Evaluation of Thermal Environment and Indoor Air Quality in University Libraries in Vienna

2014 ◽  
Vol 899 ◽  
pp. 315-320 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gabriela Adam ◽  
Ulrich Pont ◽  
Ardeshir Mahdavi
Keyword(s):  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Environmental Study ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Late 20Th Century ◽  
Outdoor Climate ◽  
Co2 Levels ◽  
The 19Th Century

This contribution presents the results of an indoor environmental study of university libraries in Vienna. Indoor climatic parameters (air temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 levels) in the main spaces of four different library buildings (two historic buildings from the 19th century, two buildings from the late 20th century) were monitored over a period of ten months. Furthermore, to obtain a general impression of the quality of the visual environment in these buildings, illuminance levels at selected locations were measured. The measured data was analyzed and enriched with additional calculated indicators (e.g., PMV/PPD). To put the monitored data in the proper context, recorded outdoor climate data was also taken into consideration. The findings point to a certain overheating risk during the summer period as well as increased CO2 levels during the winter period.

scholarly journals The Passive Microwave Neural Network Precipitation Retrieval Algorithm for Climate Applications (PNPR-CLIM): Design and Verification

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1701
Author(s):  
Leonardo Bagaglini ◽  
Paolo Sanò ◽  
Daniele Casella ◽  
Elsa Cattani ◽  
Giulia Panegrossi
Keyword(s):  
Neural Network ◽  
Passive Microwave ◽  
Retrieval Algorithm ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Data Record ◽  
Global Precipitation ◽  
Climate Data Record

This paper describes the Passive microwave Neural network Precipitation Retrieval algorithm for climate applications (PNPR-CLIM), developed with funding from the Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), implemented by ECMWF on behalf of the European Union. The algorithm has been designed and developed to exploit the two cross-track scanning microwave radiometers, AMSU-B and MHS, towards the creation of a long-term (2000–2017) global precipitation climate data record (CDR) for the ECMWF Climate Data Store (CDS). The algorithm has been trained on an observational dataset built from one year of MHS and GPM-CO Dual-frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) coincident observations. The dataset includes the Fundamental Climate Data Record (FCDR) of AMSU-B and MHS brightness temperatures, provided by the Fidelity and Uncertainty in Climate data records from Earth Observation (FIDUCEO) project, and the DPR-based surface precipitation rate estimates used as reference. The combined use of high quality, calibrated and harmonized long-term input data (provided by the FIDUCEO microwave brightness temperature Fundamental Climate Data Record) with the exploitation of the potential of neural networks (ability to learn and generalize) has made it possible to limit the use of ancillary model-derived environmental variables, thus reducing the model uncertainties’ influence on the PNPR-CLIM, which could compromise the accuracy of the estimates. The PNPR-CLIM estimated precipitation distribution is in good agreement with independent DPR-based estimates. A multiscale assessment of the algorithm’s performance is presented against high quality regional ground-based radar products and global precipitation datasets. The regional and global three-year (2015–2017) verification analysis shows that, despite the simplicity of the algorithm in terms of input variables and processing performance, the quality of PNPR-CLIM outperforms NASA GPROF in terms of rainfall detection, while in terms of rainfall quantification they are comparable. The global analysis evidences weaknesses at higher latitudes and in the winter at mid latitudes, mainly linked to the poorer quality of the precipitation retrieval in cold/dry conditions.

Research on user needs for mobile information services in Chinese university libraries

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (4) ◽  
pp. 617-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yang Zhao ◽  
Shengli Deng ◽  
Ting Gao ◽  
Ruoxin Zhou
Keyword(s):  
Information Content ◽  
Mobile Services ◽  
Information Services ◽  
User Needs ◽  
University Libraries ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Mobile Information ◽  
User Groups ◽  
Mobile Information Services

Purpose This paper aims to investigate the service demand of existing users and potential users for mobile information services provided by university libraries in China. The primary objective is to explore the impact of user experience on user needs, which is conducted by a comparison between two user groups over their needs from three aspects – service function, service mode and information content. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected from 353 library users from ten Chinese universities via questionnaires. Based on the user needs model, three dimensions of user needs were established for mobile information services and 26 measurement items were generated through a review of the literature. Furthermore, based on frequency analysis, independent samples t-test and the calculation of need rate, the demand differences in mobile information services between existing and potential users were explored. Findings Significant differences existed in the needs for service functions and service modes of mobile information services between existing users and potential users. Existing users cared more about such characteristics as intelligence, personalization and the variety of mobile services. Potential users, in contrast, concerned themselves more with the usability of mobile services and similarity to traditional information services. These two user groups showed little difference in the needs for information content, as they both have strict requirements for specialty, richness in and quality of information resources in mobile network environments. Originality/value Previous research on user needs for mobile libraries services has been primarily conducted from the perspectives of existing users. This study, however, compared the needs of existing and potential users based on their previous experiences, which can help libraries to know better what their users need and improve the quality of mobile information services to meet those needs. This can also make existing users more willing to use the services and cultivate the usage habits of potential users at the same time.

Advances in the data rescue and digitization of historical wind speed observations in Sweden: the WINDGUST project

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erik Engström ◽  
Cesar Azorin-Molina ◽  
Lennart Wern ◽  
Sverker Hellström ◽  
Christophe Sturm ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Wind Speed ◽  
Global Climate ◽  
Current Status ◽  
Weather Data ◽  
Climate Data ◽  
Intergovernmental Panel ◽  
Staff Members ◽  
The 1960S

<p>Here we present the progress of the first work package (WP1) of the project “Assessing centennial wind speed variability from a historical weather data rescue project in Sweden” (WINDGUST), funded by FORMAS – A Swedish Research Council for Sustainable Development (ref. 2019-00509); previously introduced in EGU2019-17792-1 and EGU2020-3491. In a global climate change, one of the major uncertainties on the causes driving the climate variability of winds (i.e., the “stilling” phenomenon and the recent “recovery” since the 2010s) is mainly due to short availability (i.e., since the 1960s) and low quality of observed wind records as stated by the Fifth Assessment Report (AR5) of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC).</p><p>The WINDGUST is a joint initiative between the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI) and the University of Gothenburg aimed at filling the key gap of short availability and low quality of wind datasets, and improve the limited knowledge on the causes driving wind speed variability in a changing climate across Sweden.</p><p>During 2020, we worked in WP1 to rescue historical wind speed series available in the old weather archives at SMHI for the 1920s-1930s. In the process we followed the “Guidelines on Best Practices for Climate Data Rescue” of the World Meteorological Organization. Our protocol consisted on: (i) designing a template for digitization; (ii) digitizing papers by an imaging process based on scanning and photographs; and (iii) typing numbers of wind speed data into the template. We will report the advances and current status, challenges and experiences learned during the development of WP1. Until new year 2020/2021 eight out of thirteen selected stations spanning over the years 1925 to 1948 have been scanned and digitized by three staff members of SMHI during 1,660 manhours.</p>

An evaluation of beef carcass quality 2. Influence of variation in grazing intensity and the level of barley supplementation with silage on the carcass and meat quality of Friesian steers

1972 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. 229-237
Author(s):  
C. E. Hinks ◽  
J. H. D. Prescott
Keyword(s):  
Meat Quality ◽  
Compensatory Growth ◽  
Live Weight ◽  
Grazing Intensity ◽  
Carcass Composition ◽  
Carcass Weight ◽  
Eating Quality ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Carcass Quality

SUMMARYTwo experiments concerning the effects, on the carcass and meat characteristics of 18-months-old Friesian steers, of variation in grazing intensity and the level of barley feeding with silage are reported.Groups of 12 steers were grazed at different intensities over 5-month grazing periods, such that live-weight differences of 38 kg and 16 kg were recorded at housing. No compensatory growth was recorded during the subsequent winter feeding period.Whilst the grazing treatments had little effect on carcass or meat quality, higher levels of barley feeding with silage over the winter period (710 v. 410 kg/steer) had significant effects on live-weight gain, and increased carcass weight by 21 kg at slaughter. The higher yield of carcass weight was reflected in significant differences in carcass composition, joint proportions and retail cut-out value. Sixty per cent of the carcass weight difference was removed as trim fat. Differences in carcass fatness were not associated with any differences in eating quality.

scholarly journals Spatiotemporal variation of the indoor mycobiome in daycare centers

Microbiome ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eva Lena F. Estensmo ◽  
Luis Morgado ◽  
Sundy Maurice ◽  
Pedro M. Martin-Sanchez ◽  
Ingeborg B. Engh ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air Quality ◽  
Indoor Air ◽  
Seasonal Pattern ◽  
Spatiotemporal Variation ◽  
Fungal Community Composition ◽  
Daycare Centers ◽  
Outdoor Climate ◽  
Dna Metabarcoding

Abstract Background Children spend considerable time in daycare centers in parts of the world and are exposed to the indoor micro- and mycobiomes of these facilities. The level of exposure to microorganisms varies within and between buildings, depending on occupancy, climate, and season. In order to evaluate indoor air quality, and the effect of usage and seasonality, we investigated the spatiotemporal variation in the indoor mycobiomes of two daycare centers. We collected dust samples from different rooms throughout a year and analyzed their mycobiomes using DNA metabarcoding. Results The fungal community composition in rooms with limited occupancy (auxiliary rooms) was similar to the outdoor samples, and clearly different from the rooms with higher occupancy (main rooms). The main rooms had higher abundance of Ascomycota, while the auxiliary rooms contained comparably more Basidiomycota. We observed a strong seasonal pattern in the mycobiome composition, mainly structured by the outdoor climate. Most markedly, basidiomycetes of the orders Agaricales and Polyporales, mainly reflecting typical outdoor fungi, were more abundant during summer and fall. In contrast, ascomycetes of the orders Saccharomycetales and Capnodiales were dominant during winter and spring. Conclusions Our findings provide clear evidences that the indoor mycobiomes in daycare centers are structured by occupancy as well as outdoor seasonality. We conclude that the temporal variability should be accounted for in indoor mycobiome studies and in the evaluation of indoor air quality of buildings.

scholarly journals INFLUENCE OF SOME ROOTSTOCK ON THE GROWTH AND QUALITY OF THE VINE PLANTING MATERIAL OF THE MAVRUD VARIETY

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 371-374
Author(s):  
M. Mihaylov
Keyword(s):  
Vitis Vinifera ◽  
19Th Century ◽  
Biological Characteristics ◽  
Vitis Vinifera L ◽  
Red Wines ◽  
Planting Material ◽  
The 19Th Century

The direction related with production of vine planting material originated from the 19th century, after the advent of Phylloxera vastatrix F. in which a large part of the vineyards in Bulgaria and the main wine-growing countries were destroyed. Only solution was proposed for grafting vine varieties from Vitis vinifera L. on resistant rootstocks. A number of biological characteristics of the vine influence both the nursery for scions and the rootstock nursery. One of them, which is main is the affinity of different rootstocks on the different vine varieties. In the southern Bulgaria, where the Mavrud variety is characteristic, high losses are observed due to the low yield of first-class vines. In Bulgaria, the Mavrud variety is highly valued due to its biological qualities, resulting in extracts and dense red wines that have glorified our country.

scholarly journals Optimization of the design and technological parameters of an active ripper of a combined working body

2021 ◽  
Vol 37 ◽  
pp. 00068
Author(s):  
S. A. Ivanaisky ◽  
M. A. Kanaev ◽  
Y. A. Kirov ◽  
M. S. Ivanaisky ◽  
S. V. Denisov
Keyword(s):  
Soil Layer ◽  
Winter Period ◽  
Technological Parameters ◽  
High Quality ◽  
Quality Performance ◽  
Soil Cultivation ◽  
Surface Moisture ◽  
Tillage Operation ◽  
Working Bodies

The research objective is to improve the quality of soil loosening using combined working bodies for surface moisture-retaining soil cultivation. The efficiency of accumulation and conservation of precipitation in the autumn-winter period depends on the method of post-harvest soil cultivation. One of them is the autumn surface water-retaining treatment, which makes it possible to increase the efficiency of the processes of accumulation and conservation of moisture due to the deeper loosening of the cultivated soil layer. During loosening and mulching, the top layer of the soil contributes to the accumulation and preservation of moisture not only in the upper but also in deeper soil horizons. However, the used tillage tools do not fully solve the problem of the high-quality performance of surface moisture-retaining soil cultivation. The article presents the results of studies of the degree of influence of geometric and technological parameters of the additional active cultivator on the quality of surface tillage. Based on the results of the research carried out, the technological process of performing the surface tillage operation has been improved and combined working bodies have been developed for its implementation.

scholarly journals Optimal thermal sensors placement based on indoor thermal environment characterization by using CFD model

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (3) ◽  
pp. 628-641
Author(s):  
F Faridah ◽  
Sentagi Utami ◽  
Ressy Yanti ◽  
S Sunarno ◽  
Emilya Nurjani ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Euclidean Distance ◽  
Cfd Simulation ◽  
Thermal Environment ◽  
Thermal Characteristics ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Cfd Model ◽  
Outdoor Climate ◽  
Computational Fluid Dynamics Cfd ◽  
Maximum Root ◽  
Optimum Sensor

This paper discusses an analysis to obtain the optimal thermal sensor placement based on indoor thermal characteristics. The method relies on the Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulation by manipulating the outdoor climate and indoor air conditioning (AC) system. First, the alternative sensor's position is considered the optimum installation and the occupant's safety. Utilizing the Standardized Euclidean Distance (SED) analysis, these positions are then selected for the best position using the distribution of the thermal parameters' values data at the activity zones. Onsite measurement validated the CFD model results with the maximum root means square error, RMSE, between both data sets as 0.8°C for temperature, the relative humidity of 3.5%, and an air velocity of 0.08m/s, due to the significant effect of the building location. The Standardized Euclidean Distance (SED) analysis results are the optimum sensor positions that accurately, consistently, and have the optimum % coverage representing the thermal condition at 1,1m floor level. At the optimal positions, actual sensors are installed and proven to be valid results since sensors could detect thermal variables at the height of 1.1m with SED validation values of 2.5±0.3, 2.2±0.6, 2.0±1.1, for R15, R33, and R40, respectively.

scholarly journals Potato growing in the Faroe Islands in 19th century

2015 ◽  
pp. 52
Author(s):  
Erling Isholm
Keyword(s):  
19Th Century ◽  
Seed Quality ◽  
Faroe Islands ◽  
Cultivated Land ◽  
Seed Potatoes ◽  
Peasant Society ◽  
Local Officials ◽  
Limited Supply ◽  
The 19Th Century

The potato became an important crop in the Faroe Islands early in the 19th century and subsequently vital in the 1820s and 1830s, when crofters started to enclose and cultivate small plots of land. These plots of land were crucial in ensuring population growth and in extending cultivated land. Local officials followed these events closely. During the 1830s problems emerged concerning the quality of seed potatoes and the limited supply, problems which only intensified as time passed. Concern was raised by one sheriff that difficulties in finding new seeds would prevent the expanding cultivation, whilst others worried that the deterioration in seed quality would result in a decline in growth, thus jeopardizing the livelihood of crofters. In this article the story of seed potatoes purchased by governor Pløyen in Orkney in 1839 is followed. The point being made is that by acquiring these seed potatoes the authorities ensured that the progress of the previous 20 years continued. Furthermore, the purchasing of a shipment of seed potatoes is linked to other modernization plans for Faroese society, which governor Pløyen and others worked on at the time. For these plans to succeed, it was vital to ensure the living conditions of the crofter families as change would not emerge from the old peasant society.

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