Mechanical behavior of carbon/flax hybrid composites for structural applications

In this work, the influence of an unidirectional carbon fabric layer on the mechanical performances of bidirectional flax fabric/epoxy composites used for structural applications was studied. Two different bidirectional flax fabrics were used to produce flax fabric reinforced plastic (FFRP) laminates by a vacuum bagging process: one is normally used to make curtains; the other, heavier and more expensive than the previous one, is usually used as reinforcement in composite structures. In order to realize hybrid structures starting from FFRP, an unidirectional UHM carbon fabric was used to replace a bidirectional flax fabric. Tensile and three-point bending tests were performed to evaluate the mechanical properties of the laminates investigated (both FFRP and hybrids). Furthermore, the mechanical behavior of the different bidirectional flax fabrics was analyzed by carrying out tensile tests. The experimental tests showed that the structures reinforced with flax fabrics, normally used to make curtains, present better flexural properties than that of others while, in tensile configuration, these last show higher modulus and strength. Moreover, both FFRP laminates show low mechanical properties, which do not allow their use in structural applications while the presence of one external layer of unidirectional carbon involves remarkable increase in their properties. According to this study, the hybrid composites realized could be used in several structural applications (i.e., nautical and automotive)

The Building Information Model and the IFC standard: analysis of the characteristics necessary for the acoustic and energy simulation of buildings

The new European Directive 2014/24 / EU requires for all member States the use of BIM procedures in the construction of public buildings. The countries belonging to the European Union shall be obliged to transpose the Directive and adapt their procedures to that effect. The paper analyzes the IFC format, the only recognized by the European Directive Standards for BIM procedures, in order to assess its use for simulations of buildings. IFC, described by the ISO 16739 (2013), is today a standard that describes the topology of the constructive elements of the building and what belongs to it overall. The format includes geometrical information on the room and on all building components, including details of the type for performance (transmittance, fire resistance, sound insulation), in other words it is an independent object file for the software producers to which, according to the European Directive, it will be compulsory to refer in the near future, during the different stages of the life of a building from the design phase, to management and possible demolition at the end of life. The IFC initiative began in 1994, when an industry consortium invested in the development of a set of C ++ classes that can support the development of integrated applications. Twelve US companies joined the consortium: these companies that were included initially are called the consortium "Industry Alliance for Interoperability". In September 1995 the Alliance opened up membership to all interested parties, and in 1997 changed its name to "International Alliance for Interoperability". The new alliance was reconstituted as a non-profit organization, with the aim of developing and promoting the '' Industry Foundation Class "(IFC) as a neutral data model for the building product that were useful to gather information throughout the life cycle of a building facility. Since 2005 the Alliance has been carrying out its activities through its national chapters called SMART building. The present study aims at evaluating the IFC, comparing the information and data contained in it, with other formats already used for energy simulations of buildings such as the gbXML (Green Building XML), highlighting the missing required information and proposing the inclusion of new ones to issue the energy and acoustic simulation. More generally the attention is focused to building physics simulation software devoted to exploit the BIM model potential enabling interoperability

Criteri metodologici di valutazione e valori guida per il rumore: una proposta per gli ambienti scolastici che considera l’apprendimento degli allievi e lo sforzo vocale degli insegnanti

Introduzione: il Sottogruppo coordinato da AIA con la collaborazione di AIDII e SIMLII si po-ne l’obiettivo di affrontare le tematiche poco note attinenti il disturbo da rumore nei luoghi di vita e di lavoro. Il primo lavoro del Sottogruppo riguarda gli ambienti scolastici. In questi ambienti, condizioni acustiche inadeguate, quali l’elevato rumore di fondo e l’eccessiva riverberazione, producono perdita di concentrazione e affaticamento nei docenti e discenti (1), riducono l’intelligibilità della parola compromettendo l’apprendimento degli allievi (2), determinano negli insegnanti un elevato sforzo vocale i cui effetti si manifestano come sintomi di una vera e propria malattia professionale (3). Obiettivi: nel lavoro si riportano i metodi di misurazione e di calcolo dei parametri acustici fondamentali per la valutazione dell’adeguatezza degli ambienti scolastici (livello del rumore di fondo, rapporto segnale-rumore, tempo di riverberazione, chiarezza, speech transmission index, livello di sforzo vocale), nonché i valori guida riferiti a detti parametri e indicazioni sulla ristrutturazione-progettazione acustica delle scuole. Metodi: l’intelligibilità del parlato è una precondizione essenziale in un ambiente destinato all’apprendimento; si valuta tramite alcuni dei parametri sopra indicati, misurabili e oggetto di norma. È possibile inoltre ricorrere a prove soggettive che consistono in test d’ascolto con materiale vocale registrato da svolgersi in campo o in laboratorio simulando condizioni acustiche ambientali differenti. Il livello di sforzo vocale è valutato tramite monitoraggio dell’attività vocale degli insegnanti per l’intera giornata lavorativa, mediante un dispositivo (Voice Care) costituito da un microfono a contatto da fissare in corrispondenza della fossetta giugulare e da un data logger. Da osservare che il monitoraggio dell’attività vocale può costituire uno strumento di prevenzione d’insorgenza di patologie della voce. Nell’ambito dello studio sono stati rilevati i requisiti acustici di circa cinquanta aule, sono stati eseguiti test d’ascolto su circa ottocento bambini e ragazzi, è stato monitorato lo sforzo vocale di alcune decine di insegnanti. Risultati e discussione: i valori guida sono stati ripresi dalla legislazione straniera e dalla letteratura scientifica e sono stati verificati e validati sperimentalmente al fine di giungere a una proposta integrata nazionale. In Italia la normativa sugli ambienti scolastici risale al 1975: oltre a non essere applicata, essa soffre del fatto di definire requisiti acustici meno stringenti di altri Paesi dove tali requisiti sono aggiornati con il progredire della ricerca. L’AIA sta operando affinché i valori guida proposti siano adottati in sede legislativa al fine di migliorare l’apprendimento e la salute nelle scuole

A European Database of Building Energy Profiles to Support the Design of Ground Source Heat Pumps

[EN] The design of ground source heat pumps is a fundamental step to ensure the high energy efficiency of heat pump systems throughout their operating years. To enhance the diffusion of ground source heat pump systems, two different tools are developed in the H2020 research project named, Cheap GSHPs: A design tool and a decision support system. In both cases, the energy demand of the buildings may not be calculated by the user. The main input data, to evaluate the size of the borehole heat exchangers, is the building energy demand. This paper presents a methodology to correlate energy demand, building typologies, and climatic conditions for different types of residential buildings. Rather than envelope properties, three insulation levels have been considered in different climatic conditions to set up a database of energy profiles. Analyzing European climatic test reference years, 23 locations have been considered. For each location, the overall energy and the mean hourly monthly energy profiles for heating and cooling have been calculated. Pre-calculated profiles are needed to size generation systems and, in particular, ground source heat pumps. For this reason, correlations based on the degree days for heating and cooling demand have been found in order to generalize the results for different buildings. These correlations depend on the Koppen-Geiger climate scale.This work received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No. 657982.Carnieletto, L.; Badenes Badenes, B.; Belliardi, M.; Bernardi, A.; Graci, S.; Emmi, G.; Urchueguía Schölzel, JF.... (2019). A European Database of Building Energy Profiles to Support the Design of Ground Source Heat Pumps. Energies. 12(13):1-23. https://doi.org/10.3390/en12132496S1231213De Carli, M., Tonon, M., Zarrella, A., & Zecchin, R. (2010). A computational capacity resistance model (CaRM) for vertical ground-coupled heat exchangers. Renewable Energy, 35(7), 1537-1550. doi:10.1016/j.renene.2009.11.034Grossi, I., Dongellini, M., Piazzi, A., & Morini, G. L. (2018). Dynamic modelling and energy performance analysis of an innovative dual-source heat pump system. Applied Thermal Engineering, 142, 745-759. doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2018.07.022Engineering Reference Manual. In EnergyPlus V8.5https://energyplus.net/Sandberg, N. H., Bergsdal, H., & Brattebø, H. (2011). Historical energy analysis of the Norwegian dwelling stock. Building Research & Information, 39(1), 1-15. doi:10.1080/09613218.2010.528186Application of Energy Performance Indicators for Residential Building Stocks Experiences of the EPISCOPE Projecthttp://episcope.eu/fileadmin/episcope/public/docs/reports/EPISCOPE_Indicators_ConceptAndExperiences.pdfGustafsson, M., Dipasquale, C., Poppi, S., Bellini, A., Fedrizzi, R., Bales, C., … Holmberg, S. (2017). Economic and environmental analysis of energy renovation packages for European office buildings. Energy and Buildings, 148, 155-165. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2017.04.079De Carli, M., Bernardi, A., Cultrera, M., Dalla Santa, G., Di Bella, A., Emmi, G., … Zarrella, A. (2018). A Database for Climatic Conditions around Europe for Promoting GSHP Solutions. Geosciences, 8(2), 71. doi:10.3390/geosciences8020071Cartalis, C., Synodinou, A., Proedrou, M., Tsangrassoulis, A., & Santamouris, M. (2001). Modifications in energy demand in urban areas as a result of climate changes: an assessment for the southeast Mediterranean region. Energy Conversion and Management, 42(14), 1647-1656. doi:10.1016/s0196-8904(00)00156-4Kottek, M., Grieser, J., Beck, C., Rudolf, B., & Rubel, F. (2006). World Map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification updated. Meteorologische Zeitschrift, 15(3), 259-263. doi:10.1127/0941-2948/2006/0130Herrera, M., Natarajan, S., Coley, D. A., Kershaw, T., Ramallo-González, A. P., Eames, M., … Wood, M. (2017). A review of current and future weather data for building simulation. Building Services Engineering Research and Technology, 38(5), 602-627. doi:10.1177/0143624417705937Peel, M. C., Finlayson, B. L., & McMahon, T. A. (2007). Updated world map of the Köppen-Geiger climate classification. Hydrology and Earth System Sciences, 11(5), 1633-1644. doi:10.5194/hess-11-1633-2007D’Amico, A., Ciulla, G., Panno, D., & Ferrari, S. (2019). Building energy demand assessment through heating degree days: The importance of a climatic dataset. Applied Energy, 242, 1285-1306. doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2019.03.167Al-Hadhrami, L. M. (2013). Comprehensive review of cooling and heating degree days characteristics over Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 27, 305-314. doi:10.1016/j.rser.2013.04.034Degree Days.net-Custom Degree Day Datahttp://www.degreedays.netAnnunziata, E., Frey, M., & Rizzi, F. (2013). Towards nearly zero-energy buildings: The state-of-art of national regulations in Europe. Energy, 57, 125-133. doi:10.1016/j.energy.2012.11.049Principle for Nearly Zero-Energy Buildings, Ecofys Germany GmbHhttp://bpie.eu/documents/BPIE/publications/LR_nZEB%20study.pdfAhern, C., Griffiths, P., & O’Flaherty, M. (2013). State of the Irish housing stock—Modelling the heat losses of Ireland’s existing detached rural housing stock & estimating the benefit of thermal retrofit measures on this stock. Energy Policy, 55, 139-151. doi:10.1016/j.enpol.2012.11.039Kaklauskas, A., Zavadskas, E. K., Raslanas, S., Ginevicius, R., Komka, A., & Malinauskas, P. (2006). Selection of low-e windows in retrofit of public buildings by applying multiple criteria method COPRAS: A Lithuanian case. Energy and Buildings, 38(5), 454-462. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2005.08.005Zavadskas, E., Raslanas, S., & Kaklauskas, A. (2008). The selection of effective retrofit scenarios for panel houses in urban neighborhoods based on expected energy savings and increase in market value: The Vilnius case. Energy and Buildings, 40(4), 573-587. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2007.04.015Aerts, D., Minnen, J., Glorieux, I., Wouters, I., & Descamps, F. (2014). A method for the identification and modelling of realistic domestic occupancy sequences for building energy demand simulations and peer comparison. Building and Environment, 75, 67-78. doi:10.1016/j.buildenv.2014.01.021Yang, Z., & Becerik-Gerber, B. (2014). The coupled effects of personalized occupancy profile based HVAC schedules and room reassignment on building energy use. Energy and Buildings, 78, 113-122. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2014.04.002Richardson, I., Thomson, M., & Infield, D. (2008). A high-resolution domestic building occupancy model for energy demand simulations. Energy and Buildings, 40(8), 1560-1566. doi:10.1016/j.enbuild.2008.02.006Villi, G., Peretti, C., Graci, S., & De Carli, M. (2013). Building leakage analysis and infiltration modelling for an Italian multi-family building. Journal of Building Performance Simulation, 6(2), 98-118. doi:10.1080/19401493.2012.69998

Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on outpatient visit volume in cancer patients: Results of COMETA multicenter retrospective observational study

ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on first and follow-up visits for cancer outpatients.MethodsThis is a multicenter retrospective observational study involving three Comprehensive Cancer Care Centers (CCCCs): IFO, including IRE and ISG in Rome, AUSL-IRCCS of Reggio Emilia, and IRCCS Giovanni Paolo II in Bari) and one oncology department in a Community Hospital (Saint'Andrea Hospital, Rome). From 1 January 2020 and 31 December 2021, we evaluated the volume of outpatient consultations (first visits and follow-up), comparing them with the pre-pandemic year (2019). Results were analyzed by quarter according to the Rt (real-time indicator used to assess the evolution of the pandemic). IFO and IRCCS Giovanni Paolo II were “COVID-free” while AUSL-IRCCS RE was a “COVID-mixed” Institute. Depending on the Rt, Sain't Andrea Hospital experienced a “swinging” organizational pathway (COVID-free/ COVID-mixed).ResultsRegarding the “first appointments”, in 2020 the healthcare facilities operating in the North and Center of Italy showed a downward trend. In 2021, only AUSL-IRCCS RE showed an upward trend. Regarding the “follow-up”, only AUSL IRCCS RE showed a slight up-trend in 2020. In 2021, IFO showed an increasing trend, while S. Andrea Hospital showed a negative plateau. Surprisingly, IRCCS Giovanni Paolo II in Bari showed an uptrend for both first appointment and follow-ups during pandemic and late pandemic except for the fourth quarter of 2021.ConclusionsDuring the first pandemic wave, no significant difference was observed amongst COVID-free and COVID-mixed Institutes and between CCCCs and a Community Hospital. In 2021 (“late pandemic year”), it has been more convenient to organize COVID-mixed pathway in the CCCCs rather than to keep the Institutions COVID-free. A swinging modality in the Community Hospital did not offer positive results in term of visit volumes. Our study about the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on visit volume in cancer outpatients may help health systems to optimize the post-pandemic use of resources and improve healthcare policies

NKp46-expressing human gut-resident intraepithelial V\u3b41 T cell subpopulation exhibits high anti-tumor activity against colorectal cancer

\u3b3\u3b4 T cells account for a large fraction of human intestinal intraepithelial lymphocytes (IELs) endowed with potent anti-tumor activities. However, little is known about their origin, phenotype and clinical relevance in colorectal cancer (CRC). To determine \u3b3\u3b4 IEL gut-specificity, homing and functions, \u3b3\u3b4 T cells were purified from human healthy blood, lymph nodes, liver, skin, intestine either disease-free or affected by CRC or generated from thymic precursors. The constitutive expression of NKp46 specifically identifies a new subset of cytotoxic V\u3b41 T cells representing the largest fraction of gut-resident IELs. The ontogeny and gut-tropism of NKp46pos/V\u3b41 IELs depends both on distinctive features of V\u3b41 thymic precursors and gut-environmental factors. Either the constitutive presence of NKp46 on tissue-resident V\u3b41 intestinal IELs or its induced-expression on IL-2/IL-15 activated V\u3b41 thymocytes are associated with anti-tumor functions. Higher frequencies of NKp46pos/V\u3b41 IELs in tumor-free specimens from CRC patients correlate with a lower risk of developing metastatic III/IV disease stages. Additionally, our in vitro settings reproducing CRC tumor-microenvironment inhibited the expansion of NKp46pos/V\u3b41 cells from activated thymic precursors. These results parallel the very low frequencies of NKp46pos/V\u3b41 IELs able to infiltrate CRC, thus providing new insights to either follow-up cancer progression or develop novel adoptive cellular therapies

Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 cases and estimates of the reproductive numbers 1 month into the epidemic, Italy, 28 January to 31 March 2020

BackgroundOn 20 February 2020, a locally acquired coronavirus disease (COVID-19) case was detected in Lombardy, Italy. This was the first signal of ongoing transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the country. The number of cases in Italy increased rapidly and the country became the first in Europe to experience a SARS-CoV-2 outbreak.AimOur aim was to describe the epidemiology and transmission dynamics of the first COVID-19 cases in Italy amid ongoing control measures.MethodsWe analysed all RT-PCR-confirmed COVID-19 cases reported to the national integrated surveillance system until 31 March 2020. We provide a descriptive epidemiological summary and estimate the basic and net reproductive numbers by region.ResultsOf the 98,716 cases of COVID-19 analysed, 9,512 were healthcare workers. Of the 10,943 reported COVID-19-associated deaths (crude case fatality ratio: 11.1%) 49.5% occurred in cases older than 80 years. Male sex and age were independent risk factors for COVID-19 death. Estimates of R0 varied between 2.50 (95% confidence interval (CI): 2.18-2.83) in Tuscany and 3.00 (95% CI: 2.68-3.33) in Lazio. The net reproduction number Rt in northern regions started decreasing immediately after the first detection.ConclusionThe COVID-19 outbreak in Italy showed a clustering onset similar to the one in Wuhan, China. R0 at 2.96 in Lombardy combined with delayed detection explains the high case load and rapid geographical spread. Overall, Rt in Italian regions showed early signs of decrease, with large diversity in incidence, supporting the importance of combined non-pharmacological control measures

Sex difference and intra-operative tidal volume: Insights from the LAS VEGAS study

BACKGROUND: One key element of lung-protective ventilation is the use of a low tidal volume (VT). A sex difference in use of low tidal volume ventilation (LTVV) has been described in critically ill ICU patients.OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to determine whether a sex difference in use of LTVV also exists in operating room patients, and if present what factors drive this difference.DESIGN, PATIENTS AND SETTING: This is a posthoc analysis of LAS VEGAS, a 1-week worldwide observational study in adults requiring intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery in 146 hospitals in 29 countries.MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Women and men were compared with respect to use of LTVV, defined as VT of 8 ml kg-1 or less predicted bodyweight (PBW). A VT was deemed 'default' if the set VT was a round number. A mediation analysis assessed which factors may explain the sex difference in use of LTVV during intra-operative ventilation.RESULTS: This analysis includes 9864 patients, of whom 5425 (55%) were women. A default VT was often set, both in women and men; mode VT was 500 ml. Median [IQR] VT was higher in women than in men (8.6 [7.7 to 9.6] vs. 7.6 [6.8 to 8.4] ml kg-1 PBW, P < 0.001). Compared with men, women were twice as likely not to receive LTVV [68.8 vs. 36.0%; relative risk ratio 2.1 (95% CI 1.9 to 2.1), P < 0.001]. In the mediation analysis, patients' height and actual body weight (ABW) explained 81 and 18% of the sex difference in use of LTVV, respectively; it was not explained by the use of a default VT.CONCLUSION: In this worldwide cohort of patients receiving intra-operative ventilation during general anaesthesia for surgery, women received a higher VT than men during intra-operative ventilation. The risk for a female not to receive LTVV during surgery was double that of males. Height and ABW were the two mediators of the sex difference in use of LTVV.TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered at Clinicaltrials.gov, NCT01601223

The impact of surgical delay on resectability of colorectal cancer: An international prospective cohort study

AIM: The SARS-CoV-2 pandemic has provided a unique opportunity to explore the impact of surgical delays on cancer resectability. This study aimed to compare resectability for colorectal cancer patients undergoing delayed versus non-delayed surgery. METHODS: This was an international prospective cohort study of consecutive colorectal cancer patients with a decision for curative surgery (January-April 2020). Surgical delay was defined as an operation taking place more than 4 weeks after treatment decision, in a patient who did not receive neoadjuvant therapy. A subgroup analysis explored the effects of delay in elective patients only. The impact of longer delays was explored in a sensitivity analysis. The primary outcome was complete resection, defined as curative resection with an R0 margin. RESULTS: Overall, 5453 patients from 304 hospitals in 47 countries were included, of whom 6.6% (358/5453) did not receive their planned operation. Of the 4304 operated patients without neoadjuvant therapy, 40.5% (1744/4304) were delayed beyond 4 weeks. Delayed patients were more likely to be older, men, more comorbid, have higher body mass index and have rectal cancer and early stage disease. Delayed patients had higher unadjusted rates of complete resection (93.7% vs. 91.9%, P = 0.032) and lower rates of emergency surgery (4.5% vs. 22.5%, P < 0.001). After adjustment, delay was not associated with a lower rate of complete resection (OR 1.18, 95% CI 0.90-1.55, P = 0.224), which was consistent in elective patients only (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.69-1.27, P = 0.672). Longer delays were not associated with poorer outcomes. CONCLUSION: One in 15 colorectal cancer patients did not receive their planned operation during the first wave of COVID-19. Surgical delay did not appear to compromise resectability, raising the hypothesis that any reduction in long-term survival attributable to delays is likely to be due to micro-metastatic disease