Aarhus Municipality

About: Aarhus Municipality is a(n) government organization based out in Aarhus, Denmark. It is known for research contribution in the topic(s): Heating system & Muscle hypertrophy. The organization has 21 authors who have published 21 publication(s) receiving 339 citation(s). The organization is also known as: Århus Municipality.

Clozapine serum levels and side effects during steady state treatment of schizophrenic patients: a cross-sectional study.

Abstract: Serum clozapine (S-Cloza) and serum desmethyl-clozapine concentrations (S-Descloza) were measured in 30 chronic schizophrenic in- and outpatients on a variable dose regimen. All patients were in steady state with respect to clozapine therapy and in a stable condition with respect to psychotic illness. The 24-h clozapine dose (median with interquartile range in parenthesis) was 350 (228–425) mg/24 h (range 100–700). There was a weak positive correlation between doses and the BPRS total score (r=0.44,P<0.05). The median S-Cloza was 1076 (706–1882) nmol/l (range 196–5581 corresponding to 64–1824 ng/ml). The S-Cloza was linearly correlated to dose but with a high interindividual variation at equal doses, e.g. a factor of 8 at 400 mg/24 h, but a low intraindividual variability of 20%. The S-Descloza averaged 77% of the S-Cloza and was highly correlated to S-Cloza (r=0.90;P<0.001). The S-Descloza/dose ratio increased with age and duration of treatment. The side effects registered were EEG abnormalities (83%), tachycardia (23%), increased liver enzyme activity (60%), orthostatic hypotension (17%), and moderate leucocytosis (17%). Only EEG changes were correlated to S-Cloza (r=0.43;P<0.05). The score values of the UKU Side Effect Scale were weakly (r=0.36) correlated to S-Cloza. No side effects were correlated to S-Descloza, doses, or treatment duration. The frequency of side effects was higher than in studies using lower mean doses indicating a correlation between doses or S-Cloza and the frequency of side effects. It is concluded that clozapine fulfils the criteria for therapeutic drug monitoring. TDM may contribute to finding the lowest effective dose with the fewest possible side effects.

Using ensemble weather predictions in district heating operation and load forecasting

Abstract: Ensemble weather predictions are introduced in the operation of district heating systems to create a heat load forecast with dynamic uncertainties. These provide a new and valuable tool for time-dependent risk assessment related to e.g. security of supply and the energy markets. As such, it is useful in both the production planning and the online operation of a modern district heating system, in particular in light of the low-temperature operation, integration of renewable energy and close interaction with the electricity markets. In this paper, a simple autoregressive forecast model with weather prediction input is used to showcase the new concept. On the study period, its performance is comparable to more complex forecast models. The total uncertainty of the heat load forecast is divided into a constant model uncertainty plus a time-dependent weather-based uncertainty. The latter varies by as much as a factor of 18 depending on the ensemble spread. As a consequence, the total forecast uncertainty varies significantly. The forecast model is applied to the operation of three heat exchanger stations. Applying an optimized temperature control can significantly lower supply temperatures compared to current operation. Improving the temperature control with dynamic time-dependent weather-based uncertainties can lower the supply temperature further and reduce heat losses to the ground. The potential benefit of using dynamic uncertainties is larger for systems with relatively smaller pumping capacities.

The significance of age on symptoms and urodynamic- and cystoscopic findings in benign prostatic hypertrophy.

Abstract: To evaluate influence of age on symptomatology and objective parameters in benign prostatic hypertrophy, preoperative findings in 199 unselected patients during one year were analysed. Symptoms of bladder instability increased with age, as did incidence of uninhibited detrusor contractions and bladder trabeculation, whereas maximum urine flow and obstructive complaints decreased, although prostatic size was the same. In the oldest age groups only was increasing prostatic size associated with increasing bladder trabeculation. Age related changes in neurological control and in the structure of the bladder may be involved, and the present results suggest age to be an important factor in the interpretation of symptoms and objective findings in prostatic hypertrophy.

Bottom-up modelling methodology for urban-scale analysis of residential space heating demand response

Abstract: Several studies have indicated a potential to exploit the thermal inertia of individual residential buildings for demand response purposes using model predictive control and time-varying prices. However, studies that investigate the response obtained from applying these techniques to larger groups of buildings, and how this response affects the aggregated load profile, are needed. To enable such analysis, this paper presents a modelling methodology that enables bottom-up modelling of large groups of residential buildings using data from public building registers, weather measurements, and hourly smart-meter consumption data. The methodology is based on describing district heating consumption using a modified version of the building energy model described in ISO 13790 in combination with a model of the domestic hot water consumption, both of which are calibrated in a Bayesian statistical framework. To evaluate the performance of the methodology, it was used to establish models of 159 single-family houses within a residential neighbourhood located in the city of Aarhus, Denmark. The obtained bottom-up model of the neighbourhood was capable of predicting the aggregated district heating consumption in a previously unseen validation period with high accuracy: CVRMSE of 5.58% and NMBE of −1.39%. The model was then used to investigate the effectiveness of a simple price-based DR scheme with the objective of reducing fluctuations in district heating consumption caused by domestic hot water consumption peaks. The outcome of this investigation illustrates the usefulness of the modelling methodology for urban-scale analysis on demand response.

Posttraumatic stress in intensive care unit survivors – a prospective study

Abstract: Aims: This study aimed to estimate the prevalence of severe Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms and to identify factors associated with PTSD in survivors of intensive care unit (ICU) treatment following traumatic injury. Methods: Fifty-two patients who were admitted to an ICU through the emergency ward following traumatic injury were prospectively followed. Information on injury severity and ICU treatment were obtained through medical records. Demographic information and measures of acute stress symptoms, experienced social support, coping style, sense of coherence (SOC) and locus of control were assessed within one-month post-accident (T1). At the six months follow-up (T2), PTSD was assessed with the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ). Results: In the six months follow-up, 10 respondents (19.2%) had HTQ total scores reaching a level suggestive of PTSD (N = 52), and 11 respondents (21%) had symptom levels indicating subclinical PTSD. Female, five illness factors: coma time, mechanical ventilatio...