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The objectives of the study are to investigate three aspects concerning heat pumps in the context of ecodesign and energy labelling; potential synergies in testing for more than one climate zone, reduced incentives for low capacity declarations and alternative test methods. A possible alternative to the current test standard is the compensation method, which enables a test that includes the control system of the heat pump. This is closer to real life operation, enables independent market surveillance and provides incentives to develop efficient controls. Experience of using the compensation method for heat pumps for hydronic system are more limited than for air-to-air heat pumps

BackgroundArthropod eyes have diversified during evolution to serve multiple needs, such as finding mates, hunting prey, and navigating in complex surroundings under varying light conditions. This diversity is reflected in the optical apparatus, photoreceptors and neural circuits that underpin vision. While this diversity has been extensively documented, our ability to genetically manipulate the visual system to investigate its function is largely limited to a single species, the fruitflyDrosophila melanogaster. Here, we describe the visual system ofParhyale hawaiensis, an amphipod crustacean for which we have established tailored genetic tools.ResultsAdultParhyalehave apposition-type compound eyes made up of ∼50 ommatidia. Each ommatidium contains four photoreceptor cells with large rhabdomeres (R1-4), expected to be sensitive to the polarisation of light, and one photoreceptor cell with a smaller rhabdomere (R5). The two types of photoreceptors express different opsins, belonging to families with distinct wavelength sensitivities. Using thecis.-regulatory regions of opsin genes, we established transgenic reporters expressed in each photoreceptor cell type. Based on these reporters, we show that R1-4 and R5 photoreceptors extend axons to the first optic lobe neuropil, revealing striking differences compared with the photoreceptor projections found in related crustaceans and insects. Investigating visual function, we show thatParhyalehas a positive phototactic response and is capable of adapting its eyes to different levels of light intensity.ConclusionsWe propose that the visual system ofParhyaleserves low-resolution visual tasks, such as orientation and navigation, based on broad gradients of light intensity and polarisation. Optic lobe structure and photoreceptor projections point to significant divergence from the conserved visual circuits found in other malacostracan crustaceans and insects, which could be associated with a shift to low-resolution vision. Our study provides the foundation for research in the visual system of this genetically tractable species.

In the future, most buildings will be nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs). Heat pumps are frequently used as heating system in Swedish single family buildings, but in most cases they are used in buildings with higher heating demand than the nZEBs of tomorrow. In this study, operation parameters such as heating water and brine temperatures were analyzed in real operation in two different nZEBs. The results show that the measured supply temperatures coincide in some cases well with what is described in the standard developed to be harmonized with the ecodesign and energy labelling regulations—EN14825, but in some cases they were higher. However, the brine temperatures were often considerably higher than the test conditions described in EN14825. The results also show how interconnection of a tank affects the operating parameters of a heat pump system. Another finding was that in order to reach the highest overall energy performance the heat pump and the heating system must be optimized together and not separately, which often is the case today.

Ichthyosaurs are extinct marine reptiles that display a notable external similarity to modern toothed whales. Here we show that this resemblance is more than skin deep. We apply a multidisciplinary experimental approach to characterize the cellular and molecular composition of integumental tissues in an exceptionally preserved specimen of the Early Jurassic ichthyosaur Stenopterygius. Our analyses recovered still-flexible remnants of the original scaleless skin, which comprises morphologically distinct epidermal and dermal layers. These are underlain by insulating blubber that would have augmented streamlining, buoyancy and homeothermy. Additionally, we identify endogenous proteinaceous and lipid constituents, together with keratinocytes and branched melanophores that contain eumelanin pigment. Distributional variation of melanophores across the body suggests countershading, possibly enhanced by physiological adjustments of colour to enable photoprotection, concealment and/or thermoregulation. Convergence of ichthyosaurs with extant marine amniotes thus extends to the ultrastructural and molecular levels, reflecting the omnipresent constraints of their shared adaptation to pelagic life.

With the increasing use of air source heat pumps, noise disturbance can be a barrier for further market growth and acceptance. Both steady state noise level and noise events influence reported noise disturbance. In this study one of the transient noise events was investigated: the noise initiated when the heat pump shifts to defrost mode. The results show that noise from a heat pump at defrost initiation was strongly dependent on the pressure differences in the system at the time of the shift. A reduced pressure difference resulted in a lower noise level. A control strategy that adds an idling time for the heat pump just before the shift of the 4-way valve is therefore suggested. This will have a small negative effect (

All rights reserved. An increased use of heat pumps is one of the measures that can be taken to reduce energy consumption on a large scale. For a wider acceptance, and major heat pump market expansion, it is crucial to develop heat pumps that cause minimal disturbance. Results from field measurements made by SP Technical Research Institute of Sweden indicate that the use of indirect heat pumps has potential to significantly reduce the outdoor noise level of ambient air heat pumps. The noise level caused by such heat pumps has been shown to be highly influenced by the design of the air-to-fluid heat exchanger. The overall purpose of this study is to propose a design of an air-to-fluid heat exchanger that allows for a well performing system as well as a low level of noise and cost. Two different types of heat exchangers, with flat tubes and round tubes, are compared theoretically. According to the modelling results, a heat exchanger with flat tubes and plain fins is the most suitable out of the studied designs due to its low heat transfer resistance on the tube side. The round tube heat exchangers showed to be significantly less suitable, displacing more than twice the volume.

In the outdoor unit of an air-source heat pump the fan is a major noise source. The noise level from the fan is dependent on its state of operation: high air-flow and high pressure drop often result in higher noise levels. In addition, an evaporator that obstructs an air flow is a noise source in itself, something that may contribute to the total noise level. To be able to reduce the noise level, heat exchanger designs other than the common finned round tubes were investigated in this study. Three types of heat exchanger were evaluated to detect differences in noise level and air-side heat transfer performance at varying air flow. The measured sound power level from all the heat exchangers was low in comparison to the fan sound power level (direct effect). However, the heat exchanger design was shown to have an important influence on the sound power level from the fan (indirect effect). One of the heat exchangers with flat tubes was found to have the lowest sound power level, both direct and indirect, and also the highest heat transfer rate. This type of flat tube heat exchanger has the potential to reduce the overall noise level of a heat pump while maintaining heat transfer efficiency.

We have investigated the apparatus suspending the crystalline lens in the eyes of basal vertebrates. Data are presented for Holocephali (Chondrichthyes) and the actinopterygians Polypteriformes, Polyodontidae (Acipenseriformes), Lepisosteiformes, Amiiformes, and one teleost species, the banded archerfish (Toxotes jaculatrix). We also studied the optical properties of the lens in Polypteriformes, Lepisosteiformes, and the archerfish. Together with previously published results, our findings show that there are three basic types of lens suspension in vertebrates. These are i) a rotationally symmetric suspension (Petromyzontida, lampreys; Ceratodontiformes, lungfishes; Tetrapoda), ii) a suspension with a dorso-ventral axis of symmetry and a ventral papilla (all Chondrichthyes and Acipenseriformes), and iii) an asymmetric suspension with a ventral muscle and a varying number of ligaments (all Actinopterygii except for Acipenseriformes). Large eyes with presumably high spatial resolution have evolved in all groups. Multifocal lenses creating well-focused color images are also present in all groups studied. Stable and exact positioning of the lens, in many cases in combination with accommodative changes in lens position or shape, is achieved by all three types of lens suspension. It is somewhat surprising that lens suspensions are strikingly similar in Chondrichthyes and Acipenseriformes (Actinopterygii), while the suspension apparatus in Polypteriformes, usually being regarded as an actinopterygian group more basal than Acipenseriformes, are considerably more teleostean-like. This study completes a series of investigations on lens suspensions in nontetrapod vertebrates, covering all major groups except for the rare and highly derived coelacanths.

Crystalline lenses with multiple focal lengths in monochromatic light (multifocal lenses) are present in many vertebrate groups. These lenses compensate for chromatic aberration and create well-focused color images. Stabilization of the lens within the eye and the ability to adjust focus are further requirements for vision in high detail. We investigated the occurrence of multifocal lenses by photorefractometry and lens suspension structures by light and electron microscopy in sturgeons (Acipenseriformes, Chondrostei) as well as sharks and rays (Elasmobranchii, Chondrichthyes). Multifocal lenses were found in two more major vertebrate groups, the Chondrostei represented by Acipenseriformes and Chondrichthyes represented by Elasmobranchii. The lens suspension structures of sturgeons, sharks, and rays are more complex than described previously. The lens is suspended by many delicate suspensory fibers in association with a ventral papilla in all groups studied. The arrangements of the suspensory fibers are most similar between sturgeons and sharks. In rays, the lens is suspended by a smaller ventral papilla and the suspensory fibers are arranged more concentrically to the lens. J. Morphol., 2012. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The rate of interindustry job turnover in Swedish manufacturing seems to be driven by the dispersion of profit changes among industries. Shifts in international competitiveness among industries played a central role for explaining this pattern. The rate of intraindustry job turnover among plants has been higher in industries with many small plants, low profit margins, and high import penetration.

The sharpness and thus information content of the retinal image in the eye depends on the optical quality of the lens and its accurate positioning in the eye. Multifocal lenses create well-focused color images and are present in the eyes of all vertebrate groups studied to date (mammals, reptiles including birds, amphibians, and ray-finned fishes) and occur even in lampreys, i.e., the most basal vertebrates with well-developed eyes. Results from photoretinoscopy obtained in this study indicate that the Dipnoi (lungfishes), i.e., the closest piscine relatives to tetrapods, also possess multifocal lenses. Suspension of the lens is complex and sophisticated in teleosts (bony fishes) and tetrapods. We studied lens suspension using light and electron microscopy in one species of lamprey (Lampetra fluviatilis) and two species of African lungfish (Protopterus aethiopicus aethiopicus and Protopterus annectens annectens). A fibrous and highly transparent membrane suspends the lens in both of these phylogenetically widely separated vertebrate groups. The membrane attaches to the lens approximately along the lens equator, from where it extends to the ora retinalis. The material forming the membrane is similar in ultrastructure to microfibrils in the zonule fibers of tetrapods. The membrane, possibly in conjunction with the cornea, iris, and vitreous body, seems suitable for keeping the lens in the correct position for well-focused imaging. Suspension of the lens by a multitude of zonule fibers in tetrapods may have evolved from a suspensory membrane similar to that in extant African lungfishes, a structure that seems to have appeared first in the lamprey-like ancestors of allextant vertebrates.

SUMMARY Jawless fishes (Agnatha; lampreys and hagfishes) most closely resemble the earliest stage in vertebrate evolution and lamprey-like animals already existed in the Lower Cambrian [about 540 million years ago (MYA)]. Agnathans are thought to have separated from the main vertebrate lineage at least 500 MYA. Hagfishes have primitive eyes, but the eyes of adult lampreys are well-developed. The southern hemisphere lamprey, Geotria australis,possesses five types of opsin genes, three of which are clearly orthologous to the opsin genes of jawed vertebrates. This suggests that the last common ancestor of all vertebrate lineages possessed a complex colour vision system. In the eyes of many bony fishes and tetrapods, well-focused colour images are created by multifocal crystalline lenses that compensate for longitudinal chromatic aberration. To trace the evolutionary origins of multifocal lenses,we studied the optical properties of the lenses in four species of lamprey(Geotria australis, Mordacia praecox, Lampetra fluviatilis and Petromyzon marinus), with representatives from all three of the extant lamprey families. Multifocal lenses are present in all lampreys studied. This suggests that the ability to create well-focused colour images with multifocal optical systems also evolved very early.