bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Microclimate profile and contribution of air conditioning to local heat island effects at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki main campus
Authors: Gavros A , Karatzas K
Published: January 2020

The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki (AUTh) main campus is characterized mainly by its building volume, the energy fluxes serving campus needs and resulting from campus operations, and the local climatic conditions. In an effort to investigate the effects of the existence and operation of the AUTh main campus to the local climate of the Greater Thessaloniki Area (GTA), we applied a heat island effect related methodology to identify its subareas that belong to specific urban climate zones. This identification was supported by meteorological observations that identified specific characteristics of the urban heat island effect within the campus. As a next step, we investigated the influence of the air conditioning (AC) operation in AUTh to the local climate. For doing so we firstly estimated the actual AC cooling power installed in the campus. Then we employed the cooling degree days method to identify the overall AC operational profile during the summer period. On this basis, we calculated the total volume of heated air produced by the external AC units in the campus. Overall, we were able to identify three climate zones within the AUTh campus, and to estimate that local heat production from AC can affect urban climate. These findings are among the first to quantify the impact of specific urban structures and operations (AUTh campus) to the local climate in the GTA. The results of our study can be used for planning interventions at the urban web aiming at levering the burden of campus operation to the microclimate of the city center. The method used in our paper can be applied to wider urban areas in order to identify microclimate profiles and local heat island effects.
Energy Efficiency of Building Technologies and Climate Change using Geographical Information System (GIS): A Case study of use of soil, water and forest/grass in Migori County, Kenya
Authors: Sangori R. , Krhoda G. , Nyandega I.
Published: January 2020

Demand for building materials and products has increased considerably with the rapid growth of population thereby affecting the carbon sequestration ability of the natural environment. Traditionally, data on building materials use, energy expenditure in their sourcing and processing, and carbon dioxide equivalent generated are lacking in developing countries. The focus of this report, being part of an ongoing study is that direct impact on environment occurs at various stages in the building material usage especially at the extraction and production stages for which energy is expended. Environmental products such as soil, water and timber which are the main carbon sequesters are exploited during the manufacture / or processing of dominant building technologies in Migori thus affecting carbon sequestration potential of the natural ecosystems. The awareness levels amongst the population on energy and resource efficiency in building construction is grossly limited. The Geographical Information System (GIS) on spatial analysis of proximity and neighbourhood tools demonstrated the emerging patterns in terms of soil, water and forest/grass disturbances resulting from the activities of building construction. The ultimate goal is to facilitate formulation of energy efficiency building codes, green building guidelines, improvement of climate change strategy and Action Plan towards Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) enhancement as well as improve knowledge in the relationship between climate change, building and ecosystem linkages between soil, water and forest cover.
Impact of Climate Change on rural development and rural built environment: case study settlements within the Region of the Southern and Eastern Serbia
Authors: Igić M , Mitković P , Dinić Branković M , Đekić J , Mitković M
Published: January 2020

Great threat to the modern society and built environment is Climate Change (CC), whose impact cannot be observed independently from other factors. This paper discusses the influence of CC on the rural development in Serbia, where about 3/4 territory is rural. Six selected rural settlements: Bojnik, Trgovište, Žitorađa, Golubac, Gadžin Han and Merošina, from the Region of Southern and Eastern Serbia, which is the least developed Region with high percentage of rural areas, were analysed. CC is one of the triggers for migration from rural to urban areas resulting in unfavourable social structure that, along with depopulation, represents a threat to rural development and the CC adaptation, making it a kind of a “wicked” problem. In order to create successful adaptation plans, increase resilience and provide efficient implementation and monitoring processes: (1) Decision making must be on local level and as a long term process with multifunctional - comprehensive approach; (2) Risk assessment and management must be part of every local strategic document - defined contextually depending on the specificity of each municipality; (3) Every municipality has different types and degrees of vulnerabilities, exposure and sensibility, and so measures for adaptations must be “customized” for every settlement depending on the specific spatial, development and natural context.
Facilitating responsive interaction between occupants and building systems through dynamic post-occupancy evaluation
Authors: Bourikas L , Teli D , Amin R , James P A B , Bahaj A S
Published: January 2020

Post-occupancy evaluation (POE) is a process that can reveal the interrelations between key building performance factors and successfully integrate indoor environmental quality, thermal comfort, functionality, environmental strategy and occupants’ satisfaction. POE has become a prerequisite for several building certification systems and it is often presented as a method to improve the commissioning of buildings and as a user experience feedback mechanism. This paper is based on a POE undertaken through stages at the University of Southampton Mayflower Halls of Residence complex. The first stage included the evaluation of occupant satisfaction, indoor environment quality and energy use. Results from temperature and relative humidity monitoring and an online POE questionnaire were analysed in the context of energy use, thermal comfort and building controls’ functionality. The second part of this study monitored the air temperature in a sub-sample of 30 rooms where the residents participated in a thermal comfort survey with a “right-here-right-now” questionnaire and a portable instrument that monitored air temperature, relative humidity, globe temperature and air velocity in the rooms. This paper presents the results of the POE and discusses approaches for the improvement in the buildings’ energy performance and the environmental conditions in the living spaces of the students. Results suggest that current use of controls is not always effective, with implications for the buildings’ energy use. Large variability was found in occupants’ thermal perception and preferences, which points to a need for occupant-centric solutions. In this study, POE is approached as a dynamic process that could be used to facilitate the responsive interaction of occupants with building systems and deliver through their engagement high energy performance and comfort.
Review and comparison of methodologies and tools to perform energy efficiency projects in public buildings in MED areas
Authors: Pascual R , Pascual J , Ortiz J , Salom J
Published: January 2020

The Energy Efficiency (EE) in buildings is one of the pillars for the climate change (CC) mitigation. There are several initiatives that are providing solutions to foster and accelerate the improvement of the EE in buildings. In particular, in the framework of the Interreg MED Programme, the Efficient Buildings Community (EB Community) has been created by the MEDNICE project (https://efficient-buildings.interreg-med.eu/) with the objective of sharing knowledge, practices and solutions for energy challenges in the MED area and creating synergies between similar initiatives. The EB Community collects the results of 10 Modular Projects (MPs) focused on the improvement of the EE in public buildings (PBs), in order to harmonize, systematize and capitalize their results and produce technical and policy recommendations to remove administrative, financial, legal or technological obstacles. The EB Community brings together local, regional and national stakeholders to exchanges methodologies, experiences and tools. The MPs cover the improvement of EE in PBs from different perspectives and stages: characterization of the PB stock, planning, tendering and procurement of services, implementation of the building process, monitoring and use of the buildings, training and awareness of the different stakeholders and financing solutions. Most of the MPs have proposed methodologies to carry out the different stages of the EE projects, from a public administration (PA) point of view and providing tools and indicators to make decisions in each stage of the project. The purpose of the present paper is to make a review of the methodologies and tools proposed by the MPs. The study aims at establishing a common procedure to perform EE projects in PBs with especial focus on MED areas; selecting common and relevant KPIs to be used during the whole value-chain of a project (energy, sustainability, cost and financial, environmental comfort, among others); evaluating the main target group of each tool and the stage of the process that is addressed; and identifying the main gaps of the methodologies and tools, as well as their usefulness to overcome the main barriers identified within the EE projects.
Recent Advancements in the Energy Performance of Intelligent Green Houses: A Case Study
Authors: Kavga Angeliki , Vaiciunas Juozas , Fokaides Paris A.
Published: January 2020

According to the European Environment Agency, the agricultural sector consumes around 3% of the total energy consumed in the European Union and specifically 28.8 million tones of oil equivalent in 2016. Although between 2005 and 2016, the final energy consumption in the EU decreased in the fishing, agriculture and forestry sectors by 24.7 % the energy required in this sector is considered to have a significant contribution to the energy related policies of the EU. Greenhouses constitute a major energy consumer of the agricultural sector in the European Union. Although strictly speaking, greenhouses differ from buildings in several ways, such as the construction, the building systems and the use, the principles used to analyse the energy consumption of greenhouses, as well as the strategies to control their energy performance are quite similar with those of the building sector.

This study aims to present the recent advancements in the analysis of the energy performance of greenhouses, with a special focus on next generation greenhouses, also known as intelligent greenhouses. The main energy consumption sources in greenhouses, as well as their normalized intensity is presented. State-of-the-art automations to control the energy performance of greenhouses, as well as intelligent systems used to achieve the required thermal conditions in greenhouses, such as automation systems, infrared heating and advanced covering materials are presented. The main challenges of the intelligent greenhouse sector, as well as the requirements for the development of new energy related standards for greenhouses are also discussed. The study concludes with the presentation of the energy performance of a greenhouse, considered as intelligent, of the Department of Agricultural Technology of the Technological Education Institute of Western Greece in Patras, Greece. Detailed data logging of the temperature and indoor conditions of an intelligent greenhouse are analysed and compared with regard to contemporary greenhouses, revealing and quantifying the potentials of this sector in the energy saving strategies of Greece and the EU.
Life cycle assessment (LCA) based concept design method for potential zero emission residential building
Authors: Eichner M J , Elsharawy H H
Published: January 2020

Regardless a large number of published researches on environmentally friendly building design, realized buildings with a low or zero-emission balance throughout the whole life cycle are rare. Life cycle assessment during building design is not considered a creative but merely calculating task with no direct relation to architecture itself. This research offers an iterative design method, based on life-cycle assessment for buildings, allowing during concept phase to set path for achieving low or zero environmental impact levels. The paper analyses the interrelation of main aspect fields of life-cycle assessment, such as: emission reduction, energy and cost saving as well as implementation of renewable resources during concept design phase for residential buildings. The applicability of the developed LCA based concept design method, its effectiveness for the environmental quality of buildings and influence on architectural factors is examined in a case study project for the hot and dry climate of Cairo. The authors consider, that a combined application of digital environmental assessment tools in initial project phases creates synergies for architectural quality and environmental performance. A combined use of digital tools for the three main aspects; emissions, renewable energy and economic factors allows architects with reasonable effort to design low emission buildings with strong incentives for the creative architectural design process.
The Utilization of Solar Energy in the Building Sector in Mediterranean Countries
Authors: Papamanolis Nikos
Published: January 2020

In the Mediterranean region, relatively high solar radiation rates are recorded throughout the year. A part of this radiation is harnessed in energy production. At the same time, the similar climatic conditions in the area, justify comparable energy needs in key sectors of energy consumption (e.g. building, rural). Therefore, the Mediterranean area is an appropriate field for comparison and evaluation of data concerning production and consumption of renewable energy and in particular, of solar energy. Based on the available statistics, this work studies the production and consumption of solar energy in the building sector in the Mediterranean countries. It studies the evolution of energy production from the Sun in relation to energy production from other renewable and non-renewable sources. It also identifies and examines the factors that impact, positively or negatively, on the exploitation of solar energy in the building sector in the region. Insofar as the data permit, the study specializes in different areas of exploitation of solar energy (e.g. electricity generation, photovoltaic, solar thermal). The findings help to optimize the utilization of solar energy in the Mediterranean region and areas with similar climatic conditions.
Small wind turbines for on grid and off grid applications
Authors: Tzen Eftihia
Published: January 2020

Electricity production must shift towards carbon neutral sources such as wind power to mitigate the impacts of climate change. Wind energy today accounts 18.8% of total installed power generation capacity in Europe, with a total installed capacity of 189 GW (170 GW onshore and 19 GW offshore wind farms), taking the second largest form of power generation capacity, closely approaching gas installed capacity. The progress of wind turbine technology over the last 20 years is important and is also the main reason for the rapid development of the wind power globally. In addition, the nominal capacity of onshore wind turbines has increased to more than 3 MW and more than 5 MW for offshore wind turbines. Despite the tendency for larger wind turbines there is a significant potential for small wind turbines for the urban environment as well as for off grid applications. The objective of this work is to provide a spherical knowledge of the technology of small wind turbines in the range of some kW up to 50kW nominal capacity, their market, costs, as well as their possible applications in urban and in off grid environment. Parameters such as, performance, noise issues, and visual disturbance is also discussed in this paper.
Building characterisation and assessment methodology of social housing stock in the warmer Mediterranean climate: the case of southern Spain.
Authors: Calama-González C M , Suárez R , León-Rodríguez A L
Published: January 2020

The increase in the average temperature of the planet due to global warming has serious repercussions on buildings, affecting indoor environmental quality and thermal comfort. Currently, one of the building stocks most at risk is that of the residential sector in southern Spain, given the high sensitivity of the Mediterranean climate to the effects of climate change and the massive volume of this built environment with obsolete energy conditions. However, it is crucial to carry out an in-depth assessment of the necessary retrofitting strategies for implementation in this existing stock, with an overall analysis of building characterisation and current state of the building stock. This research takes these aspects into consideration, using statistical descriptive techniques to evaluate the building characterisation of public social housing in southern Spain. This public sector is managed by the Regional Government of Andalusia and is made up of 39.486 social housing units. Results reported in this research make it possible to establish which buildings require short-term and priority retrofitting actions, thus creating a useful tool for decision-making within the political context.
Optimisation of outdoor shading devices with thermal comfort criteria: The case of the Venetian Port of Chania
Authors: Vartholomaios Aristotelis , Kalogirou Nikolaos
Published: January 2020

While the optimisation of building shading devices is a frequently researched topic, few studies focus on optimising the form and location of devices that shade outdoor spaces. Consequently, there is no agreed consensus on the workflow that should govern the design of outdoor shading installations with respect to microclimate and human thermal comfort. The present study addresses this research gap by developing a flexible workflow that informs the architectural design process with parametric thermal comfort simulations. The proposed workflow acknowledges that although an environmentally optimal design may exist, the designer is often forced to select a sub-optimal solution that can satisfy non-comparable design objectives including practical on-site constraints and political pressure from stakeholders with often conflicting interests. Considering that outdoor shading devices are often found at the fringe of public and private spaces, the influence of the aforementioned non-environmental objectives on the design process becomes significant. For these reasons, the proposed workflow utilises state- of-the-art techniques such as ComfortCover in order to map the ‘usefulness’ of shade over a specified area and to explore alternative forms of shading devices. Thus, shading optimisation becomes a matter of weighting alternatives and choosing appropriate solutions from the examined parametric space, rather than a fully automated process. This ‘designer-first’ approach evolved through extensive pilot-testing at the Old Venetian Port of Chania, Greece as part of a series of urban regeneration interventions coordinated by the Municipal Port Fund of Chania. This design process resulted in a typology of shading devices that offer optimal annual thermal comfort conditions while satisfying the rest of the design objectives as well.
A new multi-objective dynamic model to close the gaps in sustainable development of industrial sector
Authors: Pirouz Behrouz , Arcuri Natale , Maiolo Mario , Talarico Vito Cataldo , Piro Patrizia
Published: January 2020

The GHGs emissions by different activities show that the main part that is 25% belongs to electricity and heat production and the industrial activities counting as 21% of total emission. About 37% of the electricity consumption in Europe belongs to manufacturing and share of industrial activities in GHGs are among 30% to 40%. The electricity production trends show that the proportion of the renewables energy is going to reach to 20% in Europe by 2020 and according to the new energy targets, the minimum use of renewable energy must be 27% by 2030 and decarbonizing by 2050. For the industrial sector as a main energy consumer several elements affect the total energy consumption that start from the mining of the raw materials, transporting the materials to factories, grid network and finally the product to the end users and landfilling/recycling the used products. In this regards, to analyse all factors together a new multi-objective dynamic model has been developed. Moreover, to achieve eco-factories, the main solutions have been provided and dynamically analysed by the model. The results show that, all possible factors must be considered at the same time and applying just some approaches such as solar panels and forgetting the other factors such as end user, life cycle analysis and many other factors will not achieve the sustainability goals. The multi-objective dynamic models can be used as an appropriate approach to check the role of all solutions in achieving eco and sustainable factories.
Lack of regulation on the energy efficiency in Serbia in terms of the assessment of the impact of thermal bridges
Authors: Aleksandar Rajčić , Ljiljana Đukanović , Ana Radivojević
Published: January 2020

As one of the aspects of sustainable architecture, the energy efficiency of buildings has largely come to life and has found its practical application in modern construction practice. Active action towards the achievement of the adequate energy performance of buildings implies the creation of appropriate regulations, providing basic guidelines for securing energy efficiency in the design and construction of buildings. In that sense, with a dozen years of delay in relation to the introduction of the EPBD, Serbia has adopted its legal regulations regarding energy efficiency in buildings, being in force since 2012. Respecting the basic guidelines of the original directive, the regulations in Serbia were the subject of major changes in relation to the previous ones, making a major shift in the boundaries of the relevant parameters and the basic methodology of calculating the energy performance of buildings. However, in practice, it has been shown that some of the factors that are important for the design and energy behaviour of the buildings have been treated inadequately. This particularly refers to the problem of thermal bridges, whose impact on the overall energy performance of the buildings is too simplified. Consequently, depending on the complexity of the building, the prescribed calculation methodology often yields significantly fewer energy needs than they actually are. By taking the view that the influence of thermal bridges, regardless of their type and character, is treated as an arbitrary magnification of surface transmission loss in the function of magnifying the surface of the thermal envelope, the real impact of both linear and point heat losses is neglected. While the issue of an adequate calculation of linear losses is directly related to the way of designing the building, that is, to the conception of details, the question of the impact of point losses is a consequence of the structure of thermal envelope elements. The paper presents two types of critical cases of thermal bridges: the treatment of linear thermal bridges for which research has shown that their influence can significantly exceed those envisaged by the current rulebook, and the influence of point heat bridges, as seen in the specific case of ventilated façades in which this problem is present.
Use of cross laminated timber (CLT) in industrial buildings in Nordic climate – A case study
Authors: Svortevik Vilde Jakobsen , Engevik Mathias Berntzen , Kraniotis Dimitrios
Published: January 2020

In recent years there has been a greater interest in developing new more sustainable solutions in the construction of buildings and in particular of large commercial and industrial buildings. This study analyses the feasibility and degree of sustainability of using cross laminated timber (CLT) as building material in industrial buildings in Nordic climate. An industrial building located in Eastern Norway, MAXBO Bjertnestangen, has been used as case study for the analysis. Two scenarios have been studied: i) the first analyses the existing industrial building (Scenario 1) built in steel, and ii) the second implies that the building components are replaced with CLT-elements (Scenario 2). For the structural analysis a commercial finite element method (FEM) code has been used and the results confirm that the CLT building achieves approximately equal mechanical and structural properties. For studying building physics in the two buildings, a commercial numerical simulation tool that couples hygrothermal with energy performance and uses the finite volume method (FVM) has been employed. The results show that it is possible to achieve a total energy saving of 3.3%, for the industrial building consisting of CLT-elements compared to the existing building. Furthermore, the life cycle analysis (LCA) shows that the total emission of CO2-eq is 16.7% lower in the CLT building, however the building’s construction costs are higher 13% compared to the existing industrial building. Finally, an optimized solution has been proposed in which sandwich panels in the roof are combined with CLT in rest of the building. In this case, the difference associated with costs is narrowed to 3.3%, while the difference in the total emission of CO2-eq stays still significant, i.e. 13.6%.
Sustainability, Environmental Performance and Energy Efficiency in Higher Education: Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb
Authors: Muraj I , Veršić Z , Binicki M
Published: January 2020

Sustainability, environmental performance and energy efficiency have become main subjects not only for the profession of architecture, but for every profession, as well. Within the scope of this conference, and more specifically the overall energy performance of buildings, the section dealing with the higher technical education has special relevance. The need for incorporating sustainability and energy parameters in higher education has been recognised for some considerable time now. As academic staff members teaching in technical courses at the Faculty of Architecture, University of Zagreb, we are always under time pressure in keeping up with the newest performances in structure and technology facing the question: How to realise and improve the graduate framework and the learning and teaching plan of environmental issues in the courses that we teach?

The paper examines available study programme ‘Architecture and Urban Studies’ within the master degree programme at the Department of Architectural Technology and Building Science. The new compulsory course Architecture and Technology 1 (AT1_2018/2019) addresses the topics of building energy consumption and emissions, rational use of energy, environmental impact, high performance efficiency and sustainable building. By comparing a selection of students’ works in different groups conducted experimentally for the first time, the paper will discuss the project approach, give a critical evaluation of the selected case studies and some lessons learned from attempts to incorporate environmental issues into the unit syllabus. Through this paper we attempt to share information and deepen the discussion within the academic community. Finally, as a contribution, it is expected to increase the ways by which parameters of energy and environmental sustainability can become an integral guiding principle in the design and delivery of all academic courses offered at the Faculty.
Summer thermal comfort conditions in shopping arcades and their adjoining streets in hot and dry climates. The case of the Nicosia’s historic centre.
Authors: Malaktou E , Philokyprou M
Published: January 2020

Twentieth century urban planning policies systematically neglected the bioclimatic parameter in the conception and realisation of open and semi-open spaces. The negative effects of such practices relate, but are not limited, to the increasing duration and intensity of thermal discomfort in the public and semi-public realm. Considering the significance of improved microclimate, this research focuses on the summer thermal comfort conditions of three shopping arcades. The study is undertaken in the context of a research on semi-open spaces as a means of excessive discomfort moderation. The adjoining streets, were examined to compare the thermal performance of arcades with other urban typologies. The research is carried out in the historic centre of Nicosia which experiences an intense Mediterranean climate. On-site environmental monitoring has allowed a detailed thermal comfort analysis, using the PET thermal index scale which is applicable to warm climates. Compared to open streets, shopping arcades were found able to mitigate extreme thermal comfort conditions, although they remained above acceptable thermal comfort limits for most of the monitoring time. Arcades are associated with less intense heat stress levels which give evidence to their thermal advantages over completely exposed open streets and highlight their bioclimatic potential in the Mediterranean climate. Arcades may thus be re-considered and re-introduced as beneficial microclimate control elements in sustainable urban planning agendas.
Light Beyond Vision: Implications for Human-centric Lighting Design in Tropical Nursing homes
Authors: Chien S-C , Chien S-M , Lau E , Lin P
Published: January 2020

For the elderly people, adequate environment to compensate for increasing frailty and sensory loss are crucial. Normal age-related changes to the eye decrease the amount of light reaching the retina impacting both vision and circadian rhythm. Some attempts have been made recently to conduct tunable white lighting and vary lighting levels and Correlated Colour Temperature (CCT) for health and wellness. However, how to translate such Human-centric Lighting (HCL) concepts proven in laboratory studies into built environments are still in early stage and lack of largely proven practices and strategies on an operational level. This research project aimed to explore HCL design strategies in nursing homes in Singapore. Firstly, state of the art HCL and aging studies were discussed. We then captured the views to illustrate a HCL framework in a tropical context, whereby the quantitative and qualitative approaches were considered. The preliminary design strategies were developed based on this framework and exemplified in a selected nursing home in Singapore. Also, pre-/post implementation user surveys together with quantitative evaluations (involving horizontal and corneal illuminance measurements) were conducted for assessing the performance of the HCL design strategies. These pilot study findings provide initial insight into HCL design-related knowledge and serve as the solid basis towards the HCL best practices in the environment of nursing home in Singapore.
Performance assessment of an active sunlight redirection system in areas with different climate: A comparison
Authors: Kontadakis Antonis , Doulos Lambros , Mantzourani Aikaterini , Tsangrassoulis Aris
Published: January 2020

The aim of this work is to assess the impacts, both in terms of daylight efficiency and energy impacts, of an advanced daylighting system that utilizes a heliostatic configuration for sunlight redirection in a deep South oriented office room in two (2) different climate conditions. Conventional daylighting systems such as windows, and clerestories placed on building facades, for a variety of reasons, have been proven ineffective in solving the problem of deep interior daylighting. This effect even with the use of modern daylighting techniques can effectively maintain the required illuminances. In such cases, systems that are designed to take advantage both the direct and diffuse natural light while maintaining and improving occupant visual comfort, particularly at greater distances from the external walls can provide higher work-plane illuminance levels deeper into the space. The results summarized here demonstrate that, if selected according to daylight climate and integrated appropriately with electric lighting controls, the system can enhance daylight in building interiors and thereby promote energy savings. It should be noted, however, that the performance of these systems is dependent on daylight availability. Nonetheless, the information presented in this paper demonstrates the potential benefits and shortcomings from the use of sunlighting technologies in different climate zones.
Solid particle erosion resistance and electromagnetic shielding performance of carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate composites
Authors: Fang Mei , Ma Yuji , Zhang Na , Huang Ming , Lu Bo , Tan Kunlun , Liu Chuntai , Shen Changyu
Published: January 2020

Thermoplastic polycarbonate (PC) has attracted tremendous attention due to its superior recyclability and environmental friendliness compared with thermosetting resins. In this work, thermoplastic polycarbonate was used as the matrix material and the solid particle erosion resistance of carbon fiber reinforced polycarbonate (CF/PC) composites, as well as the influence of solid particle erosion on the mechanical properties of composites were studied systematically. The results indicated that the maximum erosion angle for CF/PC is 30°, and samples are easier to be eroded when impacted in parallel direction to CF than the vertical. In addition, after 2 min solid particle erosion, the tensile strength and the maximum load decreased by 11.9% and 11.8% respectively, and flexural properties of all samples declined (flexural modulus by 49%, flexural strength and maximum load by 14.6%, flexural strain by 11.9%). Finally, an excellent EMI shielding effectiveness (SE) of around 40 dB over 12 GHz to 18 GHz was achieved for composites. Due to the destruction of CF/PC composite structure and the reduction of its thickness, its EMI shielding effectiveness was greatly decreased to 28 dB after sand erosion.
Monogamy of correlations and entropy inequalities in the Bloch picture
Authors: Appel Paul , Huber Marcus , Klöckl Claude
Published: January 2020

We investigate monogamy of correlations and entropy inequalities in the Bloch representation. Here, both can be understood as direct relations between different correlation tensor elements and thus appear intimately related. To that end we introduce the split Bloch basis, that is particularly useful for representing quantum states with low dimensional support and thus amenable to purification arguments. Furthermore, we find dimension dependent entropy inequalities for the Tsallis 2-entropy. In particular, we present an analogue of the strong subadditivity and a quadratic entropy inequality. These relations are shown to be stronger than subadditivity for finite dimensional cases.
Blood pressure in frail older adults: associations with cardiovascular outcomes and all-cause mortality
Authors: Masoli Jane A H , Delgado Joao , Pilling Luke , Strain David , Melzer David
Published: January 2020

Background

Blood pressure (BP) management in frail older people is challenging. An randomised controlled trial of largely non-frail older people found cardiovascular and mortality benefit with systolic (S) BP target <120 mmHg. However, all-cause mortality by attained BP in routine care in frail adults aged above 75 is unclear.

Objectives

To estimate observational associations between baseline BP and mortality/cardiovascular outcomes in a primary-care population aged above 75, stratified by frailty.

Methods

Prospective observational analysis using electronic health records (clinical practice research datalink, n = 415,980). We tested BP associations with cardiovascular events and mortality using competing and Cox proportional-hazards models respectively (follow-up ≤10 years), stratified by baseline electronic frailty index (eFI: fit (non-frail), mild, moderate, severe frailty), with sensitivity analyses on co-morbidity, cardiovascular risk and BP trajectory.

Results

Risks of cardiovascular outcomes increased with SBPs >150 mmHg. Associations with mortality varied between non-frail <85 and frail 75–84-year-olds and all above 85 years. SBPs above the 130–139-mmHg reference were associated with lower mortality risk, particularly in moderate to severe frailty or above 85 years (e.g. 75–84 years: 150–159 mmHg Hazard Ratio (HR) mortality compared to 130–139: non-frail HR = 0.94, 0.92–0.97; moderate/severe frailty HR = 0.84, 0.77–0.92). SBP <130 mmHg and Diastolic(D)BP <80 mmHg were consistently associated with excess mortality, independent of BP trajectory toward the end of life.

Conclusions

In representative primary-care patients aged ≥75, BP <130/80 was associated with excess mortality. Hypertension was not associated with increased mortality at ages above 85 or at ages 75–84 with moderate/severe frailty, perhaps due to complexities of co-existing morbidities. The priority given to aggressive BP reduction in frail older people requires further evaluation.
Effects of Evaluative Conditioning on Implicit Evaluation of Alcohol and Drinking Behaviors: A Direct Replication
Authors: Tello Nina , Jaafari Nematollah , Chatard Armand
Published: January 2020

Aims

Recent research suggests that evaluative conditioning (EC) can change implicit evaluations of alcohol and reduce drinking behaviors among college students (Houben et al., 2010a). This research has been conceptually replicated in two previous studies. To date, however, no direct and independent replication of the original study has been performed. In this paper, we report a high-powered direct replication of Houben et al.’s (2010a) study.

Method

About 168 French college students took part in this preregistered study. Drinking behavior was assessed before and 2 weeks after the intervention. The intervention consisted of 120 trials of words related to alcoholic beverages or soft drinks paired with neutral, positive or negative pictures. The two conditions were factually equivalent and differed only in the repeated pairing between alcohol-related words and negative pictures; in the EC condition, but not in the control condition, alcohol-related words were systematically paired with negative pictures.

Results

EC did not change participants’ implicit evaluations of alcohol and drinking behaviors. However, EC reduced drinking behaviors among hazardous drinkers. Yet, further non-preregistered Bayesian analysis did not provide much support for this hypothesis.

Conclusion

This high-powered preregistered direct replication of Houben et al.’s (2010a) study suggests that the original effects are more fragile than initially thought. The effect of EC on drinking behaviors may be restricted to heavy drinkers, and we found no evidence that this effect is mediated by a change in implicit attitudes. It is necessary to perform further studies to test the original effects in clinical populations.
Effects of Cocaine Exposure on Astrocytic Glutamate Transporters and Relapse-Like Ethanol-Drinking Behavior in Male Alcohol-Preferring Rats
Authors: Hammad Alaa M , Sari Youssef
Published: January 2020

Aim

Glutamate has been considered as neurotransmitter that is critical in triggering relapse to drugs of abuse, including ethanol and cocaine. Extracellular glutamate concentrations are tightly regulated by several mechanisms, including reuptake through glutamate transporters. Glutamate transporter type 1 (GLT-1) is responsible for clearing the majority of extracellular glutamate. The astrocytic cystine/glutamate antiporter (xCT) regulates also glutamate homeostasis. In this study, we investigated the effects of cocaine exposure and ampicillin/sulbactam (AMP/SUL), a β-lactam antibiotic known to upregulate GLT-1 and xCT, on relapse-like ethanol intake and the expression of astrocytic glutamate transporters in mesocorticolimbic brain regions.

Methods

Male alcohol-preferring (P) rats had free access to ethanol for 5 weeks. On Week 6, rats were exposed to either cocaine (20 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline for 12 consecutive days. Ethanol bottles were then removed for 7 days; during the last 5 days, either AMP/SUL (100 or 200 mg/kg, i.p.) or saline was administered to the P rats. Ethanol bottles were reintroduced, and ethanol intake was measured for 4 days.

Results

Cocaine exposure induced an alcohol deprivation effect (ADE), which was associated in part by a decrease in the expression of GLT-1 and xCT in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) core. AMP/SUL (100 mg/kg, i.p.) attenuated the ADE, while AMP/SUL (200 mg/kg, i.p.) reduced ethanol intake during 4 days of ethanol re-exposure and upregulated GLT-1 and xCT expression in the NAc core, NAc shell and dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC).

Conclusion

This study suggests that these astrocytic glutamate transporters might be considered as potential targets for the treatment of polysubstance abuse.
Pollen on stigmas as proxies of pollinator competition and facilitation: complexities, caveats and future directions
Authors: Ashman Tia-Lynn , Alonso Conchita , Parra-Tabla Victor , Arceo-Gómez Gerardo
Published: January 2020

Background

Pollen transfer via animals is necessary for reproduction by ~80 % of flowering plants, and most of these plants live in multispecies communities where they can share pollinators. While diffuse plant–pollinator interactions are increasingly recognized as the rule rather than the exception, their fitness consequences cannot be deduced from flower visitation alone, so other proxies, functionally closer to seed production and amenable for use in a broad variety of diverse communities, are necessary.

Scope

We conceptually summarize how the study of pollen on stigmas of spent flowers can reflect key drivers and functional aspects of the plant–pollinator interaction (e.g. competition, facilitation or commensalism). We critically evaluate how variable visitation rates and other factors (pollinator pool and floral avoidance) can give rise to different relationships between heterospecific pollen and (1) conspecific pollen on the stigma and (2) conspecific tubes/grain in the style, revealing the complexity of potential interpretations. We advise on best practices for using these proxies, noting the assumptions and caveats involved in their use, and explicate what additional data are required to verify interpretation of given patterns.

Conclusions

We conclude that characterizing pollen on stigmas of spent flowers provides an attainable indirect measure of pollination interactions, but given the complex processes of pollen transfer that generate patterns of conspecific–heterospecific pollen on stigmas these cannot alone determine whether competition or facilitation are the underlying drivers. Thus, functional tests are also needed to validate these hypotheses.
The Family Relationships of Older Australians at Risk of Homelessness
Authors: Petersen Maree , Parsell Cameron
Published: January 2020

This article explores the links between older people’s homelessness and family relationships and aims to inform social work practice frameworks. Whilst breakdown in family relationships is widely recognised as linked to being at risk of homelessness, there is less understanding of the interplay of family, both positive and negative, with older people’s homelessness. Drawing on a study incorporating data mining of service records, this article aims to provide clarity on supportive and troubled family relationships and their links to housing crises as experienced by older Australians. The findings highlight a number of domains for social work practice including undertaking skilled assessments to understand the strengths and constraints experienced by families. Assessments will then inform intervention to support and provide resources to some families to prevent their older family members’ homelessness and to intervene in both a preventative and empowering way to address elder abuse. The implications for policy, in particular, the need for sectors of housing, aged care and health to intersect, are discussed.
Concurrent Thalamostriatal and Corticostriatal Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity and Heterosynaptic Interactions Shape Striatal Plasticity Map
Authors: Mendes Alexandre , Vignoud Gaetan , Perez Sylvie , Perrin Elodie , Touboul Jonathan , Venance Laurent
Published: January 2020

The striatum integrates inputs from the cortex and thalamus, which display concomitant or sequential activity. The striatum assists in forming memory, with acquisition of the behavioral repertoire being associated with corticostriatal (CS) plasticity. The literature has mainly focused on that CS plasticity, and little remains known about thalamostriatal (TS) plasticity rules or CS and TS plasticity interactions. We undertook here the study of these plasticity rules. We found bidirectional Hebbian and anti-Hebbian spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP) at the thalamic and cortical inputs, respectively, which were driving concurrent changes at the striatal synapses. Moreover, TS- and CS-STDP induced heterosynaptic plasticity. We developed a calcium-based mathematical model of the coupled TS and CS plasticity, and simulations predict complex changes in the CS and TS plasticity maps depending on the precise cortex–thalamus–striatum engram. These predictions were experimentally validated using triplet-based STDP stimulations, which revealed the significant remodeling of the CS-STDP map upon TS activity, which is notably the induction of the LTD areas in the CS-STDP for specific timing regimes. TS-STDP exerts a greater influence on CS plasticity than CS-STDP on TS plasticity. These findings highlight the major impact of precise timing in cortical and thalamic activity for the memory engram of striatal synapses.
Age-Specific Incidence of Influenza A Responds to Change in Virus Subtype Dominance
Authors: Gagnon Alain , Acosta Enrique , Miller Matthew S
Published: January 2020

When H3N2 replaced H1N1 as the dominant influenza A subtype during the 2018–2019 season, the pattern of age-specific incidence shifted due to the lingering effects of antigenic imprinting. The characteristic shape that imprinting leaves on influenza susceptibility could foster important advances in understanding and predicting the epidemiology of influenza.
No automation please, we’re British: technology and the prospects for work
Authors: Spencer David , Slater Gary
Published: January 2020

This article assesses the impact and probably limits of automation. It looks, in particular, at the case of the UK economy. The prospects for automation are seen as necessarily uncertain and potentially regressive in their effects, with technology likely to sustain a large number of low-quality jobs. The deep-seated problems of the UK economy—low-investment, low-productivity and low-real wages—are seen as key impediments to forms of automation that work for all in society. It is argued that, without wider institutional reform, the UK will be unable to reap the full potential of automation.