Development and present status of the research on optimal control of chilled water systems in central air-conditioning

2002-2003 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Real time control of chilled water supervisory controller in central air conditioning systems

2005-2006 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Study on optimal supervisory control in a central chilled water system based on genetic algorithm

2007-2008 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Medicated Janus fibers fabricated using a Teflon-coated side-by-side spinneret.

A family of medicated Janus fibers that provides highly tunable biphasic drug release was fabricated using a side-by-side electrospinning process employing a Teflon-coated parallel spinneret. The coated spinneret facilitated the formation of a Janus Taylor cone and in turn high quality integrated Janus structures, which could not be reliably obtained without the Teflon coating. The fibers prepared had one side consisting of polyvinylpyrrolidone (PVP) K60 and ketoprofen, and the other of ethyl cellulose (EC) and ketoprofen. To modulate and tune drug release, PVP K10 was doped into the EC side in some cases. The fibers were linear and had flat morphologies with an indent in the center. They provide biphasic drug release, with the PVP K60 side dissolving very rapidly to deliver a loading dose of the active ingredient, and the EC side resulting in sustained release of the remaining ketoprofen. The addition of PVP K10 to the EC side was able to accelerate the second stage of release; variation in the dopant amount permitted the release rate and extent this phase to be precisely tuned. These results offer the potential to rationally design systems with highly controllable drug release profiles, which can complement natural biological rhythms and deliver maximum therapeutic effects

A critical review on ammonium recovery from wastewater for sustainable wastewater management

© 2018 Elsevier Ltd The growing global population's demand for ammonium has triggered an increase in its supply, given that ammonium plays a crucial role in fertilizer production for the purpose of food security. Currently, ammonia used in fertilizer production is put through what is known as the industrial Haber Bosch process, but this approach is substantially expensive and requires much energy. For this reason, looking for effective methods to recover ammonium is important for environmental sustainability. One of the greatest opportunities for ammonium recovery occurs in wastewater treatment plants due to wastewater containing a large quantity of ammonium ions. The comprehensively and critically review studies on ammonium recovery conducted, have the potential to be applied in current wastewater treatment operations. Technologies and their ammonium recovery mechanisms are included in this review. Furthermore the economic feasibility of such processes is analysed. Possible future directions for ammonium recovery from wastewater are suggested

Cooling coil model for system simulation and its experiment validation

2004-2005 > Academic research: refereed > Publication in refereed journalVersion of RecordPublishe

Classical and Quantum Equations of Motion for a BTZ Black String in AdS Space

We investigate gravitational collapse of a $(3+1)$-dimensional BTZ black string in AdS space in the context of both classical and quantum mechanics. This is done by first deriving the conserved mass per unit length of the cylindrically symmetric domain wall, which is taken as the classical Hamiltonian of the black string. In the quantum mechanical context, we take primary interest in the behavior of the collapse near the horizon and near the origin (classical singularity) from the point of view of an infalling observer. In the absence of radiation, quantum effects near the horizon do not change the classical conclusions for an infalling observer, meaning that the horizon is not an obstacle for him/her. The most interesting quantum mechanical effect comes in when investigating near the origin. First, quantum effects are able to remove the classical singularity at the origin, since the wave function is non-singular at the origin. Second, the Schr\"odinger equation describing the behavior near the origin displays non-local effects, which depend on the energy density of the domain wall. This is manifest in that derivatives of the wavefunction at one point are related to the value of the wavefunction at some other distant point.Comment: 9 pages, 1 figure. Minor Clarification and corrections. Accepted for Publication in JHE

Chronic migraine, comorbidity and socioeconomic deprivation: cross-sectional analysis of a large nationally representative primary care database

Background: Chronic migraine is common but there is limited knowledge on associated comorbidities. Objectives: To examine mental and physical comorbidities in chronic migraine and the influence of socioeconomic status in a large, nationally representative dataset. Design: Analysis of cross-sectional primary healthcare data from 1,468,404 adults in Scotland. Chronic migraine, 31 other physical conditions, and seven mental health conditions we examined. Prevalence rates were standardized by age groups, sex, and socioeconomic deprivation, and adjusted odds ratio (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) calculated for those with chronic migraine compared with those without. Results: Chronic migraine patients had more conditions, with the biggest difference found for five or more conditions (chronic migraine 11.7% vs. controls 4.9%; aOR 3.00; 95% CI 2.78–3.22). Twenty-five of the 31 physical conditions were significantly more prevalent in the chronic migraine group. The biggest difference was for chronic pain (aOR 4.33; 95% CI 4.12–4.55). For mental health conditions, the biggest differences were for anxiety (aOR 2.95; 95% CI 2.76–31.5) and depression (aOR 2.94; 95% CI 2.81–3.08). Increasing deprivation was associated with more severe and complex comorbidity (five or more conditions), and with more combined mental and physical comorbidity in the chronic migraine group. Conclusions: In a large nationally representative sample in primary care, comorbidity was most common in those with chronic migraine compared with standardized controls, and this was exacerbated by living in areas of higher deprivation

Social media use and impact during the holiday travel planning process

Through an empirical study among holiday travellers, residing in the Former Soviet Union Republics, this paper presents a comprehensive view of role and impact of social media on the whole holiday travel planning process: Before, during and after the trip, providing insights on usage levels, scope of use, level of influence and trust. Findings suggest that social media are predominantly used after holidays for experience sharing. It is also shown that there is a strong correlation between perceived level of influence from social media and changes made in holiday plans prior to final decisions. Moreover, it is revealed that user-generated content is perceived as more trustworthy when compared to official tourism websites, travel agents and mass media advertising