ASSESSMENT OF AIR CHANGE EFFECTIVENESS AND THERMAL COMFORT IN A NATURALLY VENTILATED KITCHEN WITH INSECT-PROOF SCREEN USING CFD

ABSTRACT Many dwellings in warm-humid climates attain a comfortable environment by natural ventilation. The opening of exterior windows for ventilation allows the entry of insects along with the breeze. As a remedy, occupants install insect-proof screens on windows resulting in reduced airflow into the interior. This study attempts to evaluate the air change effectiveness and thermal comfort in a residential kitchen with insect-proof screens. A kitchen with insect-proof screens on the windows is compared with a case without insect-proof screens. Numerical simulation was conducted using ANSYS Fluent 2019 R2. The insect-proof screen is modelled as a porous media. The air velocity and temperature measurements were validated by measurements in a real scenario. The presence of insect-proof screens reduced the air velocity inside the space by 82%. However, the airflow pattern in the case with screens was more uniformly distributed. The mean age of the air was considerably higher in the case with insect-proof screens, which in turn resulted in a reduced ACE. The presence of an insect-proof screen resulted in a Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) of 2.79 indicating a ‘hot’ sensation, whereas in the other case, the comfort vote is only 1.93 indicating a ‘warm’ sensation. The presence of insect-proof screens on windows reduced the air velocity and ventilation efficiency, contributing to increased thermal discomfort in the kitchen.

Therapeutic Effect Of Warm Fragrant Lemongrass Foot Soak Against Changes In The Joint Pain Scale Of Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients

Uric acid is a natural antioxidant produced by the human body, but it can trigger rheumatoid arthritis if the amount exceeds the normal threshold with typical symptoms in the form of pain accompanied by swelling in the joint area, even in advanced conditions there is joint stiffness. Cymbopogon nardus (L.) Rendle or lemongrass is an effective plant to reduce joint pain and swelling. The purpose of this study was to describe the effect of warm lemongrass foot bath therapy on changes in the scale of joint pain in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. This study is a pre-experimental study with one group pre-test and post-test design without a control group, changes after two days of soaking warm lemongrass feet by observing changes in the pain scale of 23 respondents. The Wilcoxon test results showed that there was a change in the pain scale after intervention with a value of p = 0.01, which means that warm scented lemongrass foot soak affects reducing the pain scale of patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The warm sensation of the foot soaking intervention provides a peripheral vasodilation effect which causes a decrease in joint pain in inflamed tissues, the chemical effect of citronellal compounds is around 32-45%, geraniol 12-18%, and citronellol 12-25% in citronella plants are also proven to play a role in reducing pain. This study concluded that warm lemongrass foot soaking therapy affected the changes in the scale of joint pain in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

Exploring Crossmodal Interaction of Tactile and Visual Cues on Temperature Perception in Virtual Reality: a Preliminary Study

Thanks to the digital revolution, virtual reality (VR) has getting popularity due to its capacity to immerse users into virtual environments (VEs). VEs are typically limited to visual and auditory cues; however, recent results show that multiple sensory modalities increase the user’s immersion. In this study, an experimental protocol is proposed to recreate multiple tactile, in particular thermal, sensations in VR. The aim is twofold: (1) studying the performance of different devices for creating warm and cold sensations with regards to their efficiency and acoustic disturbance; and (2) investigating the interdependency between visual and tactile stimuli in the perception of temperature. 14 participants performed two experimental studies. Our results show no acoustic disturbance of the materials used. Spot projector is more efficient than fan heater to create a warm sensation; fan + water spray is more efficient than fan alone to create cold sensation. Moreover, no significant contribution of visual cue on the thermal perception was found except for the extremely cold simulation (snow visualization and thermal stimulation performed with fan + water spray).

Selected Aspects of Indoor Climate in a Passive Office Building with a Thermally Activated Building System: A Case Study from Poland

Modern buildings with new heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems offer possibility to fit parameters of the indoor environment to the occupants’ requirements. The present paper describes the results of measurements performed in an office room in the first Polish passive commercial office building during four months of normal operation. They were used to calculate parameters describing thermal comfort: vertical air temperature profile, floor surface temperature, predicted mean vote (PMV) and predicted percent of dissatisfied (PPD). Obtained results confirmed good thermal conditions in the analysed room. The average temperature of the floor’s surface varied from 20.6 °C to 26.2 °C. The average vertical air temperature, calculated for working days, was from 22.5 °C to 23.1 °C. The temperature difference between the floor and 5 cm below the ceiling was from −0.9 °C to 6.3 °C. The PMV index varied from 0.52 to 1.50 indicating ‘slightly warm’ sensation, in spite of ‘neutral’ reported by employees. Also measured cooling and heating energy consumption was presented. The performed measurements confirmed the ability of thermally activated building system (TABS) to keep good thermal conditions.

PEMBUATAN SEDIAAN BALSEM STICK DARI SEREH (Cymbopogon citratus (DC.) Stapf) SEBAGAI AROMATERAPI

Introduction: Lemongrass plants contain essential oils that can be used as aromatherapy. In the context of efforts to improve public health services in Indonesia, traditional medicine has the opportunity as one of the potential alternative treatments. Society uses traditional medicine in the form of herbal medicine, stew, juice or by rubbing directly on the affected part. Method: Sample in this study was African leaves and palm leaveswhich were taken purposively without comparing samples from other regions, To get the essential oil of lemongrass done by distillation. Result: Aromatherapy balm from essential oil is formulated with some concentrations of 0%, 15%, 20% and 25% of the evaluation of balm which has been done to 3 qualified balm formulas and has good physical quality. Concludes: Citronella essential oil can be made into a supply of balm stick with various concentrations, namely 15%, 20% and 25%. Stick balm made from essential oils of lemongrass can give an aromatherapy effect which is characterized by a refreshing aroma when inhaling the balm preparations and can provide a warm sensation. The best concentration as an aromatherapy stick balm preparation is 25% because it gives the highest aroma and test preferences.

Sensory and antioxidant evaluation of functional drinks based on Cardamom rhizomes (Amomum cardamomum willd.)

The study aimed to obtain a functional drink formula from the cardamom rhizomes (FdCarrhi) in terms of total phenol content and its vitamin C. A total of five formulations of drinks containing cardamom rhizomes and other spices have been made by boiling all ingredients and leaving excess liquid reaching 30-35%. Sensory tests performed include color, taste, flavor, spiciness, aftertaste, and warm sensation. The panelists consisted of 55 people who were not trained, on a 1-5 hedonic scale; dislike extremely to like extremely. The total phenol, vitamin C, protein, fat, ash, water and carbohydrates of the preferred formula have been determined. The selected formula drink composed of 2.12% cardamom rhizomes, various spices, and water. The color, taste, flavor, spiciness, and aftertaste ranged from like-moderately to like-extremely, while warm-sensation ranged from neutral to like-moderately. The content of total phenols was 498.8 ppm and vitamin C is 36 mg/100 g. Fd-Carrhi rich in antioxidants.

Analisa Kesukaan Produk Balsem Aroma Bunga

Balm is a thick oil containing resin oil and essential oils, feels hot. Balm is applied by rubbing and rubbing on the skin. The balm has the benefit of reducing muscle aches, which are caused by the burning sensation of the balm. Essential oils can cause a refreshing and soothing sensation after the use it. This balm can calm consumers who experience muscle pain. The aim of this study is to find out the best formula preferred by consumers aged 20 to 60 years. The method of this study is a qualitative analysis, based on the answers of questionnaires by respondent. Four balm formula was tested, namely Balm no 1, Balm no 2, Balm no 3, Balm no 4. The parameter assessed is aroma, texture, color and warm sensation. The results show that the description of male consumers (54.5%), women (45.5%), ages 20-30 years (45.5%), ages 31-40 years (27.3%), ages 41-50 years (18.2%), aged 51 years and over (9%). The results showed that most respondent liked Balm No. 4, both in terms of aroma, texture, color and warm sensation. It is expected that this warm feeling will be able to reduce the aches in the muscles of respondent.

The Effect of Garam Masala Levels Addition on Chocolate Based Functional Beverage

The increasing popularity of cocoa-based beverage has encouraged the development of various chocolate beverage formulations. Chocolate beverage formulations with addition of garam masala were carried out to produce functional beverage products which are beneficial to consumers and the product itself. Five different concentration of garam masala (0.01%, 0.02%, 0.03%, 0.04%, and 0.05%) were added into chocolate beverage. Preference test was carried out to evaluate panelists’ preference to each formula. Sensory evaluation was performed by giving an assessment using 7-scaled Likert scale for color, aroma, taste, warm sensation (after taste), and overall product. The results showed that the concentration of garam masala addition has an effect (p≤0.10) on the attributes of aroma, warm sensation, and overall product. The most preferred chocolate beverage was with the addition of 0.03% garam masala. Higher concentration of garam masala in chocolate based beverage resulted a higher antioxidant activity as well as phenolic content, as antioxidant component.