| 1. |
- Aktaa, Suleman, et al.
(författare)
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Data standards for transcatheter aortic valve implantation : the European Unified Registries for Heart Care Evaluation and Randomised Trials (EuroHeart).
- 2023
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Ingår i: European Heart Journal - Quality of Care and Clinical Outcomes. - : Oxford University Press. - 2058-5225 .- 2058-1742. ; 9:5, s. 529-536
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- AIMS: Standardized data definitions are necessary for the quantification of quality of care and patient outcomes in observational studies and randomised controlled trials (RCTs). The European Unified Registries for Heart Care Evaluation and Randomised Trials (EuroHeart) project of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) aims to create pan-European data standards for cardiovascular diseases and interventions, including transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI).METHODS AND RESULTS: We followed the EuroHeart methodology for cardiovascular data standard development. A Working Group of 29 members representing 12 countries was established and included a patient representative, as well as experts in the management of valvular heart disease from the European Association of Percutaneous Cardiovascular Interventions (EAPCI), the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) and the Working Group on Cardiovascular Surgery. We conducted a systematic review of the literature and used a modified Delphi method to reach consensus on a final set of variables. For each variable, the Working Group provided a definition, permissible values and categorized the variable as mandatory (Level 1) or additional (Level 2) based on its clinical importance and feasibility. In total, 93 Level 1 and 113 Level 2 variables were selected, with the level 1 variables providing the dataset for registration of patients undergoing TAVI on the EuroHeart IT platform.CONCLUSION: This document provides details of the EuroHeart data standards for TAVI processes of care and in-hospital outcomes. In the context of EuroHeart, this will facilitate quality improvement, observational research, registry-based RCTs and post-marketing surveillance of devices and pharmacotherapies.
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| 2. |
- Blackman, Corey, et al.
(författare)
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Demonstration of Solar Heating andCooling System using Sorption Integrated Solar Thermal Collectors
- 2014
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Ingår i: EuroSun 2014 Conference Proceedings. - : ISES. ; , s. 523-532
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Producing cost-competitive small and medium-sized solar cooling systems is currently a significant challenge. Due to system complexity, extensive engineering, design and equipment costs; the installation costs of solar thermal cooling systems are prohibitively high. In efforts to overcome these limitations, a novel sorption heat pump module has been developed and directly integrated into a solar thermal collector. The module comprises a fully encapsulated sorption tube containing hygroscopic salt sorbent and water as a refrigerant, sealed under vacuum with no moving parts. A 5.6m2 aperture area outdoor laboratory-scale system of sorption module integrated solar collectors was installed in Stockholm, Sweden and evaluated under constant re-cooling and chilled fluid return temperatures in order to assess collector performance. Measured average solar cooling COP was 0.19 with average cooling powers between 120 and 200 Wm-2 collector aperture area. It was observed that average collector cooling power is constant at daily insolation levels above 3.6 kWhm-2 with the cooling energy produced being proportional to solar insolation. For full evaluation of an integrated sorption collector solar heating and cooling system, under the umbrella of a European Union project for technological innovation, a 180m2 large-scale demonstration system has been installed in Karlstad, Sweden. Results from the installation commissioned in summer 2014 with non-optimised control strategies showed average electrical COP of 10.6 and average cooling powers between 140 and 250 Wm-2 collector aperture area. Optimisation of control strategies, heat transfer fluid flows through the collectors and electrical COP will be carried out in autumn
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| 3. |
- Blackman, Corey
(författare)
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Evaluation of a thermally driven heat pump for solar heating and cooling applications
- 2015
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Exploiting solar energy technology for both heating and cooling purposes has the potential of meeting an appreciable portion of the energy demand in buildings throughout the year. By developing an integrated, multi-purpose solar energy system, that can operate all twelve months of the year, a high utilisation factor can be achieved which translates to more economical systems. However, there are still some techno-economic barriers to the general commercialisation and market penetration of such technologies. These are associated with high system and installation costs, significant system complexity, and lack of knowledge of system implementation and expected performance. A sorption heat pump module that can be integrated directly into a solar thermal collector has thus been developed in order to tackle the aforementioned market barriers. This has been designed for the development of cost-effective pre-engineered solar energy system kits that can provide both heating and cooling.This thesis summarises the characterisation studies of the operation of individual sorption modules, sorption module integrated solar collectors and a full solar heating and cooling system employing sorption module integrated collectors. Key performance indicators for the individual sorption modules showed cooling delivery for 6 hours at an average power of 40 W and a temperature lift of 21°C. Upon integration of the sorption modules into a solar collector, measured solar radiation energy to cooling energy conversion efficiencies (solar cooling COP) were between 0.10 and 0.25 with average cooling powers between 90 and 200 W/m2 collector aperture area. Further investigations of the sorption module integrated collectors implementation in a full solar heating and cooling system yielded electrical cooling COP ranging from 1.7 to 12.6 with an average of 10.6 for the test period.Additionally, simulations were performed to determine system energy and cost saving potential for various system sizes over a full year of operation for a 140 m2 single-family dwelling located in Madrid, Spain. Simulations yielded an annual solar fraction of 42% and potential cost savings of €386 per annum for a solar heating and cooling installation employing 20m2 of sorption integrated collectors.
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| 4. |
- Blackman, Corey
(författare)
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Evaluation of Modular Thermally Driven Heat Pump Systems
- 2020
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Doktorsavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- The building sector accounts for approximately 40% of primary energy use within the European Union, therefore reductions in the energy use intensity of this sector are critical in decreasing total energy usage. Given that the majority of energy used within the built environment is for space conditioning and domestic hot water preparation, prudence would suggest that decreasing primary energy used for these end purposes would have the biggest overall environmental impact. A significant portion of the energy demands in buildings throughout the year could potentially be met using solar energy technology for both heating and cooling. Additionally, improving the efficiency of current heating and cooling appliances can reduce environmental impacts during the transition from non-renewable to renewable sources of energy. However, in spite of favourable energy saving prospects, major energy efficiency improvements as well as solar heating and cooling technology are still somewhat underutilised. This is typically due to higher initial costs, and lack of knowledge of system implementation and expected performance. The central premise of this thesis is that modular thermally (i.e., sorption) driven heat pumps can be integrated into heating and cooling systems to provide energy cost savings. These sorption modules, by virtue of their design, could be integrated directly into a solar thermal collector. With the resulting sorption integrated collectors, cost-effective pre-engineered solar heating and cooling system kits can be developed. Sorption modules could also be employed to improve the efficiency of natural gas driven boilers. These modules would effectively transform standard condensing boilers into high efficiency gas-driven heat pumps that, similar to electric heat pumps, make use of air or ground-source heat. Based on the studies carried, sorption modules are promising for integration into heating and cooling systems for the built environment generating appreciable energy and cost-savings. Simulations yielded an annual solar fraction of 42% and potential cost savings of €386 per annum for a sorption integrated solar heating and cooling installation versus a state-of-the-art heating and cooling system. Additionally, a sorption integrated gas-fired condensing boiler yielded annual energy savings of up to 14.4% and corresponding annual energy cost savings of up to €196 compared to a standard condensing boiler. A further evaluation method for sorption modules, saw the use of an artificial neural network (ANN) to characterise and predict the performance of the sorption module under various operating conditions. This generic, application agnostic model, could characterise sorption module performance within a ± 8% margin of error. This study thus culminates in the proposal of an overall systematic evaluation method for sorption modules that could be employed for various applications based on the analytical, experimental and simulation methods developed.
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| 5. |
- Blackman, Corey, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental Evaluation and Concept Demonstration of a Novel Modular Gas-Driven Sorption Heat Pump
- 2017
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Konferensbidrag (refereegranskat)abstract
- Gas-driven sorption heat pumps (GDSHPs) exhibit possibilities in the reduction of energy use and environmental impact of heating systems that utilise natural gas. By utilising renewable thermal energy from the environment, that is, air, ground or water sources, significant reduction of primary energy use can be achieved. However, high cost, low coefficient of performance (COP) and large volume per unit thermal power produced have limited the proliferation of GDSHPs. In this work, exploiting the benefits of reversible chemical reactions in sorption systems, with no internal moving parts, noise, vibration and maintenance-free reactor design, two novel modular prototype sorption components were developed and evaluated experimentally. They were designed to operate as part of an intermittent cycle GDSHP to deliver heat directly to a load or to a stratified hot water store. Prototype 1 was an ammonia-salt basic sorption unit while prototype 2 was an ammonia-salt resorption unit both employing proprietary composite sorbent materials. Test results showed that the prototype 2 reactor produced a specific heating capacity of 46 W/litre at a temperature lift of 50°C yielding a COP of 1.38. Prototype 1 demonstrated higher heating capacity of 73 W/litre at a temperature lift of 70°C but exhibited lower COP of 1.10. Given its higher COP but lower temperature lift, prototype 2 could be employed in a GDSHP designed for moderate heating demands or where a ground source heat exchanger is employed as the low temperature heat source. In the case where a higher temperature lift is required, for example, for an air-source GDSHP unit then the prototype 1 design would be more applicable.
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| 6. |
- Blackman, Corey, et al.
(författare)
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Experimental evaluation of a novel absorption heat pump module for solar cooling applications
- 2015
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Ingår i: Science and Technology for the Built Environment. - : Informa UK Limited. - 2374-4731 .- 2374-474X. ; 21:3, s. 323-331
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Given the environmental benefits of utilizing free thermal energy sources, such as waste heat and solar energy for cooling purposes, many developments have come about in thermally driven cooling. However, there are still some barriers to the general commercialization and market penetration of such technologies that are associated with system and installation costs, complexity, and maintenance. In efforts to overcome these limitations, a novel absorption heat pump module has been developed and tested. The module comprises a fully encapsulated sorption tube containing hygroscopic salt sorbent and water as a refrigerant, sealed under vacuum, and within which there are no moving parts. The absorption module consists of two main components, one that alternately functions as an absorber or generator and other that alternates between the roles of evaporator and condenser. The module therefore operates cyclically between a cooling delivery phase and a regeneration phase. Each module has a significant energy storage capacity with cooling delivery phases ranging from 6-10 h in length with temperature lifts between 16 degrees C and 25 degrees C. The modules are optimized for integration directly into a solar thermal collector, for roof or facade installation, for daytime regeneration and night-time cooling delivery. Collector integrated modules would be completely modular maintenance-free absorption heat pumps with similar installation requirements to standard solar thermal collectors. This article describes the test method and performance characteristics of the individual absorption modules.
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| 7. |
- Blackman, Corey, et al.
(författare)
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Techno-economic evaluation of solar-assisted heating and cooling systems with sorption module integrated solar collectors
- 2015
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Ingår i: Energy Procedia. - : Elsevier BV. - 1876-6102. ; 70, s. 409-417, s. 409-417
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Currently the use of solar energy for heating and cooling isn't widespread. In order to reduce primary energy consumption in the built environment along with improving the thermal performance of the current building stock, retrofit solutions are required to utilise renewable energy. Using solar energy to reduce primary energy consumption is seen as a possible solution. With the precipitous fall in the prices of crystalline solar photovoltaic modules, utilising this technology to reduce electrical energy consumption for cooling is an attractive solution. Recently, a sorption module integrated collector has been developed in order to improve cost-effectiveness and simplify solar thermal heating and cooling systems. A techno-economic analysis has been performed to evaluate solar photovoltaic cooling and solar thermal cooling systems for residential renewable energy retrofit. The analysis is based on potential energy and cost savings according to simulated heating and cooling loads under climatic conditions of Madrid, Spain. Simplified models were used to determine heating and cooling demands and the solar energy contribution to heating and cooling loads. Additionally, given the sorption collector's unique capacity to store solar energy thermally and provide cooling at night an analysis has been carried out to identify the combined benefit of solar-assisted heating and cooling via photovoltaics during the day and solar sorption at night. For system sizes between 5m(2) and 20m(2) solar fractions between 16% and 64% could be achieved which translated to annual energy cost savings between (sic)153 to (sic)615. (C) 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
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| 8. |
- Falster, Daniel, et al.
(författare)
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AusTraits, a curated plant trait database for the Australian flora
- 2021
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Ingår i: Scientific Data. - : Nature Portfolio. - 2052-4463. ; 8:1
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- We introduce the AusTraits database - a compilation of values of plant traits for taxa in the Australian flora (hereafter AusTraits). AusTraits synthesises data on 448 traits across 28,640 taxa from field campaigns, published literature, taxonomic monographs, and individual taxon descriptions. Traits vary in scope from physiological measures of performance (e.g. photosynthetic gas exchange, water-use efficiency) to morphological attributes (e.g. leaf area, seed mass, plant height) which link to aspects of ecological variation. AusTraits contains curated and harmonised individual- and species-level measurements coupled to, where available, contextual information on site properties and experimental conditions. This article provides information on version 3.0.2 of AusTraits which contains data for 997,808 trait-by-taxon combinations. We envision AusTraits as an ongoing collaborative initiative for easily archiving and sharing trait data, which also provides a template for other national or regional initiatives globally to fill persistent gaps in trait knowledge.
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| 9. |
- Kattge, Jens, et al.
(författare)
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TRY plant trait database - enhanced coverage and open access
- 2020
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Ingår i: Global Change Biology. - : Wiley-Blackwell. - 1354-1013 .- 1365-2486. ; 26:1, s. 119-188
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Tidskriftsartikel (refereegranskat)abstract
- Plant traits-the morphological, anatomical, physiological, biochemical and phenological characteristics of plants-determine how plants respond to environmental factors, affect other trophic levels, and influence ecosystem properties and their benefits and detriments to people. Plant trait data thus represent the basis for a vast area of research spanning from evolutionary biology, community and functional ecology, to biodiversity conservation, ecosystem and landscape management, restoration, biogeography and earth system modelling. Since its foundation in 2007, the TRY database of plant traits has grown continuously. It now provides unprecedented data coverage under an open access data policy and is the main plant trait database used by the research community worldwide. Increasingly, the TRY database also supports new frontiers of trait-based plant research, including the identification of data gaps and the subsequent mobilization or measurement of new data. To support this development, in this article we evaluate the extent of the trait data compiled in TRY and analyse emerging patterns of data coverage and representativeness. Best species coverage is achieved for categorical traits-almost complete coverage for 'plant growth form'. However, most traits relevant for ecology and vegetation modelling are characterized by continuous intraspecific variation and trait-environmental relationships. These traits have to be measured on individual plants in their respective environment. Despite unprecedented data coverage, we observe a humbling lack of completeness and representativeness of these continuous traits in many aspects. We, therefore, conclude that reducing data gaps and biases in the TRY database remains a key challenge and requires a coordinated approach to data mobilization and trait measurements. This can only be achieved in collaboration with other initiatives.
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