Building construction materials effect in tropical wet and cold climates: A case study of office buildings in Cameroon

[Abstract] This paper presents the results of an experimental study that was conducted in 15 office buildings in the humid and cold tropics during the working hours of the dry and rainy seasons in Cameroon. This was with the aim to study the effects that local and imported materials had on indoor air quality. To achieve this objective, the adaptive model approach has been selected. In accordance with the conditions of this model, all workers were kept in natural ventilation and, in accordance with the general procedure, a questionnaire was distributed to them, while variables, like air temperature, wind speed, and relative humidity were sampled. The results showed a clear agreement between expected behaviour, in accordance with the characteristics of building construction, and its real indoor ambience once they were statistically analysed. On the other hand, old buildings showed a higher percentage of relative humidity and a lower degree of indoor air temperature. Despite this, local thermal comfort indices and questionnaires showed adequate indoor ambience in each group of buildings, except when marble was used for external tiling. The effect of marble as an external coating helps to improve indoor ambience during the dry season. This is due to more indoor air and relative humidity being accumulated. At the same time, these ambiences are degraded when relative humidity is higher. Finally, these results should be taken cognisance of by architects and building designers in order to improve indoor environment, and overcome thermal discomfort in the Saharan área.Authors are grateful to the various authorities of the city who gave us access to information about their locality. They also thank the head of the national weather station and all those, near and far, who participated in this research during the field study

Processing properties of grains from some maize cultivars introduced on-farm in the Sudano Sahelian zone of Cameroon

Maize grains from twenty three cultivars developed by research and produced at farm level were evaluated for chemical composition and their ability to produce flour and grit after removal of panicle in wet and dry processes. Sixteen cultivars used for this evaluation were developed by the breeding program of the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) of Cameroon. The remaining seven originated from CIMMYT, West and Central Africa Maize Network (Wecaman), Ghana and Congo. Flour and grit were produced in wet and dry processes with samples of 10 kg of grains from each cultivars using available machinery at village level. Wet process of the grains included the removal of the panicle, soaking for 3 hours, drying on the mat for 2 hours, milling, drying of the flour and sieving through different mesh sizes (400 to 800 microns). For the dry milling, whole or pealed grains were simply processed in a hammer mill and the flour fractions separated as with wet milling. Results indicated some variation in the proximate composition with nine cultivars exhibiting protein contents above 8%. High protein cultivars were in order hybrids 88094X87036, 87036XExp124, Acid soil pool yellow, 88094XM131XExp124, 87084XM131XExp124, Drought pool yellow, Drought pool white, Kassaï SR, Tuxpeno sequia and BSR 81. PCA analyses revealed that protein and fat contents as factors accounted for over 80% of intra cultivar variability related to chemical composition. Four major similarity groups of cultivars emerged as striga tolerant with high starch contents, the soft endosperm cultivars, the high fat and high protein cultivars. Flour and grit yields were cultivar and treatment dependant. Wet milling produced higher flour yields while grit yields were higher when dry milling of pealed grains was done for all cultivars. Cultivars that demonstrated good ability for grit production were ATP SR-Y, Acid soil pool yellow, Drought pool yellow and the hybrids. All cultivars exhibited their ability and suitability for different end uses and this should be taken into account when embarking on large scale maize production.Key words: maize, cultivars, composition, flour, grits, wet milling

Energy Efficiency and Thermal Performance of Office Buildings Integrated with Passive Strategies in Coastal Regions of Humid and Hot Tropical Climates in Madagascar

[Abstract] Researchers have used passive strategies, such as the implementation of thermal insulation and the use of phase change materials (PCM), in several studies, but some problems have not yet been solved. It is the case of showing the real effect of external shading combined with thermal insulation and phase change materials to improve the thermal performance and energy efficiency of office buildings in tropical coastal areas. Another pending problem to be solved is to define the impact produced by passive strategies on the performance of workers in office buildings in coastal zones. It is with a view to answering all these questions that this study was envisaged with the main objective of evaluating, analyzing, comparing, and discussing the effect of thermal insulation and phase change materials on thermal comfort and energy demand in coastal areas of hot and humid tropical climates located in the island of Madagascar. In this sense, hourly climate data for the past 30 years have served as the basis for assessing environmental conditions of future climate. It was found that the PCMs have a more significant effect on the coastal zone of hot climates than humid tropical climates. The results of the statistical analyses showed that the application of passive strategies stabilizes indoor air temperatures to between 23◦C and 28◦C in the offices, which is the recommended comfort range in these regions. In the coastal regions of Madagascar, up to 30% of cooling energy is expected to be reduced by combining the introduction of thermal insulation and PCM materials

Promoting Public Health through Clinical Legal Education: Initiatives in South Africa, Thailand, and Ukraine

The law can be a powerful tool in protecting public health. Studies reveal both the impact of human rights violations on health and the importance of interdisciplinary partnerships for the law to achieve its full potential and lead to justice. As one scholar describes, “Human rights are increasingly recognized as important to providing social conditions in which people can be healthy.” Additionally, as one law clinic instructor explains, “A multidisciplinary model can respond to the myriad needs of those who are poor or marginalized by their social, medical, or psychological circumstances.” Clinical legal education has a critical role to play in training advocates capable of working at the intersection of law and health

Transition to Zero Energy and Low Carbon Emission in Residential Buildings Located in Tropical and Temperate Climates

[Abstract] Different methods to achieve zero-energy and low carbon on the scale of a building are shown by most of the research works. Despite this, the recommendations generally offered by researchers do not always correspond to the realities found during the construction of new buildings in a determined region. Therefore, a standard may not be valid in all climate regions of the world. Being aware of this fact, a study was carried out to analyse the design of new buildings respecting the “zero-energy and low carbon emission” concept in tropical climatic regions when they are compared with a base case of temperate regions. To reach this objective, the comparison between real and simulated data from the different buildings studied was developed. The results showed that the renovation of existing residential buildings allows for reducing up to 35% of energy demand and a great quantity of CO2 emissions in both climate types. Despite this, the investment rate linked to the construction of zero-energy buildings in tropical zones is 12 times lower than in temperate zones and the payback was double. In particular, this effect can be related to the efficiency of photovoltaic panels, which is estimated to be, at least, 34% higher in tropical zones than temperate zones. Finally, this study highlights the interest and methodology to implement zero-energy buildings in tropical region

Life Cycle Assessment of Waste Products of a Green-Neighbourhood

peer reviewedThis research aims to quantify and to compare the effect of the energy mix of 150 countries on the waste products generated by an eco-neighbourhood. To perform this comparison, the same neighbourhood design is applied to in 150 countries, but four parameters are adapted to each country: energy mix, local climate, building materials and occupants’ mobility. The life cycle of the neighbourhood was assessed over 100 years. This environmental impact was evaluated by the Pleiades simulation software under four phases (construction, use, renovation, and demolition). Among the four local parameters (energy mix, local materials, climate, and transport), the energy mix has the most significant effect on the waste product emission. In this sense, the results showed that the most important quantity of waste products (35.3% of the total) is generated during the demolition phase. What is more, the application of photovoltaic panels in eco-neighbourhood increases up to 12% of the total waste product emission over 100 years. Globally, in the 150 Countries, 80% of waste products come mainly from building materials and domestics and the waste product emission per occupant was between 10 and 20% higher in developed countries (USA, Japan, Canada, France, Germany, etc.) than in poor or developing countries (Madagascar, Cameroon, Vietnam, Haiti, Costa Rica, Afghanistan, etc.). Finally, the waste generation concentration of an occupant of an eco-neighbourhood was estimated to be around of 322 kg per year.ZEUS11. Sustainable cities and communitie

A bike trips survey as an impetus for the transition to sustainable cities and societies

peer reviewedThis study aims to analyse the factors and strategies that condition the bicycle's use and highlight various unknown facts about the electric bicycle. To identify the brakes (examples: road safety, urban culture or social norms) on the use of the bicycle and the possibilities of modal shift, a survey was carried out within three main campuses at the University of Liege (ULg) in Belgium. A brief presentation of the main routes and the description of the route most taken (based on cartographic identification, a field visit and interviews) complete the survey results. During this study, 29,000 people (students, doctoral students, and staff members) were contacted to participate in the survey. The results of this work show that despite the topographical conditions of the city studied, a priori unfavourable, and some major obstacles, such as the lack of cycle paths and road insecurity, or the price in the case of the electric bicycle, the potential for a modal shift towards cycling, and particularly towards electric bicycles, is great. 70 % of respondents live less than 12 km from the University, a distance considered the limit for travelling by electric bike. Mitigating these brakes is a priority to stimulate modal shifts. The study of the image of the bicycle and the perception of the brakes shows that better communication could avoid erroneous evaluations as to the possibility of travelling by bicycle. Analysis of the profile of respondents reveals that contrary to the data in the literature, students represent the public least attracted to cycling. Initiating a modal shift to obtain a mass effect is therefore essential. One of the most important factors in pursuing a modal balance is the development of safe cycle paths, where a potential increase in bicycle use is recognized by 62 % of car users, 82 % of bus, 62 % of staff and 74 % of students. Finally, some paths are suggested to improve the downtown-rural cycle route and promote the use of bicycles in the university community.11. Sustainable cities and communitie

Disease Progression in MRL/lpr Lupus-Prone Mice Is Reduced by NCS 613, a Specific Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterase Type 4 (PDE4) Inhibitor

Systemic lupus erythematosus is a polymorphic and multigenic inflammatory autoimmune disease. Cyclic AMP (cAMP) modulates inflammation and the inhibition of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase type 4 (PDE4), which specifically hydrolyzes cAMP, inhibits TNFα secretion. This study was aimed at investigating the evolution of PDE activity and expression levels during the course of the disease in MRL/lpr lupus-prone mice, and to evaluate in these mice the biological and clinical effects of treatments with pentoxifylline, denbufylline and NCS 613 PDE inhibitors. This study reveals that compared to CBA/J control mice, kidney PDE4 activity of MRL/lpr mice increases with the disease progression. Furthermore, it showed that the most potent and selective PDE4 inhibitor NCS 613 is also the most effective molecule in decreasing proteinuria and increasing survival rate of MRL/lpr mice. NCS 613 is a potent inhibitor, which is more selective for the PDE4C subtype (IC50 = 1.4 nM) than the other subtypes (PDE4A, IC50 = 44 nM; PDE4B, IC50 = 48 nM; and PDE4D, IC50 = 14 nM). Interestingly, its affinity for the High Affinity Rolipram Binding Site is relatively low (Ki = 148 nM) in comparison to rolipram (Ki = 3 nM). Finally, as also observed using MRL/lpr peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBLs), NCS 613 inhibits basal and LPS-induced TNFα secretion from PBLs of lupus patients, suggesting a therapeutic potential of NCS 613 in systemic lupus. This study reveals that PDE4 represent a potential therapeutic target in lupus disease

Track D Social Science, Human Rights and Political Science

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/138414/1/jia218442.pd