Affordable passive solar design in a temperate climate: An experiment in residential building orientation

Improved energy efficiency in new residential buildings is typically being sought across the developed world through changing requirements in building and/or planning regulations. Stringency is set to further increase significantly in attempts to meet climate change mitigation goals. However, new regulation is usually met with reticence from sectors of the building industry, one reason being the additional costs implied in meeting higher performance standards for more energy efficient buildings. One low cost option, investigated in this paper, is to orient buildings in order to maximise their passive solar benefits. Using a range of 81 different detached dwelling designs, a modelling experiment was conducted in order to assess the implications of orientation on modelled thermal energy efficiency. Design adaptability to orientation change was modelled across two scenarios; current building energy efficiency standards and pending improved energy efficiency standards. The effect of size and overall energy efficiency rating was included in consideration of variance across orientations. Results show that higher standards are easier to apply to smaller dwellings, and costs are lower. Also, higher performing designs are more flexible across different orientations, producing lower standard deviations of mean ratings. The findings indicate that passive solar design is a concept that can readily be incorporated into house plans at the design stage. Recommendations for further empirical research are also made.     

The effects of dietary α-tocopheryl acetate supplementation and modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) on the quality of lamb patties

Contributions to water retention capacity (% WRC) and texture changes were determined for pork by-products (lung lobes, kidneys), chicken viscera (head, feet and viscera) and mechanically separated chicken (MSC) as affected by pH and various salts in a high-moisture model system. The % WRC for meat by-products and MSC was increased by increased pH (4.5-6.8). Pork lungs and MSC had the highest % WRC (p<0.05) among the meat by-products. Meat by-product % WRC was not signifcantly (p>0.05) affected by salt (2%), phosphate (0.3%) or NaOH (0.075%). Chicken viscera had the lowest (p<0.05) mean texture measurements among the meat by-products and MSC. Strong negative correlations (p<0.05) were obtained for texture with total collagen, soluble collagen and high ionic strength soluble (HIS) proteins. These results should be considered for product quality changes when these by-products are used in formulation of high moisture pet food products.     

Expression of peptide YY in all four islet cell types in the developing mouse pancreas suggests a common peptide YY-producing progenitor

The islets of Langerhans contain four distinct endocrine cell types producing the hormones glucagon, insulin, somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide. These cell lineages are thought to arise from a common, multipotential progenitor cell whose identity has not been well established. The pancreatic and intestinal hormone, peptide YY, has been previously identified in glucagon-producing cells in islets; however, transgenic mice expressing Simian Virus 40 large T antigen under the control of the peptide YY gene expressed the oncoprotein in beta, delta and pancreatic polypeptide cells, and occasionally developed insulinomas, suggesting relationships between peptide YY-producing cells and several islet cell lineages. The four established pancreatic islet cell types were examined for coexpression of peptide YY in islets of normal and transgenic mice throughout development. Peptide YY immunoreactivity was identified in the earliest endocrine cells in the fetal pancreas and was coexpressed in each islet cell type during development. Peptide YY showed a high degree of co-localization with glucagon- and insulin-producing cells in early pancreatic development, but by adulthood, peptide YY was expressed in less than half of the alpha cells and was no longer expressed in beta cells. Peptide YY was also coexpressed with somatostatin and pancreatic polypeptide when these cell types first appeared, but most delta and pancreatic polypeptide cells continued to express peptide YY throughout development. The use of conditions that distinguish peptide YY from the related peptides, pancreatic polypeptide and neuropeptide Y, as well as the ability of the peptide YY gene to direct expression of a reporter gene in islets of transgenic mice, establishes expression of peptide YY in the earliest pancreatic endocrine cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Functional longevity of intraperioneal drains: an experimental evaluation

Various types of drains were inserted into the peritoneal cavity of twenty-eight dogs. After one to seven days, all drains failed to show the presence of 200 cc of colored fluid injected intraperitoneally. On autopsy, all tubes were surrounded and occluded by omentum.     

Upper extremity replantation: current concepts and patient selection

Dramatic advances in replantation and microsurgery have somewhat altered the criteria we use in selecting patients to be candidates for upper extremity replantation surgery. We suggest that contraindications for such replantation are: presence of associated life-threatening injuries; serious anesthetic risk; preexisting medical or psychiatric problems; previous injury or disease of the amputated part; warm ischemic time greater than 6-8 hours for extremities or greater than 10-12 hours for digits; and single-digit amputations (except thumb, for grasp). Replantation is feasible when: amputated part is properly preserved; injury type is sharp amputation, mild to moderate crush, or selected avulsion, and amputation is proximal to the DIP joint. Careful preservation of the amputated part, not in dry ice, is mandatory. On an individual basis, the decision to attempt replantation rests on the prediction that the patient may have better function with such surgery than with a prosthesis.     

Rutherford backscattering spectrometry and computer simulation for the in-depth analysis of chemically modified poly(vinylidene fluoride)

The alkaline treatment of poly(vinylidene fluoride) (PVdF), in the presence of phase transfer catalysts (PTCs) has been investigated. Rutherford backscattering spectrometry (RBS) has been used to determine the depth of modification achieved and to provide compositional depth profiles of modified PVdF samples. The complex chemical nature of the modified substrate, and the overlap of the elemental scattering edges within the depths involved (up to 1.4 m), create RBS spectra which are difficult to interpret. The DataFurnace software has been applied to the data, leading to excellent results. Defluorination and oxygenation of PVdF occurs on treatment with NaOH and PTC. Through the use of samples prepared with the aim of establishing the kinetics of the modification, a mechanism concerning elimination of fluorine followed by oxygenation, is shown to occur. The RBS analysis indicates that the kinetics of the defluorination reaction follows the Case 1 (Fickian) diffusion law, and that the depth of treatment is of the order of 1.4 m.