Occupant behaviour in buildings is a point of interest for building designers around the world. Functional buildings have a significant energy demand; therefore, improving the thermal and energy performance of such buildings requires knowledge about the variables that influence them. However, to increase the potential for improving thermal and energy performance of buildings, studies must also consider the occupant’s interactions with the built environment. The occupant behaviour influences the conditions of the internal environment through the occupation of indoor building spaces and through the interaction with building elements, such as air-conditioning, lighting, blinds and windows. Occupant Behaviour in Buildings: Advances and Challenges brings together reviews of these influential aspects, presenting updates on advances and questions that pose challenges in our current understanding of behavioural modeling and its application to building design. Special topics covered in the book include methods to survey occupant behavior, building design choices, occupant behaviour impact on a building's thermal and energy efficiency, and,finally, a simulation of occupants in a building. </P> Key Features </P> - Presents up-to-date information on occupant behaviour in buildings </P> - Eight chapters, written by renowned researchers, provide readers with useful insights on the subject </P> - Includes a case study of buildings in Brazil </P> - Structured reader-friendly content </P> - References for further reading </P> This reference is an informative resource for students and professionals in architecture, civil engineering, building information design, and urban planning. Readers interested in social and behavioural sciences will also gain insights on research methods that are helpful in investigating human behavior in urban dwellings.

The Sustainable Renovation of Buildings and Neighborhoods is a collection of papers presented at the International Congress of Sustainable Construction and Eco‐efficient Solutions. This event has established itself as a forum for meeting academics from around the word, researchers and professionals of the construction sector, in which environmental information is shared with a multidisciplinary context, and which involves participants from different areas of the construction process. The congress brings together development proposals through a shared vision of environmental sustainability and presents alternative solutions to problems through technical presentations and trainings, in order to minimize the environmental impact caused by the construction sector. This monograph celebrates the event’s second international edition and its fourth national edition. The volume contains selected articles written by the participants. Readers will find information about interesting, new developments and concepts on • Energy retrofitting in older buildings • Tools to determine and measure environmental impact and sustainability indicators • Economic / cost based revaluation of buildings through the viability of eco‐efficient solutions • Reduction of the consumption of material and energy resources and in CO2 emissions • Sustainability research based on the renovation of urban areas. The studies in this book provide real examples from different countries (Argentina and Spain, for example). The Sustainable Renovation of Buildings and Neighborhoods is a useful reference for researchers and professional architects involved in sustainable development, environmental rehabilitation and the construction industry.

Frontiers in Biomaterials: The Design, Synthetic Strategies and Biocompatibility of Polymer Scaffolds for Biomedical Application, Volume 1 highlights the importance of biomaterials and their interaction with biological system. The need for the development of biomaterials as scaffold for tissue regeneration is driven by the increasing demands for materials that mimic functions of extracellular matrices of body tissues. This eBook covers the latest challenges on the biocompatibility of scaffold overtime after implantation and discusses the requirement of innovative technologies and strategies for the development of materials with long-lasting scaffold and biocompatibility functions. The contents of this eBook include chapters on cell-scaffold interactions in three dimensions, nanocrystalline diamond films for biomedical applications, bioceramics-design, synthesis and biological applications, polyester biomaterials for regenerative medicine, nanomaterials for skin regeneration and many more. This book is a valuable resource for MSc and PhD students , academic personnel and researchers seeking updated and critically important information on biomaterials and biomedical applications.

The need for the development of biomaterials as scaffold for tissue regeneration is driven by the increasing demands for materials that mimic functions of extracellular matrices of body tissues. Unfolding the Biopolymer Landscape provides a unique account of &amp;ldquo;biopolymeric interventions&amp;rdquo; inherent to biotechnological applications, soft tissue engineering, ophthalmic drug delivery, biotextiles, environmentally responsive systems, neurotherapeutics, and emulsions-based formulations for food and pharmaceutical applications. Chapters in this volume also cover biomedical applications and implications of cationic polymers, collagen-based substrates, multifunctional polymers, shape memory biopolymers, hybrid semisynthetic biomaterials, microbial exopolysaccharides, biomaterials mimicking the extracellular microenvironment, derivatized polysaccharides, and metallic biomaterials. Each chapter is distinctly written by experts in the respective fields and emphasis is given on the mechanistic profile of the performance of biopolymers and biomedical applications. This book provides both basic and advanced biopolymer information for scientific experts and early career researchers in the field of drug delivery, tissue engineering, nanomedicine, food technology, peptide science, biomaterial design, and nutrition. This volume provides a unique account of &amp;ldquo;biopolymeric interventions&amp;rdquo; inherent to biotechnological applications, soft tissue engineering, ophthalmic drug delivery, biotextiles, environmentally responsive systems, neurotherapeutics, and emulsions-based formulations for food and pharmaceutical applications.

This volume presents 10 reviews contributed by eminent researchers around the world on chitosan based materials. The introductory chapters present information on general characteristics of chitosan and various types of materials which are based on it such as nanofibers, nanoparticles, nanocapsules and other chemically modified chitosans. This is followed by an explanation of chitosan characterization and extraction techniques. Concluding chapters describe the applications of chitosan products in water treatment, drug delivery, edible films and pervaporation membranes. Readers will therefore gain an understanding about chitosan and materials derived from this polymer and their practical applications. The volume serves as a simple reference for chemical engineering students and professionals interested in the basic and applied chemistry of chitosan and chitosan-derived products.

Tissue engineering is an interdisciplinary field which involves the fabrication of tissues by using a porous protein scaffold, cells and bioactive molecules. The aim of tissue engineering is to enhance medical applications and procedures. This volume introduces the reader to the basics of employing pluripotent stem cells in tissue engineering. Successive chapters present knowledge about relevant tissue engineering techniques in different medical and physiological specialties including dentistry, cardiovascular physiology, hepatology, nephrology, dermatology and orthopedics. The text offers a wealth of information that will be of use to all students, bioengineers, materials scientists, chemists, physicians and surgeons concerned with the properties, performance, and the application of tissue engineering scaffolds in clinical settings.

This volume reviews the published knowledge about bioactive composites, protein scaffolds and hydrogels. Chapters also detail the production parameters and clarify the evaluation protocol for analysis or testing and scaffolding biomaterials. The volume concludes with a summary of applications of porous scaffold in medicine. Each chapter links basic scientific and engineering concepts to practical applications for the benefit of the reader. The text offers a wealth of information that will be of use to all students, bioengineers, materials scientists, chemists, physicians and surgeons concerned with the properties, performance, and the application of tissue engineering scaffolds in clinical settings.

Nature has provided opportunities for scientists to observe patterns in biomaterials which can be imitated when designing construction materials. Materials designed with natural elements can be robust and environment friendly at the same time. Advances in our understanding of biology and materials science coupled with the extensive observation of nature have stimulated the search for better accommodation/compression of materials and the higher organization/reduction of mechanical stress in man-made structures. </p> <p> Bio-Inspired Materials is a collection of topics that explore frontiers in 3 sections of bio-inspired design: (i) bionics design, (ii) bio-inspired construction, and (iii) bio-materials. Chapters in each section address the most recent advances in our knowledge about the desired and expected relationship between humans and nature and its use in bio-inspired buildings. Readers will also be introduced to new concepts relevant to bionics, biomimicry, and biomimetics. </p> <p> Section (i) presents research concepts based on information gained from the direct observation of nature and its applications for human living. </p> <p> Section (ii) is devoted to ‘artificial construction’ of the Earth. This section addresses issues on geopolymers, materials that resemble the structure of soils and natural rocks; procedures that reduce damage caused by earthquakes in natural construction, the development of products from vegetable resins and construction principles using bamboo. </p> <p> The last section takes a look into the future towards the improvement of human living conditions. </p> <p> Bio-Inspired Materials offers readers - having a background in architecture, civil engineering and systems biology - a new perspective about sustainable building which is a key part of addressing the environmental concerns of current times. </p>