Solar Chimneys as an Effective Ventilation Strategy in Multi-Storey Public Housing in the Post-COVID-19 Era

This paper studies the effectiveness of a solar chimney for improving ventilation and air-exchange rates in multi-storey public housing in tropical climates for the potential mitigation of airborne disease transmission. Virtual models of a typical apartment room with natural cross-ventilation, replicated across four levels to mimic a multi-storey block, were set up with six internal wind velocity sensor points per floor. The simulation software Energy2D was then used to evaluate the performance of the models, first testing the presence of a solar chimney, and then additionally the degree to which the solar chimney model was affected by a complementary ceiling fan. Wind velocity was also measured, as this is a variable that affects ACH rates. Using a non-parametric Wilcoxon signed-rank test, the introduction of a solar chimney was found to have a significant impact on air-flow rates (a variable that positively affects air-exchange rates), resulting in a p-value of 0.000 and Z-value of -3.920. Regression analysis determined that the solar chimney's effect was enhanced when complemented by a ceiling fan (R-squared value of 0.4687). Consequently, we propose several design strategies that may enable the adoption of the solar chimney concept to improve natural ventilation in residential units.

Bioethical concerns in the "one health" management of neglected tropical zoonoses

Neglected tropical zoonoses represent an emerging threat looming in the shadow of the current health climate. Public health interventions for NTZs require a One Health - multisectoral, tripartite approach that identifies and integrates bioethical concerns in accordance with prima facies and public health intervention principles. Tropical zoonoses are diseases of neglect and poverty that often lead to a vicious spiral of ostracization, mental and physical suffering that damages the ability of individuals affected to lead a dignified, independent life. NTZ control must include proper risk assessment strategies, inclusive stakeholder involvement, integrative communication and comprehensive intervention personnel training that take into account and address bioethical concerns.

Adjustable Internal Shading for Home Office Daylighting in Tropical Climates

Home-based workspaces have considerably increased all over the world. Besides, the recent outbreak of the COVID-19 disease forced many people to work from their homes. However, existing residential apartment buildings (ERABs) had been designed for accommodation but not for office works. Low-quality visual environments in ERABs, which have no shading controls on their windows, are evident in tropical climates with extremely high solar radiation. Thus, interior retrofit is significant to provide visual comfort for users in ERABs with low flexibility for modification of their facades. Different interior design variables were simulated by the Radiance-based program to analyse daylighting in a closed-plan room. Before the simulation experiments, field measurement of daylight was performed under a tropical sky to validate the results, and the findings revealed significant Pearson correlations. This paper showed that ERABs are confronting extremely high indoor daylight quantity, up to 10,228 lx, and low quality with intolerable glare. An adjustable model of internal shading, including an integrated Venetian blind with a horizontal light shelf and the window films, was proposed to improve quantitative and qualitative performances of daylighting in tropical regions. This dynamic model could be adjusted to various positions based on daylighting conditions in the buildings. By comparing the simulation results of this model with the base model, indoor illuminance levels could successfully reduce from 32% to 86%;Illuminance Uniformity Ratio (IUR) and Target Daylight Illuminance (TDI) significantly improved up to 180% and 300%, respectively;Daylight Glare Probability (DGP) and CIE Glare Index (CGI) changed from intolerable to imperceptible status. Accordingly, the proposed model can considerably improve daylight quantity and quality in the test room during different times. This study concludes that the dynamic model of internal shadings could provide efficient daylighting, by decreasing the extremely high indoor illuminance and glare in the ERABs in tropical climates. © 2021 WITPress. All rights reserved.

Impact of internal shading controls on efficient daylighting in home-office workspaces in tropical climates

Home office workspaces have significantly grown in residential sectors throughout the world. Nowadays, many people worldwide are forced to work from their housing units due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the existing residential buildings were only designed for living activities, not for desk-related tasks. This is more critical in tropical regions with the overabundance of indoor daylight and lack of external shadings on existing buildings. Despite the limitations for modifying the external facades, interior retrofit plays a major role in improving visual environments. Daylighting performances of various configurations, including internal shading devices, interior surfaces, and window films, were experimented with the Radiance-IES program. A field measurement of daylight was conducted in a home office room under the Malaysian tropical sky to validate the simulated results. This research proved that the existing residential buildings in the tropical climates had poor daylighting performance where the mean indoor illuminance could be over 10,000 lx. The combination of a light shelf, a partial blind, and the tinted window film could effectively 85% alleviate the excessive indoor daylight level. This configuration recorded a significant improvement in Useful Daylight Zone (around 300%), and Daylight Glare Probability was considerably reduced from 0.46 to 0.34. © 2021 Penerbit UTM Press. All rights reserved.

Environmental neurology in the tropics.

We address the impact of the tropical environment on the human nervous system using the multifaceted approach characteristic of environmental neurology. First, environmental factors are examined according to their nature (physical, chemical and biological) and in relation to human activity and behavior. Some factors are specific to the tropics (climate and infections), while others are non-specific (chemicals, human communities and their way of life). Second, we examine the major role of human adaptation to the success of Homo sapiens, with emphasis on the linkage between thermoregulation and sleep-wake regulation. Third, we examine the performance of environmental neurology as a clinical discipline in tropical climates, with focus on the diagnostic and therapeutic challenges posed by human African trypanosomiasis. Finally, the prevention, early detection and monitoring of environmental neurological diseases is examined, as well as links with political and economic factors. In conclusion, practitioners of environmental neurology seek a global, multidisciplinary and holistic approach to understanding, preventing and treating neurological disorders within their purview. Environmental neurology integrates an expanded One Health concept by linking health and wellness to the interaction of plants, animals, humans and the ecosystem. Recent epidemics and the current COVID-19 pandemic exemplify the need for worldwide action to protect human health and biodiversity.