Energy and thermal comfort in a rammed earth office building

An analysis was made of the Charles Sturt University Academic Office building at Thurgoona from a thermal comfort and energy viewpoint. It was found that the offices did not meet low energy criteria and some were uncomfortable for 30% to 85% of occupied hours.

Influence of maternal mass and condition on energy transfer in Weddell seals

* 1
Environmental variation influences food abundance and availability, which is reflected in the reproductive success of top predators. We examined maternal expenditure, offspring mass and condition for Weddell seals in 2 years when individuals exhibited marked differences in these traits.
* 2
For females weighing 355 kg there was a positive relationship between maternal post-partum mass (MPPM) and lactation length, but below this there was no relationship, suggesting that heavier females were able to increase lactation length but lighter females were restricted to a minimum lactation period of 33 days.
* 3
Overall, females were heavier in 2002, but in 2003 shorter females were lighter than similar-sized females in 2002 suggesting that the effects of environmental variability on foraging success and condition are more pronounced in smaller individuals.
* 4
There was no relationship between MPPM and pup birth mass, indicating pre-partum investment did not differ between years. However, there was a positive relationship between MPPM and pup mass gain. Mass and energy transfer efficiency were 10·2 and 5·4% higher in 2002 than 2003, which suggests costs associated with a putatively poor-resource year were delayed until lactation.
* 5
Heavier females lost a higher proportion of mass during lactation in both years, so smaller females may not have been able to provide more to their offspring to wean a pup of similar size to larger females.
* 6
MPPM had only a small influence on total body lipid; therefore, regardless of mass, females had the same relative body composition. Females with male pups lost a higher percentage of lipid than those with female pups, but by the end of lactation female pups had 4·5% higher lipid content than males.
* 7
It appears that for Weddell seals the consequences of environmentally induced variation in food availability are manifested in differences in maternal mass and expenditure during lactation. These differences translate to changes in pup mass and condition at weaning with potential consequences for future survival and recruitment.

The pace of life under artificial selection : personality, energy expenditure, and longevity are correlated in domestic dogs

The domestic dog has undergone extensive artificial selection resulting in an extreme diversity in body size, personality, life‐history, and metabolic traits among breeds. Here we tested whether proactive personalities (high levels of activity, boldness, and aggression) are related to a fast “pace of life” (high rates of growth, mortality, and energy expenditure). Data from the literature provide preliminary evidence that artificial selection on dogs (through domestication) generated variations in personality traits that are correlated with life histories and metabolism. We found that obedient (or docile, shy) breeds live longer than disobedient (or bold) ones and that aggressive breeds have higher energy needs than unaggressive ones. These correlations could result from either human preference for particular trait combinations or, more likely, correlated responses to artificial selection on personality. Our results suggest the existence of a general pace‐of‐life syndrome arising from the coevolution of personality, metabolic, and life‐history traits.

Intelligent control and look-ahead energy management of hybrid electric vehicles

A review of the state of knowledge in the field of control and energy management in HEVs is carried out. The key innovation of the project is the development of a model of a PHEV using the real road data with an intelligent look-ahead online controller. Another novelty of this work is the method of route planning. It combines the information of vehicle sensors such as accelerometer and speedometer with the data of a GPS to create a road grade map for use within the look-ahead energy management strategy in the vehicle. For the PHEV, an adaptive cruise controller is modelled and an optimisation method is applied to obtain the best speed profile during a trajectory. Finally, the nonlinear model of the vehicle is applied with the sliding mode controller. The effect of using this controller is compared with the universal cruise controller. The stability of the system is studied and proved.

Validity of an upper-body-mounted accelerometer to measure peak vertical and resultant force during running and change-of-direction tasks

This study assessed the validity of a tri-axial accelerometer worn on the upper body to estimate peak forces during running and change-of-direction tasks. Seventeen participants completed four different running and change-of-direction tasks (0°, 45°, 90°, and 180°; five trials per condition). Peak crania-caudal and resultant acceleration was converted to force and compared against peak force plate ground reaction force (GRF) in two formats (raw and smoothed). The resultant smoothed (10 Hz) and crania-caudal raw (except 180°) accelerometer values were not significantly different to resultant and vertical GRF for all running and change-of-direction tasks, respectively. Resultant accelerometer measures showed no to strong significant correlations (r = 0.00–0.76) and moderate to large measurement errors (coefficient of variation [CV] = 11.7–23.9%). Crania-caudal accelerometer measures showed small to moderate correlations (r = − 0.26 to 0.39) and moderate to large measurement errors (CV = 15.0–20.6%). Accelerometers, within integrated micro-technology tracking devices and worn on the upper body, can provide a relative measure of peak impact force experienced during running and two change-of-direction tasks (45° and 90°) provided that resultant smoothed values are used.

An examination of the prevalence, consumer profiles, and patterns of energy drink use, with and without alcohol, in Australia

BACKGROUND: There has been a significant growth in the energy drink (ED) market in Australia and around the world; however, most research investigating the popularity of ED and alcohol and energy drink (AED) use has focused on specific subpopulations such as university students. The aim of this study was to estimate the prevalence, consumption patterns, and sociodemographic correlates of ED and combined AED use among a representative Australian population sample. METHODS: A computer-assisted telephone interview survey (n = 2,000) was undertaken in March-April 2013 of persons aged 18 years and over. Half of the interviews were obtained through randomly generated landline telephone numbers and half through mobile phones. Approximately half of the sample was female (55.5%; n = 1,110) and the mean age of participants was 45.9 (range 18 to 95, SD 20.0). RESULTS: Less than 1 in 6 Australians reported ED use (13.4%, n = 268) and 4.6% (n = 91) reported AED use in the past 3 months. Majority of ED and AED users consumed these beverages monthly or less. ED and AED users are more likely to be aged 18 to 24 years, live in a metropolitan area, and be moderate risk or problem gamblers. AED consumers are more likely to report moderate levels of psychological distress. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings in relation to problem gambling and psychological distress are novel and require further targeted investigation. Health promotion strategies directed toward reducing ED and AED use should focus on young people living in metropolitan areas and potentially be disseminated through locations where gambling takes place.

A mobile phone based method to assess energy and food intake in young children: a validation study against the doubly labelled water method and 24 h dietary recalls

Mobile phones are becoming important instruments for assessing diet and energy intake. We developed the Tool for Energy Balance in Children (TECH), which uses a mobile phone to assess energy and food intake in pre-school children. The aims of this study were: (a) to compare energy intake (EI) using TECH with total energy expenditure (TEE) measured via doubly labelled water (DLW); and (b) to compare intakes of fruits, vegetables, fruit juice, sweetened beverages, candy, ice cream, and bakery products using TECH with intakes acquired by 24 h dietary recalls. Participants were 39 healthy, Swedish children (5.5 ± 0.5 years) within the ongoing Mobile-based Intervention Intended to Stop Obesity in Preschoolers (MINISTOP) obesity prevention trial. Energy and food intakes were assessed during four days using TECH and 24 h telephone dietary recalls. Mean EI (TECH) was not statistically different from TEE (DLW) (5820 ± 820 kJ/24 h and 6040 ± 680 kJ/24 h, respectively). No significant differences in the average food intakes using TECH and 24 h dietary recalls were found. All food intakes were correlated between TECH and the 24 h dietary recalls (ρ = 0.665-0.896, p < 0.001). In conclusion, TECH accurately estimated the average intakes of energy and selected foods and thus has the potential to be a useful tool for dietary studies in pre-school children, for example obesity prevention trials.