RFID based Efficient Lighting Control

The Kyoto Protocol and the European Energy Performance of Buildings Directive put an onus on governments
and organisations to lower carbon footprint in order to contribute towards reducing global warming. A key
parameter to be considered in buildings towards energy and cost savings is its indoor lighting that has a major
impact on overall energy usage and Carbon Dioxide emissions. Lighting control in buildings using Passive
Infrared sensors is a reliable and well established approach; however, the use of only Passive Infrared does not
offer much savings towards reducing carbon, energy, and cost. Accurate occupancy monitoring information can
greatly affect a building’s lighting control strategy towards a greener usage. This paper presents an approach for
data fusion of Passive Infrared sensors and passive Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) based occupancy
monitoring. The idea is to have efficient, need-based, and reliable control of lighting towards a green indoor
environment, all while considering visual comfort of occupants. The proposed approach provides an estimated
13% electrical energy savings in one open-plan office of a University building in one working day. Practical
implementation of RFID gateways provide real-world occupancy profiling data to be fused with Passive
Infrared sensing towards analysis and improvement of building lighting usage and control.

Can Certain Genotypes Predispose to Poor Asthma Control in Children? A Pharmacogenetic Study of 9 Candiate Genes in Children with Difficult Asthma

Objective: We tested the hypothesis that patients with difficult asthma have an increased frequency of certain genotypes that predispose them to asthma exacerbations and poor asthma control.

Methods: A total of 180 Caucasian children with confirmed asthma diagnosis were selected from two phenotypic groups; difficult (n = 112) versus mild/moderate asthma (n = 68) groups. All patients were screened for 19 polymorphisms in 9 candidate genes to evaluate their association with difficult asthma.

Key Results: The results indicated that LTA4H A-9188.G, TNFa G-308.A and IL-4Ra A1727.G polymorphisms were significantly associated with the development of difficult asthma in paediatric patients (p,0.001, p = 0.019 and p = 0.037, respectively). Haplotype analysis also revealed two haplotypes (ATA haplotype of IL-4Ra A1199.C, IL-4Ra T1570.C and IL- 4Ra A1727.G and CA haplotype of TNFa C-863.A and TNFa G-308.A polymorphisms) which were significantly associated with difficult asthma in children (p = 0.04 and p = 0.018, respectively).

Conclusions and Clinical Relevance: The study revealed multiple SNPs and haplotypes in LTA4H, TNFa and IL4-Ra genes which constitute risk factors for the development of difficult asthma in children. Of particular interest is the LTA4H A- 9188.G polymorphism which has been reported, for the first time, to have strong association with severe asthma in children. Our results suggest that screening for patients with this genetic marker could help characterise the heterogeneity of responses to leukotriene-modifying medications and, hence, facilitate targeting these therapies to the subset of patients who are most likely to gain benefit. ©2013 Almomani et al.

The Palisades is a key reference site for the middle Pleistocene of eastern Beringia: New evidence from paleomagnetics and regional tephrostratigraphy

The Palisades, in central Alaska, is one of the most prominent exposures of Quaternary sediments on the Yukon River. Perennially-frozen silt and sand at the Palisades are presently thought to preserve paleoenvironmental records from the Holocene to ~Marine Isotope Stage (MIS) 8 and, beneath a major unconformity, the earliest Pleistocene (~2 Ma). We present new paleomagnetic and tephrochronologic constraints that substantially revise the age of the sediments at the Palisades. We describe 15 new tephra beds, including five beds below the prominent PAL tephra that correlate to known tephra with independent age control from other sites in eastern Beringia. These five known tephra include Chester Bluff tephra, which is present in east-central Alaska and the Yukon, and the newly named Alyeska Pipeline and Taylor Highway tephra from central Alaska; all are constrained to the middle Pleistocene. Paleomagnetic transects from the base of the bluff to the MIS 5e forest bed yield normal polarity, with the exception of a brief reversal event between Old Crow tephra (124 ± 10 ka) and the MIS 5e forest bed that is likely the first documentation of the Blake paleomagnetic event in Alaskan loess. The detailed tephrostratigraphy and paleomagnetic data collectively suggest that most of the sedimentary record at the Palisades is middle Pleistocene in age. The Palisades thus preserves a rare record of late to middle Pleistocene paleoenvironments with multiple regionally distributed tephra beds. © 2013 Elsevier Ltd.

Entanglement control via reservoir engineering in ultracold atomic gases

We study the entanglement of two impurity qubits immersed in a Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) reservoir. This open quantum system model allows for interpolation between a common dephasing scenario and an independent dephasing scenario by modifying the wavelength of the superlattice superposed to the BEC, and how this influences the dynamical properties of the impurities. We demonstrate the existence of rich dynamics corresponding to different values of reservoir parameters, including phenomena such as entanglement trapping, revivals of entanglement, and entanglement generation. In the spirit of reservoir engineering, we present the optimal BEC parameters for entanglement generation and trapping, showing the key role of the ultracold-gas interactions. Copyright (C) EPLA, 2013

Key performance indicators – A new approach for specifying concrete and assessing state of health of concrete structure

The focus of this paper is to outline a method for consolidating and implementing the work on performance-based specification and testing. First part of the paper will review the mathematical significance of the variables used in common service life models. The aim is to identify a set of significant variables that influence the ingress of chloride ions into concrete. These variables are termed as Key Performance Indicators (KPI’s). This will also help to reduce the complexity of some of the service life models and make them more appealing for practicing engineers. The second part of the paper presents a plan for developing a database based on these KPI’s so that relationships can then be drawn between common concrete mix parameters and KPI’s. This will assist designers in specifying a concrete with adequate performance for a particular environment. This, collectively, is referred to as the KPI based approach and the concluding remarks will outline how the authors envisage the KPI theory to relate to performance assessment and monitoring.

Outperformance in exchange-traded fund pricing deviations: Generalized control of data snooping bias

An investigation into exchange-traded fund (ETF) outperforrnance during the period 2008-2012 is undertaken utilizing a data set of 288 U.S. traded securities. ETFs are tested for net asset value (NAV) premium, underlying index and market benchmark outperformance, with Sharpe, Treynor, and Sortino ratios employed as risk-adjusted performance measures. A key contribution is the application of an innovative generalized stepdown procedure in controlling for data snooping bias. We find that a large proportion of optimized replication and debt asset class ETFs display risk-adjusted premiums with energy and precious metals focused funds outperforming the S&P 500 market benchmark. 

A Soft Sensor for Viscosity Control of Polymer Extrusion

Viscosity represents a key indicator of product quality in polymer extrusion but has traditionally been difficult to measure in-process in real-time. An innovative, yet simple, solution to this problem is proposed by a Prediction-Feedback observer mechanism. A `Prediction' model based on the operating conditions generates an open-loop estimate of the melt viscosity; this estimate is used as an input to a second, `Feedback' model to predict the pressure of the system. The pressure value is compared to the actual measured melt pressure and the error used to correct the viscosity estimate. The Prediction model captures the relationship between the operating conditions and the resulting melt viscosity and as such describes the specific material behavior. The Feedback model on the other hand describes the fundamental physical relationship between viscosity and extruder pressure and is a function of the machine geometry. The resulting system yields viscosity estimates within 1% error, shows excellent disturbance rejection properties and can be directly applied to model-based control. This is of major significance to achieving higher quality and reducing waste and set-up times in the polymer extrusion industry.

Nong Thale Pron - a key site from southern Thailand for studying monsoon variability during the past 15000 years

Studies of marine sediments, cave speleothemes, annually laminated corals, and tree rings from Asian monsoon regions have added knowledge to our understanding of the factors that control inter-annual to millennial monsoon variability in the past and have provided important constraints for climate modeling scenarios. In contrast, the spatial and temporal pattern of sub-millennial scale monsoon variability and its impact on land cover in SE Asia are still unresolved. This shortcoming stems from the fact that temporally well-resolved paleo-environmental studies are missing from large parts of SE Asia, especially from Thailand. Given that global and regional climate models are increasingly using terrestrial paleo- data to test their performance, past changes in land cover are therefore important variables to better understand feedbacks between different Earth systems. We obtained sediments from Lake Nong Thale Pron, in southern Thailand (8º 10`N, 99 º23`E; 380 m.asl). The aim of our study is to reconstruct lake status changes and to evaluate whether the extent of these changes are linked to known shifts in monsoon intensity and variability. Preliminary results show that lake infilling started more than 15,000 years ago and that the sediments cover the last deglaciation and the Holocene. Current analyses include Itrax XRF core scanning, loss-on-ignition (LOI at 950 and 550ºC), CN elemental and isotopic composition. We expect that our results will be able to give a picture of how the lake's status has changed over time and whether the extent of these changes is linked to known shifts in monsoon intensity and variability.

The potential of electron beam irradiation for simultaneous surface modification and bioresorption control of PLLA for medical device applications

Bioresorbable polymers have been widely investigated as materials exhibiting significant potential for successful application in the medical fields of bone fixation devices and drug delivery. Further to the ability to control degradation, surface engineering of polymers has been highlighted as a key method central to their development. Previous work has demonstrated the ability of electron beam (e-beam) technology to control the degradation profiles and bioresorption of a number of commercially relevant bioresorbable polymers (poly-l-lactic acid (PLLA), L-lactide/ DL-lactide co-polymer (PLDL) and poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA). This work investigates the further potential of e-beam technology to impart added biofunctionality through the manipulation of polymer (PLLA) surface properties. A Dynamatron Continuous DC e-beam unit (Synergy Health, UK), with beam energies of 0.5, 0.75, and 1.5 MeV, was used for the irradiation of PLLA samples with delivered surface doses of 150 or 500 kGy at each energy level. The chosen conditions reflect the need to achieve a specific surface modification for the control of surface degradation as demonstrated in previous work. Surface characterization was then performed using contact angle analysis, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), Raman spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy.
Results demonstrated a significant increase in surface wettability post e-beam treatment. In correlation with this, XPS data showed the introduction of oxygen-containing functional groups to the surface of PLLA. Raman spectroscopy indicated chain scission in the near surface region of PLLA. E-beam irradiation did not seem to affect the surface roughness of PLLA as a direct consequence of the treatment. In conclusion electron beam surface modification has been found to modify both the surface-to-bulk bioresorption profile and the surface hydrophilicity. Both could provide benefits in relation to the performance of implantable medical devices.

Study on Some Key Problems Related to Integrated Energy Systems: 区域综合能源系统若干问题研究

The research on integrated energy system technology meets the major national strategic needs of China. Focusing on the vital theory of planning and optimal operation of integrated energy system, six fundamental problems in the study of integrated energy system are proposed systematically, including the common modeling technology for integrated energy system, the integrated simulation of integrated energy system, the planning theory and method of integrated energy system, the security theory and method of integrated energy system, the optimal operation and control of integrated energy system, the benefit assessment and operational mechanisms of integrated energy system. The status of domestic and foreign research directions related to each scientific problems are surveyed and anticipated.

An Adaptive Predictive Control Strategy for RMPPT under Partially Shaded Conditions

As one of key technologies in photovoltaic converter control, Maximum Power Point Tracking (MPPT) methods can keep the power conversion efficiency as high as nearly 99% under the uniform solar irradiance condition. However, these methods may fail when shading conditions occur and the power loss can over as much as 70% due to the multiple maxima in curve in shading conditions v.s. single maximum point in uniformly solar irradiance. In this paper, a Real Maximum Power Point Tracking (RMPPT) strategy under Partially Shaded Conditions (PSCs) is introduced to deal with this kind of problems. An optimization problem, based on a predictive model which will change adaptively with environment, is developed to tracking the global maxima and corresponding adaptive control strategy is presented. No additional circuits are required to obtain the environment uncertainties. Finally, simulations show the effectiveness of proposed method.

What is being taught in Religious Education classes in Northern Ireland and to what extent should states be concerned about regulation, quality and control of the subject?

This paper reports on a research project designed to discover what schools are teaching in Religious Education in Northern Ireland and what procedures are in place to maintain standards in the delivery of the subject. A search through literature shows that little research has been carried out to determine what is being taught in Religious Education in Northern Ireland. It also indicates that there are very weak systems of control to measure the effectiveness or quality of what is delivered. A survey of the websites of all Post-Primary schools in the region was used to provide some answers to the basic question of what is being taught in RE. Using content and discourse analysis of these alongside supporting documentary sources (textbooks and exam specifications), it is possible to get a clearer picture of how the Northern Ireland Core Syllabus for Religious Education and any additional curricular elements are delivered in schools. The findings show that a significant minority of schools do not publicly articulate what pupils do in religious education. In situations where the content of religious education is made clear, some definite trends are evident. Despite the existence of a statutory core syllabus, there is significant variation in what is taught in schools. The content is most divergent from the syllabus in relation to the teaching of World Religions at Key Stage 3 and at Key Stage 4 whole elements of the syllabus are neglected due to limited conformity between the syllabus and exam specifications. These results raise important questions about the systems of regulation and control of the subject in the region. In law the subject is exempt from formal inspection by the local inspection authority; instead, a form of inspection is allowed for by the Christian churches who design the syllabus, but it is a process that is either entirely neglected or entirely unreported in situations where it does occur. It is argued that these findings raise questions of more general concern for this and other regions in Europe where the teaching of religious education is largely unregulated. For example, to what extent should states take an interest in what is taught in religious education, how it is delivered, what values it promotes and how standards of teaching and learning in the subject are upheld?

Asthma control and exacerbations: two different sides of the same coin.

Purpose of review: Optimal asthma management includes both the control of asthma symptoms and reducing the risk of future asthma exacerbations. Traditionally, treatment has been adjusted largely on the basis of symptoms and lung function and for many patients, this approach delivers both excellent symptom control and reduced risk. However, the relationship between these two key components of the disease may vary between different asthmatic phenotypes and disease severities and there is increasing recognition of the need for more individualized treatment approaches.

Recent findings: A number of factors which predict exacerbation risk have been identified including demographic and behavioural features and specific inflammatory biomarkers. Type-2 cytokine-driven eosinophilic airways inflammation predisposes to frequent exacerbations and predicts response to corticosteroids, and the usefulness of sputum eosinophilia as both a marker of exacerbation risk and biomarker for adjustment of corticosteroid treatment has been established for some time. However, attempts to develop surrogate markers, which would be more straightforward to deliver in the clinic, have been challenging.

Summary: Some patients with asthma have persistent symptoms in the absence of type-2 cytokine driven-eosinophilic airways inflammation due to noncorticosteroid responsive mechanisms (T2-low disease). Composite biomarker strategies using easily measured surrogate indicators of type-2 inflammation (such as fractional exhaled nitric oxide, blood eosinophil count and serum periostin levels) may predict exacerbation risk better but it is unclear if they can be used to adjust corticosteroid treatment. Biomarkers will be used to target novel biologic treatments but additionally may be used to optimize corticosteroid treatment dose and act as prognostics for exacerbation risk and potentially other important longer term asthma outcomes.

Seven key actions to eradicate rheumatic heart disease in Africa: the Addis Ababa communiqué

Acute rheumatic fever (ARF) and rheumatic heart disease (RHD) remain major causes of heart failure, stroke and death among African women and children, despite being preventable and imminently treatable. From 21 to 22 February 2015, the Social Cluster of the Africa Union Commission (AUC) hosted a consultation with RHD experts convened by the Pan-African Society of Cardiology (PASCAR) in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, to develop a 'roadmap' of key actions that need to be taken by governments to eliminate ARF and eradicate RHD in Africa. Seven priority areas for action were adopted: (1) create prospective disease registers at sentinel sites in affected countries to measure disease burden and track progress towards the reduction of mortality by 25% by the year 2025, (2) ensure an adequate supply of high-quality benzathine penicillin for the primary and secondary prevention of ARF/RHD, (3) improve access to reproductive health services for women with RHD and other non-communicable diseases (NCD), (4) decentralise technical expertise and technology for diagnosing and managing ARF and RHD (including ultrasound of the heart), (5) establish national and regional centres of excellence for essential cardiac surgery for the treatment of affected patients and training of cardiovascular practitioners of the future, (6) initiate national multi-sectoral RHD programmes within NCD control programmes of affected countries, and (7) foster international partnerships with multinational organisations for resource mobilisation, monitoring and evaluation of the programme to end RHD in Africa. This Addis Ababa communiqué has since been endorsed by African Union heads of state, and plans are underway to implement the roadmap in order to end ARF and RHD in Africa in our lifetime.

Control over the Self-Assembly Modes of PtII Complexes by Alkyl Chain Variation: From Slipped to Parallel π-Stacks

We report the self-assembly of a new family of hydrophobic,bis(pyridyl) PtII complexes featuring an extendedoligophenyleneethynylene-derived π-surface appended withsix long (dodecyloxy (2)) or short (methoxy (3)) side groups.Complex 2, containing dodecyloxy chains, forms fibrous assemblies with a slipped arrangement of the monomer units (dPt···Pt… =14 Å) in both nonpolar solvents and the solid state.Dispersion-corrected PM6 calculations suggest that this organizationis driven by cooperative π–π, C-H···Cl and π–Pt interactions, which is supported by EXAFS and 2D NMR spectroscopic analysis. In contrast, nearly parallel π-stacks (dPt···Pt… = 4.4 Å) stabilized by multiple π–π and C-H···Cl contact sare obtained in the crystalline state for 3 lacking longside chains, as shown by X-ray analysis and PM6 calculations.Our results reveal not only the key role of alkyl chain lengthin controlling self-assembly modes but also show the relevanceof Pt-bound chlorine ligands as new supramolecular synthons.