Students spend a lot of time at school, highlighting the great importance of providing comfortable conditions in educational buildings. Indoor environmental conditions are also related to student ...productivity and well-being, but Literature reviews mainly examine the effects of single parameters on human comfort, lacking in the evaluation of comfort combining different aspects, such as thermal, acoustic, and visual ones. The aim of the paper is to propose an index for the evaluation of the environmental comfort tacking into account thermal, acoustic, and lighting conditions. Seven university classrooms were investigated; measurements of environmental factors were performed including thermal, acoustic, and lighting parameters. Subjective evaluations were also carried out through survey questionnaires purposely elaborated. Three single indexes were proposed basing on the strongest correlation between questionnaire's answer and experimental results: a Predicted Mean Vote Index for the thermo-hygrometric conditions, a Sound Index for the acoustic comfort, and a Visual Index for the lighting conditions. All the indexes are dimensionless and normalized in a 0–1 range: values next to 1 indicate good comfort conditions and values next to 0 indicate bad comfort conditions. On the basis of different weights given for the three aspects, a final combined comfort index was calculated for each classroom and compared with questionnaires results, in order to assess the methodology.
•Analysis of global comfort conditions in seven classrooms was carried out.•Data from many questionnaires were collected and compared to experimental results.•The questions with the best correlation were selected and used as indexes.•A final global index is proposed and compared with questionnaires results.•A new questionnaire was developed to improve the study on global comfort.
•Rice husk panels for building applications were experimentally analysed.•Thermal, acoustic and environmental performance were investigated.•A comparison with other waste recycled materials was ...performed.•A new experimental apparatus for thermal measurements was used.•Primary embodied energy and greenhouse gas emissions were determined.
In building applications, recycled waste materials are becoming promising acoustic absorbers and thermal insulating solutions in order to reduce the environmental impact. The aim of the research is to evaluate the thermal, acoustic, and environmental performance of recycled waste panels consisting of rice husk (RH) produced by gluing and pressing the raw material. Its acoustic and thermal performance were compared with the ones of six panels composed by other recycled materials (cork scraps, end-life tires, coffee chaff, waste paper, textile fiber mats, wool fiber scraps), assembled with similar techniques. Thermal resistance of RH is equal to 0.59 m2K/W, in the same order of magnitude of many traditional systems. Sound absorption coefficients were measured by means of the impedance tube. All the panels present acoustic absorption comparable with traditional ones (peak values 0.87–0.99). RH peak value is 0.87, while the maximum values are obtained for cork and wool fiber scraps (1 and 0.97 respectively). Life cycle analysis, performed in compliance with ISO 14040 showed the best environmental performance for the production of 1 m2 of RH and coffee chaff panels. Taking in account their acoustic and thermal behaviour, the wool fiber scraps presents a very good performance.
•Innovative thermal insulation panels based on waste materials were developed.•Dry cup method was validated with known permeability values.•Hygrothermal performance of panels made of waste materials ...was evaluated.•Water vapour resistance factor was experimentally measured.
The hygrothermal performance of building materials is a very important issue for indoor comfort. The aim of this study is to measure the water vapour resistance factor μ of recycled waste materials. Leather cuttings, rice husk, and coffee chaff were used in order to manufacture innovative panels for thermal-noise building insulation. The permeability measurements were carried out by the dry cup method in compliance with the Standard EN ISO 12572. In the experimental campaign, conventional gypsum plaster and expanded polystyrene were also considered, whose hygrothermal characteristics are known from the Literature, in order to verify the reliability of the method. The moisture transfer properties of the innovative panels are higher than the values available in the Literature for other vegetable and mineral fibers-based panels (sheep wool, wood, cork, expanded vermiculite and perlite, glass or stone wool, and so on). However, the high μ-value obtained for coffee chaff panels (equal to 392) could involve an increase in heat loss and acoustically weak points.
•A glazing (AGS) with aerogel granules and opaque hollow silica is studied.•Thermal and lighting performance of the AGS are analysed in an experimental field.•The air temperatures with AGS are lower ...than the ones with a standard glazing.
The excellent thermal insulation properties of aerogel glazing systems make them an interesting building solution, especially in cold climates. When aerogel glazing systems provide less solar heat gain factor, they could be useful in warm and hot regions (such as Tokyo, Rome and so on) because buildings in such areas are often designed to minimize cooling energy demands. If a sort of opaque powder is mixed with aerogel granules, able to stick to each granule and to cover the aerogel surface discontinuously, the mixture can thus reduce solar transmittance, contributing to daylight usage with less glare risks and cooling energy demand reduction, without shade or blinds, keeping as high thermal performance as aerogel. This innovation is examined in the present paper, by presenting the following solution: a double glazing unit with a mixture of silica granular aerogel and hollow silica powder in the gap (AGS), in order to reduce the solar factor. The solution is tested through in-field experimental campaigns and numerical analyses, making available a set of data not found in literature, where mixtures of aerogel and powder were never studied. The air temperatures in the test Room with AGS, especially the peak values, are lower than the ones in the reference one with installed a standard glazing system (SGS). The same behaviour is observed in several experimental campaigns in different seasons: in mid-season 1 the highest differences are of about 6–7 °C, whereas in summer they reach 12–16 °C. Significant differences in terms of illuminance are also observed: the calculated Useful Daylight Illuminance (UDI) shows AGS values 57% higher than SGS, highlighting the aerogel ability to diffuse light and to reduce glare. Experimental data were used for energy analyses of a reference building in Tokyo. AGS outperforms a low-e glazing in terms of heating energy demand: the reduction varies in the 22% (North) − 62% (South) range. The lighting energy demand is quite similar: electricity demand increases in the 3–6% range. Finally, the internal shade on the reference glazing has a significant impact on the estimated energy demand, both for cooling and heating.
In Europe, many of the ancient buildings, especially sacred architecture, are subject to renovation projects by converting their initial occupation type for temporary exposition. In particular, the ...demand for assisting to live musical performance is increased considerably in Italy because of the missing of places dedicated to the performing arts. As such, one of the churches of Imola (i.e. San Domenico), located approximately 30 Km far from Bologna, has been requested by citizens to be adapted into an auditorium when necessary. Based on needs expressed by the local population, this paper recommends one of the possibilities of how the acoustical design can be applied to the church in order to adjust the main volume to the realization of transient musical venues, cancelling any undesirable reflections that can lower the quality perception of sound. The actual acoustics has been adapted in order to reach both speech and musical intelligibility, especially focused on sacred music style. Both measured and simulated results have been compared determining the choice of the proposed acoustical solutions in terms of type of finishes and surface area to be covered by the added materials. The suitable treatments in consideration include absorbing wooden panels, curtains and fabric wrap.
•The color rendering properties of monolithic aerogel samples were investigated.•Monolithic panes were fabricated by a rapid supercritical extraction method.•An illuminator and a chroma-meter were ...used for the CIE Lab coordinates evaluation.•The presence of aerogel tends to shift all the colors towards a blue hue.•The calculated Color Rendering Index is equal to 85 for the monolithic samples.
Transparent elements of buildings account for most of the variation in the spectrum of transmitted daylight. This behavior has a considerable impact on the luminous quality of the indoor environment, because the light spectral composition affects the perceived color and brightness of the illuminated objects. As a consequence, the effect of light colour and intensity on the behavior and health of the occupants is very important. Among the innovative transparent solutions for buildings, monolithic aerogel is one of the most promising, both in terms of lighting and thermal performance. In this context, the present study investigates the colour rendering properties of monolithic aerogel. For the analysis we employed a machine vision system based on a dome-shape illuminator, a digital camera, a chroma meter, and a colour checker. We evaluated the effect of the aerogel on colour rendering by measuring the RGB and CIE Lab coordinates of the reference colours of the colour checker with and without the aerogel. The results show that, in general, the presence of aerogel tends to shift all the colours towards a blue hue, the maximum variations occurring with dark tones of red, yellow, and green. Finally the Colour Rendering Index Ra was calculated for the examined monolithic aerogel by means of a methodology developed in accordance to the EN ISO 410 standard and CIE standard procedures. The obtained values prove a rather good visual quality of the monolithic aerogel (Ra = 85).
Abstract
The thermal conductivity of 15 loadbearing and infill bricks was calculated through a Computational Fluid Dynamic (CFD) analysis. Clay bricks filled with air, expanded polystyrene EPS, and ...graphitized expanded polystyrene were selected from the catalogue of the manufacturer F.B.M. - Fornaci Briziarelli Marsciano. The company provided the geometric features of each block and the thermal characteristics of the clay mix and the filling. The thermal conductivity value of each air cavity was calculated in compliance with UNI EN ISO 6946. Each volume was discretized in triangular meshes. The equivalent thermal conductivity of each block was calculated starting from the simulation of the isotherms trend inside the sample and from the heat flux passing through it. The obtained results were discussed depending on the filling, the geometry, and the hole percentage. In general, thermal conductivity increases with hole percentage in the bricks with air. Similar geometries have similar thermal behaviour. EPS or graphitized EPS involve better thermal performance as the hole percentage increases. Finally, the influence of the different orientations of the blocks was investigated. Equivalent thermal conductivity values increase for horizontally-brick placed, especially in homogeneous and compact geometries.
Tumor regression after antiviral therapy (AT) is in favor of an etiological role of hepatitis C virus (HCV) in non-Hodgkin's B-cell lymphomas (NHL).
We carried out a cohort study of 704 consecutive ...HIV-negative, HCV-positive patients with indolent NHL diagnosed and treated from 1993 to 2009 in 39 centers of the Fondazione Italiana Linfomi; 134 patients were managed with AT for lymphoma control.
For entire cohort, 5-year overall survival (OS) was 78% 95% confidence interval (CI): 74%–82% and 5-year progression-free survival (PFS) was 48% (95% CI: 44%–53%). In multivariate analysis, the use of AT during the patients’ life had positive impact on OS. Forty-four of the 100 patients treated with first-line AT achieved a complete remission (CR) and 33 a partial response (PR). HCV-RNA clearance was achieved in 80 patients and was related to lymphoma response. At a median follow-up of 3.6 years, 5-year PFS was 63% (95% CI: 50%–73%). CR + PR rate was 85% with AT as second-line treatment.
AT produces HCV-RNA clearance and consequent tumor regression in most patients with HCV-related indolent NHL. AT used at any time is associated with improved OS. Consequently, AT can be considered an option for patients with indolent lymphomas who do not need immediate cytoreductive treatment.
The interest in sound spatialization is strongly increased throughout the last decade. Sound spatialization, or as it is commonly named auralization, is very important for both the design phase of ...any listening room and the virtual reproduction of a 3D sound field 1. The international standard ISO 3382:2009 explains the different techniques of how to measure spatial parameters (e.g. LE, LF, IACC) and one of the methods that can be performed for a binaural measurement is the utilization of a dummy head. Nowadays room impulse response (RIR) is often measured by using multichannel transducers working independently each other. This technique is very useful to virtually reproduce a 3D soundscape, corresponding to the same sound perception as it is found inside the architectural volume where the measurements have been performed 2. In this paper, an alternative procedure of measuring and reconstructing the auralization characteristics is presented. Furthermore, this methodology has been compared with other techniques of 3D sound reproduction. This paper treats the opportunity to improve the quality of soundscape reproduction other than the analysis of acoustical parameters required by standards.
Patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma treated with first-line anthracycline-based immunochemotherapy and remaining in remission at 2 years have excellent outcomes. This study assessed overall ...survival (OS) stratified by progression-free survival (PFS) at 24months (PFS24) using individual patient data from patients with DLBCL enrolled in multi-center, international randomized clinical trials as part of the Surrogate Endpoint for Aggressive Lymphoma (SEAL) Collaboration.
PFS24 was defined as being alive and PFS24 after study entry. OS from PFS24 was defined as time from identified PFS24 status until death due to any cause. OS was compared with each patient’s age-, sex-, and country-matched general population using expected survival and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs).
A total of 5853 patients enrolled in trials in the SEAL database received rituximab as part of induction therapy and were included in this analysis. The median age was 62years (range 18–92), and 56% were greater than 60years of age. At a median follow-up of 4.4years, 1337 patients (23%) had disease progression, 1489 (25%) had died, and 5101 had sufficient follow-up to evaluate PFS24. A total of 1423 assessable patients failed to achieve PFS24 with a median OS of 7.2months (95% CI 6.8–8.1) after progression; 5-year OS after progression was 19% and SMR was 32.1 (95% CI 30.0–34.4). A total of 3678 patients achieved PFS24; SMR after achieving PFS24 was 1.22 (95% CI 1.09–1.37). The observed OS versus expected OS at 3, 5, and 7years after achieving PFS24 was 93.1% versus 94.4%, 87.6% versus 89.5%, and 80.0% versus 83.7%, respectively.
Patients treated with rituximab containing anthracycline-based immunochemotherapy on clinical trials who are alive without progression at 24months from the onset of initial therapy have excellent outcomes with survival that is marginally lower but clinically indistinguishable from the age-, sex-, and country-matched background population for 7 years after achieving PFS24.
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