Hygrothermal performance of building envelopes in the tropics under operative conditions : condensation and mould growth risk appraisal

Poor indoor hygrothermal performance increases the risk of indoor moisture problems and deterioration due to mould growth, corrosion and damage to archival materials. Hence, proper control of indoor thermohygric intensity abates indoor moisture and its associated problems. This paper presents the results of envelopes hygrothermal performance assessments in a hot and humid climate building with varying operational profile between adjacent spaces. The case-studied building runs on 24hrs cooling mode in one part against natural and/or mechanical supply-exhaust fan means on the other. In-situ experiments were combined with hygrothermal analytical methods to assess the envelope thermal quality together with the operative conditions against condensation and mould growth risks. The results show that the building is overcooled leading to poor envelope hygrothermal performance with associated condensation and mould growth problems on non-airconditioned sides of the envelopes

ReLiShaft: realistic real-time light shaft generation taking sky illumination into account

© 2018 The Author(s) Rendering atmospheric phenomena is known to have its basis in the fields of atmospheric optics and meteorology and is increasingly used in games and movies. Although many researchers have focused on generating and enhancing realistic light shafts, there is still room for improvement in terms of both qualification and quantification. In this paper, a new technique, called ReLiShaft, is presented to generate realistic light shafts for outdoor rendering. In the first step, a realistic light shaft with respect to the sun position and sky colour in any specific location, date and time is constructed in real-time. Then, Hemicube visibility-test radiosity is employed to reveal the effect of a generated sky colour on environments. Two different methods are considered for indoor and outdoor rendering, ray marching based on epipolar sampling for indoor environments, and filtering on regular epipolar of z-partitioning for outdoor environments. Shadow maps and shadow volumes are integrated to consider the computational costs. Through this technique, the light shaft colour is adjusted according to the sky colour in any specific location, date and time. The results show different light shaft colours in different times of day in real-time

A Review on Light Shafts Rendering for Indoor Scenes

Rendering light shafts is one of the important topics in computer gaming and interactive applications. The methods and models that are used to generate light shafts play crucial role to make a scene more realistic in computer graphics. This article discusses the image-based shadows and geometric-based shadows that contribute in generating volumetric shadows and light shafts, depending on ray tracing, radiosity, and ray marching technique. The main aim of this study is to provide researchers with background on a progress of light scattering methods so as to make it available for them to determine the technique best suited to their goals. It is also hoped that our classification helps researchers find solutions to the shortcomings of each method

Soft bilateral filtering shadows using multiple image-based algorithms

This study introduces Soft Bilateral Filtering Shadows method of dynamic scenes, which uses multi-matrices of the light sample points due to lack realism in soft shadows generation in real time. While geometry-based shadow algorithm requires one pass per polygon for rendering shadow that requires time-consuming, the adopted shadow map algorithm needs a single rendering pass for each sample point of the light source to generate shadow at low cost. This method renders a complex scenes and accurately eliminating the inherent deficiencies in shadow maps. In order to compute shadow maps, view matrices were used for each sample point of the extended light source. Then penumbra region was used for interpolation based on bilateral filtering to create the soft shadows. They depend on multiple shadow maps which provide antialiasing shadow maps. The method uses fragment shader for rendering multiple shadow maps with penumbra and umbra regions. The main contribution of this article is introducing interpolation bilaterally of image-based shadows. This method makes the most effect of the computation significantly appear at the edges of the penumbra region. Furthermore, the filtering allows to obtain on the soft shadow marvelously at the lowest number possible of the light sample points. The generated soft shadows have good performance and high quality therefore, they are suitable for interactive applications. © 2016 Springer Science+Business Media New Yor

A systematic review of variables used to assess clinically acceptable alignment of unilateral transtibial amputees in the literature.

Prosthetic alignment is a subjective concept which lacks reliability. The outcome responsiveness to prosthetic alignment quality could help to improve subjective and instrument assisted prosthetic alignment. This study was aimed to review variables used to assess clinically acceptable alignment in the literature. The search was done in some databases including: Google Scholar, PubMed, EBSCO, EMBASE, ISI Web of Knowledge and Scopus. The first selection criterion was based on abstracts and titles to address the research questions of interest. The American Academy of Orthotics and Prosthetics checklists were used for paper risk of bias assessment. A total of 25 studies were included in this study. Twenty-four studies revealed the critics of standing position or walking to locate clinically acceptable alignment, only one study measured outcomes in both situations. A total of 253 adults with transtibial amputations and mean age of 48.71 years participated in included studies. The confidence level of included studies was low to moderate, and before-after trial was the most common study design (n = 19). The joint angle, load line location with respect to joints and center of pressure-related parameters were reported as sensitive outcomes to prosthetic alignment quality in standing posture. The amount of forces at various parts of gait cycle and time of events were sensitive to prosthetic alignment quality during walking. Standing balance and posture and temporal parameters of walking could help to locate clinically acceptable alignment.N/

Implementasi Digital Subscriber Line Access Multiplekser (DSLAM) Pada Teknologi Very High Data Rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL)

Jaringan DSL atau xDSL (DigitalSubscriber Line) adalah salah satu teknologi selainteknologi serat optik yang mendukung dalamlayanan komunikasi pita lebar pada kabel tembagayang dapat melayani, menyediakan layanan IP danATM (Asynchronous Transfer Mode). VDSLmerupakan sasaran dari arsitektur jaringan ATM,dengan kecepatan 13 - 52 Mbps untuk downstreamdan 1,5 - 2,3 Mbps untuk upstream-nya melaluisepasang kawat tembaga pada sisi client menujucentral office. DSLAM (Digital Subscriber LineAccess Multiplexer) adalah perangkat utama padateknologi xDSL, berfungsi untuk menggabungkandan memisahkan kanal sinyal informasi berupasuara dan berupa data dengan menggunakan 2 jenistipe modulasi yang digunakan, yaitu CAP(Carrierless Amplitude/Phase Modulation) dan DMT(Discrete Multi Tone). Penulisan skripsi ini bertujuanuntuk menganalisis kualitas dan terkeandalanimplementasi Digital Subscriber Line AccessMultiplekser (DSLAM) pada teknologi Very HighData Rate Digital Subscriber Line (VDSL) denganmenganalisis parameter redaman, delay end to end,dan throughput. Metode yang digunakan adalahmetode perhitungan dan analisis data. Hasil analisisyang didapatkan semakin besar nilai jarak antaraClient dengan DSLAM maka nilai redaman semakinbesar, hal tersebut ditunjukan pada jarak 1,7 Kmnilai laju bit VDSL 768 Kbps nilai redaman 37,7dB/Km dengan jarak 1,8 Km untuk nilai laju bitVDSL 764 Kbps nilai redaman 38,7dB/Km. Semakinbesar kecepatan transmisi maka delay total semakinkecil, hal tersebut ditunjukan pada nilai laju bitVDSL 1126 Kbps jarak 1,8 Km MSS 576 byte nilaidelay total 0,010070939 detik dengan nilai laju bitVDSL 608 Kbps jarak 1,8 Km MSS 576 byte nilaidelay total 0,018515819 detik. Semakin besarkecepatan transmisi VDSL maka nilai throughputsemakin besar untuk jaringan DSLAM pada VDSL,hal tersebut ditunjukan pada nilai laju bit VDSL 768Kbps MSS 1500 byte nilai throughput 491,99paket/sel dengan nilai laju bit VDSL 615 Kbps MSS1500 byte nilai throughput 393,97 paket/sel.Kata Kunci—DSLAM, VDSL, CAP, DMT,redaman, delay end to end, throughpu

Characteristics of aerosols at traffic junctions in Pune city

Vehicular emissions are one of the potential sources of air pollution in the urban regions. Pune, one of the rapidly growing cities of India, faces the severe threat from this problem. Observations of total suspended particulates and Aitken nuclei were conducted at 4 traffic junctions in Pune city during summer (May 2000) and winter (Jan-Feb. 2001). Concentrations of TSP crossed the CPCB limit, recommended for commercial zone, at all the traffic junctions and also the number density of Aitken nuclei was very high. However, aerosols were alkaline in nature, in spite of high concentrations of SO4 and NO3, mainly due to the neutralizing effect of Ca, NH4, Na, Mg and K

An improved observable for the forward-backward asymmetry in B -> K* l+ l- and Bs -> phi l+ l-

We study the decay B -> K* l+ l- in the QCD factorization approach and propose a new integrated observable whose dependence on the form factors is almost negligible, consequently the non--perturbative error is significantly reduced and indeed its overall theoretical error is dominated by perturbative scale uncertainties. The new observable we propose is the ratio between the integrated forward--backward asymmetry in the [4,6] GeV^2 and [1,4] GeV^2 dilepton invariant mass bins. This new observable is particularly interesting because, when compared to the location of the zero of the FBA spectrum, it is experimentally easier to measure and its theoretical uncertainties are almost as small; moreover it displays a very strong dependence on the phase of the Wilson coefficient C_10 that is otherwise only accessible through complicated CP violating asymmetries. We illustrate the new physics sensitivity of this observable within the context of few extensions of the Standard Model, namely the SM with four generations, an MSSM with non--vanishing source of flavor changing neutral currents in the down squark sector and a Z' model with tree level flavor changing couplings.Comment: 19 pages, 7 figure

The usefulness of rapid diagnostic tests in the new context of low malaria transmission in zanzibar.

BACKGROUND\ud \ud We assessed if histidine-rich-protein-2 (HRP2) based rapid diagnostic test (RDT) remains an efficient tool for Plasmodium falciparum case detection among fever patients in Zanzibar and if primary health care workers continue to adhere to RDT results in the new epidemiological context of low malaria transmission. Further, we evaluated the performance of RDT within the newly adopted integrated management of childhood illness (IMCI) algorithm in Zanzibar.\ud \ud METHODS AND FINDINGS\ud \ud We enrolled 3890 patients aged ≥2 months with uncomplicated febrile illness in this health facility based observational study conducted in 12 primary health care facilities in Zanzibar, between May-July 2010. One patient had an inconclusive RDT result. Overall 121/3889 (3.1%) patients were RDT positive. The highest RDT positivity rate, 32/528 (6.1%), was found in children aged 5-14 years. RDT sensitivity and specificity against PCR was 76.5% (95% CI 69.0-83.9%) and 99.9% (95% CI 99.7-100%), and against blood smear microscopy 78.6% (95% CI 70.8-85.1%) and 99.7% (95% CI 99.6-99.9%), respectively. All RDT positive, but only 3/3768 RDT negative patients received anti-malarial treatment. Adherence to RDT results was thus 3887/3889 (99.9%). RDT performed well in the IMCI algorithm with equally high adherence among children <5 years as compared with other age groups.\ud \ud CONCLUSIONS\ud \ud The sensitivity of HRP-2 based RDT in the hands of health care workers compared with both PCR and microscopy for P. falciparum case detection was relatively low, whereas adherence to test results with anti-malarial treatment was excellent. Moreover, the results provide evidence that RDT can be reliably integrated in IMCI as a tool for improved childhood fever management. However, the relatively low RDT sensitivity highlights the need for improved quality control of RDT use in primary health care facilities, but also for more sensitive point-of-care malaria diagnostic tools in the new epidemiological context of low malaria transmission in Zanzibar.\ud \ud TRIAL REGISTRATION\ud \ud ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01002066

Large CP Violation in B_s Meson Mixing with EDM constraint in Supersymmetry

Motivated by the recent measurement of the like-sign dimuon charge asymmetry, we investigate anomalous CP violation in the B_s- bar{B}_s mixing within the supersymmetry. We show that when gluino diagrams dominate supersymmetry contributions, it is very difficult to realize a large B_s- bar{B}_s mixing phase under the constraint from electric dipole moments barring cancellations. This constraint can be ameliorated by supposing superparticles decoupled. In this limit, we find that it is possible to achieve the large CP asymmetry, and the branching ratio of B_s -> mu^+ mu^- tends to become sizable.Comment: 20 pages, 5 figure