Impact of solar shading geometry on building energy use in hot humid climates with special reference to Malaysia

External solar shading devices can substantially reduce the cooling load of buildings and large energy savings can be achieved. Hence, intercepting the radiant heat wave before penetrating to the internal environment through envelope openings is the main criterion in designing solar shading. In hot and humid climate, one draw back of using shading devices is the risk to reduce daylight level thus increases in use of artificial lighting. Therefore it is important to understand the magnitude of energy consumption for cooling and lighting when shading devices are adapted in order to analyze optimum shading as energy conservation option in high-rise office buildings. In other words, little is known about the relationship between energy use and external horizontal shading device geometry. In an attempt to elucidate these complex relationships, a simple experiment of an office room is carried out using dynamic computer simulation program eQUEST- 3 (DOE 2.2). The study indicated depth of the external horizontal overhang can be manipulated to obtain an optimum energy use in high-rise buildings. The results showed that correlation between overhang depth and energy is an important aspect compared to correlation between overhang depth with building cooling loads and daylight level, especially in tropical climate conditions

Epitope mapping of avian influenza m2e protein: different species recognise various epitopes

Published: June 30, 2016A common approach for developing diagnostic tests for influenza virus detection is the use of mouse or rabbit monoclonal and/or polyclonal antibodies against a target antigen of the virus. However, comparative mapping of the target antigen using antibodies from different animal sources has not been evaluated before. This is important because identification of antigenic determinants of the target antigen in different species plays a central role to ensure the efficiency of a diagnostic test, such as competitive ELISA or immunohistochemistry-based tests. Interest in the matrix 2 ectodomain (M2e) protein of avian influenza virus (AIV) as a candidate for a universal vaccine and also as a marker for detection of virus infection in vaccinated animals (DIVA) is the rationale for the selection of this protein for comparative mapping evaluation. This study aimed to map the epitopes of the M2e protein of avian influenza virus H5N1 using chicken, mouse and rabbit monoclonal or monospecific antibodies. Our findings revealed that rabbit antibodies (rAbs) recognized epitope 6EVETPTRN13 of the M2e, located at the N-terminal of the protein, while mouse (mAb) and chicken antibodies (cAbs) recognized epitope 10PTRNEWECK18, located at the centre region of the protein. The findings highlighted the difference between the M2e antigenic determinants recognized by different species that emphasized the importance of comparative mapping of antibody reactivity from different animals to the same antigen, especially in the case of multi-host infectious agents such as influenza. The findings are of importance for antigenic mapping, as well as diagnostic test and vaccine development.Noor Haliza Hasan, Esmaeil Ebrahimie, Jagoda Ignjatovic, Simson Tarigan, Anne Peaston, Farhid Hemmatzade

Kajian kepuasan pelanggan di kalangan pesakit klinik swasta di Seremban, Negeri Sembilan

Satu kajian irisan lintang telah dijalankan untuk menentukan tahap kepuasan pelanggan dalam perkhidmatan pesakit luar klinik swasta di Seremban, Negeri Sembilan dari Disember 1996 hingga Februari 1997. Kaedah pensampelan sistematik dilakukan ke atas pesakit yang mendapatkan rawatan di klinik swasta. Pengumpulan data dijalankan dengan menggunakan soul selidik berpandu. Kadar kepuasan pelanggan keseluruhan adalah 19.4%. Secara purata, responden klinik swasta berpuas hati dengan faktor adab interpersonal, kualiti teknikal, asesibiliti dun efikasi/hasil rawatan. Responden tidak berpuas hati dengan faktor persekitaran fizikal, availabiliti, caj perkhidmatan dun penjagaan berterusan. Keputusan yang diperolehi berguna bagi doktor di klinik swasta meningkatkan kepuasan pelanggan serta kualiti perkhidmatan yang diberikan seperti meningkatkan kemudahan asas, pemeriksaan makmal dun melaksanakan sistem temujanji yang sesuai terutama kepada pesakit yang mempunyai masalah kronik agar dapat dirawat oleh doktor klinik tersebut

Synthesis and Characterization of ZnO Nanoparticles Prepared in Gelatin Media

Zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) were synthesized via the sol-gel method in gelatin media Long-chain gelatin compounds were utilized to terminate the growth of ZnO-NPs and to stabilize them The ZnO-NPs were characterized by a number of techniques such as X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and high-magnification transmission electron microscopy (TEM) The ZnO-NPs calcined at different temperatures exhibited a hexagonal (wurtzite) structure with sizes from 30 to 60 nm The influence of the calcination temperature on the morphology of ZnO-NPs was also investigated The results showed that gelatin is an interesting material that can be used as a stabilizer in the sol-gel technique for preparing small ZnO-NPs (C) 2010 Elsevier B V All rights reserve

Solvothermal Synthesis of Microsphere ZnO Nanostructures in DEA Media

Microsphere ZnO nanostructures (ZnO-MNs) were synthesized via solvothermal method in diethanolamine (DEA) media. DEA was utilized to terminate the growth of ZnO nanoparticles which forms the ZnO-MNs. The ZnO-MNs were characterized by a number of techniques, including X-ray diffraction analysis (XRD) and field emission scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The ZnO-MNs prepared by solvothermal process at the temperature of 150 degrees C for 6, 12, 18, and 24 h exhibited a hexagonal (wurtzite) structure with sizes ranging from 2 to 4 mu m. The growth mechanism and morphology of the ZnO-MNs were also investigated, and it was found that the ZnO-MNs were formed by ZnO nanoparticles with average particle size of 25 +/- 5 nm. To show role of DEA in the formation of Zn-MNs, effect of MEA (monoethanolamine) and TEA (triethanolamine) on morphology of the final product are also investigated. The results showed that DEA is a good polymerization agent that can be used as a stabilizer in the solvothermal technique for preparing fine ZnO powder. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd and Techna Group S.r.l. All rights reserved

Structural, Optical and Electrical Properties of Europium Picrate Tetraethylene Glycol Complex as Emissive Material for OLED

A new europium complex Eu(Pic) 2(H 2O)(EO4)(Pic) ·0.75H 2O was synthesized and used as the emission material for the single layer device structure of ITO/EO4EuPic/Al, using a spin-coating technique. Study on the optical properties of the Eu(Pic) 2(H 2O)(EO4)(Pic)·0.75H 2O complex where EO4=tetraethylene glycol and Pic=picrate anion, had to be undertaken before being applicable to the study of an organic light emitting diode (OLED). The electrical property of an OLED using currentvoltage (IV) measurement was also studied. In complex, the Eu(III) ion was coordinated with the EO4 ligand as a pentadentate mode, one water molecule, and with two Pic anions as bidentate and monodentate modes, forming a nine-coordination number. The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of the crystalline complex in the solid state and its thin film showed a hypersensitive peak at 613.5614.9 nm that assigned to the 5D 0� 7F 2 transition. A narrow band emission from the thin film EO4EuPic was obtained. The typical semiconductor IV curve of device ITO/EO4EuPic/Al showed the threshold and turn on voltages at 1.08 and 4.6 V, respectively. The energy transfer process from the ligand to the Eu(III) ion was discussed by investigating the excitation and PL characteristics. Effect of the picrate anion on the device performance was also studied. © 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved

Attitudes towards Chagas' disease in an endemic Brazilian community Crenças populares relativas à doença de Chagas em uma comunidade de área endêmica do Brasil

Chagas' disease remains a major public health concern throughout much of Latin America. In Brazil, segments of the population experience Trypanosoma cruzi infection rates as high as 65%, indicating that control programs are still needed. Few data are available concerning people's health beliefs related to Chagas' disease in heavily infected populations. Such health beliefs may significantly impact the effectiveness of intervention schemes. The purpose of this study was to assess health beliefs related to Chagas' disease in a population experiencing high infection rates with the causal parasite. The focal population for the study consisted of the residents of Posse, a rural community in the State of Goiás. The results indicate that a majority of the population had a high degree of knowledge about Chagas' disease and the vector involved in its transmission. These findings indicate that control programs conducted by the Brazilian Ministry of Health have included effective educational components.<br>A doença de Chagas persiste como importante problema de saúde pública em grande parte da América Latina. No Brasil, vários segmentos da população apresentam taxas de infecção pelo Trypanosoma cruzi que chegam até 65%, sugerindo que os programas de controle ainda são necessários. Há poucos dados disponíveis sobre as crenças populares relativas à doença de Chagas entre comunidades com altas taxas de infecção. Tais crenças podem ter um impacto significativo sobre a eficácia das intervenções. O objetivo deste estudo é avaliar as crenças relativas à doença de Chagas numa população com altas taxas de infecção pelo agente etiológico da doença. A população-alvo do estudo foi composta de moradores da Posse, uma comunidade rural no Estado de Goiás. Os resultados indicam que a maioria da população tinha um alto grau de conhecimento quanto à doença de Chagas e seu vetor. Os achados apontam para a eficácia dos componentes educativos dos programas de controle implementados pelo Ministério da Saúde