Toplinska percepcija tinejdžera u hladnom vanjskom okruženju: Analiza slučaja

Subjective thermal sensation of late teenagers was examined aiming to reveal potential discrepancies in its estimation compared to adults. Since teenagers have different clothing habits and preferences from adults, it is important to know whether the conclusions reached by studies on thermal sensation, usually involving adults, can be also applied to teenagers. A group of late teenagers was interviewed, based on a structured questionnaire, in an outdoor environment during two winter days and under an unexpected Saharan dust transport event during the second day, while meteorological measurements were obtained by the closest to the interview site weather station. Moreover, the performance of the bioclimatic index Cooling Power in simulating subjects’ thermal sensation was evaluated. Although differences in clothing thermal insulation of late teenagers compared to that suggested by similar studies were recognized, generally the results of this study were in agreement with the findings of similar field surveys focusing on individual thermal sensation and with no evidence of effects of the dust transport event on thermal sensation. Cooling Power based on the Mediterranean thermal sensation scale predicted thermal sensation vote fairly well.Ispitan je subjektivni toplinski osjet ugode starijih tinejdžera s ciljem da se otkrije njegovo moguće neslaganje s procjenom s osjetom ugode u odraslih. Kako se navike i sklonosti oblačenja tinejdžera razlikuju od onih u odraslih, važno je znati da li su zaključci dobiveni na temelju studija o toplinskom osjetu ugode, koji se uglavnom odnose na odrasle, primjenjivi i na tinejdžere. Grupa starijih tinejdžera anketirana je u vanjskom okruženju putem strukturiranog upitnika tijekom dva zimska dana, od kojih je drugi bio obilježen neočekivanim prodorom saharskog pijeska. Meteorološka mjerenja su dobivena s meteorološke postaje koja je bila najbliža mjestu anketiranja. Nadalje, ocijenjena je primjenjivost bioklimatskog indeksa ohlađivanja (Cooling Power) pri simuliranju toplinskog osjeta ugode ispitanika. Iako postoje razlike u toplinskoj izolaciji odjeće starijih tinejdžera u usporedbi s odjećom ispitanika u drugim studijama, rezultati ove studije općenito su u skladu s rezultatima sličnih studija koje se bave individualnim toplinskim osjetom. Nadalje, utjecaj transporta saharskog pijeska na toplinski osjet nije zabilježen. Indeks ohlađivanja koji se temelji na mediteranskoj skali toplinskog osjeta ugode prilično je dobro predvidio rezultate anketa o toplinskom osjetu ugode

Evaluating the effects of different mitigation strategies on the warm thermal environment of an urban square in Athens, Greece

The present study examines the effect of different mitigation strategies on the microclimate and thermal sensation in an urban open area in Athens. The microclimatic model ENVI-met was applied to simulate thermal conditions for a warm summer day (15.07.2010). Thermal conditions were assessed based on air temperature and the Mediterranean thermal sensation scales of the Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI). The spatial and temporal resolution of PET throughout the square was developed per design scenario and was compared to the Current design layout to analyse and quantify the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies on the amelioration of thermal conditions. Results showed that the combination of the design scenarios was found to be the most advantageous mitigation strategy. The average PET and UTCI reduction of 6.9 °C and 6.1 °C, respectively, achieved a 15.5% improvement in thermal comfort. The aim of this research was to set specific targets on thermal sensation improvement and, based on the obtained results, it suggests certain mitigation strategies that will allow the specification of the appropriate microclimatic interventions to improve thermal comfort to the desired extent in the context of developing urban design guidelines

Data on verbal expressions for thermal sensation and comfort in the Greek language

This article presents data collected during a web-based survey on expressions used to describe thermal sensation and comfort in the Greek language. The survey used a structured questionnaire and delivered through Google Forms. The survey was promoted through social networks and conducted in spring 2019. The data presented herein comprise of the participants’ responses to the questionnaire. A total of 359 questionnaires were completed. The participants were Greek speakers, older than 12, with at least a basic knowledge of the English language. The participants were asked to: (a) select the most appropriate translation, from English to Greek, of the nine-point ISO 10551 scale of perceptual judgment on personal thermal state, (b) formulate five, seven and nine-point thermal sensation scales, (c) report the category of the thermal sensation scale that signifies thermal comfort and (d) to assess the relative distances between the thermal sensation categories of the five, seven and nine-point thermal sensation scales. For the translation of the ISO 10551, the respondents were allowed to choose from a list of 30 Greek wordings. The data have been analysed in the research article entitled “Native influences on the construction of thermal sensation scales” [1]

Thermal Conditions and Hospital Admissions: Analysis of Longitudinal Data from Cyprus (2009–2018)

The state of the thermal environment can affect human health and well-being. Heat stress is associated with a wide range of health outcomes increasing morbidity and mortality and is recognized as an important health risk posed by climate change. This study aims at examining the effect of thermal conditions on the daily number of hospital admissions in Cyprus. Data from eight public hospitals located in five districts of Cyprus were analyzed from 2009 to 2018. Meteorological hourly gridded data were extracted by the ERA-5 Land reanalysis database with a spatial horizontal resolution of 0.1° × 0.1°. The Physiologically Equivalent Temperature (PET) and the Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI) were calculated as measures of the integrated effect of meteorological variables. Negative binomial regression was fitted to examine associations between the daily number of hospital admissions and meteorological variables, PET, and UTCI. The results showed that the mean daily temperature (Tair) was positively associated with hospital admissions from any cause. Hospital admissions increased by 0.6% (p < 0.001) for each 1 °C increase of Tair and by 0.4% (p < 0.001) for each 1 °C increase of PET and UTCI. Ozone and nitrogen oxides act as confounding factors. An effect of particulate matter (less than 10 μm in diameter) was observed when the analysis focused on April to August. Thresholds above which hospital admissions are likely to increase include daily mean Tair = 26.1 °C, PET = 29 °C, and UTCI = 26 °C. Studies on heat-related health effects are necessary to monitor health patterns, raise awareness, and design adaptation and mitigation measures

Season of birth and multiple sclerosis: a systematic review and multivariate meta-analysis

Season of birth is considered to be associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) although some findings opposing to this assumption raise doubts about the seasonality pattern in MS births. The present work synthesizes the evidence of previous published studies aiming at examining whether the month of birth is associated with a higher number of MS births. Pubmed and Scopus were systematically searched and a multivariate meta-analysis of case–control studies was conducted. Data of healthy controls births were retrieved from census reports when not included in the studies. For comparisons, October was set as a reference month and autumn (September–October–November) as a reference season. The meta-analysis included studies that provided the number of MS births for each month or season. Twenty-two eligible studies were included in the meta-analysis involving twenty-four different populations and overall 145,672 MS patients and 75,169,550 healthy controls. The multivariate analysis supports that MS births in spring are higher compared to autumn [odds ratio (OR) 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.04, 1.24]. Univariate analyses confirm the same for April (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.05, 1.21), March (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.00, 1.11) and May (OR 1.07, 95% CI 1.00, 1.14). A reduction of MS births was found in November (OR 0.96, 95% CI 0.93, 0.99). The month and the season of birth are significantly associated with MS births. © 2019, Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany, part of Springer Nature

Modeling thermal sensation in a Mediterranean climate-a comparison of linear and ordinal models

A simple thermo-physiological model of outdoor thermal sensation adjusted with psychological factors is developed aiming to predict thermal sensation in Mediterranean climates. Microclimatic measurements simultaneously with interviews on personal and psychological conditions were carried out in a square, a street canyon and a coastal location of the greater urban area of Athens, Greece. Multiple linear and ordinal regression were applied in order to estimate thermal sensation making allowance for all the recorded parameters or specific, empirically selected, subsets producing so-called extensive and empirical models, respectively. Meteorological, thermo-physiological and overall models - considering psychological factors as well - were developed. Predictions were improved when personal and psychological factors were taken into account as compared to meteorological models. The model based on ordinal regression reproduced extreme values of thermal sensation vote more adequately than the linear regression one, while the empirical model produced satisfactory results in relation to the extensive model. The effects of adaptation and expectation on thermal sensation vote were introduced in the models by means of the exposure time, season and preference related to air temperature and irradiation. The assessment of thermal sensation could be a useful criterion in decision making regarding public health, outdoor spaces planning and tourism. © 2013 ISB

Biometeorological study in urban mediterranean climatic zone: contribution to the evaluation of thermal sensation

The current thesis deals with individual thermal sensation and its relationship with the Mediterranean thermal environment. The effect of weather, personal and psychological factors on thermal sensation is examined. A simple thermo-physiological predictive model of thermal sensation adjusted with psychological factors is developed while the potential of a large number of bioclimatic indices to predict thermal sensation is investigated and their assessment scales are calibrated in order to be properly used to assess thermal comfort in outdoor spaces in Athens, Greece and in Mediterranean climates as well. Data were obtained by field questionnaire surveys carried out simultaneously with weather measurements, in public outdoor urban areas in Athens. The respondents appeared to be tolerant to the variability of thermal environment and preferred warmer thermal conditions indicating a potential underestimation of risks due to heat exposure. Thermal sensation was defined by weather, personal and psychological factors. The most important factors determining thermal sensation were air temperature, wind speed, clothing insulation and season. A simple thermo-physiological model of outdoor thermal sensation adjusted with psychological factors was developed aiming to predict thermal sensation in Mediterranean climates. The model based on ordinal regression reproduced extreme values of thermal sensation vote more adequately than the linear regression one. Moreover, it was revealed that thermal sensation vote could be predicted by choosing a small number of properly selected parameters as well.The analysis of thermal sensation as predicted by bioclimatic indices revealed the necessity of calibration in order to be applied in an outdoor urban Mediterranean climate. The majority of the indices predicted successfully about 35% of thermal sensation votes while only a few exceeded 40% correct predictions. According to the criteria posed in this study Universal Thermal Climate Index (UTCI), Subjective Temperature Index (STI), Actual Sensation Vote (ASV) using the equation for Europe and Equivalent Temperature (Teq) reproduced more adequately thermal sensation votes in relation to the rest of the indices.Finally, linear and polynomial regression and probit analysis were applied in order to calibrate the assessment scales of the bioclimatic indices. The calibrated assessment scales were narrower compared to the original scales, whereas the values corresponding to each class were higher compared to the original ones. The Mediterranean scales based on linear and polynomial regression were similar while significant differences were observed in relation to the scales developed by probit analysis. Probit analysis yielded better results than linear and polynomial regression, improving significantly the predictive ability of the indices.Στην παρούσα μελέτη διερευνάται η σχέση της υποκειμενικής θερμικής αίσθησης των ανθρώπων και του θερμικού περιβάλλοντος σε εξωτερικούς αστικούς χώρους στο πλαίσιο του Μεσογειακού κλίματος, λαμβάνοντας υπόψη μετεωρολογικές, προσωπικές και ψυχολογικές παραμέτρους. Παρουσιάζεται ένα απλό θερμο-φυσιολογικό μοντέλο πρόβλεψής της, προσαρμοσμένο με ψυχολογικές παραμέτρους και εκτιμάται η ικανότητα προσομοίωσης των βιοκλιματικών δεικτών ενώ πραγματοποιείται μία προσπάθεια βαθμονόμησης της κλίμακάς τους ώστε να μπορούν να χρησιμοποιηθούν με μεγαλύτερη επιτυχία στην περιοχή της Αθήνας και γενικότερα σε Μεσογειακές κλιματικές ζώνες. Τα δεδομένα συλλέχθηκαν από έρευνα πεδίου που περιελάμβανε μετεωρολογικές μετρήσεις και συνεντεύξεις ατόμων σε αστικούς εξωτερικούς χώρους της Αθήνας, κατά την διάρκεια διαφορετικών εποχών του έτους.Από την ανάλυση των δεδομένων προέκυψε ότι οι ερωτηθέντες έδειξαν προτίμηση στις θερμότερες περιβαλλοντικές συνθήκες και παρουσίασαν μεγαλύτερη ανοχή καθώς και πιθανότητα υποεκτίμησης του κινδύνου έκθεσης σε αυτές. Οι βασικές παράμετροι που καθορίζουν την θερμική αίσθηση είναι η θερμοκρασία του αέρα, η ταχύτητα του ανέμου, η θερμική μόνωση της ενδυμασίας και η εποχή. Από την δημιουργία του θερμο-φυσιολογικού μοντέλου πρόβλεψης της θερμικής αίσθησης διαπιστώθηκε ότι η διατακτική παλινδρόμηση προσομοίωσε με μεγαλύτερη επιτυχία την θερμική αίσθηση ιδιαίτερα στην περίπτωση των ακραίων βαθμίδων της κλίμακάς της, σε σχέση με την γραμμική παλινδρόμηση.Η σύγκριση της προβλεπόμενης από τους βιοκλιματικούς δείκτες θερμικής αίσθησης με την ψήφο θερμικής αίσθησης ανέδειξε την ανάγκη βαθμονόμησης της κλίμακας των δεικτών για την εφαρμογή τους στο Μεσογειακό κλίμα. Η πλειοψηφία των δεικτών προσομοίωσε επιτυχώς περίπου το 35% των ψήφων θερμικής αίσθησης. Σύμφωνα με τα κριτήρια που τέθηκαν, οι δείκτες που προσομοιώνουν με μεγαλύτερη επιτυχία την θερμική αίσθηση είναι ο Παγκόσμιος Θερμικός Κλιματικός Δείκτης (Universal Thermal Climate Index, UTCI), ο Δείκτης Υποκειμενικής Θερμοκρασίας (Subjective Temperature Index, STI), η Ψήφος Πραγματικής Αίσθησης (Actual Sensation Vote, ASV) χρησιμοποιώντας την εξίσωση που ισχύει για την Ευρώπη και η Ισοδύναμη Θερμοκρασία (Equivalent Temperature, Teq).Οι βαθμονομημένες κλίμακες παρουσίασαν μικρότερο εύρος σε σύγκριση με τις αρχικές ενώ διαπιστώθηκε μετατόπιση της Μεσογειακής κλίμακας προς υψηλότερες τιμές των δεικτών. Η γραμμική και η πολυωνυμική παλινδρόμηση κατέληξαν σε παρόμοια αποτελέσματα παρουσιάζοντας σημαντικές διαφορές με τις κλίμακες που προέκυψαν από την ανάλυση probit. Από την σύγκριση των τριών μεθόδων διαπιστώθηκε ότι η ανάλυση probit αποτελεί την καλύτερη μέθοδο βαθμονόμησης, βελτιώνοντας αρκετά την εφαρμοσιμότητα των δεικτών

Thermal perception of teenagers in a cool outdoor environment: A case study: Toplinska percepcija tinejdžera u hladnom vanjskom okruženju: Analiza slučaja [Toplinska percepcija tinejdžera u hladnom vanjskom okruženju: Analiza slučaja]

Subjective thermal sensation of late teenagers was examined aiming to reveal potential discrepancies in its estimation compared to adults. Since teenagers have different clothing habits and preferences from adults, it is important to know whether the conclusions reached by studies on thermal sensation, usually involving adults, can be also applied to teenagers. A group of late teenagers was interviewed, based on a structured questionnaire, in an outdoor environment during two winter days and under an unexpected Saharan dust transport event during the second day, while meteorological measurements were obtained by the closest to the interview site weather station. Moreover, the performance of the bioclimatic index Cooling Power in simulating subjects’ thermal sensation was evaluated. Although differences in clothing thermal insulation of late teenagers compared to that suggested by similar studies were recognized, generally the results of this study were in agreement with the findings of similar field surveys focusing on individual thermal sensation and with no evidence of effects of the dust transport event on thermal sensation. Cooling Power based on the Mediterranean thermal sensation scale predicted thermal sensation vote fairly well. © 2015, GEOFIZIKA, All rights Reserved

Data on multiple body parameters, microclimatic variables, and subjective assessment of thermal sensation monitored in outdoor environment

This paper describes two sets of data on multiple body parameters of five participants, on microclimatic variables, and on self-reported assessment of thermal responses, all monitored in the same outdoor urban environment. Data were collected during three seasons, summer, autumn and winter 2010–2011, in the city of Athens, Greece. Part of these data, collected during the summer period, is related to the research article entitled “Case study of skin temperature and thermal perception in a hot outdoor environment.” (Pantavou et al., 2014) [1]. © 2017 The Author