An investigation of building physical properties selection to combat global warming

Global warming can have a significant impact on building energy performance and indoor thermal environment, as well as the health and productivity of people living and working inside them. Through the building simulation technique, this paper investigates the adaptation potential of different selections of building physical properties to increased outdoor temperature in Australia. It is found that overall, an office building with lower insulation level, smaller window to wall ratio and/or a glass type with lower shading coefficient, and lower internal load density will have the effect of lowering building cooling load and total energy use, and therefore have a better potential to adapt to the warming external climate. Compared with clear glass, it is shown that the use of reflective glass for the sample building with WWR being 0.5 reduces the building cooling load by more than 12%. A lower internal load can also have a significant impact on the reduction of building cooling load, as well as the building energy use. Through the comparison of results between current and future weather scenarios, it is found that the patterns found in the current weather scenario also exist in the future weather scenarios, but to a smaller extent.

Tests of LiteSteel Beams subject to combined shear and bending actions

This paper presents the details of an experimental study of a cold-formed steel beam known as LiteSteel Beam (LSB) subject to combined shear and bending actions. The LSBs have the beneficial characteristics of torsionally rigid rectangular hollow flanges combined with economical fabrication processes from a single strip of high strength steel. They combine the stability of hot-rolled steel sections with the high strength to weight ratio of conventional cold-formed steel sections. The LSB sections are commonly used as flexural members in residential, industrial and commercial buildings. In order to ensure safe and efficient designs of LSBs, many research studies have been undertaken on the flexural and shear strengths of LSBs. To date, however, no investigation has been conducted into the strength of LSB sections under combined shear and bending actions. Hence a detailed experimental study involving 18 tests was undertaken to investigate the behaviour and strength of LSBs under combined shear and bending actions. Test results showed that AS/NZS 4600 design rules for unstiffened webs grossly underestimated the capacity of LSBs. Therefore improved design equations were proposed for the combined shear and bending capacities of LSBs based on experimental results.

Dual-frequency decoupling for two distinct antennas

Constant development of new wireless standards increases the demand for more radiating elements in compact end-user platforms. A decrease in antenna separation gives rise to increased antenna coupling, resulting in a reduction of the signal-to-interference-plus-noise-ratio (SINR) between transmitter and receiver. This paper proposes a decoupling network which provides dual band port isolation for a pair of distinct antennas. A prototype has been fabricated to verify the theory.

SERS based detection of barcoded gold nanoparticle assemblies from within animal tissue

We have explored the potential of deep Raman spectroscopy, specifically surface enhanced spatially offset Raman spectroscopy (SESORS), for non-invasive detection from within animal tissue, by employing SERS-barcoded nanoparticle (NP) assemblies as the diagnostic agent. This concept has been experimentally verified in a clinic-relevant backscattered Raman system with an excitation line of 785 nm under ex vivo conditions. We have shown that our SORS system, with a fixed offset of 2-3 mm, offered sensitive probing of injected QTH-barcoded NP assemblies through animal tissue containing both protein and lipid. In comparison to that of non-aggregated SERS-barcoded gold NPs, we have demonstrated that the tailored SERS-barcoded aggregated NP assemblies have significantly higher detection sensitivity. We report that these NP assemblies can be readily detected at depths of 7-8 mm from within animal proteinaceous tissue with high signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio. In addition they could also be detected from beneath 1-2 mm of animal tissue with high lipid content, which generally poses a challenge due to high absorption of lipids in the near-infrared region. We have also shown that the signal intensity and S/N ratio at a particular depth is a function of the SERS tag concentration used and that our SORS system has a QTH detection limit of 10-6 M. Higher detection depths may possibly be obtained with optimization of the NP assemblies, along with improvements in the instrumentation. Such NP assemblies offer prospects for in vivo, non-invasive detection of tumours along with scope for incorporation of drugs and their targeted and controlled release at tumour sites. These diagnostic agents combined with drug delivery systems could serve as a “theranostic agent”, an integration of diagnostics and therapeutics into a single platform.

Protocol for a randomised blocked design study using telephone and text-messaging to support cardiac patients with diabetes : a cross cultural international collaborative project

Background The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is rising internationally. Patients with diabetes have a higher risk of cardiovascular events accounting for substantial premature morbidity and mortality, and health care expenditure. Given healthcare workforce limitations, there is a need to improve interventions that promote positive self-management behaviours that enable patients to manage their chronic conditions effectively, across different cultural contexts. Previous studies have evaluated the feasibility of including telephone and Short Message Service (SMS) follow up in chronic disease self-management programs, but only for single diseases or in one specific population. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate the feasibility and short-term efficacy of incorporating telephone and text messaging to support the care of patients with diabetes and cardiac disease, in Australia and in Taiwan. Methods/design A randomised controlled trial design will be used to evaluate a self-management program for people with diabetes and cardiac disease that incorporates the use of simple remote-access communication technologies. A sample size of 180 participants from Australia and Taiwan will be recruited and randomised in a one-to-one ratio to receive either the intervention in addition to usual care (intervention) or usual care alone (control). The intervention will consist of in-hospital education as well as follow up utilising personal telephone calls and SMS reminders. Primary short term outcomes of interest include self-care behaviours and self-efficacy assessed at baseline and four weeks. Discussion If the results of this investigation substantiate the feasibility and efficacy of the telephone and SMS intervention for promoting self management among patients with diabetes and cardiac disease in Australia and Taiwan, it will support the external validity of the intervention. It is anticipated that empirical data from this investigation will provide valuable information to inform future international collaborations, while providing a platform for further enhancements of the program, which has potential to benefit patients internationally.

Analysis of distributed beamforming in cooperative communications network with phase shifter based smart antenna nodes

This research study investigates the application of phase shifter-based smart antenna system in distributed beamforming. It examines the way to optimise the transmit power by jointly maximising the directivity of the array antennas and the weight vector for distributed beamforming. This research study concludes that maximising directivity can lead to better transmit power minimisation compared to maximising field intensity. This study also concludes that signal to noise power ratio maximisation subject to a power constraint and power minimisation subject to a signal to noise power ratio constraint yield the same results.

The QUT-NOISE-SRE protocol for the evaluation of noisy speaker recognition

The QUT-NOISE-SRE protocol is designed to mix the large QUT-NOISE database, consisting of over 10 hours of back- ground noise, collected across 10 unique locations covering 5 common noise scenarios, with commonly used speaker recognition datasets such as Switchboard, Mixer and the speaker recognition evaluation (SRE) datasets provided by NIST. By allowing common, clean, speech corpora to be mixed with a wide variety of noise conditions, environmental reverberant responses, and signal-to-noise ratios, this protocol provides a solid basis for the development, evaluation and benchmarking of robust speaker recognition algorithms, and is freely available to download alongside the QUT-NOISE database. In this work, we use the QUT-NOISE-SRE protocol to evaluate a state-of-the-art PLDA i-vector speaker recognition system, demonstrating the importance of designing voice-activity-detection front-ends specifically for speaker recognition, rather than aiming for perfect coherence with the true speech/non-speech boundaries.

Effectiveness of on-line resources to enhance student learning and engagement

BACKGROUND For engineering graduates to be work-ready with marketable skills they must not only be well-versed with engineering science and its applications, but also able to adapt to using commercial software that is widely used in engineering practice. Hydrological/hydraulic modelling is one aspect of engineering practice which demands the ability to apply fundamentals into design and construction using software. The user manuals for such software are usually tailored for the experienced engineer but not for undergraduates who typically are novices to concepts of modelling and software tools. As the focus of a course such as Advanced Water Engineering is on the wider aspects of engineering application of hydrological and hydraulic concepts, it is ineffective for the lecturers to direct the students to user manuals as students have neither the time nor the desire to sift through numerous pages in a manual. An alternative and efficient way to demonstrate the use of the software is enabling students to develop a model to simulate real-world scenario using the tools of the software and directing them to make informed decisions based on outcomes. PURPOSE Past experience of the lecturer showed that the resources available for the students left a knowledge gap leading to numerous student queries outside contact hours. The purpose of this study is to assess how effective purpose-built video resources can be in supplementing the traditional learning resources to enhance student learning. APPROACH Short-length animated video clips comprising guided step-by-step instructions were prepared using screen capture software to capture screen activity and later edited to focus on specific features using pop-up annotations; Vocal narration was purposely excluded to avoid disturbances due to noise and allow different learning paces of individual students. The video clips were made available to the students alongside the traditional resources/approaches such as in-class demonstrations, guideline notes, and tips for efficient and error-free procedural descriptions. The number of queries the lecturer received from the student cohort outside the lecture times was recorded. An anonymous survey to assess the usefulness and adequacy of the courseware was conducted. OUTCOMES While a significant decline in the number of student queries was noted, an overwhelming majority of the survey respondents confirmed the usefulness of the purpose-developed courseware. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY The survey and lecturer’s experience indicated that animated demonstration video clips illustrating the various steps involved in developing hydrologic and hydraulic models and simulating design scenarios is an effective supplement for traditional learning resources. Among the many advantages of the custom-made video clips as a learning resource are that they (1) highlight the aspects that are important to undergraduate learning but not available in the software manuals as the latter are designed for more mature users/learners; (2) provide short, to-the point communication in a step-by-step manner; (3) allow students flexibility to self-learn at their own pace; (4) enhance student learning; and (5) enable time savings for the lecturer in the long term by avoiding queries of a repetitive nature. It is expected that these newly developed resources will be improved to incorporate students’ suggestions before being offered to future cohorts of students. The concept can also be expanded to other relevant courses where animated demonstrations of key modelling steps are beneficial to student learning.

Using low dose computerized tomography to morphometrically analyse the thoracic intervertebral foramen osseous anatomy in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis

INTRODUCTION The dimensions of the thoracic intervertebral foramen in adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS) have not previously been quantified. During posterior approach scoliosis correction surgery pedicle screws may occasionally breach into the foramen. Better understanding of the dimensions of the foramen may be useful in surgical planning. This study describes a reproducible method for measurement of the thoracic foramen in AIS using computerized tomography (CT). METHODS In 23 pre-operative female patients with Lenke 1 type AIS with right side convexity major curves confined to the thoracic spine the foraminal height (FH), foraminal width (FW), pedicle to superior articular process distance (P-SAP) and cross sectional foraminal area (FA) were measured using multiplanar reconstructed CT. Measurements were made at entrance, midpoint and exit of the thoracic foramina from T1/T2 to T11/T12. Results were correlated with potential dependent variables of major curve Cobb Angle measured on X-ray and CT, Age, Weight, Lenke classification subtype, Risser Grade and number of spinal levels in the major curve. RESULTS The FH, FW, P-SAP and FA dimensions and ratios are all significantly larger on the convexity of the major curve and maximal at or close to the apex. Mean thoracic foraminal dimensions change in a predictable manner relative to position on the major thoracic curve. There was no significant correlation with the measured foraminal dimensions or ratios and the potential dependent variables. The average ratio of convexity to concavity dimensions at the apex foramina for entrance, midpoint and exit respectively are FH (1.50, 1.38, 1.25), FW (1.28, 1.30, 0.98), FA (2.06, 1.84, 1.32), P-SAP (1.61, 1.47, 1.30). CONCLUSION Foraminal dimensions of the thoracic spine are significantly affected by AIS. Foraminal dimensions have a predictable convexity to concavity ratio relative to the proximity to the major curve apex. Surgeons should be aware of these anatomical differences during scoliosis correction surgery.

Utility of temporal artery biopsy samples for genome-wide analysis of giant cell arteritis

Giant Cell Arteritis (GCA) is the most common vasculitis affecting the elderly. Archived formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded (FFPE) temporal artery biopsy (TAB) specimens potentially represent a valuable resource for large-scale genetic analysis of this disease. FFPE TAB samples were obtained from 12 patients with GCA. Extracted TAB DNA was assessed by real time PCR before restoration using the Illumina HD FFPE Restore Kit. Paired FFPE-blood samples were genotyped on the Illumina OmniExpress FFPE microarray. The FFPE samples that passed stringent quality control measures had a mean genotyping success of >97%. When compared with their matching peripheral blood DNA, the mean discordant heterozygote and homozygote single nucleotide polymorphisms calls were 0.0028 and 0.0003, respectively, which is within the accepted tolerance of reproducibility. This work demonstrates that it is possible to successfully obtain high-quality microarray-based genotypes FFPE TAB samples and that this data is similar to that obtained from peripheral blood.

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10−8). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms.