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

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

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

Introduzione delle curatrici

Le curatrici del volume rileggono la fortuna critica del restauratore Mauro Pellicioli alla luce dei contributi contenuti; in particolare sono evidenziate la necessità di connettere storia del restauro e storia della critica d'arte mettendo in evidenza come per Pellicioli la frequentazione e la vicinanza di alcuni direttori di musei e storici dell'arte possa essere letta come un elemento cardine della sua carriera

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

Acute pancreatitis in children and rotavirus infection. Description of a case and minireview

In this article, we describe a case of acute pancreatitis occurred on a 2-year-old boy following rotavirus gastroenteritis. Its characteristics are analyzed and contextualized among those of other 4 cases of pancreatitis associated with rotavirus infection found through a systematic review of the international literature. None of the five children underwent surgery or was referred to an intensive care unit and all the 5 children cured with normalization of pancreatic enzyme within 5-10 days. The pathogenesis of this rare complication remains to be cleared, and its actual incidence may be higher than that reported. Although acute pancreatitis associated with rotavirus gastroenteritis seems to be a mild disease, attention must be paid by the pediatrician fearing possible complications. Rotavirus infection should be amended to the differential diagnosis panel of pancreatitis in toddlers