Improving a pavement-watering method on the basis of pavement surface temperature measurements

Pavement-watering has been studied since the 1990's and is currently considered a promising tool for urban heat island reduction and climate change adaptation. However, possible future water resource availability problems require that water consumption be optimized. Although pavement heat flux can be studied to improve pavement-watering methods (frequency and water consumption), these measurements are costly and require invasive construction work to install appropriate sensors in a dense urban environment. Therefore, we analyzed infrared camera measurements of pavement surface temperatures in search of alternative information relevant to this goal. Firstly, surface temperature reductions of up to 4{\textdegree}C during shading and 13{\textdegree}C during insolation were found. Secondly, the infrared camera successfully detected temperature spikes indicative of surface drying and can therefore be used to optimize the watering frequency. Measurements made every 5 min or less are recommended to minimize relevant data loss. Finally, if the water retaining capacity of the studied pavement is known, optimization of total water consumption is possible on the sole basis of surface temperature measurements.Comment: Published in Urban Climat

Integrated canopy, building energy and radiosity model for 3D urban design

We present an integrated, three dimensional, model of urban canopy, building energy and radiosity, for early stage urban designs and test it on four urban morphologies. All sub-models share a common descriptions of the urban morphology, similar to 3D urban design master plans and have simple parameters. The canopy model is a multilayer model, with a new discrete layer approach that does not rely on simplified geometry such as canyon or regular arrays. The building energy model is a simplified RC equivalent model, with no hypotheses on internal zoning or wall composition. We use the CitySim software for the radiosity model. We study the effects of convexity, the number of buildings and building height, at constant density and thermal characteristics. Our results suggest that careful three dimensional morphology design can reduce heat demand by a factor of 2, especially by improving insolation of lower levels. The most energy efficient morphology in our simulations has both the highest surface/volume ratio and the biggest impact on the urban climate

Impact des TIC sur la performance de la FRH pendant COVID 19 : cas des établissements universitaires

Dans un contexte mondialement dynamique et imprévisible, les organisations, quelques soient leurs domaines d’activité, leurs tailles, recourent de plus en plus aux technologies de l’information et de communication (TIC) afin de développer une fonction ressources humaines capable de répondre à la diversité et à la complexité des exigences du capital humain. Toutefois et malgré les efforts déployés pour acquérir, concevoir et développer des outils de gestion et de pilotage, les praticiens de la fonction ressources humaines (FRH) constatent toujours un faible degré d’influence de ces objets numériques sur la performance de la fonction RH. Cet article présente une étude empirique réalisée dans le contexte COVID 19, sur 18 établissements universitaires relevant de l’Université Hassan II de Casablanca. Nous développons ainsi les résultats et l’analyse de cette étude dans la perspective d’évaluer l’impact des TIC sur la performance de la FRH, tout en tenant compte de l’importance du capital humain, toujours considéré comme facteur clé du déploiement réussi des TIC

Shear Capacity of RC Beams at Elevated Temperatures

Fire safety is a critical criterion for designing reinforced concrete structures. With the introduction of performance-based design, structural engineers need design tools to assess the capacity of different elements during fire exposure. This paper proposes an analytical method to predict the shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams exposed to elevated temperatures. The proposed method extends the use of existing ambient temperature methods by accounting for the effect of elevated temperatures on material properties. It involves heat transfer analysis, evaluation of the material properties at elevated temperatures, and application of the modified compression field theory to estimate the shear capacity. The method is validated using experimental results by others. A parametric study is then conducted to investigate the effects of different parameters on the shear capacity of reinforced concrete beams exposed to fire

TRATAMENTO DE DADOS PARA GESTÃO AMBIENTAL DE REDES DE ESGOTO

Este artigo trata da questão de bases de dados, de sistemas de informações geográficas (SIG) e da sua utilidade para ajudar na gestão ambiental das redes de esgoto de municípios de médio porte. Embora os SIG se generalizem nestes municípios, seu uso como ferramenta de ajuda à decisão permanece limitado. Duas das principais razões consistem na dispersão e na imperfeição dos dados. No quadro de um projeto financiado pelo Ministério Francês da Pesquisa, vários elementos de metodologia foram desenvolvidos a fim de construir uma estratégia de capitalização da informação. A adaptação do modelo de dados para avaliar o perfil ambiental das redes de esgoto e o tratamento das imperfeições nas bases de dados serão apresentados.Palavras-chave : Redes de esgoto. Base de dados. Imperfeição de dados. Gestão ambiental.ABSTRACTThis paper deals with databases and Geographic Information System (GIS) and their use to help in environmental management of sewer systems in medium sized cities. Even though GIS are generalised in those cities, their use as decision aid tolls is restricted. The two main reasons are due to the dispersion and the imperfection of data. Within the ambit of a project funded by the French research ministry, several elements of methodology were developed in order to elaborate a strategy of information collection. The adaptation of the data model in order to assess the environmental profile of sewer systems and the treatment of imperfections in database will be presented.Keywords: Sewer system. Database. Imperfection of data. Data model.RESUMENEste artículo aborda la cuestión de las bases de datos de los sistemas de información geográfica (SIG) y como utilizarlos para ayudar en la gestión medioambiental de las redes de alcantarillado en provincias menos desarroladas. Aunque los SIG se generalizen en estos ámbitos, los utilizan como una herramienta de apoyo para la toma de decisiones, lo que sigue siendo limitado. Dos razones principales son la dispersión y la imperfección de los datos. En virtud de un proyecto financiado por el Ministerio francés de investigación, varios elementos de la metodología fueron desarrollados con el fin de construir una estrategia para aprovechar la información. Serán presentados la adaptación de molde de datos para evaluar el perfil ambiental de las redes de alcantarillado y tratamiento de las imperfecciones en las bases de datos .Palabras-clave: Redes de alcantarillado. Bases de datos. Imperfección de datos. Molde de datos

Analysis of the Prescriptions for Energy Quality Buildings in Three Parisian Urban Development Projects

In Paris (France), urban projects currently cover 10% of the territory. In the context of rising energy costs and the fight against climate change, reducing energy consumption in buildings and transportation is an unavoidable issue for these urban projects. While many studies analyse assessment tools and sustainability frameworks, only a few focus on developer practices. We describe how energy issues are integrated into urban development, focusing on three projects located in Paris. We compare environmental specifications made within these three projects to ensure high energy quality of the planned buildings. We observed that the way of prescribing energy performances varies from project to project. Differences in priorities from one engineering firm to another lead to a high variability of parameters identified to ensure high building energy performances

Measurement of the Cooling Efficiency of Pavement-watering as an Urban Heat Island Mitigation Technique

The Paris region (Île-de-France) was amongst the hardest hit by the August 2003 heat wave, due in part to subsequent amplification of its urban heat island. This has created high heat-wave awareness in climate change adaptation studies for the city of Paris. Over the summer of 2013, pavement watering was studied experimentally in two locations as a climate change adaptation method. Pavement watering was found to lower pavement surface temperatures by several degrees for several hours after watering, while also strongly reducing its cooling rate a few hours before and after sunset. Heat flux and storage at a depth of 5 cm in the pavement were also found to have been significantly reduced, especially during direct sunlight exposure, but also when the pavement was in the shade. Uninterrupted watering appears necessary during direct sunlight exposure of the pavement to maximize efficiency

Impact of Nutritional Educational Program on the Nutritional Habits and Status among Older Adults at Qena City, Egypt

Background: The age-related changes of the gastrointestinal tract, availability of the food and the functional ability affect the nutritional intake among elderly people. Most of the diseases originate from malnutrition especially among the vulnerable group as older adults. Therefore, the aim of this study is to improve older adults' nutritional habits. The study followed a quesi experimental research design and was carried out in the Elderly Club at Qena City. Sample; One hundred and six older adults who fulfilled the inclusion criteria participated in this study and assigned randomly into fifty-three intervention group and fifty-three control group. Two tools were used to collect the data; Tool I Structured Interview Form and tool II Mini-Nutritional Assessment Scale. The results of this study revealed that there are no statistically significant differences of frequency of usual food consumed per week between pre-test and Posttest among the intervention or control group (P > 0.05). There are significance differences between pre-test and Posttest of food preparation method and the substances used in cooking among only the intervention group. It was concluded from the current study that the intervention improved the nutritional habits. Based on the study results, it will be useful implement the nutritional educational program at all older organizations which provide services to older adults such as elderly homes, elderly clubs, and hospitals in Egypt

Screening for psychological distress among High School Graduates Accepted for Enrollment at Alexandria Faculty of Medicine: Academic year 2016/2017

Background: Mental and psychological health of adolescents in general and prospective medical students in particular is a priority area to investigate as it affects wellbeing of the future doctors.Objectives: The current research was conducted to screen first year medical students accepted for enrollment at Alexandria Faculty of Medicine to identify those with a high probability of having psychological distress before the start of academic courses as well as explore the sources of stress among them.Methods: A cross sectional survey of 779 high school graduates accepted for admission to Alexandria Faculty of medicine was conducted. Participants were approached on the days of obligatory pre-enrollment medical examination. The translated Arabic version of DASS 21 questionnaire was used to screen students for three negative emotional symptoms namely depression, anxiety and stress. Inquiry about age, sex, residency and type of high school was added.Results: More than a tenth of studied medical students (12.6%) suffered from severe or profound stress and 29.1% of them had mild to moderate stress. Moreover, one fifth (20%) of studied students were severely anxious and less than one third (29.3%) had mild to moderate anxiety. Severe and profound depression was diagnosed among 14.3% of students whereas, 18.7% them were moderately depressed. No association was found between any of studied negative emotional symptoms and the students’ educational background or their residency.Conclusion: Nearly half of the prospective medical students might have some sort of psychological distress before starting their study in the Faculty of Medicine. They should be investigated to verify diagnosis and start intervention to minimize its adverse effects on academic performance and advancement at the faculty. Stress management courses should be considered for all medical students.Keywords: Psychological distress, Prospective medical students, Adolescents’ psychological health, Depression, Anxiety, Stres