Methodology of CO2 emission evaluation in the life cycle of office building facades

The construction industry is one of the greatest sources of pollution because of the high level of energy consumption during its life cycle. In addition to using energy while constructing a building, several systems also use power while the building is operating, especially the air-conditioning system. Energy consumption for this system is related, among other issues, to external air temperature and the required internal temperature of the building. The facades are elements which present the highest level of ambient heat transfer from the outside to the inside of tall buildings. Thus, the type of facade has an influence on energy consumption during the building life cycle and, consequently, contributes to buildings' CO2 emissions, because these emissions are directly connected to energy consumption. Therefore, the aim is to help develop a methodology for evaluating CO2 emissions generated during the life cycle of office building facades. The results, based on the parameters used in this study, show that facades using structural glazing and uncolored glass emit the most CO2 throughout their life cycle, followed by brick facades covered with compound aluminum panels or ACM (Aluminum Composite Material), facades using structural glazing and reflective glass and brick facades with plaster coating. On the other hand, the typology of facade that emits less CO2 is brickwork and mortar because its thermal barrier is better than structural glazing facade and materials used to produce this facade are better than brickwork and ACM. Finally, an uncertainty analysis was conducted to verify the accuracy of the results attained. (C) 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Measurement of buccal bone volume of dental implants by means of cone-beam computed tomography

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of cone-beam computed tomography (CBCT) for measuring the buccal bone volume around dental implants. Materials and methods: Three to six implants were inserted into the anterior maxilla of eight skulls, depending on the availability of bone, and after this, the CBCT was performed. By means of CBCT image, measurements of the bone wall at three points of the implant were obtained, analyzed and compared with those obtained in the plaster skull casting. Results: The results showed that for the three points of the implants, no statistically significant difference in the measurements was obtained from the plaster model and CBCT images. Conclusions: CBCT can be a useful tool for assessing buccal bone volume along the implant. To cite this article:?Shiratori LN, Marotti J, Yamanouchi J, Chilvarquer I, Contin I, Tortamano-Neto P. Measurement of buccal bone volume of dental implants by means of cone-beam computed tomography.?Clin. Oral Impl. Res. 23, 2012; 797804.?doi: 10.1111/j.1600-0501.2011.02207.x

Photometric analysis applied in determining facial type

INTRODUCTION: In orthodontics, determining the facial type is a key element in the prescription of a correct diagnosis. In the early days of our specialty, observation and measurement of craniofacial structures were done directly on the face, in photographs or plaster casts. With the development of radiographic methods, cephalometric analysis replaced the direct facial analysis. Seeking to validate the analysis of facial soft tissues, this work compares two different methods used to determining the facial types, the anthropometric and the cephalometric methods. METHODS: The sample consisted of sixty-four Brazilian individuals, adults, Caucasian, of both genders, who agreed to participate in this research. All individuals had lateral cephalograms and facial frontal photographs. The facial types were determined by the Vert Index (cephalometric) and the Facial Index (photographs). RESULTS: The agreement analysis (Kappa), made for both types of analysis, found an agreement of 76.5%. CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that the Facial Index can be used as an adjunct to orthodontic diagnosis, or as an alternative method for pre-selection of a sample, avoiding that research subjects have to undergo unnecessary tests.