1,720,954 research outputs found
Appraisal and optimization of energy-efficient green buildings in South Africa
No full textA research thesis submitted in fulfillment of the academic requirements of Master of the Built Environment, Durban University of Technology, Durban, South Africa, 2023.Generally, over 35% of global energy use and 40% of carbon emissions are attributed to the built
environment while future forecasts indicate that these values may rise much further. In South Africa
(SA), building stocks account for 40% of the country’s final energy demand which strains the
country's coal-dependent energy grid and oftentimes results in power outages. Optimizing energy
efficiency and thermal comfort while attaining the lofty goal of carbon neutrality is essential for all
concerned stakeholders in the building sector globally. Meanwhile, green building (GB), being a
recognized revolutionary theory and practice in the building industry, is suggested as a solution to
SA’s environmental challenges. On this wise, this research aimed to develop energy-efficient models
for optimizing green buildings into the design and operation of buildings to allay their environmental
impacts. The goal was to enhance energy efficiency, decrease energy consumption, and mitigate
carbon emissions across diverse climates, thus benefiting South Africa's built environment. To
achieve the study's goals, three primary research objectives were identified and pursued namely: (i)
To provide an overview on status-quo of green building development in South Africa with a view to
explore the status quo and provide roadmap for improvement; (ii)To examine the energy-saving
potential of incorporating building-integrated greenery systems towards climate-resilience in the
subtropical climate zone of South Africa; and (iii) To investigate the energy-performance of green
building renewable energy utilization systems within South Africa’s hot and arid climate zones.
Initially, the study's first objective entailed a comprehensive literature overview integrating climate,
sustainability, and building energy modeling within the South African context. This was carried out
through a scoping review approach via the PRISMA guideline of reporting Subsequent objectives
involved selecting reference buildings and creating hypothesized models as case studies based on six
climate zones from the South African National Standard. For the second objective, a thorough and
integrative approach that linked building energy modelling and varying climatic change was devised.
The numerical parametric simulation and analysis, being a quantitative research approach was
adopted as a data collection method. Similarly, the third objective employed numerical parametric
simulation as a data gathering method in this research, which is based on a quantitative analysis to
explore various design options iteratively. In the second and third objectives, Global climate
databases, Meteonorm, Climate Consultant, and energy simulation software such as DesignBuilder,
EnergyPlus, and Polysun were used for weather data analysis, climate modeling, and building energy
simulation. The findings highlighted that while South Africa boasts notable green construction
projects, scientific research progress has not matched international levels. The focus was on
promoting green building adoption through standards, certifications, and incentives. However, gaps were observed in optimized energy performance and post-occupancy evaluation of existing buildings.
Despite high awareness, the utilization of green building technologies among South African
professionals did not meet anticipated levels. For the second objective, the study's findings indicated
an increase in extreme heat waves with higher peak temperatures in the future. Building energy use
in the study area is projected to rise by 8-24% from 2030 to 2080. Notably, heat gains primarily result
from envelope thermal transfer rather than solar radiation. Greenery systems were found to effectively
support green building goals and urban sustainability across anticipated seasons. Nature-based
solutions proved successful in adapting to climate change compared to non-retrofitted conventional
buildings. For the last objective, the study revealed regions with substantial solar irradiance, indicating
potential for renewable energy adoption. It emphasized the need for durable BIPV systems in hightemperature conditions. BIPV modules generated more energy in Upington than Nelspruit due to
varying solar radiation. Opportunities were identified for BIPV systems to achieve optimal power
generation. The study provides a foundation for informed decision-making, policy formulation, and
targeted research in sustainable building practices. The study presents practical principles to guide
urban planners and policymakers in integrating eco-friendly technology into both new and existing
building designs. This promotes sustainable urban development and reduces cities' carbon emissions.
Going forward, to showcase the effectiveness of these energy-efficient and climate-responsive
systems to the public and industry stakeholders, it is recommended to establish and enhance largescale demonstration projects in South Africa's subtropical, hot and arid regions.
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
Author Under Sail The Imagination of Jack London, 1893-1902
No full textIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Intro -- Title Page -- Copyright Page -- Dedication -- Contents -- Acknowledgments -- Introduction -- 1. Spirit Truth -- 2. From Absorption to Theatricality and Back Again -- 3. "I Will Build a New Present" -- 4. Sons as Authors -- 5. Fathers as Publishers -- 6. The Daughter as Author -- 7. Lovers as Authors -- 8. At Sea with the Family -- 9. Yellow News, Yellow Stories -- 10. The Return Home -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index -- About Jay WilliamsIn Author Under Sail, Jay Williams offers the first complete literary biography of Jack London as a professional writer engaged in the labor of writing. It examines the authorial imagination in London's work, the use of imagination in both his fiction and nonfiction, and the ways he defined imagination in the creative process in his business dealings with his publishers, editors, and agents. In this first volume of a two-volume biography, Williams traverses the years 1893 to 1902, from London's "Story of a Typhoon" to The People of the Abyss. The Jack London who emerges in the pages of Author Under Sail is a writer whose partnership with publishers, most notably his productive alliance with George Brett of Macmillan, was one of the most formative in American literary history. London pioneered many author models during the heyday of realism and naturalism, blurring the boundaries of these popular genres by focusing on absorption and theatricality and the representation of the seen and unseen. London created an impassioned, sincere, and extremely personal realism unlike that of other American writers of the time. Author Under Sail is a literary tour de force that reveals the full range of London as writer, creative citizen, and entrepreneur at the same time it sheds light on the maverick side of machine-age literature.Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.Electronic reproduction. Ann Arbor, Michigan : ProQuest Ebook Central, YYYY. Available via World Wide Web. Access may be limited to ProQuest Ebook Central affiliated libraries
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