Energy Performance of Switchable Windows and Shading Systems for Buildings

Buildings are responsible for 28% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions as well as of 40% of the total energy consumption. For the US building sector, heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems contribute more than 40% of the entire energy consumed within buildings, which accounts for 70% of the total US electricity demand. Meanwhile, building envelope elements plays an essential role in the HVAC loads. In particular, windows are estimated to have the highest potential to improve the overall energy performance of building shell due to their significant thermal interactions with the outdoor environment. Indeed, windows have the lowest thermal resistance among all building envelope systems with an average U-value typically five to eight times higher than that for opaque walls even for high performance buildings designed to meet stringent energy efficiency codes. This research work aims at investigating the energy efficiency and demand response benefits of a novel switchable insulated shading system applied to windows. Specifically, the main studied technology is including switchable transparent shades applied to smart windows as well as dynamic opaque shades applied to conventional windows to minimize heating and cooling thermal loads while maintaining indoor thermal comfort. Indeed, switchable insulating shades can be controlled to vary dynamically their U-values. This technology is assessed experimentally using a prototype tested in laboratory conditions as well as numerically through detailed simulation environments. Moreover, switchable insulated shades are applied to both residential and commercial buildings using 2-step rule-based sets and optimal control strategies.</p

Kinetic Study of the Hydrolysis of synthesized Ibuprofen Ester and its Biological Activity

It is known that the oral administration of ibuprofen caused an irritation of stomach as a side effect due to its carboxylic moiety. Ibuprofen ester was synthesized by linking the carboxylic moiety of ibuprofen and the hydroxylic group of paracetamol to reduce its side effect. Study the kinetic hydrolysis of prepared ester was examined at different values of physiological pH (1.0, 5.8, 6.4 and 7.4) at 37 ± 0.1 of 1 hour period. Measurements of absorbance were carried out by UV-Visible spectrophotometer to follow the stability of ester, it showed Pseudo first order hydrolysis. The pH- apparent rate profiles of ester was exhibited a good stability at pH 1.0 and pH 5.8. Pharmacological activity in vivo of prepared ester was evaluated in relation to analgesic and anti-inflammatory activity using the acetic acid method and the hind paw oedema inhibition, respectively. Acetyl salicylic acid (aspirin) was used as a reference drug for the above tests. The synthesized ester showed higher analgesic and anti-inflammatory action than aspirin

Edible Utilization of Xanthan- guar Oleogels as a Shortening Replacement in Sponge Cake: Physicochemical Properties

The present study aims at using xanthan and guar gums in producing and application of oleogels (Ole-XG) as an alternative to shortenings on quality properties of sponge cake (Oleo-cake). The influence of xanthan and guar gums on rheological, thermal and structure properties and fatty acid compositions of the oleogels was evaluated. Results showed that application of xanthan and guar gums oleogels has no effect on the amount and type of fatty acids. The use of guar gum in xanthan solution with short spacing peaks can show higher intensity than with long spacing peaks. They enhanced both elastic modulus and viscous moduli and the strain-thinning behaviour for storage modulus in high strain amplitudes. &nbsp;&nbsp;As substitution of shortening with oleogels is increased to 75%, firmness, cohesiveness and chewiness of cake samples were decreased. Results showed that substituting the shortening with oleogels increased L* and a* colour values. Sensory analysis showed that substituting the shortening with oleogels up to 75% increased overall acceptability of cakes

Optimal Control Strategies for Switchable Transparent Insulation Systems Applied to Smart Windows for US Residential Buildings

This paper evaluates the potential energy use and peak demand savings associated with optimal controls of switchable transparent insulation systems (STIS) applied to smart windows for US residential buildings. The optimal controls are developed based on Genetic Algorithm (GA) to identify the automatic settings of the dynamic shades. First, switchable insulation systems and their operation mechanisms are briefly described when combined with smart windows. Then, the GA-based optimization approach is outlined to operate switchable insulation systems applied to windows for a prototypical US residential building. The optimized controls are implemented to reduce heating and cooling energy end-uses for a house located four US locations, during three representative days of swing, summer, and winter seasons. The performance of optimal controller is compared to that obtained using simplified rule-based control sets to operate the dynamic insulation systems. The analysis results indicate that optimized controls of STISs can save up to 81.8% in daily thermal loads compared to the simplified rule-set especially when dwellings are located in hot climates such as that of Phoenix, AZ. Moreover, optimally controlled STISs can reduce electrical peak demand by up to 49.8% compared to the simplified rule-set, indicating significant energy efficiency and demand response potentials of the SIS technology when applied to US residential buildings. &nbsp;</p

Lightweight log-monitoring-based mitigation tool against WLAN attacks

Wireless network attacks are some of the most common network security threats dealt with daily. Their ease of execution and effectiveness make them commonplace within most public networks. The goal of this paper is to develop a tool which provides defenses against these attacks, one which can also generate the attacks to test its own effectiveness in defending against them. The research involved the design, testing, and implementation of attacks/defenses tool, which benefits from a user-friendly user interface that simplifies the testing process. The attacks were generated using existing tools, linked to one central interface. The defense methodology was script-based and created entirely from scratch. It was also linked to a single interface which continuously monitors logs to detect and prevent attacks in an efficient timely manner. The results showed that the proposed defenses to the studied wireless attacks were effective at mitigation, or outright prevention. They were also more lightweight than existing solutions, making them more appealing for less powerful hardware

Mechanical Circulatory Support in High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Intervention

The use of mechanical circulatory devices to support high-risk elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) has become more common as the group of patients considered inoperable or high risk for surgical revascularization has grown. Most of the data examining outcomes in high-risk PCI are observational and retrospective. Limited prospective randomized studies have been unable to show improved clinical outcomes with routine mechanical circulatory support (MCS) in patients with a high burden of coronary artery disease and reduced ejection fraction. The role for MCS in high-risk PCI continues to evolve as understanding of the appropriate groups for this therapy evolves

Circulating serum preptin levels in women with polycystic ovary syndrome: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent endocrine disorder with complex pathogenesis and metabolic complications, such as insulin resistance. Among the new markers, preptin seems to play a significant role in metabolic disorders. Objective: This meta-analysis was conducted to determine the relationship between circulating preptin levels and PCOS. Materials and Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to identify relevant articles in electronic databases such as PubMed, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane, EMBASE, and the Google Scholar search engine, using a predefined search strategy. A random-effects model was used to combine standard mean difference (SMD) and 95% CI to compare results between groups. Metaregression and subgroup analysis were also performed to reveal the sources of heterogeneity. Results: The meta-analysis encompassed a total of 8 studies and 582 participants. The results indicate a statistically significant association between PCOS and serum preptin levels, with a pooled standardized mean difference (SMD = 1.35; 95% CI: 0.63- 2.08; p &lt; 0.001). Further analysis suggested a significant difference in serum preptin levels between women with PCOS and higher homeostatic model assessment for insulin resistance ratio (SMD = 2.40; 95% [CI]: 1.17-3.63; p &lt; 0.001) within the subgroup. Conclusion: Our meta-analysis shows that increased serum preptin levels are associated with PCOS, suggesting that preptin may be related to the pathogenesis of PCOS and may be recognized as a novel diagnostic biomarker for PCOS. However, further studies are needed to confirm our results. Key words: Polycystic ovary syndrome, Proinsulin-like growth factor II, Preptin, Meta-analysis

An Approach for Integrating the Prioritization of Functional and Nonfunctional Requirements

Due to the budgetary deadlines and time to market constraints, it is essential to prioritize software requirements. The outcome of requirements prioritization is an ordering of requirements which need to be considered first during the software development process. To achieve a high quality software system, both functional and nonfunctional requirements must be taken into consideration during the prioritization process. Although several requirements prioritization methods have been proposed so far, no particular method or approach is presented to consider both functional and nonfunctional requirements during the prioritization stage. In this paper, we propose an approach which aims to integrate the process of prioritizing functional and nonfunctional requirements. The outcome of applying the proposed approach produces two separate prioritized lists of functional and non-functional requirements. The effectiveness of the proposed approach has been evaluated through an empirical experiment aimed at comparing the approach with the two state-of-the-art-based approaches, analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and hybrid assessment method (HAM). Results show that our proposed approach outperforms AHP and HAM in terms of actual time-consumption while preserving the quality of the results obtained by our proposed approach at a high level of agreement in comparison with the results produced by the other two approaches