Multi-criteria material selection for buildings in challenging environments

Climate change and future weather conditions are likely to challenge the way buildings are designed because there will be an increase in extreme climatic conditions. What should architects change in their design process to produce human habitats able to withstand those extreme conditions to ensure adequate comfort conditions? This paper presents preliminary results within the scope of an on-going research that addresses one single key issue: what materials will be most suitable in extreme temperature conditions. A set of 52 materials is analysed through a multi-criteria decision process that includes thermal conductivity, thermal diffusivity, thermal effusivity, linear thermal expansion, service temperature, fracture toughness, recycle potential and embodied carbon as criteria. The goals are to find the best-fit materials for each climate scenario within the scope of contradictory objectives and to develop a methodology for the selection of construction materials for buildings in challenging environments. Results show that the best possible material for extreme temperatures, whether it would be a very cold or a very hot environment, is one that could combine the properties of polymers with a very low environmental impact (at the level of the impact from materials such as natural fibres, wood or wood derivatives). The results thus suggest that further research may be directed at biomaterials development.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Designing and building for extreme environments. A multi-criteria decision model to evaluate architecture for extreme temperatures

The purpose of this research is to present an assessment methodology that validates architecture designs for environments with extreme temperatures, considering structural and energy demands, as well as sustainability-related concerns. This is achieved using multi-criteria decision analysis modelling. This study presents the results of a MCDA model built for this purpose, and evaluated through four variations representing different project scenarios. A total of 11 criteria (regarding energy efficiency, material performance, architectural performance and circularity) are used to analyse four building assemblies, in order to understand which is more appropriate for an environment with extremely cold and extremely hot temperatures. This allows the validation of the proposed multi-criteria analysis framework, which will lead to further research on extreme climate design.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Editorial: Obesogens in the XXI century: Emerging health challenges

The global prevalence of overweight and obesity has risen dramatically in recent decades. Obesity is a major public health problem, recognized by the World Health Organization as one of the most important public health challenges of the 21st century (1). Therefore, preventing obesity is a public health priority for adults, children, and adolescents. This is especially important because overweight and obese children are likely to remain obese into adulthood and are more likely to develop non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease at a younger age. Several factors are thought to be involved in the obesity pandemic, but in recent years the focus has been on exposure to specific environmental pollutants, the obesogens. The obesogen hypothesis was postulated in 2006 by Grün and Blumberg (2). The authors found that tributyltin could induce adipogenesis in vitro and in vivo. This “simple” finding was a huge breakthrough in Endocrinology and Metabolism. In these almost two decades, a significant body of evidence was gathered, and currently, obesogens have been considered key actors in the obesity epidemic

A living system - Discursive wall

We feel and perceive the built environment through our senses and our body's interactive movement (Diniz 2008). In this paper we propose a DiscursiveWall that physically responds to movement, interacting spatially and temporally with the environment and its inhabitants. In addition, we intend to solve spatial acoustical issues related to sound reverberation. Based on the theory of Autopoiesis (Maturana & Varela 1980), the discursive wall acts as a self producing system. In response to movement sensors installed in the room, the cork surface elements of the wall move back and forth. Therefore, the inhabitants of the room make the wall mutate continuously, thus redesigning itself. This is produced by several components like sensors, bearing systems and test motors. A set of arduinos processes and distributes the information received from the sensors and receives back the animation data generated by Grasshopper and Firefly (plug-ins for Rhino software). The methodology that supports this prototype explores the real possibility of the architecture to enter into a direct dialog with its inhabitants and surrounding space.info:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersio

A switch from high-fat to normal diet does not restore sperm quality but prevents metabolic syndrome

In recent decades, the prevalence of metabolic diseases has concomitantly increased with a decline on fertility rates and sperm quality. High-fat diets (HFD) are seldom considered part of the problem, but the molecular mechanisms underlying its effects on male fertility remain poorly understood. Herein we postulated that HFD alter sperm quality. We evaluated the effects of switching from a HFD to a normal diet in early adulthood on metabolic disease onset, testicular metabolism and sperm quality. Thirty-six male C57BL6/J mice were divided in: a control group fed with standard chow; a group fed with HFD for 200 days; and a group fed with HFD for 60 days and then with standard chow (HFDt). Biometric data and whole-body metabolism were assessed. Epididymal sperm was studied for concentration, motility, viability and morphology. 1H-NMR metabolomics approach was performed on testicular extracts to trace the metabolic changes. Diet switch reduced body weight and fat mass, preventing metabolic syndrome onset. However, sperm viability, motility and morphology were deteriorated by HFD consumption and not restored by diet switch. HFD induced irreversible changes in pyruvate and glutamate metabolism, ethanol degradation and ammonia recycling in testis. Furthermore, HFDt changed purine and cysteine metabolism, urea cycle, and glutathione content. Overall, HFD caused irreversible changes in testicular metabolism even after switching to normal diet. HFD feeding until early adulthood decreases sperm quality, which cannot be restored by diet switch or weight loss, even when development of metabolic syndrome is avoided

The Interface and Control System of the Upgraded HVOpto/HVRemote Card of the TileCal

To comply with the increase in luminosity of the LHC (Large Hadron Collider) in the next decades, the electronics of the ATLAS (A Toroidal LHC Apparatus) experiment is being upgraded. Included in the upgrade is the interfacing and control electronics system of the HVOpto/HVRemote cards in the TileCal (Tile Calorimeter) detector, which provides high voltages to about 104 photomultipliers (PMTs). This paper presents the new interfacing architecture for the system and details the design of a prototype control board (HVRemote-Ctrl) used for test and validation of the new architecture. The tests evaluate the system multiplexing capabilities needed to monitor all the TileCal PMTs in real time. The communication channels involved, supported in Ethernet and SPI interfaces/protocols, have been fully tested. Some results from the tests already completed are presented