Water and energy are two of the most precious and essential resources which are inseparably connected; vital for the survival and well-being of humanity. Sustainable water resources and energy management emphasizes the requirement for a holistic approach in meeting the needs of the present and future generations. In order to indentify the needs and obstacles relating to water reuse and renewable energy initiatives, Hanson Formpave in partnership with The University of Edinburgh implement a five-year pilot project between May 2005 and June 2010. The research project addressed the use of sustainable urban drainage systems (SUDS) such as permeable pavements systems (PPS) and integration of renewable energy tools such as geothermal heat pumps (GHPs). The research uses the novel and timely urban drainage system and focuses on water quality assessment when incorporated with GHPs. Twelve-tanked laboratory scaled experimental PPS were evaluated at The King’s Building campus (The University of Edinburgh, Scotland) using different compositions. Variations in designs included the presence of geotextiles layers and geothermal heating/cooling applications. The experimental rigs were examined for a two year period (March 2008 to April 2010). Two types of urban stormwater were used in the analysis; (i) gully pot liquor and (ii) gully pot liquor spiked with Canis lupus familiaris (dog) faeces. This urban wastewater represented the extreme worstcase scenario from a storm event, which can occur on a permeable pavement parking lot. The pavement systems operated in batch-flow to mimic weekly storm events and reduce pumping costs. Six PPS were located indoor in a controlled environment and six corresponding PPS were placed outdoors to allow for a direct comparison of controlled and uncontrolled environmental conditions. The outdoor rig simulated natural weather conditions whilst the indoor rig operated under controlled environmental conditions such as regulated temperature, humidity and light. The project assessed the performance of these pavement rigs with the integration of ground-source heating and cooling, standalone PPS and the abilities for water quality treatment from a physical, chemical and microbiological perspective. The performance efficiency of the GHP was measured by the energy efficiency ration (EER) for steady state cooling efficiency and the coefficient of performance (COP) for the heating cycle efficiency. Findings from the combined PPS and GHP system and standalone systems were able to significantly lower levels for all physiochemical and microbial water quality parameters in the range of (70-99.99%) respectively. Outflow concentrations for all pavement systems met the European Commission Environment Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive (91/271/EEC). The presence of geotextiles resulted in a significant reduction of contaminants when compared to PPS systems without (p <0.05). Photocatalytic disinfection with titanium dioxide (TIO2) was applied to the effluent from PPS for further treatment and polishing of the stormwater. After the photocatalytic disinfection, the water met the requirements for the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA) water recycling guidelines and the World Health Organisation (WHO) guidelines for potable water consumption with regards to microbial contamination. An Energy and temperature balance was developed for two PPS using a 4th order Runge-Kutta numerical method to model the heat fluxes and energy balance within the pavement system. Machine learning techniques such as artificial neural networks (backpropagatioin feed forward neural networks) and self-organising maps (SOM) were applied and successfully predicted the effluent concentrations of nutrients, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and microbial pollutants. The overall outcome of this research is a significant contribution to the development of a new generable of sustainable and eco-friendly pavements. The research project proves scientifically that PPS is one of the most appropriate systems for GHP installation and does not affect its efficiency for water pollutant removal.

Understanding that disease is a limiting factor to the aquaculture industry together with the knowledge that drugs and chemotherapeutics can cause newly resistant bacterial strains, has driven attention to finding new prophylactic measures to control diseases that include vaccination and the use of “functional feeds” to modulate the fish immune system. The supplementation of immunostimulants into fish diets is already widely used in aquaculture. However, searching for new and effective substances is one of the targets of many fish feed suppliers, including EWOS Ltd. who have co-funded the work presented in this study. There are a number of immunostimulant molecules used at present. Some bacterial components such as LPS are used to enrich fish diets and have been described to improve the natural immune defences. In contrast, peptidoglycan (PG), another ubiquitous component of the bacterial cell wall, has so far received less attention and is therefore investigated in this present study. Its ability to stimulate innate immunity is assessed using antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) as molecular markers, which are known to be involved in the early response against a broad range of pathogens. To date, AMPs in fish are not well characterised and in most cases the mechanisms of pathogen killing as well as the pathways inducing their expression still remain to be elucidated. Initially the cloning and characterisation of three novel trout β-defensin genes (omDB-2, omDB-3, omBD-4) was performed, and the molecules compared to the previously reported omDB-1. Each β-defensin gene was fully cloned and preliminary expression work in vivo and in vitro revealed the ability of these genes to be induced by bacteria and viruses. Analysis of the gene organization found that all three new genes contained three exons divided by two introns. Constitutive expression of these genes was detected by real time PCR ofmucosal and systemic tissues from healthy fish, with omDB-3 and omDB-4 showing the highest expression levels. Following bacterial challenge in vivo, the defensin genes were induced at the three mucosal sites examined (skin, gill, gut), with levels of omDB-2 and omDB-3 increased some 16-fold in gut and gill respectively. Using polyinosinic polycytosinic RNA (polyI:C) as a viral mimic, all of the four trout -defensin genes were induced in head kidney primary leucocyte cultures at 4h post-stimulation, with omDB-1 and omDB-3 showing particularly high expression. To determine the -defensin spectrum of activity against 10 strains of Gram negative and Gram positive bacteria, transfected RTG-2 cell lines over expressing GFP and the target genes omDB-1, omDB-3 and omDB-4 -defensins were produced and their supernatants used. Results showed highest bioactivity against Gram negative bacteria, in particular the supernatant from omDB-1 transfected cells showed the widest range of activity towards the majority of selected bacteria. In addition immune relevant genes (Toll-like receptors, genes involved in the anti-inflammatory response and in the apoptosis process) were screened in normal cell lines stimulated with the supernatant of omDB-1, as well as in the RTG-2 cells transfected with the three different defensins. Results showed for all the cell lines, a clear link with the viral recognition receptors TLR 3 and TLR 9, which supported the poly I:C data reported in Chapter 2 and by the induction in omDB-1 and omDB-3 transfected cell lines of the IFN- gene known to be involved in the antiviral response. Trout β-defensins also up-regulated MHC II and the CCR6 receptor. To determine the effects of fish diets enriched with different concentrations of PG, three in vivo feeding trial experiments in rainbow trout were carried out. Effectiveness of the diets was assessed using gene expression of selected AMPs, including β-defensins, cathelicidins and liver expressed antimicrobial peptide molecules. Fish fed with diets containing either 10 mg/Kg or 50 mg/Kg of PG respectively, showed the highest up-regulation of AMPs at 14 days of feeding. Data showed omDB-2 in the gut as the most inducible gene in agreement with the results obtained in the first experiment and omDB-3 was the fastest to respond in skin and gill. In addition, after ceasation of feeding the enriched diet, modulation of AMP expression was still detectable 28 days later, although a lower degree of induction was found in such fish relative to those maintained on the enriched diet. A final PG feeding trial was combined with a Yersinia ruckeri bacterial challenge which used two PG supplemented diets containing 10 mg/Kg and 50 mg/Kg of immunostimulant, and a commercial β-glucan supplemented diet (as a positive control), and fed to trout for 7 and 14 days before intraperitoneal injection challenge of the fish. Only a delay in the mortality rate was found in fish fed for 14 days with the 10 mg/Kg diet, with no clear protection from any of the functional feeds assessed. Finally, at least 500 bp of the regulatory 5’ end flanking region of two defensin (omDB-1 and omDB-2) and two liver expressed (hepcidin and LEAP-2A) genes were cloned and sequenced. In addition, the promoter sequence already known for the cathelicidin-1 gene was used in this study. Bioinformatic tools were used to search for putative transcription factor binding sites, and revealed the presence in all promoters of regulatory elements which could enhance or inhibit the expression of these genes, in response to different stimuli.

Sustainable Built Environments Senior Capstone Project / Sustainable certifications are expanding in popularity within the built environment as the construction industry is progressing towards sustainability, while benefits are becoming more valuable to the businesses that reside in sustainably certified spaces. These benefits, such as thermal comfort and natural daylighting, not only translate to enhancing employee’s health, but employers within sustainably certified buildings have found greater retention rates in employees, improved business recruitment, as well as higher productivity in employees. The range of this analysis is directed towards two businesses that reside in sustainably certified buildings, DPR Construction-Phoenix in Arizona and the Mosaic Centre for Conscious Community and Commerce in Edmonton, Canada. Both buildings will be assessed for the impact their sustainable space have on their business. The purpose of this study is to examine the impacts of holistic and specific components of sustainability certifications, exclusively LEED and Net Zero Energy, on businesses. The study was unique as it was conducted by interviewing an integral consultant/designer in the construction process that still currently works in the building. The interview revealed that DPR Construction found employees to be more comfortable in their workspace, thus suggesting that productivity would be improved however this cannot be measured. The Mosaic Centre found new business advantages such as utilizing the space for tours and community engagement opportunities that have given the businesses within the Mosaic Centre unique marketing opportunities to improve business. This analysis will help commercial building owners gain insight on the business impacts of implementing sustainable building components to achieve a LEED certification, Net-Zero Status or a Living Building Challenge certification.

For  many  off-road drive   lovers,  planning a journey to  Tibet   is an ultimate dream.  However, the eco-system there  is quite sensitive and fragile. In this project I try to design  a sustainable vehicle that  could make us enjoy  an expedition to Tibet  while  protecting such precious environment. Research  about future trends, about the  environmental conditions, about emerging powertrain technologies and the Jeep brand helped me to establish my design  concept. Package  study, ideation sketches and clay modelling were used to develop both styling and functionality aspects of the vehicle. Digital modelling supported the fabrication of a quarter scale model.  Storytelling was used  to  explain the  concept and  the  situations that  Jeep  E-pic  drivers could meet  during their expedition. The result  is a self-powered all-terrain vehicle designed to carry  two occupants and their  expedition gear and equipped with various tools to handle  eventual maintenance and rescue  situations.

This study is research into practice, concerned with locating a critical perspective into the possibilities of drama in achieving sustainable development within communities. This qualitative research approach draws on action-research paradigms, ethnographic techniques and drama methodologies to create in depth analysis of the facilitation and action of community drama within case study contexts. The case study contexts were drawn from the field of mental health provision and the context of self-advocacy for people with learning difficulties. Drama and video workshops were facilitated within these groups between periods of 9 - 18 months. Participants were involved from three groups including a women's group and a male orientated group within mental health provision, and a group for young adults with learning difficulties within a self advocacy project. This thesis contributes to knowledge in the field of Theatre for Development and UK community based drama in the following ways: The thesis suggests that previous assumptions and claims as to the 'success' of community drama projects need closer, critical interrogation. Analysis of the field work reveals that 'visions' of theatre and development face conflict when positioned in context, as both the nature and action of community is itself contested and ambivalent. The relationship of the facilitator role to other involved parties is given specific interrogation. The role and persona of the facilitator as a key player is identified, and demonstrated as such throughout the thesis through adoption of self-reflexive strategies of writing. It becomes clear that the radical, pedagogic intent of the drama process to foster collective ownership through the critical addressing and the representation of issues pertinent to a group's social reality, is questioned by those involved at various levels in the process. In exploring the nature of drama and video representations as resistance and intervention, sites of personal resistance and 'counter' interventions are illuminated. However, the reality of resistance is also bound up within the complexity of identity politics where the consequences of 'coming out' and accepting a label can become both a liberatory and oppressive experience. In chapter eight the continual difficulty of sustainability is examined and critiqued in the light of key issues identified within the previous chapters. Finally, the thesis assesses the substantive issues in relation to current discourses in cultural theory. By resisting opportunities to prescribe models and techniques thus reproducing the discourses critiqued this study culminates with optimism. Developing creative frameworks, that genuinely engage with contradiction and the complicated politics of context, are deemed as critical conditions for practices.

This study is going to investigate the energy performance of a temporary building on campus and analyze it thoroughly to identify the trends on energy consumption. Then, it is going to select the best strategy that can improve its performance in this region. Next, a prototype design of a high energy performance building is going to be proposed to the university authorities to be constructed in the permanent campus in the second phase and, identify a list of the best strategies that are more appropriate for the climate of the city. Finely, a comparative study is going to be conducted by using energy analyses software (eQUEST) to find out the annual saving of the proposed design over the existing building.

In the recent years around the world there has been a constant increase in the number of students who apply to continue their studies at a higher level, this in turn has brought a great demand in the occupation for student housing. Finding a place to live is one of the issues that new students have to face when moving into another city or country, which can be really challenging at times. The project speculates with a design concept that may help the demands for student housing in the city of Växjö, Sweden. The idea is a housing unit for one person that occupies a space of 13 m2 with an interior space of 10 m2 so it can be moved with a truck to the place where required for a temporary time. The interior proposes an efficient, flexible and comfortable space for the needs in the everyday life of a student. This is done with an organize layout and some multi-purpose furniture that can also be retractable when not in use to save space.

"Globally, inadequate access to safe water and sanitation services, coupled with poor hygiene practices, kills and sickens thousands of children every day and leads to impoverishment and diminished opportunities for thousands more. The United Nations (UN), has recognized water, sanitation and hygiene (WaSH) as major issues that greatly affect the global poor. Under its Millennium Development Goals, the UN has set targets for addressing these issues. Namely, the UN aims to reduce by 50% the proportion of the global population without sustainable access to safe drinking water and basic sanitation by 2015. In 2010, the target of halving the proportion of people without access to improved sources of water was met five years ahead of schedule. Despite progress, 2.5 billion people in developing countries still lack access to improved sanitation facilities. As a result, the vision of WaSH is incomplete. Often, lack of access to basic sanitation is a daily reality for persons residing in informal settlements. The focus of this thesis was an area called Zwelitsha in the informal settlement of Langrug. Located in Stellenbosch Municipality near Cape Town, South Africa, Zwelitsha currently has few functional toilets for its 604 residents. As a result, persons resort to open defecation, contributing to environmental contamination and possible disease transmission throughout the settlement. Thus, sanitation is a significant need for Zwelitsha. Advancing the work of the Cape Town Project Centre (CTPC) – a center location within the Interdisciplinary and Global Studies Division of Worcester Polytechnic Institute – this thesis aimed to address the shortcomings in the provision of sanitation services within Zwelitsha. Through research, urine divergent dehydration and composting toilet systems were found to be the most technically feasible and applicable for meeting the sanitation needs of Zwelitsha. Favorable characteristics of these systems include independence from a connection to water pipes, sewerage, and energy sources and the generation of usable agricultural products. Both household level and community level options were proposed in this thesis. Proposed systems can be integrated into a large-scale WaSH facility with additional services such as water taps, sinks, toilets, showers, laundry stations, recreational areas, gardens, and salons for local business. "

In the design phase of any building industry, appropriate material selection is critical for the entire project. A poor choice of material may affect the quality of the project, lead to high cost during the long term operation and maintenance phases, and even endangering humans and the environment. Since the inception of the United States Green Building Council (USGBC) in 1993, ¡°green¡± buildings have become a hot topic and people have become concerned about how sustainable their buildings are. In order to determine the level of sustainability in buildings, the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) has developed a rating system that has been established now as the common denominator in the industry. However, the LEED rating system simplifies, or even ignores, explicit considerations for Lifecycle Assessment (LCA) in determining the selection of building materials. This lack of explicit consideration for LCA does not permit a full assessment in determining how truly sustainable the chosen materials are. This research analyzes the factors impacting the selection of the green materials and reviews the current standards used in green material. It proposes a more comprehensive rating method for the green material selection illustrating its applicability through a case study analysis based on new WPI Sports and Recreation Center. It is expected that this study would contribute to a better understanding of the sustainable materials selection and can improve help to improving their long term performance in buildings.

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