Designing low carbon buildings : a framework to reduce energy consumption and embed the use of renewables

EU policies to mitigate climate change set ambitious goals for energy and carbon reduction for the built environment. In order meet and even exceed the EU targets the UK Government's Climate Change Act 2008 sets a target to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the UK by at least 80% from 1990 levels by 2050. To support these targets the UK government also aims to ensure that 20% of the UK's electricity is supplied from renewable sources by 2020. This article presents a design framework and a set of integrated IT tools to enable an analysis of the energy performance of building designs, including consideration of active and passive renewable energy technologies, when the opportunity to substantially improve the whole life-cycle energy performance of those designs is still open. To ensure a good fit with current architectural practices the design framework is integrated with the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) key stages, which is the most widely used framework for the delivery of construction projects. The main aims of this article are to illustrate the need for new approaches to support low carbon building design that can be integrated into current architectural practice, to present the design framework developed in this research and illustrate its application in a case study

Synthesis and Characterization of 1,3,4-Oxadiazoles Derived From 9-Fluorenone

In the present work, 9-fluorenone-2-carboxylic acid methyl ester (1) was prepared from 9-fluorenone-2-carboxylic acid and then converted into the acid hydrazide (2). Compound (2), is the key intermediate for the synthesis of several series of new compounds such as substituted 1,3,4-oxadiazole derivatives (3-6) were synthesized from the condensation of different substituted benzoic acids with compound (2) using POCl3 as condensing agent. Treatment of compound (2) with formic acid gave the N-formyl hydrazide (7), which upon refluxing with phosphorous pentoxide in benzene yielded the corresponding 5-(9-fluorenone-2-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole (8). Reaction of hydrazide (2) with phenyl isocyanate to give N-phenyl semicarbazide derivative (9), then this compound (9) convert to 5-(9-fluorenone-2-yl)-N-phenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-amine (10) via intramolecular cyclization by syrup H3PO4. Also the hydrazide (2) was treated with CS2/KOH afforded 5-(9-fluorenone-2-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-thiol (11). Compound (11) was used to react with various alkyl halides and secondary amines to give 5-(9-fluorenone-2-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-alkyl thiol (12-15) and 5-(9-fluorenone-2-yl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole-2-N-alkyl (16-19) derivatives respectively

Infective endocarditis secondary to mycoplasma pneumoniae

Mycoplasma pneumoniae (MP) is a gram-positive bacterium most commonly associated with community-acquired pneumonia in adults. It can also involve other systems of the body. Cardiovascular complications include pericarditis, myocarditis, congestive cardiac failure, and, rarely, infective endocarditis. We report a case of infective endocarditis secondary to MP infection in an adult. We treated our patient with doxycycline, which showed significant improvement

New methods for complex molecule synthesis

This thesis is split into three chapters describing syntheses of two types of the pyrrolidine chemical scaffolds and total synthesis of the natural product (+)-monomorine. The first chapter of this work presents a simple and efficient asymmetric synthesis of novel sp3-rich pyrrolidine chemical scaffolds over five steps starting from simple ketones. The key step includes using tert-butanesulfinamide as a chiral auxiliary to achieve an asymmetric Tsuji-Trost allylation. Following this, cross-metathesis coupling of allyl derivatives with an acrylate ester affords α,β-unsaturated esters. Reduction of the sulfinimine stereoselectively results in the corresponding amide derivatives. The sulfinamides were then employed to synthesise a range of pyrrolidine scaffolds via cyclisation under basic conditions. Finally, by removing the directing group and functionalising the ester group, the resulting scaffold core can be further derivatised. In the second chapter, some of the chemistry of pyrrolidine chemical scaffold that was achieved in the first chapter is used towards an attempted total synthesis of (+)-monomorine, a natural product isolated from the pharaoh ant (Monomorium pharaonis L). In addition, different synthetic routes have been employed as well towards achieving this synthesis. The third and last chapter of this thesis outlines the first attempts to synthesise the spiro-pyrrolidine scaffold starting from 4-bromobutene or 1,7-dichloroheptan-4-one. This type of chemical scaffold will be useful as a versatile intermediate for drug discovery via diversification at three different points on N atoms. The synthetic route required preparation of protected azocan-5-one (eight-membered ring) as a key material in this route. Different reaction conditions have been attempted; involving investigations into the catalyst, temperature, base, stoichiometry and reaction time. It was observed that the cyclisation to give the desired eight-membered ring is very slow and the yield was low

Magnetic Deflection Coefficient Investigation for Low Energy Particles

In this research we solved numerically Boltzmann transport equation in order to calculate the transport parameters, such as, drift velocity, W, D/? (ratio of diffusion coefficient to the mobility) and momentum transfer collision frequency ?m, for purpose of determination of magnetic drift velocity WM and magnetic deflection coefficient ? for low energy electrons, that moves in the electric field E, crossed with magnetic field B, i.e; E×B, in the nitrogen, Argon, Helium and it's gases mixtures as a function of: E/N (ratio of electric field strength to the number density of gas), E/P300 (ratio of electric field strength to the gas pressure) and D/? which covered a different ranges for E/P300 at temperatures 300°k (Kelvin). The results showed had been tabulated and graphically represented as functions of their variables. These results a satisfactory agreement between experimental values and theoretical data given in the literature showed

Assessment of the knowledge, attitude, and practice related to visceral leishmaniasis among residents of Al-Suwaira city, Wasit Governorate, Middle East of Iraq

Introduction: It is important to assess the knowledge, attitudes, and practice (KAP) towards visceral leishmaniasis (VL) to implement an effective control program. Hence, this study aimed to shed light in KAP among residents at Al-Suwaira city, Wasit Governorate, Middle East of Iraq. Methods: During March to May 2021, a cross-sectional study was done on 121 randomly selected residents. A normal self-administered questionnaire was used to measure the KAP. The results were expressed using descriptive analysis. Results: Overall, participants indicated average knowledge towards VL. However, the incubation period of VL (23.9%), the symptoms of VL (57.9%), and the diseases' transmission ways (54.5%) were recognized as knowledge gaps. The participants had favorable attitude towards VL, as majority of them (more than 70.0%) agreed that VL causes health problems in the local populations and local communities should be actively involved in the fight against VL. Also, majority of the participants agreed that VL is a treatable. Regarding practice towards VL, 110 (90.9%) participants had used preventive measures against sand fly bites. The majority of people (44.6%) chose cleanliness as a disease-prevention technique. The main sources of information used by participants to educate themselves about the condition were the internet (57.0%) and television (19.8%). Conclusion: Overall, the participants had good knowledge, positive attitudes, and good practice when it came to VL prevention. However, there were some gaps. Hence, it is recommended that knowledge-based strategies be strengthened and rigorously rolled out in order to raise awareness among the residents of the region

Knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices of food handlers related to food safety in Al-Suwaira City, Wasit Province in Iraq

Background and Aim: Food safety and hygiene are global health concerns, particularly in underprivileged nations, due to the increased incidence of foodborne diseases (FBDs) and associated mortality. This study aimed to evaluate the food handlers’ knowledge, attitude, and hygiene practices toward food safety in Al-Suwaira City, Wasit governorate, Iraq. Materials and Methods: In this cross-sectional study, researchers interviewed 130 food handlers to assess their knowledge, attitude, and hygiene regarding food safety in Al-Suwaira, Wasit governorate, Middle Eastern Iraq, from October 2022 to March 2023. The data regarding their age, sex, place of residence, education, employment history, marital status, and monthly income were collected through a questionnaire, as were details on their knowledge, attitudes, and hygiene habits about food safety. Results: Overall, most participants demonstrated poor knowledge of food hygiene and preservation but showed good knowledge of personal hygiene. Knowledge gaps were identified about the healthy ways to clean and use cooking utensils (35.38%), storage of food in the refrigerator (33.85%), and the possible exposure to foodborne pathogens when utensils are reused to cook vegetables and meat (12.31%). Nearly all participants in this study had positive attitudes toward food safety. Most participants (n = 100, 76.7%) agreed that separating raw and cooked food is the best way to avoid spreading germs. Moreover, 109 respondents (83.85%) agreed that washing hands before preparing food efficiently reduces the spread of FBDs. Furthermore, 117 participants (90%) disagreed that disposing of expired perishable foods is necessary, while 91.54% disagreed that monitoring meals for cleanliness and health is important. Our findings showed that 57.15% of the participants had low-to-intermediate competence in food safety procedures, such as avoiding cross-contamination, checking food temperatures, and washing hands thoroughly before and after handling food. Conclusion: The participants in this study exhibited poor compliance and awareness of food safety procedures and practices, respectively. Therefore, educational opportunities and training are necessary to enhance their knowledge, attitudes, and cleanliness levels

Patterns of Traumatic Brain Injuries in Patients Presenting at a Tertiary Care Unit

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the distribution of traumatic brain injuries.Patients and Methods: Questionnaire based data was collected from an inpatient population of patients who presented to the Neurosurgical Unit of Ayub Teaching Hospital with traumatic brain injuries. CAT scan (Computerized Automated Tomography scan) was used as the imaging modality for preliminary diagnosis. The data was collected over a period of three years. Non-probability purposive sampling was used as the sampling technique. Patients of both sexes and all ages were included in the study.Results: Out of a total of 1938 patients, 1470 (75.9%) were males and 468 (24.1%) were females. Patients from 20 to 40 years’ age group (38.1%) represented the greatest number. Fall (52.6%) was found to be the most common external cause of Traumatic brain injury, followed by Road Traffic Accidents (34.1%). Most of the patients (42.4%) had a GCS score falling between 8 and 12. No lesion was found at the initial CAT scan in most of the patients (27.2%). Depressed Skull Fracture (21.4%) was the most common abnormal finding in initial imaging. Conservative (78.3%) treatment was provided to most of the patients keeping in view the appropriate management requirements. 97.8% of the patients were treated successfully.Conclusion: The quality of care at Neurosurgery Ayub Teaching Hospital was found to be up to the mark for traumatic brain injuries patients. However, the standard of care at Kashmir and Balakot needs to be re-evaluated

Effectiveness of esterified whey proteins fractions against Egyptian Lethal Avian Influenza A (H5N1)

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Avian influenza A (H5N1) virus is one of the most important public health concerns worldwide. The antiviral activity of native and esterified whey proteins fractions (α- lactalbumin, β- lactoglobulin, and lactoferrin) was evaluated against A/chicken/Egypt/086Q-NLQP/2008 HPAI (H5N1) strain of clade 2.2.1 (for multiplicity of infection (1 MOI) after 72 h of incubation at 37°C in the presence of 5% CO₂) using MDCK cell lines.</p> <p>Result</p> <p>Both the native and esterified lactoferrin seem to be the most active antiviral protein among the tested samples, followed by β- lactoglobulin. α-Lactalbumin had less antiviral activity even after esterification.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Esterification of whey proteins fractions especially lactoferrin and β-lactoglobulin enhanced their antiviral activity against H5N1 in a concentration dependent manner.</p