Office Mold Potential: Preparing for Safe Re-Entry after COVID-19 Desertion | Chapter 5 | Science and Technology - Recent Updates and Future Prospects Vol. 7

     

Background: While workers and organisations heeded lockdown enforcements and abandoned offices in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the potential for mold growth thrived in unoccupied offices. The growth of mold on buildings has raised concerns and led to increased legal action against property owners, builders, and real estate operators. There is a need to ensure a healthy office environment through health and environmental risk assessment strategies involving the identification and ridding of infective mold which might potentially impact the health of workers. An investigative enquiry to assess the potential and risk of  mold exposure is a sine-qua-non to safe re-entry to offices.

 

Materials and Methods: Visual inspection of offices through a walk-through survey was undertaken. An analytical study was conducted through a walk-through survey involving visual inspection, measurement of physico-chemical parameters (Temperature, Relative Humidity, Air Velocity and Particulate Matters PM2.5); and collection and analysis of suspected swabs and bulk samples. Four wall scrapings (bulk) and four swab samples were collected and cultured in the laboratory using nutrient agar.

 

Results: Results showed copious amounts of moisture evidenced by an averagely high relative humidity of 94%, low ambient temperature of 16% and poor ventilation evinced by an air velocity of 0.4 metres per second. Analysis of scrapings and surface swabs revealed the presence of three genus and eight species of fungi in the investigated sites. Analysis of samples of Mucor species revealed (Mucor mucedo, Mucor himalis, Mucor racemosus); Aspergillus species (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus terrus); Cladosporium species (Cladosporium cladosproides and Cladosporium sphaerosperum).

 

Conclusion: Poor ventilation, deposits of debris, increased moisture and dysfunctional ventilation system as found in abandoned offices for Mold growth. Post-lockdown re-entry to offices should be preceded by Mold risk assessment among other measures to rule out the presence of Mold growth. Preparations for re-entry should include deep cleaning with anti-Mold agents, optimization of the ventilation system using anti-Mold and High-Efficiency Particulate Absorbing (HEPA) filters, and dehumidifiers and safe remediation of suspected mold growth using suitable personal protective equipment.

 

 

Author(s) Details

Kennedy A. Osakwe

School of Property, Construction and Project Management, RMIT University, 124 La Trobe St., Melbourne VIC 3000, Australia.

Folusho E. Alamina

Independent Researcher and Consultant Public and Occupational Health, Port Harcourt, Nigeria.

 

Please see the link:- https://doi.org/10.9734/bpi/strufp/v7/533

Design of Ideal Building Management System and Control System with 5G Mobile Phone Technology | Chapter 3 | Research Developments in Science and Technology Vol. 8

Building management systems employ the idea of intelligent buildings that track and manage technical services like lighting, ventilation, air conditioning, and other services connected to power systems. This system, which is based on a microcontroller that monitors and manages the building's whole system, will also be managed with the aid of 5G mobile connectivity. This system combines hardware and software; all necessary functions are first programmed in software and then carried out by hardware. In this project, we'll concentrate on the control system's general design as well as design-related problems. As the globe transitions from manual to automated processes, intelligent building design is the future of the construction industry. This makes intelligent buildings a crucial element in the development of the sector. The monitoring and management of mechanical, electrical, and electromechanical services is the primary goal of this project.

Author(s) Details:

Tony Tsang,

Centre of International Education, Hong Kong College of Technology, Hong Kong.

Pang Kwok Ho,

Centre of International Education, Hong Kong College of Technology, Hong Kong.

Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/RDST-V8/article/view/7396

Effect of Housing and Management on Microclimate of Shed and Milk Yield of Dairy Cattle in Coastal Climate of Goa | Chapter 8 | Research Aspects in Agriculture and Veterinary Science Vol. 3

 Ten farmers from each of the six talukas (Pernem, Bicholim, and Ponda talukas of North Goa district; Salcete, Canacona, and Sanguem talukas of South Goa district) were considered for this study based on cattle population with the goal of developing suitable housing systems to improve animal comfort and increase the productivity of the animals. Farmers were interviewed in order to get information on dairy cattle housing and production. Farmers were then divided into groups based on the sort of dairy home they owned. Aside from feeding and disease occurrence, data on the microenvironment of the cattle shed and daily milk yield of cows were recorded. According to the data, cow shed orientation had a significant (P 0.05) effect on average daily milk yield, average daily air temperature, and average daily relative humidity, but a highly significant (P 0.01) effect on average daily temperature humidity index. In cattle houses with an east-west orientation, there was less heat stress and increased milk output. Ventilation of the cattle shed had a highly significant (P 0.01) effect on the average daily milk yield, as well as a substantial (P 0.05) effect on the average daily air temperature, relative humidity, and temperature humidity index. In calf sheds with good ventilation, significantly better milk yield (9.896 0.090 kg), significantly lower air temperature (27.62 0.13°C), and significantly lower relative humidity (79.43 0.35 percent) were observed. The provision of floor space inside the cattle shed had a significantly significant (P 0.01) impact on the average daily milk output and all microenvironments. In cattle sheds where standard floor space of minimum 5 m2 per cattle was maintained, average daily milk yield (9.736 0.085 kg) was significantly greater, while average daily relative humidity (79.88 0.37 percent) was much lower. The effect of a cooling arrangement in the cattle house on the average daily milk yield and all micro environmental indicators was highly significant (P 0.01). It was hypothesised that, in addition to human and mechanical cooling, if a fake ceiling was installed within the cattle house, the cows would feel more at ease and produce more milk.

Author(S) Details

S. K. Das
ICAR – Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Ela, Goa, India.

M. Karunakaran
ICAR – National Dairy Research Institute (ERS), Kalyani, Nadia, West Bengal, India.

S. B. Barbuddhe
ICAR- National Institute of Biotic Stress Management, Raipur, Chattishgarh, India.

N. P. Singh
ICAR – Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute, Ela, Goa, India.

View Book:- https://stm.bookpi.org/RAAVS-V3/article/view/4039

Analyzing Energy-Saving Measures and Key Metrics for Enhancing Cooling Performance in Atrium Buildings | Chapter 10 | New Approaches in Engineering Research Vol. 8

 Atriums are increasingly being used by professional designers and owners to give a number of benefits, such as sufficient sunlight, circulation areas, and surfaces for gardening applications. The space conditioning of atriums, which have a relatively big volume when compared to standard commercial and institutional spaces, is one of the most critical challenges with this popular architectural feature. Unless proper design strategies are used, adequately conditioned atriums could result in excessive energy use. It can be difficult to attain both high thermal comfort and low energy consumption at the same time. The potential for energy savings from precise temperature management indoors reinforces the case for investigating the applicability of the universal comfort temperatures advocated by international comfort standards. The goal of this article is to assess energy saving strategies that have aided in the achievement of architectural design characteristics while also supporting thermal environment conditions. A systematic analysis of elements for energy saving identified design aspects that have influenced the development of a comfortable atmosphere through a literature review. Environmental considerations in the installation of architectural characteristics in atriums have been characterised as daylighting, acoustics, natural ventilation, and temperature regulation. The results would help architects and designers choose the most energy-efficient atrium building type, as well as optimise the controlled atmosphere during the initial design stage.

Author (s) Details

Shashi Saxena
School of Architecture, LNCT University, Bhopal (M.P), India.

Anupama Sharma
Department of Architecture and Planning, Maulana Azad National Institute of Technology, Bhopal (M.P), India.

View Book :- https://stm.bookpi.org/NAER-V8/article/view/2275

Emphasizing the Safety, Health and Hazards Related to Using of Sprayed Concrete in Underground Mining Works| Chapter 10 | Recent Developments in Engineering Research Vol. 10

Sprayed concrete is a conventional construction material, but it reflects a highly advanced process at the same time. The development of sprayed concrete requires material science and developments in technology for spraying equipment. The performance and characteristics of sprayed concrete depend, in particular, on the state of its application, the equipment, the experience and the competence of the sprayed concrete team. This paper presents several aspects of a sprayed concrete operation that, due to the machinery, pressure value and the rebound projection, could have several hazards. In addition, proper ventilation in the field of application requires the use of sprayed concrete in underground mining works. Particular attention must be paid to the use of chemical admixtures and supplementary products in the constituent materials and, ultimately, in the sprayed concrete composition. Using this technique to mobilise the strength that forms in concentrated rocks around underground work to the limit, contributes to lower loads acting on permanent support and thus results in a more economic and realistic support system. The specificity of the support created from mortar or spraying concrete is that the rocks themselves are involved in achieving the bearing strength. Thus, from the object of the support, the rocks are a means of support themselves, literally rocks are self-supporting. The latter has a decisive role in promoting underground work in the newly developed framework of sprayed concrete-rock. With a resistance and impermeability superior to standard concrete, the mixture poured on the surface of rocks adheres very well and strengthens in a short time. At pressures of less than 0.6 to 0.8 MPa, the sprayed concrete is impervious to water penetration and can be used as a temporary and permanent support. Sprayed concrete is an artificial conglomerate obtained in some quantities by deciding the homogeneous mixture of aggregates, binder, and water. In smaller quantities, the sprayed concrete composition and a number of substances are also found in other powdered materials which change certain physical-mechanical characteristics in the desired sense. Due to both technical and technological variables, as well as the human factor, various hazards can be related from the spraying process. As far as underground workers who are directly involved in applying sprayed concrete are concerned, they must wear protective equipment at all times and maintain proper ventilation in the region of application, as spraying produces dust, mist and other contaminants that can contaminate the air. At the same time, there is a chance of protruding reinforcement fibres on the contour of underground work in sprayed concrete and can pose real dangers as they may harm the workers. A easy solution is to initially add a thin layer of unreinforced sprayed concrete to prevent this possible danger (hazard). Security specifications and operating instructions issued by the manufacturer of the equipment and the supplier of the materials must be given special attention. In particular, admixtures and admixtures for water reduction, but also complementary products, are commonly considered to be harmful to humans and the environment. Silicate-based accelerators have a high alkali content and need personal protection against irritation of the skin and eyes; there is a chance of alkali silicate reaction and water soluble portions leakage. Aluminate (alkaline)-based accelerators are caustic and require personal protection against skin and irritation. Since they are less risky and have a safer working environment, Alkalifree accelerators are favoured. The methods of spraying used have various effects on the working environment underground. Therefore, the use of the process of wet-mix spraying has a positive impact on the air quality of the working face and no air pollution has been found, if additions or alkaline-free accelerators are added in sprayed concrete, the working condition will dramatically improve. The sprayed concrete rebound consists mainly of aggregates, and its environmental effect is not significant. New sprayed concrete technology contributes greatly to environmental conservation and contributes to the safety of the entire working community. Advanced equipment allows underground workers to operate from safe distances to the work face and can mitigate the injuries that could arise or health issues as a result.

Author (s) Details

Mihaela Toderaş
University of Petrosani, Mining Engineering, Surveying and Constructions Department, 332006 Petrosani, Romania.

Ciprian Danciu
University of Petrosani, Mining Engineering, Surveying and Constructions Department, 332006 Petrosani, Romania.

View Book :- https://bp.bookpi.org/index.php/bpi/catalog/book/370