Vote Value Research Articles

Comfort control and improved thermostat location in conference rooms and academic working spaces

The challenge of comfort control within commercial and academic spaces was explored in an attempt to determine what would be the optimum location and type of measurement over different occupancies and different seasons of the year. A computational fluid dynamic (CFD) simulation using Reynolds-averaged, RNG k – ε turbulence model was set up. It was verified by physical measurements of temperature and flow behavior within a commercial conference room containing a large external window and that was conditioned by an active chilled beam. Experimental measurements, supplemented by simulation, indicated a large, seasonal-varied deviation between the temperature measured by a wall-mounted thermostat and the average comfort conditions around occupants of the room. CFD results and post-processed predicted mean vote (PMV) values showed that having the thermostat located near the humans in the middle of the room (over a table in this case) improved the thermal comfort conditions compared to having it on a wall opposite the external window (PMV of 1.1 as compared to 1.8 for an Andover, MA summer scenario, respectively).The major causes of the deviations were the convective and infrared heat transfer from the window surface as well as the solar gains to the room interior. The wall thermostat errors could be moderated by including temperature measurements at the window surface as an additional input in the control algorithm. This conclusion was confirmed by experiments in a dormitory room and a large shared academic workspace.

Corporate vote trading in Australia

AbstractThis study finds that institutional investors in Australia recall loaned shares prior to shareholder meetings to exercise their voting rights as part of their effort to improve corporate governance. Recalls are increasingly common in larger firms, firms with more independent directors, and stocks with higher past returns in recent years. Recalls are associated with less support for resolutions at meetings, especially those related to the remuneration package in firms within the ASX100 and those with existing shareholder dissent. We deduce the value of votes (around 351 basis points (bps) per annum) from the incremental cost of borrowing shares with voting rights around shareholder meetings.

The Effect of Ceiling Heating and Mechanical Ventilation on Thermal Comfort

In the case of public buildings with ceiling heating and mechanical ventilation, radiant temperature asymmetry caused by the warm ceiling and draught occur simultaneously. The currently available literature does not offer an exhaustive description of the comfort conditions resulting from such a thermal environment. This research focuses on complementing the available knowledge, using instrumental measurements, as well as subject measurements carried out on 20 individuals. Relying on these measurements, the purpose of the research is to support the understanding of the combined mechanisms of action of the two local discomfort parameters. The main result of this research is that, if the predicted percentage dissatified is less than 6%, the radiant temperature asymmetry is in an interval of 5–15 °C, and the draught rate is 15% or 25%, the actual mean vote and the predicted mean vote values differ significantly, and the actual mean vote is always lower, with a few exceptions. In addition, the research highlights the changes of the actual mean vote caused by raising the draught rate from 15% to 25%, in the presence of radiant temperature asymmetry caused by warm ceilings.

A Scalable Implementation of Anonymous Voting over Ethereum Blockchain.

We considered scalable anonymous voting on the Ethereum blockchain. We identified three major bottlenecks in implementation: (1) division overflow in encryption of voting values for anonymity; (2) large time complexity in tallying, which limited scalability in the number of candidates and voters; and (3) tallying failure due to “no votes” from registered voters. Previous schemes failed at tallying if one (or more) registered voters did not send encrypted voting values. Algorithmic solutions and implementation details are provided. An experiment using Truffle and Remix running on a desktop PC was performed for evaluation. Our scheme shows great reduction in gas, which measures the computational burden of smart contracts to be executed on Ethereum. For instance, our scheme consumed 1/53 of the gas compared to a state-of-the-art solution for 60 voters. Time complexity analysis shows that our scheme is asymptotically superior to known solutions. In addition, we propose a solution to the tallying failure due to the “no vote” from registered voters.

Investigation of outdoor pedestrian shading preference under several thermal environment using remote sensing images

Following advancement in urbanization, outdoor thermal comfort is receiving increasing attention, with radiation being an influencing factor. To determine the shading preference, instead of a subjective questionnaire survey, an objective foot vote approach was proposed using remote sensing images. Subsequently, the meteorological data of cities were obtained from the Bureau of Meteorology. From the results, the foot vote was approximately consistent with the PMV, and pedestrians tended to move to the shaded area if it was hot and to the non-shaded area if it was cold. However, people do not move if the foot vote value ranges from 1 to 2, and the thermal acceptance range of PET is 19.2–29 °C in Beijing when using the definitions of foot vote. The outdoor thermal acceptance differs significantly with the types of outdoor sites and climates, and pedestrians in Beijing are significantly more sensitive than those in Wuhan if the outdoor thermal environment changes. Compared to transportation hubs and shopping malls, pedestrians in public buildings are less sensitive, whereas those in scenic spots are more sensitive. Results from this study will be beneficial to policymakers in urban designing to renovate and improve thermally comfortable urban environments at the pedestrian level.

Can drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) predict compliance with positive airway pressure therapy? A pilot study.

Drug-induced sleep endoscopy (DISE) has been poorly exploredas an examination to assess positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy in patients with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). The present study aimed to identify by DISE possible characteristics related to low compliance with PAP therapy due to respiratory complaints. Patients using PAP for OSA underwent DISE in two conditions: (1) baseline (without PAP) and (2) PAP (with the same mask and airway pressure used at home). We compared patients reporting low compliance to PAP due to respiratory complaints to those well-adapted to therapy. VOTE classification (assessment of velopharynx, oropharynx, tongue base, and epiglottis)and TOTAL VOTE score (the sum of VOTE scores at each anatomical site) were assessed. ROC curve analyzedthe accuracy of TOTAL VOTE to predict low compliance due to persistent pharyngeal obstruction in both conditions. Of 19 patients enrolled, all presented multilevel pharyngeal obstruction at baseline condition, with no difference between groups at this study point. When PAP was added, the median VOTE value was higher in the epiglottis (P value=0.02) and tended to be higher at the velum and tongue base in the poorly adapted group; TOTAL VOTE score was also significantly increased in patients withlow compliance (P value<0.001). ROC curve demonstrated that patients with TOTAL VOTE scored 2.5 or more during DISE with PAP presented a 4.6-fold higher risk for low compliance with PAP therapy due to pharyngeal obstruction (AUC: 0.88±0.07; P value<0.01; sensitivity: 77%; specificity: 83%). Adding PAP during aDISE examination mayhelp to predict persistent pharyngeal obstruction during PAP therapy.

The distorted power of medical surgical masks for changing the human thermal psychology of indoor personnel in summer.

The medical surgical mask (MSM) has been the essential protective equipment in people's daily work. The experimental purpose is to explore the effects of wearing MSM on human thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and breathing comfort in office buildings in summer. A total of 30 healthy college students were recruited for the testing. The experiment was carried out in a climate chamber, which can simulate the office buildings in summer. The experiment collects the subjects’ skin temperature, microclimate in the mask, and subjective votes, including thermal sensory votes (TSV), thermal comfort votes (TCV), and respiratory comfort votes (BCV). Experimental results show that wearing MSM has no significant effect on the skin temperature of the human body. The microclimate temperature inside the MSM reaches over 34℃, and the relative humidity reaches over 70%. The high‐temperature and high‐humidity microclimate put human beings in an uneven thermal environment, which leads to poor human tolerance to the thermal environment and becomes the main reason for destroying human thermal comfort. Wearing MSM has a significant impact on the subjective thermal sensation, thermal comfort, and breathing comfort of the human body, and the impact becomes more significant as the environmental temperature increases. Once the mask is taken off, the human body will enter an extremely comfortable environment, resulting in an excessively high vote value. The difference in voting values before and after removing the mask becomes larger with the environmental temperature. By fitting the voting results and perform data processing, it can be found that wearing MSM will reduce the neutral temperature by 1.5°C, and the environmental temperature with the optimal thermal comfort by 1.4°C, and as the temperature increases, the respiratory discomfort will become more and more intense. Regardless of whether wearing a MSM, the subjects preferred a slight warmer environment. In conclusion, with the increase of ambient temperature, wearing MSM can cause the human worse tolerance to the thermal environment, and this disturbance will become more and more intense.

Correlation between the visual evoked potential and subjective perception at different illumination levels based on entropy analysis

The indoor light environment significantly affects the subjective feeling and work experience of personnel. The subjective feeling and pattern reversal visual evoked potential (PRVEP) of indoor personnel under different illuminance levels were tested in the field, and the correlation between the subjective feeling and objective physiological parameters was explored using fuzzy entropy analysis. The fuzzy entropy of the PRVEP and subjective voting values (stimulation and eye fatigue) under different illuminance levels first decreased and then increased with an increase in illumination. The fuzzy entropy of the PRVEP and subjective voting values were lowest at 700 lx, and the human visual nervous system was the least stimulated, with good visual comfort. There was a strong correlation between the fuzzy entropy of PRVEP and subjective voting. The communication between the environment and human body, subjective feeling, and objective response was determined by solving the mathematical relationship between the fuzzy entropy of PRVEP and subjective voting. A method of evaluating the subjective psychological changes in the human body using objective physiological parameters was obtained, and combined with subjective and objective indicators, a recommended illumination comfort zone was proposed.

Energy and exergy analyze of different air distributions in a residential building

To improve the living and sleeping quality for human beings, air conditioning is widely applied to maintain a comfortable indoor environment in bedrooms. However, most current air conditioning methods in bedrooms are based on mixing ventilation, which is low efficiency due to the uniform environment created by this ventilation method. In this study, stratum ventilation is introduced applied in a sleeping environment to improve ventilation performance. To better analyze the application potential of stratum ventilation, three ventilation methods are compared, including mixing ventilation, displacement ventilation and stratum ventilation. Based on computational fluid dynamics technology, the energy and exergy efficiency of the three air distribution methods are conducted and compared. The results show that stratum ventilation provides a nonuniform environment both in the vertical and horizontal directions in a typical sleeping environment with a higher energy and exergy efficiency than the mixing ventilation and displacement ventilation. When the predicted mean vote value in the occupied zone equals zero, energy consumption and exergy loss of stratum ventilation reduce 10% and 15.6% in comparison with mixing ventilation respectively. The energy consumption difference of stratum ventilation and displacement ventilation is not significant, but the exergy loss reduces 6.2%, with the predicted mean vote equals zero in the occupied zone. In addition, the energy utilization coefficients of stratum ventilation, displacement ventilation and mixing ventilation are 1.3, 1.03 and 0.89 respectively. The results show that stratum ventilation has a high potential for energy-saving in a sleeping environment.

Optimization of energy consumption and thermal comfort for intelligent building management system using genetic algorithm

This paper presents a design, simulation and performance evaluation of an optimized model for the Heating, Ventilation and Air-Conditioning (HVAC) systems using intelligent control algorithm. Fanger’s comfort method and genetic algorithms were used to obtain the optimal and initial values. The heat transmission coefficient between internal and external environments were determined depending on several inputs and factors acquired via supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) system sensors. The main feature of the real-time model is the prediction of the internal buildings environment, in order to control HVAC system for indoor environment and to utilize the optimum power consumed depending on optimized air temperature value. The predicted air temperature value and Predictive Mean Vote (PMV) value was applied using intelligent algorithm to obtain an optimal comfort level of the air temperature. The optimized air temperature value can be used in HVAC system controller to ensure that the temperature of indoor can reach a specific value after a known period of time. The use of genetic algorithm (GE) ensures that the used power is well below its peak value and maintains the comfort of the user’s environment.

Globalization and intention to vote: the interactive role of personal welfare and societal context

Recent electoral successes for candidates with anti-globalization platforms highlight the need to understand globalization’s effects on voting behavior. To understand how globalization affects whether people vote, we posit that it is necessary to consider both globalization’s distributional effects on individuals and individuals’ beliefs about the general view of globalization among their fellow citizens. Drawing on research about the intrinsic value of voting, we argue that the losers of globalization are less likely to vote relative to the winners. However, losers who believe that others also think globalization is a negative force exhibit a higher likelihood of voting. Winners are also more likely to vote when they perceive their compatriots share their positive view of globalization. Both winners and losers who believe that they hold a view inconsistent with the broader public are less likely to vote. We test our hypotheses using an original survey of Americans. In support of our hypotheses, respondent beliefs about majority opinion (or, as a robustness check, the sociotropic effects of trade) significantly reduce the gap between winners and losers in intention to vote. Our results are replicated using a 2016 Pew survey.

Rancang Bangun Real Count E-voting Menggunakan Mikrokontroler

The purpose of this research is to implement an embeded system in a form of a device that can provide e-voting services and a realcount process that can quickly accumulate votes. With this device, it is expected to be a solution to conventional elections that are still prone to fraud, wasteful costs, and inefficient.&#x0D; This device applies NFC technology. Voter’s idcard is used as an identifier, the UID of voter’s idcard is read by the NFC reader and the verification process is running. Voters are entitled to vote if the voters' idcard number is verified and registered in the database. Here the voter will be allowed to proceed for choosing their preferred candidate from the pushbuttons. This device is expected to be saved huge cost by using pushbuttons instead of ballot papers.&#x0D; This device uses the SIM808 module as a data communication medium to send http packages containing uid and vote values to the webserver, to be further matched in a table in the database. When voters vote, the uid of the voter is stored in the results table in the following database with the value of the vote, and if an idcard with the same uid votes again, then the latest vote values will not be store. This method prevents duplication which often happens in conventional voting system. After whole voting ends, the final result is displayed on a web page in a graphical view for the satisfaction of voters. Voting and counting has become much faster and easier as the system doesn't really require counting personnel, therefore there has been a substantial reduction in the number of remuneration that is paid to them. This result menu can only be accessed after the specified time.

A simulation study of radiant chilled ceiling with dedicated outdoor air system for office buildings in Thailand

Radiant chilled ceiling (RCC) integrated with dedicated outdoor air system (DOAS) has been considered as a system offering building occupants a good thermal comfort with energy efficiency. This paper compares three different configurations of RCC and DOAS system in terms of cooling load, room condition and energy consumption. The results from TRNSYS simulation presented that all the configurations could maintain the indoor condition with the Predictive Mean Vote (PMV) value ±0.5 over the office hours 6:00-18:00. The mean radiant temperature of the room was found below the room air temperature which resulted from the low RCC surface temperature of around 19°C. No condensation occurred on the panel during the system operation. The study showed that the RCC with DOAS comprising of cooling coil (CC), round around coil (RC) and enthalpy wheel (EW) is the most energy saving configuration.

Efficient PMV computation for public environments with transient populations

Thermal Comfort (TC) is an important environmental parameter strongly affecting human well-being. Nevertheless, it is not being routinely monitored in public environments (e.g., hospitals and shopping malls) characterized by high occupancy and transient populations. Furthermore, the unique computational demands of TC models for such environments are less studied. We establish large datasets representing such settings and corresponding Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) values as calculated by ISO7730 (Fanger’s model). We then demonstrate that PMV values can be reasonably estimated using linear regressions if the full PMV range is piecewise segmented. Support Vector Machine (SVM) regression provides certain accuracy improvement over linear that becomes marginal for sufficiently small segments. However, while SVM computation becomes orders of magnitude slower than ISO7730 algorithm for large datasets, linear computation becomes exponentially faster. Furthermore, the latter does not require unique expertise in mathematics/TC and constitutes an excellent first-step checkpoint to more accurate algorithms adapting the environment to transient populations. Spatial/temporal flexible segment resolution adds compliance with dynamic demands. To conclude, PMV piecewise linear regression can greatly expedite implementing TC and thus conserving energy in public environments, particularly those exposed to extreme climates. To this end, future TC models must consider computation efficiency besides accuracy.

Mobilizing opposition voters under electoral authoritarianism: A field experiment in Russia

Under electoral authoritarianism opposition supporters often abstain from voting because they think that their votes will not make a difference. Opposition parties try to counteract this apathy by informational campaigns that stress how voting can impact the outcome of the election and policy. Evidence from established democracies suggests that such campaigns are generally ineffective, but it remains an open question whether the same holds in elections under authoritarianism where information is scarce. We follow a large-scale campaign experiment by an opposition candidate in Russia’s 2016 parliamentary election, which distributed 240,000 fliers to 75% of the district’s households. Relative to a control flier, priming voters about the closeness of the election or the link between voting and policy outcomes had no practically meaningful impact on turnout or votes. Contrary to some existing theories and the stated expectations of politicians, information about the value of voting appears as ineffective in uncompetitive electoral autocracies as it is in democracies.

The virtual in-situ calibration of various physical sensors in air handling units

Systematic and random errors for working sensors in building systems can seriously affect the operation performance and have a significant negative impact on energy efficiency and indoor comfort. However, the traditional method for sensor calibration is very time-consuming and labor-intensive. Therefore, a virtual in-situ calibration (VIC) method was proposed based on Bayesian inference that can simultaneously correct systematic errors for multiple working and greatly reduce random errors. Using an actual system with reheating of the primary return air, we introduced the principle of the VIC method and its application. The robustness and applicability of the method were verified under six normal and four extreme operating conditions. The effects of sensor system errors on the energy consumption of the building system and on indoor thermal comfort were also studied. The results showed that under various working conditions, systematic and random errors for all the working sensors in the system were accurately identified. On average, the systematic and random error after calibration were reduced by approximately 95% and 60%, respectively. Compared to operating conditions with systematic errors, the average energy consumption after VIC was reduced by more than 50%, and predicted mean vote values after calibration were within the comfort zone.

A Novel Methodology for Evaluating the Impact of Energy Efficiency Measures on the Cabin Thermal Comfort of Electric Vehicles

Climate control systems have a largely negative effect on the energy consumption of electric vehicles and consequently on their real driving range. Improving the efficiency of climate control systems requires advanced simulation tools for an accurate evaluation of both the energy savings and thermal comfort of innovative heating and cooling solutions. In this study, the advancements beyond the state of the art consists primarily of the methodology tackling the reduction of computational costs of intensive computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations and/or time-consuming experimental investigations and the simultaneous assessment of vehicle cabin thermal comfort and energy flows. The approach was validated against climatized chassis dyno measurements from the EU Horizon 2020 research project QUIET. Indeed, all the considered locations within the cabin were properly validated, both in steady state and transient conditions with the largest deviations at steady state below 3 °C. Additionally, the validation results show a perfect agreement for the average cabin predicted mean vote (PMV) value and a largest deviation in terms of the PMV for the other locations below 0.3. Furthermore, the applicability of the methodology is proved with the help of its application on a parametric study for which various cabin temperature setpoints and heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) modes were simulated in winter operation.

Legitimacy Matters: The Case for Public Financing in Prosecutor Elections

Since 2015, there has been much excitement and debate over a new wave of elected prosecutors known as prosecutors. Counties that include major cities like Chicago, Dallas, Boston, and Philadelphia now have top local prosecutors who have promised to help end mass incarceration. The elephant in the room when it comes to these progressive prosecutors is that a huge portion of them were elected with the help of George Soros-affiliated Super PACs that have contributed millions to local races in the form of independent expenditures. While much of their work is to be commended, it is crucial that criminal justice reformers take stock of the degree of influence has in these elections. This Article contributes the first-ever empirical studies on the Soros effect in these races, examining the percentage of progressive prosecutor candidate funding that comes from Soros-affiliated PACs and the Cost Per Vote value of the Soros-financed independent expenditures for these candidates. Findings include that the existence of Soros-affiliated PAC money in a race and its Cost Per Vote can usually lead to successful predictions for the success of progressive prosecutor candidates. In addition, the higher the Cost Per Vote value that benefited an individual candidate is, the more radical that candidate's policy agenda will likely be, as well as any ensuing political backlash. This authenticates the popular narrative that is buying locally elected prosecutor seats, which has done great harm to progressive elected prosecutors once in office. The Article suggests that one solution is small-donor public financing, which would encourage robust competition in these elections without sacrificing criminal justice legitimacy.

The impact of outdoor shading strategies on student thermal comfort in open spaces between education building

The aim of this study is to evaluate and improve student thermal sensation in the open spaces of the Faculty of Engineering, Assiut University, Egypt using different shading strategies. Firstly, the thermal conditions of outdoor spaces were evaluated based on field measurements in different locations of shaded outdoor spaces between educational buildings within the Faculty of Engineering. Then, the microclimate model ENVI-met was applied to evaluate the impact of different shading scenarios on improving student thermal comfort. Also, the Thermal Sensation Vote (TSV) of the was studied by a questionnaire survey using the 118 effective questionnaire responses of the student sitting in the spaces between buildings. Hence, the results concluded that high air temperature is found in most outdoor open spaces, especially in the sitting area with low trees density and high Sky View Factor (SVF). Similar results were obtained by the TSV analysis. In addition, a significant reduction in the Predicted Mean Vote (PMV) values resulted from the ENVI-met simulation model with an average temperature difference of 0.7 °C due to increasing tree density for the main open space. Thus, it is recommended to increase greenery and tree density, to reduce heat stress and create student thermal comfort in outdoor.

The outdoor thermal comfort of urban square: A field study in a cold season in Chongqing

With the development of urban development and various outdoor activities, the outdoor activities time of residents continue to grow, and the good outdoor environment have an important impact on the physical and mental health of residents. For the winter outdoor thermal comfort problem with less attention, taking the Chongqing Three Gorges Square in the hot summer and cold winter area as an example, a winter thermal environment measurement and thermal comfort questionnaire were conducted. The Rayman software is used to calculate the PET (physiological equivalent temperature) value as thermal comfort evaluation parameters, establish a functional relationship between TCV (thermal comfort voting value), TSV (thermal sensation voting value) and PET. The winter thermal comfort range of different outdoor environmental spaces were obtained, and propose a suitable winter thermal comfort evaluation model for hot summer and cold winter area. The research results can provide basic data reference for the improvement of outdoor thermal comfort research in hot summer and cold winter areas.