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If femoral blood is not available at autopsy, toxicological analyses, in particular blood ethanol measurements, are carried out on cardiac blood. This is known to be subject to major redistribution. We aimed to determine whether subclavian blood can be equated with a peripheral blood sample and could be used if femoral blood is not available. The study was based on 50 medicolegal autopsies in which we compared ethanol concentrations between subclavian blood, the different heart blood compartments (right and left cardiac blood), and femoral blood. Mechanisms that could lead to variations in concentration, i.e., postmortem redistribution and/or endogenous production, were also taken into account in interpreting the results. Ethanol concentrations were determined by headspace gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector. In each case, we recorded the circumstances of death, resuscitation attempts if any, degree of putrefaction, chest or abdominal trauma, and/or inhalation of gastric fluid in the airways. Ethanol concentrations in subclavian blood were found to be close to those in peripheral blood (p = 0.948) and were not influenced by the degree of putrefaction (r = 0.017, p = 0.904), gastric ethanol concentration (r = -0.011, p = 0.940), inhalation of gastric contents in the airways (p = 0.461), or cardiac resuscitation attempts (p = 0.368). We discuss the possible explanations for these findings and stress the value of sampling subclavian blood when femoral blood is not obtainable at autopsy.

Inter-turn winding faults in five-phase ferrite-permanent magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motors (fPMa-SynRMs) can lead to catastrophic consequences if not detected in a timely manner, since they can quickly progress into more severe short-circuit faults, such as coil-to-coil, phase-to-ground or phase-to-phase faults. This paper analyzes the feasibility of detecting such harmful faults in their early stage, with only one short-circuited turn, since there is a lack of works related to this topic in multi-phase fPMa-SynRMs. Two methods are tested for this purpose, the analysis of the spectral content of the zero-sequence voltage component (ZSVC) and the analysis of the stator current spectra, also known as motor current signature analysis (MCSA), which is a well-known fault diagnosis method. This paper compares the performance and sensitivity of both methods under different operating conditions. It is proven that inter-turn faults can be detected in the early stage, with the ZSVC providing more sensitivity than the MCSA method. It is also proven that the working conditions have little effect on the sensitivity of both methods. To conclude, this paper proposes two inter-turn fault indicators and the threshold values to detect such faults in the early stage, which are calculated from the spectral information of the ZSVC and the line currents.

El proyecto REVen “Rehabilitación energética de viviendas sociales, aplicando productos innovadores de ventana con marcado CE” (BIA2014-56650-JIN), tiene como objetivo realizar un análisis integral del impacto de la ventana en los aspectos relativos a eficiencia energética y calidad ambiental. Para caracterizar los flujos de energía y las condiciones ambientales internas se ha construido el Laboratorio REVen. Este artículo describe la construcción y la monitorización de este laboratorio analizando los datos de su primer año de funcionamiento. Los resultados permiten afirmar que se logra una mejora significativa del confort térmico obteniendo un ahorro de energía anual del 25 %.

This deliverable includes the methodology in EnergyPROSPECTS for an in-depth study of energy citizenship. It features the criteria used for selecting the cases for indepth study, the list of cases selected for in-depth study as well as key research foci and empirical research questions.

The rapidly changing climate presents unprecedented challenges, especially in permafrost regions, where its thawing directly affects houses, mines, roads, pipelines, airport runways, and rail tracks. Monitoring the dynamics of ground ice in permafrost landscapes is essential for assessing geohazards and adapting infrastructure to changing conditions. This abstract presents a new initiative utilizing cosmic neutrons metrology for permafrost studies, specifically focusing on ground-ice content monitoring. Traditional methods for assessing ground-ice content in permafrost regions involve labor-intensive surveys and analysis of geomorphological features. However, these approaches are often limited in spatial coverage and may not capture the full extent of ground-ice distribution. In response to these challenges, we propose leveraging cosmic neutrons as a non-invasive and scalable method for assessing ground-ice content. Cosmic neutrons naturally penetrate the Earth's surface and interact with hydrogen atoms in the soil, including those bound in water molecules. By measuring the cosmic neutron albedo, which is the flux of epithermal neutrons that are partially thermalized in the ground, we can infer the presence and distribution of ground ice. This approach builds upon established techniques used for soil moisture monitoring, adapting them for permafrost studies. In that regard, we conducted Monte Carlo simulations of cosmic neutron transport and interaction with modeled ground to investigate the feasibility of using cosmic neutrons for ground-ice content monitoring. Our simulations considered various ground compositions and ice concentrations to assess the sensitivity of cosmic neutron measurements to ground-ice content. The results of our simulations provide promising proof-of-concept for the proposed method, demonstrating its potential for accurately estimating ground-ice content in permafrost landscapes. Additionally, we are developing at DOSEO (CEA – Saclay, France) thermal over fast neutron reference fields that could be used to test, characterize, and calibrate detectors specifically for the presented application. The proposed method offers several advantages. Firstly, it provides measurements on a metric scale (~10m wide on ~1m depth), effectively balancing local detail with regional coverage, thus making it well-suited for mapping geohazards on a kilometric scale. Additionally, cosmic neutrons albedo measurements is non-destructive and non-invasive and can be applied across diverse permafrost landscapes, offering valuable insights into ground-ice dynamics. Moreover, mapping ground-ice content is feasible through the flexible deployment of neutron detectors. These detectors can either be moved around the study area to gather spatially distributed measurements or installed as fixed monitoring stations, enabling continuous observation of ground-ice dynamics across different seasons and over time. Integration of data from cosmic neutrons albedo measurements into Geographic Information System (GIS) applications enhances the ability to map geohazards and predict future changes in permafrost landscape stability. By combining information on ground-ice content with elevation, drainage patterns, periglacial features, and infrastructure, a better understanding of the interactions between climate change and geohazards in permafrost regions is achievable.In conclusion, cosmic neutrons metrology offers a promising approach for monitoring ground-ice content in permafrost landscapes. By advancing our understanding of permafrost dynamics, this initiative contributes to the broader goals of cryosphere monitoring and sustainable development.

Considering recent environmental regulations, the need to adapt domestic biomass combustion systems to models that generate less emissions has gained relative importance. The present research proposes an analysis of the bed cooling effects on emission patterns, specifically focusing on the concentration, typology and morphological aspects of the released particles. The study was carried out by comparing the behaviour of a small-scale pilot plant with air stratification, with and without bed cooling. The results revealed an optimal behaviour of the facility with distributions of 30% primary-70% secondary air, accompanied by a significant decrease in emissions due to the reduction in the operating temperatures. More than 75% of the particles were retained in the bed on the cooled surfaces due to the effect of the prominent temperature gradient that was produced. Among the types of emitted particles (mostly with sizes below 0.1 μm), the presence of partial biomass degradation remnants was observed, representing three-quarters of the total collected matter. To a lesser extent, the presence of carbonaceous agglomerates was detected and usually in very compact clusters; however, in cases of high primary air supply, large amounts of immature soot were observed. Agencia Estatal de Investigación | Ref. RTI2018-100765-B-I00

Abstract In this paper, a general mathematical model for the dynamic simulation of a single-effect LiBr/water absorption chiller is presented. The model is based on mass and energy balances applied to the internal components of the machine, and it accounts for the non-steady behaviour due to thermal and mass storage in the components. The validation of the mathematical model is performed through experimental data collected on a commercial small-capacity water-cooled unit. Due to the peculiar technology adopted in the real chiller, a special effort was made to identify the appropriate values of the main physical parameters. The validation of the model is based on the values of the water temperature at the outlet of the machine, as no measurement inside the machine was possible; anyway, a consistency analysis applied to the internal parameters is also presented. The agreement between experimental and simulated results is very good, both on a daily and on a seasonal basis.