On the thermal buffering of naturally ventilated buildings through internal thermal mass

In this paper we examine the role of thermal mass in buffering the interior temperature of a naturally ventilated building from the diurnal fluctuations in the environment. First, we show that the effective thermal mass which is in good thermal contact with the air is limited by the diffusion distance into the thermal mass over one diurnal temperature cycle. We also show that this effective thermal mass may be modelled as an isothermal mass. Temperature fluctuations in the effective thermal mass are attenuated and phase-shifted from those of the interior air, and therefore heat is exchanged with the interior air. The evolution of the interior air temperature is then controlled by the relative magnitudes of (i) the time for the heat exchange between the effective thermal mass and the air; (ii) the time for the natural ventilation to replace the air in the space with air from the environment; and (iii) the period of the diurnal oscillations of the environment. Through analysis and numerical solution of the governing equations, we characterize a number of different limiting cases. If the ventilation rate is very small, then the thermal mass buffers the interior air temperature from fluctuations in the environment, creating a near-isothermal interior. If the ventilation rate increases, so that there are many air changes over the course of a day, but if there is little heat exchange between the thermal mass and interior air, then the interior air temperature locks on to the environment temperature. If there is rapid thermal equilibration of the thermal mass and interior air, and a high ventilation rate, then both the thermal mass and the interior air temperatures lock on to the environment temperature. However, in many buildings, the more usual case is that in which the time for thermal equilibration is comparable to the period of diurnal fluctuations, and in which ventilation rates are moderate. In this case, the fluctuations of the temperature of the thermal mass lag those of the interior air, which in turn lag those of the environment. We consider the implications of these results for the use of thermal mass in naturally ventilated buildings

The Phantom Vanish Magic Trick: Investigating the Disappearance of a Non-existent Object in a Dynamic Scene

Drawing inspiration from sleight-of-hand magic tricks, we developed an experimental paradigm to investigate whether magicians’ misdirection techniques could be used to induce the misperception of “phantom” objects. While previous experiments investigating sleight-of-hand magic tricks have focused on creating false assumptions about the movement of an object in a scene, our experiment investigated creating false assumptions about the presence of an object in a scene. Participants watched a sequence of silent videos depicting a magician performing with a single object. Following each video, participants were asked to write a description of the events in the video. In the final video, participants watched the Phantom Vanish Magic Trick, a novel magic trick developed for this experiment, in which the magician pantomimed the actions of presenting an object and then making it magically disappear. No object was presented during the final video. The silent videos precluded the use of false verbal suggestions, and participants were not asked leading questions about the objects. Nevertheless, 32% of participants reported having visual impressions of non-existent objects. These findings support an inferential model of perception, wherein top-down expectations can be manipulated by the magician to generate vivid illusory experiences, even in the absence of corresponding bottom-up information

Rotating plates: Online study demonstrates the importance of orientation in the plating of food

AbstractWe report three online experiments designed to assess how the visual composition of the elements of a commercially-successful dish would be perceived by naïve assessors, in terms of their liking and willingness to pay. Experiment 1 showed that an upward orientation of the dish was preferred as compared to when the elements pointed downward/toward the observer, or else pointed to the side. Experiment 2 demonstrates that optimally orienting the plate translates into an increased willingness to pay for the food. In addition, the results also revealed that both a triangle formed by the three principal elements (onions), and the direction in which these v-shaped elements pointed, affected people’s judgments of the ideal orientation of the dish as a whole. Finally, a citizen science experiment (Experiment 3) held at London’s Science Museum provided further support for our findings. These results highlight the potential of a digital (Internet-based) testing methodology to determine the optimal visual presentation of food

The relation between symmetry in food packaging and approach and avoidance words

Research on aesthetic science has demonstrated that people generally prefer symmetrical over asymmetrical compositions. However, it remains unclear whether and how such compositions relate to the concepts of approach and avoidance motivation, especially in consumer contexts. In addition, it is not known how symmetry may influence such concepts in contexts where objects can differ in terms of their hedonic values (symmetry/product taste congruency). In the present research, we evaluated the relation between visual symmetry of the packaging of products with different hedonic value (sweet, non-sweet, non-food) and approach and avoidance words. In two experiments, we found evidence that people associate symmetrical designs with approach words more often than asymmetrical designs. Importantly, however, we did not find evidence that such an effect is influenced by the hedonic value of the products. Our results have value for scholars and practitioners interested in the effect of aesthetic features of brand elements (such as a product’s packaging) on consumer motivation

The fight against fruit flies in Western Australia

Western Australia’s horticulture industry is one of the State’s growing success stories, from mangoes at Kununurra to cherries at Mt Barker. The prospects are bright, especially in export markets where ‘clean and green’ produce from Western Australia is truly valued. One blight on this ‘clean and green’ image has been Mediterranean fruit fly or Medfly, the ‘world’s worst fruit pest’. First introduced over 100 years ago, the battle against this devastating pest has involved Government, growers and the general public. This book is designed to provide an accurate but readable account of the fight against fruit fly, incorporating all the weapons used in this battle from early chemical and biological control to the futuristic sterile insect technique.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1110/thumbnail.jp

Story Starter:A Tool for Controlling Multiple Virtual Reality Headsets with No Active Internet Connection

Immersive events are becoming increasingly popular, allowing multiple people to experience a range of VR content simultaneously. Onboarders help people do VR experiences in these situations. Controlling VR headsets for others without physically having to put them on first is an important requirement here, as it streamlines the onboarding process and maximizes the number of viewers. Current off-the-shelf solutions require headsets to be connected to a cloud-based app via an active internet connection, which can be problematic in some locations. To address this challenge, we present Story Starter, a solution that enables the control of VR headsets without an active internet connection. Story Starter can start, stop, and install VR experiences, adjust device volume, and display information such as remaining battery life. We developed Story Starter in response to the UK-wide StoryTrails tour in the summer of 2022, which was held across 15 locations and attracted thousands of attendees who experienced a range of immersive content, including six VR experiences. Story Starter helped streamline the onboarding process by allowing onboarders to avoid putting the headset on themselves to complete routine tasks such as selecting and starting experiences, thereby minimizing COVID risks. Another benefit of not needing an active internet connection was that our headsets did not automatically update at inconvenient times, which we have found sometimes to break experiences. Converging evidence suggests that Story Starter was well-received and reliable. However, we also acknowledge some limitations of the solution and discuss several next steps we are considering

Smoking status and attractiveness among exemplar and prototypical identical twins discordant for smoking

In this online observational study, a two-alternative forced choice design was used to explore two aspects of the appearance of faces of identical twins discordant for smoking