Green Environments and Happiness Level in Housing Areas toward a Sustainable Life

Preparation of Aloe-Emodin Microcapsules and Its Effect on Antibacterial and Optical Properties of Water-Based Coating

With the development of science and technology, the function of waterborne coatings has been advanced to a higher standard, which requires researchers to innovate and expand the research on them. Aloe-emodin is a natural material with antibacterial properties. Applying its antibacterial effect to the coating can enrich its function and meet the diversified needs of consumers. In this study, the urea-formaldehyde resin was used as the wall material and the aloe-emodin as the core material to prepare the microcapsules. The coating rate, yield, and morphology of the microcapsules were characterized. Through an orthogonal experiment and a single factor experiment, the optimization scheme of microcapsule preparation was explored. The results indicated that the optimum preparation process of aloe-emodin microcapsules was as follows: the mass ratio of core material to wall material was 1:15, the molar ratio of urea to formaldehyde was 1:1.2, the temperature of microencapsulation was 50 °C, and the stirring speed of microencapsulation was 600 rpm. On this basis, the aloe-emodin microcapsules with 0%, 1.0%, 3.0%, 6.0%, 9.0%, and 12.0% contents were added to the waterborne coating to prepare the paint films, and their influence on the antibacterial and optical properties of the waterborne paint films was explored. The results demonstrated that the aloe-emodin microcapsules had antibacterial activity. When the content was 6.0%, the comprehensive performance of the film was better. The antibacterial rate of the film against Escherichia coli was 68.1%, and against Staphylococcus aureus it was 60.7%. The color difference of the film was 59.93, and the glossiness at 60° was 7.8%. In this study, the microcapsules that can improve the antibacterial performance of water-based coatings were prepared, which can expand the application of water-based coatings and provide a reference for the study of the functionalization of water-based coatings.

Residents and Professionals’ Perspectives on Energy and Water Consumption While Transiting from Conventional to Sustainable Housings in South Africa

The concept of sustainable construction is, unfortunately, not implemented in many developing countries, and even where it is, e.g., South Africa, the uptake is still slow. In the present study, we evaluate, based on residents and professionals’ perspectives, the sustainability measures implemented at the Belhar Gardens Rental Estate (BGRE), a sustainable housing rated for its Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies (EDGE) in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Data were collected through questionnaires administered to experienced professionals (n = 19) and residents (n = 106) of BGRE and analysed using descriptive statistics and a modelling approach. We found that 95% of professionals were aware of the concept of sustainable construction, and 74% were aware of the National Building Act 103 of 1977. However, some barriers to sustainable construction were raised: (i) it is expensive and (ii) there is a limited knowledge of how the sustainability concept can benefit the construction industry. Ecological design and procurement are the solutions proposed by professionals to mainstream sustainable construction in South Africa. Finally, 63% of the professionals indicated that the centralized heat pumps installed in BGRE lead to efficient energy use. Surprisingly, only 61% of residents are aware that energy-saving measures are implemented in BGRE, and only 40% of the residents agree that the energy-saving measures implemented are efficient. Interestingly, 65% of residents indicated that energy consumption in BGRE is less than what they consumed in conventional housings. Finally, none of the variables tested (age, gender and residence time) correlate with residents’ satisfaction with sustainability measures in BGRE, making it difficult to predict what drives people’s satisfaction in an EDGE-rated housing. By identifying the barriers and benefits of sustainable construction, we provide opportunities on which to press to improve the awareness, mainstreaming and uptake of the sustainable construction approach in South Africa.

New assessment for residential greenness and the association with cortical thickness in cognitively healthy adults

BACKGROUND

Recent evidence suggests that neurological health could be improved with the intervention of local green space. A few studies adopted cortical thickness, as an effective biomarker for neurodegenerative disorder, to investigate the association with residential greenness. However, they relied on limited data sources, definitions or applications to assess residential greenness. Our cross-sectional study assessed individual residential greenness using an alternative measure, which provides a more realistic definition of local impact and application based on the type of area, and investigated the association with cortical thickness.

METHODS

The study population included 2542 subjects who participated in the medical check-up program at the Health Promotion Center of the Samsung Medical Center in Seoul, Korea, from 2008 to 2014. The cortical thickness was calculated by each of the four and global lobes from brain MRI. For greenness, we used the enhanced vegetation index (EVI) that detects canopy structural variation by adjusting background noise based on satellite imagery data. To assess individual exposure to residential greenness, we computed the maximum annual EVI before the date of a medical check-up and averaged it within 750 m from subjects' homes to represent an average walking distance. Finally, we assessed the association with cortical thickness by urban and non-urban populations using multiple linear regression adjusting for individual characteristics.

RESULTS

The average global cortical thickness and EVI were 3.05 mm (standard deviation = 0.1 mm) and 0.31 (0.1), respectively. An interquartile range increase in EVI was associated with 11 μm (95% confidence interval = 3-20) and 9 μm (1-16) increases in cortical thickness of the parietal and occipital regions among the urban population. We did not find associations in non-urban subjects.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings confirm the association between residential greenness and neurological health using alternative exposure assessments, indicating that high exposure to residential greenness can prevent neurological disorders.

An Intelligent Waste Removal System for Smarter Communities

With the continuous progress of urbanization, the discharge of municipal solid waste has profoundly affected human production/living and social ecological health, and waste disposal has become one of the key issues all over the world. In the context of intelligent technology, this paper innovates the way of waste disposal according to the development direction of a smart city and the requirement of sustainable development strategy. An intelligent urban waste removal system is developed using a ROS (Route Operation System) robot operating system and RRT (Rapid Exploration of Random Trees) path planning algorithm. With a background of data management, the entire process of intelligent automatic waste removal is triggered by automatic communication from individual waste bins to a waste collection vehicle (WCV) where the bin needs to be emptied, and the automatic collection and transportation by the WCV in response. In combination with the IoT (Internet of Things), the system provides scientific data support for the intelligent layout of communities and even urban waste bins to greatly enhance the development of intelligence communities and smart cities.

Happiness, Generativity and Social Preferences in a Developing Country: A Possibility of Future Design

Happiness, generativity and social preferences are pivotal factors for the betterment and sustainability of societies. However, little is known about the relationships among happiness, generativity and social preferences, along with sociodemographic factors, within a single analytical framework. We hypothesize that generativity and social preferences are the determinants of happiness, posing a research question “Are people happier by being prosocial and/or generative for sustainability?” We conduct a survey experiment, collecting data from five subjective happiness scales, generativity, social value orientation and sociodemographic variables in one urban area (Dhaka) and two rural areas (Bogra and Gaibandha) in Bangladesh. With the data, we empirically characterize determinants of subjective happiness with a focus on generativity and social value orientation, controlling for sociodemographic factors. The statistical analysis consistently shows a positive association between subjective happiness and generativity, irrespective of the type of happiness scale, while social value orientation does not exhibit any significance. Rural residents have lower peer relative happiness than urban residents, and household income has a positive relationship with general subjective happiness, leading each of these factors to be significant in overall subjective happiness. In summary, generativity, income and residence area are main determinants of happiness, implying that further urbanization, which is expected to occur in the future, will positively affect people’s happiness if it can bring about an increase in generativity. These results also suggest a possibility that people are happier by being more generative for sustainability, and some new institutional framework such as future design shall be recommended to enhance generativity.