Open Window Research Articles

Machine learning-based approach to predict thermal comfort in mixed-mode buildings: Incorporating adaptive behaviors

Mixed-mode (MM) buildings are designed to provide mechanical air conditioning and natural passive cooling as regulated by occupants. This would enable the potential of shifting the narrow comfort range in HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) buildings to a wider range similar to NV (naturally ventilated) buildings. Recent studies have provided evidence of higher degrees of thermal adaptation among occupants in MM buildings. However, limited attention has been given to understanding the linkages between these expanded ranges and the specific adaptive behaviors or contextual factors that influence them. This paper aims to investigate the influence of occupants’ adaptive behaviors on thermal comfort in MM buildings. A one-year field study in two MM office buildings with 5096 valid questionnaires was conducted in Chongqing, China, under hot summer and cold winter climatic characteristics by developing machine learning algorithms compared with classic thermal comfort models. Results show that incorporating adaptive behaviors as input variables enhances the performance of machine learning algorithms, leading to improved overall model performance, while the classic thermal comfort index PMV (predictive mean vote) presents the limited accuracy but the best recall in most cases. This paper also demonstrates that some energy-inefficient thermal adaptations were found in MM buildings during the HVAC mode, such as using air conditioning in mild spring and autumn, and frequent window openings during cooling periods of summer. It is therefore valuable for future research to further focus on how MM buildings both incorporate positive features and reduce negative features during the HVAC and NV modes.

Multi-Objective Optimization of Building Energy Saving Based on the Randomness of Energy-Related Occupant Behavior

Given the escalating global energy demand driven by building energy consumption, this study is dedicated to meticulously investigating efficient energy-saving strategies in buildings, with a keen focus on the impact of occupant behavior’s randomness on energy efficiency and multi-objective optimization. The methodology encompassed a thorough analysis of various energy consumption factors, including building envelope and architectural form. We employed Latin Hypercube Sampling for in-depth sampling studies across each factor’s reasonable range. Utilizing Sobol sensitivity analysis, we pinpointed variables of high sensitivity and embarked on multi-objective optimization targeting two primary indicators: energy consumption and thermal comfort. Leveraging the NSGA-II algorithm, we adeptly identified optimal solutions, culminating in the proposition of building energy-saving strategies anchored on the Pareto frontier. Through stochastic modeling simulations of occupant behavior in window opening and air conditioning usage, a comparison was made with models that do not consider occupant behavior. It was found that incorporating occupant behavior into energy-saving designs can reduce energy consumption by up to 20.20%, while ensuring thermal comfort. This approach can achieve improved energy efficiency and indoor comfort.

"Open-window" craniectomy for the removal of frontal sinus mucosa to prevent a delayed mucocele: illustrative case.

Frontal craniotomies for a medial subfrontal approach necessitate crossing the frontal sinus. Large superior extensions of the frontal sinus into frontal bone can result in mucosal retention in a free craniotomy bone flap, leading to a delayed mucocele with significant associated morbidity. The authors describe an "open-window" craniectomy technique that permits mucosal removal under direct vision and maintains the inner table on the bone flap's inferior side, helping to seal off the sinus opening with a pericranial flap. An illustrative case involving a medial right frontal craniotomy for a third ventricle mass in a patient with a large superior extension of the frontal sinus into frontal bone is presented. After creating a free frontal bone flap, the inner table was drilled out to the margins of the frontal sinus cavity and any remaining mucosa was cleared. A portion of the inner table above the bone flap's inferior margin was left in place, resembling an open window when viewed from the inner table side. The remaining anterior and posterior wall of the flap inferiorly provided a matched surface for the opening into the remaining frontal sinus, which was covered by pericranium. Long-term follow-up indicated no major complications or delayed mucocele. The open-window craniectomy technique can be considered for frontal sinus violations in patients with large superior frontal bone extension.

Costal cartilage as a promising technique for large bronchial fistula closure in fistulous empyema: a case report

BackgroundThere is no high level of evidence for the treatment of fistulous empyema. We report here a promising technique for closure of a bronchopleural fistula using costal cartilage as a bronchial embolus.Case presentationThe patient is a 79-year-old man. A computed tomography scan diagnosed a fistulous empyema associated with perforation of lung abscess of right middle lobe. After thoracoscopic curettage of the right empyema cavity, right middle lung resection and intercostal muscle flap coverage over the bronchial stump were performed. Seven months after the surgery, a bronchopleural fistula developed. Bronchoscopy revealed fistulas in the middle lobe bronchus and B3b. After the open window thoracostomy, the empyema cavity was cleaned up. The empyema cavity remained from the anterior to the lateral thoracic region of the second to fourth ribs. A part of the second through fourth ribs that formed the ceiling of the pleural empyema cavity was removed to create space for skin and thickened parietal pleura to fill the cavity. The costal cartilage obtained from the rib resection was trimmed and harvested to fit into the diameter of the bronchopleural fistula. The free costal cartilage was sutured and fixed with five stitches with 3-0 PDS. The visceral pleura was covered with the thickened parietal pleura and skin and fixed airtight. To maintain a tight seal, a Blake® silicone drain was inserted between the visceral pleura and the thickened parietal pleura, and a suction reservoir was utilized to sustain negative pressure. The drain was removed on the 21st day. As of 21 months postoperatively, the skin and thickened parietal pleura flap has maintained its integrity, and there has been no evidence of pus or recurrence of air leaks.ConclusionIn the case of a fistulous empyema extending anteriorly, costal cartilage can be easily harvested, making it a promising option as a lid for fistula closure.

DETERMINATION OF THE AMOUNT OF LOAD ON PROTECTIVE STRUCTURES OF CIVIL DEFENSE AGAINST THE INFLUENCE OF A SHOCK WAVE ACCORDING TO DBN V.2.2-5:2023

The main types of explosions and their differences between each other are considered, as well as the difference in excess pressure in the air shock wave is shown. The definition of the calculated load on various load-bearing elements depending on the type of building, its location and structural inhomogeneities of building structures according to DBN B.2.2-5:20023 [1] is given. One of the extreme effects, the danger of which must be taken into account when designing protective structures of civil protection, is an external explosion, which can be caused by both man-made and military factors. The explosion generates a whole complex of loads and impacts. The pressure at the front of the air shock wave, as well as the duration of the compression and rarefaction phases, depend on the amount of explosives and the distance to the center of the explosion or cloud boundary. In general, a detonation explosion is characterized by the possibility of significant pressure on the front of the air shock wave and the short duration of the action (tenths and even hundredths of a second). The air shock wave, when interacting with the structure, affects its above-ground and underground parts. This process is complex: at the beginning of the interaction process, the air shock wave affects the external structures of the above-ground part of the building and the surface of the soil in front of the building, causing a compression wave in it, which, in turn, affects the front outer face of the underground part. Further, the air shock wave, passing through the structural inhomogeneities of building structures in the form of window and door openings, affects the internal load-bearing and non-load-bearing structures of the building, as well as the covering of the underground part. At the same time, compression waves in the soil affect the side and rear walls of the underground part.

Investigating the damage to masonry buildings during shield tunneling: A case study in Hohhot Metro

After prolonged service, masonry buildings constructed in the 1970s and 1980s often experienced significant deterioration in strength and stiffness. Excessive ground deformation caused by shield tunneling frequently leads to cracking in adjacent masonry buildings. Most studies have focused on the settlement and tilting caused by shield tunneling on masonry structures, failing to reflect the specific damages caused by shield tunneling. This paper employs a jointed masonry model in numerical simulations to simulate masonry buildings, considering the actual measurement data from the Hohhot Metro Line 1 project. It discusses a thorough investigation into the potential damages and cracking on masonry buildings that may occur during shield tunneling in masonry structures. It provides a detailed study of the specific forms of cracking in masonry buildings. Then, a comprehensive and in-depth analysis is conducted on the impact of bricklaying methods, mortar adhesive strength, and synchronous grouting pressure on buildings in the context of shield tunneling through structures. The results show that using the jointed masonry model can effectively reflect the cracking and damage situation of masonry structures during shield tunneling construction, providing valuable guidance for actual shield tunneling operations. The area of cracking damage caused by shield tunneling construction gradually increases from the top to the bottom of the building. It is concentrated above the doors and windows of the structure. Potential cracks around door and window openings extend from the upper-middle part of the openings towards both sides, forming a regular figure-eight distribution. With changes in the masonry construction method, grouting pressure, and mortar bond strength, the settlement and damage levels of the building also undergo alterations. Specifically, as the mortar bond strength increases from 30 kPa to 50 kPa, the maximum tensile strain of the masonry construction decreases to 0.11 %. Simultaneously, when the construction method of the building bricks transitions from A to B, the damage at the door and window openings on the west wall of the building gradually intensifies, resulting in a rise in the maximum tensile strain to 0.109 %. Furthermore, as the grouting pressure increases from 50 kPa to 300 kPa, the maximum settlement of the building walls decreases by 51 %, and the maximum tilt reduces by 48 %. However, this study did not account for the lintels and sills in the masonry building, which may lead to an overestimation of simulated strain data.

Testing of Indoor Obstacle-Detection Prototypes Designed for Visually Impaired Persons

Outdoor solutions aiding the navigation of visually impaired individuals can seamlessly transition to indoor environments. Take, for instance, the adaptation of special lanes and configurations on the floor. However, these existing solutions fall short when it comes to addressing obstacles above ground level, such as open windows, as highlighted in a previous article on the use of ultrasonic glove for visually impaired users. In response, the present proposal is a user-friendly, cost-effective solution that is capable of detecting elevated obstacles. Importantly, this solution aligns with a user’s language preferences, eliminating the need for learning new languages or possessing IT skills. Users simply specify their desired language for the prototype to communicate in, ensuring a personalized experience. The system alerts users to the presence of obstacles through varying levels of warning, calculated based on the distance between the obstacle and the user’s current position. This approach not only enhances safety but also prioritizes accessibility and ease of use.

Unearthing organic ideology in population health interventions: the case of water fluoridation provision in the Health and Care Act 2022

Departing from Keith Syrett’s article in this issue, this commentary critically considers the place of organic ideology in population health interventions, using water fluoridation provisions contained in the Health and Care Act 2022 as an example. It demonstrates that liberal capitalist and neoliberal capitalist conceptions of the state as protector ground these provisions and, in so doing, it shows that population health interventions must be grounded in resonant politico-philosophical ideas prior to considerations around the opening of a policy window. This comment concludes by noting the need for further work to grasp the positive and negative role of appealing to organic ideology in public health law, regulation and policy.

Window opening area for thermal comfort performance in the wet tropical region of Cameroon

The present study investigates how building design, particularly window opening design, can be used to better improve the thermal comfort of occupants of a building found in the wet tropical region of Cameroon. Window opening area positioning was done and the criteria for their operation were established. Simulation techniques using the energyplus calculation engine were employed. For each wall, the window opening area varied from 0 to 15.87 m2; in steps of 0.75 m2, and information linked to thermal comfort was collected. The calculation engine was validated with Coefficient of Variation of the Root Mean Square Error of 11%, a Normalised Mean Bias Error of 2% and a Mean Absolute Percentage Error of 9.2%. Simulated values were, however, under-predicted by the software. The final results indicate that thermal comfort can be improved in buildings within the wet tropical region of Cameroon by increasing the window opening area to capture solar energy when the thermal sensation of occupants is ‘cool’ inside the building. Window opening area should, therefore, be situated on the east, west and south-facing walls of the building to capture the sun’s rays when the building occupants feel cold.

Assessing the impact of air purifier and scheduled natural ventilation on pollution-ventilation nexus in a near highway infant school

The combined application of technological intervention and natural ventilation were studied by using air purifier and window opening to investigate their effect on classroom air quality (CAQ) in two classrooms of an infant school. One classroom was located adjacent to the highway (classroom A) and occupied by younger students, and the other was away from the highway and occupied by older students (classroom B). Four ventilation scenarios along with the use of HEPA air purifier were studied; (1) partial ventilation (single window open); (2) continuous ventilation (all windows open); (3) no ventilation (all windows closed) and air purifier in operation and (4) scheduled ventilation (windows opened during non-occupancy period) and using air purifier during occupancy period. Partial ventilation has up to 27%, 18% and 9% improvement in PM10, PM2.5 and CO2 concentration respectively in classroom B, with no improvement in classroom A. Continuous ventilation resulted in 15%, 6% and 21% reduction in PM10, PM2.5 and CO2 concentration, respectively, in classroom A and no improvement in classroom B. Using air purifier with windows closed has no effect on CAQ in classroom A and 18%, 17% reduction in PM10 and PM2.5 concentration, respectively, in classroom B. Scheduled ventilation using air purifier resulted in reduction of up to 36%, 14% and 28% in PM10, PM2.5 and CO2 concentration, respectively, depending upon the classroom. No change found in PM1 concentration in both the classrooms under all ventilation scenarios. The CAQ and the effectiveness of the interventions depend on children’s activities, classroom layout and teachers’ ventilation behaviour which is affected by classroom’s proximity to highway. The CAQ and thermal comfort can be improved significantly in a more cost-efficient way by strategizing the application of technological and natural interventions in a naturally ventilated classroom.

Indoor comfort management and energy consumption in Arctic buildings: Occupant perceptions in an indigenous community of Canada

Arctic and subarctic communities currently face major and unique energy and housing challenges. However, the perceptions, needs, and adaptive strategies of occupants related to energy consumption and comfort in their dwellings are not well known. In this study, 16 semi-structured interviews were conducted in the Inuit community of Quaqtaq (Nunavik, Quebec, Canada) to investigate occupants’ experiences, observations, and perceptions on these topics. The topics covered comfort, window opening, use of curtains, and usage of thermostats, water, and lighting. Furthermore, awareness of energy consumption and renewable technologies was investigated, and occupants shared their vision of the ideal home. It was found that windows and thermostats are often used simultaneously to regulate temperature and that non-uniform temperature distribution and cold floors were often noted by occupants. Due to the limited amount of water available, coordination with neighbors was needed for activities requiring water. Awareness and interest in energy savings and renewable energy varied significantly among participants. Participants mentioned that their ideal home would have better insulation, larger water tanks, and more storage space. These results help to understand occupant behavior, energy consumption patterns, and well-being in houses of northern communities and can guide the development of future housing units.

Relationship between Cooling Methods and Energy Consumption for the Development of Low-Carbon Collective Housing in Indonesia

Indonesian urban population increase has led to increased energy demands and housing inventory shortages. The Ministry of Public Works and Housing (PUPR) supplies collective housing for low-income communities (MBR). The development of low-carbon collective housing has been thought to suppress the abrupt increase in household-sector energy demand and lead to mitigated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In tropical climates, it is essential to reduce the dependence on air conditioners (AC) to suppress energy consumption. Therefore, to investigate the relationship between cooling methods and energy consumption, this study surveyed the energy consumption per household and classified the existing cooling patterns of ACs, fans, and window openings in collective housing with different income groups in Indonesia. The results confirmed that the use of AC increases household energy consumption. Meanwhile, the implementation of natural ventilation (NV) showed significantly lower energy consumption with a high thermal satisfaction of more than 80% during the day and 90% at night; thus, both energy consumption reduction and indoor thermal comfort improvement could be achieved through these methods. The findings of this study serve as a starting point for verifying the energy saving effects of air conditioning habits with the consideration of socio-demographic changes for the purpose of decarbonizing collective housing, including future predictions and energy simulations.

Single-Molecule Spectroscopy and Super-Resolution Mapping of Physicochemical Parameters in Living Cells.

By superlocalizing the positions of millions of single molecules over many camera frames, a class of super-resolution fluorescence microscopy methods known as single-molecule localization microscopy (SMLM) has revolutionized how we understand subcellular structures over the past decade. In this review, we highlight emerging studies that transcend the outstanding structural (shape) information offered by SMLM to extract and map physicochemical parameters in living mammalian cells at single-molecule and super-resolution levels. By encoding/decoding high-dimensional information-such as emission and excitation spectra, motion, polarization, fluorescence lifetime, and beyond-for every molecule, and mass accumulating these measurements for millions of molecules, such multidimensional and multifunctional super-resolution approaches open new windows into intracellular architectures and dynamics, as well as their underlying biophysical rules, far beyond the diffraction limit.

Assessment of catastrophic forgetting in continual credit card fraud detection

The volume of e-commerce continues to increase year after year. Buying goods on the internet is easy and practical, and took a huge boost during the lockdowns of the Covid crisis. However, this is also an open window for fraudsters and the corresponding financial loss costs billions of dollars. In this paper, we study e-commerce credit card fraud detection, in collaboration with our industrial partner, Worldline. Transactional companies are more and more dependent on machine learning models such as deep learning anomaly detection models, as part of real-world fraud detection systems (FDS). We focus on continual learning to find the best model with respect to two objectives: to maximize the accuracy and to minimize the catastrophic forgetting phenomenon. For the latter, we proposed an evaluation procedure to quantify the forgetting in data streams with delayed feedback: the plasticity/stability visualization matrix. We also investigated six strategies and 13 methods on a real-size case study including five months of e-commerce credit card transactions. Finally, we discuss how the trade-off between plasticity and stability is set, in practice, in the case of FDS.

The political origins of corporate transparency: forging strange coalitions through information rules and policy entrepreneurship

When does business support corporate transparency laws, and how do they succeed despite opposition from other powerful business groups? Existing research converges on a common causal pathway: Crises increase public issue salience and open windows of opportunity for policy entrepreneurs to pressure politicians into adopting transparency laws. Examining the case of beneficial ownership transparency (BOT) laws, I theorize an alternative causal pathway where past policy decisions mandating information collection by certain industries produce inter-industry divergence in their policy preferences and undermine opposition business lobbying. Civil society groups can then engage in policy entrepreneurship to integrate supportive regulated industries into new coalitions. Large, organizationally diverse ‘strange coalitions’ increase political pressure on policymakers, leading to the adoption of corporate transparency laws. I conduct a structured, focused comparison of the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia as parallel demonstrations of this causal pathway. I combine primary and secondary source documentation with 44 semi-structured interviews to trace failed and successful attempts to adopt BOT laws during the 2010s and early 2020s. I center endogenous feedback processes as a primary cause of transparency, provide further evidence of when firms prefer stronger regulation, and highlight the continued importance of domestic interests in transnational policy issues.

Green Residential Building Design Scheme Optimization Based on the Orthogonal Experiment EWM-TOPSIS

A multi-objective decision method is proposed based on the combining orthogonal test, entropy weight method (EWM) with TOPSIS (technique for order preference by similarity to an ideal solution) in this article. The method is more objective and efficient than traditional methods in the design of green residential buildings. A villa in Nanjing was taken as an example, and the cost, building energy consumption, and daylight factors were used as decision-making indexes. A total of six control factors were selected: terrain elevation, window area, building orientation, the opening ratio of exterior windows, roof structure, and window glass material. Each factor was designed with three levels. First, a design scheme index system was constructed, and the orthogonal experimental design was used to select representative design schemes. Then, the EWM and the TOPSIS method were used to determine the weight of each index, a comprehensive evaluation of the residential building design scheme was conducted, and, finally, the optimal scheme was confirmed via range analysis. The results show that the multi-objective decision-making model based on the orthogonal experiment EWM-TOPSIS is suitable for green residential building design and the optimal solution obtained is “15 m elevation, a 1200 × 1500 mm size vacuum glass, an orientation of 170° and an external window opening ratio 45% with a 40 mm thick expanded insulation board roof”.

Comments on 'Safety and feasibility of opening window fistulotomy as a new precutting technique for primary biliary access in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography'.

Comments on 'Safety and feasibility of opening window fistulotomy as a new precutting technique for primary biliary access in endoscopic retrograde cholangiopancreatography'.

Cooling Efficiency of Sleeveless 3D-Printed Surgical Guides with Different Cylinder Designs.

Background and Objectives: Surgical guides might impede the flow of coolant to the implant drills during the preparation of the implant bed, potentially contributing to increased temperatures during bone drilling. The objective of this experimental study was to assess the cooling efficiency of various guiding cylinder designs for sleeveless surgical guides used in guided surgery. Materials and Methods: In this experimental study, surgical guides with three different guiding cylinder designs were printed. One group had solid cylinders (control) and two test groups (cylinders with pores and cylinders with windows). Forty customized polyurethane blocks with type III bone characteristics were fitted into the guide and fixed in a vise, and implant bed preparations were completed using a simplified drilling protocol with and without irrigation. An infrared thermographic camera was used to record the temperature changes during drilling at the coronal, middle, and apical areas. ANOVA test and Games-Howell post hoc test were used to determine significant thermal differences among groups. Results: A significant thermal increase was observed at the coronal area in the group without irrigation (39.69 ± 8.82) (p < 0.05). The lowest thermal increase was recorded at the surgical guides with windows (21.451 ± 0.703 °C) compared to solid (25.005 ± 0.586 °C) and porous surgical guides (25.630 ± 1.004) (p < 0.05). In the middle and apical areas, there were no differences between solid and porous cylinders (p > 0.05). Conclusions: 3D-printed sleeveless surgical guides with window openings at the guiding cylinders reduce the temperature elevation at the cortical bone in guided implant surgery.

Impact of Covid-19 on Endometriosis Patients: An Integrative Review

Background: During the Covid-19 pandemic, people's lives worldwide have undergone extensive changes. The pandemic has worsened the condition of patients with chronic diseases like women with endometriosis. Objective: This study aims to summarize available evidence on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on physical symptoms, mental health, and medical care of patients with endometriosis. Methods: In the present integrative review using PRISMA guidelines, related articles published from December 2019 to July 2023 in databases including MEDLINE, Science Direct, Scopus, and Google Scholar in the English language were extracted. Results: After evaluating the criteria for inclusion and exclusion, a total of 23 articles were chosen and examined. This study represents an open window to investigate the impact of COVID-19 on women with endometriosis. The COVID-19 pandemic has affected the symptoms, mental well-being, and medical care of women with endometriosis. Conclusions: There is a perceived necessity to provide supportive care for patients during pandemic restrictions. Remote work has had an unanticipated advantage, and it is recommended that women with endometriosis continue to work from home after COVID-19 to maintain their workplace effectiveness.

Closure of open window thoracostomy due to MRSA pyothorax by EWS bronchial occlusion and modified extraperiosteal air plombage: a case report.

Refractory pyothorax caused by methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a challenging clinical condition; complications such as bronchopleural fistulae can further hinder its treatment. To avoid a fatal state caused by aspirating pneumonia, open window thoracotomy is not only sometimes performed, but subsequent closure of the window can also be difficult. In this report, we describe the case of a patient with MRSA pyothorax with bronchopleural fistula in whom a successful closure of window thoracostomy was achieved by utilizing Endobronchial Watanabe Spigot (EWS; Novatech, La Ciotat, France) bronchial occlusion and a modified extraperiosteal air plombage technique. A 66-year-old man underwent an open window thoracotomy for pyothorax with bronchopleural fistula with MRSA infection at the age of 59. After 7 years, he was referred to our department for the closure of the window. Initially, we occluded the right B6a + b by EWS under bronchoscopy. Subsequently, we dissected the intercostal muscles between the 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th ribs to collapse the pyothorax cavity and ensure the coverage of the fistula of lung including the hypertrophied parietal pleura and soft tissues of the chest wall. We filled the extrapleosteal space with a pedicled anterior serratus muscle flap to compress the parietal pleura. Postoperatively, lung expansion was satisfactory, and there has been no recurrence for 6 years since the window closure surgery. We were able to achieve closure and healing in a patient who underwent open window thoracostomy for MRSA bronchopleural fistula by applying EWS and modified extraperiosteal air plombage technique.