Detailed occupancy prediction, occupancy-sensing control and advanced behavioural modelling within whole-building energy simulation

Cette étude a pour but de combler l'écart entre l'état actuel de la simulation énergétique dans le domaine du bâtiment (i.e. hypothèses et modèles) et la connaissance empirique sur le comportement des usagers en matière de contrôle environnemental. L'application principale issue de cette thèse est un module de simulation autonome qui vise la modélisation à haute résolution et à haute fréquence des interactions personne-milieu: de l'occupation des locaux (i.e. l'affectation individuelle d'un environnement modélisé), du contrôle basé uniquement sur la présence ou l'absence des occupants (e.g. détecteurs de mouvement), jusqu'aux modèles comportementaux plus avancés (e.g. commutation manuelle des appareils d'éclairage, l'utilisation des fenêtres ouvrantes). L'intégration du module au sein du logiciel libre ESP-r, un programme qui permet de simuler l'ensemble des interactions bâtiment-systèmes-environnement, permet d'étudier à quel point les modèles d'interactions personne-milieu, issus des études en milieu réel, peuvent influencer les besoins énergétiques d'un bâtiment donné. Certains traits comportementaux, couramment associés aux modèles de contrôle manuel des systèmes d'éclairage, caractérisent également le comportement individuel au niveau des fenêtres ouvrantes; une conclusion issue d'une étude pilote en milieu réel sur le campus de l'Université Laval (Québec). Cette constatation suggère certains traits communs pouvant décrire le comportement des usagers en matière de contrôle environnemental. Le module développé permet également d'étudier le potentiel écoénergétique de stratégies innovatrices: l'application de stratégies de contrôle reposant sur l'adaptation thermique dans un contexte de climatisation hybride, et basées sur l'opération de fenêtres ouvrantes en tant que commutateurs entre climat naturel et climat artificiel. Les résultats préliminaires suggèrent que pour les climats nordiques ou méridionaux, ces approches permettent effectivement de réduire les besoins en climatisation, mais qu'en contre partie les besoins en chauffage augmentent considérablement en raison de l'utilisation des fenêtres en périodes plus tempérées. L'intérêt de la méthode est ici mis en évidence dans sa capacité à simuler globalement l'ensemble des conséquences énergétiques de l'interaction sociale avec l'environnement bâti.This study sets out to bridge the gap between building energy simulation and empirical evidence on occupant behaviour. The major output is a self-contained simulation module that aims to control all occupant-related phenomena which can affect energy use in buildings. It provides high resolution and high frequency occupancy prediction (i.e. when occupants as individual agents occupy a modelled environment), occupant-sensing control (i.e. as driven by the mere presence of one or more occupants, such as occupancy-sensing lighting controls), as well as advanced behavioural models (i.e. active personal control, such as manual switching of lights, manual adjustments to window blinds, operable windows, personalized air-conditioning units). The module is integrated within the ESP-r free software, a whole-building energy simulation program. Simulation results clearly show that occupants-based phenomena exert a strong influence on simulated energy use, revealing a number of limitations in key assumptions in current energy simulation practice. Key behavioural traits, commonly associated to lighting behavioural patterns, also appear to be associated to personal control of operable windows, as demonstrated in a pilot field study in a Université Laval pavilion in Québec. This may suggest an abstract quality to certain behavioural concepts regarding different environmental controls. The study then focuses on the use of the developed work to investigate the energy saving potential of novel yet untried strategies: adaptive comfort control algorithms in hybrid environments, based on the use of operable windows as switching mechanisms between natural and artificial modes of environmental control. Results suggest that for both heating- and cooling-dominant climates, adaptive comfort control effectively reduces cooling requirements, yet operable window use during cooler conditions appear to increase heating requirements. The usefulness of the original method is here illustrated by providing a more complete view on energy use attributed to occupant behaviour

Are two Dimensions Too Many? - A one-dimensional rival to two-dimensional semantics

We discuss two interpretations of two-dimensional semantics (2DMS) due to D. Chalmers and R. Stalnaker. The main problem with both interpretations of the formal framework is the relinquishng of rigidity for terms. They are in a sense unfaithful to an agent's beliefs. We present alternative principles to capture what we take to be agents's beliefs, namely: the principles of hyper-rigidity and backward reference to actuality. We propose then to go back to a one-dimensional semantics which affords a satisfactory model of beliefs reports. Our proposal, like 2DMS, addresses typical problems of representation for beliefs and epistemological difficulties related to modal knowledge

Periodontal pathogens of the interdental microbiota in a 3 months pregnant population with an intact periodontium

Steroid hormones and the oral microbiota of pregnant women both appear as cumulative risk factors for gingivitis. This cross-sectional study, using real-time PCR, investigated the composition and diversity of the microbiota in interdental spaces of 3 months pregnant women with intact periodontium according the 2018 EFP/AAP classification. Bacteria identified were belonged to the red (Porphyromonas gingivalis Treponema denticola, and Tanerella forsythia), orange (Fusobacterium nucleatum, Prevotella intermedia, Campylobacter rectus, and Parvimonas micra), and green (Eikenella corrodens and A. actinomycetencomitans) Socransky complexes. Approximatively 109.11 bacteria were counted per interdental space in pregnant women. Bacteria from the red complex represented 33.80% versus 62.81% for the orange group versus 3.39% for the green group of the total number spread over the 3 groups. Dietary habits and physical activity did not have a significant impact on interdental microbiota, although a decrease in the median amount of 9 periodontopathogens was observed when fruit and vegetable consumption increased. Pregnant women who brushed their teeth at least twice a day had lower counts of total bacteria and 9 periodontal pathogens than those who brushed less. In 3 months pregnant women at high risk of periodontal disease (>30% bleeding sites), the dendogram revealed 2 clusters of the 9 periodontopathogens. This provides further support for the “key pathogen” hypothesis, among which Porphyromonas gingivalis plays a key role, indicating that specific bacteria in limited quantities can influence the host immune system and convert the microbiota from symbiotic to dysbiotic to induce inflammatory disorder. As a result, this study reported that 3 months pregnant women with healthy periodontium had high levels of interdental bleeding and a dysbiotic microbiota with periodontal pathogens of the Socransky orange and red complexes. These subjects were therefore potentially at increased risk of developing periodontal disease and, consequently, an adverse pregnancy outcome. So, preventive oral prophylaxis measures, in particular individual interdental prophylaxis, should be implemented as soon as pregnancy is established

Calibrated interdental brushing for the prevention of periodontal pathogens infection in young adults - a randomized controlled clinical trial

Periodontal disease is clearly correlated with systemic disease. The presence of periodontal pathogens in interdental spaces in young, healthy adults is a strong indicator of the need to introduce daily interdental prophylaxis. Twenty-five subjects (aged 18–35 years), diagnosticated clinically as periodontally healthy, were enrolled in this study. One hundred interdental sites were included. Among these sites, 50 “test” sites were cleaned daily with calibrated interdental brushes (IDBs), whereas the other 50 sites were not cleaned and considered “controls”. The interdental biofilm at these interdental sites was collected at the beginning of the study (basal) and at 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 weeks, 4 weeks, and 3 months. Real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) methodology was used to quantify (i) 19 periodontal bacteria, including Porphyromonas gingivalis, Treponema denticola, and Tannerella forsythia, and (ii) total bacteria. In the test sites, the quantity of total bacteria decreased over time with the use of IDBs. The bacteria from the red and orange Socransky complexes, which are associated with periodontal disease, significantly decreased in the test sites but not in the control sites. Bacteria from the yellow, and purple Socransky complexes, which are associated with periodontal health, increased significantly in both groups whereas bacteria from the blue Socransky complex increased significantly only in the test sites. Furthermore, at basal, 66% of test sites and 68% of control sites bled during interdental brushing. These percentages decreased by 85% in 3 months for the test sites and by 27% in the control sites. In conclusion, the daily use of calibrated IDBs can reduce periodontal pathogens, reestablish symbiotic microbiota and, decrease interdental inflammation in interdental sites of healthy young adults

Ecological Aspects of a Wood Turtle, Glyptemys insculpta, Population at the Northern Limit of its Range in Québec

As part of a conservation research initiative, a population of Wood Turtles (Glyptemys insculpta) at the northern limit of its range was studied to ascertain characteristics of its demographics, morphometrics, density, mortality, feeding, and mating activities. Turtles were captured and marked during the activity period in 1996 and 1997. In addition, 20 individuals were radio-tracked weekly. A total of 188 turtles was captured and the size of the population in the study area was estimated at 238 turtles. The estimated population density based on this calculation is 0.44 turtles/ha. This is less than other studies indicating that population densities are greater in southern populations. Turtles from this population were large (carapace length of males=214.5 ± 4.21 mm, females=201.1 ± 10.88 mm) which supports the hypothesis that turtle size is negatively correlated with number of frost free days. The sex ratio was not significantly different from 1:1. Juvenile turtles accounted for 31.4% of the population. Observations of feeding habits support the claim that Wood Turtles are opportunistic omnivores. Of the 35 mating or courtship events observed, 77 % occurred in the fall and half of them between 11:00 and 13:00. Although limb and tail injuries and parasites were observed on many turtles, no dead turtles were observed. This last result, combined with the high rate of recruitment and even sex ratio suggests that this population is stable, making it an ideal population with which to make comparisons with other studies in areas where the species could be in decline

Oral health behaviour and lifestyle factors among overweight young adults in Europe:a cross-sectional questionnaire study

Being overweight is a risk factor for many chronic diseases including oral diseases. Our aim was to study the associations between oral health behavior, lifestyle factors and being overweight among young European adults, 2011–2012. The subjects constituted a representative sample of adult population aged 18–35 years from eight European countries participating in the Escarcel study. The participants completed a self-administered questionnaire on dietary habits, oral health behavior, smoking, exercise, height, and weight. Overweight was defined as body mass index (BMI) ¥ 25 kg/m2 using theWorld Health Organization criteria. Mean BMI was 23.2 (SD 3.48) and 24.3% of the study population were overweight. Those who were overweight drank more soft drinks (p = 0.005) and energy drinks (p = 0.006) compared with those who were non-overweight. Brushing once a day (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.3–2.0), emergency treatment as the reason for last dental visit (OR 1.6; 95% CI 1.3–1.9) and having seven or more eating or drinking occasions daily (OR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1–1.7) were statistically significantly associated with overweight. Associations were found between oral health behavior, lifestyle and overweight. A greater awareness of the detrimental lifestyle factors including inadequate oral health habits among overweight young adults is important for all healthcare providers, including oral health care professionals