Sustainable Building and Indoor Air Quality

This Special Issue addresses a topic of great contemporary relevance; in developed countries, most of peoples’ time is spent indoors and, depending on each person, the presence in the home ranges from 60% to 90% of the day, and 30% of that time is spent sleeping. Taking into account these data, indoor residential environments have a direct influence on human health. In addition to this, in developing countries, significant levels of indoor pollution make housing unsafe, with a detrimental impact on the health of inhabitants. Housing is therefore a key health factor for people all over the world, and various parameters such as air quality, ventilation, hygrothermal comfort, lighting, physical environment, and building efficiency, among others, can contribute to healthy architecture, and the conditions that can result from the poor application of these parameters

Characterization of microreactor and analysis of carbonyl compounds in exhaled breath.

Analysis of trace volatile organic compounds at parts per billion (ppbv) to parts per trillion (pptv) level has become an important research frontier because of the applicability for environmental monitoring and noninvasive diagnosis of diseases. The methods of preconcentration for detection of trace aldehydes and ketones both in ambient air and human exhaled breath have increased considerably over the last decade. However, the majority of these methods are not efficient. In this dissertation, we have improved an innovative microreactor that is suitable for quantitative analysis of volatile carbonyl compounds (VOCs) in ambient air as well as in human exhaled breath. The approach is based on microreactor chips fabricated from four inch silicon wafers. The chips have thousands of micropillars in the microfluidic channels for uniformly distributing gaseous samples flowing through the microreactors. The surfaces of the micropillars are functionalized with a quaternary ammonium aminooxy salt 2-(aminooxy)-N,N,N trimethylethanammonium (ATM) iodide for trapping trace ketones and aldehydes by means of oximation reactions. ATM adducts and unreacted ATM are eluted from the microreactor with methanol and directly analyzed by UHPLC-MS. Design and characterization of the microreactors were first investigated. The reaction kinetics of the aminooxy reagent ATM with carbonyl were obtained. A reactor model was established to predicate the relationship between the capture efficiencies of carbonyl compounds and the microreactor length at a given gaseous sample flow rate. The microreactors were then used to study the stability of breath VOCs. VOCs, collected in Tedlar bags, were stable for about two hours with less than 5% of a concentration decrease. Storage of breath samples in a refrigerator reduces the concentration changes of VOCs. The analysis of exhaled breath samples of patients for early lung cancer screening program using the microreactor indicates that C3H6O, C2H4O2 and C4H8O2 can serve as biomarkers to distinguish patients with pulmonary nodules from healthy controls. The analysis of exhaled breath samples of the lung cancer (LC) patients, patients with benign pulmonary nodules and healthy controls led to three VOCs (2-butanone, 3-hydroxy-2-butanone and 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE)) as markers for distinguishing LC patients from patients with benign pulmonary nodules and healthy controls. 4-HNE can also be used to distinguish squamous cell carcinoma from adenocarcinoma LC

Perception of Climate Change in a Pacific Island City

According to the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC 2007) small island states (SIS) will be severely affected by global climate change. Especially a rising sea level, increased frequency and intensity of extreme weather events and rising temperature will have serious impact on life on small islands in tropical regions. SIS hardly contribute to the emission of greenhouse gases, therefore their main challenge will be focussing on adaptation to prevent further damages

Implementation of Sensors and Artificial Intelligence for Environmental Hazards Assessment in Urban, Agriculture and Forestry Systems

The implementation of artificial intelligence (AI), together with robotics, sensors, sensor networks, Internet of Things (IoT), and machine/deep learning modeling, has reached the forefront of research activities, moving towards the goal of increasing the efficiency in a multitude of applications and purposes related to environmental sciences. The development and deployment of AI tools requires specific considerations, approaches, and methodologies for their effective and accurate applications. This Special Issue focused on the applications of AI to environmental systems related to hazard assessment in urban, agriculture, and forestry areas

Closing the gap between science and management of cold-water refuges in rivers and streams

Human activities and climate change threaten coldwater organisms in freshwater eco-systems by causing rivers and streams to warm, increasing the intensity and frequency of warm temperature events, and reducing thermal heterogeneity. Cold-water refuges are discrete patches of relatively cool water that are used by coldwater organisms for thermal relief and short-term survival. Globally, cohesive management approaches are needed that consider interlinked physical, biological, and social factors of cold-water refuges. We review current understanding of cold-water refuges, identify gaps between science and management, and evaluate policies aimed at protecting thermally sensitive species. Existing policies include designating cold-water habitats, restricting fishing during warm periods, and implementing threshold temperature standards or guidelines. However, these policies are rare and uncoordinated across spatial scales and often do not consider input from Indigenous peoples. We propose that cold-water refuges be managed as dis-tinct operational landscape units, which provide a social and ecological context that is relevant at the watershed scale. These operational landscape units provide the founda-tion for an integrated framework that links science and management by (1) mapping and characterizing cold-water refuges to prioritize management and conservation actions, (2) leveraging existing and new policies, (3) improving coordination across jurisdictions, and (4) implementing adaptive management practices across scales. Our findings show that while there are many opportunities for scientific advancement, the current state of the sciences is sufficient to inform policy and management. Our proposed framework pro-vides a path forward for managing and protecting cold-water refuges using existing and new policies to protect coldwater organisms in the face of global change. behavioral thermoregulation, climate change adaptation, lotic ecosystem management, refugia, salmonids, temperature, thermal heterogeneity, thermal refugespublishedVersio

The effects of climate change on the phenology of plants and insects of Massachusetts

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityPhenology, the timing of biological events, is a common metric used to measure the effect of climate change on ecosystems. Leaf out timing is a particularly important indicator because it is highly sensitive to temperature, represents a critical transition point of annual seasonality, and is an important driver of ecosystem processes. The mechanisms behind this have recently gained attention, and I wrote a literature review on the topic that surveyed what is known and identified topics that require further investigation (Chapter 1). In the next chapter, I focused on specific aspects of leaf out phenology using observation and experimentation. To examine the effects of climate change on leafing, I utilized historical records (1852-1860) and made observations (2009-2012) of leaf out in Concord, Massachusetts (Chapter 2). Leafing is now an average of 19 days earlier than in the past. Recently published studies suggest that the continued advance of leaf out is uncertain; with continued warming, unmet chilling requirements may lead to delays in leafing. To address this, I experimentally investigated chilling requirements of local species (Chapter 2). I compared the sensitivity of leaf out to spring temperature as measured by field observations, remotely sensed data, and experimental warming to determine differences resulting from these methods (Chapter 3). Earlier leaf out with warmer temperatures was found with all methods; however, leafing was more than twice as sensitive to temperature in the field study as under experimental warming, with remote sensing intermediate. To better understand the effects of climate change on ecosystems, we must obtain reliable information about multiple trophic levels. I examined the effects of temperature on the flight dates of ten species of Massachusetts butterflies (1895-2009) using both museum specimen records and citizen science data: the response of these species is similar to that of flowering and bee flight times and significantly greater than changes in bird arrival (Chapter 4). As long as investigators are aware of the limitations of each data source, historical data, remote sensing, experiments, and citizen science data are all effective tools for studying the effect of climate change on phenology

Application of Remote Sensing Data for Locust Research and Management-A Review

Recently, locust outbreaks around the world have destroyed agricultural and natural vegetation and caused massive damage endangering food security. Unusual heavy rainfalls in habitats of the desert locust (Schistocerca gregaria) and lack of monitoring due to political conflicts or inaccessibility of those habitats lead to massive desert locust outbreaks and swarms migrating over the Arabian Peninsula, East Africa, India and Pakistan. At the same time, swarms of the Moroccan locust (Dociostaurus maroccanus) in some Central Asian countries and swarms of the Italian locust (Calliptamus italicus) in Russia and China destroyed crops despite developed and ongoing monitoring and control measurements. These recent events underline that the risk and damage caused by locust pests is as present as ever and affects 100 million of human lives despite technical progress in locust monitoring, prediction and control approaches. Remote sensing has become one of the most important data sources in locust management. Since the 1980s, remote sensing data and applications have accompanied many locust management activities and contributed to an improved and more effective control of locust outbreaks and plagues. Recently, open-access remote sensing data archives as well as progress in cloud computing provide unprecedented opportunity for remote sensing-based locust management and research. Additionally, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) systems bring up new prospects for a more effective and faster locust control. Nevertheless, the full capacity of available remote sensing applications and possibilities have not been exploited yet. This review paper provides a comprehensive and quantitative overview of international research articles focusing on remote sensing application for locust management and research. We reviewed 110 articles published over the last four decades, and categorized them into different aspects and main research topics to summarize achievements and gaps for further research and application development. The results reveal a strong focus on three species-the desert locust, the migratory locust (Locusta migratoria), and the Australian plague locust (Chortoicetes terminifera)-and corresponding regions of interest. There is still a lack of international studies for other pest species such as the Italian locust, the Moroccan locust, the Central American locust (Schistocerca piceifrons), the South American locust (Schistocerca cancellata), the brown locust (Locustana pardalina) and the red locust (Nomadacris septemfasciata). In terms of applied sensors, most studies utilized Advanced Very-High-Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), Satellite Pour l'Observation de la Terre VEGETATION (SPOT-VGT), Moderate-Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) as well as Landsat data focusing mainly on vegetation monitoring or land cover mapping. Application of geomorphological metrics as well as radar-based soil moisture data is comparably rare despite previous acknowledgement of their importance for locust outbreaks. Despite great advance and usage of available remote sensing resources, we identify several gaps and potential for future research to further improve the understanding and capacities of the use of remote sensing in supporting locust outbreak- research and management

Envolventes Verdes : Integración Tecnológica y Arquitectónica en una Zona del Mediterraneo -Barcelona

Máster en Investigación, Tecnología y Gestión de la Construcción en Europ

Afforestation and Reforestation: Drivers, Dynamics, and Impacts

Afforestation/reforestation (or forestation) has been implemented worldwide as an effective measure towards sustainable ecosystem services and addresses global environmental problems such as climate change. The conversion of grasslands, croplands, shrublands, or bare lands to forests can dramatically alter forest water, energy, and carbon cycles and, thus, ecosystem services (e.g., carbon sequestration, soil erosion control, and water quality improvement). Large-scale afforestation/reforestation is typically driven by policies and, in turn, can also have substantial socioeconomic impacts. To enable success, forestation endeavors require novel approaches that involve a series of complex processes and interdisciplinary sciences. For example, exotic or fast-growing tree species are often used to improve soil conditions of degraded lands or maximize productivity, and it often takes a long time to understand and quantify the consequences of such practices at watershed or regional scales. Maintaining the sustainability of man-made forests is becoming increasingly challenging under a changing environment and disturbance regime changes such as wildland fires, urbanization, drought, air pollution, climate change, and socioeconomic change. Therefore, this Special Issue focuses on case studies of the drivers, dynamics, and impacts of afforestation/reforestation at regional, national, or global scales. These new studies provide an update on the scientific advances related to forestation. This information is urgently needed by land managers and policy makers to better manage forest resources in today’s rapidly changing environments

Environmental vegetation : a possible association with cardiovascular disease risk.

The built environment affects numerous aspects of human health and wellbeing, including risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in both the U.S. and worldwide. The amount and quality of environmental vegetation, is an important aspect of the built environment that affects known CVD risk factors, including psychosocial stress, health behaviors, and exposure to air pollutants. Nevertheless, little evidence on the role of potential mechanisms and geographic scale in these relationships exists. Of previous studies that describe associations between vegetation and CVD outcomes, limited investigation has been performed to assess these observed relationships in differing urban environments. It also remains unclear how environmental vegetation may affect biological processes that affect CVD risk, prevalence, and outcomes. This dissertation investigates relationships between environmental vegetation and possible associations with aspects of CVD risk among residents. The first chapter describes CVD risks, vegetation, and relationships therein. The second chapter describes the association between environmental vegetation and CVD hospital admissions at the zip code level. The third chapter assesses relationships between residential area vegetation and metabolites of harmful VOCs, benzene and acrolein, among participants in the Louisville Healthy Heart Study. The fourth chapter examines relationships between residential vegetation and circulating angiogenic cells among participants in the Louisville Healthy Heart Study. The fifth and final chapter reviews findings of previous chapters and describes potential future investigations into links between vegetation and cardiovascular health. Results of this work contribute to existing literature on the relationships between vegetation and human health, which may be useful in the development of future studies