Traditional ventilation and air conditioning systems typically operate on a predetermined schedule with fixed operating parameters. Occupant-centric control (OCC) strategies have been proposed to reduce system operation energy consumption without sacrificing thermal comfort. Indoor occupancy detection in real time is critical step successfully implementing the OCC strategy. Thus, deep learning-...

Background: Several epidemiological studies conducted on underground miner’s show that exposure to elevated levels of radioactive radon gas is expected to increase the risk of lung cancer. Relative risk of lung cancer is almost linear with radon exposure. Elevated concentrations of radon are not only reported within mines but also for closed indoor environment of general public houses....

BACKGROUND Increasing demand for limited healthcare resources raises questions about appropriate use of inpatient beds. In the first paediatric bed utilisation study at a regional university centre in Ireland, we conducted a cross-sectional study to audit the utilisation of inpatient beds at the Regional Paediatric Unit (RPU) in University Hospital Limerick (UHL), Limerick, Ireland and also exa...

Activity-based flexible offices (AFOs) provide a variety of workspaces to meet the need for social interactions and privacy at work. This study investigates relationship between design characteristics AFOs users’ perceptions visual acoustic interactions. case is based on post-occupancy evaluations in three AFO layouts public service organization Sweden. A mixed-method approach adopted that comb...

Windows are considered the weakest components in building envelope, driven by their low thermal resistance and static transmittance to solar gains. Consequently, innovative coatings often proposed promote energy saving performance of windows. This article investigates several flexible photochromic window films capable reversibly modulating gains based on abundance ultraviolet radiation. The pee...

Part one of this series investigated the adequacy of current models used to forecast bed demand. This part explores the issues surrounding the correct level of occupancy required to deliver effective and safe health care. Economy of scale as explained by queuing theory is a significant factor in understanding bed occupancy. However, irrespective of the occupancy specific to different sized hosp...

Identification of patients colonized with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and subsequent isolation and decolonization is pivotal to the control of cross infection in hospitals. The aim of this study was to establish if early identification of colonized patients using rapid methods alone reduces transmission. A prospective, cluster, two-period cross-over design was used. Seven...