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Background: Pediatric pneumonia presents a significant global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of pneumonia in preschool children in Urumqi and its association with indoor environmental factors. Methods: This case-control study collected data from December 2018 to December 2019 on 1522 preschool children in Urumqi (779 boys and 743 girls) who were diagnosed with pneumonia by a physician. A control group of children who had never had pneumonia was matched in a 1:1 ratio based on gender, age, and ethnicity. Using questionnaires, data were collected on children's general characteristics, passive smoking, types of housing, flooring materials, and indoor dampness, analyzing potential factors associated with the incidence of pediatric pneumonia. Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that cesarean birth (odds ratio [OR] = 1.27; 95 % confidence interval [95%CI] = 1.08–1.48), being an only child (OR = 1.32; 95%CI = 1.13–1.55), antibiotic treatment during the first year of life (OR = 2.51; 95%CI = 1.98–3.19), passive smoking during the mother's pregnancy (OR = 1.62; 95%CI = 1.24–2.13), living in multi-family apartment housing (OR = 1.64; 95%CI = 1.28–2.10) and other types of housing (OR = 1.47; 95%CI = 1.09–1.99), laminate flooring (OR = 1.31; 95%CI = 1.01–1.72), and tile/stone/cement flooring flooring (OR = 1.31; 95%CI = 1.06–1.61), and dampness in dwelling (during first year of mother's pregnancy) (OR = 1.30; 95%CI = 1.04–1.63) were risk factors for pediatric pneumonia. The use of fresh air filtration systems in children's residences (OR = 0.66; 95%CI = 0.50–0.86) was identified as a protective factor. Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of indoor environmental factors in the prevention of pediatric pneumonia. Public health strategies should consider these factors to reduce the incidence of pneumonia in children. Future research needs to be conducted over a broader geographical range and consider a more comprehensive range of factors influencing pediatric pneumonia.

Occupancy detection and estimation in buildings paves the way to improve the utilization of lighting and HVAC systems, induce energy savings and enhance the well-being of the occupants. This paper presents a comparative study of state-of-art machine learning techniques that solve two different occupancy monitoring problems using environmental sensor data. One is the regression problem that estimates the actual count of occupants while the other is the classification problem which estimates the level of occupancy (empty, sparse, full). The results of the best performing machine learning techniques that solve both problems for the open dataset from the University of Southern Denmark, Odense are presented to compare the accuracy of both approaches and the ease of implementation. The impact of CO2, temperature, and humidity features on the occupancy count/levels and detection accuracy (occupied versus unoccupied) are studied. Comprehensive analysis with different combinations of environmental features and other free features such as time-of-day along with different sampling techniques for training and testing are performed to understand how such models can be adapted for actual deployment. Our results indicate detection accuracy between 66% to 82% for different sampling schemes; with day-based sampling showing a better performance while random sampling generically showcasing lower accuracy (66.2%). The occupancy estimation (levels or counts) has accuracy in the range of 69% to 79% for random sampling and 71% to 80% for day-based sampling. Finally, results demonstrate that models based single environmental sensor data streams do not perform as well as the models with sensor fusion.

Occupancy detection and estimation in buildings paves the way to improve the utilization of lighting and HVAC systems, induce energy savings and enhance the well-being of the occupants. This paper presents a comparative study of state-of-art machine learning techniques that solve two different occupancy monitoring problems using environmental sensor data. One is the regression problem that estimates the actual count of occupants while the other is the classification problem which estimates the level of occupancy (empty, sparse, full). The results of the best performing machine learning techniques that solve both problems for the open dataset from the University of Southern Denmark, Odense are presented to compare the accuracy of both approaches and the ease of implementation. The impact of CO2, temperature, and humidity features on the occupancy count/levels and detection accuracy (occupied versus unoccupied) are studied. Comprehensive analysis with different combinations of environmental features and other free features such as time-of-day along with different sampling techniques for training and testing are performed to understand how such models can be adapted for actual deployment. Our results indicate detection accuracy between 66% to 82% for different sampling schemes; with day-based sampling showing a better performance while random sampling generically showcasing lower accuracy (66.2%). The occupancy estimation (levels or counts) has accuracy in the range of 69% to 79% for random sampling and 71% to 80% for day-based sampling. Finally, results demonstrate that models based single environmental sensor data streams do not perform as well as the models with sensor fusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the continuous improvement of human living standards and the intensification of environmental pollution, the wind direction design of architectural design directly affects the living experience and health. Aiming at the disadvantages of poor ventilation and weak living experience in current urban buildings, this study constructs a coupling model between urban green building design and outdoor wind environment based on the sustainable development strategy and the principle of green environmental protection. By studying the effects of different architectural design factors on the flow direction and velocity of outdoor wind and the content of particulate matter, this study explores the best outdoor design of urban green buildings, and puts forward reasonable design suggestions for outdoor green building based on the concept of green sustainable development. The results show that the height and number of vents are directly proportional to the indoor wind speed and particle content. Moderately increasing the height and number of vents can significantly reduce the particle content in the wind. When the height of vents is 40cm, 5-hour of the speed in the outdoor window can reach 4m/s, and the solid particle content in the outdoor wind can be reduced to 8/cm3. The number of indoor turns and rooms significantly increase the content of solid particles. When the number of turns is 3 and the number of rooms is more than 6, the number of indoor particles is as high as 10/cm³, and the wind speed decreases to 0.4m/s. Moderately changing the design factors of urban green buildings can significantly improve the outdoor wind environment and reduce the pollution degree of outdoor wind when entering the room, which is conducive to the improvement of human living quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Pediatric pneumonia presents a significant global health challenge, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to investigate the incidence of pneumonia in preschool children in Urumqi and its association with indoor environmental factors., Methods: This case-control study collected data from December 2018 to December 2019 on 1522 preschool children in Urumqi (779 boys and 743 girls) who were diagnosed with pneumonia by a physician. A control group of children who had never had pneumonia was matched in a 1:1 ratio based on gender, age, and ethnicity. Using questionnaires, data were collected on children's general characteristics, passive smoking, types of housing, flooring materials, and indoor dampness, analyzing potential factors associated with the incidence of pediatric pneumonia., Results: Multivariate analysis revealed that cesarean birth (odds ratio [OR] = 1.27; 95 % confidence interval [95%CI] = 1.08-1.48), being an only child (OR = 1.32; 95%CI = 1.13-1.55), antibiotic treatment during the first year of life (OR = 2.51; 95%CI = 1.98-3.19), passive smoking during the mother's pregnancy (OR = 1.62; 95%CI = 1.24-2.13), living in multi-family apartment housing (OR = 1.64; 95%CI = 1.28-2.10) and other types of housing (OR = 1.47; 95%CI = 1.09-1.99), laminate flooring (OR = 1.31; 95%CI = 1.01-1.72), and tile/stone/cement flooring flooring (OR = 1.31; 95%CI = 1.06-1.61), and dampness in dwelling (during first year of mother's pregnancy) (OR = 1.30; 95%CI = 1.04-1.63) were risk factors for pediatric pneumonia. The use of fresh air filtration systems in children's residences (OR = 0.66; 95%CI = 0.50-0.86) was identified as a protective factor., Conclusion: This study underscores the importance of indoor environmental factors in the prevention of pediatric pneumonia. Public health strategies should consider these factors to reduce the incidence of pneumonia in children. Future research needs to be conducted over a broader geographical range and consider a more comprehensive range of factors influencing pediatric pneumonia., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Introduction: Structural materials and interior appliances are frequently mentioned as elements of modern buildings which may have an impact on the natural history of allergic diseases. Aim: We hypothesized that the building age, the type of the heating system and the use of various indoor appliances can influence the occurrence of allergic rhinitis (AR) and asthma. Material and methods: The study group comprised 18,617 individuals. The tool used in the study was the European Community Respiratory Health Survey (ECRHS) and the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood (ISAAC) study questionnaire, adapted to European conditions (Middle and Eastern Europe) and used as part of the study called "Implementation of a System for the Prevention and Early Detection of Allergic Diseases in Poland". Results: Questionnaire results indicated that people living in homes built in the years 1971-1990 had higher rates of allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.15025), which was correlated with clinical findings of increased occurrence of seasonal allergic rhinitis (OR = 1.60543). The leading factor contributing to the intensification of AR symptoms was the central heating (OR = 1.45358). As opposed to AR, people living in buildings with central heating less often declared asthma (OR = 0.8407). A clinical examination confirmed that central heating reduced the symptoms of moderate asthma (OR = 0.3524). Conclusions: Increasing building age and certain indoor heating methods are important risk factors for the occurrence of allergic rhinitis and asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A system was developed to monitor multi-node environments in a plant factory. • Applied monitoring system, collected data at 13 nodes in a plant factory. • Proved non-uniform indoor environments in the growing space and analyzed causes. • Correlations were found among indoor environmental factors. • Consider interplay between plant growth and indoor factors for environment setup. In plant factories, multi-layered shelves are used to maximize production per unit area by densely growing plants. The large number of plants placed in a spacious area leads to complex interactions between the plants and the growing environment, resulting in a potentially non-uniform growing environment. When the environment is non-uniform, achieving consistent production based on location becomes challenging. This study aims to analyze these interactions through multi-node, multi-factor monitoring in an actual plant factory that engages in hydroponics. To achieve this, we developed a monitoring system tailored for measuring the growth environment in plant factories. Specifically, we created a monitoring device capable of real-time measurement of six key indoor environmental factors, a network system that facilitates multi-node data collection by utilizing both Zigbee and WiFi, and a dashboard for simplified management. The developed monitoring system was implemented in an 'A' plant factory and collected 44,640 data points over a month. It empirically demonstrated that indoor environmental factors vary by location within the growing space, depending on the surrounding environment and the placement and operation of environmental facilities. The temperature of the nutrient solution showed a statistically strong correlation with other indoor environmental factors. This indicates that the operation of environmental facilities in a plant factory should be comprehensively managed in real-time, with a focus on the relationship of the nutrient solution temperature to other indoor environmental factors. Such management is especially crucial when considering the dynamic interrelationships among nutrient solution temperature, other indoor conditions, and the varying demands imposed by plant growth activity. These results offer valuable guidelines for optimizing the growing environment in plant factories and will serve as an important reference for plant factory operators. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To assess the association of indoor environmental risk factors with respiratory function among adults in an acid rain-plagued city in China where coal use is frequent. Methods: The subjects were randomly selected in the winter season. Information on selected home environmental factors was collected through administered questionnaires. Additionally, pulmonary function tests, including Forced Vital Capacity (FVC), Forced Expiratory Volume in 1 s (FEV), FEV/FVC and Peak Expiratory Flow Rate (PEFR) were also performed in participants. Results: This study showed that, among a variety of risk factors, coal fuel use, cooking oil fumes and active and passive smoking exposure together with asthma in childhood were important factors for deterioration of pulmonary function among adults in the winter season ( p < 0.05). Additionally, subjects whose kitchen was located in the living room or bedroom, who opened their windows only occasionally or never, who noted the presence of cooking oil fumes and pests, whose bedroom was shared by 3 or more residents and who kept pets tended to exhibit lower values of FVC, FEV and PEFR values compared with non-exposed counterparts ( p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study demonstrated impaired pulmonary function among adults who were exposed to indoor risk factors, such as coal fires and cigarette smoking compared to non-users in the winter season and emphasizes the need for public health efforts to decrease exposure to indoor air pollution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study was to measure concentrations of PM and airborne bacteria (AB) to determine how each one of them correlated with particular indoor environmental factors and characteristics of daycare centers in Seoul, South Korea.PM and AB were sampled in 330 daycare centers in the middle of a classroom, along with measurements of temperature and relative humidity. Spearman's correlation and Mann-Whitney analyses were used to examine the relationship among and differences between PM concentration, AB concentration, indoor environmental factors, and daycare center characteristics.There were significant correlations between PM concentration and AB concentration ( r = 0.128, p < 0.05), temperature ( r = 0.153, p < 0.01), and relative humidity ( r = 0.185, p < 0.01). PM concentrations with two or more windows; a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system; and the use of air purifier were lower than concentrations with one window, window ventilation only, and no air purifier. AB concentrations were significantly higher when daycare centers had only one window and used only window ventilation ( p < 0.05).Though there are many uncontrollable outdoor environmental factors that influence air quality, we demonstrated that using an HVAC system and an air purifier significantly reduces PM concentrations and is a practical change that could be implemented to improve the indoor air quality of daycare centers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The relationship between exposure to indoor environmental pollutants and incidence of asthma and wheezing illness in children is unclear. This study aimed to clarify this relationship by identifying the risk factors associated with these conditions in South Korean children aged 6-7 years. Methods: The parents or guardians of 3810 children aged 6-7 years who had participated in the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood and met the study criteria completed validated questionnaires regarding their children's asthma and wheezing illness, risk factors and exposure to indoor pollutants. The data were subjected to chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analysis to identify the factors significantly associated with asthma and wheezing illness. Results: Parental history of allergic disease (odds ratio [OR]: 1.729; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.447-2.066), living on the basement or semi-basement floor (OR: 1.891; 95% CI: 1.194-2.996) and living in housing that had been remodeled within the last 12 months (OR: 1.376; 95% CI: 1.101-1.720) were found to be significantly associated with wheezing illness. Parental history of allergic disease (OR: 2.189; 95% CI: 1.483-3.231), male sex (OR: 1.971; 95% CI: 1.369-2.838) and positive skin prick test (SPT) result (OR: 1.583; 95% CI: 1.804-3.698) were found to be significantly associated with current asthma. Conclusions: Although the risk factors for current asthma appear to be more related to the non-modifiable risk factors like sex, parental history of allergic diseases, SPT, the two groups are associated with exposure to modifiable indoor environmental factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Indoor environmental factors have been associated with deterioration of vital library and archival assets. The assessment of environmental factors affecting the library and document collections due to their inappropriate levels was the main objective of current study. In order to fulfill this objective the measurements of indoor environmental parameters were taken in manuscripts library and documents storage buildings of various Ministries of Sultanate of Oman. The measured values of these parameters were compared with the permitted values defined in various international standards/guidelines. The results of the study showed that the observed levels of environmental factors inside these buildings were not within the stipulated limits. The quality of indoor air at the studied locations was not appropriate for long term protection and preservation of their precious collections. Hence some preventive measures must be taken to safeguard these documentary assets. Practical implications - The indoor environments of library and archival collection buildings are very important for the protection and preservation of documentary assets. The study provides very useful information about the harmful indoor environmental factors and their effects on vital library and archival collections. This work would definitely help the concerning authorities to take remedial measures to control the inappropriate levels of these factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

People's feelings of comfort about the indoor environment are a comprehensive reflection of the interaction of various environmental factors. This paper focuses on the impact of the interaction of air temperature, illumination and sound pressure level on human environment comfort perception in the waiting hall of high-speed railway stations. However, it is necessary to consider waiting halls with different space scales, a relatively stable experimental environment state and combined experiments of different environmental factor variables under the same experimental conditions. To solve this problem, this study adopts the method of combining on-site measurement, environment simulation cabin and VR (virtual reality) technology to construct the experiment scheme. The experimental results of this study confirm the following points: (i) People prefer the medium-scale waiting hall space. (ii) In the warm indoor environment in winter, the thermal environment comfort perception evaluation increases with increasing of illumination. The thermal comfort evaluation score in the environment (1500 – 3000 Lx, 26 °C) is 6.94% higher than that in the environment (150 – 500 Lx, 26 °C). (iii) Light environment perception is affected by the interaction of air temperature and sound pressure level, and a warm environment will reduce people's light environment comfort. The light environment comfort perception evaluation is negatively correlated with the sound pressure level. (iv) The sound environment comfort is affected by the temperature. When the air temperature increases from 17 °C to 26 °C, the acoustic environment comfort evaluation score is reduced by 22.84%. • People prefer the medium-scale waiting hall space. • The low illuminance will reduce the thermal environment comfort in waiting hall. • The warm environment will reduce the light environment comfort in waiting hall. • The sound environment comfort is affected by the air temperature in waiting hall. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Indoor Environmental Quality (IEQ) is a basic requirement for the design of energy-efficient buildings since it affects the occupants' well-being and health inside buildings. Over the years, the issue of IEQ has been widely investigated under different perspectives: from the first experiments aimed at assessing the physiological response of individuals it has become a human-centric concept. In recent years, new paradigms have influenced buildings design towards sustainable and highly efficient constructions. Zero-Energy Buildings (ZEBs) are the current challenge which should be appropriately addressed with a holistic approach to achieve excellent IEQ and energy efficiency levels. Thermal, visual and acoustic comfort and indoor air quality are the most important Indoor Environmental Factors (IEF) characterizing the overall environmental condition of indoor spaces. However, there is no standard method to calculate the overall IEQ level of a building by monitoring and aggregating all individual aspects of comfort. This article aims to bridge this gap, proposing a method to define weighting factors of IEFs. A survey was carried on 100 participants out in a fully monitored Zero-Energy full-scale test building to collect and analyse the answers of the sample about their evaluation of IEFs. The collected data of questionnaire-based IEQ responses were treated with a multiple linear regression model. The results prove that IEQ is affected mostly by IAQ during the test. The proposed weighting factors were applied to rank the monitoring-based IEFs. The comparison between objective (monitoring-based) and subjective (questionnaire-based) analyses shows how the former underestimates IEQ with respect to the latter. • A questionnaire-based survey on IEQ is carried out involving 100 participants. • Weighting factors are proposed to classify the indoor comfort of ZEB. • An IEQ design-based index calculated through an aggregation of IEF is proposed. • The objective and subjective comparison suggests that the former underestimates IEQ. • The consistency of the proposed design quantities and their limit values are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Asthma, rhinitis, and eczema are becoming increasingly prevalent among children in China. Studies have shown that the perinatal period is critical and impacts children's health. However, research on the associations between perinatal factors and childhood allergic diseases in China are few. We investigated 7366 children of ages 0-8 years old. The childhood asthma and allergies were surveyed by distributing questionnaires, modelled after Dampness in Buildings and Health (DBH) study in Sweden and had been validated. To determine the prevalence of the allergic conditions, explore for potential confounders, and analyze the associations between the allergies and the home environmental factors, chi-square test and binary logistic regression models (enter method) were employed. The prevalence of children's doctor-diagnosed asthma, rhinitis, and eczema were 4.4%, 9.5%, and 39.1%, respectively. After adjusting for sociodemographic factors, the negative effect of dampness/humidity on children's health became more obvious, with odd ratios (aORs) of up to 1.70 (95% confidence interval (CI): 1.12-2.57) for doctor-diagnosed asthma (DDA), 2.12 (95% CI: 1.38-3.25) for doctor-diagnosed rhinitis (DDR) and 1.79 (95% CI: 1.46-2.21) for doctor-diagnosed eczema (DDE). With parental smoking, aORs of up to 4.66 (95% CI: 1.99-10.92) for DDA and 1.74 (95%: 1.00-3.02) for DDE. Renovation exhibited aORs of up to 1.67 (95% CI: 1.13-2.47) for DDR. Although they showed no significant associations with some of the health outcomes, contact with animals, in general, were risk factors for the allergic conditions. Generally, the indoor environmental factors around the perinatal period were significant risk factors for the doctor-diagnosed allergic conditions discussed in this study.

Background: Although mounting evidence have linked traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) with increased risk of preterm birth (PTB), whether it can interact with indoor environmental factors remains unknown, and its window(s) susceptibility at the stage of gestation is unclear., Objective: To explore PTB risk for prenatal exposure to traffic-related air pollution and home environmental factors during pregnancy, so as to identify critical window(s) in the combined effect of traffic air pollution and main home environmental factor(s) on PTB development., Methods: A retrospective cohort study of 3,509 preschool children was performed in Changsha, China during 2011-2012. The PTB prevalence was reported by the parents based on a questionnaire. We estimated each mother's exposure to traffic-related air pollutant NO 2 in different windows of gestation, including conception month, three trimesters, birth month, and whole gestation. Maternal exposure to home environmental factors was considered by renovation (new furniture/redecoration) in pregnancy, and mold/damp stains and window condensation during perinatal period. Associations of PTB with both ambient NO 2 and home environmental factors, and their interactions on PTB were evaluated by logistic regression models using odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (CI)., Results: Traffic air pollutant NO 2 exposure in utero was significantly associated with PTB, with adjusted odds ratio (OR) (95% CI) of 1.41 (1.00-1.98) for an IQR increase in NO 2 exposure during whole pregnancy, particularly in the conception month and 1 st trimester. We further found a positive relationship between perinatal exposure to mold/damp stains in the homes and PTB, OR (95% CI) = 1.73 (1.04-2.90). Especially, we detected a significant interaction between outdoor NO 2 and indoor mold/damp stains on PTB risk. Male and female foetus were respectively more susceptible to perinatal mold/dampness at home and outdoor NO 2 exposure in early gestation., Conclusion: Our finding indicates that both outdoor traffic air pollutant and indoor mold/dampness play key roles in PTB development, and their interaction effect in early pregnancy significantly increases PTB risk., (Copyright © 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)