Energy consumption prediction in an office building by examining occupancy rates and weather parameters using the moving average method and artificial neural network

Occupancy rate refers to the level of usage and presence of individuals within a building or a specific space. This factor can have a significant impact on building energy consumption. When the occupancy rate in a building is high, naturally, energy consumption also increases. This correlation might be due to the increased use of lighting, heating, and cooling, higher numbers of electrical and electronic devices, and similar factors associated with the presence of people in the building. One of the modern methods in the energy field involves empirically utilizing occupancy monitoring tools in buildings and analyzing the relationship between such utilization and building energy consumption through artificial neural network tools. In this research, a camera sensitive to entry and exit was installed at the entrance of an office building in Tehran, Iran. By doing so, the rate of entry and exit was accurately monitored. In the next stage, by investigating the impact of this entry and exit rate on the building's energy consumption, the energy consumption amount was predicted using an artificial neural network and a statistical method (moving average). The results indicate errors of 9.8 and 4.5 for the respective methods, highlighting that the artificial neural network yields the most accurate outcomes. Moreover, the study's findings suggest a direct correlation: as occupancy rates increase, the predicted energy consumption values also rise.

Island carrying capacity for three development types: ecological resource, agricultural production, and urban construction

The evaluation of island carrying capacity is the premise for conducting the island spatial planning and can contributes to guiding island ecological conservation and socioeconomic developments. In this study, the island carrying capacities were evaluated for the three major development types, namely, ecological resource, agricultural production, and urban construction, based on the quantity and quality. The occupancy and vacancy rates of island carrying capacity were measured in different scenarios. Miaodao Archipelago and Dongtou Archipelago in China were selected as the study area to demonstrate the evaluation. The former is constituted all by spatially isolated rocky islands, while the latter is featured by the coexistence of the sandy and rocky islands and the connection with the mainland by bridges. The results indicated the high variances of occupancy and vacancy rates of island carrying capacity at multiple spatial scales. Across the two archipelagos, climate conditions, island composition, and spatial connections with the mainland controlled the spatial variance at this scale. For different types of islands, the sandy island presented distinctly higher occupancy and vacancy rates for agricultural production than the rocky islands. At the single island scale within the same archipelago, the developments of agricultural production and urban construction distinctly increased with the increase in the island area. The dependency of island constructions on the external world in Dongtou Archipelago was higher than that in Miaodao Archipelago. Meanwhile, the difference in traffic conditions between the two archipelagos did not distinctly influence the food dependency on the external world. Then, practical suggestions in terms of quantity control and quality promotion were proposed to improve the island carrying capacity.

VGLM proportional odds model to infer hosts' Airbnb performance

We investigated aspects of host activities that influence and enhance host performance in an effort to achieve best results in terms of the occupancy rate and the overall rating. The occupancy rate measures the percentage of reserved days with respect to available days. The overall rating identifies the satisfaction level of guests that booked an Airbnb accommodation. We used the proportional odds model to estimate the impact of the managerial variables and the characteristics of the accommodation on host performance. Five different levels of the occupancy and the overall rating were investigated to understand which features impact them and support the effort to move from the lowest to the highest level. The analysis was carried out for Italy's most visited cities: Rome, Milan, Venice, and Florence. We focused on the year 2016. Moreover, we investigated different impact levels in terms of the overall rating during the COVID-19 pandemic to evaluate possible differences. Our findings show the relevance of some variables, such as the number of reviews, services, and typology of the rented accommodation. Moreover, the results show differences among cities and in time for the relevant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Barber and Johnson diagram and latent reserve as tools to optimise the management of hospital beds]

INTRODUCTION

The measurement, evaluation and analysis of the bed resources are functions of the Admission and Clinical Documentation Department and are a challenge for the management of acute hospital admissions.The aim of the present study was to analyse the management of bed resources using the Barber and Johnson Diagram (B&J) and latent reserve, during epidemiological contingencies in the Hospital Universitario Río Hortega.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

A retrospective review was carried out on hospital admission indicators, from 2008 to February 2017, using the B&J diagram as a graphic tool to compare length of stay, replacement interval, turnover rate, monthly and annual occupancy rate for the hospital and services.The latent and manifest reserve was calculated.

RESULTS

The B&J diagram showed differences in occupancy rate and provision of functional beds between the years reviewed and the approaches used. A lower provision of beds and higher length of stay corresponded with an increase in occupancy, decrease in replacement interval, and increase in turnover rate. The latent reserve showed that, between a discharge and a new entry into the same bed, 14 inappropriately occupied beds could be available.

CONCLUSIONS

The review of the hospital admission indicators, their integration into the B&J diagram, and use of latent reserve could be included in the hospital information system and benefit the decision-making in the operational management of beds.

A prospective comparative study of risperidone long-acting injectable for treatment-resistant schizophrenia with dopamine supersensitivity psychosis

OBJECTIVE

Dopamine supersensitivity psychosis (DSP) is considered to be one cause of treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS). The authors investigated the efficacy of risperidone long-acting injections (RLAI) in patients with TRS and DSP.

METHOD

This is a multicenter, prospective, 12-month follow-up, observational study that included unstable and severe TRS patients with and without DSP. 115 patients with TRS were recruited and divided into two groups according to the presence or absence of DSP which was judged on the basis of the clinical courses and neurological examinations. RLAI was administered adjunctively once every 2weeks along with oral antipsychotics. We observed changes in scores for the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scales (BPRS), Clinical Global Impression-Severity of Illness (CGI-S), Global Assessment of Functioning Scale (GAF), and Extrapyramidal Symptom Rating Scale (ESRS) during the study. Of the assessed 94 patients, 61 and 33 were categorized into the DSP and NonDSP groups, respectively.

RESULTS

While baseline BPRS total scores, CGI-S scores and GAF scores did not differ, the ESRS score was significantly higher in the DSP group compared with the NonDSP group. Treatment significantly reduced BPRS total scores and CGI-S scores, and increased GAF scores in both groups, but the magnitudes of change were significantly greater in the DSP group relative to the NonDSP group. ESRS scores were also reduced in the DSP group. Responder rates (≥20% reduction in BPRS total score) were 62.3% in the DSP group and 21.2% in the NonDSP group.

CONCLUSIONS

It is suggested that DSP contributes to the etiology of TRS. Atypical antipsychotic drugs in long-acting forms, such as RLAI, can provide beneficial effects for patients with DSP.

CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION

UMIN (UMIN000008487).