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The high-altitude Central Asian communities (mainly from rural Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan) face a high degree of energy complexity. The thematic knowledge clearly outlines that these communities hold special energy identity (information about energy requirements, energy consumption, classification of the building, energy resources, energy services, and challenges) and at the same time, energy poverty ironically exists. To mitigate energy poverty, there is an immediate need for sustainable energy transition through special energy planning. Though, the limited information about the energy identity of these communities restricts the energy transition process. The main aim of the paper was to outline the special and comparative energy profile of high-altitude Central Asian rural communities. To demonstrate the special energy profile, a novel correlative approach was developed which synthesises the information about energy context (current energy situation and critical issues), energy resources (available sustainable and non-sustainable energy and its usage) and energy services (available energy services to meet the energy need) by considering local boundary conditions. These various parameters were studied based on the extensive literature review, the author's interview with local people and the previous work of the authors. There is a large gap in the literature regarding energy information about high-altitude Central Asian communities. Based on the correlative approach, the presented article was the first attempt to develop a novel framework to interpret the energy identity of high-altitude Central Asian communities and thus contribute to knowledge. The derived special energy identity will serve as a profound base to develop an energy planning more effectively. The derived results categorised the spatial energy situation at the roof of the world. Even though access to electricity, the high-altitude Central Asian rural population suffers from unique and complex energy challenges articulated in the presented article. Energy is a costly and critical task for the local population. To resolve this issue, sustainable energy transition is an essential element for these settlements which ensures sustainable communities from the long-term perspective. This can be achieved by spatial energy planning for high-altitude communities (i.e. implementation of energy efficiency measures in combination with an energy supply system on a community level). • The high-altitude rural communities in Central Asia face unique energy challenges as significant energy required for heating due to old and uninsulated buildings, extreme cold climate and high-altitude terrain • A novel correlative approach was established to develop energy identity of communities situated at roof of the world • Guide for energy identity of high-altitude rural communities of Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan is developed • This study demonstrates immedaite need of sustainable energy transition at roof of the world • The research suggests that building energy efficiency is a key parameter to achieve the complex sustainable energy transition at roof of the World. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Deterioration of walking function is poorly characterized in people with MS (PwMS). • Walking function was monitored over 4 years in 22 PwMS using clinical and kinematic outcomes. • Walking decline was pronounced in PwMS with spastic-paretic gait impairments. • Gait pattern analysis provides additional, valuable information on the underyling pathomechanisms of walking impairment. • Instrumented gait analysis represents a complementary prognostic tool for walking function in PwMS. Walking impairment is a common and highly disabling symptom in people with MS (PwMS). Ambulatory deterioration is poorly characterized in PwMS and reliable prognosis that may guide clinical decisions is elusive. This study aimed to objectively track the progression of clinical walking performance and kinematic gait patterns in PwMS over 4 years, thereby revealing potential prognostic markers for deterioration of ambulatory function. Twenty-two PwMS (48.8 ± 9.9 years, 14 females; expanded disability status scale [EDSS]: 4.5 ± 0.9 points) with gait impairments were recruited at the University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland. Gait function was monitored over a period of 4 years using a set of standardized clinical walking tests (timed 25-foot walk [T25FW], 6 min walk test [6MWT], 12-item MS walking scale [MSWS-12]) and comprehensive 3D kinematic gait analysis. Walking decline was assessed in the full patient cohort and in patient sub-groups that were built according to MS type (relapsing-remitting [RRMS], progressive [PMS]) and subjects' pathological gait signature (cluster groups 1–3). In the total cohort (n = 22), we found a significant worsening in the 6MWT (BL vs. 4y: -41.1 m; P = 0.0053), while the performance in the T25FW, MSWS-12 and the EDSS remained unchanged over 4 years. Subjects with PMS (n = 12) showed a significant worsening in the EDSS (BL vs. 4y: +0.6 points; P = 0.0053), which was not observed in participants with RRMS (n = 10). Whereas deterioration of clinical walking function was not different between subjects with RRMS and PMS, we identified differences in clinical walking deterioration between PwMS with varying gait pattern pathologies: Subjects with spastic-paretic gait impairments (cluster 1; n = 9) demonstrated a marked worsening in the T25FW (BL vs. 4y: +2 s; P = 0.0020) and 6MWT (BL vs. 4y: -92.9 m; P < 0.0001) which was not seen in PwMS with an ataxia-like (cluster 2; n = 8) or unstable walking pattern (cluster 3; n = 5). Deterioration of clinical walking performance in cluster 1 was accompanied by a specific worsening of gait deficits that were characteristic of this cluster at baseline, a phenomenon not found in the other sub-groups. Accordingly, aggravation of cluster 1-specific gait impairments over 4 years predicted deterioration of the 6MWT in the total cohort (n = 22) with an accuracy of 90.9% (sensitivity: 90.9%; specificity: 90.9%; Nagelkerkes coefficient of determination R2: 0.721), unveiling key determinants of MS-related walking decline. Our findings highlight the potential of quantitative, functional outcomes for objective tracking of disease progression in PwMS. Gait pattern analysis can provide valuable information on the underlying pathomechanisms of gait deterioration and may represent a complementary prognostic tool for walking function in PwMS. clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01576354 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The research project ‘Solar Heat in the Liquid Food Industry’ (part of the FORETA Research Network [1]) focused on the development and optimisation of low-temperature heating systems for the liquid food industry. Its main objectives are in energy efficiency, waste heat recovery and the feasibility of a solar-thermal process heating system. Based on the particular simulation results the overall solar-thermal potentials for German breweries and dairies were determined. In this connection a literature review indicated that most of the potential studies on solar-thermal energy use in the industry or related to specific industrial sectors are based on the total use of low-temperature heat. In opposition to these results, the available and mainly limited roof area was found to be a more important aspect for the solar-thermal potential. Hence, the development of a methodology for a site- specific analysis was necessary. The interconnection of only a few defined evaluation criteria resulted in a more realistic estimation of the potential for a solar-thermal heat supply. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: The climate specific effectiveness of solar DEC-systems and relevant preferable adaptions of the system design have been so far predominantly analysed based on individual simulation for selected sites. In order to systematically deduce design-specific outline data for the application of the solar DEC-technology at climatically different sites a methodological zoning approach was further developed. A subsequent meteorological analysis for 17 sites mapping the world climate creates a transparent understanding on the activity of the specific system components. This results in a comprehension on the site-specific effectiveness of solar DEC-systems and provides insights on principally relevant and efficient system configurations. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: This paper discusses the mechanical behaviour of an all-round fully adhesive supported absorber. Previous research is discussed and compared to the author's own results collected using both laboratory tests and simulation. The influence of the finite-element approach (i.e. geometrically linear or non-linear) was compared. The thermal deformation of a hyperstatic absorber was investigated. The relationship between thermal expansion and pressure change in a gas-filled collector is discussed. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A dynamic flat-plate collector model for parametric sensitivity studies on polymer-based collector designs was developed. Validation using experimental results of conventional flat-plate collectors showed satisfying results especially regarding the calculation of individual part temperatures of a collector. The model was used to predict system efficiency as well as individual part temperatures in order to analyse a polymeric collector approach in comparison to a conventional collector. The simulation results showed that the fractional energy savings of systems with conventional flat-plate collectors cannot be reached with the analysed polymeric collector approach. Also the stagnation temperatures of more efficient approaches are too high for low-cost polymeric materials. The exemplary analysis of annual temperature loads of the backside insulation for different approaches proved the necessity of careful collector design aiming at temperature reduction for all individual collector parts. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An advanced finite element (FE) method is presented and applied to simulate the fluid-solid-acoustic interaction in human phonation. We apply an arbitrary-Lagrangian-Eulerian (ALE) method, which allows coupling of the Eulerian fluid field with the Lagrangian mechanical field. Thereby, we investigate strong and weak (sequential staggered) coupling schemes for flow and structural mechanics. The acoustic field is computed by acoustic perturbation equations to account for convection and refraction effects of the sound in the flow region. For our application - the human phonation - we can assume a low Mach number flow and therefore use a hybrid aeroacoustic approach, which just consider a forward coupling from the flow to the acoustic field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: The aeroacoustic mechanisms in human voice production are complex coupled processes, which are not fully understood until now. The paper presents a hybrid numerical approach to the solution of the acoustic field in human vocal tract, when the fluid flow is first solved by a dedicated CFD solver on a fine computational mesh covering the larynx. Subsequently, the acoustic sources and propagation of the sound waves are calculated by Lighthill's analogy or acoustic perturbation equations on a coarse mesh covering the whole vocal tract including radiation region. The CFD simulation was run in parallel on a SGI Altix UV shared-memory supercomputer; strong and weak parallel performance was tested for up to 50 computational cores. The spectra of the radiated sound for two vowels/i/and/u/evaluated from the acoustic simulation show good agreement with the formant frequencies known from human subjects. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]