bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Nano-scale simulation of neuronal damage by galactic cosmic rays
Authors: Peter Jonah S , Schuemann Jan , Held Kathryn D , McNamara Aimee L
Published: September 2022

The effects of realistic, deep space radiation environments on neuronal function remain largely unexplored. In silico modeling studies of radiation-induced neuronal damage provide important quantitative information about physico-chemical processes that are not directly accessible through radiobiological experiments. Here, we present the first nano-scale computational analysis of broad-spectrum galactic cosmic ray irradiation in a realistic neuron geometry. We constructed thousands of in silico realizations of a CA1 pyramidal neuron, each with over 3500 stochastically generated dendritic spines. We simulated the entire 33 ion-energy beam spectrum currently in use at the NASA Space Radiation Laboratory galactic cosmic ray simulator (GCRSim) using the TOol for PArticle Simulation (TOPAS) and TOPAS-nBio Monte Carlo-based track structure simulation toolkits. We then assessed the resulting nano-scale dosimetry, physics processes, and fluence patterns. Additional comparisons were made to a simplified 6 ion-energy spectrum (SimGCRSim) also used in NASA experiments. For a neuronal absorbed dose of 0.5 Gy GCRSim, we report an average of 250 ± 10 ionizations per micrometer of dendritic length, and an additional 50 ± 10, 7 ± 2, and 4 ± 2 ionizations per mushroom, thin, and stubby spine, respectively. We show that neuronal energy deposition by proton and

α

-particle tracks declines approximately hyperbolically with increasing primary particle energy at mission-relevant energies. We demonstrate an inverted exponential relationship between dendritic segment irradiation probability and neuronal absorbed dose for each ion-energy beam. We also find that there are no significant differences in the average physical responses between the GCRSim and SimGCRSim spectra. To our knowledge, this is the first nano-scale simulation study of a realistic neuron geometry using the GCRSim and SimGCRSim spectra. These results may be used as inputs to theoretical models, aid in the interpretation of experimental results, and help guide future study designs.
Real-time prediction of stomach motions based upon gastric contraction and breathing models
Authors: Zhang Yuhang , Cao Yue , Kashani Rojano , Lawrence Theodore S , Balter James M
Published: September 2022

Objective. Precision radiation therapy requires managing motions of organs at risk that occur during treatment. While methods have been developed for real-time respiratory motion tracking, non-breathing intra-fractional variations (including gastric contractile motion) have seen little attention to date. The purpose of this study is to develop a cyclic gastric contractile motion prediction model to support real-time management during radiotherapy. Approach. The observed short-term reproducibility of gastric contractile motion permitted development of a prediction model that (1) extracts gastric contraction motion phases from few minutes of golden angle stack of stars scanning (at patient positioning), (2) estimate gastric phase of real-time sampled data acquired during treatment delivery to these reconstructed phases and (3) predicting future gastric phase by linear extrapolation using estimation results from step 2 to account for processing and system latency times. Model was evaluated on three parameters including training time window for step 1, number of spokes for real-time sampling data in step 2 and future prediction time. Main results. The model was tested on a population of 20 min data samples from 25 scans from 15 patients. The mean prediction error with 10 spokes and 2 min training was 0.3 ± 0.1 mm (0.1–0.7 mm) with 5.1 s future time, slowly rising to 0.6 ± 0.2 mm (0.2–1.1 mm) for 6.8 s future time and then increasing rapidly for longer forward predictions, for an average 3.6 ± 0.5 mm (2.8–4.7 mm) HD95 of gastric motion. Results showed that reducing of train time window (5–2 min) does not influence the prediction performance, while using 5 spokes increased prediction errors. Significance. The proposed gastric motion prediction model has sufficiently accurate prediction performance to allow for sub-millimeter accuracy while allowing sufficient time for data processing and machine interaction and shows the potential for clinical implementation to support stomach motion tracking during radiotherapy.
Performance analysis of the centroid method predictor implemented in the JET real time network
Authors: Gadariya D , Vega J , Stuart C , Rattá G , Card P , Murari A , Dormido-Canto S , Contributors JET
Published: September 2022

Recently, a linear disruption predictor (Vega et al 2020 Nucl. Fusion
60 026001) was installed in the JET real-time network for disruption mitigation purposes. From a mathematical point of view, the predictor is based on computing centroids of disruptive examples and non-disruptive examples in a two-dimensional space. This is the reason for calling it centroid method (CM). It uses a single signal: the mode lock normalized to the plasma current. The predictor is not based on thresholds to trigger alarms but on the differences of amplitudes between consecutive samples. The article analyses its results for the range of discharges 94 152–97 137 (June 2019–March 2020), including discharges of both baseline scenario and hybrid scenario. The article presents a comparison between the CM predictor and several different disruption detection systems operational in the JET real-time event detection platform named PETRA (Plasma Events Triggering for Alarms). The CM predictor outperforms all the other classifiers implemented in PETRA, according to all the main statistical indicators normally used to qualify these tools.
Verified modeling of a low pressure hydrogen plasma generated by electron cyclotron resonance
Authors: Sigeneger F , Ellis J , Harhausen J , Lang N , van Helden J H
Published: September 2022

A self-consistent fluid model has been successfully developed and employed to model an electron cyclotron resonance driven hydrogen plasma at low pressure. This model has enabled key insights to be made on the mutual interaction of microwave propagation, power density, plasma generation, and species transport at conditions where the critical plasma density is exceeded. The model has been verified by two experimental methods. Good agreement with the ion current density and floating potential—as measured by a retarding energy field analyzer—and excellent agreement with the atomic hydrogen density—as measured by two-photon absorption laser induced fluorescence—enables a high level of confidence in the validity of the simulation.
Fascicles split or merge every ∼560 microns within the human cervical vagus nerve
Authors: Upadhye Aniruddha R , Kolluru Chaitanya , Druschel Lindsey , Al Lababidi Luna , Ahmad Sami S , Menendez Dhariyat M , Buyukcelik Ozge N , Settell Megan L , Blanz Stephan L , Jenkins Michael W , Wilson David L , Zhang Jing , Tatsuoka Curtis , Grill Warren M , Pelot Nicole A , Ludwig Kip A , Gustafson Kenneth J , Shoffstall Andrew J
Published: September 2022

Objective. Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) is Food and Drug Administration-approved for epilepsy, depression, and obesity, and stroke rehabilitation; however, the morphological anatomy of the vagus nerve targeted by stimulatation is poorly understood. Here, we used microCT to quantify the fascicular structure and neuroanatomy of human cervical vagus nerves (cVNs). Approach. We collected eight mid-cVN specimens from five fixed cadavers (three left nerves, five right nerves). Analysis focused on the ‘surgical window’: 5 cm of length, centered around the VNS implant location. Tissue was stained with osmium tetroxide, embedded in paraffin, and imaged on a microCT scanner. We visualized and quantified the merging and splitting of fascicles, and report a morphometric analysis of fascicles: count, diameter, and area. Main results. In our sample of human cVNs, a fascicle split or merge event was observed every ∼560 µm (17.8 ± 6.1 events cm−1). Mean morphological outcomes included: fascicle count (6.6 ± 2.8 fascicles; range 1–15), fascicle diameter (514 ± 142 µm; range 147–1360 µm), and total cross-sectional fascicular area (1.32 ± 0.41 mm2; range 0.58–2.27 mm). Significance. The high degree of fascicular splitting and merging, along with wide range in key fascicular morphological parameters across humans may help to explain the clinical heterogeneity in patient responses to VNS. These data will enable modeling and experimental efforts to determine the clinical effect size of such variation. These data will also enable efforts to design improved VNS electrodes.
Fast inference of spinal neuromodulation for motor control using amortized neural networks
Authors: Govindarajan Lakshmi Narasimhan , Calvert Jonathan S , Parker Samuel R , Jung Minju , Darie Radu , Miranda Priyanka , Shaaya Elias , Borton David A , Serre Thomas
Published: September 2022

Objective. Epidural electrical stimulation (EES) has emerged as an approach to restore motor function following spinal cord injury (SCI). However, identifying optimal EES parameters presents a significant challenge due to the complex and stochastic nature of muscle control and the combinatorial explosion of possible parameter configurations. Here, we describe a machine-learning approach that leverages modern deep neural networks to learn bidirectional mappings between the space of permissible EES parameters and target motor outputs. Approach. We collected data from four sheep implanted with two 24-contact EES electrode arrays on the lumbosacral spinal cord. Muscle activity was recorded from four bilateral hindlimb electromyography (EMG) sensors. We introduce a general learning framework to identify EES parameters capable of generating desired patterns of EMG activity. Specifically, we first amortize spinal sensorimotor computations in a forward neural network model that learns to predict motor outputs based on EES parameters. Then, we employ a second neural network as an inverse model, which reuses the amortized knowledge learned by the forward model to guide the selection of EES parameters. Main results. We found that neural networks can functionally approximate spinal sensorimotor computations by accurately predicting EMG outputs based on EES parameters. The generalization capability of the forward model critically benefited our inverse model. We successfully identified novel EES parameters, in under 20 min, capable of producing desired target EMG recruitment during in vivo testing. Furthermore, we discovered potential functional redundancies within the spinal sensorimotor networks by identifying unique EES parameters that result in similar motor outcomes. Together, these results suggest that our framework is well-suited to probe spinal circuitry and control muscle recruitment in a completely data-driven manner. Significance. We successfully identify novel EES parameters within minutes, capable of producing desired EMG recruitment. Our approach is data-driven, subject-agnostic, automated, and orders of magnitude faster than manual approaches.
Simulated effects of W dust ablation and deposition on the pedestal edge in JET D and DT experiments
Authors: Lazzaro E. , Causa F. , Gervasini G. , Ghezzi F. , Borodin D. , Borodkina I. , Douai D. , Huber A. , Pawelec E. , Solano E. , Sertoli M. , Widdowson A.
Published: September 2022

A modelling analysis is performed on JET D and DT discharges, where W dust influx across the separatrix, in the pedestal edge region may affect L–H–L mode transition. The experimental basis of the proposed approach stems from the observation that transient impurity events (TIEs) are often associated with the presence of a shower of particles seen in the camera images and with strong optical emission. If the localised source of radiation is a number of heated or ablated large dust particles, then the questions addressed here are: how far will the ablated dust material penetrate and what effect will this have on the edge of the pedestal in relevant JET D and in a high fusion yield D–T discharges. The methodology is based on the use of an upgraded version of the ballistic code DUSTTRACK and a new code PELLYTIX for dust ablation modelling. Considering a reasonable amount of dust released from the tiles, the analysis shows that the ablation-penetration depth is visible in the density profiles modification, but not disastrous for tokamak operation in high regimes.
Improved methodology for affordable, reliable deep building renovations
Authors: Orova M , Reith A
Published: September 2022

European Union energy efficiency goals put refurbishments in focus as the existing building stock takes a high share in the final energy consumption meanwhile current refurbishment rates are lower than expected. This research attempts to answer the question: How can renovation processes be improved to raise renovation rates? The methodology development process consisted of identifying the methodological background, the phases and steps of the renovation process and the validation strategies. As a result, five methodological phases were identified. Renovations start with the Feasibility phase where a simple financial and technical assessment is carried out. During the Preparation phase necessary information is collected which results in a calibrated simulation model that can support the design. In the Design phase the renovation options are developed and assessed together with a business plan for financing the implementation through renovation cycles. The renovation measures are carried out during the Implementation phase. In the Operation phase the performance of the refurbished building is monitored and improved. The developed methodology is expected to provide more affordable, reliable building renovations, which reduces the performance gap, the upfront investment and the disruption of user life by reducing overall time on site. This results in an increased investment efficiency leading to higher uptake of refurbishments.
Reducing peak load of renewable energy at district level with predictive twins
Authors: Borsboom W A , Mossallam B Eslami , der Linden R J P van
Published: September 2022

One of the major challenges in the energy transition of the built environment is how to integrate energy-producing neighbourhoods into the existing energy infrastructure. The aim is to avoid the peak load of local renewable energy by consuming it at district level as much as possible. The energy transition puts an increasing burden on the local energy grid, because of the increasing electrical load on the demand side by heat pumps and electrical vehicle charging, but also because of the increasing intermittent supply of energy through solar power and wind turbines. With a predictive twin, a digital representation at building and neighbourhood level, supply and demand can be better balanced, so more solar power is used locally and peak load is avoided. The predictive twin “SirinE”, developed by TNO, is a hybrid scalable model consisting of both a physical model for the building and installations, and an AI (Artificial Intelligence) model to describe the user behaviour. In the Horizon 2020 project syn.ikia, we are deploying this predictive twin in a model predictive controller (MPC) to use a temporary excess capacity of on-site solar energy as efficiently as possible. In this paper we present the model structure and the first simulation results for the energy prediction needed for the MPC.
Fostering deep renovation and unburdening homeowners through digital platforms
Authors: Greco Angela , Olivadese Rosamaria
Published: September 2022

The customer journey of private homeowners towards deep renovation poses several challenges resulting in users not implementing energy efficiency measures. The conversion rate from orientation to implementation needs to increase and the whole renovation process to accelerate. Platforms are seen as playing a key role in accelerating renovations, acting as intermediary between the customer and the providers, reducing the friction between demand and supply. In this paper, we provide an overview of roles and impacts of digital platforms accelerating sustainability in the Dutch built environment. We analysed the outlook of 64 existing (digital) platforms to study their role in the customers journey. Our findings suggest that platforms offering individual guidance in the orientation phase of the customer journey are more likely to witness homeowners choosing for one or multiple energy efficient interventions as opposed to collective initiatives.
Effects of energy-efficient renovation concepts on occupant behaviour and hence building performance
Authors: Spiekman M E , Boess S U , Santin O Guerra , Rovers T J H , Nelis N
Published: September 2022

Dwellings and systems are becoming ever more complex. In achieving high energy performances, the interaction among user, building and systems plays an increasingly crucial role. We studied this interaction in 16 recently renovated low-energy dwellings, to advance the field in terms of methods, and to derive pointers for improved renovation concepts. We used sensors to monitor the indoor environment. And we further developed a method that uses questionnaires, diaries and a so-called 'walk through the house' interview technique to gain insights into occupant behaviour and the reasons for the occupants’ behaviours. The results show that the observed behaviour was almost always a normal response to the situation, but often not the behaviour that was expected when designing the renovation concept. A major reason for this was the occupants’ efforts to reduce discomfort, which was often the result of the renovation solution itself (for example draught, noise or a warm bedroom). So, we found that behaviour was often a quite normal reaction to the renovation solution. We conclude that the resulting underperformances of renovation concepts are caused by technology centred design. We posit that this can be improved by testing renovation concepts in real world situations.
Review on shallow geothermal promoting energy efficiency of existing buildings in Europe
Authors: Liu Zhengxuan , K.Qian Queena , Visscher Henk , Zhang Guoqiang
Published: September 2022

The energy-saving renovation of existing buildings has been attracted sufficient attention to reduce fossil fuels and mitigate global warming in Europe. The shallow geothermal for building cooling and heating, as an environmentally-friendly and cost-effective alternative, has been widely explored to promote energy efficiency of existing buildings. However, few studies conduct the comprehensive overview on the applications, developments, and existing issues of shallow geothermal promoting energy efficiency of existing buildings (SGPEEEB) in Europe. The objective of this paper is to review the current application status and future trends of SGPEEEB in Europe. First, the common utilization forms and classifications of used shallow geothermal technologies are introduced to further clarify the investigated subject. Then, the research and application status of SGPEEEB has also analyzed and discussed. At last, this study proposes the future trends and comments of SGPEEEB in Europe.
Development and monitoring of the MEED high efficient shower heat recovery unit
Authors: Jacobs Piet , Kemp Richard , Vijlbrief Olav
Published: September 2022

In well isolated dwellings especially with multiple residents domestic hot water (DHW) accounts often for more than 50% of the energy consumption.Currently there exist shower heat recovery units which recover 40 - 70 percent of the heat in the shower water. This efficiency can drop due to fouling of the heat exchanger, which is often not accessible. Further this is a component efficiency. The system efficiency also depends on the cooling down of the shower water due to evaporation and conduction losses to wall and floor tiles. During renovation it is often practically only possible to preheat the cold water port of the thermostat with the shower heat recovery unit. The cold water feed to the boiler would then not be preheated. In apartments it is not possible to install the highly efficient pipe-in-pipe heat exchangers as they have to be installed on the floor below the bathroom. Which only leaves shower tray heat recovery units which are in the lower range of the mentioned efficiency. In practice therefore during renovation shower heat recovery is not often applied.To address these problems a new patented concept for shower heat recovery has been developed. The Multi Energy Efficient Shower cabin (MEED) involves an insulated shower cabin (tray and walls) which is closed to minimize evaporation losses. The hot shower water is pumped up and flows over an integrated helix heat exchanger. This heat exchanger is able to extract 82% of the heat and is accessible for cleaning. In the shower cabin also an electrical 10 liter 6 kW boiler is integrated, so all cold water is preheated and directly hot water is provided which minimalizes pipeline losses. The MEED has enough capacity to shower endlessly. The MEED has been installed in existing social rental housing, private housing and in hotels. First monitoring results indicate a system efficiency of more than 70%. Aside the shower the MEED is able to provide all DHW, which makes a storage vessel superfluous. This is provides important space gain in smaller dwellings.
Novel ATES triplet system for autarkic space heating and cooling
Authors: Bloemendal M. , van Esch M.S. , Vardon P.J. , Pape J.J. , Hartog N.
Published: September 2022

Governments and companies have set high targets in avoiding CO2 emissions and reducing energy. Aquifer Thermal Energy Storage (ATES) systems can contribute by overcoming the temporal mismatch between the availability of sustainable heat (during summer) and the demand for heat (during winter). Therefore, ATES is an increasingly popular technique; currently over 3000 low temperature ATES systems are operational in the Netherlands. Low-temperature ATES systems use heat pumps to allow the stored heat to be supplied at the required temperature for heating (usually around 40-50°C) and for cooling in summer. Although on average a conventional low-temperature ATES system produces 3-4 times lower CO2 emissions when compared to gas heating, the heat pumps still require substantial amounts of external electricity, causing over 60% of the remaining primary energy use. In the ATES triplet system, the temperatures in the hot and cold wells of an ATES system are increased and decreased respectively to match the required delivery temperatures and a third well is added at an intermediate temperature. With this strategy, other sources of sustainable heat and cooling capacity can supply the subsurface close to the temperatures required in the hot and the cold well. However, the return temperatures from the building systems do not conform with either of the hot or cold wells and an additional well is used to store water at the return temperature. Additional components are then required to supply the hot and cold wells (from the third well) by increasing the temperature in summer (e.g. solar collectors) and decreasing it in winter (e.g. dry coolers). In this study the feasibility of this concept is evaluated. Simulations and an economical evaluation show significant potential for triplet ATES with economic performance better than conventional ATES while the CO2 emissions are reduced by a factor of ten. As the temperature differences are larger, the volume of groundwater required to be pumped is considerably lowered, causing an additional energy saving. Ongoing research focusses on analysing the energy balance and energy loss in the subsurface, well design requirements, working/operational conditions of each well, as well as the integration of building system components, such as the influence of weather conditions on performance of system components.
Decentralized ventilation unit for window frame integration
Authors: Davidsson H , Johansson D , Chowdary S K
Published: September 2022

Swedish National Board of Housing, Building and Planning reported in “Energi i bebyggelsen” that 80 % of the detached houses in Sweden were under-ventilated, and had a flow of 0.23 l/(s·m2) on average instead of, by the code, required 0,35 l/(s·m2). Well known concerns here are lacking indoor environmental quality and a risk of moisture problems in certain rooms and in the envelope. The naturally ventilated houses have a higher airflow at low outdoor temperatures which increases the energy use for heating. Adding proper ventilation to all Swedish detached houses could according to Besmå’s pre-study “Potential för energieffektivisering i småhus (2019)” increase the annual energy need by 5.5 TWh. Many of these use electric heating resulting in a heavy pressure on the electricity production and distribution. One way to solve this problem is to install mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. Installing such system in older houses is however often costly and often carries technical and practical problems. Ducts must be installed in every room in the building, requiring space which often leads to reconstruction of walls and ceilings. Another way to solve this is reinforce the existing ventilation in the house with a decentralised ventilation unit with heat recovery. The technical solution is to mount several smaller ventilation unit with heat recovery in the building skin in order to ventilate individual rooms. The solution does not require any ducts to be installed. This simplifies the installation and reduces the maintenance. In this report we study a decentralised ventilation unit with heat recovery intended to be installed in window frame to lower the cost of the combination of ventilation and window renovation. In this report we measure draft, short-circuiting between inlet and outlet air, air mixing in the room, noise and heat recovery efficiency of the ventilation unit. The results show that no draft and no short-circuit occurs and that the mixing of the air in the room is high and an efficiency of the heat recovery of approximately 70 %.
Energy users’ social drivers to transition from natural gas: a Dutch municipality case study
Authors: Hajarini M S , Zuiderwijk A M G , Diran D D D , Chappin E J L
Published: September 2022

Dutch municipalities have a vital role in creating policy concerning natural gas replacement with sustainable sources in the built environment by 2050, i.e., the so-called heat transition. Over the years, information provision from research and consultants to municipal policymaking in the heat transition has covered mainly the techno-economic dimension. However, a gap remains in the social information provision which enables more comprehensive and inclusive decision-making. This study answers the following research question: What social aspects do municipal policymakers need to consider in municipal heat transition policymaking? We first conducted a systematic literature review concerning energy users’ social drivers to transition from natural gas. Second, we conducted a single case study on the policymaking process of heat transition projects in the municipality of Zoetermeer in the Netherlands. The case study involved heat transition actors with various roles in municipal decision-making, including municipal policymakers, researchers, corporations and citizens. Then we developed a framework of the social drivers of energy users to transition from natural gas. Finally, this framework was enriched in an ex-ante evaluation in a semi-structured workshop. Our study shows that energy users’ social drivers can be categorized as behavioural belief, normative belief, and control belief. These social drivers combined with the techno-economic aspects shape the energy users’ participation in the heat transformation.
Home energy renovation: UK owner-occupied householder uncertainties, information and data needs
Authors: Simpson Kate , Cockbill Stuart , Childs Peter
Published: September 2022

Homes must become low energy, resilient to climate change and provide comfort for households, as part of the European renovation wave. Renovation involves millions of decisions and actions. Owner-occupied households are a key group of decision-makers, but with conflicting demands on their time and finances. Householders collect information from multiple sources. However, previous research has found that the detail of available information and data on renovation is difficult to find. Therefore, this paper aims to identify householder uncertainties and related information and data needs, to support early-stage energy renovation decision-making. Co-design has been found to be beneficial in designing energy demand reduction strategies, leading to meaningful outcomes for householders, however, it was found to lead to further information requirements. The open virtual information exchange reported here, inspired by co-design and virtual workshop approaches, was effective in identifying uncertainties and gathering feedback on information types and data to address them. Householders’ require trusted specialists to visit the home in-person. The information identified could be shared via trials at renovation information hubs, potentially using digital apps to connect renovation opportunity, householders’ and trusted practitioners. There is much householder uncertainty around housing renovation and more work is needed to move able-to-pay householders from renovation planning to renovation in practice.
Sustainability assessment of waterproof membranes for radon mitigation in buildings
Authors: Felicioni Licia , Jiránek Martin , Lupíšek Antonín
Published: September 2022

Gas radon is the main source of ionising radiation for humans and the second cause of lung cancer, just after smoking. Radon is present in the ground, and its concentration differs soil by soil according to the permeability and the mineral composition. Since radon mainly penetrates a building through cracks and fractures at the foundation level, it is necessary to focus on that area. The problem of high radon indoors concentration is present largely in Europe and in those countries where the heating indoors is privileged since there is a high-temperature difference between outdoors and indoors in winter. The waterproof membranes placed continuously in the structures that are in contact with the soil are one of the cheapest and easy-to-install radon mitigation solutions. Membrane-based measures, like all remedial measures, represent operational and embodied environmental impacts; the lasts were more or less ignored so far. Still, as buildings are becoming energy-efficient and should ensure a high level of indoor comfort, the environmental impacts of these membranes are recognised as being noteworthy and shall be methodically examined. The paper aims to assess the contribution of embodied impacts of five macro-categories of membranes that could be installed to protect buildings against radon. The embodied impacts are calculated for the A1-A3 LCA stages and compared against each other in relation to one square meter and the radon resistance.
Innovation opportunities from made-to-order gypsum boards in renovation projects: a case study in Denmark
Authors: Nussholz Julia , Toca Pérez Cristina , Salling Stephanie , Søgaard Jørgensen Michael , Wandahl Søren
Published: September 2022

To reduce embodied emissions and waste in renovation projects, new resource efficient and low waste construction processes are needed. One possible solution to reduce waste at the construction can be made-to-order (MTO) customisation of standard products that are delivered in the right size and quantity. A key construction process in renovation projects is the installation of gypsum for partition wall construction. Today, gypsum boards are cut to the right size at the construction site, resulting in 15-30% of waste. In several countries, pilots for delivering MTO gypsum boards in the right length for the building dimension have shown significant potential to reduce waste and increase productivity. This study aims to help the material manufacturer Saint-Gobain Denmark explore innovation opportunities from MTO gypsum boards for the Danish market. Work sampling at a renovation project is conducted to identify the activities of the current installation process and potential time savings from MTO. Interviews are used to identify actors and their roles in the current value chain for partition wall construction in Denmark and possible scenarios to offer MTO. Results show that a rise in the production time from 31% to 36% could be achieved by avoiding measuring and cutting of boards at the construction side. Two value chain scenarios for delivering MTO in the Danish market are presented. Based on the results, potential drivers and barriers for MTO in the Danish market are discussed.
Development and application of a novel AR-tool being used in energy renovations
Authors: Jalilzadehazhari Elaheh , Kurkinen Eva-Lotta
Published: September 2022

The majority of the buildings in Sweden were constructed before national energy codes became effective. Although performing energy renovations and/or energy-related maintenances can significantly improve the energy performance of these buildings, the energy renovation rate is very low in Sweden. The low energy renovation rate is associated with various challenges including lack of technical drawings to specify the position of hidden objects and lack of information about material specifications. An augmented reality (AR) tool was therefore developed to not only locate the position of hidden objects but also create IFC files being used by BIM management systems. The tool was later applied in real practice to evaluate its effectiveness in detecting hidden objects. The analyses of results showed that the application of the AR tool in energy renovations and/or energy efficiency-related maintenances can be beneficial as it could successfully locate hidden objects. However, the application of the AR-tool had different limitations related to the sensitivity of sensors in detecting hidden objects, connections between the software programs and hardware devices to integrate the digital information into the real-life environment, and finally time required for setting up the AR tool.
Environmental lifecycle impact assessment for CULTURAL-E climate and cultural based solution sets
Authors: Bari R Di , Jorgji O , Turrin F , Pinotti R , Pozza C
Published: September 2022

The situation reported from the Global Status Report 2021 and the now war-related risks urge the application of measures for decreasing emissions and energy consumption, aiming carbon neutrality by 2050. Smart solutions for decreasing energy consumption are researched and implemented in the context of energy efficient buildings and Plus Energy Houses (PEHs). As PEHs gained an increasing consideration for the challenge of energy consumption reduction, their design produced a multitude of solutions. In such a multitude, an optimum is defined by accounting and comparing the performance offered by provided technologies and the actual technical requirements. The latter can be affected by the geographical/climate context as well as the user behaviour and socio-cultural aspects. This objective has been addressed in the CULTURAL-E research framework. Furthermore, in compliance with the current climate targets, this framework attributes a central role to the environmental performance of systems designed for PEHs. In this work, environmental impacts’ investigations of solution sets for PEHs are provided according to the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The developed bottom-up approach provides lifecycle information hierarchically on three levels (component, solution sets and PEH), while information of operation energy is derived through building energy simulations and average user-related energy usage. The selected 8 case studies are drawn from the CULTURAL-E research and include solution sets tailored for climate and socio-cultural clusters. Innovative technological components as well as conventional technologies are included. Based on such analyses, an environmental (CO2) payback periods have been estimated, i.e., the time required to recoup the total expended embodied CO2 through building operation carbon positivity. Results identified potentials for climate mitigation and different performance levels of the implemented technologies and photovoltaics systems, especially for countries in which a faster shift to renewable energy sources is needed for meeting the 2050’s environmental targets.
Racial Disparities in Pulse Oximeter Device Inaccuracy and Estimated Clinical Impact on COVID-19 Treatment Course
Authors: Sudat Sylvia E K , Wesson Paul , Rhoads Kim F , Brown Stephanie , Aboelata Noha , Pressman Alice R , Mani Aravind , Azar Kristen M J
Published: September 2022

Arterial blood oxygen saturation as measured by pulse oximetry (peripheral oxygen saturation (SpO2)) may be differentially less accurate for people with darker skin pigmentation, which could potentially affect the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) treatment. We analyzed pulse oximeter accuracy and its association with COVID-19 treatment outcomes using electronic health record data from Sutter Health, a large, mixed-payer, integrated health-care delivery system in Northern California. We analyzed 2 cohorts: 1) 43,753 non-Hispanic White (NHW) or non-Hispanic Black/African-American (NHB) adults with concurrent arterial blood gas oxygen saturation/SpO2 measurements taken between January 2020 and February 2021; and 2) 8,735 adults who went to a hospital emergency department with COVID-19 between July 2020 and February 2021. Pulse oximetry systematically overestimated blood oxygenation by 1% more in NHB individuals than in NHW individuals. For people with COVID-19, this was associated with lower admission probability (−3.1 percentage points), dexamethasone treatment (−3.1 percentage points), and supplemental oxygen treatment (−4.5 percentage points), as well as increased time to treatment: 37.2 minutes before dexamethasone initiation and 278.5 minutes before initiation of supplemental oxygen. These results call for additional investigation of pulse oximeters and suggest that current guidelines for development, testing, and calibration of these devices should be revisited, investigated, and revised.
Relationship Between Alcohol Co-Ingestion and Clinical Outcome in Pesticide Self-Poisoning: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Dhanarisi Jeevan , Perera Sriyani , Wijerathna Thilini , Gawarammana Indika , Shihana Fathima , Pathiraja Vindya , Eddleston Michael , Mohamed Fahim
Published: September 2022

Aim

Alcohol is a commonly co-ingested compound during self-poisoning with pesticides. Clinical experiences suggest alcohol co-ingestion (or withdrawal) makes patient management more difficult after self-poisoning and may contribute to poor clinical outcomes. We aimed to systematically review the world literature to explore the relationship between alcohol co-ingestion and outcome in pesticide self-poisoning.

Methods

We searched 13 electronic databases and Google scholar, conducted citation searching and a review of reference lists to find studies which investigated the relationship of alcohol with clinical outcome of pesticide self-poisoning in different countries. Thirteen studies, including 11 case series/reports and two cohort studies were considered for inclusion.

Results

Meta-analysis showed that alcohol co-ingestion in pesticide self-poisoning was associated with increased risk of death [odds ratio (OR) 4.9, 95% confidence interval (CI) 2.9–8.2 P<0.0001] and that alcohol co-ingested group required intubation eight times more often than non-co-ingested group in organophosphorus insecticide self-poisoning (OR 8.0, 95% CI 4.9–13.0 P<0.0001). Cases who co-ingested alcohol were older than non-alcohol group in two studies. One cohort study demonstrated that alcohol co-ingestion was associated with larger pesticide ingestions but did not itself affect the outcome.

Conclusions

This systematic review indicates that alcohol co-ingestion may worsen clinical outcome in pesticide self-poisoning.
The combined impact of testosterone and Western-style diet on endometriosis severity and progression in rhesus macaques
Authors: Bishop Cecily V , Takahashi Diana L , Luo Fangzhou , Sidener Heather , Martin Lauren Drew , Gao Lina , Fei Suzanne S , Hennebold Jon D , Slayden Ov D
Published: September 2022

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is associated with irregular menstrual cycles, hyperandrogenemia, and obesity. It is currently accepted that women with PCOS are also at risk for endometriosis, but the effect of androgen and obesity on endometriosis has been underexplored. The goal of this study was to determine how testosterone (T) and an obesogenic diet impact the progression of endometriosis in a nonhuman primate (NHP) model. Female rhesus macaques were treated with T (serum levels approximately 1.35 ng/ml), Western-style diet (WSD; 36% of calories from fat compared to 16% in standard monkey chow) or the combination (T + WSD) at the time of menarche as part of a longitudinal study for ~7 years. Severity of endometriosis was determined based on American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) revised criteria, and staged 1–4. Stages 1 and 2 were associated with extent of abdominal adhesions, while stages 3 and 4 were associated with presence of chocolate cysts. The combined treatment of T + WSD resulted in earlier onset of endometriosis and more severe types associated with large chocolate cysts compared to all other treatments. There was a strong correlation between glucose clearance, homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and total percentage of body fat with presence of cysts, indicating possible indirect contribution of hyperandrogenemia via metabolic dysfunction. An RNA-seq analysis of omental adipose tissue revealed significant impacts on a number of inflammatory signaling pathways. The interactions between obesity, hyperandrogenemia, and abdominal inflammation deserve additional investigation in NHP model species.
Placental ion channels: potential target of chemical exposure
Authors: Zhao Yi , Pasanen Markku , Rysä Jaana
Published: September 2022

The placenta is an important organ for the exchange of substances between the fetus and the mother, hormone secretion, and fetoplacental immunological defense. Placenta has an organ-specific distribution of ion channels and trophoblasts, and placental vessels express a large number of ion channels. Several placental housekeeping activities and pregnancy complications are at least partly controlled by ion channels, which are playing an important role in regulating hormone secretion, trophoblastic homeostasis, ion transport, and vasomotor activity. The function of several placental ion channels (Na, Ca, and Cl ion channels, cation channel, nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, and aquaporin-1) is known to be influenced by chemical exposure, i.e., their responses to different chemicals have been tested and confirmed in experimental models. Here, we review the possibility that placental ion channels are targets of toxicological concern in terms of placental function, fetal growth, and development.
Leveraging Serosurveillance and Postmortem Surveillance to Quantify the Impact of Coronavirus Disease 2019 in Africa
Authors: Kogan Nicole E , Gantt Shae , Swerdlow David , Viboud Cécile , Semakula Muhammed , Lipsitch Marc , Santillana Mauricio
Published: September 2022

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a devastating impact on global health, the magnitude of which appears to differ intercontinentally: For example, reports suggest that 271 900 per million people have been infected in Europe versus 8800 per million people in Africa. While Africa is the second-largest continent by population, its reported COVID-19 cases comprise <3% of global cases. Although social and environmental explanations have been proposed to clarify this discrepancy, systematic underascertainment of infections may be equally responsible.

Methods

We sought to quantify magnitudes of underascertainment in COVID-19's cumulative incidence in Africa. Using serosurveillance and postmortem surveillance, we constructed multiplicative factors estimating ratios of true infections to reported cases in Africa since March 2020.

Results

Multiplicative factors derived from serology data (subset of 12 nations) suggested a range of COVID-19 reporting rates, from 1 in 2 infections reported in Cape Verde (July 2020) to 1 in 3795 infections reported in Malawi (June 2020). A similar set of multiplicative factors for all nations derived from postmortem data points toward the same conclusion: Reported COVID-19 cases are unrepresentative of true infections, suggesting that a key reason for low case burden in many African nations is significant underdetection and underreporting.

Conclusions

While estimating the exact burden of COVID-19 is challenging, the multiplicative factors we present furnish incidence estimates reflecting likely-to-worst-case ranges of infection. Our results stress the need for expansive surveillance to allocate resources in areas experiencing discrepancies between reported cases, projected infections, and deaths.
Analysis of postoperative weight loss associated with prognosis after lobectomy for lung cancer
Authors: Nakada Takeo , Tsukamoto Yo , Kato Daiki , Shibazaki Takamasa , Yabe Mitsuo , Hirano Jun , Ohtsuka Takashi
Published: September 2022

OBJECTIVES

Weight assessment is an easy-to-understand method of health checkup. The present study investigated the association between weight loss (WL) after lung cancer (LC) surgery and short–mid-term prognosis.

METHODS

The data of patients who underwent radical lobectomy for primary LC were assessed between December 2017 and June 2021. Percentage weight gain or loss was determined at 3, 6 and 12 months postoperatively based on preoperative weight. The timing of decreased weight was divided into 0–3, 3–6 and 6–12 months. We also evaluated the relationship between severe WL (SWL) and prognosis.

RESULTS

We reviewed 269 patients, of whom 187 (69.5%) showed WL within 1 year after surgery. The interquartile range for maximal WL was 2.0–8.2% (median 4.0%). Furthermore, we defined SWL as WL ≥8%. Twenty-five patients (9.3%) died: 9 from primary LC and 16 from non-LC causes. Cancer recurrences occurred in 45 patients (16.7%). WL occurred from 6 to 12 months postoperatively was associated with poor overall survival and recurrence-free survival (P < 0.05, both). Body mass index <18.5 kg/m2 and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis were predictive factors (P < 0.05, all). In the SWL group, overall survival, recurrence-free survival and non-cancer-specific were worse (P = 0.001, 0.005 and 0.019, respectively). Age ≥70 years and severe postoperative complications were predictive factors for SWL (P < 0.05, all).

CONCLUSIONS

WL from 6 to 12 months postoperatively and SWL were associated with poor prognosis. Ongoing nutritional management is important to prevent life-threatening WL in patients with predictive factors.
Right tracheal sleeve pneumonectomy for complex pulmonary aspergilloma in a patient with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma
Authors: Verzeletti Vincenzo , Dell’Amore Andrea , Busetto Alberto , Rea Federico
Published: September 2022

Tracheal sleeve pneumonectomy consists of en bloc resection of the lung, main bronchus plus a section of the carina and its subsequent anastomosis with the remaining main-stem bronchus. We present the unique case of a 56-year-old patient, who underwent tracheal sleeve pneumonectomy for a complex pulmonary aspergilloma invading almost the entire right lung up to the carina.