Introduction: Mechanisms facilitating mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV have not been elucidated. Small quantities of blood pass from mother to infant during childbirth, termed 'microtransfusion'; this is one possible mechanism for HIV entry into the infant's circulation. HIV-specific cellular immune responses have been detected in some uninfected infants born to HIV-infected women, indicating transient virus exposure or replication in these infants. Both microtransfusion and HIV-specific immune responses in infants born to HIV-infected women has not previously been investigated. Methods: 46 uninfected infants born to HIV-infected women were included in this study. Infants were grouped according to interventions utilised by the mother: none or antiretroviral therapy (ART; group A, n = 16), ART with elective caesarean section (elCS; group B, n = 12), highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) only (group C, n = 7), and HAART with elCS (group D, n = 11). HLA-A and -B alleles were typed for all mother-baby pairs to identify the non-inherited maternal allele (NIMA). Microtransfusion was detected using flow cytometry or by qPCR targeting the NIMA. HIV-specific immune responses were detected using 51Cr-release and IFN-?????? ELISpot assays. Results: Microtransfusion was detected in umbilical cord blood of 9 of 11 infants, and in peripheral blood of 4 of 11 infants up to 1 week old. One infant without detectable microtransfusion in umbilical cord blood had detectable maternal cells in peripheral blood. 8/46 infants had HIV-specific T cell responses, 5 were in group A, 2 in group B, and 1 in group C, while no infants in group D had detectable responses (p = 0.04). Blood samples from 2 of these 8 infants were also available for the analysis of microtransfusion. Microtransfused maternal cells were present in the umbilical cord blood of both infants. Conclusion: In this study, the number of infants with HIV-specific immune responses decreased with the use of MTCT interventions, indicating reduced exposure to HIV in these infants. This is the first study to demonstrate both microtransfusion and HIV-specific immune responses in uninfected infants. Microtransfusion may facilitate viral exposure, resulting in the development of potentially protective immune responses in infants born to HIV-infected women.

Introduction: Mechanisms facilitating mother-to-child transmission (MTCT) of HIV have not been elucidated. Small quantities of blood pass from mother to infant during childbirth, termed 'microtransfusion'; this is one possible mechanism for HIV entry into the infant's circulation. HIV-specific cellular immune responses have been detected in some uninfected infants born to HIV-infected women, indicating transient virus exposure or replication in these infants. Both microtransfusion and HIV-specific immune responses in infants born to HIV-infected women has not previously been investigated. Methods: 46 uninfected infants born to HIV-infected women were included in this study. Infants were grouped according to interventions utilised by the mother: none or antiretroviral therapy (ART; group A, n = 16), ART with elective caesarean section (elCS; group B, n = 12), highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) only (group C, n = 7), and HAART with elCS (group D, n = 11). HLA-A and -B alleles were typed for all mother-baby pairs to identify the non-inherited maternal allele (NIMA). Microtransfusion was detected using flow cytometry or by qPCR targeting the NIMA. HIV-specific immune responses were detected using 51Cr-release and IFN-?????? ELISpot assays. Results: Microtransfusion was detected in umbilical cord blood of 9 of 11 infants, and in peripheral blood of 4 of 11 infants up to 1 week old. One infant without detectable microtransfusion in umbilical cord blood had detectable maternal cells in peripheral blood. 8/46 infants had HIV-specific T cell responses, 5 were in group A, 2 in group B, and 1 in group C, while no infants in group D had detectable responses (p = 0.04). Blood samples from 2 of these 8 infants were also available for the analysis of microtransfusion. Microtransfused maternal cells were present in the umbilical cord blood of both infants. Conclusion: In this study, the number of infants with HIV-specific immune responses decreased with the use of MTCT interventions, indicating reduced exposure to HIV in these infants. This is the first study to demonstrate both microtransfusion and HIV-specific immune responses in uninfected infants. Microtransfusion may facilitate viral exposure, resulting in the development of potentially protective immune responses in infants born to HIV-infected women.

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It is common with significant differences between calculated and actual energy use in the building sector. These calculations are often performed with whole building energy simulation (BES) programs. In this process the analyst must make several assumptions about the studied building and its users. These calculations are often verified with measured data through the EUI benchmark indicator which is calculated by normalizing the annual energy use (from the grid) with the floor area. Due to the highly aggregated nature of the EUI indicator it is problematic to use this indicator to deduce erroneous assumptions in the calculations. Consequently, the learning process is often troublesome. Against this background, the main aim of this thesis has been to develop methods that can provide feedback (key building performance parameters) from measured data which can be used to increase simulation accuracy and verify building performance. For the latter, regression models have been widely used in the past for verifying energy use. This thesis has the focus on the use of regression analysis for accurate parameter identification to be used to increase the agreement between BES predictions and actual outcome. For this, a BES calibration method based on input from regressed parameters has been developed which has shown promising features in terms of accurate predictions and user friendliness. The calibration method is based on input from regressed estimations of air-to-air-transmission losses, including air leakage (heat loss factor) and ground heat loss. Since it is known that bias models still can give accurate predictions, these parameters have been evaluated in terms of robustness and agreement with independent calculations. In addition, a method has been developed to suppress the bias introduced in the regression due to solar gain. Finally, the importance of calibrated simulations was investigated. The regressed parameters were found to be robust with yearly variations in the heat loss factor of less than 2%. The regressed estimates of ground heat loss were also in good agreement with independent calculations. The robustness of the heat loss factor based on data from periods of substantial solar gain was also found to be high, with an average absolute deviation of 4.0%. The benefit with calibrated models was mainly found to be increased accuracy in predictions and parameters in absolute terms. With increased access to measured data and the promising results in this thesis it is believed that the presented regression models will have their place in future energy quantification methods for accessing energy performance of buildings. / Det är vanligt med betydande skillnader mellan beräknad och verklig energi användning inom byggnadssektorn. Dessa beräkningar utförs ofta med hjälp av byggnads energi simulerings (BES) program där användaren måste göra ett flertal antaganden om den aktuella byggnaden och dess brukare. Det beräknade resultatet kontrolleras ofta i ett senare skede mot byggnadens faktiska behov av energi från nätet. I denna kontroll är det dock svårt att särskilja den energimängd som byggnaden behöver och den del som är kopplad till brukaren. Detta gör att lärdomarna som kan dras i denna verifieringsprocess ofta blir begränsade. Mot denna bakgrund, har det huvudsakliga syftet med denna avhandling varit att utveckla metoder som kan användas för att extrahera information om byggnadens prestanda från mätdata. De extraherade parametrarna skall kunna användas för att öka noggrannheten i prediktioner från BES modeller och för att verifiera byggnaders prestanda. Regression analys har ofta använts i det senare fallet i avseendet att verifiera energi användning. Denna avhandling fokuserar på att utveckla regressionsmodeller som ger en hög noggrannhet i modellens parametrar som möjliggör att de bl.a. kan användas för att kalibrera BES modeller och på så sätt minska den vanligt förekommande diskrepans mellan simulerat och faktiskt utfall. En BES kalibrerings metodik har utvecklats baserat på skattning av transmissions förluster ovan mark, inklusive luftläckage (värmeförlust koefficient) samt värmeförlust till mark (G) med hjälp av regressionsanalys. Denna kalibrerings metodik uppvisar lovande egenskaper i form av noggranna prediktioner och användarvänlighet. Goda prediktioner är dock ingen garanti för att modellens ingående parametrar är fysikaliskt rimliga. Därför har regressionsmodellernas parametrar utvärderats i termer av robusthet och överensstämmelse med oberoende beräkningar. Dessutom har en metod utvecklats för att minimerar solens inverkan på regressionsskattningarna. Slutligen har vikten av kalibrerade simuleringar undersökts. Parametrarna i de framtagna regressionsmodellerna visade sig vara robusta, med årliga variationer i värmeförlust koefficient mindre än 2%. Ytterligare visade sig G var i god överensstämmelse med oberoende beräkningar. Robustheten i värmeförlustfaktorn baserad på data från perioder av betydande solstrålning konstaterades också att vara hög, med en genomsnittlig absolut avvikelse på 4.0%. Fördelen med kalibrerade modeller visade sig främst vara en ökad noggrannhet i prediktioner och modell parametrar i absoluta tal. Med ökad tillgång till mätdata och lovande resultat i denna avhandling är det författarens övertygelse att de presenterade regressionsmodellerna kommer att ha sin plats i framtida bedömnings metoder av byggnaders energiprestanda.

Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2008. / Includes abstract and vita. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 190-194).

Applied research project (D. Min.)--School of Theology and Missions, Oral Roberts University, 2008. / Includes abstract and vita. Translated from Korean. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 172-175).

abstract: The building sector is one of the main energy consumers within the USA. Energy demand by this sector continues to increase because new buildings are being constructed faster than older ones are retired. Increase in energy demand, in addition to a number of other factors such as the finite nature of fossil fuels, population growth, building impact on global climate change, and energy insecurity and independence has led to the increase in awareness towards conservation through the design of energy efficient buildings. Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB), a highly efficient building that produces as much renewable energy as it consumes annually, provides an effective solution to this global concern. The intent of this thesis is to investigate the relationship of an important factor that has a direct impact on NZEB: Floor / Area Ratio (FAR). Investigating this relationship will help to answer a very important question in establishing NZEB in hot-arid climates such as Phoenix, Arizona. The question this thesis presents is: “How big can a building be and still be Net Zero?” When does this concept start to flip and buildings become unable to generate the required renewable energy to achieve energy balance? The investigation process starts with the analysis of a local NZEB, DPR Construction Office, to evaluate the potential increase in building footprint and FAR with respect to the current annual Energy Use Intensity (EUI). Through the detailed analysis of the local NZEB, in addition to the knowledge gained through research, this thesis will offer an FAR calculator tool that can be used by design teams to help assess the net zero potential of their project. The tool analyzes a number of elements within the project such as total building footprint, available surface area for photovoltaic (PV) installation, outdoor circulation and landscape area, parking area and potential parking spots, potential building area in regards to FAR, number of floors based on the building footprint, FAR, required area for photovoltaic installation, photovoltaic system size, and annual energy production, in addition to the maximum potential FAR their project can reach and still be Net Zero. / Dissertation/Thesis / FAR CALCULATOR TOOL / Masters Thesis Built Environment 2016

Solar Orbiter is a mission launched in 2020 that will take images closer than ever of the Sun. It has ten instruments on board, including The Spectrometer/Telescope for Imaging X-rays (STIX) and The Extreme Ultraviolet Imager (EUI). STIX is a hard X-ray imaging spectrometer which observes bremsstrahlung from the non-thermal accelerated electrons in the footpoints of solar flares and from thermal hot plasma in flare loops. EUI consists of three telescopes, including a Full Sun Imager which is a one-mirror telescope that observes the solar corona and chromosphere in extreme ultraviolet (EUV) wavelengths 174Å and 304Å, respectively.   The purpose of the project was to determine the alignment between STIX and EUI to better understand and improve the pointing of STIX. It is important to know the accuracy of the pointing before using the instruments for science. The alignment was studied by looking at the flare location of the two instruments for about 30 flares. The flare location was approximated to be the brightest pixel in the image. The aspect solution of STIX was applied and this was also compared to the flare seen by EUI. For some of the flares, also imaging data from the Atmospheric Imaging Assembly (AIA) on board the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO) was used to get a more detailed comparison. One flare was studied in more detail, using thermal and non-thermal emission seen by STIX, EUV emission seen by EUI 174Å and AIA 171Å as well as UV emission seen by AIA 1600Å. For four flares, the flare location was determined from the visible ribbons and loops instead of the brightest pixel. The methods of finding the flare location by brightest pixel and by looking at flare features were compared.   The average difference between the EUI and STIX flare location was within 12 arcseconds with a standard deviation between 18 and 42 arcseconds for the brightest pixel method. This difference has two main contributions: the accuracy of the STIX aspect solutions and the accuracy of identifying the common source features in EUV and X-rays. To increase the accuracy of finding common sources, four flares with well defined ribbons and loops were analyzed in detail. For these events, the accuracy of the STIX aspect system was determined to be better than 10.5 arcseconds. This is still significantly higher than the design requirements of being better than 4 arcsecs. Detailed analysis clearly showed that the method of determining the flare location by brightest pixel was not accurate enough to evaluate the STIX pointing. Further studies need to be done to improve the aspect solution.

Being located in subtropical area, the weather in Taiwan is constantly hot and humid which imposes huge cooling load on buildings. Especially, the economic booms in Taiwan further boosted power demand, and worsened the power shortage situation. Dr. H.T. Lin and Dr. K.H. Yang had conducted systematic research since mid-1980s, which constructed a solid ground in this field in Taiwan. Among these results, the ENVLOAD index has become legal binding since 1997 while the PACS index is now under investigation. However, it is in short of analysis and full-scale experimental investigation on energy use of hotels in Taiwan. Therefore, the establishment of the EUI and DUI indexes in Taiwan is the goal of this study. A simplified calculation method has been established in analyzing the energy use and demand use of hotels in Taiwan, by normalizing experimental data from full-scale tests. The result can be drawn accurately based on a few terms, which are available from daily building operations such as occupancy, and is thus practically straightforward and easy to use. In addition, the accuracy was validated by experiments performed and data collected through information technology with Internet access in 4 different forms, which yielded successful results. It is anticipated that the calculation methodology developed in this study on EUI and DUI, and the experimental validation would provide a foundation for the establishment of hotel building energy codes in Taiwan in the future.

Designing architecture is related to producing vast amounts of information based on constraints, experience or common sense, and at the same time, those designs are assisted by specialized software, but, are the results of those processes giving you advantage or are they leading you in the wrong way? For example, should you include shading elements or less glazing? Should you change the shape of the building or improve envelope specifications? This research is a start to understand how to approach to design problems related to solar geometry, recognize which variables are worth modifying, reduce potential of error when iterating, and take truly advantage of the output delivered by modeling tools. / Master of Architecture