Event related potentials reveal that increasing perceptual load leads to increased responses for target stimuli and decreased responses for irrelevant stimuli

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Achieving a better understanding of air infiltration when assessing overheating in multi-residential dwellings

In temperate climates the prediction of indoor temperatures using Building Performance Simulation (BPS) is thought to be highly sensitive to assumptions regarding convective and radiative heat transfer processes. This paper investigates whether the way in which infiltration is modelled may be exerting a pronounced effect on the results of overheating studies. An EnergyPlus model, of a dwelling in a multiresidential building in London, was created to investigate the influence of infiltration and exfiltration pathway assumptions on the prediction of overheating. Baseline modelling in accordance with the CIBSE TM59 methodology was compared to scenarios using best practice dynamic modelling procedures. The findings were compared to empirical data and show that the indoor temperatures are highly sensitive to how the infiltration airflow network is modelled. The results of this study provide practical guidance for modellers and building designers on what aspects to consider when creating energy models to ensure more reliable outcomes. Implementation of these findings is considered crucial for the further development of TM59 where reliable results are central to informing robust designs and preventing unnecessary overheating risks in future low energy building design

The importance of infiltration pathways in assessing and modelling overheating risks in multi-residential buildings

With the help of building diagnostics, the causes and solutions to complex problems in buildings can be determined. In central and greater London, an increasing number of cases of chronic, year-round, overheating in buildings have been reported. We present three cases of unexpected temperatures in multi-storey residential buildings. Detailed analysis and modelling of these scenarios have led to an investigation of whether the way in which infiltration is currently modelled in building performance simulation may be exerting a pronounced effect on the results of overheating studies. An EnergyPlus model, of one of the dwellings in a multi-residential building in London, was created to investigate the influence of infiltration and exfiltration pathway assumptions on the prediction of overheating. The simulation results were compared to empirical data and show that the predicted indoor temperatures are highly sensitive to how the infiltration airflow network is modelled. The findings of this study have been used to provide practical guidance for modellers and building designers on critical aspects to consider when creating building performance simulation models to ensure more reliable outcomes

Genome-Wide Association Analysis of Autoantibody Positivity in Type 1 Diabetes Cases

The genetic basis of autoantibody production is largely unknown outside of associations located in the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) human leukocyte antigen (HLA) region. The aim of this study is the discovery of new genetic associations with autoantibody positivity using genome-wide association scan single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) data in type 1 diabetes (T1D) patients with autoantibody measurements. We measured two anti-islet autoantibodies, glutamate decarboxylase (GADA, n = 2,506), insulinoma-associated antigen 2 (IA-2A, n = 2,498), antibodies to the autoimmune thyroid (Graves') disease (AITD) autoantigen thyroid peroxidase (TPOA, n = 8,300), and antibodies against gastric parietal cells (PCA, n = 4,328) that are associated with autoimmune gastritis. Two loci passed a stringent genome-wide significance level (p<10(-10)): 1q23/FCRL3 with IA-2A and 9q34/ABO with PCA. Eleven of 52 non-MHC T1D loci showed evidence of association with at least one autoantibody at a false discovery rate of 16%: 16p11/IL27-IA-2A, 2q24/IFIH1-IA-2A and PCA, 2q32/STAT4-TPOA, 10p15/IL2RA-GADA, 6q15/BACH2-TPOA, 21q22/UBASH3A-TPOA, 1p13/PTPN22-TPOA, 2q33/CTLA4-TPOA, 4q27/IL2/TPOA, 15q14/RASGRP1/TPOA, and 12q24/SH2B3-GADA and TPOA. Analysis of the TPOA-associated loci in 2,477 cases with Graves' disease identified two new AITD loci (BACH2 and UBASH3A)

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Assessing the application and limitations of a standardised overheating risk-assessment methodology in a real-world context

Prolonged overheating has severe consequences for the future habitability of buildings. Building Performance Simulation (BPS) is increasingly used to identify the propensity of buildings to overheat, however the reliability of this approach has been repeatedly questioned. A new overheating risk-assessment methodology, Technical Memorandum (TM)59 was developed by the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIBSE), to address this problem by providing a consistent framework for the evaluation of overheating risks in new homes. To date, little empirical research has been carried out to validate this approach in comparison to real buildings. This study aims to bridge the gap between theory and praxis by investigating the potential challenges, limitations, and implications of implementing this standardised methodology. This was achieved by comparing BPS simulations, based on the application of TM59, with empirically measured data from three recently constructed energy-efficient flats located in London. The flats were monitored during the late autumn in order to assess their propensity to chronic year-round overheating, outside of the summer season. Distinct user scenarios, based on different modes of ventilation and window/shading operation, were analysed in relation to the CIBSE TM59 overheating thresholds. The results showed that the TM59 criteria were extremely difficult to satisfy. Under a mechanical ventilation assessment mode (with windows closed) 30–67% of the total occupied hours exceeded the overheating thresholds. This analysis has highlighted the need to further improve overheating methodologies, by considering the assessment of risks in discrete temporal bands as well as incorporating methods to assess mixed-mode purge-ventilation strategies