Computational Fluid Dynamic Study with Comfort Analysis in Large Atrium of the Angelo Hospital in Venice

To improve the thermal comfort in the hall of the Angelo Hospital (Venezia) an analysis was developed by using Computation Fluid Dynamics and considering some configurations for the air-conditioning system and for the solar shading devices. The reference configuration consists of the installation of four fan coils in the area coupled with a 3 m high metal casing used for solar shading. Then, three other solutions are proposed: by increasing the number of fan coils and changing their position, by adding some radiant panels arranged on the walls, and by inserting a physical confinement as a lateral confinement. The study consists of three sections. Firstly, a section in which the study area is modelled through a strong simplification that allows to represent only a slice of the domain but to immediately evaluate the role of the casing. A second section in which the area is completely modelled, and a third section in which a comfort evaluation is carried out. The analysis shows that the metal casing brings a substantial benefit due to the solar shielding it causes. The radiant panels cool the area only near the wall. The increasing of the number of the fans leads to an excessively high air speed and localized discomfort due to drafts. The lateral confinement on the north and south side is the one that guarantees better cooling of the study area

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

L’ottimazione energetica attraverso gli strumenti di indagine predittiva

L’ottimizzazione energetica del sistema edificio-impianto, quanto mai indispensabile alla luce della necessaria riduzione del consumo di combustibili inquinanti, richiede la valutazione in fase progettuale del fabbisogno energetico determinato dal manufatto. Il progettista dovrà trovare le soluzioni costruttive, architettoniche e impiantistiche che consentano di minimizzare la richiesta di energia dell’edificio per il riscaldamento invernale. Gli strumenti a disposizione per ottenere le predizioni di consumo energetico appartengono a due famiglie: le simulazioni numeriche in regime transitorio e i metodi semplificati recepiti dalle normative del settore. Le simulazioni transitorie rappresentano lo strumento più accurato per raggiungere l’obiettivo, ma il loro utilizzo su grande scala è limitato a causa della complessità dei codici di calcolo e del difficile reperimento di alcuni dati di input, soprattutto climatici. I metodi semplificati sono invece corredati da tutti i dati di supporto necessari e sono facilmente utilizzabili da tecnici e progettisti del settore. In questo lavoro si vuole indagare l’efficacia predittiva di questi ultimi strumenti ponendo l’attenzione sull’andamento degli errori ottenuti in funzione dell’entità dei parametri più influenti sulla prestazione energetica dell’edificio: lo scopo è quello di verificare se questi metodi semplificati possano essere adatti all’ottimizzazione energetica degli organismi edilizi in luogo delle simulazioni dinamiche

Fire Ventilation in Road Tunnels: Some Investigations about Critical Air Velocity

A very important factor in people’s safety during road tunnel fires is an efficient smoke evacuation strategy. In most cases this could be achieved by longitudinal ventilation, obtained using jet fans in order to force the smoke out of the tunnel at one of the exit portal. Usually the most relevant factor in the design of this kind of equipment is the control of the so called “critical air velocity”, that is the minimum value of longitudinal air velocity in the cross section of the tunnel to be achieved by jet fans in order to keep safe the portion of it between the place where the fire occurs and the portal from which vehicles enter. Giving the definition of “backlayering” as the movement of smoke contrary to the ventilation flow, critical velocity has to be intended as the minimum value of air velocity that realizes a null backlayering. In this study some Computational Fluid Dynamics simulations were performed for a test tunnel with different values of fire power and the resulting values of critical velocity are compared with what could be obtained from algorithms found in literature. Some considerations are presented about the matching between the found results in order to get possible guidelines in using CFD tools in the ventilation design and prediction processes

Moisture monitoring of historical buildings by long period temperature measurements

A method is proposed for the moisture analysis of buildings, based on the combination of complementing monitoring techniques. A periodic JR scanning of the whole surface is combined with a visual recording, plus an automatic data logging of the environmental conditions. Thermography allows imaging the temperature pattern, while a long history of thermal hygrometric parameters come available for the fixed measurements at selected points. The used equipment is relatively simple and competitive. A very few thermographic surveys are integrated by several periodic scanning, using an JR pyrometer. The visual monitoring is of great help in rendering results and documenting surface appearance at different seasons. About 20 probes are sufficient to measure thermal hygrometric parameters and evaluate the condensation risk. A review of algorithms for the moisture testing by thermography and guidelines for the identification of the moisture sources in thick historical buildings is presented. A numerical model has been adopted to simulate the internal thermo-hygrometrical conditions. In such a way, data acquired could be significantly extended and gaps occurred during the data logging has been filled. As case study was identified a North-East Italian ancient church (Duomo of Venzone) destroyed by an earthquake in 1976 and fully restored under the patrol of the cultural heritage authority. A one year round monitoring of the church and tour, according to the proposed procedure, allowed to control the moisture levels both in time and space. This endorsed to identify the sour\ue8es of the water flux and therefore to suggest the repairing guidelines. Experimental results are reported

Service Science Education for Industry Employability in Management Engineering: An Integrated Pathway from Bachelor to Master Level

The School of Industrial Engineering at LIUC Università Cattaneo offers Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Management Engineering, carefully designed to nurture engineers with managerial skills. The curriculum combines fundamental areas like mathematics and physics with advanced topics, including innovation management, organizational design, marketing, and operations management. The program stresses five main areas: analysis, design, implementation, validation, and management, preparing students to apply engineering methodologies to complex processes in various contexts. A unique Business Services specialization focuses on equipping management engineers for the service sector and steering digital transformation in businesses. The undergraduate program includes modules such as Digital Enterprise Management and IoT Systems Design, while the graduate program incorporates Management Information Systems and offers optional courses. The school partners with Microsoft Italia, promoting educational innovation in digital business management using tools like MS Power BI and Azure cloud services. Offering a range of internships and international experiences, the School of Industrial Engineering at LIUC successfully secures an employment rate of 89.1% for graduates within three months post-graduation