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1.
Int J Biometeorol ; 68(2): 289-304, 2024 Feb.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-38047941

RESUMO

Passenger thermal comfort in high-speed train (HST) carriages presents unique challenges due to factors such as extensive operational areas, longer travel durations, larger spaces, and higher passenger capacities. This study aims to propose a new prediction model to better understand and address thermal comfort in HST carriages. The proposed prediction model incorporates skin wettedness, vertical skin temperature difference (ΔTd), and skin temperature as parameters to predict the thermal sensation vote (TSV) of HST passengers. The experiments were conducted with 65 subjects, evenly distributed throughout the HST compartment. Thermal environmental conditions and physiological signals were measured to capture the subjects' thermal responses. The study also investigated regional and overall thermal sensations experienced by the subjects. Results revealed significant regional differences in skin temperature between upper and lower body parts. By analyzing data from 45 subjects, We analyzed the effect of 25 variables on TSV by partial least squares (PLS), from which we singled out 3 key factors. And the optimal multiple regression equation was derived to predict the TSV of HST occupants. Validation with an additional 20 subjects demonstrated a strong linear correlation (0.965) between the actual TSV and the predicted values, confirming the feasibility and accuracy of the developed prediction model. By integrating skin wettedness and ΔTd with skin temperature, the model provides a comprehensive approach to predicting thermal comfort in HST environments. This research contributes to advancing thermal comfort analysis in HST and offers valuable insights for optimizing HST system design and operation to meet passengers' comfort requirements.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado , Temperatura Cutânea , Humanos , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Sensação Térmica/fisiologia , Temperatura
2.
Sensors (Basel) ; 23(13)2023 Jun 27.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37447806

RESUMO

Due to energy constraints and people's increasing requirements for indoor thermal comfort, improving energy efficiency while ensuring thermal comfort has become the focus of research in the design and operation of HVAC systems. This study took office rooms with few people occupying them in Wuhan as the research object. The EnergyPlus-Fluent co-simulation method was used to study the impact of 12 forms of air distribution on the thermal environment and air-conditioner energy consumption. The results indicate that 3 m/s supply air velocity and 45° supply air angle are more suitable for the case model in this study. The EnergyPlus-Fluent co-simulation method used in this paper provides a reference for the study of indoor environments in offices with few people occupying them.


Assuntos
Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados , Fenômenos Fisiológicos , Humanos , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Simulação por Computador
3.
Front Public Health ; 11: 1164817, 2023.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-37361169

RESUMO

Introduction: Prolonged exposure of train drivers to thermal discomfort can lead to occupational safety and health (OSH) risks, causing physical and mental injuries. Traditional method of treating human skin as a wall surface fail to observe accurate skin temperature changes or obtain human thermal comfort that adapts to the thermal environment. Methods: This study employs the Stolwijk human thermal regulation model to investigate and optimize the thermal comfort of train drivers. To minimize the time-consuming design optimization, a pointer optimization algorithm based on radial basis function (RBF) approximation was utilized to optimize the train cab ventilation system design and enhance drivers' thermal comfort. The train driver thermal comfort model was developed using Star-CCM+ and 60 operating conditions were sampled using an Optimal Latin Hypercube Design (Opt LHD). Results and Discussion: We analyzed the effects of air supply temperature, air supply volume, air supply angle, solar radiation intensity and solar altitude angle on the local thermal sensation vote (LTSV) and overall thermal sensation vote (OTSV) of the train driver. Finally, the study obtained the optimal air supply parameters for the Heating Ventilation and Air Conditioning (HVAC) in the train cabin under extreme summer conditions, effectively improving the thermal comfort of the driver.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado , Temperatura Cutânea , Humanos , Temperatura , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Calefação , Sensação Térmica
4.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36361012

RESUMO

Finding the optimal balance between end-user's comfort, lifestyle preferences and the cost of the heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system, which requires intelligent decision making and control. This paper proposes a heating control method for HVAC based on dynamic programming. The method first selects the most suitable modeling approach for the controlled building among three machine learning modeling techniques by means of statistical performance metrics, after which the control of the HVAC system is described as a constrained optimization problem, and the action of the controller is given by solving the optimization problem through dynamic programming. In this paper, the variable 'thermal energy storage in building' is introduced to solve the problem that dynamic programming is difficult to obtain the historical state of the building due to the requirement of no aftereffect, while the room temperature and the remaining start hours of the Primary Air Unit are selected to describe the system state through theoretical analysis and trial and error. The results of the TRNSYS/Python co-simulation show that the proposed method can maintain better indoor thermal environment with less energy consumption compared to carefully reviewed expert rules. Compared with expert rule set 'baseline-20 °C', which keeps the room temperature at the minimum comfort level, the proposed control algorithm can save energy and reduce emissions by 35.1% with acceptable comfort violation.


Assuntos
Calefação , Ventilação , Calefação/métodos , Ventilação/métodos , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Algoritmos , Temperatura Alta
5.
Sensors (Basel) ; 22(20)2022 Oct 19.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-36298333

RESUMO

In this work, a Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) framework is introduced for the implementation and the assessment of predictive control approaches in smart buildings. The framework combines recent Internet of Things (IoT) and big data platforms together with machine-learning algorithms and MATLAB-based Model Predictive Control (MPC) programs in order to enable HIL simulations. As a case study, the MPC algorithm was deployed for control of a standalone ventilation system (VS). The objective is to maintain the indoor Carbon Dioxide (CO2) concentration at the standard comfort range while enhancing energy efficiency in the building. The proposed framework has been tested and deployed in a real-case scenario of the EEBLab test site. The MPC controller has been implemented on MATLAB/Simulink and deployed in a Raspberry Pi (RPi) hardware. Contextual data are collected using the deployed IoT/big data platform and injected into the MPC and LSTM machine learning models. Occupants' numbers were first forecasted and then sent to the MPC to predict the optimal ventilation flow rates. The performance of the MPC control over the HIL framework has been assessed and compared to an ON/OFF strategy. Results show the usefulness of the proposed approach and its effectiveness in reducing energy consumption by approximately 16%, while maintaining good indoor air quality.


Assuntos
Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados , Internet das Coisas , Dióxido de Carbono , Ventilação , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados/análise
6.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35742537

RESUMO

Traditional heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) control systems rely mostly on static models, such as Fanger's predicted mean vote (PMV) to predict human thermal comfort in indoor environments. Such models consider environmental parameters, such as room temperature, humidity, etc., and indirect human factors, such as metabolic rate, clothing, etc., which do not necessarily reflect the actual human thermal comfort. Therefore, as electronic sensor devices have become widely used, we propose to develop a thermal sensation (TS) model that takes in humans' physiological signals for consideration in addition to the environment parameters. We conduct climate chamber experiments to collect physiological signals and personal TS under different environments. The collected physiological signals are ECG, EEG, EMG, GSR, and body temperatures. As a preliminary study, we conducted experiments on young subjects under static behaviors by controlling the room temperature, fan speed, and humidity. The results show that our physiological-signal-based TS model performs much better than the PMV model, with average RMSEs 0.75 vs. 1.07 (lower is better) and R2 0.77 vs. 0.43 (higher is better), respectively, meaning that our model prediction has higher accuracy and better explainability. The experiments also ranked the importance of physiological signals (as EMG, body temperature, ECG, and EEG, in descending order) so they can be selectively adopted according to the feasibility of signal collection in different application scenarios. This study demonstrates the usefulness of physiological signals in TS prediction and motivates further thorough research on wider scenarios, such as ages, health condition, static/motion/sports behaviors, etc.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado , Sensação Térmica , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Calefação , Humanos , Umidade , Temperatura , Sensação Térmica/fisiologia , Ventilação
7.
PLoS One ; 17(5): e0266672, 2022.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35604922

RESUMO

The optimal initial pre-conditioning parameter is essential to properly adjust the temperature within the cabin in an effective and accurate way, especially while passengers' thermal comfort and energy-saving properties are both considered. Under the various environmental thermal loads, the pre-conditioning solutions resulting from those pre-fixed cooling parameters are unfeasible for achieving accurately passengers' comfort temperature. In addition, it is also difficult in such a narrow car space to identify a lot of local attributes due to the different material properties and sizes of a variety of structural parts that have various thermal responses to environmental conditions. This paper presents a data-driven decision model to numerically identify the degrees of the cabin thermal characteristic to determine satisfactory pre-conditioning parameter schemes. Initially, based on the thermal data within a vehicle recorded through the whole year at a selected hot climate region of the Middle East, the study levels multiple climate scenes corresponding to change in the cabin air temperature. Then three classification algorithms (Support Vector Machines, Decision Tree, and K-nearest neighbor model) are used to comparatively identify climate levels according to the input conditions. Based on the identified climate level, an appropriate parameters scheme for this level is applied. A comprehensive evaluation index (CEI) is proposed to characterize the passengers' satisfaction in numerical computation, on considering multi-satisfaction objectives including Predicted Mean Vote (PMV), local temperature, air quality, and energy efficiency; and it formulates the pre-conditioning parameter scheme for each climate scene with CEI. Several scene cases are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the proposed models. The result shows that the pre-conditioning schemes of the model can effectively satisfy passengers in multi-satisfaction objectives.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado , Automóveis , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Temperatura Baixa , Satisfação Pessoal , Temperatura
8.
Work ; 72(1): 189-199, 2022.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-35431200

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: The hot and humid environment inside the kitchen is a cumulative sign of health impact that deteriorates the well-being and productivity of cooking workers, which could be a barrier to thermal comfort. As the cooking task progresses throughout the day, uncomfortable thermal conditions inside a kitchen work environment may diminish the work quality of the kitchen workers. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of the study were to evaluate the measured environmental factors of thermal comfort during various cooking periods [morning, day, evening, night] and examine the occupant's perception votes followed by further investigating the worker's thermal comfort conditions using PMV, PPD, SET, WBGT, and TSI indices. METHODS: The study was carried out inside the kitchen of the university canteen at IIT Guwahati, India. The objective and subjective measurements were accomplished during the summer season, while CBE thermal comfort software was employed for calculating the thermal comfort indices like PMV, PPD, and SET. RESULTS: The results of this study revealed that during entire cooking time, the recorded environmental factors of thermal comfort were found outside the recommended limits as per ASHRAE-55 standard, which indicates very hot prevalent conditions. Also, cook's perception vote (TSV, TCV) for the existing environment did not follow the central three categories of votes (+1, 0, -1), even the cooking workers were also not satisfied with the prevailing environmental conditions, as 88% subjects responded dissatisfaction with the thermal environment. While, estimated values of thermal comfort indices (PMV, PPD, and SET) designated morning time cooking period slightly comfortable than the other cooking periods, but still not accordance with the ASHRAE-2017 standard. The WBGT index designated day cooking period as hazardous, with rest of cooking periods under severe risk level. In contrast, the TSI index indicated entire cooking periods under "slightly warm" thermal sensation. CONCLUSION: The assessment of this study showed that the existing kitchen environment of the university canteen is not conducive for workers. Improper ventilation design may cause the overheating inside the kitchen, which may increase the dissatisfaction rate of the employed workers and also affects the energy savings in the kitchen environment, which helps maintain thermal comfort. Further studies are required to improve the thermal comfort of the kitchen occupants by providing proper design interventions based on heating and cooling air ventilation systems.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Ambiente Construído , Humanos , Universidades , Ventilação
9.
PLoS One ; 16(11): e0257549, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-34758032

RESUMO

Particulate generation occurs during exercise-induced exhalation, and research on this topic is scarce. Moreover, infection-control measures are inadequately implemented to avoid particulate generation. A laminar airflow ventilation system (LFVS) was developed to remove respiratory droplets released during treadmill exercise. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the number of aerosols during training on a treadmill and exercise intensity and to elucidate the effect of the LFVS on aerosol removal during anaerobic exercise. In this single-center observational study, the exercise tests were performed on a treadmill at Running Science Lab in Japan on 20 healthy subjects (age: 29±12 years, men: 80%). The subjects had a broad spectrum of aerobic capacities and fitness levels, including athletes, and had no comorbidities. All of them received no medication. The exercise intensity was increased by 1-km/h increments until the heart rate reached 85% of the expected maximum rate and then maintained for 10 min. The first 10 subjects were analyzed to examine whether exercise increased the concentration of airborne particulates in the exhaled air. For the remaining 10 subjects, the LFVS was activated during constant-load exercise to compare the number of respiratory droplets before and after LFVS use. During exercise, a steady amount of particulates before the lactate threshold (LT) was followed by a significant and gradual increase in respiratory droplets after the LT, particularly during anaerobic exercise. Furthermore, respiratory droplets ≥0.3 µm significantly decreased after using LFVS (2120800±759700 vs. 560 ± 170, p<0.001). The amount of respiratory droplets significantly increased after LT. The LFVS enabled a significant decrease in respiratory droplets during anaerobic exercise in healthy subjects. This study's findings will aid in exercising safely during this pandemic.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado/métodos , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Exercício Físico/fisiologia , Material Particulado/química , Adulto , Aerossóis/química , Filtros de Ar , Limiar Anaeróbio/fisiologia , COVID-19/metabolismo , Teste de Esforço/métodos , Expiração/fisiologia , Feminino , Frequência Cardíaca/fisiologia , Humanos , Japão , Ácido Láctico/metabolismo , Masculino , Consumo de Oxigênio/fisiologia , Respiração , Sistema Respiratório/fisiopatologia , Corrida/fisiologia , SARS-CoV-2/patogenicidade , Ventilação/métodos
10.
Chest ; 160(4): 1388-1396, 2021 10.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33895130

RESUMO

BACKGROUND: The role of portable high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filters for supplemental aerosol mitigation during exercise testing is unknown and might be relevant during COVID-19 pandemic. RESEARCH QUESTION: What is the effect of portable HEPA filtering on aerosol concentration during exercise testing and its efficiency in reducing room clearance time in a clinical exercise testing laboratory? STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: Subjects were six healthy volunteers aged 20 to 56 years. In the first experiment, exercise was performed in a small tent with controlled airflow with the use of a stationary cycle, portable HEPA filter with fume hood, and particle counter to document aerosol concentration. Subjects performed a four-stage maximal exercise test that lasted 12 min plus 5 min of pretest quiet breathing and 3 min of active recovery. First, they exercised without mitigation then with portable HEPA filter running. In a separate experiment, room aerosol clearance time was measured in a clinical exercise testing laboratory by filling it with artificially generated aerosols and measuring time to 99.9% aerosol clearance with heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) only or HVAC plus portable HEPA filter running. RESULTS: In the exercise experiment, particle concentrations reached 1,722 ± 1,484/L vs 96 ± 124/L (P < .04) for all particles (>0.3 µm), 1,339 ± 1,281/L vs 76 ± 104/L (P < .05) for smaller particles (0.3 to 1.0 µm), and 333 ± 209/L vs 17 ± 19/L (P < .01) for larger particles (1.0 to 5.0 µm) at the end of the protocol in a comparison of mitigation vs portable HEPA filter. Use of a portable HEPA filter in a clinical exercise laboratory clearance experiment reduced aerosol clearance time 47% vs HVAC alone. INTERPRETATION: The portable HEPA filter reduced the concentration of aerosols generated during exercise testing by 96% ± 2% for all particle sizes and reduced aerosol room clearance time in clinical exercise testing laboratories. Portable HEPA filters therefore might be useful in clinical exercise testing laboratories to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission.


Assuntos
Aerossóis/análise , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Filtros de Ar , COVID-19/diagnóstico , Pandemias , Adulto , COVID-19/metabolismo , Feminino , Voluntários Saudáveis , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Tamanho da Partícula , Adulto Jovem
11.
Air Med J ; 40(1): 54-59, 2021.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33455627

RESUMO

OBJECTIVE: The aeromedical transport of coronavirus patients presents risks to clinicians and aircrew. Patient positioning and physical barriers may provide additional protection during flight. This paper describes airflow testing undertaken on fixed wing and rotary wing aeromedical aircraft. METHODS: Airflow testing was undertaken on a stationary Hawker Beechcraft B200C and Leonardo Augusta Westland 139. Airflow was simulated using a Trainer 101 (MSS Professional A/S, Odense Sø, Syddanmark, Denmark) Smoke machine. Different cabin configurations were used along with variations in heating, cooling, and ventilation systems. RESULTS: For the Hawker Beechcraft B200C, smoke generated within the forward section of the cabin was observed to fill the cabin to a fluid boundary located in-line with the forward edge of the cargo door. With the curtain closed, smoke was only observed to enter the cockpit in very small quantities. For the Leonardo AW139, smoke generated within the cabin was observed to expand to fill the cabin evenly before dissipating. With the curtain closed, smoke was observed to enter the cockpit only in small quantities CONCLUSION: The use of physical barriers in fixed wing and rotary wing aeromedical aircraft provides some protection to aircrew. Optimal positioning of the patient is on the aft stretcher on the Beechcraft B200C and on a laterally orientated stretcher on the AW139. The results provide a baseline for further investigation into methods to protect aircrew during the coronavirus pandemic.


Assuntos
Resgate Aéreo , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Movimentos do Ar , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , Transmissão de Doença Infecciosa do Paciente para o Profissional/prevenção & controle , Ventilação/métodos , Ar Condicionado/instrumentação , COVID-19/transmissão , Humanos , Ventilação/instrumentação
12.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-33370155

RESUMO

In order to clarify the influence of air velocity on the atomization effect of shearer external spray and optimize dust suppression performance, the dust removal experiment was carried out by utilizing the self-designed external spray experiment platform. The effect of three kinds of air velocity on the atomization effect of main spray parameters was investigated to clarify the influence of air velocity on the atomization effect of shearer external spray and optimize dust suppression performance. The results showed that the influence of air velocity on droplet size and distribution width of the droplet size was slightly less than the spray pressure. The average diameter of the droplet was 54.211 µm, and the particle size distribution of the droplet was more uniform and concentrated when air velocity was 2 m/s, the pressure was 5 MPa and nozzle diameter was 1.0 mm. When the air velocity was less than 2 m/s and the spray pressure was 3-5 MPa, the atomization effect was better by using 1.0 or 1.2 mm diameter nozzle. Through on-site applications and optimization, the leeward total dust removal efficiency of the shearer can reach 79.43%, and the maximum increase range can reach 18.51 percentage points. The respiratory dust removal efficiency of the shearer can reach 87.45%, and the maximum increase range can reach 11.87 percentage points.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado/métodos , Movimentos do Ar , Poluição do Ar/prevenção & controle , Poeira/prevenção & controle , Modelos Teóricos , Água/química , Poluição do Ar/análise , Minas de Carvão , Poeira/análise , Tamanho da Partícula
13.
ACS Chem Neurosci ; 11(20): 3177-3179, 2020 10 21.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32991148

RESUMO

Several lines of evidence suggest the role of air-conditioning systems in the transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Furthermore, the likelihood of novel coronavirus to take refuge inside a microbial Trojan horse, that is, Acanthamoeba, can further enhance possibility of SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the environment. Here we propose the use of various disinfection strategies that can be employed using filters with antimicrobial fabricated surfaces or using UV irradiation to achieve germicidal properties for removal of pathogenic microbes such as SARS-CoV-2 and amoebae in the ventilation systems.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado/métodos , Filtros de Ar/virologia , Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados/prevenção & controle , Infecções por Coronavirus/prevenção & controle , Infecções por Coronavirus/transmissão , Pandemias/prevenção & controle , Pneumonia Viral/prevenção & controle , Pneumonia Viral/transmissão , Betacoronavirus/patogenicidade , COVID-19 , Desinfecção/métodos , Humanos , SARS-CoV-2
14.
Crit Care ; 24(1): 194, 2020 05 06.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32375844

RESUMO

The aim of this review is to describe variation in standards and guidelines on 'heating, ventilation and air-conditioning (HVAC)' system maintenance in the intensive care units, across the world, which is required to maintain good 'indoor air quality' as an important non-pharmacological strategy in preventing hospital-acquired infections. An online search and review of standards and guidelines published by various societies including American Institute of Architects (AIA), American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Department of Health Estates and Facilities Division, Health Technical Memorandum 2025 (HTM) and Healthcare Infection Control Practices Advisory Committee (HICPAC) along with various national expert committee consensus statements, regional and hospital-based protocols available in a public domain were retrieved. Selected publications and textbooks describing HVAC structural aspects were also reviewed, and we described the basic structural details of HVAC system as well as variations in the practised standards of HVAC system in the ICU, worldwide. In summary, there is a need of universal standards for HVAC system with a specific mention on the type of ICU, which should be incorporated into existing infection control practice guidelines.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado/métodos , Calefação/métodos , Ventilação/métodos , Ar Condicionado/tendências , Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados/análise , Calefação/tendências , Humanos , Controle de Infecções/instrumentação , Controle de Infecções/métodos , Controle de Infecções/tendências , Unidades de Terapia Intensiva/organização & administração , Material Particulado/efeitos adversos
15.
Med Hypotheses ; 141: 109781, 2020 Aug.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-32361528

RESUMO

The world is facing a pandemic of unseen proportions caused by a corona virus named SARS-CoV-2 with unprecedent worldwide measures being taken to tackle its contagion. Person-to-person transmission is accepted but WHO only considers aerosol transmission when procedures or support treatments that produce aerosol are performed. Transmission mechanisms are not fully understood and there is evidence for an airborne route to be considered, as the virus remains viable in aerosols for at least 3 h and that mask usage was the best intervention to prevent infection. Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning Systems (HVAC) are used as a primary infection disease control measure. However, if not correctly used, they may contribute to the transmission/spreading of airborne diseases as proposed in the past for SARS. The authors believe that airborne transmission is possible and that HVAC systems when not adequately used may contribute to the transmission of the virus, as suggested by descriptions from Japan, Germany, and the Diamond Princess Cruise Ship. Previous SARS outbreaks reported at Amoy Gardens, Emergency Rooms and Hotels, also suggested an airborne transmission. Further studies are warranted to confirm our hypotheses but the assumption of such way of transmission would cause a major shift in measures recommended to prevent infection such as the disseminated use of masks and structural changes to hospital and other facilities with HVAC systems.


Assuntos
Microbiologia do Ar , Betacoronavirus/isolamento & purificação , Infecções por Coronavirus/transmissão , Ambiente Controlado , Pandemias , Pneumonia Viral/transmissão , Ventilação , Aerossóis , Ar Condicionado/efeitos adversos , Ar Condicionado/instrumentação , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados , COVID-19 , Infecções por Coronavirus/prevenção & controle , Infecção Hospitalar/transmissão , Contaminação de Equipamentos , Desenho de Equipamento , Falha de Equipamento , Fômites/virologia , Calefação/efeitos adversos , Calefação/instrumentação , Calefação/métodos , Humanos , Doença dos Legionários/epidemiologia , Doença dos Legionários/transmissão , Modelos Biológicos , Pandemias/prevenção & controle , Pneumonia Viral/prevenção & controle , SARS-CoV-2 , Engenharia Sanitária/instrumentação , Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Grave/epidemiologia , Síndrome Respiratória Aguda Grave/transmissão , Esgotos/virologia , Ventilação/instrumentação , Ventilação/métodos
17.
J Perianesth Nurs ; 35(2): 178-184, 2020 Apr.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31859207

RESUMO

PURPOSE: Compare perioperative temperature management between forced-air warming (FAW) and resistive-polymer heating blankets (RHBs). DESIGN: A retrospective, quasi-experimental study. METHODS: Retrospective data analysis of nonspine orthopedic cases (N = 426) over a one-year period including FAW (n = 119) and RHBs (n = 307). FINDINGS: FAW was associated with a significantly higher final intraoperative temperature (P = .001, d = 0.46) than the RHB. The incidence of hypothermia was not found to be significantly different at the end (P = .102) or anytime throughout surgery (P = .270). Of all patients who started hypothermic, the FAW group had a lower incidence of hypothermia at the end of surgery (P = .023). CONCLUSIONS: FAW was associated with higher final temperatures and a greater number of normothermic patients than RHBs. However, no causal relationship between a warming device and hypothermia incidence should be assumed.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado/instrumentação , Calefação/instrumentação , Hipotermia/prevenção & controle , Adulto , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Ar Condicionado/estatística & dados numéricos , Regulação da Temperatura Corporal/fisiologia , Feminino , Calefação/normas , Calefação/estatística & dados numéricos , Humanos , Hipotermia/terapia , Complicações Intraoperatórias/prevenção & controle , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Período Perioperatório , Polímeros/administração & dosagem , Polímeros/uso terapêutico , Estudos Retrospectivos , Estatísticas não Paramétricas
18.
Indoor Air ; 30(2): 315-325, 2020 03.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31845406

RESUMO

High-efficiency filtration in residential forced-air heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) systems protects equipment and can reduce exposure to particulate matter. Laboratory tests provide a measure of the nominal efficiency, but they may not accurately reflect the in situ efficiency of the filters because of variations in system conditions and changes in filter performance over time. The primary focus of this paper is to evaluate the effective filtration efficiency, which is inclusive of any loading and system impacts, in 21 occupied residential homes through in-duct concentration measurements. We considered the role of filter media by testing both electret and non-electret media, as well as the role of loading by considering new and used filters. The results show that filters with higher nominal efficiency generally had higher effective filtration efficiency in the same home. In terms of performance change, there is no significant difference in efficiency between initial and 3-month non-electret filters, but the efficiency of electret filters generally decreased over time. However, both nominal efficiency and performance change were vastly overshadowed by the wide variety in loading and system conditions across homes, making it hard to predict filter efficiency in a given home without in situ measurements.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado/métodos , Filtros de Ar , Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados/análise , Ventilação/métodos , Poluição do Ar em Ambientes Fechados/estatística & dados numéricos , Monitoramento Ambiental , Filtração/instrumentação , Calefação/instrumentação
19.
J Occup Environ Hyg ; 16(12): 804-816, 2019 12.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31638865

RESUMO

The protection of emergency medical service (EMS) workers from airborne disease transmission is important during routine transport of patients with infectious respiratory illnesses and would be critical during a pandemic of a disease such as influenza. However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of ambulance ventilation systems at reducing EMS worker exposure to airborne particles (aerosols). In our study, a cough aerosol simulator mimicking a coughing patient with an infectious respiratory illness was placed on a patient cot in an ambulance. The concentration and dispersion of cough aerosol particles were measured for 15 min at locations corresponding to likely positions of an EMS worker treating the patient. Experiments were performed with the patient cot at an angle of 0° (horizontal), 30°, and 60°, and with the ambulance ventilation system set to 0, 5, and 12 air changes/hour (ACH). Our results showed that increasing the air change rate significantly reduced the airborne particle concentration (p < 0.001). Increasing the air change rate from 0 to 5 ACH reduced the mean aerosol concentration by 34% (SD = 19%) overall, while increasing it from 0 to 12 ACH reduced the concentration by 68% (SD = 9%). Changing the cot angle also affected the concentration (p < 0.001), but the effect was more modest, especially at 5 and 12 ACH. Contrary to our expectations, the aerosol concentrations at the different worker positions were not significantly different (p < 0.556). Flow visualization experiments showed that the ventilation system created a recirculation pattern which helped disperse the aerosol particles throughout the compartment, reducing the effectiveness of the system. Our findings indicate that the ambulance ventilation system reduced but did not eliminate worker exposure to infectious aerosol particles. Aerosol exposures were not significantly different at different locations within the compartment, including locations behind and beside the patient. Improved ventilation system designs with smoother and more unidirectional airflows could provide better worker protection.


Assuntos
Aerossóis/análise , Ambulâncias , Transmissão de Doença Infecciosa do Paciente para o Profissional/prevenção & controle , Exposição Ocupacional/prevenção & controle , Ventilação/métodos , Ar Condicionado/métodos , Tosse , Serviços Médicos de Emergência , Humanos , Infecções Respiratórias/transmissão
20.
Indoor Air ; 29(6): 1040-1049, 2019 11.
Artigo em Inglês | MEDLINE | ID: mdl-31463952

RESUMO

The effect of elevated airflow on sleep quality was investigated with 18 elderly. Three airflow conditions were set: ceiling fan/30°C/max.0.8 m/s and mean 0.7 m/s, task fan/30°C/max.0.8 m/s and mean 0.6 m/s, and thermally neutral /27°C/0.2 m/s. Sleep quality was evaluated objectively by analysis of electroencephalogram signals that were continuously monitored during the sleeping period. Urinary cortisol concentrations were analyzed to measure the activity of sympathetic nervous system. No significant difference in sleep quality, thermal comfort, or cortisol concentration was found between the ceiling fan and the neutral condition. The duration of total sleep time decreased by 35 minutes, the duration of REM sleep decreased by 15 minutes, and the cortisol concentration in the morning increased by 50 ng/mL in the task fan than the other two conditions. Compared with ceiling fan, less heat load was removed in the task fan condition, possibly due to the lower air speed. This study shows that even small heat load led to reduced sleep quality and overactive sympathetic nervous system of the elderly. By supplying an airflow of 0.8 m/s evenly over the human body, the elderly could maintain sleep quality and thermal comfort at an air temperature that was 3 K higher than the neutral temperature.


Assuntos
Ar Condicionado/métodos , Temperatura Alta/efeitos adversos , Distúrbios do Início e da Manutenção do Sono/prevenção & controle , Sono/fisiologia , Idoso , Temperatura Corporal , Feminino , Humanos , Hidrocortisona/urina , Masculino , Polissonografia , Fenômenos Fisiológicos Respiratórios , Distúrbios do Início e da Manutenção do Sono/etiologia , Distúrbios do Início e da Manutenção do Sono/urina , Fatores de Tempo
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