The sensation of dryness and irritation is essential in the sick building syndrome (SBS), and such symptoms are common in both office and hospital employees. In Scandinavia, the indoor relative humidity in well ventilated buildings is usually in the range 10-35% in winter. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of steam air humidification on SBS and perceived air quality during the he...

Humidification of inhaled gases has been standard of care in mechanical ventilation for a long period of time. More than a century ago, a variety of reports described important airway damage by applying dry gases during artificial ventilation. Consequently, respiratory care providers have been utilizing external humidifiers to compensate for the lack of natural humidification mechanisms when th...

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been shown to reduce both morbidity and mortality in this population when compared with endotracheal intubation. NIV may also be used in a host of other diseases including cardiogenic pulmonary edema, post-extubation hypoxemia, and chronic ventilatory failure associated with muscular weakn...

Non-invasive ventilation (NIV) for acute exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) has been shown to reduce both morbidity and mortality in this population when compared with endotracheal intubation. NIV may also be used in a host of other diseases including cardiogenic pulmonary edema, post-extubation hypoxemia, and chronic ventilatory failure associated with muscular weakn...

A 2715 ft2 (252 m2), two story, residential home of the style typical of the Gaithersburg, Maryland area was constructed in 2012 to demonstrate technologies for net-zero energy (NZE) homes (or ZEH). The NIST Net-Zero Energy Residential Test Facility (NZERTF) functions as a laboratory to support the development and adoption of cost-effective NZE designs, technologies, construction methods, and b...

The main objective of this study was to develop a thermoelectric heat pump and liquid desiccant system based on a dedicated outdoor air system (THPLD-DOAS). An internally-cooled and -heated liquid desiccant system was used and a thermoelectric heat pump (THP) served as the desiccant cooling and heating energy source for dehumidification and regeneration of the desiccant solution, respectively. ...

Secretion management in the mechanically ventilated patient includes routine methods for maintaining mucociliary function, as well as techniques for secretion removal. Humidification, mobilization of the patient, and airway suctioning are all routine procedures for managing secretions in the ventilated patient. Early ambulation of the post-surgical patient and routine turning of the ventilated ...

The typical setup for administering volatile anesthetics to laboratory rats does not provide for humidification of the inspired gases, although it is known that failing to provide humidification can lead to airway inflammation and impaired pulmonary function during prolonged experimental protocols. We developed a simple humidification system in which a nebulizer was inserted into the nonrebreat...

Aerosol water content (AWC) significantly affects secondary aerosol formation and atmospheric visibility. Most ambient AWC values are obtained from models because the direct measurement is challenging. In this study, sequential aerosol-water system (SAWMS) was applied to measure at Xiaogang (XG) air-quality monitoring site of Taiwan Environmental Protection Administration (TEPA), located in an ...