Response Surface Method to Calculate Energy Savings Associated with Thermal Comfort Improvement in Buildings

In developed countries, a large part of the building stock in 2050 will consist of currently existing buildings. Consequently, in order to achieve the objectives in terms of energy efficiency in the building sector we must consider not only new infrastructures but also the old ones. A reduction in energy consumption for climate control of between 50 and 90% can be achieved by rehabilitation and the implementation of different energy efficiency measures. Currently, these measures to reduce energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions can be modelled using computer tools. However, high precision and detail of thermal behaviour models through simulations can mean a great computational cost for companies, which results in a blockage of servers and workers. In this paper, the Response Surface Methodology (RSM) is presented as an innovative methodology for the simplification of models for calculation of the energy savings associated with thermal comfort improvement in buildings. A single-family house model, located in three different climates, is presented as a case study in order to validate the proposed methodology. Different scenarios were simulated, addressing heating and cooling temperature set points and external wall insulation represented by the transmittance (U-value). Results obtained from energy simulation using Design Builder were contrasted against those estimated from the simplified model extracted from the RSM analysis. The results revealed a deviation lower than 3% when comparing both methods. Therefore, the simplified mathematical prediction models are demonstrated to be suitable for the study of the energy performance of buildings, saving computational time, costs and associated human resources. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

System Virtualization Tools for Software Development

The configuration complexity of preproduction sites coupled with access-control mechanisms often impede the software development life cycle. Virtualization is a cost-effective way to remove such barriers and provide a test environment similar to the production site, reducing the burden in IT administrators. An Eclipse-based virtualization tool framework can offer developers a personal runtime environment for launching and testing their applications. The authors have followed a model-driven architecture (MDA) approach that integrates best-of-breed virtualization technologies, such as Xen and VDE.ITECBAN is an IT innovation project partially funded by CENIT (a Spanish public R&D program). We're grateful to MITYC (Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio) and CDTI (Centro para el Desarrollo Tecnológico e Industrial) for supporting ITECBAN through CENIT

Minimum forward light scattering by silicon nanopillars

[Proceeding of]: META'16: The 7th International Conference on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics: July 25-28, 2016, Málaga, Spain.In this paper, we demonstrate that for silicon nanopillars an optimum aspect ratio can be found, at which the overlapped electric and magnetic dipole resonances provide an optimized minimum forward scattering. This optimum shape depends on the aspect ratio, wavelength and refractive index of the surrounding medium. We work in the frame of numerical simulations based on Maxwell equations solved by finite element method. These results are promising for design and create novel flat optical devices.This work has been supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (grant no. TEC2013-50138-EXP & TEC2013-47342-C2-2-R) and the R&D Program SINFOTON S2013/MIT-2790 of the Comunidad de Madrid.Publicad

Control of the Light Interaction in a Semiconductor Nanoparticle Dimer Through Scattering Directionality

Dimers of nanoparticles are very interesting for several devices due to the possibility of obtaining intense light concentrations in the gap between them. A dynamic control of this interaction to obtain either the maximum or minimum light through interferential effects could be also relevant for a multitude of devices such as chemical sensors or all-optical devices for interchip/intrachip communications. Semiconductor nanoparticles satisfying Kerker conditions present an anisotropic scattering distribution with a minimum in either the forward or the backward direction and prominent scattering in the contrary direction. The reduction or enhancement of the electromagnetic field in a certain direction can minimize or maximize the interaction with neighboring nanoparticles. In this paper, we consider a dimer of nanoparticles such that each component satisfies each one of the Kerker conditions. Depending on the arrangement of the nanoparticles with respect to the impinging light direction, we can produce a minimum or a maximum of the electric field between them, reducing or maximizing the interferential effects. The strong dependence of the directional conditions with external conditions, such as the incident wavelength, can be used to dynamically control the light concentration in the gap.This work was supported in part by the Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain under Grant TEC2013-50138-EXP and Grant TEC2013-47342-C2-2-R, by the RD Program of the Comunidad de Madrid under Grant SINFOTON S2013/MIT-2790, and by COST Action IC120

Towards the polarization control of the directional scattering of semiconductor nanodisks

[Proceeding of]: META'16: The 7th International Conference on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics: July 25-28, 2016, Málaga, Spain.In this work we analyze the sensitivity of the directional scattering conditions in semiconductor nanodisks with the polarization of the incident light. The possibility to reach or not this directional scattering as a function of the polarization of the incident beam could be very interesting for the design of new all-optical devices for optical communications and computing.This work has been supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (grant no. TEC2013-50138-EXP) and the R&D Program SINFOTON S2013/MIT-2790 of the Comunidad de Madrid.Publicad

Cold-water corals and deep-sea sponges by-catch mitigation: Dealing with groundfish survey data in the management of the northwest Atlantic Ocean high seas fisheries

The integration of survey data in the processes of the Regional Fisheries Management Organisations is a key step for conservation of deep-sea ecosystems and sustainable exploitation of deep-sea fisheries resources, including the mitigation of by-catch and discards of cold-water corals and deep-sea sponges, both considered by FAO as vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs) indicator species. Information on corals and sponges from annual bottom trawl groundfish surveys in areas beyond national jurisdictions has been integrated into the “ecosystem management cycle” of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO). Survey data have improved our knowledge on VMEs identification, distribution and extent, and has led to the proposal and implementation of conservation and management measures. These data have particular relevance to delineate and refine the boundaries of areas closed to commercial bottom fishing (14 closures), in order to prevent significant adverse impacts on VMEs, according to the mandate of United Nations General Assembly Resolution 61/105. Considering the European groundfish surveys in the NAFO Regulatory Area (high seas) as a case study, the paper presents an overview of how invertebrate catch data have been integrated into the fisheries management process as a basis to the implementation of VMEs closed areas. Fishing closures are considered effective spatial management measures to avoid by-catch and discards of cold-water corals and deep-sea sponges in commercial bottom fishing, mitigating the adverse impacts on deep-sea ecosystemsVersión del editor1,86

A theoretical exercise of Marine Spatial Planning in the Flemish Cap and Flemish Pass (NAFO Divs. 3LM): implications for fisheries management in the high seas

A theoretical exercise of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) is currently being conducted within the Regulatory Area of the Northwest Atlantic Fisheries Organization (NAFO), using the MESMA framework to assess whether the existing science base is sufficient to support a potential spatially managed area. The case study is located in the high seas within the Flemish Cap – Flemish Pass area. It includes cold-water coral and deep-sea sponge vulnerable marine ecosystems (VMEs), bottom fishing closed areas, and different blue economy activities, such as high seas fisheries and offshore oil and gas. The paper summarizes the context setting for MSP, in a theoretical scenario to accommodate an emergent offshore hydrocarbon exploration and exploitation, minimizing impacts on VMEs and existing high seas fisheries. Biophysical and socio-economic components of the ecosystem are mapped, including the spatial overlapping between new and traditional uses of the marine space, focused on potential conflicts user-user (e.g. hydrocarbon industry and deep-sea fisheries) or userenvironment (e.g. hydrocarbon industry and VMEs) and considering transboundary conflicts (e.g. recent oil spills). Current and potential management measures are described. This is followed by a discussion on the role and challenges of MSP in Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction, as lessons learned from the present exercise. Finally, the future work is briefly outlined

Temperature dependence of the magnetic properties in LaMnO_(3+δ)

Data are presented on the thermal dependence of the hysteretic properties of cationic vacancies including manganite samples of composition LaMnO_(3+δ)(δ=0.05 and 0.12). Our results evidence the presence in both samples of two magnetic phases having ferro- and antiferromagnetic orders, respectively. The temperature dependence of the coercivity and relaxational properties of the samples is closely linked to the connectivity of the magnetic moment bearing Mn^(3+)-Mn^(4+) ferromagnetic clusters that demagnetize independently in the case of the δ=0.05 sample and collectively in that of the δ=0.12 one, as evidenced from the activation volume results (delta=0.05) which yielded a size of the same order magnitude as that obtained in previous works for the Mn^(3+)-Mn^(4+) ferromagnetic cluster size

Studying light concentration in a dimer of semiconductor nanoparticles for all-optical devices

[Proceeding of]: META'16: The 7th International Conference on Metamaterials, Photonic Crystals and Plasmonics: July 25-28, 2016, Málaga, Spain.Scattering by subwavelength dielectric nanospheres can have interesting directionaleffects in the case of accomplishing Kerker's conditions. We have taken advantage of theseconditions to design a dimer of semiconductor nanoparticles where an important contrast can beachieved in their gap, due to the directionality and the interferential interaction of the scatteredfields.This work has been supported by Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad of Spain (grant no. TEC2013-50138-EXP) and the R&D Program SINFOTON S2013/MIT-2790 of the Comunidad de Madrid.Publicad