assessment of thermal stress in a street canyon in pedestrian area with or without canopy shading

Abstract Urban areas are characterized by a plurality of microclimates given by the diversity of morphologies, optical and radiative properties, solar access and air circulation in different street canyons. For these reasons, beyond strategies at urban scale, mitigation needs to be addressed at district or even at urban canyon scale, just like the design of buildings. Among different options, canopy shading has been proposed in several urban contexts, and to assess the impact of this mitigation technique on air temperature and outdoor thermal comfort conditions we performed numerical simulations for a north-south oriented urban canyon with high solar access (height to width ratio equal to 0.18) in the climate context of Milano (Italy)

A Novel Approach to Shape Memory Alloys Applied to Passive Adaptive Shading Systems

A shading device for façade application was developed by combining twisting cylindrical shading elements with the smart use of shape-memory alloy (SMA) components. These allow a dynamic behaviour of a shading device, which does not require electrical motors or manual activation, nor sophisticated electronic controls. The technical development of the system involved research of cylindrical shading geometries, which can transition from straight to hourglass configuration, given a 180° rotation, with limited mechanical movement. This is induced by the stroke of a SMA spring, which functions as both actuator and sensor. Its design is tailored to achieve a passive adaptive component that can be activated under set temperature stimuli, caused by incident solar radiation on a façade. A combination of computer simulations and physical tests were carried out to assess the optimal conditions of the SMA spring activation in a temperate climate condition (Cfa to the Koppen-Geiger classification), correlating transition temperature (50°C), incident solar radiation (>300W/m2 ) and the forces required to operate the cylinders. In parallel, an experimental apparatus was developed to validate the concept on a geometrical point of view, and to ensure its constraints were compatible with a SMA spring control system

Lung imaging: How to get better look inside the lung

In the last years, imaging has played a key role in the diagnosis and monitoring and critical illness, including acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Chest X-ray (CXR) and computed tomography (CT) are the conventional techniques most performed in the critically ill patients, the latter being the gold standard to assess lung aeration in ARDS patients. In addition, two bedside techniques are now gaining popularity alongside the conventional ones: lung ultrasound (LUS) and electrical impedance tomography (EIT). These techniques do not involve the use of ionizing radiations, are non-invasive and relatively easy to use, and are under extensive investigation as a complement, and for some application a substitution of conventional techniques. At last, positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can provide functional information on the lung and respiratory function, and are increasingly used in research to improve the understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying ARDS. The purpose of this review is to give an up-to-date overview of the conventional and emerging imaging techniques available the diagnosis and management of patients with ARDS

Transparent Multilayer ETFE Panels for Building Envelope: Thermal Transmittance Evaluation and Assessment of Optical and Solar Performance Decay due to Soiling

AbstractThis paper is divided in two sections. The first section present the measurement and evaluation of soiling effects of spectral light and solar transmittance decay of Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene Copolymer (ETFE) membranes after three and six months of exposure in Milano city outdoor urban conditions, with different tilt and orientation. The obtained values where use to compute thermal and solar properties of a multilayer ETFE panel.The second section presents the results of an experimental campaign for measuring thermal transmittance of a non-pneumatic and non-cushion shape double layer ETFE sample panel realized with two membranes parallel to each other and tensioned on a frame. The thermal transmittance measurement reflects ISO 9869 measurement approach combined with the use of a thermographic camera to evaluate surface temperatures over the sample panel

Transparent multilayer ETFE panels for building envelope : thermal transmittance evaluation and assessment of optical and solar performance decay due to soiling.

Abstract This paper is divided in two sections. The first section present the measurement and evaluation of soiling effects of spectral light and solar transmittance decay of Ethylene Tetrafluoroethylene Copolymer (ETFE) membranes after three and six months of exposure in Milano city outdoor urban conditions, with different tilt and orientation. The obtained values where use to compute thermal and solar properties of a multilayer ETFE panel. The second section presents the results of an experimental campaign for measuring thermal transmittance of a non-pneumatic and non-cushion shape double layer ETFE sample panel realized with two membranes parallel to each other and tensioned on a frame. The thermal transmittance measurement reflects ISO 9869 measurement approach combined with the use of a thermographic camera to evaluate surface temperatures over the sample panel

Community planning activities for rehabilitation projects in Italy. The positive case of the children participatory design on the area of Vergomasco landfill in Odolo, Brescia

Participatory planning methods are an essential tool for rebuilding the relationship between the inhabitants and their environment.This paper presents a successful participation process with children and the adult inhabitants of the small town of Odolo through which a landfill of inert waste was transformed in a park of 10 hectares with recreational facilities. Following the proposals of the children and the other stakeholders, the implementation of the park was carried out between the end of 2009 and the beginning of 2010. The paper also gives a short presentation of the outcomes of a qualitative evaluation of the process and its results, the park, done in September 2015.

Agronomic performance of 21 new disease resistant winegrape varieties grown in northeast Italy

The goal of the field trial was to evaluate the agronomic performance of 21 (10 red and 11 white) winegrape varieties obtained from recent breeding programmes for disease resistance developed in Hungary, Germany, and Italy. The tested red varieties were as follows: ‘Cabernet Carbon’, ‘Cabernet Eidos’, ‘Cabernet Volos’, ‘Julius’, ‘Merlot Khorus’, ‘Merlot Kanthus’, ‘Monarch’, ‘Prior’, UD. 31.103, ‘Vinera’. The tested white varieties were as follows: ‘Aromera’, ‘Bronner’, ‘Fleurtai’, ‘Johanniter’, ‘Muscaris’, ‘Souvignier Gris’, ‘Sauvignon Kretos’, ‘Sauvignon Nepis’, ‘Sauvignon Rytos’, ‘Solaris’, ‘Soreli’. ‘Merlot’ (red) and ‘Glera’ (white) were included as control. The experimental vineyard was established in Castelfranco Veneto on the plain, in 2014. Spray treatments were applied against downy and powdery mildew, by using only copper and sulphur. Grape production, grape quality, and phenology were recorded over a six-year-period, while disease resistance (downy mildew, powdery mildew, black rot and anthracnose) was detected only during a few years. The most significant findings were: a) all varieties showed a good level of downy mildew resistance, especially ‘Cabernet Carbon’, ‘Monarch’, ‘Prior’, UD 31.103, ‘Muscaris’, ‘Solaris’, ‘Souvignier Gris’, ‘Bronner’, ‘Fleurtai’, ‘Aromera’; b) no powdery mildew attacks were detected in any variety; c) ‘Monarch’, ‘Muscaris’, ‘Solaris’ and ‘Souvignier Gris’ also showed a high level of resistance towards black rot and anthracnose; d) red grape varieties had an earlier bud burst as compared to ‘Merlot’, and, concerning ripening, some varieties were earlier than ‘Merlot’, other ones were later; e) white varieties had a later bud burst but an earlier ripening time as compared to ‘Glera’; f) grape production and quality changed significantly depending on the varieties, being titratable acidity higher than 6.4 g L-1 tartaric acid and pH lower than 3.5; also the year affected in a significant way those parameters as well as the interaction between the genotype and the year. In conclusion, the tested varieties behaved positively in terms of environmental sustainability