An Investigation Into Thermal Comfort In Residential Buildings In The Hot Humid Climate Of Sub-Saharan Africa: A Field Study In Abuja-Nigeria

A field study was conducted to understand the real and preferred conditions of thermal comfort in low-income residential buildings in Abuja, Nigeria. Knowing the temperatures people are experiencing in their houses and the limits which residents can tolerate is a first step to proffer passive solutions to reduce discomfort. During the study, 40 people responded to a post occupancy questionnaire and two households were issued a comfort survey questionnaire. Physical measurements were taken simultaneously during the comfort survey in both an air-conditioned and naturally ventilated residential building. The ASHRAE and air flow sensation scale were chosen as voting scales. The results from this study show that during the monitoring period the average and maximum temperatures in an air conditioned residential building were 31°C and 34°C; and 33°C and 36°C for natural ventilated buildings in Abuja. This compares with the external average and maximum air temperatures of 31°C and 39°C

Thermal comfort of occupants during the dry and rainy seasons in Abuja, Nigeria

The paper presents the results of a recent study on the thermal comfort of occupants in four low-income residential buildings, at two different locations, within the hot-humid climate of Abuja. A comfort survey questionnaire was administered to occupants of four casestudies to assess their perception of their thermal environment. Simultaneously, the indoor temperatures and relative humidity of the living room and bedroom spaces were monitored as well as outdoor parameters to evaluate the actual building performance. To support the comfort survey, a post-occupancy survey was carried out to evaluate an additional 86 buildings nearby in the case studies areas. The paper focuses on analysing the thermal conditions of respondents of the post-occupancy survey, the comfort survey and indoor monitoring findings from the case studies. The maximum daytime average temperature of the naturally ventilated buildings was only 2.0°C more than in the air-conditioned buildings. The maximum indoor air temperature in the living spaces during the dry season was 36.8°C(and 26.4% RH) and the minimum 28.4°C (and 66.6% RH),while during the rainy season these were respectively 35.9°C(and 43.7% RH) and the minimum 24.3°C (and 75.5% RH). The results suggest that there was significant thermal discomfort in the low income residential buildings

Thermal Comfort in a Hot-Humid Climate Through Passive Cooling in Low-Income Residential Buildings in Abuja, Nigeria

The research investigates the thermal performance of residential buildings in Abuja, Nigeria during the dry and rainy seasons. A field study was conducted to understand the real and preferred conditions of thermal comfort in low-income residential buildings, which represent the largest single housing sector. Knowing the temperatures people are experiencing in their houses and the limits that residents can tolerate is a first step to proffer passive solutions to reduce discomfort and energy demand and then satisfy the energy demand passively. During the survey, 222 people responded to a post occupancy questionnaire and for the ten selected case study dwellings, a comfort survey questionnaire was used. Physical measurements were taken simultaneously during the comfort survey in both air-conditioned and naturally ventilated residential buildings. The ASHRAE and air flow sensation scales were chosen as voting scales. This survey further looked at possible barriers to the implementation of more sustainable approaches that would enhance passive solutions in Nigeria, since the conventional means of cooling in this hot-humid climate is becoming expensive and less satisfactory. The results from the study showed that during the dry season monitoring period, the average and maximum temperatures in the air-conditioned case studies were 32°C and 34°C; and 31°C and 36°C for the naturally ventilated buildings. This compares with the external average and maximum air temperatures of 31°C and more than 40°C. Dynamic simulation modelling was used to reveal the sensitivity of the cooling loads to various thermal interventions (e.g. insulation and shading) in the case study buildings. The optimum passive cooling intervention (involving roof and wall insulation and shading) proved to be effective in reducing the indoor maximum temperatures by more than 5°C for naturally ventilated cases and the cooling load. This translates to a monthly cost saving in the air-conditioned model of N8,110 (£16.97) which is significant compared to the Nigerian National Minimum Wage of N18,000 (£37.66). This study makes a significant contribution to understanding the real and ideal thermal conditions occupants experience in low and middle income residential buildings in Abuja and demonstrates the effectiveness of passive interventions in reducing indoor temperatures and cooling loads

Indoor Thermal Comfort for Residential Buildings in the Hot-Humid Climate of Nigeria during the dry season

The indoor thermal conditions in residential buildings in two locations in Abuja, Nigeria were investigated to understand the ideal conditions of occupants in this hot-humid climate. Understanding these conditions helps give an insight into what people are experiencing in their houses and how they adapt to the high temperatures. The study seeks to fill the gap in research of occupants’ thermal comfort in this area by providing empirical thermal comfort data from a city in the tropical region. During the study, 86 households responded to a post occupancy questionnaire to evaluate their building and how they adapt to high temperatures. A comfort survey questionnaire was administered to occupants of four low-income residential households to assess their perception of their thermal environment. These included two air-conditioned and two naturally ventilated buildings with the questionnaires having over 80% return rate. Simultaneously, physical measurements were taken in the living room, bedroom and outdoor spaces to evaluate the actual building performance and thermal environment. Most occupants in the residential buildings in this climate experienced thermal discomfort and were uncomfortable with their thermal environment as suggested by the results of the study. The data further suggest the preferred conditions are operative temperatures above 28°C

Understanding the effect of indoor air pollution on pneumonia in children under five in low and middle income countries: a systematic review of evidence

BackgroundExposure to indoor air pollution increases the risk of pneumonia in children, accounting for about a million deaths globally. This study investigates the individual effect of solid fuel, carbon monoxide(CO), black carbon (BC) and PM2.5 on pneumonia in children under five in low and middle-income countries.MethodsA systematic review was conducted to identify peer-reviewed and grey full-text documents without restrictions to study design, language or year of publication using nine databases, (EMBASE, PUBMED, EBSCO/CINAHL, SCOPUS , Web of Knowledge, WHO Library Database (WHOLIS), Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), The World Meteorological Organization (WMO-WHO) andIntergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)).ResultsExposure to solid fuel use showed a significant association to childhood pneumonia. Exposure to CO showed no association to childhood pneumonia. PM2.5 did not show any association when physically measured, while eight studies that used solid fuel as a proxy for PM2.5 all reported significant associations.ConclusionThis review highlights the need to standardise measurement of exposure and outcome variables when investigating the effect of air pollution on pneumonia in children under 5. Future studies should account for BC, PM1 and the interaction between indoor and outdoor pollution and its cumulative impact on childhood pneumonia

Indoor comfort and adaptation in low-income and middle-income residential buildings in a Nigerian city during a dry season

This paper investigates occupants' comfort, adaptation and their responses during the dry season in low-income to middle-income residential buildings in Abuja, Nigeria. The study aims to provide empirical data on occupants' comfort through evaluating 171 households in four different locations in Abuja. The study considered a combination of different research methods for data collection. Post-occupancy surveys were used to evaluate the buildings and residents' adaptation within the thermal environment. Thermal comfort surveys were also carried out in eight low-income residential households to assess occupants' perception of the thermal environment. Based on the short duration of the physical measurements, building simulation was also used to examine thermal comfort of occupants for an extended period. The Post Occupancy Evaluation (POE) results revealed over 70% of the occupants were dissatisfied with their thermal environment. The comfort surveys reported similar results with over 65% of the responses revealed being ‘uncomfortably warm’. The results showed an overall mean temperature of all the measured case studies to be 31.7 °C and the average temperature (predicted) of 30.7 °C. The neutral temperatures were in a range of 28°C–30.4 °C compared to the preferred temperature range of 27.5°C–29.4 °C. The prevalence of thermal discomfort highlights the need to explore the possibilities of reducing internal temperatures, particularly by passive means (fabric, shading, insulation etc.) given the need to avoid or reduce the need for air conditioning to make the buildings energy-efficient for low to middle income groups

Current methods to analyze lysosome morphology, positioning, motility and function.

Funder: Maratona da SaúdeFunder: Royal Society WolfsonFunder: Wellcome; Id: http://dx.doi.org/10.13039/100010269Since the discovery of lysosomes more than 70 years ago, much has been learned about the functions of these organelles. Lysosomes were regarded as exclusively degradative organelles, but more recent research has shown that they play essential roles in several other cellular functions, such as nutrient sensing, intracellular signalling and metabolism. Methodological advances played a key part in generating our current knowledge about the biology of this multifaceted organelle. In this review, we cover current methods used to analyze lysosome morphology, positioning, motility and function. We highlight the principles behind these methods, the methodological strategies and their advantages and limitations. To extract accurate information and avoid misinterpretations, we discuss the best strategies to identify lysosomes and assess their characteristics and functions. With this review, we aim to stimulate an increase in the quantity and quality of research on lysosomes and further ground-breaking discoveries on an organelle that continues to surprise and excite cell biologists