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Results from medical research show that the use of domestic gas stoves could have a major impact on human health and well-being, especially if they used for heating. Approximately 0.289 m3 of natural gas is combusted daily in Hungarian kitchens. The users normally stand near the stove during its operation, which on average is 45 minutes long; therefore, they are directly affected by the combustion products. Nevertheless, uncertainties remain concerning the effects of the combustion products on humans; the nitrogen dioxide load could be the most problematic. Its nominal source strength is in a range of 12.0 - 21.0 ug/kJ, depending on the type of burner. In order to improve kitchen ventilation, a source model of domestic gas stoves has been developed that is based on measurement results, statistical data, and further technical assumptions.

Human resources are the most important elements of economic units; thus, the efficiency of human work is of crucial importance. Work efficiency can be achieved only in an environment offering optimal thermal comfort. The present study makes use of human subject experiments in order to investigate the joint effect of draughts and warm ceilings on work performance. During the experiments, 10 thermal environments with 5 radiant thermal asymmetries and 2 draught rates were investigated. The most important outcome of the research is the presentation of the combined effect of a draught and a warm ceiling on work performance.

Residential kitchens with gas stoves are unique spaces inside dwellings.Occupants directly exposed to the combustion products and thermal effects of the stove. Applying a general model with the knowledge of describing parameters, designer could taken thermal aspects also into consideration in order to provide a save, healthy and comfortable environment in residential kitchens and homes. The aim of this study to develop this model and a new ventilation method. Results of field studies shows disadvantageous effect of kitchen exhaust unit during the operation of oven. However turbulence intensity was decreased from 123% to 25% , indoor temperature was increased by 3,7K in the occupied zone due to the forced air movement. PMV index remained within the recommended intervals (between -1,0 and +1.9), therefore it could be applied to evaulate thermal environment aroun the residential gas stove. Unpleasent effect of draught is not expected.

Currently, there are studies which show the separate effect of the local discomfort parameters such as the draught and radiant thermal asymmetry. However, no studies have been conducted to find out the combined effect of the before mentioned two discomfort parameters on human performance. In order to fill this gap, a 17 months experiment was performed at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Throughout the experiment twenty human subjects (ten women and ten men) performed different cognitive tests and responded to questionnaires. Two different draught rates and five different radiant thermal asymmetry values were imposed in the Macskásy climate chamber, where the experiment took place. The results show the consequence of the combined effect of draught and radiant thermal asymmetry on the human performance.

If the draught and the radiant thermal asymmetry caused by the warm ceiling appear simultaneously, will women and men be affected in the same way? This research aims to answer this question, by clarifying the understanding of the joint mechanism of action of the two local discomfort factors with the help of instrumental and human subject measurements. The most important result of the present research is identifying that if PPD < 6%, radiant thermal asymmetry varies in the range of 5-15 °C and the draught rate DR = 15% or DR = 25%, then at a given range of the interval men are significantly more dissatisfied with warm ceilings than women; women's AMV votes are significantly lower than men's; In the case of DR = 15%, the work accuracy of women is significantly higher, while in the case of men, the work accuracy is higher at DR = 25%. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Transpired solar collector (TSC) systems are simple solutions for the preheating of ventilation air with solar energy. Their performance is a function of several environmental factors, so the climatic conditions of the location play an important role. In this paper, the effect of different climatic zones on the thermal performance of the TSC is investigated. To exclude other sources of influence, the same reference industrial building is examined in four Turkish locations (Antalya, Istanbul, Ankara and Sivas) representing different climatic conditions. RETScreen simulation is carried out for all four regions to obtain the drop of conventional heating requirement in case absorber azimuth of 0°, 45° and 90°. To illustrate the performance, temperature rise, heating energy savings and annual solar fraction are presented. Generally, it can be stated that a location with cold climate and high solar radiation at the same time benefits most from the use of a TSC system. A mathematical correlation has been found showing the solar fraction's dependence on solar radiation and heating degree days. Finally, simulation results have been compared to a set of measurement data from an industrial building's TSC system near Istanbul. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The relation between human beings and buildings is continuously re-evaluated, due to the continuous evolution and new findings in ergonomics, psychology and other research fields, as well as due to the high number of influencing parameters. One of the main conditions of human comfort is the achievement of the thermal comfort. The most widely used mathematical model describing the human thermal comfort is the PMV model. The local discomfort parameters are complementary to the PMV model. The separate effect of the discomfort parameters are known, but their combined effect is unknown. The purpose of this paper is to present the preliminary findings of a research which analyses the human response to the combined effect of the draught and the hot wall. The measurements were conducted at the Budapest University of Technology and Economics Department of Building Services and Process Engineering in the Macskásy thermal comfort chamber. The results of the paper are as follows: the presentation of the measured parameter groups which influence the thermal comfort; the evaluation of the thermal comfort under various draught and hot wall conditions; the presentation of the methodology for evaluating the human response on the combined effect of the hot wall and the draught. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the philosophy of art, one of the most important debates concerns the so-called 'cognitive value' of literature. The main question is phrased in various ways. Can literary narratives provide knowledge? Can readers learn from works of literature? Most of the discussants agree on an affirmative answer, but it is contested what the relevant notions of truth and knowledge are and whether this knowledge and learning influence aesthetic or literary value. The issue takes on a wider, not only philosophical, importance as it is one of the central tenets of humanistic education that art and literature are valuable not only because the pleasure they afford. This paper offers a new line of argument in departing from propositional truth, arguing that literary narratives provide aesthetically significant knowledge, however, this knowledge cannot be captured in propositional form. My position depends crucially on Frank Jackson's influential knowledge argument. The paper describes a modified 'What Mary Didn't Read' case. In doing so, it is argued that the knowledge literary works provide should be understood as a type of experiential knowing of 'what it is like' analogous to what Mary acquires in the original case of seeing a new colour for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]