The text describes the main features of currently available heat pumps, focusing on system operation and interactions with external heat sources. In fact, before choosing a heat pump, several aspects must be assessed in detail: the actual climate of the installation site, the building's energy requirements, the heating system, the type of operation etc. After discussing the general working principles, the book describes the main components of compression machines - for EHPs, GHPs and CO2 heat pumps. It then addresses absorption heat pumps and provides additional details on the behavior of two-fluid mixtures. The book presents a performance comparison for the different types, helping designers choose the right one for their needs, and discusses the main refrigerants. Notes on helpful additional literature, websites and videos, also concerning relevant European regulations, round out the coverage. This book will be of interest to all engineers and technicians whose work involves heat pumps. It will also benefit students in energy engineering degree programs who want to deepen their understanding of heat pumps.

This book represents a journey through the history of science in regards to the concept of time, specifically, the question as to whether it is absolute, relative, or irreversible. The best-known contribution, or at least the most popular one, came from Einstein. He took the illusion that time was universal, a concept dating back, essentially, to Galileo and Newton, and shattered it, both within and without the scientific community. Thermodynamics teaches us that time has a preferential direction, i.e., forward, and is irreversible, as shown by Prigogine and his theories on dissipative structures and complex systems. Time is not only an "external spectator" to what happens, but assiduously takes part in making it happen. The concept of thermodynamics shows us how time is linked with environmental issues, as creator and destroyer. The author explores the relationships of cause and effect and how it can help in measuring the various eras of the planet, as well as understanding the beings that inhabit it. This book will be a valuable read for students, researchers, and interested laypersons alike.

This book elucidates on the examination technique, the sonographic changes in musculoskeletal rheumatic involvement and the ultrasound assessment of joint rheumatic diseases. The atlas is enriched with several figures, in which the US picture is compared with that of conventional radiography, CT and MRI. It provides a unique collection of black and white and color images for easy and reliable diagnosis. The book is a practice-oriented tool.

L'ecografia e utile nella valutazione di patologie articolari in pazienti con malattia reumatica e, oltre che nella diagnosi, e efficace nel monitoraggio con power Doppler della sinovite, con una sensibilita superiore rispetto all'esame clinico. L'ecografia ad alta risoluzione, integrata con la tecnica power Doppler, e anche in grado di individuare le anomalie entesopatiche, l'erosione ossea e il coinvolgimento del tendine. L'obiettivo dell'opera e di presentare la tecnica d'esame, i progressi ecografici nella patologia reumatica muscoloscheletrica e il ruolo diagnostico della ecografia nella patologia reumatica articolare. L'iconografia e arricchita con immagini integrate di ecografia, radiologia convenzionale, TC e RM.