Evaluation of building envelope retrofit techniques for reducing energy needs for space cooling.

One of the fastest growing sources of new energy demand is space cooling. According to EU-studies a four-fold growth in air-conditioned space is likely to take place between 1990 and 2020. The energy savings achievable in the end-use space cooling depend on a number of variables related to the building envelope, the plants and to some extent the behaviour of occupants. They are hence complex to evaluate and consequently often underrepresented in energy efficiency programmes and National Plans. This paper is based on some preliminary results of the IEE project KeepCool 2. It discusses in particular: a methodology for bottom-up assessment of the energy savings related to "sustainable summer comfort" solutions; reference base case building typologies are analyzed in 5 European climates, and dynamic simulations are used to calculate the reductions in the energy need for cooling which can be achieved by specific retrofit actions (e.g. additions of effective solar protections, increased thermal insulation, night ventilation, increase of active mass by PCM, low solar absorbance surfaces,...); situations where mechanical cooling can be avoided are evaluated using the Adaptive Comfort model, according to the norm EN 15251. case studies of buildings with good summer comfort and low energy consumption performances, according to the ten steps of the KC2 procedure. the analysis of case studies of "comfort policies" adopted by public and private bodies to ensure summer comfort with low energy consumption (commitments to give priority to heat load reductions instead of introducing mechanical cooling, relaxed dress codes, low thermal insulation chairs, local air velocity increase)

Operability and Results of Retro and On-Going Commission Tools Applied to an Existing Building

Several tools in the scope of Annex 40 (PECI Model Commissioning Plan and Guide specification, Emma-CTA, IPMVP) have been used to realise the retro and the on-going commissioning of an existing building. The aim of the work was to evaluate operability, consumed time, results of these tools used by HVAC operation technicians. Analysis of making use of the different tools in a common framework is proposed, giving feedback information to creative authors

Supramolecular Assemblies in Silver Complexes: Phase Transitions and the Role of the Halogen Bond

Weak interactions (hydrogen bonds, halogen bonds, CH···πand Ï€-πstacking) can play a significant role in the formation of supramolecular assemblies with desired structural features. In this contribution, we report a systematic investigation on how a halogen bond (XB) can modulate the structural arrangement of silver supramolecular complexes. The complexes are composed of X-phenyl(bispyrazolyl)methane (X = Br, I) and I-alkynophenyl(bispyrazolyl)methane ligands functionalized in meta (L3Br, L3I) and para (L4Br, L4I, L4CCI) positions on a phenyl ring with the purpose of providing different directionalities of the X function with respect to the N,N coordination system. The obtained [Ag(L)2]+ moieties show remarkable geometric similarities, and the L4Br, L4I, and L4CCI ligands exhibit the most conserved types of supramolecular arrangement that are sustained by XB. The increased σ-hole in L4CCI with respect to L4I leads to an occurrence of short (and strong) XB interactions with the anions. [Ag(L4I)2]PF6 and [Ag(L4I)2]CF3SO3 are characterized by the presence of three different phases, and the single-crystal evolution from phase-1 (a honeycomb structure with large 1D cavities) to phase-3 (solventless) occurs by a stepwise decrease in the crystallization solvent content, which promotes an increase in XB interactions in the lattice. The present paper aims to provide useful tools for the selection of appropriate components for the use of coordination compounds to build supramolecular systems based on the halogen bond

Phosphine Oxide Porous Organic Polymers Incorporating Cobalt(II) Ions: Synthesis, Characterization, and Investigation of H2Production

Suitably functionalized porous matrices represent versatile platforms to support well-dispersed catalytic centers. In the present study, porous organic polymers (POPs) containing phosphine oxide groups were fabricated to bind transition metals and to be investigated for potential electrocatalytic applications. Cross-linking of mono- and di-phosphine monomers with multiple phenyl substituents was subject to the Friedel-Crafts (F-C) reaction and the oxidation process, which generated phosphine oxide porous polymers with pore capacity up to 0.92 cm3/g and a surface area of about 990 m2/g. The formation of the R3P·BH3 borohydride adduct during synthesis allows to extend the library of phosphine-based monomeric entities when using FeCl3. The porous polymers were loaded with 0.8-4.2 w/w % of cobalt(II) and behaved as hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) catalysts with a Faradaic efficiency of up to 95% (5.81 × 10-5 mol H2 per 11.76 C) and a stable current density during repeated controlled potential experiments (CPE), even though with high overpotentials (0.53-0.68 V to reach a current density of 1 mA·cm-2). These studies open the way to the effectiveness of tailored phosphine oxide POPs produced through an inexpensive and ecofriendly iron-based catalyst and for the insertion of transition metals in a porous architecture, enabling electrochemically driven activation of small molecules

Insight into the Properties of Heteroleptic Metal Dithiolenes: Multistimuli Responsive Luminescence, Chromism, and Nonlinear Optics

A comprehensive investigation of the functional properties of heteroleptic donor-M-acceptor dithiolene complexes Bu4N[MII(L1)(L2)] is presented (M = Pd, Pt). The acceptor L1 consists of the chiral (R)-(+)α-methylbenzyldithiooxamidate ((R)-α-MBAdto), the donor L2 is 2-thioxo-1,3-dithiole-4,5-dithiolato (dmit) in 1 (Pd) and 2 (Pt), 1,2-dicarbomethoxyethylenedithiolate (ddmet) in 3 (Pd) and 4 (Pt), or [4′,5′:5,6][1,4]dithiino[2,3-b]quinoxaline-1′,3′-dithiolato (quinoxdt) in 5 (Pd) and 6 (Pt). L1 is capable of undergoing proton exchange and promoting crystal formation in noncentrosymmetric space groups. L2 has different molecular structures while it maintains similar electron-donating capabilities. Thanks to the synergy of the ligands, 1-6 behave as H+ and Ag+ switchable linear chromophores. Moreover, the compounds exhibit a H+-switchable second-order NLO response in solution, which is maintained in the bulk for 1, 3, and 4 when they are embedded into a PMMA poled matrix. 5 and 6 show unique anti-Kasha H+ and Ag+ tunable colored emission originating from the quinoxdt ligand. A correlation between the electronic structure and properties is shown through density functional theory (DFT) and time-dependent DFT calculations

Au(III)-Proline derivatives exhibiting selective antiproliferative activity against HepG2/SB3 apoptosis-resistant cancer cells

This paper deals with the combination of a proline-based moiety with biologically active gold centers in the oxidation states +1 and +3. In particular, six Au(i)/(iii)-proline dithiocarbamato (DTC) complexes with general formulae [AuI2(DTC)(2)] and [(AuX2)-X-III(DTC)] (X = Cl, Br) are reported here. After the synthesis of the ligand and the complexes, all derivatives were characterized via several techniques and tested for their stability in DMSO/water media. This study was focused on the demonstration of a peculiar behavior of Au(iii)-DTC species in solution. Finally, the complexes were screened for their antiproliferative activity against 2 human cancer cell lines, namely HepG2 and HepG2/SB3, taken as models of hepatocellular carcinoma. The latter, chosen for its aggressiveness due to the upregulation of the anti-apoptotic protein SerpinB3, was selectively inhibited in terms of growth by some Au(iii)-DTC complexes

Effects of ranolazine on astrocytes and neurons in primary culture

Ranolazine (Rn) is an antianginal agent used for the treatment of chronic angina pectoris when angina is not adequately controlled by other drugs. Rn also acts in the central nervous system and it has been proposed for the treatment of pain and epileptic disorders. Under the hypothesis that ranolazine could act as a neuroprotective drug, we studied its effects on astrocytes and neurons in primary culture. We incubated rat astrocytes and neurons in primary cultures for 24 hours with Rn (10−7, 10−6 and 10−5 M). Cell viability and proliferation were measured using trypan blue exclusion assay, MTT conversion assay and LDH release assay. Apoptosis was determined by Caspase 3 activity assay. The effects of Rn on proinflammatory mediators IL-β and TNF-α was determined by ELISA technique, and protein expression levels of Smac/Diablo, PPAR-γ, Mn-SOD and Cu/Zn-SOD by western blot technique. In cultured astrocytes, Rn significantly increased cell viability and proliferation at any concentration tested, and decreased LDH leakage, Smac/Diablo expression and Caspase 3 activity indicating less cell death. Rn also increased anti-inflammatory PPAR-γ protein expression and reduced pro-inflammatory proteins IL-1 β and TNFα levels. Furthermore, antioxidant proteins Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD significantly increased after Rn addition in cultured astrocytes. Conversely, Rn did not exert any effect on cultured neurons. In conclusion, Rn could act as a neuroprotective drug in the central nervous system by promoting astrocyte viability, preventing necrosis and apoptosis, inhibiting inflammatory phenomena and inducing anti-inflammatory and antioxidant agents