Computational performance analysis of overheating mitigation measures in parked vehicles

Parked vehicles have the tendency to overheat quickly. This can lead to a negative impact on the thermal comfort of the driver and its passengers, as well as intensive use of air conditioning systems, and thus fuel consumption of the vehicle or, in the case of electric mobility, a reduced cruising range. In the search for effective measures to mitigate this effect, important guidance can be provided by the field of sustainable building design. On the one hand, inspiration can come from design strategies in terms of shapes and advanced cover materials, but this paper advocates that this can also pertain to the simulation-based design support tools that are used by building engineers. This paper first presents the results of a thermal soak test, and then uses this data to demonstrate the suitability of the building performance simulation tool EnergyPlus for predicting the thermal behavior of parked vehicles. This fit-for-purpose validated model is used to evaluate the performance of three overheating mitigation measures for two car models in two climates. The results show that spectrally selective glazing can reduce the cabin air temperature by 12.5 °C and when combined with solar reflective opaque surfaces, the reduction of cabin air temperature can reach 23.8 °C. Increased use of building performance simulation in the automotive domain can help to further optimize the overheating reduction potential of cars

Karst spring catchment: an example from Dinaric karst

Definition of karst spring catchment or basin area and boundaries belongs to one of the greatest problems of karst hydrology and hydrogeology, not adequately solved until now. This paper tries to address main problems in defining this crucial parameter. The theoretical aspect of this issue is discussed in the first two chapters. We have presented the example of the catchment area and boundaries definition for the karst spring Žrnovnica catchment in Dinaric karst. Topographic catchment area of the Žrnovnica Spring is 8.4 km2. The significant discrepancy in size of the hydrological–hydrogeological and topographical catchment is very common characteristic for the springs located in the karst areas. In the case of the Žrnovnica Spring, the hydrogeological catchment is at least seven times larger than topographic. Two following simple hydrological methods are used in order to calculate its hydrologic–hydrogeologic catchment: (1) the relationship between mean annual discharges and annual rainfall falling on the catchment, and (2) the Turc method. It is estimated that hydrogeologic catchment area of the Žrnovnica karst spring is much larger and very probably ranges between 60 and 80 km2. These values represent first rough assessment, which should be confirmed by more detailed interdisciplinary investigations. According to the performed tracing tests, it seems that the catchment spreads on the north-east from the topographic catchment and that the Žrnovnica Spring karst aquifer is fed by groundwater overflow from the neighbouring more abundant karts spring Jadro

Lower sleep variability associated with higher academic performance across the semester in college students

The present study examined associations between physical activity, sleep, and academic outcomes in undergraduate students (N = 52). More consistent sleep throughout the semester (lower sleep variability) was associated with higher homework grades. The interaction between sleep variability and sleep quantity was not significant suggesting that greater sleep overall did not buffer students from the negative effects of sleep variability on grades