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The literature contains very little knowledge regarding the indoor well-being of people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Though, when dealing with higher autism levels and specific co-morbidities, the lack of autonomy of potential subjects makes standard comfort studies difficult or even impossible. As part of the EU-funded project “SENSEwellbeing”, the present paper shows the preliminary results of a field study on the indoor thermal and visual well-being of non-autonomous people with ASC, performed in a Danish care-center. Due to the fragility of the subjects involved and ethical issues related, we had to overcome several challenges. A determining example is the limited possibility to directly involve the subjects and make interventions in their private spaces in comfort-related experiments. For this reason, the caregivers working in the facility were involved in a semi-structured interview to indirectly characterize the thermal and visual preferences of subjects. Additionally, short- and long-term measurements of indoor quantities were taken in common rooms and empty living spaces. The interviews’ outcomes were linked to the environmental measurement, allowing a preliminary characterization of the adequacy of indoor design in terms of well-being of non-autonomous people with ASC. The study highlights the differences in perception of thermal and visual environment among people with ASC, and the necessity to find solutions to more directly involve non-autonomous subjects in studies on the indoor environment. The present research may also inspire other studies with people with special needs, whose comfort perception would otherwise be challenging to collect.

This paper describes the functional development of the ClimApp tool (available for free on iOS and Android devices), which combines current and 24 h weather forecasting with individual information to offer personalised guidance related to thermal exposure. Heat and cold stress assessments are based on ISO standards and thermal models where environmental settings and personal factors are integrated into the ClimApp index ranging from −4 (extremely cold) to +4 (extremely hot), while a range of −1 and +1 signifies low thermal stress. Advice for individuals or for groups is available, and the user can customise the model input according to their personal situation, including activity level, clothing, body characteristics, heat acclimatisation, indoor or outdoor situation, and geographical location. ClimApp output consists of a weather summary, a brief assessment of the thermal situation, and a thermal stress warning. Advice is provided via infographics and text depending on the user profile. ClimApp is available in 10 languages: English, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Hellenic (Greek), Italian, German, Spanish and French. The tool also includes a research functionality providing a platform for worker and citizen science projects to collect individual data on physical thermal strain and the experienced thermal strain. The application may therefore improve the translation of heat and cold risk assessments and guidance for subpopulations. ClimApp provides the framework for personalising and downscaling weather reports, alerts and advice at the personal level, based on GPS location and adjustable input of individual factors.

Thermal models and indices integrated into a mobile application could provide relevant information regarding thermal stress and strain to the general public. The aim of the current paper is to validate such a mobile application, ClimApp, to the users needs in the heat. ClimApp combines weather data with personal user data, thermal models and indices to estimate the thermal strain of the user. The output of ClimApp ranges from −4 to +4, where values below 0 indicate cold strain and values above 0 indicate heat strain. 134 Participants filled in the required personal settings into the app, and indicated if the estimated thermal strain by ClimApp matched their thermal perception. 45 of the participants filled in a user satisfaction questionnaire. Results show that ClimApp is able to predict the heat strain of the user, but may underestimate perceived heat strain when ambient temperature increases. Furthermore, participants were positive about the user-friendliness of ClimApp, but did not think they would use ClimApp frequently and believed the information was irrelevant for them. This is quite remarkable as the number of heat illness cases are increasing and the negative effects of heat occur in all populations exposing themselves to the heat. There needs to be more focus on making people aware of the negative health risks of the heat. ClimApp could play a role as a tool to make heat warnings more accessible for everyone and make people aware of appropriate behavior during periods with high ambient temperatures.

Field studies suggest that the availability of adjustable thermostats, operable windows and other controls has a positive impact on comfort, the incidence of building related symptoms and productivity. This laboratory study was designed to further investigate how having or not having control over the thermal environment affects human responses to the indoor environment. The study was conducted in summer in a field laboratory that was kept at 28 C. A total of 23 subjects were exposed twice for about 2.5 h. During the first session (A) subjects were able to fine-tune their local thermal environment at any given time with a personal desk fan with continuous, stepless adjustable control. During the second session (B) subjects still had the desk fans, but this time the fans were controlled from an adjacent room by the researchers who adjusted the individual air speed profiles so they were identical to those recorded during the first session. Thus, each subject was exposed to two customized conditions with identical exposure, only different from a psychological point of view. During the two sessions identical questionnaires and performance tests were used to evaluate subjects' comfort, SBS symptom incidence and performance. As expected, perceived control over the environment was significantly higher during session A, but there were no differences in perceived comfort and SBS symptom intensity. Both self-assessed and objectively measured performance was significantly better during session B. About two-thirds of the subjects indicated to prefer the situation as during the first session when they themselves controlled the air movement.

Field studies suggest that the availability of adjustable thermostats, operable windows and other controls has a positive impact on comfort, the incidence of building related symptoms and productivity. This laboratory study was designed to further investigate how having or not having control over the thermal environment affects human responses to the indoor environment. The study was conducted in summer in a field laboratory that was kept at 28 C. A total of 23 subjects were exposed twice for about 2.5 h. During the first session (A) subjects were able to fine-tune their local thermal environment at any given time with a personal desk fan with continuous, stepless adjustable control. During the second session (B) subjects still had the desk fans, but this time the fans were controlled from an adjacent room by the researchers who adjusted the individual air speed profiles so they were identical to those recorded during the first session. Thus, each subject was exposed to two customized conditions with identical exposure, only different from a psychological point of view. During the two sessions identical questionnaires and performance tests were used to evaluate subjects' comfort, SBS symptom incidence and performance. As expected, perceived control over the environment was significantly higher during session A, but there were no differences in perceived comfort and SBS symptom intensity. Both self-assessed and objectively measured performance was significantly better during session B. About two-thirds of the subjects indicated to prefer the situation as during the first session when they themselves controlled the air movement.

Climate change and the urgency of decarbonizing the built environment are driving technological innovation in the way we deliver thermal comfort to occupants. These changes, in turn, seem to be setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research. This article presents a literature review of major changes, developments, and trends in the field of thermal comfort research over the last 20 years. One of the main paradigm shift was the fundamental conceptual reorientation that has taken place in thermal comfort thinking over the last 20 years; a shift away from the physically based determinism of Fanger’s comfort model toward the mainstream and acceptance of the adaptive comfort model. Another noticeable shift has been from the undesirable toward the desirable qualities of air movement. Additionally, sophisticated models covering the physics and physiology of the human body were developed, driven by the continuous challenge to model thermal comfort at the same anatomical resolution and to combine these localized signals into a coherent, global thermal perception. Finally, the demand for ever increasing building energy efficiency is pushing technological innovation in the way we deliver comfortable indoor environments. These trends, in turn, continue setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research for the next decades.

Climate change and the urgency of decarbonizing the built environment are driving technological innovation in the way we deliver thermal comfort to occupants. These changes, in turn, seem to be setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research. This article presents a literature review of major changes, developments, and trends in the field of thermal comfort research over the last 20 years. One of the main paradigm shift was the fundamental conceptual reorientation that has taken place in thermal comfort thinking over the last 20 years; a shift away from the physically based determinism of Fanger’s comfort model toward the mainstream and acceptance of the adaptive comfort model. Another noticeable shift has been from the undesirable toward the desirable qualities of air movement. Additionally, sophisticated models covering the physics and physiology of the human body were developed, driven by the continuous challenge to model thermal comfort at the same anatomical resolution and to combine these localized signals into a coherent, global thermal perception. Finally, the demand for ever increasing building energy efficiency is pushing technological innovation in the way we deliver comfortable indoor environments. These trends, in turn, continue setting the directions for contemporary thermal comfort research for the next decades.

Onderzoeken in kantoorgebouwen hebben aangetoond dat het hebben van persoonlijke controle over het binnenklimaat een positieve invloed heeft op comfort en productiviteit. Is dit effect toe te schrijven aan het verschil in behoefte van werknemers, of is alleen het gevoel van het hebben van controle al voldoende om een positieve invloed te hebben? Dit laboratoriumonderzoek richtte zich op die vraag. Het onderzoek maakt deel uit van het promotieonderzoek ‘Persoonlijke Beïnvloeding van het Binnenklimaat in kantoorgebouwen’ van Atze Boerstra en uitgevoerd in samenwerking met de Technical University of Denmark.

The principle objective of the Danish research program Indoor Environment and Childrens Health (IECH) was to explore associations between various exposures that children experience in their indoor environments (specifically their homes and daycare centers) and their well-being and health. The targeted health endpoints were allergy, asthma, and certain respiratory symptoms. The study was designed with two stages. In the first stage, a questionnaire survey was distributed to more than 17 000 families with children between the ages of 1 and 5. The questionnaire focused on the childrens health and the environments within the homes they inhabited and daycare facilities they attended. More than 11 000 questionnaires were returned. In the second stage, a subsample of 500 children was selected for more detailed studies, including an extensive set of measurements in their homes and daycare centers and a clinical examination; all clinical examinations were carried out by the same physician. In this study, the methods used for data collection within the IECH research program are presented and discussed. Furthermore, initial findings are presented regarding descriptors of the study population and selected characteristics of the childrens dwellings and daycare centers. Practical Implications This study outlines methods that might be followed by future investigators conducting large-scale field studies of potential connections between various indoor environmental factors and selected health endpoints. Of particular note are (i) the two-stage design a broad questionnaire-based survey followed by a more intensive set of measurements among a subset of participants who have been selected based on their responses to the questionnaire; (ii) the casebase approach utilized in the stage 2 in contrast to the more commonly used casecontrol approach; (iii) the inclusion of the childrens daycare environment when conducting intensive sampling to more fully capture the childrens total indoor ex

Results from naturally ventilated buildings show that allowing the indoor temperature to drift does not necessarily result in thermal discomfort and may allow for a reduction in energy use. However, for stationary conditions, several studies indicate that the thermal neutral temperature and optimum thermal condition differ between young adults and elderly. There is a lack of studies that describe the effect of aging on thermal comfort and productivity during a moderate temperature drift. In this study, the effect of a moderate temperature drift on physiological responses, thermal comfort, and productivity of eight young adults (age 22-25 year) and eight older subjects (age 67-73 year) was investigated. They were exposed to two different conditions: S1-a control condition; constant temperature of. 21.5 degrees C; duration: 8 h; and S2-a transient condition; temperature range: 17-25 degrees C, duration: 8 h, temperature drift: first 4 h: +2 K/h, last 4 h: -2 K/h. The results indicate that thermal sensation of the elderly was, in general, 0.5 scale units lower in comparison with their younger counterparts. Furthermore, the elderly showed more distal vasoconstriction during both conditions. Nevertheless. TS of the elderly was related to air temperature only, while TS of the younger adults also was related to skin temperature. During the constant temperature session, the elderly preferred a higher temperature in comparison with the young adults.

Results from naturally ventilated buildings show that allowing the indoor temperature to drift does not necessarily result in thermal discomfort and may allow for a reduction in energy use. However, for stationary conditions, several studies indicate that the thermal neutral temperature and optimum thermal condition differ between young adults and elderly. There is a lack of studies that describe the effect of aging on thermal comfort and productivity during a moderate temperature drift. In this study, the effect of a moderate temperature drift on physiological responses, thermal comfort, and productivity of eight young adults (age 22-25 year) and eight older subjects (age 67-73 year) was investigated. They were exposed to two different conditions: S1-a control condition; constant temperature of. 21.5 degrees C; duration: 8 h; and S2-a transient condition; temperature range: 17-25 degrees C, duration: 8 h, temperature drift: first 4 h: +2 K/h, last 4 h: -2 K/h. The results indicate that thermal sensation of the elderly was, in general, 0.5 scale units lower in comparison with their younger counterparts. Furthermore, the elderly showed more distal vasoconstriction during both conditions. Nevertheless. TS of the elderly was related to air temperature only, while TS of the younger adults also was related to skin temperature. During the constant temperature session, the elderly preferred a higher temperature in comparison with the young adults.

Recent studies have shown that the operation of laser printers can result in the emission of high concentrations of ultrafine particles. However, fundamental gaps in knowledge still remain, for example, it is not clear what makes a printer a high emitter or why some models alternate between being low and high emitters. In order to provide insight into the formation mechanisms of these particles, comprehensive investigations into particle emissions from one high and one low emitting printer were undertaken. Each printer was operated using its own toner, and printed on two types of paper. Emissions from the printers were studied in a flow tunnel and a box chamber, while emissions from the fuser rollers, two types of paper and toner were investigated in a furnace. This paper provides examples of preliminary results from the study, taken from the extensive body of data which has been collected and analysed so far.

Due to the potential effects of vehicle emissions on human health, the ability to predict ultrafine particle number concentration and dispersion is important for maintaining a healthy environment and evaluating human exposure. This study aimed to investigate the concentration and distribution of airborne particles at a bus station, with the buses idling. The results of the CFD modeling used in this study indicated that wind direction, wind speed and the ultrafine particle emission factors of buses all play a critical role in determining pollutant concentration and distribution. Airborne particles were found to increase down wind from the bus station and decrease with increasing distance from the bus station. This study also compared the results of the CFD model with experimental measurements and confirmed that CFD modeling is a fast, simple and effective method for predicting ultrafine particle number concentration and dispersion produced by idling buses. Further studies should aim at developing predictive models for ultrafine particle number concentration when the buses are in motion, in order to determine the relative importance of acceleration and deceleration in contributing to pollutant dispersion.

This paper presents the findings of the most comprehensive program of study to date aimed at quantifying the number, size distribution and evaporation of droplets produced during virtually any expiratory activity. This international research program included teams of investigators from a number of universities, with each group contributing to essential aspects of the research. This research revealed many previously unknown aspects of expiratory aerosol dynamics and characteristics. This paper will focus on the findings that the time taken for expiratory droplets to achieve short term equilibrium is comparable to that for pure water droplets and that the droplet size distributions have distinct features reflecting specific production mechanisms whose intensity varies with the nature of the activity.

The key characteristics of vehicles which determine in-cabin pollutant concentrations from an external source are outside air flow into the compartment and the protection to pollutant penetration offered by the HVAC system and vehicle shell. We have quantified these variables in a fleet of vehicles of varying age and manufacturer under a recirculation ventilation setting, with a specific focus on submicrometer particulate matter. The particulate measurements were performed in an underground road tunnel in Sydney, Australia. The high levels of outside air infiltration and lack of a filter in the older vehicle examined (1989 Mazda 121) contributed to significantly increased I/O particulate ratios when compared to the newer vehicle (2005 VW Golf), which was fitted with a filter, and inside which outside air infiltration was ~4% of that measured in the older vehicle for the average speed maintained during tunnel trips. The particle concentrations measured in our study compare reasonably with those made in similar studies conducted overseas.

Exposure to airborne organic compounds inside passenger vehicles depends on several variables, including the type of fuels used by the car, age of the vehicle, engine capacity, intrusion of combustion products from other vehicles and the mechanical state of the vehicle. In this paper we report the result of a pilot study of the levels of volatile organic compounds, carbonyl compounds and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in a selection of passenger vehicles that were powered by diesel, unleaded petrol and liquefied petroleum gas. Application of hierarchical multivariate modelling to the data revealed the factors that are important in determining the patterns and levels of the pollutants found in the vehicles. In particular, it was observed that the type of fuel was important in determining the level of PAHs while the age of vehicles influenced the levels of the carbonyl compounds. These results as well as exposure reduction strategies are discussed.