Does host plant influence parasitism and parasitoid species composition in Lygus rugulipennis? A molecular approach

Lygus Hahn plant bugs (Hemiptera: Miridae) are serious pests of a wide variety of economically important crops in North America. European Peristenus digoneutis Loan and P. relictus Ruthe (Hymenoptera: Braconidae) are being considered for release in Canada as part of a classical biological control program for Lygus. The attractiveness of different host plants to European Peristenus has not been addressed, but may be an important consideration prior to parasitoid release. Lygus rugulipennis Poppius nymphs were collected in the Northern Temperate Atlantic (NTA) ecoregion on red clover (Trifolium pratense L.; Fabaceae) and chamomile (Matricaria recutita L.; Asteraceae), and in the Western European Broadleaf Forest (WEBF) ecoregion on red clover and alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.; Fabaceae). Parasitism levels and parasitoid species were determined using a multiplex PCR assay for P. digoneutis, P. relictus, and P. pallipes Curtis. Mean parasitism levels in L. rugulipennis were 45-49% in the NTA ecoregion and 25-32% in the WEBF ecoregion. However, in neither ecoregion were parasitism levels and parasitoid species compositions significantly different in nymphs from different host plant species. Furthermore, multiparasitism was low despite the fact that P. digoneutis and P. relictus share the same host specie

An analysis of thermal comfort in primary schools in Vietnam

There is a trend of installing air conditioning systems in public primary schools that are currently naturally ventilated in Vietnam. A previous study conducted by the authors provided evidence that there is limited need for air conditioning in Vietnamese mid-season and the hottest season. In this study, the authors investigated thermal comfort and users’ perceptions in three primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City during the hottest season (April 2016) and the coldest season (December 2016 – January 2017). In-situ spot and long-term measurements were recorded. Questionnaires were completed by 3,960 children (age range from 8 to 11 years) and the teachers to inform the study about their experiences and the extent of their interaction with the building in 97 free-running classrooms. The results were analysed by correlating the conditions measured and the comfort mean votes. The neutral temperatures were respectively 31.7oC and 31.1oC for the hottest and coldest seasons. Children were observed to tolerate higher thermal comfort condition than the recommended values in the standards. Compared with the results of the hottest season, the thermal sensation mean vote reduced from (0.29) to (0.12) when the decrease of the mean temperature was from 33.3oC to 31.8oC in the coldest season. The temperature of 33oC was proposed for the overheating benchmark. The results indicated that Vietnamese children adapted to hot climate and had higher thermal comfort tolerance than adults. Preliminary findings suggest that it is unnecessary to use air conditioning system all year round. These findings could help and encourage architects and engineers to deliver schools reaching acceptable comfort levels without the need of air conditioning system

A novel mechanical ventilation heat recovery/heat pump system

The trend towards improving building airtightness to save energy has increased the incidence of poor indoor air quality and associated problems, such as condensation on windows, mould, rot and fungus on window frames. Mechanical ventilation/heat recovery systems, combined with heat pumps, offer a means of significantly improving indoor air quality, as well as providing energy efficient heating and cooling required in buildings. This thesis is concerned with the development of a novel mechanical ventilation heat recovery/heat pump system for the domestic market. Several prototypes have been developed to provide mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. These systems utilise an annular array of revolving heat pipes which simultaneously transfer heat and impel air. The devices, therefore, act as fans as well as heat exchangers. The heat pipes have wire finned extended surfaces to enhance the heat transfer and fan effect. The systems use environmentally friendly refrigerants with no ozone depletion potential and very low global warming potential. A hybrid system was developed which incorporated a heat pump to provide winter heating and summer cooling. Tests were carried out on different prototype designs. The type of tinning, the working fluid charge and the number and geometry of heat pipes was varied. The prototypes provide up to 1000m3/hr airflow, have a maximum static pressure of 220Pa and have heat exchanger efficiencies of up to 65%. At an operating supply rate of 200m3/hr and static pressure 100Pa, the best performing prototype has a heat exchanger efficiency of 53%. The heat pump system used the hydrocarbon isobutane as the refrigerant. Heating COPs of up to 5 were measured. Typically the system can heat air from 0°C to 26°C at 200m3/hr with a whole system COP of 2. The contribution to knowledge from this research work is the development of a novel MVHR system and a novel MVHR heat pump system and the establishment of the performances of these systems

The case for hybrid ventilated primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam

This study investigates indoor environmental quality and users’ perception in 14 classrooms of a mixed-mode ventilated primary school in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, during the rainy season by qualitative and quantitative research methods. Spot and long-term measurements were recorded, covering a range of environmental parameters such as air temperature, relative humidity, CO2 concentration level, illuminance and sound level. A questionnaire was conducted and answered by 451 children (eight to eleven year olds) to investigate their perception of the thermal and visual comfort, indoor air quality, noise and overall comfort in the classrooms. In addition, 14 teachers were asked to inform the study about their experiences and behaviours in the classrooms. The results were analysed by cross relating the measured environmental conditions and the comfort vote on a seven-point scale

The case for internalising externalities in a sustainable rail asset base

Although the concept of sustainability and Sustainable development has tended to be mostly associated with the management of natural resources and the consequent environmental impact, the most accepted definition draws together its social, economic and environmental dimensions. The rail industry, as provider of a low carbon transport system, is well placed to have a significant role to play in promoting an environmental, economic and social balance that can be sustained and afforded for the foreseeable future. The paper suggests that a more comprehensive perspective on the scope of a sustainable intervention in rail infrastructure assets is needed, arguing that the necessary whole life evaluation process should include an additional positive externality: the uplift in knowledge, skill and expertise that comes about as a result of participation in projects and programmes. The inclusion of this benefit would provide a more accurate representation of value to support investment decision making and strengthen the case for a broader funding base. And that the demonstration of the correlation between participation in projects and programmes and the consequent uplift in skill, knowledge and expertise could be used to shift the emphasis in rail project planning

A review of the potential of smart homes to support independent living

Between 2015 and 2050, the proportion of the world's population over 60 years of age is expected to nearly double, from 12% to 22%. Whilst hospitals offer care to people with health problems, support at home is generally limited to carers, a costly labour intensive method that impacts on the ability of many elderly patients to live independently. This pushes the demand for housing that caters for elderly people allowing them to remain in their homes but with some level of healthcare support. In the UK, the domestic sector currently accounts for around 30% of total energy consumption and contributes in the region of 27% of total carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions. With an ageing population, offering healthy environments with a cushion against rising energy prices will be essential for people spending most of their time at home and often living on limited budgets. In this context, the drive to reduce energy consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions from housing has acted as a catalyst in the increasing installation of meters and sensors for monitoring energy use and indoor environmental conditions in buildings. These monitoring technologies can track and record a range of parameters such as temperature, air quality, occupant behaviour etc. Many of these could be optimised to help create environments that assist people such as the elderly to live at home. This paper aims to review relevant studies and technologies in the areas of smart, energy-efficient and lifetime homes, identifying some of the health needs of elderly people who could live at home if provided with adequate support, the range and type of technologies that could be employed to this objective, and suitable metrics to be used to measure the effectiveness of these technologies. The paper concludes that there is a limited evidence base on the health effects of energy-efficient homes, highlighting the need for more research and post occupancy evaluation using indoor environmental quality monitoring technology and wearable devices to analyse not only the energy performance of ‘green’ housing but also the possible effects of indoor environmental conditions on the subjective and objective wellbeing of occupants

Children thermal comfort in primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam

Indoor environmental quality significantly impacts on students’ performance and productivity, particularly thermal comfort levels. Currently in Vietnam, very few studies have dealt with the issue and the current trend is to install energy-intensive air-conditioning in primary schools as this is perceived as more comfortable. In this study, the authors investigated the users’ perceptions of thermal comfort in three primary schools in Ho Chi Minh City during the mid-season (September 2015) and the hottest season (April 2016). In-situ spot and long-term measurements were recorded. Questionnaires were completed by 2,145 children (from 8 to 11 years-old) and 62 teachers to understand their experiences and the extent of their interaction with the building in 62 naturally ventilated classrooms. The results were analysed by correlating the conditions measured and the comfort mean votes. Throughout this study, children were observed to tolerate higher thermal comfort condition than the recommended values in the standards. Around 7% of the occupied time during academic year presented temperatures over 33oC, in which less than 80% of the children voted acceptable. The results indicated that Vietnamese children had higher thermal comfort tolerance than the comfort levels suggested in the standards. Using air conditioning system all year round was deemed unnecessary

A novel mechanical ventilation heat recovery/heat pump system

The trend towards improving building airtightness to save energy has increased the incidence of poor indoor air quality and associated problems, such as condensation on windows, mould, rot and fungus on window frames. Mechanical ventilation/heat recovery systems, combined with heat pumps, offer a means of significantly improving indoor air quality, as well as providing energy efficient heating and cooling required in buildings. This thesis is concerned with the development of a novel mechanical ventilation heat recovery/heat pump system for the domestic market. Several prototypes have been developed to provide mechanical ventilation with heat recovery. These systems utilise an annular array of revolving heat pipes which simultaneously transfer heat and impel air. The devices, therefore, act as fans as well as heat exchangers. The heat pipes have wire finned extended surfaces to enhance the heat transfer and fan effect. The systems use environmentally friendly refrigerants with no ozone depletion potential and very low global warming potential. A hybrid system was developed which incorporated a heat pump to provide winter heating and summer cooling. Tests were carried out on different prototype designs. The type of tinning, the working fluid charge and the number and geometry of heat pipes was varied. The prototypes provide up to 1000m3/hr airflow, have a maximum static pressure of 220Pa and have heat exchanger efficiencies of up to 65%. At an operating supply rate of 200m3/hr and static pressure 100Pa, the best performing prototype has a heat exchanger efficiency of 53%. The heat pump system used the hydrocarbon isobutane as the refrigerant. Heating COPs of up to 5 were measured. Typically the system can heat air from 0°C to 26°C at 200m3/hr with a whole system COP of 2. The contribution to knowledge from this research work is the development of a novel MVHR system and a novel MVHR heat pump system and the establishment of the performances of these systems

Optimum community energy storage for renewable energy and demand load management

While the management of PV generation is the prime application of residential batteries, they can deliver additional services in order to help systems to become cost-competitive. They can level-out the demand and potentially reduce the cost and emissions of the energy system by reducing demand peaks. In this study, community energy storage (CES) is optimised to perform both PV energy time-shift and demand load shifting (using retail tariffs with varying prices blocks) simultaneously. The optimisation method obtains the techno-economic benefits of CES systems as a function of the size of the community ranging from a single home to a 100-home community in two different scenarios for the United Kingdom: the year 2020 and a hypothetical zero emissions target. It is demonstrated that the levelised cost and levelised value of CES systems reach intermediate values to those achieved when both applications are performed independently. For the optimal performance of a battery system being charged from both local PV plants and the grid, our results suggest that the battery should be sized suitable to ensure it can fully discharge during the peak period