The Influence of Icephobic Nanomaterial Coatings on Solar Cell Panels at High Latitudes

Solar energy’s penetration at high latitudes has been boosted during recent years, but snow deposits during the winter still limit its exploitation. Therefore, various solutions for snow removal, such as icephobic coatings, increasing panels’ tilt angle, and using wind flows, are being attempted to reduce snow and ice accumulation. The novelty of this study is that it presents insights into the snow-related issues of photovoltaic plants in Norway and proposes a preliminary approach to modelling these issues’ influences at high latitudes using a co-simulation approach. The workflow is based on a combination of PVsyst and Marion’s algorithm, and moves from the assessment of snow deposits on photovoltaic panels and the consequent reduction of plane of array (POA) irradiance (snow losses) to evaluating the influence of icephobic nanomaterials on snow losses. Solar analyses are performed on a photovoltaic plant located in Trondheim, Norway, and then reiterated considering the climate of the Norwegian cities of Bergen and Oslo. The snow losses between November and April, when the snow depth is greater than zero, are 32.75 kWh/m2 in Oslo, 25.05 kWh/m2 in Trondheim, and 5.85 kWh/m2 in Bergen. The application of icephobic coatings currently available on the market will reduce such snow losses to 12.05 kWh/m2 (65% efficiency) in Oslo, 10.00 kWh/m2 (60% efficiency) in Trondheim, and 3.35 kWh/m2 (45% efficiency) in Bergen. In conclusion, the application of icephobic coatings should be more greatly boosted in a continental climate (Oslo and Trondheim) than in an oceanic climate (Bergen) to maximize photovoltaic power output.publishedVersio

Effect of some candidate genes on meat characteristics of three cattle breeds.

With the aim to assess if some molecular markers can help to select animals for meat characteristics, we studied 84 individuals equally representing the Marchigiana, Maremmana, and Holstein Friesian cattle breeds genotyped at 288 SNPs located within candidate genes. Several SNPs were found associated with meat quality parameters but with P which was higher than the Bonferroni threshold. However, several SNPs had a low P at different times during meat maturation, suggesting their involvement in the meat quality variation. Of particular interest for the biological role and potential for selection were: cathepsin G affecting MFI, IGF1R affecting pH and collagen XVIII affecting colour

Information and communication technologies-based interventions for children with autism spectrum conditions: a systematic review of randomized control trials from a positive technology perspective

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have become more widely used in the past years to help people with autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Serious games embedded into computers or tablets, as well as social robots, are the most employed ICT-related tools that are appealing to and appropriate for autistic children. The goal of ICT applications is to enhance behavioral abnormalities associated with ASC while also creating an interactive link between one person and one computer. Comparatively, to human-based therapy, ICT tools aid to inspire autistic children by providing predictability and regularity of tasks. Regaining social skills is the primary behavioral goal for which ICT tools have been designed and implemented. In the past several years, many studies have been created to show how effective it is at improving targeted behaviors. However, only a small number of researchers have used an RCT approach to evaluate its effectiveness. In this systematic review, we only included RCT studies where ICT technologies were used to help children with ASC in improving their social skills. Only 14 RCT studies satisfied the criteria and 12 described significant improvements, showing how the use of technology in educational contexts produced better improvement in developing several social skill facets with respect to the traditional face-to-face approach. Some studies used interventions and outcome measures focused on the core ASC symptoms, but many others addressed neurocognitive functions directly, like social cognition or emotional regulation, while other more general functions such as language or adaptive behaviors. We propose a classification based on processes and outcome measures to foster future research in this specific area of research. The behavioral intervention mediated by technological tools such as computer-based, tablet, and social robotics, undoubtedly provides a comfortable environment that promotes constant learning for people with ASC. Evidence provided in this review highlights the translational potential of this field of study in primary care practice and educational settings

Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Physical and Psychological Wellbeing in Cardiovascular Diseases: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Background: Recently, there has been an increased interest in the efficacy of mindfulness-based interventions (MBI) for people with cardiovascular diseases (CVD), although the exact beneficial effects remain unclear. Methods: This review aims to establish the role of MBI in the management of wellbeing for patients with CVD. Seventeen articles have been included in this systematic synthesis of the literature and eleven in the meta-analysis. Results: Considering physical (i.e., heart rate, blood pressure) and psychological outcomes (i.e., depression, anxiety, stress, styles of coping), the vast majority of studies confirmed that MBI has a positive influence on coping with psychological risk factors, also improving physiological fitness. Random-effects meta-analysis models suggested a moderate-to-large effect size in reducing anxiety, depression, stress, and systolic blood pressure. Conclusions: Although a high heterogeneity was observed in the methodological approaches, scientific literature confirmed that MBI can now be translated into a first-line intervention tool for improving physical and psychological wellbeing in CVD patients

Mediating Mindfulness-Based Interventions with Virtual Reality in Non-Clinical Populations: The State-of-the-Art

Mindfulness is one of the most popular psychotherapeutic techniques that help to promote good mental and physical health. Combining mindfulness with immersive virtual reality (VR) has been proven to be especially effective for a wide range of mood disorders for which traditional mindfulness has proven valuable. However, the vast majority of immersive VR-enhanced mindfulness applications have focused on clinical settings, with little evidence on healthy subjects. This narrative review evaluates the real effectiveness of state-of-the-art mindfulness interventions mediated by VR systems in influencing mood and physiological status in non-clinical populations. Only studies with an RCT study design were considered. We conclude that most studies were characterized by one single meditation experience, which seemed sufficient to induce a significant reduction in negative mood states (anxiety, anger, depression, tension) combined with increased mindfulness skills. However, physiological correlates of mindfulness practices have scarcely been investigated. The application of VR-enhanced mindfulness-based interventions in non-clinical populations is in its infancy since most studies have several limitations, such as the poor employment of the RCT study design, the lack of physiological measurements (i.e., heart rate variability), as well as the high heterogeneity in demographical data, technological devices, and VR procedures. We thus concluded that before applying mindfulness interventions mediated by VR in clinical populations, more robust and reliable methodological procedures need to be defined

Snow and Ice on Photovoltaic Devices - Analysis of a Challenge and Proposals for Solutions

The global photovoltaic industry is a rapidly growing and highly competitive, innovation-based sector. Norway s interest in photovoltaics has been behind other countries for a long time; however a recent impulse in the solar industry has developed, driven by the necessity of reducing buildings impact on environment. As a matter of fact Norwegian interest in photovoltaics leads to the study of the influence of snow on PV devices. As a consequence, different studies have been conducted to find an adequate solution to the problem. First of all the snow condition is described through statistical data and graphs in the most populated cities of Norway: Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim. In addition the will of Norwegian industry and research to address to renewable resources is underlined. As a consequence, the motivation and the interest in this thesis topic appear clear. The second part of the thesis gives some guidelines about the geometric design of a PV-plant taking in consideration the accumulation of snow on the panels. Different answers are given for different plan conditions. When the modules are all located on the same shed, a high tilt angle can be more convenient than a low one, because it increases the sliding of snow. On the contrary, when panels are located on different sheds, the shading problems leads to the conclusion that a medium tilt angle is the best solution. Other indications are given regarding the division of the system electrically, through string diodes and module by-pass diodes. In conclusion this part is addresses to who is approaching in designing a new PV-plant. The third part focuses on computation of snow loss; therefore it is applicable to existing PV systems. An application of Marion s algorithm and the PVsyst software on the ZEB Living Lab PV-plant supposed in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim gives interesting results about the snow loss values. They are strongly related to the snow depth, solar radiation and air temperature, therefore a deep connection to the location weather data is present. The monthly snow loss percentage reaches values till 70% in Oslo, while lower percentages characterize the other sites. However the annual loss is around 3% in Oslo and Trondheim and around 1% in Bergen. Possible solutions to avoid or reduce snow accumulation on the PV panels are investigated in the fourth chapter. Then a focus on the icephobic coatings was presented. Their characteristics, their design, their properties were studied to know how useful these elements can be to our case. Finally a spotlight on the state-of-art showed the possibilities that are nowadays offered by the market. The fifth chapter copes with a hypothesis of simulation of icephobic coatings on the PV modules, to have an idea of their contribute in term of energy save. Moreover the fact that soiling loss is reduced as well should be taken in consideration. The simulations were conducted for the same PV-plant supposed in Oslo, Bergen and Trondheim in the third part, so that differences between the two cases were highlighted

Il progetto "La vita delle opere: dalle fonti al digitale" per la comunicazione della storia conservativa nei musei

Descrizione di obiettivi, metodi e ambiti di ricerca del Progetto di Rilevante Interesse Nazionale 2012 del MIUR "La vita delle opere: fonti e digitale. Progetto pilota per la ricerca e la comunicazione nei musei della storia conservativa delle opere d'arte" (febbraio 2014-2017

Il progetto La vita delle opere: dalle fonti al digitale per la comunicazione della storia conservativa

Il contributo illustra i principi fondanti e le metodologie alla base del progetto "La vita delle opere: dalle fonti al digitale" che aveva l'obiettivo di rendere visibile, con diversi strumenti digitali, la storia conservativa delle opere d'arte all'interno dei musei e dei luoghi d'arte

Prefazione

Le curatrici del volume illustrano le motivazioni delle scelte operate nella selezione dei contributi, in particolare alla luce dell'esigenza di rimarcare la necessità di leggere la storia del restauro, della conservazione, della tutela come percorso strettamente connesso alla storia dell’arte e della critica d’arte, alla storia delle istituzioni museali