakteristisches aber unspezifisches Symptom einer systemischen Entzündungsreaktion. Die Abklärung des unklaren Fieberzustandes oder «Fever of Unknown Origin» (FUO) ist eine diagnostische Herausforderung in der allgemeininternistischen Praxis. Nicht selten wird deshalb eine rheumatologisch-immunologische Beurteilung mit der Frage nach einer entzündlichen Systemerkrankung veranlasst. Dabei sind differentialdiagnostisch neben Autoimmunerkrankugen autoinflammatorische Syndrome von zentraler Bedeutung

Safety of Intra-Articular Gold Microimplants in Horses–A Randomized, Blinded, Controlled Experimental Study

Arthrogenic pain is a common problem in equids. Frequently used treatments such as systemic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or intra-articular steroids can lead to severe side effects if used repeatedly. Gold has been used since ancient times to treat a variety of conditions and has anti-inflammatory and immunomodulating properties. Results from clinical and in vitro studies suggest that local gold might provide a safe and effective alternative to alleviate articular pain. In particular, gold microimplants have been proposed to this end, but it is unknown if and how healthy joints react to this treatment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the safety of gold microimplants (Berlock-Micro-Implants) mixed with hyaluronic acid and injected into the middle carpal joint of nine healthy horses. Each horse was treated in one carpus and sham-treated on the contralateral. Lameness, carpal temperature increase, swelling, and reactions to joint palpation were observed in both treated and sham-treated carpi in the first week after needle arthroscopy and treatment. Significant differences between treated and sham-treated carpi were found only for mechanical nociceptive thresholds 4 days after treatment. Higher thresholds were found in treated joints compared with sham-treated joints. None of the outcome measures selected in the present study indicated systemic or local adverse effects specifically attributed to gold microimplants. In the absence of systemic and local adverse reactions to gold microimplants, the results of the present study support future clinical trials to test the pain-relieving efficacy of this treatment modality in subacute or chronic articular inflammatory processes in equine patients

Eficiencia energética y confort en edificios de oficina: El caso alemán

The building construction in Europe during the last 15 years has brought along a common solving target, to tackle the problem of Energy Efficiency and Comfort in work spaces. The proposals for change and betterment are oriented towards the development of a "transparent" architecture using large enveloping surfaces of glass panels. This approach is endowed with the concepts of being altogether ecology friendly and sustainable. Nevertheless, the usage and the experience through time have triggered an alarm to the field scientists. The objective of the work is to detect the most relevant aspects affecting both the Energy Efficiency (EE) and the users' Comfort of work spaces in order to elaborate a set of proper calculus and design tools. A field research work has been undertaken here on the basis of on-site measurements and questionnaire responses to study 19 office buildings in Germany. From the energy monitoring, and the analysis of comfort levels, certain optimization potentials have been discerned. It is observed that the EE cannot be achieved by just connecting the building to the energy networks after the construction is finish, but -quite on the contrary- by integrative planning and monitoring throughout the building's useful life, allows for proper correction measures that result in better EE and Comfort levels.La construcción de edificios en los últimos 15 años en Europa persigue el objetivo común de dar respuesta al problema de la Eficiencia Energética y el Confort en espacios de trabajo. Las propuestas de cambio se inclinan por el desarrollo de una arquitectura “transparente”, con extensas superficies de vidrio expuestas. Dicha práctica se hace llamar ecológica y sustentable. Con el tiempo, el uso y la experiencia ponen en alerta a científicos del área. El objetivo del trabajo es detectar los aspectos más relevantes que afectan la Eficiencia Energética (EE) y el Confort de espacios reales de trabajo para la elaboración apropiada de herramientas de diseño y cálculo. Para ello, se lleva a cabo un trabajo de campo en base a mediciones y encuestas en 19 edificios de oficina, en Alemania. Del monitoreo energético y del análisis del Confort se detectan potenciales de optimización. Se observa que la EE no se logra al conectar el edificio a la red energética una vez finalizada la obra arquitectónica. Por el contrario, la planificación integral, el monitoreo y el seguimiento en la vida útil del edificio permiten corregir y lograr mejores niveles de EE y Confort

Magnetic resonance angiography in giant cell arteritis: results of a randomized controlled trial of tocilizumab in giant cell arteritis

Objective. To analyse magnetic resonance angiographic (MRA) vessel wall signals from a randomized controlled trial of tocilizumab (TCZ) to treat GCA. Methods. Participants were assigned in a 2:1 ratio to receive either TCZ + glucocorticoids (GCs) or placebo +GC infusions at 4-week intervals for 52 weeks. GCs were started at 1 mg/kg/day, then tapered to 0.1 mg/kg/day at week 12 and thereafter down to zero. Patients with initial positive MRA findings underwent control MRA at weeks 12 and 52. Vessel wall signals were scored from 0 (normal) to 3 (intense late enhancement). Outcomes were the number of patients with complete MRA remission at weeks 12 and 52, and changes in vasculitis score, vessel anatomy and atherosclerosis. Results. Of the 30 randomized participants, nine TCZ and two placebo patients had no vessel wall enhancement on initial MRA. At week 12, MRAs were performed in nine TCZ and four placebo patients (nine and three in clinical remission, respectively). Three (33%) TCZ patients showed normalization of vessel wall signals compared with one (25%) placebo patient. At week 52, there was additional MRA improvement in some TCZ patients, but one-third showed persistent or increased late vessel wall enhancement. There was no formation of aneurysms or stenosis and no increase in atherosclerosis. Conclusions. Although TCZ resulted in complete clinical and laboratory remission of GCA over 52 weeks, MRA signals in vessel walls normalized in only one-third of patients. Whether these signals are of prognostic importance remains to be determined

Deletion of exon 8 from the EXT1 gene causes multiple osteochondromas (MO) in a family with three affected members.

Multiple osteochondromas (also called hereditary multiple exostoses) is an autosomal dominant disorder characterized by multiple cartilaginous tumors, which are caused by mutations in the genes for exostosin-1 (EXT1) and exostosin-2 (EXT2). The goal of this study was to elucidate the genetic alterations in a family with three affected members. Isolation of RNA from the patients' blood followed by reverse transcription and PCR amplification of selected fragments showed that the three patients lack a specific region of 90 bp from their EXT1 mRNA. This region corresponds to the sequence of exon 8 from the EXT1 gene. No splice site mutation was found around exon 8. However, long-range PCR amplification of the region from intron 7 to intron 8 indicated that the three patients contain a deletion of 4318 bp, which includes exon 8 and part of the flanking introns. There is evidence that the deletion was caused by non-homologous end joining because the breakpoints are not located within a repetitive element, but contain multiple copies of the deletion hotspot sequence TGRRKM. Exon 8 encodes part of the active site of the EXT1 enzyme, including the DXD signature of all UDP-sugar glycosyltransferases. It is conceivable that the mutant protein exerts a dominant negative effect on the activity of the EXT glycosyltransferase since it might interact with normal copies of the enzyme to form an inactive hetero-oligomeric complex. We suggest that sequencing of RNA might be superior to exome sequencing to detect short deletions of a single exon