Monday, September 30, 2019

Bellinger and Transsexuals

Bellinger V Bellinger case might lawfully be epitomized as clear and unbiased reference to putative gender-sex differentiating and even opposition. Social role of an individual is what apparently regarded as a reflection of his/her inner, biological role. Male and female interact and represent themselves in their respective gender roles as they are accostomed to and as it is their only way to fully reveal their personality, gender role being an essential part to it.So far, within the academic notion of ‘sex’ or, if related to psychology, ‘sex identity’ two distinct and rather discrete categories, first denoting biological [inborn] components, second denoting acquired through socialization pattern of behaviour, were embraced to secure separate and considerate approaches. That gender role is a concept relating to second or ‘acquired’ group of elements is a fact which thus far scarcely entail any poisonous implication.If there be a game participant s to which are free to chose their gender role and are warranted, by the rules of the game, to be fully accepted at their new status, this status will for the purpose of the game mean a ‘carte blanche’ for any constructive self formation and assuming myriad of new social roles which spurrs the creativity of the participants. That game is very much alike a masquerade, where costumes and dresses are commonly known and recognizable and the owners of those costumes, impersonal as they are wearing their dominos, are treated as if being a true heroes.The rules of the game which sanctionize impersonation, in fact, inaugurate the spirit of mockery and futher creativity of individuals which, perdued by the cloak of assumed gender, depart further from the province prescribed by their sex role assigned as birth. In fact, this abstract situation or game is hardly ruled by any societal regulation or government statutues; it is inherently present in human communities which tend to di ssociate into a number of nuclear communiteis which develope their internal regulations and are characterized by certain margin of deviation.What really empowers the participants of that kind of abstract situation and actualize their further expansion is technical devices or ‘masks’ needed to successfully impersonate gender roles and special warrant that their will be accepted in their new acquired role. First creates the discourse of community, the accesability of technical devices draws the idea of the situation nearer to the partcipants; second creates continuum for their activity empowering scheme to expand and difining the extremities and limits of that expansion.Far from stating the internal driving forces which rule the participants when they ‘jump in the game’ I would like to underscore the dialectics between transsexuals and doctors which is accountable for re-asserting transexuals’ subjectivity, providing them with technical means which gre atly contribute to that subjectivity’s formation, and dialectics between transexuals and law. In Re Bellinger, several facts point out to the current state of limitations law and society encounter as regards patterns of cross-sexual behaviour and their possible legal implications.It is clear enough that Mrs. Bellinger since her unsuccessful marrige to a woman which resulted in devorce as early as 1975 led a sexually deviant subjective life which found its expression in wearing womans dress and acting as a woman. That pattern of behaviour is characterictic of transvestites or cross-gender individuals which find sexual and/or cerebral gratification in assuming a gender role of woman by partial of complete cross-dressing and often (which is conditioned by a degree of boldness of a cross-dresser) venturing out into public .As we also might know Mrs. Bellinger was rather radical in her endeavour and has completely assumed new gender role and, in fact, had disguised her male side u ntil eventually gone through gender re-assingment procedure. Although, for the purpose of present consideration the fact of her going through sex re-assignment treatment is immaterial as far as it may only indicate her being extremely persistent in assuming characteristics of wanted gender.The fact that she underwent operational treatment has no practical implications on the province of law concerned: it only designated that she been through treatment results of which are partially recognized by state and law in general and to that extent that she is entitled to correction of documents (passport, etc. ) That government corrects documents for the person which changed so profoundly that otherwise doing may impede his/her interaction with government and state services is absolutely reasonable practice.When individual wishes to change a name he/she is also entiltled to the correction of personal data in the passport lest there be any confusions of the personality of passport holder. Now the question is are there any material differences in the eyes of the law between situation when individual chose to ungergo operational treatment and having done so needs to have the personal data typed in passport (together with photograph) corrected and that when individual chose to change, say, her marriage status and needs to have her personal data (last name) corrected?I think, despite apparent difference of two cases, both of them involve substantial changes in person’s status which (changes) has to find their adequate reflection in official personal information. Initially, law is not concerned with changes or transformation person undergoes – it is only concerned with legal implications of those transformations or how they will affect legal status of individual should he participate in his new status within legal sphere.To participate within legal sphere, to put it accurately, mostly means to partake in complex of relations subject to regulation of specific la w or specific legal norms. Thus, though two cases are entirely different with respect to the nature of changes individual undergoes, legal implications of sex re-assignment procedure are somewhat limited by the current state of law which is reluctant to acknowledge validity of marriage between persons at least one of which participated to it not in his/her original sex, but has chosen to change that original sex and actually did so prior to the marriage .It follows that as regards [spicific] law of family, individual that enjoyed legal recognition in general (recognition through correcting personal data, including name which indicate gender), is incapable of fulfilment his/her rights springing from that recognition in particular case and with respect particular province of law.Thus, as far as nature of changes concerned apparently matters in the eyes of law, since it delegates rights upon person who changed the name as a result of personal wish and withholds the legal capabilities o f those rights fulfilment in the case with men who changed the name as a result of personal wish to change sex and thus appropriate more coming feminine name, it proceeds that the fact of general aprobation of the sex-reassignment procedure and its results, which finds its expression in registering individual as a woman and entails legal rights and prefenrences capable of fulfilment in specific provinces of law (pension age and, what is more important, the right to marriage), does not mean that general aprobation’s universal validity – it instead means some kind of contingent validity of general recognition of status.It practically means that general recognition is void as long as it does not entail recognition of persons rights in specific provinces of law (like labor law and family law). Particulary, the fact of gender re-assignment is immaterial to the case because neither it benefited the person any more than would do when testifying his/her expressed and extremal desire to posses the characteristics of opposite gender, nor it entailed some practical outcomes of government’s general recognition of the sex re-assignment fact when person was allowed to change a name in the passport. Thus far, I insist that Mrs. Bellinger was a transvestite which gone through gender re-assignment but the latter procedure did not qualitatively affect her legal status. As it is known from the case, the registrator did not ask Mrs.Bellinger about her gender status and Mr. Bellinger himself was not willing to inform him. So, it will be reasonable to presume that if at the moment marriage took place Mrs. Bellinger did not actually do gender re-assignment but instead prefered cross-dressing as transvestites do the registrator would hardly have more doubts about the gender of fiancee than he actually had. The difference between pre-operational and post-operational positions of Mrs. Bellinger was rather internal of character and laid deep in her self perception w hich apparently was tending towards further unification with all that constitutued ‘feminine’. Even at the time when Mrs.Bellinger still possesed secondary sexual atributes of male (penis) she also possesed a great deal of feminine traits and was very skilled at dressing woman clothes and make up. This allows for induction that it was not only after the operational treatment that Mrs. Bellinger did actually transformed in terms of gender as seen through public eyes. If transvestite looks skillful enough to pass the street and impart the idea of her ‘girlishness’ to every one looking at her, she, to certain degree, is a girl to herself at this moment and is, to absolute degree, a girl to society aroound her. When much of the things to visually transform boy into a girl was done and done with a good taste then nobody will distrust his/her feelings and venture to check her anatomical sex by pulling her skirts up.Thus, it is apparent that transvestite radiates feminine gender when in public eye which certainly does not go without further affirmation of [her]self in that believe. It follows that category of gender which comprise number of biological and non-biological or acquired elements is construed through and within societal perception of what that gender (male/female) should look like . If the society is misled and perplexed that only means that ‘gender identity’ of some of its members went awray. The latter conceive the idea of gender in the context of ‘self construction’, ‘self transformation’ and doctor actually aid them in perpetuating that belief in contigency of gender .That transvestite resort to special devices to assume the gender role and misled the society means that even without surgical treatment they may successfully socialize into society in the desired role and that actual sex reassignment does not have any implications other than on transvestite’s subjectivity and self per ception, that is, no practical bearing on societal perception. At this point, if law is only concerned with empowering adequate socialization (securing the equality of rights and principle of genral equity and equlity) of individual in his/her gender role, then it precribes equality of scope of right which pertain to inborn woman and that which pertain to person gone through sex re-assignment.On societal level, that equality is already established since everyone perceive trasvestite as a woman and naturally does treat her as a woman . Methodological problem here is that marginal transvestites which cross dress completely, live like women and express a strong desire to transform their bodies so that to alter their secondary sexual attributes into that which pertain to woman and, in whole, strive to unify with another gender totally abandoming their own original one, present a distinct group which needs both taxonomization and separate legal approach . As we said earlier, there will b e no virtual difference for the registrator whether Mrs. Bellinger would have been through surgical treatment at the moment of marriage or not.In the same manner, she will look equally feminine to people on the street before and after operation. The problem lays in her self perception. Acute desire to get rid of the abhorrant organs which (desire) borders with risc of self-mutilation or suicide was invoked by Harry Benjamine as reasons for surgical treatment of a patient. ‘Benjamine patient’ thus requires separate taxonomical niche and might also require medical and in extremal cases surgical treatment which , thus, looks akin to emergency surgical measures applicable to unstable patient. Surgical vocabulary has penetrated the terrain once inhabited by psychopathological terminology.Treatment of such hard cases involving Marginal drive towards unification with other sex by arsenal of intense psychoterapy was rendered futile and changed for more radical, surgical and hor monal technologies. Although, it is within approach of psychoterapy that demand of sex change, which was crucial in disclosure of syndrome itself, was recognized to â€Å"cover over another form of subjectivity that are fundamentally destabilizing. † It follows that emergency approach within which syndrome of expressed gender dysphoria taken at its extremity is only capable of rectification through surgical treatment intended at partial or full removal of secondary sexual attributes posseses not its past persuasiveness.Rather, its thesis about demand for sex change which serves as signifier of the syndrome invites critics on the ground of its Although, â€Å"Benjaminian patient† as a product of doctors and patients dialectical development of â€Å"cohesiveness for a subjectivity [which] constantly [is] under threat of destruction† is very appealing to the law. The law may find its subject in the â€Å"Benjamine patient†. Thus created taxonomical niche ent ail various legal situations. Earlier, we considered the possibility of Mrs. Bellinger’s actual marriage (in terms of social recognition of their civil union) in case if she would not undergo sex re-assignment procedure and concluded that marriage will be not less socially valid under that conditions.What if in her place was another person who only occasionally cross dress and does not wish to play that social role of woman forever? It is very possible that she would pass the social test and misled the public with its look but the degree to which she really needs that social and legal recognition is, presumably, incommensurable to that of Mrs. Bellinger. In this case, the fact that individual has undergone surgical procedure may testify her commitment to the purpose of ultimate unification with opposite gender (along the lines of ‘Benjamine patient’ approach) as well as underscore the intricasy of her psychosomatic neurosis ( psychopathology approach).In any case , surgical treatment dialigns the group of Marginal transvestites from other, Nuclear ones . And similary to medicine which aids that marginal patients by delivering them from their detestable organs , law is called to facilitate their further socialization into society by resolving the internal pressure they feel as regards inability to lawfully participate in civil unions. That law is called upon to faciliate in internal self development and self apprehension is no new: it has incorporated norms securing the right of disabled and retarded which contribute to their self esteem and facilitate their internal development or prevents them from [the threat] of destruction of personality.But is not it that law pre-maturely intervene into the relations which are to be at first clearified and agreed upon by the medical specialists and only then passed into the sight of law? Whether it us true or not that if there are presently two groups each of which has its explanation on what marginal t ransvestism is and how it should be treated then law is bound to side with one of those schools since no mutual agreement was developed? ‘Benjamine patient’ is very appealing taxonomical category which directly and logically connect Marginal transvestism (springing from expressedly antipathic reaction to individual original sex) and gender re-assignment treatment (which is deemed to be the only plausible resolution to thus posed problem).But in the eyes of law transvestite which undergone sex re-assignment posseses no single distinct advantage as compared to that (transvestite) which did not been through that treatment. It is gender identity of individual that matters when considering the issue of legislative changes to Matrimonial Causes Act. In this respect, gender re-assignment procedure is not a conclusive step which defines those who are eligible for the right to marriage; it is only one of those steps which are directed by human identity and, through acquiring fur ther visual and material semblance, incrementally lead to unification with desired sex. This road may prove to be infinite.The position of gender re-assignment surgical procedure within the continuum of surgical procedures transexuals resort to allows for observation that transexuals, in fact, are continuously disturbed by abyss between them and ideal feminity (in case of men transexuals) and may never acquire bodily semblance enough to put their mind or gender identity at ease, that is to say that they are insecure in their feminity and their self apprehension is constantly impaired. Thus, it is impossible to render a transsexual somehow belonging to feminine gender solely on the ground of him/her being surgicaly treated. Rather, it is the expressed self apprehension as belonging to feminine gender that could make them what they want to be. This conclusion entails further ones.The most prominent of them is that pronounced desire to be a femine is what transsexual has and ever would have and the aim of the law is to state whether it is sufficient for granting them all rights pertaining to female sex. In context of right to marriage this pronounced desire has to somehow fit into the definition of marriage (marriage is void unless the parties are ‘respectively male and female' (Bellinger para 1) or that definition has to be changed because of certain cases which hardly fall within that definition but nevertheless seem to have direct bearing on the marriage. Clearly, transsexual which articulate her gender to be feminine in the marriage tends to have a wife role which will organically consort with other characteristic of feminity she tends to.In Re Kevin (validity of marriage of transsexual) [2001] Fam CA 1074 it was stated that there is no ‘formulaic solution' to determining the sex of an individual for the purpose of the law of marriage and â€Å"difference is essentially that we can readily observe or identify the genitals, chromosomes and gonads, but at present we are unable to detect or precisely identify the equally â€Å"biological† characteristics of the brain that are present in transsexuals† But to put right to marriage in direct dependance upon [determining] sex of person seems to be a dead end. The array of cases strating from Corbett v Corbett [1971] P 83 and ending with present case testifies that this approach is hardly efficient.The desicion in Goodwin v UK (2002) 35 EHRR 18 laid ground for re-apprisal of that approach. It reads that the Court found found ‘no justification for barring the transsexual from enjoying the right to marry under any circumstances'. Obviously, there are no such impedements springing from the law itself which would prospectively prevent Marginal transvestites from acquiring right to marriage provided that there be a legislative will of Parlament. That the perplexities of that problem partially and briefly stated earlier do prevent House of Commons from passing the bill also seems clear. At the same time, incentives coming out of European court are expressedly painted in colors of progressive and liberative legislative approach.Presently, I belive that formula which will satisfy ‘Europeans’ will involve legislation tending to antecede the resolution of academic debates as regards specific domains of meidine and, in fact, contribute to the progressive and enlighted resolution of those debates. In our case, present state of the law includes some deceptive provisions. It clearly states that parties to marriage are ‘respectively male and female' which seems to be consonant with the desire of Marginal transvestites as they tend to artificially acquire ‘maleness’ or ‘femaleness’. At the same time, law and the court do not seem to bother about priciseness of their rendering of that provision.So far, as it occures from the great majority of the cases, the court only have approached notions of ‘malenessâ⠂¬â„¢ and ‘femaleness’, construed them to signify biological sex and made efforts to elaborate measures of ascertaining that [original] sex. It is now clear that societal perception of gender does not co-incide with legal one. The court insures the degree of preciseness of that legal perception but apparently, the split between society which eyes Marginal trasvestite and sees a girl, Marginal transvestite which lives and strives to be a girl actually ever-approaching to it, and the Court which eyes Marginal transvestite through microscope and employes all kind of hromosomal tests and technical appliances to disclose that individual’s original and abhorrent side is enormous.Doctors almost at once sided with their patient and developed certain categories (at the beggining ‘Benjamine patient’ and then ‘gender identity disorder’) actually saling transvestites to state as transexuals – taxon compulsory and contigent in itself – which would underscore their unstability at the original gender and destabilizing subjectivity. Another school of medicine tries to buy that category back from the state pointing at the internal incommensurability and incohesiveness of it. It (school) actually speak out that state and society bought the thing which is not what it seems. And it is the time when gender and sex opposition is to reveal fully. As it might be construed from Bellinger case despite her successful effort to approach ‘feminity’ Mrs.Bellinger did not managed to approach ‘femaleness’ which under the present provisions of the law warrant her a right to marriage. Doctors appealed to progressiveness and humanity of legislator so that the latter might confer ‘femaleness’ upon transexuals even if only to save their subjectivity. Unattainable status of, say, ‘femaleness’ is mainly in charge of legal deadend with marriage rights of marginal transvestites. If sex-rela ted approach was changed for gender-related one (first signifies biological sex, second – gender role) within the provisions of the law it will greatly reduce that paintfull dialectics between transsexuals and doctors and transsexuals and law.Though, that changes ought to go with recognition of homosexual marriage. Transsexuals will never agree to register as homosexual family but this will reduce the degree to which marriage right depend on gender re-assignment procedure, which is immaterial to marginal trabnssexuals right to marriage. Number of words: 3558. References: Books: Changing Sex: Transsexualism, Technology, and the Idea of Gender by Bernice L. Hausman; Duke University Press, 1995 The Psychology of Sexual Orientation, Behavior, and Identity: A Handbook by Louis Diamant, Richard D. McAnulty; Greenwood Press, 1995 DNA and Destiny: Nature and Nurture in Human Behavior by R. Grant Steen; Plenum Press, 1996 Journal articles:Transvestism: A Survey of 1032 Cross-Dressers. by Richard F. Docter, Virginia Prince. Journal Title: Archives of Sexual Behavior. Volume: 26. Issue: 6. Publication Year: 1997. Page Number: 589+. Moving gaily forward? Lesbian, gay and transgender human rights in Europe. by Kristen Walker. Melbourne Journal of International Law, June 2001 v2 i1 p122 Paper articles: Law reports. (News) Daily Telegraph (London, England); April 17, 2003 Cases cited: Corbett v Corbett [1971] P 83 Re Kevin (validity of marriage of transsexual) [2001] Fam CA 1074 Goodwin v United Kingdom (2002) 35 EHRR 18 Bellinger v Bellinger [2003]2 FLR 1 Bellinger v Bellinger [2003] UKHL 21

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Managing in Today’s Health Care Organizations Essay

Design and functionality of Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (UCMC) This memo contains a brief analysis of the welfare of Upper Chesapeake Medical Center (UCMC). The memo zooms in on the architecture and operation of the facility. It also elaborates an overview of the mechanism of UCMC. Upper Chesapeake Medical Center resides in Bel Air, Maryland in Harford County. The design of each room presents a relaxed, private and calm atmosphere for patients and visitors. In 2008, the facility opened its doors but continued to expand in usefulness and size. A renovation ended in 2008. It brought a new and larger Emergency Department. It also created a facility especially for pediatric patients and surgical and inpatient bed accommodation. The renovation also designed a new and necessary parking garage and physician office structure. The new parking garage offers convenience to patients visiting the new outpatient services. An area beside the Medical Center includes an Ambulatory Care Center. This center houses multiple physician offices, outpatient imaging and laboratory procedures, outpatient pre-assessment testing and Upper Chesapeake Cardiovascular Institute. Upper Chesapeake Health (UCH) distributes health care through Harford County, eastern Baltimore County and western Cecil County. Upper Chesapeake Health employs 2,700 team members and more than 550 medical staff physicians. Upper Chesapeake Medical Center ranked on a high national level in the U. S. News Best Hospitals in three adult attributes. Attributes include Geriatrics, Gastroenterology and Neurology and Neurosurgery. The facility contains 186 hospital beds. It employs 35 full-time physicians and 244 registered nurses. During 2012, the Medical Center received 14,223 admissions, delivered 1,388 babies, and performed 3,925 inpatient and 6,179 outpatient surgeries, and 62,168 emergency room visits. Over 1,000 volunteers donate time to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center and other medical facilities in Harford County. Thank you for taking the time to review my data pertaining to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center. Our Medical Center contains a dedicated staff along with a hospitable design that warms patients upon arrival along with comforting them and visitors during their stay.

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Advanced Managerial Accounting Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

Advanced Managerial Accounting Report - Essay Example On the other hand, Merchant uses a more optimistic approach in discussing the strategies that management could employ to encourage staffs. Merchant’s work is based on how management can effectively control employees’ actions for greater predictability of results, while Kohn’s article is focused on the incentive scheme as a way of improving employees’ output. The article by Kohn presents various weaknesses with the incentive plans adopted by many managers to motivate staff members. The author highlights some of the weaknesses of the incentive plans as temporary compliance by staffs, stretching relationships between employees, and discouragement of risk taking. According to the author, rewards are known to undermine interest and ignore the core reasons why good performance was achieved. Merchant shows that attempting to assert too much control over staff members can be counter-productive. The author suggests that adopting more interacting approaches rather than centralizing power and functions is key to motivating staffs to better

Friday, September 27, 2019

Team Case Analysis Week 7 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Team Case Analysis Week 7 - Essay Example form of flexible work time arrangements, wellness programs and employee assistance programs since these are currently leading edge of innovation in benefits practice. Employee benefits are playing a progressively fundamental role in the underlying lives of the employees and their corresponding families and possess important financial and administrative effect on the business’ prospect (Armstrong, 2007). Numerous companies function within an environment where an educated workforce anticipates a comprehensive benefits program. Therefore, absence of such program or insufficient of the program normally results to serious hindrance company’s capability in regard to attraction and retention of personnel. Managers ought to be aware of the fundamental issues and be ready to undertake informed decisions when undertaking selection process of the employee benefits. Designing of the appropriate benefit plan for the employees is always an intimidation task. There exist numerous issues that must be taken into consideration when designing appropriate means of managing benefits of employees (Armstrong, 2007). Such issues entail tax and corresponding legal aspects, funding and selection of the right vendors and administrators. For numerous managers, a benefit plan is an integral section of the underlying total compensation since employers either pay the whole cost of a benefit strategy or possessing employees to contribute small portion of the underlying premium costs for their underlying coverage. In some cases charitable coverage is normally provided in which the employees pay the whole costs for the group benefits. Offering of competitive pay is one of the means that an organization can attract and maintain the highest level of employees in regard to offering employee benefits. An organization manager requires maintaining proper balance amidst turning a profit and payment of the underlying employee benefits (Armstrong, 2007). Business managers ought to exercise vigilance

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 - Essay Example I will discuss the changes in more detail during this assignment. The current British law makes it a requirement that every citizen should be under the same law and that the law seeks to act fairly by not punishing individuals who are innocent of crime. It is essential that the law has certainty and that all actions are regulated accordingly. The British legal system seeks to achieve these requirements and usually achieves this. However there are circumstances when these requirements have been a concern. The government previously had power over legislation and could reverse legislation, but with 'The Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 it no longer has that authority. (Bradley & Ewing, 2008) Since it is essential that no individual should be more powerful than the law The Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 was created to form a distinct and unbiased judiciary. To completely understand the relationship between the Executive and the Legislature one has to examine the duties of the judiciary. (Parpworth N, 2008). As Parpworth points out the major role of Parliament is to make legislation and to make sure that the duties of the executive are followed through correctly. The Constitutional Reform Act of 2005 changed the way Parliament worked. It changed the roles between the Executive, the Legislative and the Judiciary.

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

Final Crime Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Final Crime - Essay Example By the end of the 20th century, observers such as Craine, S. and Coles, B. (1995) described early adolescence as an unsettling and stormy phase of the life course. The growth of public schools, and the concomitant age grouping that resulted, prompted increased public concern about youth. Although some private or public primary schools were established in a few 17th-century New England towns, most parents either taught their own children or shared in the paying for a temporary private school teacher. By the early 19th century, however, primary schools were established in many northeast towns, and by the mid-19th century most communities in that region had well-developed public common school systems. In the South, however, few public schools were created, so that as late as 1900 large numbers of children received little formal education (Newburn, T. and Stanko, E. (eds) 1994). A disproportionate amount of recorded crime is committed by young people, especially by young males. In 1994, two out of every five offenders were under the age of 21 and a quarter were under 18 [Audit Commission, 1997]. A small number of persistent offenders commit most of the crimes by young people. A survey through which respondents self reported their offences over the previous twelve months identified that 3% of young people, mostly young males, were responsible for about a quarter of all offences [Graham and Bowling, 1995]. http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_mobility/documents/page/dft_mobility_503832-04.hcsp In contrast to a decade ago, young people and young males in particular are not growing out of offending behavior as they reach their late teens and early twenties. Property offending by young males may now be increasing with age up to the mid twenties [Bright, 1997]. The known rate of offending by young adult males aged 18 to 24 years has increased significantly and, as a result, the peak age of offending for young men has increased from 15 years in 1986 to 18 years in 1994. In contrast, the peak age of offending for women has remained between 14 and 15 years of age [Audit Commission, 1997]. Female offenders who become socially mature adults are significantly more likely to stop offending than those who do not, whereas this development process appears to make little difference to male offenders [Graham and Bowling, 1995]. http://www.dft.gov.uk/stellent/groups/dft_mobility/documents/page/dft_mobility_503832-04.hcsp Crime by young people hasn't risen in the past five years and the number of known young offenders fell by 14% between 1995 and 2001 (Source: Criminal Statistics 2001). However, three-quarters of respondents in a recent survey believed the number of young offenders had risen (Source: Youth Crime and Youth Justice: Public opinion in England and Wales 2004). http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/crime-victims/reducing-crime/youth-crime/version=1 Youthful offenders were more likely to be arrested for property crimes and ordinance violations compared to older adults who were more apt to be charged for drunkenness and moral offenses. Perhaps the most striking finding, however, was that arrest rates at all ages are much higher today than in the past, and that there has been a relative increase in the proportion of crime committed by young people (Davies M, Tyrer J & Croall H 1998). The growing attention to youth

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

Declarations of Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 5

Declarations of Freedom - Essay Example   In the declaration of freedom, Elizabeth Cady Stanton writes about the declaration of Sentiments, in which she airs the sentiments of women in the fight for recognition and freedom. This was presented at the Women’s Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, in New York. In this conference attended by about three hundred people, only one hundred signed for the declaration. To elaborate further misunderstanding or less of it for the women’s plight, those who signed for it did so after it was revised and corrected. There are reasons that encouraged women to sit and jot down these sentiments. Among these are the misrepresentations in the legislative front, the fact that is fostered by their being denied elective rights. Men, also infringed on women’s rights to ownership of property as well as their right to pursue quality higher education, which left women under their control and mercy. Women, because of this oppression, felt worthless with little or no confidence in themselves. Men who struggle to dominate them in every aspect of life have trashed their self-respect. This renders women completely willing to live dependent on men and abjectly at that. It is because of these reasons that the declaration of sentiments was unveiled in the Women’s Right Convention. From the above points on discrimination of women, it is clear that the rights of women are not prioritized as compared to those of men. The latter group enjoys all the elective and representational rights that exist in the society. In addition, they also define what is considered okay for women to do, as well as what is not right. In the Cuban culture, women were similarly discriminated against just like in America before the united colonies gained their independence. This was before the revolution, 1959. Women were required to perform their roles as wives and homemakers, as opposed to being educated and independent individuals. For those who had the privilege of going to school , their academic potential was limited (Cuba Solidarity). They were required to give up their academic dreams for the sake of caring for their families.     

Monday, September 23, 2019

How Race Specific Regiments in WWII Influenced Modern Day U.S Research Paper

How Race Specific Regiments in WWII Influenced Modern Day U.S. Military - Research Paper Example The presence of racial segregation in the United States armed forces depicted the widespread segregation mostly in the Black-American south. They were banned from visiting white dominated regions and had to attend inferior schools. Attempts to fight for their rights was met by terrorism and lynching such as the Ku Klux Klan. Nevertheless, the outbreak of the Second World War and deficiency of manpower led to enrollment of other races in the army such as the Africans, Mexicans, and Japanese. Their contribution and the success of wars led to recognition and desegregation by other leaders and American citizens. To evaluate the contribution of these individuals in the Army, this paper will analyze the Navajo code talkers, Buffalo soldiers, and the 442nd Japanese unit regiment. Buffalo Soldiers Most of the United State history centers on The Gold Rush, Gunfights, Indians, and Cowboys. However, the contribution of the black in the West expansion was of little knowledge. This is based on th e fact that enslavement and racism was at a higher rate despite the insinuation that it was a Free State. In regards to this perception, enslavement was more of a mental than physical aspect (Fioner, 1965). The Black Americans contribution was realized in several areas of U.S development such as commerce, wars and in the ranches. Unlike the prevailing misconception that the present Americans achievement is founded on the accomplishments of the Caucasians, Blacks had immense contribution than the natives. The misconception is based on imprisonment of the blacks and the little efforts they made were met with less credit (Katz, 1967). In America, Blacks were thought to be inferior thus hindering their advances if they could have been given a chance. Despite the presence of many obstacles, Blacks were able to struggle in aiding the America west expansion. The wars offered the Blacks with an opportunity to explore America and make their way out from the South and at large to break the so cial situation of racism. Though United States approved Blacks enlisting in the war, they were not protected from the Indians since they were placed in the war fronts (Fioner, 1965). As a result, Blacks’ residents and forts were abandoned. Racism was at its highest order since the Easterners and Southern U.S population despised the presence of Negro soldiers in their community or their neighborhood. Similarly, Blacks were excluded from general employment prospects. Therefore, the enrollment in the military was welcomed since they were sure of pension, shelter, medical attention, steady pay, and education once recruited in the forces. Though initial recruitment was dedicated to filling quotas regardless of the recruits’ soldiering skills and capability, constant replacements at the place of work called for recruitment of enlightened and educated Blacks. Black soldiers in the U.S war against Indians, fought with the zeal to win and devoted their lives in wars in regard t o their own personal believes. They perceived to gain equality and respect they had suffered under slavery. Nevertheless, United States development that was based on enslavement could not grant this component of freedom through devotion to war. Life and death struggles characterized the Blacks’ efforts in the hostile environments that they were constantly relocated. Their loyalty to United States

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Is there a relationship between weather temperature and the incidence Essay

Is there a relationship between weather temperature and the incidence of myocardial infarction (MI) in people aged 65 and older - Essay Example One of the physiological responses to cold, external environments is vasoconstriction. When this takes place, particularly in the elderly, myocardial infarction is a likely event. The purpose of this research paper is to discuss how variations in weather temperatures may be related to the occurrence of myocardial infarctions in individuals over 65. This paper will also seek to identify risk factors and identify the biological mechanisms involved in myocardial infarctions as pertaining to the elderly. Numerous studies have indicated the event of myocardial infarctions in the elderly during colder temperatures based on mortality rates of individuals: â€Å"Seasonality in coronary heart disease (CHD) events, with a winter peak and summer nadir, has been recognized for many decades and across diverse populations† (Gerber, Jacobsen, Killian, Weston, & Roger, 2006). In a study conducted between 1979 and 2002, â€Å"2,066 SCD (48% women) and 2,676 incident MI (43% women) were recorded in Olmsted County. The mean age (SD) was 78 (13) years at SCD and 68 (14) years at incident MI (p As early as 1938, scientists were noting incidence of myocardial infarctions occurring more prominently during times of colder weather conditions. What has been difficult to assess,

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Morbidity and mortality rates Essay Example for Free

Morbidity and mortality rates Essay Current statistics on road accidents including morbidity and mortality rates for 17-25 year olds In 2011 statistics showed that there were 1,292 deaths, 279 of which involved people aged 17 to 25. This is a decrease as last year it was reported that 336 people between 17 and 25 were killed on Australian roads. The biggest killer of young drivers is speeding and around 80 per cent of those killed are male. Discuss the reason why young people are overrepresented in road accidents A 17 year old driver with a P1 license is four times more likely to be involved in a fatal crash than a driver over 26 years. Young drivers are over represented in all fatal crashes, including drink driving and fatigue. Despite making up only 15 per cent of drivers, young drivers represent around 36 per cent of annual road fatalities. Generally young drivers tend to be willing to take more risks on the road such as driving at night carrying passengers, breaking the speed limit and wreck less driving. With regards to road safety explain why injury has been selected as a national health priority area The national priority areas are selected by the government to eliminate inequities in health status. The priority population groups are those which are shown by research to have had a significant high incidence. Injury has been selected as a priority health issue as it is the principal cause of death in people under 45. Injury is also a leading cause of mortality, morbidity and permanent disability in Australia. ‘Injury accounted for over 1 in 20 of all hospitalisations in Australia in 2007-08, with almost 426,000 injury hospitalisations. ’ (Australias health 2010 pages: 196-198, June 2010) In regards to road safety, injury has been selected due to the rate that people on Australian roads are being injured or killed more regularly. Not only do crashes on the road injure the people in the car, road crashes can injure pedestrians and people in other cars. On average it costs the Australian government 27 billion (National Road Safety Strategy) dollars a year to look after the deaths and injuries of road accidents. Due to the significant costs to the Government road injury has been seen as one of the biggest killers of Australians, due to this things such as the National Road Safety Strategy have been constructed in order to prevent road injuries. Analyse the roles that different levels of government and various organisations have in reducing road trauma In reference to road safety there are many aspects that need to be covered on the different levels of government. The different levels in Australian government are Federal government, State and Local. The Federal government is responsible for distributing and supplying the governments below it with funds to fix roads, put in more speed cameras and have more police to patrol the roads. The State government is in charge of then taking that money they have been given by the Federal government and distributing it to the Local governments, they need to take into account which Local governments are in need of the most financial help. The local government is usually then given the money they require for the private sectors underneath them, the Local government then distributes funds to private sectors who must find someone to fix the roads and put speed cameras or police to do things such as random breath tests. Usually organisations are made to support the laws of the road, for example RADD is an organisation made up of recording artists, actors and athletes to portray the message that drink driving is not â€Å"cool† Organisations such as RADD are made to target younger people in specific and generally between the ages of 17-25 which have the highest rate of drink driving on Australian roads. Evaluate how the draft national road safety strategy has used the 5 action areas of the Ottawa charter in promoting road safety The five action areas of the Ottawa charter are developing personal skills, creating supportive environments, strengthen community action, reorienting health services and building healthy public policies. The areas of the Ottawa charter is based upon the social justice principals, this means the Ottawa charter is working to make health resources an equal right. Developing personal skills involves â€Å"enabling people to learn (throughout life) to prepare themselves for all of its stages and to cope with chronic illness and injuries is essential. This has to be facilitated in school, home, work and community settings. †(Better Health Channel) The draft national road safety strategy has tried to meet this area by â€Å"This means we all need to change the way we think and act in relation to road safety. We need to respond directly to our long-term vision by asking questions such as what would we need to do to prevent serious crashes in this situation? While our achievements may be modest in the first instance, the transformation in our approach will lay down the foundations of the Safe System during the life of this strategy. † Creating Supportive environments involves â€Å"the protection of the natural and built environments and the conservation of natural resources must be addressed in any health promotion strategy. (Better Health Channel) This is used in the draft national road safety strategy as they have the aim to try and involve the community in trying to reserve the lives of wildlife and the natural environment from road trauma. Strengthening Community Action involves â€Å"community development draws on existing human and material resources to enhance self-help and social support, and to develop flexible systems for strengthening public participation in, and direction of, health matters. This requires full and continuous access to information and learning opportunities for health, as well as funding support. † (Better Health Channel) They have included this in the road safety strategy in the following lines â€Å"While individual road users are expected to be responsible for complying with traffic laws and behaving in a safe manner, it can no longer be assumed that the burden of road safety responsibility simply rests with the individual road user. † â€Å"Road safety responsibilities also extend to various professional groups, as well as the broader community. Develop personal skills involves â€Å"enabling people to learn (throughout life) to prepare themselves for all of its stages and to cope with chronic illness and injuries is essential. This has to be facilitated in school, home, work and community settings. † (Better Health Channel) Reorient health services involves â€Å"the role of the health sector must move increasingly in a health promotion direction, beyond its responsibility for providing clinical and curative services. Reorienting health services also requires stronger attention to health research, as well as changes in professional education and training. †

Friday, September 20, 2019

Utilisation of Wind Energy for High Rise Building Power

Utilisation of Wind Energy for High Rise Building Power Introduction The price of conventional energy is on the rise, due to the ever-widening gap between demands and supply. The main reason for such shortages is the depletion in natural resources, such as coal, which is the main fuel used for electrical energy generation. Since these fuels are made up of carbon compounds, burning them has rapidly increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last 100 years. This has brought about a chain reaction of hazards such as global warming, climate change, destruction of ecosystems, etc with predictions for adverse outcomes in the future. In response to this threat and to initiate an end to such processes, the UN agreed the Kyoto Protocol in Japan in 1997. This requires industrialised nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% of 1990 levels by 2008-2012. The UK has agreed to meet this target and furthered its promise by setting a goal of 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050[ ]. Part of its government energy policy is to increase the contribution of electricity supplied by renewable energy to 10% by 2010 (Blackmore P, 2004). A similar promise has been undertaken by many world nations, which has led to a plethora of new and innovative methods for power generation. Renewable is the key to climate friendly forms of energy, due to the absence of emissions detrimental to the environment (Stiebler M, 2008). It includes energy derived from sunlight, wind, wave, tides and geothermal heat. Out of the afore mentioned resources, geothermal heat is restricted to only limited locations on the globe while wave and tidal power is still in its research stage. Thus sunlight and wind are the key elements that can be tapped for energy generation. However, on comparison between the two systems, wind energy systems are more advantageous both in availability of resources and cost of generation. This report mainly focuses on wind energy, with a keen interest on harvesting it for ventilation and power generation purposes in high-rise buildings. Plan forms that aid this purpose will be studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics to understand the flow of wind in and around a thirty-storey structure and the building configuration well suited for natural ventilation and wind turbine integration would be identified at the end of the test. To obtain a complete picture of wind flow patterns and to closely mimic real life situations, the wind will be simulated from different directions at different wind speeds. Wind energy Wind is the term used for air in motion and is usually applied to the natural horizontal motion of the atmosphere (Taranath Bungale S, 2005). It is brought about by the movement of atmospheric air masses that occur due to variations in atmospheric pressure, which in turn are the results of differences in the solar heating of different parts of the earth’s surface (Boyle G, 2004). At a macro level wind profile differs from place to place depending on geographic location and climatic conditions while in a microstate the immediate physical environment of a particular place modifies the nature of the winds. For example, the velocity of the wind recorded in the countryside which has acres of unobstructed grassland would be greater than that recorded in a city dominated by skyscrapers. Hence to obtain a clear idea of the wind characteristic corresponding to a particular area the wind rose is utilized. They are based on metrological observations and depict the varying wind speeds experienced by a site at different times of the year together with the frequency of different wind directions [ ]. It is the first tool consulted to judge the wind resources of a site and its ability to support power generation. The winds have been tapped from ancient times by means of ship sails, windmills, wind catchers, etc. The history of windmills goes back more than 2000 years (Stiebler M, 2008) when they were predominantly used for grinding grain and pumping water. However, the breakthrough occurred when Charles.F.Brush erected the first automatically operating wind turbine at Ohio in 1888 [ ]. It was fabricated using wood and had a rotor diameter of 17m with 144 blades. The system recorded very low efficiency and was mainly used to charge batteries. The reason behind the poor efficiency was due to the large number of blades, which was later discovered by Poul la Cour who introduced fewer blades into his wind turbine. Though such developments were achieved at an early stage in innovation, it was not until 1980 that the prominent application of renewable energies was sought after (Boyle G, 2004). Wind energy is the harnessing of the kinetic energy prevalent in moving air masses. This kinetic energy for any particular mass of moving air (Boyle G, 2004) is given by the formula: K.E = 0.5mV ² where, m – mass of the air (kg) and V – wind velocity (m/s). However this mass of moving air per second is: m = air density x volume of air flowing per second m = air density x area x velocity   Thus, m = rAV where, r – density of air at sea level = 1.2256 kg/m ³ and A – area covered by the flowing air (m ²) Substituting this value of m in the former equation, K.E. = 0.5rAV ³ (J/s) But energy per unit of time is power and hence the above equation is the power available from the wind. It is also evident that the power is directly proportional to thrice the wind velocity. In other words even a marginal increase in wind speed would yield three folds of the nominal power. This is the critical fact based on which the whole energy process is evolved. However not all of this power can be exhausted since it would lead to nil outflow through the wind turbine, that is no flow of air behind the rotor. This would lead to no flow of air over the turbine causing total failure of the system. According to Albert Betz the maximum amount of power that can be harnessed from the wind is 59.3%. This is often referred to as the Betz limit and has been proven by modern experiments. Some of the advantages of wind energy include: It is based on a non-exhaustive resource and hence can be harnessed for generations. It is a clean and eco friendly way of producing energy. In its working lifetime, the wind turbine produces eighty times the amount of energy that goes into its manufacturing and thus has diminishable net impact on the environment. It does not require any additional resources such as water supply unlike conventional power generation. It can boost the economy of the region (wind farms). Wind turbines: Wind turbines are the modern day adaptations of the yesteryear windmills but unlike their counterparts they are mainly used for power generation. These new age systems come in different shapes and have various configurations, the well established of them all are the Horizontal axis wind turbine and the Vertical axis wind turbine. Write a brief about horizontal wind turbines and vertical wind turbines. BUilding integrated Wind Turbines (BUWT): Building integrated wind turbines are associated with buildings designed and shaped with wind energy in mind (Stankovic S et al, 2009). They are relatively a new way of harnessing energy that is gaining popularity at a quick pace. Small scale wind turbines on house roofs and retrofitting also fall under this category. The design of BUWTs is a complicated affair and involves the careful consideration of various factors. Since turbines are fixed into the building’s fabric its impact on the environment, building’s response and needs of its owners and occupants need to be weighed equally. Also numerous design decisions such as planning, structure, services, construction and maintenance depend on this single process (Stankovic S et al, 2009). With the increase in the scale of the proposal the importance of these factors increases simultaneously. The proposal generally spans from the number, scale, type and location of the turbines together with its annual energy yield and design life. A good BUWT based building should be a wholesome design that does not prejudice the buildings efficient functioning for energy generation. Generic options for BUWTs: Stankovic S et al (2009) explains that the wind turbines can be fixed on to a building in enumerable ways. Each method can accomplish a different level of power depending on the type of turbine used and the form of the building it is mounted upon. On top of a square/ rectangular building: This configuration is on the principle that the wind velocity increases with height and hence the amount of energy generated would be of a higher order (10% increase with wind acceleration). An added advantage is that the turbine would experience relatively little turbulence. But access to the turbine for maintenance and decommissioning works may be difficult. If mounted on tall buildings the turbines may threaten the visual quality of the skyline. On top of a rounded building: This case is very similar to the previous configuration except that with the use of rounded faà §ade the mean tower height can be considerably diminished. Also the rounded profile influences the local acceleration (15% increase in energy). The low tower height favors easy access to the turbine but leads to blade flicker and noise issues. Concentrator on top of a rounded building: This case is well suited to areas with bi-directional winds (20% energy increase over a free standing equivalent due to local acceleration). Vertical axis wind turbines are better suited for this feature while Horizontal axis wind turbines need to be suitably altered to achieve the same status. The building spaces that act as concentrators may be inhabited with suitable acoustical treatment. This case also encounters the same drawbacks as listed in the previous case. Square concentrator within a building faà §ade: As before, this configuration takes advantage of the higher quality winds at higher altitudes and local acceleration thereby achieving 25% increase in energy and 40% increase for bi-directional winds. This option is best suited for buildings with narrower profiles. There may be a loss in the saleable area of the building but the aperture can be converted into an exclusive feature such as a sky garden. The opening also relieves the wind loading on the building’s facade leading to simpler structural solutions. Vertical axis wind turbine is the only choice for integration due to its square swept area. Circular concentrator within a building faà §ade: This is very similar to the square concentrator except the opening is accustomed to hold pitch controlled horizontal axis wind turbines with fixed yaw. Also, a 35% increase for uniform wind and 50% increase in energy for bi-directional winds are achievable in this method. But on the down side, this technique is more expensive due to the cylindrical shroud. On the side of a building: In this technique, an increase in 80-90% in energy than the freestanding equivalents is achievable only if the building form is optimized to the local wind character. Only reliable vertical axis wind turbines can be used for power generation due to access issues. For higher swept area, more number of turbines should be used. Between multiple building forms: This type of an option opens out many doors for a range of architectural forms. Unlike the previous cases, the buildings orientation, form, shape and spacing play key roles in the performance of the turbines. Vertical axis wind turbines are better suited for this purpose. Guidelines for BUWT’s: The following are some guidelines outlined by Stankovic S et al (2009) for incorporating wind turbines into a structure: BUWTs should be tailored to the specific site for good results. Adequate wind resources should be available on site. If however if the site is under resourced steps are to be adopted to deliberately elevate the quality of the wind through the buildings form or turbine. The impact of its surroundings should also be considered before commissioning such a project. The dominating wind direction and its intensity should be observed from meteorological data. This would help in determining the form and orientation of the building together with finalizing the position of the wind turbine to make the most out of the available resource. Environmental impact assessment corresponding to the site should be carried out to foresee the adverse effects the turbines may create. Acoustic isolation may be sought for in some areas within the building if it lies at close proximity to the rotor. Natural ventilation and day lighting qualities of the building may be challenged and forced to settle for artificial means. The type and position of openings, external shading devices, smoke extracts etc should be handled with appropriate care to avoid draught winds. Access to the wind turbines for maintenance and decommissioning must be provided suitably. The aesthetic quality of the mounted turbines must harmonize with its surroundings and should not over power the pedestrians at ground level. To this end well suited screening devices such as canopies, screens and landscape may be utilized as per the necessity. The overall success of BUWT project depends on its ability to deliver the expected power. Inability to comply with this effect would result in the failure of its intended purpose from both an environmental and design point of view. Thus the electricity demand of the building and the level to which this would be met with should be estimated prior to turbine design to secure maximum benefits. Wind flow prediction and energy yields: For any project to be successful, Wind flow and building design (Taranath Bungale S, 2005) When the air moves in a vertical direction it is referred to as a current. These currents play a major role in meteorology whereas the gradual decrease in wind speed and high turbulence of the horizontal motion of air, at the ground level, are vital in building engineering. In urban areas, this zone of turbulence extends to a height of approximately one quarter of a mile aboveground and is called the surface boundary layer. Above this layer, the horizontal airflow is no longer influenced by the ground effect. The wind speed at this height is known as the gradient wind speed, and it is precisely in this boundary layer where most human activity is conducted. Characteristics of wind: The flow of wind is complex because many flow situations arise from the interaction of wind with structures. A few characteristics of wind include: Variation of wind velocity with height: The viscosity of air reduces its velocity adjacent to the earth’s surface to almost zero. A retarding effect occurs in the wind layers near the ground, and these layers in turn successively slow the outer layers. The slowing down is reduced at each layer as the height increases, and eventually becomes negligibly small. The height at which velocity ceases to increase is called the gradient height, and the corresponding velocity, the gradient velocity. At heights of approximately 366m aboveground, the wind speed is virtually unaffected by surface friction, and its movement is solely dependant on prevailing seasonal and local wind effects the height through which the wind speed is affected by topography is called the atmospheric boundary layer. Wind turbulence: Motion of wind is turbulent and it occurs in wind flow because air has a very low viscosity-about one-sixteenth that of water. Any movement of air at speeds greater than 0.9 to 1.3 m/s is turbulent, causing air particles to move randomly in all directions. Vortex shedding: In general, wind buffering against a bluff body such as a rectangular building gets diverted in three mutually perpendicular directions. However, only the longitudinal winds and the transverse winds or crosswinds are considered in civil engineering. When a free flowing mass of air encounters a building along its path, the originally parallel upwind streamlines are displaced on either side of the building. This results in spiral vortices being shed periodically from the sides into the downstream flow of the wind, called the wake. At relatively low wind speeds the vortices are shed, that is, break away from the surface of the building and an impulse is applied in the transverse direction. Distribution of pressures and suctions: When air flows around the edges of a structure, the resulting pressures at the corners are much in excess of the pressures on the center of elevation. This has been evident by the damages caused to corner windows, eave and ridge tiles, etc in windstorms. Wind tunnel studies conducted on scale models of buildings indicate that three distinct pressure areas develop around the building. They are: Positive pressure zone on the upstream face (Region 1) Negative pressure zone at the upstream corners (Region 2) Negative pressure zone on the downstream face (Region 3) The highest negative pressures are created in the upstream corners designated as Region 2. Wind pressures on a buildings surface are not constant, but fluctuate continuously. The positive pressure on the upstream or the windward face fluctuates more than the negative pressure on the downstream or the leeward face. The negative pressure region remains relatively steady as compared to the positive pressure zone. The fluctuation of pressure is random and varies from point to point on the building surface. Nearby buildings can have a significant influence on wind forces. If they are the same height as the structure being considered then they will mostly provide shelter, although local wind loads can be increased in some situations. Where surrounding buildings are significantly taller they will often generate increased wind loading (negative shelter) on nearby lower structures. Shelter can result from either from the general built-environment upwind of the site or from the direct shielding from specific individual upwind buildings (Blackmore P, 2004). Natural ventilation The three natural ventilation airflow paths in buildings are (Pennycook, 2009): Cross ventilation Single-sided ventilation Passive stack ventilation Advantages of cross ventilation: Greater rates of ventilation can be achieved under amicable weather conditions. Can be utilized for deep-plan spaces with operable windows on the external wall. Incumbents have control over ventilation. Relatively cost free. Can be incorporated with thermal masses. However, it has certain limitations such as: Internal space layout must be hindrance free for easy, clear flow of air. Internal partitions must be within 1.2m height and tall cupboards must be placed alongside the windows. Natural ventilation can occur only under the presence of suitable winds. Poor planning and positioning of windows may cause disruptive draughts and gusts. Winter ventilation is problematic. Unsuitable for buildings located in noisy and pollution prone environments. The requirements of fresh air supply are governed by the type of occupancy, number and activity of the occupants and by the nature of any processes carried out in the space (Koenigsberger et al, 2001). When natural ventilation is stipulated for good indoor air quality, the amount and nature of the dominant pollutant source in the space should be identified. Based on this data the ventilation rate for the space can be calculated such that the pollution level does not cross a preset specific mark. Generally the concentration of the pollutants decreases with the increase in airflow rate (Figure –1). However, in terms of thermal comfort especially during winter the heating requirement of the building will increase with the ventilation rate. This demand varies with time, wind characteristics of the place, opening and closing of windows and doors by its occupants and the thermal state of the building. In summer, cooling is ideal for both the building and its occupants to prevent internal heat gains. By directing the high velocity wind around the human body the evaporative rate at the skins surface can be increased thereby achieving a cooling sensation. The recommended upper limit of indoor air movement is 0.8 m/sec, which permits the inhabitants to occupy a space about 2 °C warmer and 60% relative humidity with optimum comfort. The traditional way to cool buildings is to provide large openings along the exterior wall with the principle that higher the ventilation rate greater the loss of heat to the external environment. But such an arrangement would work only when the outdoor te mperature is in the range of comfort zone. When controlled indoor environments are desired especially during the occupancy period’s night ventilation is recommended. In this technique the building is cooled at night so that it can absorb the heat generated during the day (Allard F, 1998). Based on wind tunnel experimental observations, the factors that affect the indoor airflow are: Orientation: External features: Cross-ventilation: Position of openings: Size of openings: Control of openings: Literature review The following are studies that have been made of different aspects of wind using Computational Fluid dynamics. CFD evaluation of wind speed conditions in passages between parallel buildings: This analysis undertaken by Blocken B et al (2007) mainly focuses on the wind speed conditions in passages between parallel buildings in combination with the accuracy of the commercial CFD code Fluent 6.1.22 when the wall-function roughness modifications are applied to them. The Venturi effect is also studied to determine the amount of increase in wind speed in the passage due to the decrease in flow section. The results obtained were compared with various previously proven experiments carried out by experts in the field. As the title indicated the case undertaken involves a pair of rectangular buildings measuring 40m x 20m x 20m, placed adjacent to each other and separated by a narrow passage. The width of the passage is widened (for example, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 100 m) with every case to clearly understand the Venturi effect. The dimension of the computational domain is 20.5x14x18m3; the whole setup is placed at a distance of 5m from the inlet and simulated with a wind speed of 6.8m/sec based on initial results. The results recorded at the end of the simulation process are discussed as follows. They are based on the amplification factor, which is defined as the ratio of the mean wind speed at a certain location to the mean wind speed at the same location without the buildings present. As such it is a direct indication of the effect of the buildings on the wind speed (Blocken B et al, 2007). Pedestrian level wind profile: In context to this research, for narrow passages (example w=2m) this amplification factor occurs maximum at the centerline immediately behind the entrance. When the distance between the buildings are slightly increased (example w=10m), the flow streams deflecting off the inner edges of the buildings combine into a large jet stream and records an increase in the amplification factor. However this property is lost when the width of the passage is of a high order (example w=30m). Overall wind profile: To understand the overall wind profile, six vertical lines were identified along the passage’s center plane for the case of w=6m. The lines depicted the fact that there was an increase in the wind speed at the ground level due to the downdraft of the wind along the front faà §ade of the building and a decrease in wind speed at the end of the passage due to the exit of flow from the passage. Also for these cases, there was no significant increase in the wind speed with the increase in height. Flow rates at different points in the passage: To evaluate the Venturi-effect three fluxes were defined, one along the vertical plane, another along the horizontal plan and the final being similar to the former one but in the absence of the buildings. When the flow rate was calculated for narrow passages, it stated an increase in wind speed by only 8% due to the Venturi effect. However for larger widths the flow rate was lower than the free-field flux. This shows that the wind has a tendency to flow over and around the building rather than be forced through the passage as previously believed. Thus there is a lack of strong Venturi effect and the flow in the passage can be attributed as the channeling effect for these cases. The research also concluded that there were discrepancies in the CFD results due to the use of the roughness factor and advised future users to simulate an empty field before positioning the buildings to clearly identify the difference in results. Further research into the Venturi effect was also implied. Computational analysis of wind driven natural ventilation in buildings: Evola G and Popov V (2006) research focuses on the application of three-dimensional Reynolds Averaged Navier-Strokes (RANS) modeling on wind driven natural ventilation with specific detail to the pressure distribution and flow pattern within the building. The various cases would be simulated with the standard k-e model and the Renormalization Group theory (RNG). Within the framework of natural ventilation both single sided ventilation and cross ventilation would be studied and the results obtained using CFD will be compared with LES models and empirical methods for its reliability.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The building undertaken consists of a 250mm x 250mm x 250mm cube punctured with a centrally located 84mm x 125 mm opening on the wind ward side (Case 1). In Case 2 the door like opening is placed on the leeward side and in Case 3 both the openings are retained to test the cross ventilation principle. On comparison between the CFD results obtained for Case 1 and 2, Case 2 portrays a better flow pattern especially at the mouth of the opening. This leads to a better ventilation rate than Case 1 though in contrast to the theoretical data that good ventilation rate and flow patterns are achievable only when the opening faces the incoming winds. To establish the phenomenon further experimentation into the field was suggested. Between Cases 1, 2 and 3, cross ventilation clearly stands out as the best option of them all, both in terms of velocity and distribution. Also the study concluded that the measured RNG results matched approximately to the theoretical results of Cases 1 and 2. But a significant amount of deviation was observed in Case 3. The RNG model was only slightly intense than the k-e model generally used. The research also concluded that there were discrepancies in the CFD results due to the use of the roughness factor and advised future users to simulate an empty field before positioning the buildings to clearly identify the difference in results. Further research into the Venturi effect was also implied. CFD modeling of unsteady cross-ventilation flows using LES: This research undertaken by Cheng-Hu Hu et al (2008) employs the LES method to investigate the fluctuating ventilation flow rate induced by the wind for a cross-ventilated building. The results from CFD were compared with those previously acquired from wind tunnel tests.   Ã‚   The building proposed for the study consists of a rectangular box with two openings of equal size located opposite to each other. The wind is simulated from 0 °(Case 1) and 90 °(Case 2) to the building at a rate of 1m/sec, to study the flow pattern in and around it. When the air approaches the building the ventilation rate is unsteady at the mouth of the openings due to turbulence and in the flow separation layer due to shear. In Case 1 the wind is accelerated through the opening and directed downwards inside the building. This phenomenon brings about a circulation of the internal air before guiding the wind upwards and out through the window on the leeward side of the building. The air exchange occurs due to the mean flows through the opening. In Case 2 where the wind is parallel to the windows, the air moves in and exits rapidly causing fluctuating flows thereby leading to air exchange. In this case turbulence prone areas are formed at the rear of the building. When these results were compared with the wind tunnel data, Case 1 portrayed similarities while Case 2 had major deviations. Further study was proposed for understanding the reason behind such deviations. Case studies The Bahrain world trade centre was the world’s first building to ‘aesthetically incorporate commercial wind turbines into the fabric of the building’ [ ]. The complex consists of a three-storied sculpted podium and basement from where the 240m high towers rise up into the sky. The two towers comprise of 51 floors each and are connected by means of three, 31.5m span bridges at 60m, 96m and 132m levels [ ]. They are oval in section for aerodynamic reasons and follow a shallow V-shape in plan for adequate blade clearance. Sitting on each of this 70 ton spandrel is an 11-ton nacelle to which the industry approved horizontal axis wind turbines are fixed by special means. The turbine has a rotor diameter of 29m and is stall controlled with centrifugally activated feathering tips for air brakes (Killa S Smith Richard F, 2008). The turbines are oriented facing the Arabian Gulf intercepting the path of the dominant winds. The decision to harness the prevailing wind was thought of from the initial stage drawing inspiration from ‘the regional wind towers and the vast sails of the traditional Arabian Dhow which utilise the wind to drive them forward’. Numerous Computational fluid dynamics models and wind tunnel tests were carried out to determine the final building form. The result was a skyward tapering, elliptical structure, carved out by the wind that functions as aerofoil sections (Wood A, 2008). The shape and spatial relationship of the towers aid in adhering the wind in a â€Å"S’ flow whereby the center of the wind stream remains nearly perpendicular to the turbine within a 45 ° wind azimuth, either side of the central axis (Killa S Smith Richard F, 2008). This increases the turbine efficiency, number of working hours and minimizes the stress on the blade caused by yawing [ ]. Furthermore, the two towers were placed such that they create a ‘V’ shaped space in between them, as well as a negative pressure behind the blocks, thus creating an opportunity for the Venturi effect to accelerate wind velocity onto the turbines (Binder G, 2006) by as much as 30% more than the source wind (Killa S Smith Richard F, 2008). The tapering profile combined with the increased onshore wind velocity at higher altitudes creates a near equal regime of wind speed on each of the three turbines, irrespective of its location, allowing them to rotate at the same speed and generate approximately the same amount of energy (Wood A, 2008). Table 1: Annual energy output Utilisation of Wind Energy for High Rise Building Power Utilisation of Wind Energy for High Rise Building Power Introduction The price of conventional energy is on the rise, due to the ever-widening gap between demands and supply. The main reason for such shortages is the depletion in natural resources, such as coal, which is the main fuel used for electrical energy generation. Since these fuels are made up of carbon compounds, burning them has rapidly increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere over the last 100 years. This has brought about a chain reaction of hazards such as global warming, climate change, destruction of ecosystems, etc with predictions for adverse outcomes in the future. In response to this threat and to initiate an end to such processes, the UN agreed the Kyoto Protocol in Japan in 1997. This requires industrialised nations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 5% of 1990 levels by 2008-2012. The UK has agreed to meet this target and furthered its promise by setting a goal of 50% reduction in carbon emissions by 2050[ ]. Part of its government energy policy is to increase the contribution of electricity supplied by renewable energy to 10% by 2010 (Blackmore P, 2004). A similar promise has been undertaken by many world nations, which has led to a plethora of new and innovative methods for power generation. Renewable is the key to climate friendly forms of energy, due to the absence of emissions detrimental to the environment (Stiebler M, 2008). It includes energy derived from sunlight, wind, wave, tides and geothermal heat. Out of the afore mentioned resources, geothermal heat is restricted to only limited locations on the globe while wave and tidal power is still in its research stage. Thus sunlight and wind are the key elements that can be tapped for energy generation. However, on comparison between the two systems, wind energy systems are more advantageous both in availability of resources and cost of generation. This report mainly focuses on wind energy, with a keen interest on harvesting it for ventilation and power generation purposes in high-rise buildings. Plan forms that aid this purpose will be studied using Computational Fluid Dynamics to understand the flow of wind in and around a thirty-storey structure and the building configuration well suited for natural ventilation and wind turbine integration would be identified at the end of the test. To obtain a complete picture of wind flow patterns and to closely mimic real life situations, the wind will be simulated from different directions at different wind speeds. Wind energy Wind is the term used for air in motion and is usually applied to the natural horizontal motion of the atmosphere (Taranath Bungale S, 2005). It is brought about by the movement of atmospheric air masses that occur due to variations in atmospheric pressure, which in turn are the results of differences in the solar heating of different parts of the earth’s surface (Boyle G, 2004). At a macro level wind profile differs from place to place depending on geographic location and climatic conditions while in a microstate the immediate physical environment of a particular place modifies the nature of the winds. For example, the velocity of the wind recorded in the countryside which has acres of unobstructed grassland would be greater than that recorded in a city dominated by skyscrapers. Hence to obtain a clear idea of the wind characteristic corresponding to a particular area the wind rose is utilized. They are based on metrological observations and depict the varying wind speeds experienced by a site at different times of the year together with the frequency of different wind directions [ ]. It is the first tool consulted to judge the wind resources of a site and its ability to support power generation. The winds have been tapped from ancient times by means of ship sails, windmills, wind catchers, etc. The history of windmills goes back more than 2000 years (Stiebler M, 2008) when they were predominantly used for grinding grain and pumping water. However, the breakthrough occurred when Charles.F.Brush erected the first automatically operating wind turbine at Ohio in 1888 [ ]. It was fabricated using wood and had a rotor diameter of 17m with 144 blades. The system recorded very low efficiency and was mainly used to charge batteries. The reason behind the poor efficiency was due to the large number of blades, which was later discovered by Poul la Cour who introduced fewer blades into his wind turbine. Though such developments were achieved at an early stage in innovation, it was not until 1980 that the prominent application of renewable energies was sought after (Boyle G, 2004). Wind energy is the harnessing of the kinetic energy prevalent in moving air masses. This kinetic energy for any particular mass of moving air (Boyle G, 2004) is given by the formula: K.E = 0.5mV ² where, m – mass of the air (kg) and V – wind velocity (m/s). However this mass of moving air per second is: m = air density x volume of air flowing per second m = air density x area x velocity   Thus, m = rAV where, r – density of air at sea level = 1.2256 kg/m ³ and A – area covered by the flowing air (m ²) Substituting this value of m in the former equation, K.E. = 0.5rAV ³ (J/s) But energy per unit of time is power and hence the above equation is the power available from the wind. It is also evident that the power is directly proportional to thrice the wind velocity. In other words even a marginal increase in wind speed would yield three folds of the nominal power. This is the critical fact based on which the whole energy process is evolved. However not all of this power can be exhausted since it would lead to nil outflow through the wind turbine, that is no flow of air behind the rotor. This would lead to no flow of air over the turbine causing total failure of the system. According to Albert Betz the maximum amount of power that can be harnessed from the wind is 59.3%. This is often referred to as the Betz limit and has been proven by modern experiments. Some of the advantages of wind energy include: It is based on a non-exhaustive resource and hence can be harnessed for generations. It is a clean and eco friendly way of producing energy. In its working lifetime, the wind turbine produces eighty times the amount of energy that goes into its manufacturing and thus has diminishable net impact on the environment. It does not require any additional resources such as water supply unlike conventional power generation. It can boost the economy of the region (wind farms). Wind turbines: Wind turbines are the modern day adaptations of the yesteryear windmills but unlike their counterparts they are mainly used for power generation. These new age systems come in different shapes and have various configurations, the well established of them all are the Horizontal axis wind turbine and the Vertical axis wind turbine. Write a brief about horizontal wind turbines and vertical wind turbines. BUilding integrated Wind Turbines (BUWT): Building integrated wind turbines are associated with buildings designed and shaped with wind energy in mind (Stankovic S et al, 2009). They are relatively a new way of harnessing energy that is gaining popularity at a quick pace. Small scale wind turbines on house roofs and retrofitting also fall under this category. The design of BUWTs is a complicated affair and involves the careful consideration of various factors. Since turbines are fixed into the building’s fabric its impact on the environment, building’s response and needs of its owners and occupants need to be weighed equally. Also numerous design decisions such as planning, structure, services, construction and maintenance depend on this single process (Stankovic S et al, 2009). With the increase in the scale of the proposal the importance of these factors increases simultaneously. The proposal generally spans from the number, scale, type and location of the turbines together with its annual energy yield and design life. A good BUWT based building should be a wholesome design that does not prejudice the buildings efficient functioning for energy generation. Generic options for BUWTs: Stankovic S et al (2009) explains that the wind turbines can be fixed on to a building in enumerable ways. Each method can accomplish a different level of power depending on the type of turbine used and the form of the building it is mounted upon. On top of a square/ rectangular building: This configuration is on the principle that the wind velocity increases with height and hence the amount of energy generated would be of a higher order (10% increase with wind acceleration). An added advantage is that the turbine would experience relatively little turbulence. But access to the turbine for maintenance and decommissioning works may be difficult. If mounted on tall buildings the turbines may threaten the visual quality of the skyline. On top of a rounded building: This case is very similar to the previous configuration except that with the use of rounded faà §ade the mean tower height can be considerably diminished. Also the rounded profile influences the local acceleration (15% increase in energy). The low tower height favors easy access to the turbine but leads to blade flicker and noise issues. Concentrator on top of a rounded building: This case is well suited to areas with bi-directional winds (20% energy increase over a free standing equivalent due to local acceleration). Vertical axis wind turbines are better suited for this feature while Horizontal axis wind turbines need to be suitably altered to achieve the same status. The building spaces that act as concentrators may be inhabited with suitable acoustical treatment. This case also encounters the same drawbacks as listed in the previous case. Square concentrator within a building faà §ade: As before, this configuration takes advantage of the higher quality winds at higher altitudes and local acceleration thereby achieving 25% increase in energy and 40% increase for bi-directional winds. This option is best suited for buildings with narrower profiles. There may be a loss in the saleable area of the building but the aperture can be converted into an exclusive feature such as a sky garden. The opening also relieves the wind loading on the building’s facade leading to simpler structural solutions. Vertical axis wind turbine is the only choice for integration due to its square swept area. Circular concentrator within a building faà §ade: This is very similar to the square concentrator except the opening is accustomed to hold pitch controlled horizontal axis wind turbines with fixed yaw. Also, a 35% increase for uniform wind and 50% increase in energy for bi-directional winds are achievable in this method. But on the down side, this technique is more expensive due to the cylindrical shroud. On the side of a building: In this technique, an increase in 80-90% in energy than the freestanding equivalents is achievable only if the building form is optimized to the local wind character. Only reliable vertical axis wind turbines can be used for power generation due to access issues. For higher swept area, more number of turbines should be used. Between multiple building forms: This type of an option opens out many doors for a range of architectural forms. Unlike the previous cases, the buildings orientation, form, shape and spacing play key roles in the performance of the turbines. Vertical axis wind turbines are better suited for this purpose. Guidelines for BUWT’s: The following are some guidelines outlined by Stankovic S et al (2009) for incorporating wind turbines into a structure: BUWTs should be tailored to the specific site for good results. Adequate wind resources should be available on site. If however if the site is under resourced steps are to be adopted to deliberately elevate the quality of the wind through the buildings form or turbine. The impact of its surroundings should also be considered before commissioning such a project. The dominating wind direction and its intensity should be observed from meteorological data. This would help in determining the form and orientation of the building together with finalizing the position of the wind turbine to make the most out of the available resource. Environmental impact assessment corresponding to the site should be carried out to foresee the adverse effects the turbines may create. Acoustic isolation may be sought for in some areas within the building if it lies at close proximity to the rotor. Natural ventilation and day lighting qualities of the building may be challenged and forced to settle for artificial means. The type and position of openings, external shading devices, smoke extracts etc should be handled with appropriate care to avoid draught winds. Access to the wind turbines for maintenance and decommissioning must be provided suitably. The aesthetic quality of the mounted turbines must harmonize with its surroundings and should not over power the pedestrians at ground level. To this end well suited screening devices such as canopies, screens and landscape may be utilized as per the necessity. The overall success of BUWT project depends on its ability to deliver the expected power. Inability to comply with this effect would result in the failure of its intended purpose from both an environmental and design point of view. Thus the electricity demand of the building and the level to which this would be met with should be estimated prior to turbine design to secure maximum benefits. Wind flow prediction and energy yields: For any project to be successful, Wind flow and building design (Taranath Bungale S, 2005) When the air moves in a vertical direction it is referred to as a current. These currents play a major role in meteorology whereas the gradual decrease in wind speed and high turbulence of the horizontal motion of air, at the ground level, are vital in building engineering. In urban areas, this zone of turbulence extends to a height of approximately one quarter of a mile aboveground and is called the surface boundary layer. Above this layer, the horizontal airflow is no longer influenced by the ground effect. The wind speed at this height is known as the gradient wind speed, and it is precisely in this boundary layer where most human activity is conducted. Characteristics of wind: The flow of wind is complex because many flow situations arise from the interaction of wind with structures. A few characteristics of wind include: Variation of wind velocity with height: The viscosity of air reduces its velocity adjacent to the earth’s surface to almost zero. A retarding effect occurs in the wind layers near the ground, and these layers in turn successively slow the outer layers. The slowing down is reduced at each layer as the height increases, and eventually becomes negligibly small. The height at which velocity ceases to increase is called the gradient height, and the corresponding velocity, the gradient velocity. At heights of approximately 366m aboveground, the wind speed is virtually unaffected by surface friction, and its movement is solely dependant on prevailing seasonal and local wind effects the height through which the wind speed is affected by topography is called the atmospheric boundary layer. Wind turbulence: Motion of wind is turbulent and it occurs in wind flow because air has a very low viscosity-about one-sixteenth that of water. Any movement of air at speeds greater than 0.9 to 1.3 m/s is turbulent, causing air particles to move randomly in all directions. Vortex shedding: In general, wind buffering against a bluff body such as a rectangular building gets diverted in three mutually perpendicular directions. However, only the longitudinal winds and the transverse winds or crosswinds are considered in civil engineering. When a free flowing mass of air encounters a building along its path, the originally parallel upwind streamlines are displaced on either side of the building. This results in spiral vortices being shed periodically from the sides into the downstream flow of the wind, called the wake. At relatively low wind speeds the vortices are shed, that is, break away from the surface of the building and an impulse is applied in the transverse direction. Distribution of pressures and suctions: When air flows around the edges of a structure, the resulting pressures at the corners are much in excess of the pressures on the center of elevation. This has been evident by the damages caused to corner windows, eave and ridge tiles, etc in windstorms. Wind tunnel studies conducted on scale models of buildings indicate that three distinct pressure areas develop around the building. They are: Positive pressure zone on the upstream face (Region 1) Negative pressure zone at the upstream corners (Region 2) Negative pressure zone on the downstream face (Region 3) The highest negative pressures are created in the upstream corners designated as Region 2. Wind pressures on a buildings surface are not constant, but fluctuate continuously. The positive pressure on the upstream or the windward face fluctuates more than the negative pressure on the downstream or the leeward face. The negative pressure region remains relatively steady as compared to the positive pressure zone. The fluctuation of pressure is random and varies from point to point on the building surface. Nearby buildings can have a significant influence on wind forces. If they are the same height as the structure being considered then they will mostly provide shelter, although local wind loads can be increased in some situations. Where surrounding buildings are significantly taller they will often generate increased wind loading (negative shelter) on nearby lower structures. Shelter can result from either from the general built-environment upwind of the site or from the direct shielding from specific individual upwind buildings (Blackmore P, 2004). Natural ventilation The three natural ventilation airflow paths in buildings are (Pennycook, 2009): Cross ventilation Single-sided ventilation Passive stack ventilation Advantages of cross ventilation: Greater rates of ventilation can be achieved under amicable weather conditions. Can be utilized for deep-plan spaces with operable windows on the external wall. Incumbents have control over ventilation. Relatively cost free. Can be incorporated with thermal masses. However, it has certain limitations such as: Internal space layout must be hindrance free for easy, clear flow of air. Internal partitions must be within 1.2m height and tall cupboards must be placed alongside the windows. Natural ventilation can occur only under the presence of suitable winds. Poor planning and positioning of windows may cause disruptive draughts and gusts. Winter ventilation is problematic. Unsuitable for buildings located in noisy and pollution prone environments. The requirements of fresh air supply are governed by the type of occupancy, number and activity of the occupants and by the nature of any processes carried out in the space (Koenigsberger et al, 2001). When natural ventilation is stipulated for good indoor air quality, the amount and nature of the dominant pollutant source in the space should be identified. Based on this data the ventilation rate for the space can be calculated such that the pollution level does not cross a preset specific mark. Generally the concentration of the pollutants decreases with the increase in airflow rate (Figure –1). However, in terms of thermal comfort especially during winter the heating requirement of the building will increase with the ventilation rate. This demand varies with time, wind characteristics of the place, opening and closing of windows and doors by its occupants and the thermal state of the building. In summer, cooling is ideal for both the building and its occupants to prevent internal heat gains. By directing the high velocity wind around the human body the evaporative rate at the skins surface can be increased thereby achieving a cooling sensation. The recommended upper limit of indoor air movement is 0.8 m/sec, which permits the inhabitants to occupy a space about 2 °C warmer and 60% relative humidity with optimum comfort. The traditional way to cool buildings is to provide large openings along the exterior wall with the principle that higher the ventilation rate greater the loss of heat to the external environment. But such an arrangement would work only when the outdoor te mperature is in the range of comfort zone. When controlled indoor environments are desired especially during the occupancy period’s night ventilation is recommended. In this technique the building is cooled at night so that it can absorb the heat generated during the day (Allard F, 1998). Based on wind tunnel experimental observations, the factors that affect the indoor airflow are: Orientation: External features: Cross-ventilation: Position of openings: Size of openings: Control of openings: Literature review The following are studies that have been made of different aspects of wind using Computational Fluid dynamics. CFD evaluation of wind speed conditions in passages between parallel buildings: This analysis undertaken by Blocken B et al (2007) mainly focuses on the wind speed conditions in passages between parallel buildings in combination with the accuracy of the commercial CFD code Fluent 6.1.22 when the wall-function roughness modifications are applied to them. The Venturi effect is also studied to determine the amount of increase in wind speed in the passage due to the decrease in flow section. The results obtained were compared with various previously proven experiments carried out by experts in the field. As the title indicated the case undertaken involves a pair of rectangular buildings measuring 40m x 20m x 20m, placed adjacent to each other and separated by a narrow passage. The width of the passage is widened (for example, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 15, 20, 30, 40, 60, 80, 100 m) with every case to clearly understand the Venturi effect. The dimension of the computational domain is 20.5x14x18m3; the whole setup is placed at a distance of 5m from the inlet and simulated with a wind speed of 6.8m/sec based on initial results. The results recorded at the end of the simulation process are discussed as follows. They are based on the amplification factor, which is defined as the ratio of the mean wind speed at a certain location to the mean wind speed at the same location without the buildings present. As such it is a direct indication of the effect of the buildings on the wind speed (Blocken B et al, 2007). Pedestrian level wind profile: In context to this research, for narrow passages (example w=2m) this amplification factor occurs maximum at the centerline immediately behind the entrance. When the distance between the buildings are slightly increased (example w=10m), the flow streams deflecting off the inner edges of the buildings combine into a large jet stream and records an increase in the amplification factor. However this property is lost when the width of the passage is of a high order (example w=30m). Overall wind profile: To understand the overall wind profile, six vertical lines were identified along the passage’s center plane for the case of w=6m. The lines depicted the fact that there was an increase in the wind speed at the ground level due to the downdraft of the wind along the front faà §ade of the building and a decrease in wind speed at the end of the passage due to the exit of flow from the passage. Also for these cases, there was no significant increase in the wind speed with the increase in height. Flow rates at different points in the passage: To evaluate the Venturi-effect three fluxes were defined, one along the vertical plane, another along the horizontal plan and the final being similar to the former one but in the absence of the buildings. When the flow rate was calculated for narrow passages, it stated an increase in wind speed by only 8% due to the Venturi effect. However for larger widths the flow rate was lower than the free-field flux. This shows that the wind has a tendency to flow over and around the building rather than be forced through the passage as previously believed. Thus there is a lack of strong Venturi effect and the flow in the passage can be attributed as the channeling effect for these cases. The research also concluded that there were discrepancies in the CFD results due to the use of the roughness factor and advised future users to simulate an empty field before positioning the buildings to clearly identify the difference in results. Further research into the Venturi effect was also implied. Computational analysis of wind driven natural ventilation in buildings: Evola G and Popov V (2006) research focuses on the application of three-dimensional Reynolds Averaged Navier-Strokes (RANS) modeling on wind driven natural ventilation with specific detail to the pressure distribution and flow pattern within the building. The various cases would be simulated with the standard k-e model and the Renormalization Group theory (RNG). Within the framework of natural ventilation both single sided ventilation and cross ventilation would be studied and the results obtained using CFD will be compared with LES models and empirical methods for its reliability.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The building undertaken consists of a 250mm x 250mm x 250mm cube punctured with a centrally located 84mm x 125 mm opening on the wind ward side (Case 1). In Case 2 the door like opening is placed on the leeward side and in Case 3 both the openings are retained to test the cross ventilation principle. On comparison between the CFD results obtained for Case 1 and 2, Case 2 portrays a better flow pattern especially at the mouth of the opening. This leads to a better ventilation rate than Case 1 though in contrast to the theoretical data that good ventilation rate and flow patterns are achievable only when the opening faces the incoming winds. To establish the phenomenon further experimentation into the field was suggested. Between Cases 1, 2 and 3, cross ventilation clearly stands out as the best option of them all, both in terms of velocity and distribution. Also the study concluded that the measured RNG results matched approximately to the theoretical results of Cases 1 and 2. But a significant amount of deviation was observed in Case 3. The RNG model was only slightly intense than the k-e model generally used. The research also concluded that there were discrepancies in the CFD results due to the use of the roughness factor and advised future users to simulate an empty field before positioning the buildings to clearly identify the difference in results. Further research into the Venturi effect was also implied. CFD modeling of unsteady cross-ventilation flows using LES: This research undertaken by Cheng-Hu Hu et al (2008) employs the LES method to investigate the fluctuating ventilation flow rate induced by the wind for a cross-ventilated building. The results from CFD were compared with those previously acquired from wind tunnel tests.   Ã‚   The building proposed for the study consists of a rectangular box with two openings of equal size located opposite to each other. The wind is simulated from 0 °(Case 1) and 90 °(Case 2) to the building at a rate of 1m/sec, to study the flow pattern in and around it. When the air approaches the building the ventilation rate is unsteady at the mouth of the openings due to turbulence and in the flow separation layer due to shear. In Case 1 the wind is accelerated through the opening and directed downwards inside the building. This phenomenon brings about a circulation of the internal air before guiding the wind upwards and out through the window on the leeward side of the building. The air exchange occurs due to the mean flows through the opening. In Case 2 where the wind is parallel to the windows, the air moves in and exits rapidly causing fluctuating flows thereby leading to air exchange. In this case turbulence prone areas are formed at the rear of the building. When these results were compared with the wind tunnel data, Case 1 portrayed similarities while Case 2 had major deviations. Further study was proposed for understanding the reason behind such deviations. Case studies The Bahrain world trade centre was the world’s first building to ‘aesthetically incorporate commercial wind turbines into the fabric of the building’ [ ]. The complex consists of a three-storied sculpted podium and basement from where the 240m high towers rise up into the sky. The two towers comprise of 51 floors each and are connected by means of three, 31.5m span bridges at 60m, 96m and 132m levels [ ]. They are oval in section for aerodynamic reasons and follow a shallow V-shape in plan for adequate blade clearance. Sitting on each of this 70 ton spandrel is an 11-ton nacelle to which the industry approved horizontal axis wind turbines are fixed by special means. The turbine has a rotor diameter of 29m and is stall controlled with centrifugally activated feathering tips for air brakes (Killa S Smith Richard F, 2008). The turbines are oriented facing the Arabian Gulf intercepting the path of the dominant winds. The decision to harness the prevailing wind was thought of from the initial stage drawing inspiration from ‘the regional wind towers and the vast sails of the traditional Arabian Dhow which utilise the wind to drive them forward’. Numerous Computational fluid dynamics models and wind tunnel tests were carried out to determine the final building form. The result was a skyward tapering, elliptical structure, carved out by the wind that functions as aerofoil sections (Wood A, 2008). The shape and spatial relationship of the towers aid in adhering the wind in a â€Å"S’ flow whereby the center of the wind stream remains nearly perpendicular to the turbine within a 45 ° wind azimuth, either side of the central axis (Killa S Smith Richard F, 2008). This increases the turbine efficiency, number of working hours and minimizes the stress on the blade caused by yawing [ ]. Furthermore, the two towers were placed such that they create a ‘V’ shaped space in between them, as well as a negative pressure behind the blocks, thus creating an opportunity for the Venturi effect to accelerate wind velocity onto the turbines (Binder G, 2006) by as much as 30% more than the source wind (Killa S Smith Richard F, 2008). The tapering profile combined with the increased onshore wind velocity at higher altitudes creates a near equal regime of wind speed on each of the three turbines, irrespective of its location, allowing them to rotate at the same speed and generate approximately the same amount of energy (Wood A, 2008). Table 1: Annual energy output