Typical Values for Active Solar Energy in Urban Planning

There is an urgent need to start generating energy within cities in order to pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient society. Renewable energy by means of active solar energy systems (solar thermal, ST and/or photovoltaics, PV) can be generated using roofs and facades of buildings. In this study, the annual solar energy potential of typical Swedish city blocks was analysed in order to develop guidelines for urban planners and architects. The results show that the design of the city blocks has a significant effect (up to 50%) on the total annual solar energy production. The study also shows that the contribution from active solar energy can be significant even in the urban environment, but shading by adjacent buildings may greatly limit the total amount of energy produced

La terrasse Mitis à la pointe de Mille-Vaches (péninsule de Portneuf), rive nord de l’estuaire maritime du Saint-Laurent : nature des dépôts et évolution du niveau marin relatif à l’holocène

La basse terrasse à l’extrémité sud-ouest de la péninsule de Portneuf, sur la Haute Côte-Nord du Saint-Laurent, correspond à la terrasse Mitis présente dans quelques autres localités de la rive nord de l’estuaire. Entièrement composée de matériaux meubles détritiques, elle comprend plusieurs unités, la plupart sableuses, d’une épaisseur supérieure à 3 m. Mises en place en milieu littoral et intertidal, ces unités reposent sur un dépôt de sable fin gris, infratidal, lui-même susjacent au substrat limono-argileux déposé dans la Mer de Goldthwait, il y a >9,5 ka. Un dépôt de limon sableux, gris, laminé, contenant des débris de plantes en place correspondant à un faciès de schorre inférieur, coiffe la séquence sableuse. Par endroits, ce dépôt est lui-même recouvert d’une couche de tourbe de 25‑30 cm d’épaisseur. L’unité à la base de la falaise active a été mise en place entre 1990 ± 60 et 2740 ± 70 BP. Les unités sableuses au-dessus datent de 1570 ± 60 à 1880 ± 90 BP, alors que l’unité limoneuse à faciès de schorre inférieur a donné un âge au 14C allant de 1570 ± 50 à 1970 ± 70 BP. L’âge médian de la terrasse Mitis est de 1880 ± 90 BP, alors que si on prend en compte uniquement les dates pour l’unité limoneuse à faciès de schorre inférieur, il est de 1830 ± 60 BP. L’édification de la terrasse Mitis à la pointe de Mille-Vaches est donc contemporaine de la plupart des sites des deux rives de l’estuaire. Le substrat argileux de la vaste batture en face de la terrasse, qui se prolonge sous celle-ci, a été érodé lors d’un bas niveau marin pendant l’Holocène moyen qui fut suivi d’une remontée du niveau de quelques mètres. Un glissement de terrain historique, survenu vraisemblablement lors du séisme de 1663, caractérise la partie supérieure de l’estran en face de la falaise active.The low terrace at the SW extremity of the Portneuf Peninsula, on the north shore of the Lower St. Lawrence estuary, is an equivalent of the Mitis terrace occurring at a few other localities. The terrace is entirely made of detritic sediments. The various units, mostly fine to coarse sand deposited in the shore zone, are over 3 m in thickness. These sediments appear to unconformably overlie a subtidal dark grey fine sand resting on a surface eroded into a Goldthwait Sea clay deposit older than 9.5 ka. At the surface of the terrace, there is a grey, laminated sandy silt deposit with plant remains in situ (a lower marsh facies), locally covered by a thin (25‑30 cm) layer of peat. The sand unit at the base of the studied exposure has been dated 1990 ± 60 to 2740 ± 70 BP. The overlying sandy units are dated 1570 ± 60 to 1880 ± 90 BP, whereas the silt unit at the surface is dated 1570 ± 50 to 1970 ± 70 BP. The median age of the terrace is 1880 ± 90 BP, whereas if we use only the 14C dates for the silt unit, it is 1830 ± 60 BP. At Pointe de Mille-Vaches, the Mitis terrace is thus contemporaneous with most localities on both shores of the estuary. The substrate of the wide tidal flat in front of the Mitis terrace (an erosion surface underlying the terrace) was cut into the marine clay during a mid-Holocene lowstand, which was followed by a rising sea level of a few meters. An historical landslide, which possibly occurred during the 1663 seismic event, characterizes the upper part of the tidal zone in front of the active cliff

Methodology and parameters to analyse daylighting and energy use in dense cities: A literature review

Low energy buildings are key to reduce global energy use. However, achieving low energy use and good daylight levels simultaneously in dense cities is challenging. This article reviews relevant studies dealing with energy use and daylighting in dense residential urban blocks located in Nordic climates. The literature review combines a systematic and a ‘snowball’ search approach. Findings indicate that previous research relies heavily on parametric design as a tool. Few density metrics were found particularly relevant to describe the interplay between density, daylight, and energy use.However, the limited body of research achieved so far in the Nordic climate makes it difficult to draw a clear conclusion, suggesting that additional research is required

Urban farming with rooftop greenhouses: a systematic literature review

The environmental impacts of food systems will increase in tandem with rapid urban population growth, which calls for alternative solutions, such as urban agriculture, to reach the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Among several urban agriculture systems, rooftop farming and its subset, rooftop greenhouses, are promising technologies. They optimize land use, increase profitability for building owners, deliver good yields per unit area, increase water use efficiency, and reduce the energy use of both greenhouse and host buildings while mitigating the urban heat island effect. A systematic literature review of the rooftop greenhouse technology was carried out to examine the benefits and challenges associated with this technology. This review was based on 45 articles, covering themes such as the impact of rooftop greenhouse technology on yields, energy use, water use, environmental impacts, and life-cycle costs; some benefits identified are the symbiotic heat, water, and CO2 exchanges between the rooftop greenhouse and its host building, and the possibility of delivering yearround production. The additional investment, operational costs, limited availability of flat roofs, and various regulations were challenges to overcome. The relevance of symbiosis between rooftop greenhouses and buildings to enhancing sustainability, and meeting the SDGs was explored. This review also outlines that rooftop greenhouses are increasing in scale, system diversity, societal acceptance and popularity among commercial operations in large cities. The future of rooftop farming lies in customizing the right technology for selected building typologies globally, where food production is fully integrated into the urban landscape

Scoping study of definitions and instruments measuring vulnerability in older adults

Abstract: It is important to foster social participation and health equity especially for older adults in situations of vulnerability Despite growing interest in the concept of vulnerability there is no consensus regarding how to define or measure it This paper provides an inventory and synthesis of definitions and instruments measuring vulnerability in older adults Using a scoping study framework eight databases Abstracts in Social Gerontology Academic Search Complete AgeLine CINAHL MEDLINE SocINDEX PsycInfo Scopus were searched with relevant keywords Vulnerab AND Concept Defin Meaning Terminology Measurement Assessment Indicator Instrument Scale Questionnaire OR Test AND Aging Ageing Elder Gerontolog Older OR Senior Thirty-one original definitions and five measurement instruments were identified content-analyzed and compared Vulnerability definitions mostly focused on people under conditions that increased their risk of being harmed because of individual physical factors or the social environment Considering these definitions experts in the field of aging including two representing older adults took part in a workshop and a consensus was reached to define a situation of vulnerability as a set of circumstances in which one or more individuals experience at a specific moment in time one or multiple physiological psychological socioeconomic or social difficulties that may interact to increase their risk of being harmed or having coping problems that lead to negative consequences on their life Although none of the measures fully targeted this definition the Perceived Vulnerability Scale PVS was judged best at operationalizing the concept with 22 items considering feelings of vulnerability toward personal and environmental factors it also has good psychometric properties The proposed definition and the PVS help to provide a common language and measure in health and social sciences research policy and practice identifying and reaching older adults in situations of vulnerability and intervening to foster social participation and health equity

Achieving Solar Energy in Architecture-IEA SHC Task 41

AbstractDespite the wide diversity of available solar technologies, solar energy systems are still not considered as main stream technologies in building practice. This may be attributed to several factors such as lack of awareness and knowledge among architects, lack of tools supporting the design process, and lack of solar products designed for building integration. In order to address these issues, the IEA SHC Task 41 “Solar Energy and Architecture” was carried out during 2009 to 2012. The main aim was to promote the use of solar energy systems within high quality architecture. The main expected outcome is an increased use of solar energy in buildings, reducing the non-renewable energy use and GHG emissions. Fourteen countries participated. The work was organized in three subtasks: A) integration criteria and guidelines, B) tools and methods for architects, and C) case studies and communication guidelines. This article presents an overview of the Task's activities and results. The results include an inventory of computer tools, a literature review, a survey on solar systems perception and use by architects, a survey on needs regarding tools for solar design, recommendations for computer tool developers and different guidelines for solar product developers and architects. Finally an extensive collection of more than 250 case studies with integration of solar systems was evaluated and resulting in the online publication of around 65 selected cases demonstrating inspiring solar architecture. The results of Task 41 are also currently being disseminated through seminars and workshops for building professionals

Cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in the differential diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease from cortical dementias

International audienceBackground: Considering that most of semantic dementia (SD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) patients show no postmortem Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathology, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers may be of value for distinguishing these patients from those with AD. Additionally, biomarkers may be useful for identifying patients with atypical phenotypic presentations of AD, such as posterior cortical atrophy (PCA) and primary progressive non-fluent or logopenic aphasia (PNFLA). Methods: We investigated CSF biomarkers (beta-amyloid 1-42 (Aβ42), total tau (T-tau), and phosphorylated tau [P-tau]) in 164 patients with AD (n=60), PCA (n=15), behavioral variant FTD (n=27), SD (n=19), (PNFLA) (n=26) and functional cognitive disorders (FCD, n=17). We then examined the diagnostic value of these CSF biomarkers in distinguishing the patients from those with AD. Results: The P-Tau/Aβ42 ratio was found to be the best biomarker for discriminating AD from FTD and SD, with a sensitivity of 91.7% and 98.3%, respectively, and a specificity of 92.6% and 84.2%, respectively. As expected, biomarkers were less effective in differentiating AD from PNFLA and PCA, as significant proportions of PCA and PNFLA patients (60% and 61.5%, respectively) had concurrent alterations of both T-tau/Aβ42 and P-Tau/Aβ42 ratios. None of the FCD patients had a typical AD CSF profile or abnormal T-tau/Aβ42 or P-Tau/Aβ42 ratios. Conclusion: The P-Tau/Aβ42 ratio is a useful tool to discriminate AD from both FTD and SD, which are known to involve pathological processes distinct from AD. Biomarkers could be useful for identifying patients with an atypical AD phenotype that includes PNFLA and PCA