Comfort driven adaptive window opening behaviour and the influence of building design

It is important to understand and model the behaviour of occupants in buildings and how this behaviour impacts energy use and comfort. It is similarly important to understand how a buildings design affects occupant comfort, occupant behaviour and ultimately the energy used in the operation of the building. In this work a behavioural algorithm for window opening developed from field survey data has been implemented in a dynamic simulation tool. The algorithm is in alignment with the proposed CEN standard for adaptive thermal comfort. The algorithm is first compared to the field study data then used to illustrate the impact of adaptive behaviour on summer indoor temperatures and heating energy. The simulation model is also used to illustrate the sensitivity of the occupant adaptive behaviour to building design parameters such as solar shading and thermal mass and the resulting impact on energy use and comfort. The results are compared to those from other approaches to model window opening behaviour. The adaptive algorithm is shown to provide insights not available using non adaptive simulation methods and can assist in achieving more comfortable and lower energy buildings

High energy behaviour of form factors

We solve renormalization group equations that govern infrared divergences of massless and massive form factors. By comparing to recent results for planar massive three-loop and massless four-loop form factors in QCD, we give predictions for the high-energy limit of massive form factors at the four- and for the massless form factor at five-loop order. Furthermore, we discuss the relation which connects infrared divergences regularized dimensionally and via a small quark mass and extend results present in the literature to higher order.Comment: 21 page

Low energy behaviour of standard model extensions

The integration of heavy scalar fields is discussed in a class of BSM models, containing more that one representation for scalars and with mixing. The interplay between integrating out heavy scalars and the Standard Model decoupling limit is examined. In general, the latter cannot be obtained in terms of only one large scale and can only be achieved by imposing further assumptions on the couplings. Systematic low-energy expansions are derived in the more general, non-decoupling scenario, including mixed tree-loop and mixed heavy-light generated operators. The number of local operators is larger than the one usually reported in the literature.Comment: 32 pages, 8 figure

Probing the High Density Behaviour of Nuclear Symmetry Energy with High Energy Heavy-Ion Collisions

High energy heavy-ion collisions are proposed as a novel means to constrain stringently the high density (HD) behaviour of nuclear symmetry energy. Within an isospin-dependent hadronic transport model, it is shown for the first time that the isospin asymmetry of the HD nuclear matter formed in high energy heavy-ion collisions is uniquely determined by the HD behaviour of nuclear symmetry energy. Experimental signatures in two sensitive probes, i.e., $\pi^-$ to $\pi^+$ ratio and neutron-proton differential collective flow, are also investigated.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figure

Short period attractors and non-ergodic behavior in the deterministic fixed energy sandpile model

We study the asymptotic behaviour of the Bak, Tang, Wiesenfeld sandpile automata as a closed system with fixed energy. We explore the full range of energies characterizing the active phase. The model exhibits strong non-ergodic features by settling into limit-cycles whose period depends on the energy and initial conditions. The asymptotic activity $\rho_a$ (topplings density) shows, as a function of energy density $\zeta$, a devil's staircase behaviour defining a symmetric energy interval-set over which also the period lengths remain constant. The properties of $\zeta$-$\rho_a$ phase diagram can be traced back to the basic symmetries underlying the model's dynamics.Comment: EPL-style, 7 pages, 3 eps figures, revised versio

How does consumer behaviour change? Examples from energy conservation

A global consumer society is rapidly overshooting ecological limits, there is a dire need to find new ways to change consumer behaviour. Yet history knows few succesful examples of reducing consumption. However, since the 1970s, there is a long legacy of work on energy conservation, which we use to identify three key factors that influence consumer behaviour: consumer awareness, contextual factors and community. Drawing on evidence from a European research project called CHANGING BEHAVIOUR, we discuss where previous efforts to change energy behaviour have succeeded in making a difference. We highlight ways in which sociotechnical systems shaping consumption can be changed and emerging ways in which consumers can join forces to achieve greater power and reach. This analysis has implications for attempts to build a more sustainable consumer society, including, but not limited to, the need to reduce primary energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions

Energy study of a non-residential and historic building in transient conditions

The purpose of this manuscript is to analyse the interventions of energy retrofit of a non-residential and historic building, through dynamic simulation by the use of the TRNsys code. The study is made up of some steps: - the analysis of the building and utility data, including study of the installed equipment and analysis of energy bills; - the survey of the real operating conditions; - the selection and the evaluation of energy conservation measures; - the identification of interventions of energy retrofit; - TRNsys simulation of the effects of these interventions on the energy behaviour of the building. The present paper aims to present the results of the study, to discuss the expected energy behaviour of the building and to comment on the options for introducing energy conservation technique