The summer indoor temperatures of the English housing stock: Exploring the influence of dwelling and household characteristics

As the high temperatures experienced during the summer of 2018 may become commonplace by 2050, adaptation to higher indoor temperatures while minimising the need for mechanical cooling is required. A thorough understanding of the factors that influence indoor temperatures can enable the design of healthier and safer dwellings under a warming climate. The aim of this paper is to provide further insight into the topic of indoor overheating through the analysis of the largest recent sample of English dwellings, the 2011 Energy Follow-Up Survey, comprised of 823 dwellings. Following the pre-processing stage, the indoor overheating risk of 795 living rooms and 799 bedrooms was quantified using the criteria defined within CIBSE's Technical Memorandum 59. Approximately 2.5% of the dwellings were found to exceed Criterion 1, with this figure approaching 26% when Criterion 2 was considered. Subsequently, the indoor temperatures were standardised against external weather conditions and the correlation of 11 dwelling and 9 household characteristics was examined. Factors such as the main heating system, tenure and occupant vulnerability were all found to have a statistically significant association with the indoor temperatures. Further analysis revealed multiple correlations between household and dwelling characteristics, highlighting the complexity of the indoor overheating problem. Practical application: By applying the criteria in CIBSE's TM59, 26% of the dwellings monitored during the 2011 Energy Follow-Up Survey were found to overheat. Since 2011 was a cool summer and future temperatures are expected to be warmer, even more dwellings are expected to fail these criteria in the future. Multiple dwelling and household characteristics were associated with higher indoor temperatures, including: dwellings with a SAP rating > 70, more recently built and with communal heating. Thus, it is crucial to consider indoor overheating risk at the building design or refurbishment stage to prevent the possible consequences of uncomfortably high indoor temperatures.

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Potentials for improving energy performance of multifamily housing blocks connected to the district heating system

Thermal Science ◽

10.2298/tsci170612228c ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 22 (Suppl. 4) ◽

pp. 1183-1193

Author(s):

Natasa Cukovic-Ignjatovic ◽

Dusan Ignjatovic ◽

Budimir Sudimac

Keyword(s):

Housing Stock ◽

Renewable Energy Sources ◽

District Heating ◽

Building Design ◽

Heating System ◽

Energy Performance ◽

District Level ◽

Multifamily Housing ◽

Open Spaces ◽

District Heating System

Developments conceived following the principles of Athens Charter were typical form of urban answer to the post-war housing shortage and during the decades of intense construction activity that followed. In city of Belgrade, multifamily housing in open city blocks built between 1961 and 1990 account for about 40% of current housing stock. The current ownership and operation of these housing blocks derive from their socialist legacy: home-owners rights relate only to the buildings, excluding any open spaces, even the ones immediately along the building?s perimeter. On the other hand, heating is supplied by district heating system. Management of open spaces as well as provision of district heating are subordinates to local municipality (the city of Belgrade). Energy efficiency related refurbishment options for these developments that would engage both the home-owners and the public companies may be the key for bringing ever-needed modernization, prolonged lifespan and a sustainable way of using this portion of housing stock. By applying simple architectural measures, energy demand for heating of these buildings can be reduced by 30-78%, which opens a pathway for effective use of renewable energy sources. Unlike solar energy, which can be managed at building level, geothermal energy can be exploited only at the district level due to the ownership rights. The presented research explores the effectiveness of using geo-thermal energy at a district level coupled with systematic approach to building refurbishment, taking the advantage of the repetitive use of the same building design and the formal and practical relations with local authorities.

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Breathing in the Anthropocene: Thinking Through Scale with Containment Technologies

Cultural Studies Review ◽

10.5130/csr.v25i2.6941 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

Author(s):

Alison Kenner ◽

Aftab Mirzaei ◽

Christy Spackman

Keyword(s):

Potato Chip ◽

Human Agency ◽

Building Design ◽

Planetary Atmospheres ◽

Atmospheric Process ◽

Advanced Capitalism ◽

Significant Burden ◽

Insight Into

Thinking at the scale of the Anthropocene highlights the significant burden on all life imposed by the residues of industrialization as well as continued pollution. But it also risks a disconnect between the functioning of planetary atmospheres and the functioning of local airs. In this thought-piece, we consider together the potato chip bag, the asthma inhaler, and climate positive building design as scalar practices of Anthropocene air. By figuring Anthropocene air as an interscalar vehicle, we show connections between matter and relations that seem distant and disconnected. We do this by honing in on respiration as a transformative atmospheric process that has been designed in advanced capitalism to extend life for some, while denying life for others. We point to seconds, hours, days, weeks, and seasons to highlight how containment technologies and respiratory processes function in the Anthropocene to remake air. These technologies and practices, which all too often go unnoticed in consumption landscapes, demonstrate that despite Anthropocene air’s tendency to exceed human agency, it is liable to engineering. Doing this offers insight into where different scales of action can be mobilized.

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Online Implementation of a Soft Actor-Critic Agent to Enhance Indoor Temperature Control and Energy Efficiency in Buildings

Energies ◽

10.3390/en14040997 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 (4) ◽

pp. 997

Author(s):

Davide Coraci ◽

Silvio Brandi ◽

Marco Savino Piscitelli ◽

Alfonso Capozzoli

Keyword(s):

Energy Consumption ◽

Temperature Control ◽

Weather Conditions ◽

Heating System ◽

Building Envelope ◽

Indoor Temperature ◽

Model Free ◽

Occupancy Patterns ◽

Online Implementation ◽

Indoor Temperature Control

Recently, a growing interest has been observed in HVAC control systems based on Artificial Intelligence, to improve comfort conditions while avoiding unnecessary energy consumption. In this work, a model-free algorithm belonging to the Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL) class, Soft Actor-Critic, was implemented to control the supply water temperature to radiant terminal units of a heating system serving an office building. The controller was trained online, and a preliminary sensitivity analysis on hyperparameters was performed to assess their influence on the agent performance. The DRL agent with the best performance was compared to a rule-based controller assumed as a baseline during a three-month heating season. The DRL controller outperformed the baseline after two weeks of deployment, with an overall performance improvement related to control of indoor temperature conditions. Moreover, the adaptability of the DRL agent was tested for various control scenarios, simulating changes of external weather conditions, indoor temperature setpoint, building envelope features and occupancy patterns. The agent dynamically deployed, despite a slight increase in energy consumption, led to an improvement of indoor temperature control, reducing the cumulative sum of temperature violations on average for all scenarios by 75% and 48% compared to the baseline and statically deployed agent respectively.

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Good Idea But Not Here! A Pilot Study of Swedish Tourism Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Halal Tourism

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13052646 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (5) ◽

pp. 2646

Author(s):

Saeid Abbasian

Keyword(s):

Content Analysis ◽

Pilot Study ◽

Tourism Industry ◽

Target Group ◽

Exploratory Research ◽

Swedish Study ◽

Increased Risk ◽

Insight Into

The following study is the first Swedish study on Halal tourism in Sweden. The purpose of this exploratory research is to get insight into the perception of Halal tourism in Sweden among representatives of tourism stakeholders. The overall methodology approach in this research is qualitative, consisting of 25 qualitative questionnaires, 21 short letters, four follow-up interviews, and a web observation, and content analysis was employed. The results indicate that there is a low knowledge of Halal tourism in Sweden including Swedish tourism industry. The concept is very challenging, and profits are low. It might result in problem scenarios such as detrimental effects on non-Halal tourism, cultural difficulties and increased risk of xenophobia, anti-Islamism, and tension in the society. There is low interest for Sweden among Muslim tourists as the interest and priority for Halal tourism is rather low from Swedish tourism industry. Despite Halal tourism’s importance internationally, these representatives are rather cautious and doubtful about promotion of Sweden towards this niche. Still, a majority seems to be positive to a lighter version of Muslim-friendly tourism with secular/moderate Muslims as a target group.

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The spontaneous resolution of a vortex vein varix: case report

BMC Ophthalmology ◽

10.1186/s12886-021-01861-2 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 21 (1) ◽

Author(s):

Sara L Weidmayer ◽

Hakan Demirci

Keyword(s):

Case Report ◽

Natural History ◽

Extended Period ◽

Spontaneous Resolution ◽

Case Presentation ◽

Clinical Resolution ◽

History Of ◽

Vortex Vein ◽

Insight Into

Abstract Background The natural course of a vortex vein varix, though not well understood, has been known to remain stable. However, here we report a novel case of a vortex vein varix that resolved after an extended period of monitoring. Case presentation An asymptomatic 96-year-old Caucasian man was found to have a vortex vein varix. At his previous examination 13 months prior, his fundus was normal. At 13 months of observation, his vortex vein varix become clinically undetectable. Further follow-up confirmed continued absence of the varix. Conclusion This case demonstrates the development then clinical resolution of a vortex vein varix with no clear identifiable factors for its evolution. This case is novel and offers new insight into the natural history of some vortex vein varices, implicating venous congestion as an instigator and venous collateralization as its alleviator, suggesting that vortex vein varices are likely more common than previously reported since some may be temporary and under-identified.

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The Implementation of Visual Comfort Evaluation in the Evidence-Based Design Process Using Lighting Simulation

Applied Sciences ◽

10.3390/app11114982 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 11 (11) ◽

pp. 4982

Author(s):

Anahita Davoodi ◽

Peter Johansson ◽

Myriam Aries

Keyword(s):

Performance Metrics ◽

Analysis Data ◽

Evidence Based ◽

Visual Comfort ◽

Simulation Tools ◽

Post Occupancy Evaluation ◽

Lighting Simulation ◽

Insight Into

Validation of the EBD-SIM (evidence-based design-simulation) framework, a conceptual framework developed to integrate the use of lighting simulation in the EBD process, suggested that EBD’s post-occupancy evaluation (POE) should be conducted more frequently. A follow-up field study was designed for subjective–objective results implementation in the EBD process using lighting simulation tools. In this real-time case study, the visual comfort of the occupants was evaluated. The visual comfort analysis data were collected via simulations and questionnaires for subjective visual comfort perceptions. The follow-up study, conducted in June, confirmed the results of the original study, conducted in October, but additionally found correlations with annual performance metrics. This study shows that, at least for the variables related to daylight, a POE needs to be conducted at different times of the year to obtain a more comprehensive insight into the users’ perception of the lit environment.

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Otitis Media in Infancy: Tympanometric Findings

PEDIATRICS ◽

10.1542/peds.63.3.435 ◽

1979 ◽

Vol 63 (3) ◽

pp. 435-442

Author(s):

Jessie R. Groothuis ◽

Sarah H. W. Sell ◽

Peter F. Wright ◽

Judith M. Thompson ◽

William A. Altemeier

Keyword(s):

Otitis Media ◽

Acute Otitis Media ◽

Chronic Otitis Media ◽

Normal Pressure ◽

Pressure Curve ◽

Type B ◽

History Of ◽

Life Type ◽

Insight Into

Ninety-one normal infants were followed longitudinally for varying periods from November 1975 to April 1977 to assess the correlation between tympanometry and pneumatic otoscopy and to study the pathogenesis of acute and chronic otitis media early in life. Type A (normal) tympanograms correlated with normal otoscopic findings in 92% of instances. Type B tympanograms, indicating reduced drum compliance with a relatively flat pressure curve, were associated with abnormal otoscopic findings in 93% of cases. The A8 (reduced compliance, normal pressure) and C (normal compliance, negative pressure) tympanograms were less consistent predictors of otoscopic findings. The correlation of tympanometric and otoscopic findings were similar in infants above and below 7 months of age. Tympanometry provided some insight into the natural history of otitis in 71 infants followed 12 to 17 months. Infants who failed to develop otitis had type B curves in only one of 240 determinations (0.4%). This pattern did not appear in those who developed acute otitis media (AOM) until the month preceding the first attack; nine of 29 tests (31%) made under these circumstances were type B. When a type B curve appeared in an asymptomatic study infant who had not previously had otitis, AOM developed within a month in nine of ten instances. At the time of diagnosis of first AOM, 87% of tympanograms were type B with the remainder type A8 or C. Sixty-three percent of tympanograms obtained from 25 infants during the six months following first AOM were type B, indicating that abnormal middle ear function was often prolonged. Fifteen of these 25 developed recurrent otitis during follow-up.

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Treatment of Antidepressant-Resistant Bulimia with Naltrexone

The International Journal of Psychiatry in Medicine ◽

10.2190/0cmp-4xxh-3641-nrdw ◽

1987 ◽

Vol 16 (4) ◽

pp. 305-309 ◽

Cited By ~ 35

Author(s):

Jeffrey M. Jonas ◽

Mark S. Gold

Keyword(s):

Eating Disorders ◽

Preliminary Data ◽

Endogenous Opioids ◽

Opiate Antagonist ◽

Percent Reduction ◽

Bulimic Symptoms ◽

Long Acting ◽

Insight Into

Ten individuals with antidepressant-resistant bulimia were treated with the long-acting opiate antagonist naltrexone. Seven of the ten experienced at least a 75 percent reduction of their bulimic symptoms, and have maintained their improvment on three to five month follow-up. These preliminary data suggest that naltrexone may be of use in bulimia unresponsive to standard antidepressant therapy, and may provide insight into the role of endogenous opioids in the etiology of eating disorders.

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Causes of Mortality in Older People With Intellectual Disability: Results From the HA-ID Study

American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities ◽

10.1352/1944-7558-123.1.61 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 123 (1) ◽

pp. 61-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 11

Author(s):

Alyt Oppewal ◽

Josje D. Schoufour ◽

Hanne J.K. van der Maarl ◽

Heleen M. Evenhuis ◽

Thessa I.M. Hilgenkamp ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Older Adults ◽

Intellectual Disability ◽

Cause Of Death ◽

Causes Of Death ◽

Circulatory System ◽

Bacterial Diseases ◽

Specific Mortality ◽

Causes Of Mortality ◽

Insight Into

Abstract We aim to provide insight into the cause-specific mortality of older adults with intellectual disability (ID), with and without Down syndrome (DS), and compare this to the general population. Immediate and primary cause of death were collected through medical files of 1,050 older adults with ID, 5 years after the start of the Healthy Ageing and Intellectual Disabilities (HA-ID) study. During the follow-up period, 207 (19.7%) participants died, of whom 54 (26.1%) had DS. Respiratory failure was the most common immediate cause of death (43.4%), followed by dehydration/malnutrition (20.8%), and cardiovascular diseases (9.4%). In adults with DS, the most common cause was respiratory disease (73.3%), infectious and bacterial diseases (4.4%), and diseases of the digestive system (4.4%). Diseases of the respiratory system also formed the largest group of primary causes of death (32.1%; 80.4% was due to pneumonia), followed by neoplasms (17.6%), and diseases of the circulatory system (8.2%). In adults with DS, the main primary cause was also respiratory diseases (51.1%), followed by dementia (22.2%).

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Using Compassionate Mind Training as a Resource in EMDR: A Case Study

Journal of EMDR Practice and Research ◽

10.1891/1933-3196.7.4.186 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 7 (4) ◽

pp. 186-199 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Elaine Beaumont ◽

Caroline J. Hollins Martin

Keyword(s):

Depression Scale ◽

Self Report ◽

Discussion Section ◽

Self Compassion ◽

Compassion Scale ◽

Mind Training ◽

Current Signature ◽

Insight Into

This case study examines the contribution of compassionate mind training (CMT) when used as a resource in the eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) treatment of a 58-year-old man, who presented after a recent trauma with psychological distress and somatic symptoms—an inability to sign his name. Self-report questionnaires (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale [HADS], Impact of Events Scale-R [IES-R], and Self-Compassion Scale [SCS]) were administered at pretherapy, midtherapy, posttherapy, and 9-month follow-up. EMDR with CMT facilitated recall of forgotten memories about his sister’s traumatic death decades previously, with related emotions of shame and grief, creating insight into how these past events linked to his current signature-signing phobia. Eight sessions of therapy resulted in an elimination of the client’s signature-signing phobia and a reduction in trauma-related symptoms, elevation in mood, and increase in self-compassion. Effects were maintained at 9-month follow-up. The “Discussion” section highlights the value of working collaboratively with clients to best meet their individual needs.

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