This paper studies the spatial concentration distribution and temporal evolution of exhaled and sneezed/coughed droplets within the range of 1.0 to 10.0 μm in an office room with three air distribution methods,includ...This paper studies the spatial concentration distribution and temporal evolution of exhaled and sneezed/coughed droplets within the range of 1.0 to 10.0 μm in an office room with three air distribution methods,including mixing ventilation（MV）,displacement ventilation（DV）,and under-floor air distribution（UFAD）.The simulation results indicate that exhaled droplets with diameters up to 10.0 μm from normal respiration process are uniformly distributed in MV.However,they become trapped at the breathing height by thermal stratifications in DV and UFAD,resulting in a high droplet concentration and an increased exposure risk to other occupants.Sneezed/coughed droplets are more slowly diluted in DV/UFAD than in MV.Low air speed in the breathing zone in DV/UFAD can lead to prolonged human exposure to droplets in the breathing zone.展开更多
Ventilation is an effective solution for improving indoor air quality and reducing airborne transmission.Buildings need sufficient ventilation to maintain a low infection risk but also need to avoid an excessive venti...Ventilation is an effective solution for improving indoor air quality and reducing airborne transmission.Buildings need sufficient ventilation to maintain a low infection risk but also need to avoid an excessive ventilation rate,which may lead to high energy consumption.The Wells-Riley(WR)model is widely used to predict infection risk and control the ventilation rate.However,few studies compared the non-steady-state(NSS)and steady-state(SS)WR models that are used for ventilation control.To fill in this research gap,this study investigates the effects of the mechanical ventilation control strategies based on NSS/SS WR models on the required ventilation rates to prevent airborne transmission and related energy consumption.The modified NSS/SS WR models were proposed by considering many parameters that were ignored before,such as the initial quantum concentration.Based on the NSS/SS WR models,two new ventilation control strategies were proposed.A real building in Canada is used as the case study.The results indicate that under a high initial quantum concentration(e.g.,0.3 q/m^(3))and no protective measures,SS WR control underestimates the required ventilation rate.The ventilation energy consumption of NSS control is up to 2.5 times as high as that of the SS control.展开更多
Drinking water may be a risk factor for human infections if the water supply is contaminated with biofilm producing bacteria such as Legionella pneumophilae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Several situations have to be con...Drinking water may be a risk factor for human infections if the water supply is contaminated with biofilm producing bacteria such as Legionella pneumophilae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Several situations have to be considered when water supply to new buildings is planned. The aim of this paper is to review situations that have to be considered in new buildings and give an example on a new water supply contaminated with biofilm producing water bacteria and the precautions introduced to eliminate the contamination. When new buildings are planned it should be considered where to get the water and what is the microbiological quality of the water. If the water is contaminated there will be troubles from the beginning. The material for the pipes should be considered as biofilm which is produced in greater amounts and faster in PEG pipes than in stainless steel pipes. The choice of material depends on the expected lifetime of the building, the dimensions of the pipes, and the choice of forceps, how often the taps are used and thereby the flow in the system. The higher flow the less and slower biofilm formation. It is important to reduce the number of taps to a minimum to ovoid ＂dead ends＂ if they are not or only seldom used. Alternatively all taps could be opened automatically regularly. It is important to establish precautions to ovoid contamination of the water system in the period from when it is established until the building is taken in use. The period can be several months during which the system can act as a ＂dead end＂ if no precautions, such as regularly opening of all taps, are taken. The microbiological quality of the water in the system should be controlled before the building is taken in use. In a new building, where the water supply and the water in the building was not controlled before the building was taken in use, extremely high total and Legionella germ counts were found. The water was disinfected with low concentrations of chloride with very little effect. After disinfection with high concentrations of chloride for few hours and placing a sterile filter at the water entrance both the total and Legionella germ count decreased to an acceptable level.展开更多
North-south displacements and meridional vacillations of the eddy-driven jet are widely accepted as the dominant cause of variability of the observational zonal-mean zonal wind anomalies(denoted [u]').In this stud...North-south displacements and meridional vacillations of the eddy-driven jet are widely accepted as the dominant cause of variability of the observational zonal-mean zonal wind anomalies(denoted [u]').In this study,a new idea regarding the primary variability of the observational [u]' in the middle latitude troposphere is presented.It is hypothesized that there are two different classes of primary variability of the observational [u]':the poleward propagation of the [u]'(abbreviated as PP) and meridional vacillations.To validate this hypothesis,one-point correlation maps of [u]' at 200-hPa during the boreal cold season(November-April) of every year from 1957-2002 are used as a criterion.Twelve PP years,in which the PP events are dominant in the variability of [u]',and 15 no_PP years,in which the PP events are recessive and the meridional vacillations are dominant in the variability of [u]',are examined.The results show that the variabilities of [u]' are different in the chosen PP and no_PP years.In the PP years,the PP events dominate the variability of [u]';however,the meridional vacillations are prevalent in the no_PP years.展开更多
The health impacts of tobacco consumption are well documented and have gained acceptance worldwide. Today, a substantial, preventable burden of tobacco attributable diseases exists in most countries, though in most of...The health impacts of tobacco consumption are well documented and have gained acceptance worldwide. Today, a substantial, preventable burden of tobacco attributable diseases exists in most countries, though in most of the cases, unknown. Smoking accounts for almost half of the deaths in middle age in some regions. In Uganda, translating findings into policy action is slow and involves several stakeholders. It will continue to require support from tobacco control campaign groups. This paper analyses secondary literature on tobacco smoking and later provides an appropriate medium based communication strategy that can be adopted to counteract the persuasive smoking evil adverts of tobacco companies as well as creating awareness among the population of the health impacts caused by smoking.展开更多
基金The National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.50808133)the Dean's Reserve of Faculty of Construction and Land Use at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University
文摘This paper studies the spatial concentration distribution and temporal evolution of exhaled and sneezed/coughed droplets within the range of 1.0 to 10.0 μm in an office room with three air distribution methods,including mixing ventilation（MV）,displacement ventilation（DV）,and under-floor air distribution（UFAD）.The simulation results indicate that exhaled droplets with diameters up to 10.0 μm from normal respiration process are uniformly distributed in MV.However,they become trapped at the breathing height by thermal stratifications in DV and UFAD,resulting in a high droplet concentration and an increased exposure risk to other occupants.Sneezed/coughed droplets are more slowly diluted in DV/UFAD than in MV.Low air speed in the breathing zone in DV/UFAD can lead to prolonged human exposure to droplets in the breathing zone.
基金Project(RGPIN-2019-05824)supported by the Start-up Fund of Universitéde Sherbrooke and Discovery Grants of Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada(NSERC)。
文摘Ventilation is an effective solution for improving indoor air quality and reducing airborne transmission.Buildings need sufficient ventilation to maintain a low infection risk but also need to avoid an excessive ventilation rate,which may lead to high energy consumption.The Wells-Riley(WR)model is widely used to predict infection risk and control the ventilation rate.However,few studies compared the non-steady-state(NSS)and steady-state(SS)WR models that are used for ventilation control.To fill in this research gap,this study investigates the effects of the mechanical ventilation control strategies based on NSS/SS WR models on the required ventilation rates to prevent airborne transmission and related energy consumption.The modified NSS/SS WR models were proposed by considering many parameters that were ignored before,such as the initial quantum concentration.Based on the NSS/SS WR models,two new ventilation control strategies were proposed.A real building in Canada is used as the case study.The results indicate that under a high initial quantum concentration(e.g.,0.3 q/m^(3))and no protective measures,SS WR control underestimates the required ventilation rate.The ventilation energy consumption of NSS control is up to 2.5 times as high as that of the SS control.
文摘Drinking water may be a risk factor for human infections if the water supply is contaminated with biofilm producing bacteria such as Legionella pneumophilae or Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Several situations have to be considered when water supply to new buildings is planned. The aim of this paper is to review situations that have to be considered in new buildings and give an example on a new water supply contaminated with biofilm producing water bacteria and the precautions introduced to eliminate the contamination. When new buildings are planned it should be considered where to get the water and what is the microbiological quality of the water. If the water is contaminated there will be troubles from the beginning. The material for the pipes should be considered as biofilm which is produced in greater amounts and faster in PEG pipes than in stainless steel pipes. The choice of material depends on the expected lifetime of the building, the dimensions of the pipes, and the choice of forceps, how often the taps are used and thereby the flow in the system. The higher flow the less and slower biofilm formation. It is important to reduce the number of taps to a minimum to ovoid ＂dead ends＂ if they are not or only seldom used. Alternatively all taps could be opened automatically regularly. It is important to establish precautions to ovoid contamination of the water system in the period from when it is established until the building is taken in use. The period can be several months during which the system can act as a ＂dead end＂ if no precautions, such as regularly opening of all taps, are taken. The microbiological quality of the water in the system should be controlled before the building is taken in use. In a new building, where the water supply and the water in the building was not controlled before the building was taken in use, extremely high total and Legionella germ counts were found. The water was disinfected with low concentrations of chloride with very little effect. After disinfection with high concentrations of chloride for few hours and placing a sterile filter at the water entrance both the total and Legionella germ count decreased to an acceptable level.
基金sponsored by the National Key Technologies R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2009BAC51B02)the National Basic Research Program of China (973 Program,Grant No. 2010CB950401)+1 种基金the National Nature Science Foundation of China (Grant Nos. U0833602 and 40805023)the State Key Laboratory of Numerical Modeling for Atmospheric Sciences and Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Free Exploration Fund
文摘North-south displacements and meridional vacillations of the eddy-driven jet are widely accepted as the dominant cause of variability of the observational zonal-mean zonal wind anomalies(denoted [u]').In this study,a new idea regarding the primary variability of the observational [u]' in the middle latitude troposphere is presented.It is hypothesized that there are two different classes of primary variability of the observational [u]':the poleward propagation of the [u]'(abbreviated as PP) and meridional vacillations.To validate this hypothesis,one-point correlation maps of [u]' at 200-hPa during the boreal cold season(November-April) of every year from 1957-2002 are used as a criterion.Twelve PP years,in which the PP events are dominant in the variability of [u]',and 15 no_PP years,in which the PP events are recessive and the meridional vacillations are dominant in the variability of [u]',are examined.The results show that the variabilities of [u]' are different in the chosen PP and no_PP years.In the PP years,the PP events dominate the variability of [u]';however,the meridional vacillations are prevalent in the no_PP years.
文摘The health impacts of tobacco consumption are well documented and have gained acceptance worldwide. Today, a substantial, preventable burden of tobacco attributable diseases exists in most countries, though in most of the cases, unknown. Smoking accounts for almost half of the deaths in middle age in some regions. In Uganda, translating findings into policy action is slow and involves several stakeholders. It will continue to require support from tobacco control campaign groups. This paper analyses secondary literature on tobacco smoking and later provides an appropriate medium based communication strategy that can be adopted to counteract the persuasive smoking evil adverts of tobacco companies as well as creating awareness among the population of the health impacts caused by smoking.
