Using collective intelligence to enhance demand flexibility and climate resilience in urban areas

Collective intelligence (CI) is a form of distributed intelligence that emerges in collaborative problem solving and decision making. This work investigates the potentials of CI in demand side management (DSM) in urban areas. CI is used to control the energy performance of representative groups of buildings in Stockholm, aiming to increase the demand flexibility and climate resilience in the urban scale. CI-DSM is developed based on a simple communication strategy among buildings, using forward (1) and backward (0) signals, corresponding to applying and disapplying the adaptation measure, which is extending the indoor temperature range. A simple platform and algorithm are developed for modelling CI-DSM, considering two timescales of 15 min and 60 min. Three climate scenarios are used to represent typical, extreme cold and extreme warm years in Stockholm. Several indicators are used to assess the performance of CI-DSM, including Demand Flexibility Factor (DFF) and Agility Factor (AF), which are defined explicitly for this work. According to the results, CI increases the autonomy and agility of the system in responding to climate shocks without the need for computationally extensive central decision making systems. CI helps to gradually and effectively decrease the energy demand and absorb the shock during extreme climate events. Having a finer control timescale increases the flexibility and agility on the demand side, resulting in a faster adaptation to climate variations, shorter engagement of buildings, faster return to normal conditions and consequently a higher climate resilience

Short Term Effect of Calcium Hydroxide, Mineral Trioxide Aggregate and Calcium-Enriched Mixture Cement on the Strength of Bovine Root Dentin

Introduction: Some studies in dental literature have proposed that short term and long term exposure of root dentin to calcium hydroxide predisposes it to fracture. Mineral trioxide aggregate (MTA) and a recently introduced endodontic material, calcium-enriched mixture (CEM) cement may be used instead of calcium hydroxide and might have an effect on the strength of root dentin. Therefore, the aim of this in vitro study was to compare the short-term effect of calcium hydroxide, MTA and CEM cement on the strength of bovine root dentin.Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, 15 freshly extracted intact bovine incisors were selected. A cylinder with uniform wall thickness (internal diameter of 2.5 and external diameter of 5.5) was prepared. The cylinders were cut longitudinally into 4 symmetrical pieces. The 60 prepared samples were divided into four groups (n =15). The samples were placed in 4 petri-dishes containing calcium hydroxide, MTA, CEM cement and normal saline as the control group. They were then subjected to flexural forces applied by Instron universal machine. Data was analyzed using ANOVA and Tukey test.Results: The mean flexural force in the calcium hydroxide, MTA and CEM cement groups was significantly lower than that in the control teeth (77.9 N, 90.66 N, 94.40 N, compared to 125.12 N respectively, P=0.001). There were no significant differences between calcium hydroxide, MTA and CEM cement group.Conclusion: MTA and CEM cement decreased the flexural strength of bovine root dentin, like their counterpart calcium hydroxide. Further studies are required to determine the effect of these materials on human root dentin clinically

Production of blockboard from small athel slats end-glued by different type of joint

This study evaluated the effect of joint type of short athel (Tamarix aphila) slats at three levels (butt joint, mitered joint, and half lap joint) in core layer veneer consisting of three wood species (Fir, Beech, and Oak). The joints were glued with PVAc and sandwiched by veneers with different ratios of melamine formaldehyde/urea formaldehyde resin (0:100, 25:75, and 50:50) in glue line to determine the modulus of rupture in dry and wet conditions. It was found that the highest dry and wet modulus of rupture was obtained in specimens having slats jointed with half lap joint veneered with fir by using MF/UF ratio of 50:50. The maximum modulus of rupture parallel to the face/back veneer grain value in dry condition (83.40 MPa) was observed to be higher than those values of modulus of rupture perpendicular to the face/back veneer grain (65MPa). However, the maximum modulus of rupture parallel to the face/back veneer grain value (53MPa) in wet condition were observed to be smaller than those values of modulus of rupture perpendicular to the face/back veneer grain value (56MPa).        G M T   Detectar idioma Afrikáans Albanés Alemán Árabe Armenio Azerí Bengalí Bielorruso Birmano Bosnio Búlgaro Canarés Catalán Cebuano Checo Chichewa Chino (Simp) Chino (Trad) Cincalés Coreano Criollo haitiano Croata Danés Eslovaco Esloveno Español Esperanto Estonio Euskera Finlandés Francés Galés Gallego Georgiano Griego Gujarati Hausa Hebreo Hindi Hmong Holandés Húngaro Igbo Indonesio Inglés Irlandés Islandés Italiano Japonés Javanés Jemer Kazajo Lao Latín Letón Lituano Macedonio Malayalam Malayo Malgache Maltés Maorí Maratí Mongol Nepalí Noruego Persa Polaco Portugués Punjabí Rumano Ruso Serbio Sesoto Somalí Suajili Sueco Sundanés Tagalo Tailandés Tamil Tayiko Telugu Turco Ucraniano Urdu Uzbeco Vietnamita Yidis Yoruba Zulú   Afrikáans Albanés Alemán Árabe Armenio Azerí Bengalí Bielorruso Birmano Bosnio Búlgaro Canarés Catalán Cebuano Checo Chichewa Chino (Simp) Chino (Trad) Cincalés Coreano Criollo haitiano Croata Danés Eslovaco Esloveno Español Esperanto Estonio Euskera Finlandés Francés Galés Gallego Georgiano Griego Gujarati Hausa Hebreo Hindi Hmong Holandés Húngaro Igbo Indonesio Inglés Irlandés Islandés Italiano Japonés Javanés Jemer Kazajo Lao Latín Letón Lituano Macedonio Malayalam Malayo Malgache Maltés Maorí Maratí Mongol Nepalí Noruego Persa Polaco Portugués Punjabí Rumano Ruso Serbio Sesoto Somalí Suajili Sueco Sundanés Tagalo Tailandés Tamil Tayiko Telugu Turco Ucraniano Urdu Uzbeco Vietnamita Yidis Yoruba Zulú                 La función de sonido está limitada a 200 caracteres     Opciones : Historia : Feedback : Donate Cerra

Use of unconventional water (rain) in urea-formaldehyde adhesive (Arian sina company case study)

With growth and development of the modern societies and achieve towards industrialization of the countries, Use of the water, one of the major concerns is considered. Optimal usage of water resources, has special position and considerable, that its result is importance of the reuse of rain's water as a reliable source for supply the consumption water. The purpose of this research was, use of rain's water, in composition with urea formaldehyde adhesive, In order to adjust the final concentration of the adhesive. To prevent damage against rain water equipment, the Lagan system was transferred through the canals constructed at Arian sina factory. Then it was treated with the package at the factory. The results of the FT_IR spectrum, obtained from composition adhesive samples with rain's water and ordinary water, showed that the rain's water increased the number of hydrogen bonds in the adhesive. But based on the t test, the difference between Mechanical strength and physical properties of use of rain's water than to the ordinary water was not significant. Qua that the glue combined with rain's water does not have any negative effect on adhesive properties. Therefore, after research, Arian Sina has been saving water consumption by using 14000 liters of water per day, due to the country's limited resources and lack of resources

Empowering energy flexibility and climate resilience using collective intelligence based demand side management (CI-DSM)

This work investigates the effectiveness of Collective intelligence (CI) in demand side management (DSM) in urban areas to cope with extreme climate events. CI is a form of distributed intelligence that emerges in collaborative problem solving and decision making. It is used in a simulation platform to control the energy performance of buildings in an urban area in Stockholm, through developing CI-DSM and setting certain adaptation measures, including phase shifting in HVAC systems and building appliances. CI-DSM is developed based on a simple communication strategy among buildings, using forward (1) and backward (0) signals, corresponding to applying and disapplying the adaptation measures. The performance of CI-DSM is simulated for three climate scenarios representing typical, extreme cold and extreme warm years in Stockholm. According to the results, CI-DSM increases the autonomy and agility of the system in responding to climate shocks without the need for computationally extensive central decision making systems. CI-DSM helps to gradually and effectively decrease the energy demand and absorb the shock during extreme climate events

Physicochemical Stability and In-vitro Efficacy of Aloe vera and Clobetasol Mouthwash

Background and purpose: Oral chronic lesions (OCLs) are challenging inflammatory diseases. Clobetasol is the most effective corticosteroid in treatment of OCLs. Clinical studies showed positive effects of aloe vera gel in improving the signs of inflammation and ulcer in OCLs. The aim of the present study was to design a mouthwash containing aloe vera gel and clobetasol and evaluating its stability and antifungal efficacy. Materials and methods: Aloe vera gel was standardized and clobetasol was analyzed using a validated HPLC method. They were then mixed with suitable excipients to formulate a mouthwash. At days one and 45 after preparation, the pH, clearness, clobetasol assay, and microbial control (preservative test and limit test) of the mouthwash were tested. The efficacy of the optimized mouthwash on Candida albicans was tested and compared with two natural and chemical commercial mouthwashes. Results: Aloe vera gel 100ml contained 36 mg glucomannan. Quality control test confirmed physical, chemical and microbial stability of the mouthwashes after 45 days. The optimized mouthwash showed considerable effects on Candida albicans even at 1:10 and 1:100 dilutions. Conclusion: Considering anti-inflammatory effects of aloe vera gel, it seems that the optimized mouthwash, in addition to having wound healing effects, may prevent candidiasis induced by Candida albicans in patients with OCLs

Impacts of the future weather data type on the energy simulation of buildings – Investigating long-term patterns of climate change and extreme weather conditions

Patterns of future climate and expected extreme conditions are pushing design limits as recognition of climate change and its implication for the built environment increases. There are a number of ways of estimating future climate projections and creating weather files. Obtaining adequate representation of long-term patterns of climate change and extreme conditions is, however, challenging. This work aims at answering two research questions: does a method of generating future weather files for building performance simulation bring advantages that cannot be provided by other methods? And what type of future weather files enable building engineers and designers to more credibly test robustness of their designs against climate change? To answer these two questions, the work provides an overview of the major approaches to create future weather data sets based on the statistical and dynamical downscaling of climate models. A number of weather data sets for Geneva were synthesized and applied to the energy simulation of 16 ASHRAE standard reference buildings, single buildings and their combination to create a virtual neighborhood. Representative weather files are synthesized to account for extreme conditions together with typical climate conditions and investigate their importance in the energy performance of buildings. According to the results, all the methods provide enough information to study the long-term impacts of climate change on average. However, the results also revealed that assessing the energy robustness of buildings only under typical future conditions is not sufficient. Depending on the type of building, the relative change of peak load for cooling demand under near future extreme conditions can still be up to 28.5% higher compared to typical conditions. It is concluded that only those weather files generated based on dynamical downscaling and that take into consideration both typical and extreme conditions are the most reliable for providing representative boundary conditions to test the energy robustness of buildings under future climate uncertainties. The results for the neighborhood explaining the critical situation that an energy network may face due to increased peak load under extreme climatic conditions. Such critical situations remain unforeseeable by relying solely on typical and observed extreme conditions, putting the climate resilience of buildings and energy systems at risk

Production of blockboard from small athel slats end-glued by different type of joint

This study evaluated the effect of joint type of short athel (Tamarix aphila) slats at three levels (butt joint, mitered joint, and half lap joint) in core layer veneer consisting of three wood species (Fir, Beech, and Oak). The joints were glued with PVAc and sandwiched by veneers with different ratios of melamine formaldehyde/urea formaldehyde resin (0:100, 25:75, and 50:50) in glue line to determine the modulus of rupture in dry and wet conditions. It was found that the highest dry and wet modulus of rupture was obtained in specimens having slats jointed with half lap joint veneered with fir by using MF/UF ratio of 50:50. The maximum modulus of rupture parallel to the face/back veneer grain value in dry condition (83.40 MPa) was observed to be higher than those values of modulus of rupture perpendicular to the face/back veneer grain (65MPa). However, the maximum modulus of rupture parallel to the face/back veneer grain value (53MPa) in wet condition were observed to be smaller than those values of modulus of rupture perpendicular to the face/back veneer grain value (56MPa).        G M T   Detectar idioma Afrikáans Albanés Alemán Árabe Armenio Azerí Bengalí Bielorruso Birmano Bosnio Búlgaro Canarés Catalán Cebuano Checo Chichewa Chino (Simp) Chino (Trad) Cincalés Coreano Criollo haitiano Croata Danés Eslovaco Esloveno Español Esperanto Estonio Euskera Finlandés Francés Galés Gallego Georgiano Griego Gujarati Hausa Hebreo Hindi Hmong Holandés Húngaro Igbo Indonesio Inglés Irlandés Islandés Italiano Japonés Javanés Jemer Kazajo Lao Latín Letón Lituano Macedonio Malayalam Malayo Malgache Maltés Maorí Maratí Mongol Nepalí Noruego Persa Polaco Portugués Punjabí Rumano Ruso Serbio Sesoto Somalí Suajili Sueco Sundanés Tagalo Tailandés Tamil Tayiko Telugu Turco Ucraniano Urdu Uzbeco Vietnamita Yidis Yoruba Zulú   Afrikáans Albanés Alemán Árabe Armenio Azerí Bengalí Bielorruso Birmano Bosnio Búlgaro Canarés Catalán Cebuano Checo Chichewa Chino (Simp) Chino (Trad) Cincalés Coreano Criollo haitiano Croata Danés Eslovaco Esloveno Español Esperanto Estonio Euskera Finlandés Francés Galés Gallego Georgiano Griego Gujarati Hausa Hebreo Hindi Hmong Holandés Húngaro Igbo Indonesio Inglés Irlandés Islandés Italiano Japonés Javanés Jemer Kazajo Lao Latín Letón Lituano Macedonio Malayalam Malayo Malgache Maltés Maorí Maratí Mongol Nepalí Noruego Persa Polaco Portugués Punjabí Rumano Ruso Serbio Sesoto Somalí Suajili Sueco Sundanés Tagalo Tailandés Tamil Tayiko Telugu Turco Ucraniano Urdu Uzbeco Vietnamita Yidis Yoruba Zulú                 La función de sonido está limitada a 200 caracteres     Opciones : Historia : Feedback : Donate Cerra

Impacts of future weather data typology on building energy performance – Investigating long-term patterns of climate change and extreme weather conditions

Patterns of future climate and expected extreme conditions are pushing design limits as recognition of climate change and its implication for the built environment increases. There are a number of ways of estimating future climate projections and creating weather files. Obtaining adequate representation of long-term patterns of climate change and extreme conditions is, however, challenging. This work aims at answering two research questions: does a method of generating future weather files for building performance simulation bring advantages that cannot be provided by other methods? And what type of future weather files enable building engineers and designers to more credibly test robustness of their designs against climate change? To answer these two questions, the work provides an overview of the major approaches to create future weather data sets based on the statistical and dynamical downscaling of climate models. A number of weather data sets for Geneva were synthesized and applied to the energy simulation of 16 ASHRAE standard reference buildings, single buildings and their combination to create a virtual neighborhood. Representative weather files are synthesized to account for extreme conditions together with typical climate conditions and investigate their importance in the energy performance of buildings. According to the results, all the methods provide enough information to study the long-term impacts of climate change on average. However, the results also revealed that assessing the energy robustness of buildings only under typical future conditions is not sufficient. Depending on the type of building, the relative change of peak load for cooling demand under near future extreme conditions can still be up to 28.5% higher compared to typical conditions. It is concluded that only those weather files generated based on dynamical downscaling and that take into consideration both typical and extreme conditions are the most reliable for providing representative boundary conditions to test the energy robustness of buildings under future climate uncertainties. The results for the neighborhood explaining the critical situation that an energy network may face due to increased peak load under extreme climatic conditions. Such critical situations remain unforeseeable by relying solely on typical and observed extreme conditions, putting the climate resilience of buildings and energy systems at risk

Towards climate robust buildings : An innovative method for designing buildings with robust energy performance under climate change

Neglecting extremes and designing buildings for the past or most likely weather conditions is not the best approach for the future. Robust design techniques can, however, be a viable option for tackling future challenges. The concept of robust design was first introduced by Taguchi in the 1940s. The result of the design process is a product that is insensitive to the effect of given sources of variability, even though the sources themselves are not eliminated. A robust design optimization (RDO) method is for the first time proposed in this paper, for supporting architects and engineers in the design of buildings with robust energy performance under climate change and extreme conditions. The simplicity and the low computational demand of the process underlies the feasibility and applicability of this method, which can be used at any stage of the design process. The results show that the performance of the optimum solution not only has a 81.5% lower variation (less sensitivity to climate uncertainty) but at the same time has a 14.4% lower mean energy use value compared with a solution that is compliant with a recent construction standard (ASHRAE 90.1-2016). Less sensitivity to climate uncertainty means greater robustness to climate change whilst maintaining high performance