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Level of detail (LoD) is an important factor in urban building energy modelling (UBEM), affecting functionality and accuracy. This work assesses the impacts of the LoD of the roof, window, and zoning on a comprehensive range of outcomes (annual heating load, peak heating demand, overheating, and time-series heating error) in a representative New Zealand house. Lower-LoD roof scenarios produce mean absolute error results ranging from 1.5% for peak heating power to 99% for overheating. Windows and shading both affect solar gains, so lower-LoD windows and/or shading elements can considerably reduce model accuracy. The LoD of internal zoning has the greatest effect on time-series accuracy, producing mean absolute heating error of up to 66 W. These results indicate that low-LoD “shoebox” models, common in UBEM, can produce significant errors which aggregate at scale. Accurate internal zoning models and accurate window size and placement have the greatest potential for error reduction, but their implementation is limited at scale due to data availability and automation barriers. Conversely, modest error reductions can be obtained via simple model improvements, such as the inclusion of eaves and window border shading. Overall, modellers should select LoD elements according to specific accuracy requirements.

Level of detail (LoD) is an important factor in urban building energy modelling (UBEM), affecting functionality and accuracy. This work assesses the impacts of the LoD of the roof, window, and zoning on a comprehensive range of outcomes (annual heating load, peak heating demand, overheating, and time-series heating error) in a representative New Zealand house. Lower-LoD roof scenarios produce mean absolute error results ranging from 1.5% for peak heating power to 99% for overheating. Windows and shading both affect solar gains, so lower-LoD windows and/or shading elements can considerably reduce model accuracy. The LoD of internal zoning has the greatest effect on time-series accuracy, producing mean absolute heating error of up to 66 W. These results indicate that low-LoD "shoebox" models, common in UBEM, can produce significant errors which aggregate at scale. Accurate internal zoning models and accurate window size and placement have the greatest potential for error reduction, but their implementation is limited at scale due to data availability and automation barriers. Conversely, modest error reductions can be obtained via simple model improvements, such as the inclusion of eaves and window border shading. Overall, modellers should select LoD elements according to specific accuracy requirements. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim(s) Design Methods Results Conclusion Impact Patient Contribution To evaluate the incidence of skin‐related complications attributable to incontinence‐associated dermatitis (IAD) using an external female urinary catheter device strategy for urinary incontinent (UI) patients in acute care.Multicenter quality improvement study.Randomized allocation of two commercially available external female urinary catheter devices was used in hospitalized UI female patients. Daily nursing skin assessments were documented in the electronic health record before, during and after external catheter device application. Methods and results were reported following SQUIRE guidelines.Three hundred and eighty‐one patients from 57 inpatient care units were included in the analysis. Both catheter devices were associated with an overall low risk (5 %) of new or worsening skin breakdown.The overall benefit of external catheters is most persuasive for skin integrity, rather than infection prevention.Significant negative outcomes are associated with UI patients. External female urinary catheters are a non‐invasive alternative strategy to reduce exposure of regional skin to urine contamination and IAD‐related skin complications. Use of external female urinary catheters in hospitalized UI female patients offers low risk (5%) of new or worsening overall skin breakdown.Hospitalized UI female patients were screened for external catheter device eligibility by the bedside nurse. The quality improvement review committee waved consent because the intervention was considered standard care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pressure to abolish farrowing crates is increasing, and producers are faced with decisions about which alternative system to adopt. For sow welfare, well designed free farrowing systems without close confinement are considered optimal but producers have concerns about increased piglet mortality, particularly crushing by the sow. Reporting accurate performance figures from commercial farms newly operating such systems could inform the transition process. This study investigated performance on three commercial farms operating four different zero-confinement systems, three of which were newly installed. A total of 3212 litters from 2920 sows were followed from farrowing to weaning over a three-year period with key performance indicators (KPIs) recorded. Mixed Models (LMMs, GLMMs) determined the influence of different factors (e.g. farrowing system, sow parity, management aspects) and litter characteristics on performance, including levels and causes of piglet mortality. Results: Piglet mortality was significantly influenced by farm/system. Live-born mortality ranged from 10.3 to 20.6% with stillbirths ranging from 2.5 to 5.9%. A larger litter size and higher parity resulted in higher levels of mortality regardless of system. In all systems, crushing was the main cause of piglet mortality (59%), but 31% of sows did not crush any piglets, whilst 26% crushed only one piglet and the remaining sows (43%) crushed two or more piglets. System significantly influenced crushing as a percentage of all deaths, with the system with the smallest spatial footprint (m2) compared to the other systems, recording the highest levels of crushing. Time from the start of the study influenced mortality, with significant reductions in crushing mortality (by ~ 4%) over the course of the three-year study. There was a highly significant effect of length of time (days) between moving sows into the farrowing accommodation and sows farrowing on piglet mortality (P < 0.001). The less time between sows moving in and farrowing, the higher the levels of piglet mortality, with ~ 3% increase in total mortality every five days. System effects were highly significant after adjusting for parity, litter size, and days pre-farrowing. Conclusion: These results from commercial farms demonstrate that even sows that have not been specifically selected for free farrowing are able, in many cases, to perform well in these zero-confinement systems, but that a period of adaptation is to be expected for overall farm performance. There are performance differences between the farms/systems which can be attributed to individual farm/system characteristics (e.g. pen design and management, staff expertise, pig genotypes, etc.). Higher parity sows and those producing very large litters provide a greater challenge to piglet mortality in these free farrowing systems (just as they do in crate systems). Management significantly influences performance, and ensuring sows have plenty of time to acclimatise between moving in to farrowing accommodation and giving birth is a critical aspect of improving piglet survival. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historically, considerations of the carbon budget of bivalve shellfish have disproportionately focused on the cycling of carbon in shell alone, overlooking respiratory release and the potential role of bivalve shellfish habitats in the stabilization of sediment, and therefore of carbon.Data on carbon cycling are key to providing essential evidence to inform evaluation of management strategies and the business case for restoration of European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) habitats. The purpose of this study was to examine the flat oyster carbon budget at the scale of the individual and to set out a framework to enable future comparisons of carbon budgets between ecosystems.Through the combination of previously established work with measurements of calcification and respiration both in situ and ex situ, a carbon budget at the scale of a single oyster was determined.In consideration of the flat oyster carbon budget, the inclusion of the deposition of sedimentary carbon, as well as carbon stored in shell, balanced with the release of carbon through respiration and calcification suggests that these habitats are unlikely to be significant carbon sinks in the context of global climate change mitigation. However, the recovery of flat oyster beds is likely to facilitate the accretion of substantial carbon stocks that are nevertheless important in conservation management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]