Experimental research on temperature and humidity control performance of hwang-toh finishing
This research analysed the effect of the ecological material yellow soil (hwang-toh) on indoor environments. To accomplish this, two full-scale mock-ups were constructed: one with PVC-foamed wallpaper, which is generally used for indoor finishing, and the other with hwang-toh, which is an ecological material for wall finishing. Comparison and performance evaluations were conducted, and the effects of hwang-toh finishing on an indoor environment were verified. Through this research, it was confirmed that a hwang-toh plaster finish is effective in maintaining the comfort humidity of an indoor environment. (Source: Indoor and Built Environment)
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - January 14, 2015 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Lee, K.-I., Yeom, D.-W. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Environmental radon: Health aspects and present status in northern India
Following the discovery of high levels of indoor radon in various parts of the world, every environmental protection agency is determined to address the potential radon problem. In India, many research groups are determined to characterize the problem as it might exist in Indian dwellings, where poor ventilation and mud structures are common. Not only radon but also its progeny are radioactive. Being a gas radon can disperse and its progeny can attach to aerosols/dust particles to be transmitted in indoor environments. Radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in North America and the leading cause of lung cancer fo...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - January 14, 2015 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Mehta, V., Chauhan, R. P., Mudahar, G. S. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
HELIOS-EX: Blind control simulator and method with a consideration of adjacent buildings
The objective of this paper is to propose the automated blind control strategy considering adjacent buildings’ geometry in order to minimize the occupants’ discomfort from glare and to maximize daylight inlet and solar heat gain, which can contribute to reducing energy consumption in a building. The proposed strategy was evaluated and verified through the computer simulations and analysis of results. (Source: Indoor and Built Environment)
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - January 14, 2015 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Seong, Y.-B. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Comparison of mood and task performance in naturally-lit and artificially-lit environments
The article presents the results of a laboratory study conducted at Shanghai Tongji University. The study compares participants’ mood and task performance between naturally-lit and artificially-lit environments, with a view to identify negative impacts, such as lighting variation and temperature asymmetry caused by dynamic natural light. It was observed that the mood change in the naturally-lit environment was more significant, especially the decrease of positive mood, than in the artificially-lit environment. For the subjects in the naturally-lit environment, performance scores decreased with increase in the light i...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - January 14, 2015 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Gou, Z., Lau, S. S.-Y., Qian, F. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
A review of membrane-based air dehumidification
Air dehumidification plays an important role in improving air quality and maintaining thermal comfort. Increasing attention is paid to the membrane-based technology, which is based on water vapour transmembrane transport driven by mass transfer potential, together with sensible heat transfer under temperature difference. Membrane-based air dehumidification has been applied in heating, ventilation and air conditioning, compressed air dehumidification and environmental control in space vehicle, and some other engineering fields. This paper summarizes recent research results in these fields, including fundamental principles, ...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - January 14, 2015 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Yang, B., Yuan, W., Gao, F., Guo, B. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Energy demand for hot water supply for indoor environments: Problems and perspectives
(Source: Indoor and Built Environment)
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - January 14, 2015 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Li, X., Wu, W., Yu, C. W. F. Tags: Editorial Source Type: research
Thank you to reviewers: 2014
(Source: Indoor and Built Environment)
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - January 14, 2015 Category: Occupational Health Tags: Thank you to reviewers: 2014 Source Type: research
Applying neural networks to solve the inverse problem of indoor environment
The computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analysis and back propagation neural network (BPNN) were employed to solve the inverse problem of indoor environment (IPIE). The approaches to identify the contaminant source locations and inlet boundary conditions by the measurement data at specified observation locations were put forward separately. The inverse design of the indoor boundary conditions by the desired distribution of predicted mean vote (PMV) in the control domain was also presented. The result demonstrated the utility of our proposed method in solving the IPIE. (Source: Indoor and Built Environment)
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - November 11, 2014 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Zhang, T.-h., You, X.-y. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Evaluation of air cleaning technologies existing in the Danish market: Experiments in a duct and in a test room
Five portable air cleaning technologies including one new technology were evaluated to find their effectiveness in removing ultrafine particles. Measurements were carried out both in a duct and in a test room. The results showed that the technologies that use/create ozone to clean air can increase the ozone level significantly in the room. Moreover, they can cause generation of ultrafine particles and consequently increase ultrafine particle concentration in the room. The study suggests using a mechanical filter with low pressure drop as a recommended air cleaning technology in order to remove ultrafine particles efficient...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - November 11, 2014 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Ardkapan, S. R., Afshari, A., Bergsoe, N. C., Nielsen, P. V. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Thermal performance and durability properties of the window glazing with exterior film(s)
Solar control film is usually positioned on the interior side of the window to reduce heat radiation into buildings. This work, in contrast, investigates the thermal performance and durability properties of window glazing with film on the exterior side and glazing with an additional TiO2 layer, as a protective film, on the exterior side. A small-sized hot-box was developed to evaluate the performance of glass samples: low-E glass, clear glass with solar film and tinted glass with TiO2 coating. It was concluded that the glass with coating facing toward outdoor could result in a reduction of interior surface temperature by 2...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - November 11, 2014 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Lee, S. K., Chen, H.-J., Fan, K.-S., Hsi, H.-C., Horng, R. S. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Investigation of association between indoor environmental factors and child health problems in Japan - Design of survey and outcome from preliminary cross-sectional questionnaire
In Japan, there is an increase in allergic diseases such as asthma, respiratory symptom, particularly prevailing among the young generation. The reasons why the prevalence is increasing are still not yet well understood. However, it is deemed that indoor environmental factors are one of the essential sources. Therefore, an epidemiology type of survey was investigated on the 4th and 5th grade school children in Japan. The survey was divided into three phases. Phase 1 was a preliminary cross-sectional questionnaire of the prevalence of health problems. Phase 2 was a cross-sectional questionnaire survey on housing characteris...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - November 11, 2014 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Yoshino, H., Ando, N., Kensuke, H., Hasegawa, K., Abe, K., Ikeda, K., Kato, N., Kumagai, K., Mitamura, T., Yanagi, U. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Measurement of indoor radon concentration and assessment of doses in different districts of Northern Rajasthan, India
Radon (222Rn), the immediate decay product of radium, is a causative agent of lung cancer. The seasonal indoor radon concentration in houses with different floorings, walls and roofs has been measured in Northern Rajasthan, India. The measurements were made in 100 houses using LR-115-type II plastic track detectors over four successive three-month periods (winter, spring, summer and autumn). The mean values of indoor radon concentrations in winter, spring, summer and autumn were determined to be: 176 Bq m–3, 131 Bq m–3, 120 Bq m–3 and 151 Bq m–3, respectively. The annual average indoor radon concent...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - November 11, 2014 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Duggal, V., Rani, A., Mehra, R. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
A case study on the air distribution in an operating room at Sarawak General Hospital Heart Centre (SGHHC) in Malaysia
A fieldwork measurement and simulation studies were carried out at the operating room (OR)-5, Sarawak General Hospital Heart Centre (SGHHC). This hospital is located in East Malaysia and was commissioned in January 2011. The air condition at the inlets and several other locations in the room are measured for the validation of the computational fluid dynamics simulation. From the results, it is noted that the obstruction and heat dissipation effects from the surgical light should not be disregarded. The combination of both effects results in trapped heat in the region below the surgical light. Under the same total flow volu...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - November 11, 2014 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Yau, Y. H., Ding, L. C. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
Trends in the air temperature of transitional spaces of a high-rise office building: The effects of season and location
Recent increases in the awareness of sustainable green design have resulted in the creation of transitional spaces in high-rise buildings. Incorporating green design in high-rise buildings has been associated with the reduction of energy consumption in buildings and the provision of open spaces for occupants. Achieving thermal comfort in the outdoor environment is crucial, particularly in tropical climate settings where it is highly affected by microclimatic conditions such as the air temperature, wind, humidity and solar radiation. This paper examines the air temperature at three different transitional spaces of a high-ri...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - November 11, 2014 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Taib, N., Abdullah, A., Ali, Z., Fadzil, S. F. S., Yeok, F. S. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
The effect of source type and source strength on inhaled mass of particulate matter during episodic indoor activities
A two-week campaign was performed in a naturally ventilated apartment to quantify indoor sources and to estimate the total inhaled mass of particulate matter (PM). DustTrak photometers were used to record PM2.5 concentrations continuously. Indoor activities were recorded in a detailed time–activity diary. The results showed that short episodic indoor sources influenced the indoor PM concentration for several hours and significantly affected daily average PM2.5 concentrations, indoor/outdoor ratios and indoor/outdoor correlation coefficients. Activities leading to increased PM concentrations occurred in 9% of the tota...
Source: Indoor and Built Environment - November 11, 2014 Category: Occupational Health Authors: Braniš, M., Řezačova, P., Lazaridis, M. Tags: Original Papers Source Type: research
