Common-mode rejection in Martin-Puplett spectrometers for astronomical observations at mm-wavelengths

The Martin-Puplett interferometer (MPI) is a differential Fourier transform spectrometer (FTS), measuring the difference between spectral brightness at two input ports. This unique feature makes the MPI an optimal zero instrument, able to detect small brightness gradients embeddend in a large common background. In this paper we investigate experimentally the common-mode rejection achievable in the MPI at mm wavelengths, and discuss the use of the instrument to measure the spectrum of cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy

Optimisation of electrochemical sensors based on molecularly imprinted polymers: from OFAT to machine learning

: Molecularly imprinted polymers (MIPs) rely on synthetic engineered materials able to selectively bind and intimately recognise a target molecule through its size and functionalities. The way in which MIPs interact with their targets, and the magnitude of this interaction, is closely linked to the chemical properties derived during the polymerisation stages, which tailor them to their specific target. Hence, MIPs are in-deep studied in terms of their sensitivity and cross-reactivity, further being used for monitoring purposes of analytes in complex analytical samples. As MIPs are involved in sensor development within different approaches, a systematic optimisation and rational data-driven sensing is fundamental to obtaining a best-performant MIP sensor. In addition, the closer integration of MIPs in sensor development requires that the inner properties of the materials in terms of sensitivity and selectivity are maintained in the presence of competitive molecules, which focus is currently opened. Identifying computational models capable of predicting and reporting the best-performant configuration of electrochemical sensors based on MIPs is of immense importance. The application of chemometrics using design of experiments (DoE) is nowadays increasingly adopted during optimisation problems, which largely reduce the number of experimental trials. These approaches, together with the emergent machine learning (ML) tool in sensor data processing, represent the future trend in design and management of point-of-care configurations based on MIP sensing. This review provides an overview on the recent application of chemometrics tools in optimisation problems during development and analytical assessment of electrochemical sensors based on MIP receptors. A comprehensive discussion is first presented to cover the recent advancements on response surface methodologies (RSM) in optimisation studies of MIPs design. Therefore, the recent advent of machine learning in sensor data processing will be focused on MIPs development and analytical detection in sensors

"Media in China": la storia e i modelli di produzione e diffusione dell’animazione in Cina

During the last decade China has experienced a moment of great commercial expansion into international markets. In this context of constant growth there are also the creative industries and in particular the animation sector that has significantly evolved over the years. The Chinese animation industry is able to produce contents for both the domestic and abroad market for job orders coming from Japanese, American and European big companies. Today China has become the first producer of animation in the world because it considers this industry as one of its most important productive sectors and thus it has promoted policy actions supporting both training schools for employees of the sector and the world production and distribution. According to many scholars, the government implements these policies to secure not only economic but also cultural benefits. In fact it encourages the ideological education of young people in order to strengthen their national identity (Qing 2006, Tan 2006, Lu Bin 2013). This research starts from the beginning of the Chinese animation industry until the current situation which marks its major presence in foreign markets. The aim of this work is to identify the main variables and the contradictions that characterize the current state of the Chinese animation as well as the problems related to the domestic and international market and the relationship between domestic and imported products.Durante l'ultimo decennio la Cina ha vissuto un momento di grande espansione commerciale nei mercati internazionali. In questo contesto di costante crescita si inseriscono anche le industrie creative e in particolare il settore dell’animazione che ha subito una profonda evoluzione col passare degli anni. Il settore dell’animazione cinese riesce a produrre dei contenuti destinati sia al mercato interno sia estero su commessa dei grandi produttori giapponesi, americani ed europei. Oggi la Cina è diventata il primo produttore al mondo di animazione perché considera questo tipo di industria come uno dei suoi più importanti settori produttivi e perciò ha promosso delle azioni politiche volte a sostenere le scuole di formazione per gli addetti al settore e il mondo della produzione e distribuzione. Secondo molti studiosi il governo attua queste politiche per garantirsi non solo profitti economici ma anche culturali. Di fatto incentiva la formazione ideologica dei giovani al fine di rafforzare la propria identità nazionale (Qing 2006, Tan 2006, Lu Bin 2013). Il presente lavoro di ricerca parte dalle origini dell’industria dell’animazione cinese per arrivare alla situazione attuale che vede la sua importante presenza nei mercati esteri. L’obiettivo della tesi è quello di individuare le variabili principali e le contraddizioni che caratterizzano la situazione attuale dell’animazione cinese nonché i problemi relativi al mercato interno e internazionale e al rapporto tra i prodotti nazionali e prodotti di importazione

energy refurbishment of a university building in cold italian backcountry part 1 audit and calibration of the numerical model

Abstract The study provides a methodological approach for designing energy refurbishment measures of buildings, enabling to understand the uncertainty of using numerical modelling and the real impacts due of adopting some energy efficiency technologies. The case study is a University building of the centre of Italy, and the reference scenario has been supported by various in-situ surveys, investigations and evaluations of the indoor comfort. Collected data, together with a comparison with energy bills, has allowed a proper calibration of a numerical model simulated by means EnergyPlus. All this phase is described in this paper, while a second part will discuss the energy retrofit and the building energy optimization

nzeb target for existing buildings case study of historical educational building in mediterranean climate

Abstract A key element of the Energy Performance of Building Directive 2010/31/EU is the introduction of nearly zero energy building (NZEB) standard for new constructions. However, considering the very low rate of new built volume, the major change for achieve the sustainable grow of the European economy, appears to be the renovation of existing building stock. But, is it possible to reach very low or nearly zero energy standard during refurbishment design? Proposed paper tries to answer this question, evaluating if the refurbishment of historic architectures to very low energy need is possible and economically feasible. With reference to a case study, this paper investigates the cost-optimal energy refurbishment of a Renaissance-style palace, located in the center of Naples, South Italy. The adopted methodology consists of various steps. Firstly, a model of the building has been accurately built and calibrated. Then, it has been used to evaluate possible interventions concerning both the envelope and the energy systems. The best solutions, chosen according to the European methodology of cost-optimality, have been combined in a last simulation. The results show that great energy savings as well as economic and environmental improvements are possible, although heritage buildings present a less flexibility in the proposal of energy efficiency measures

energy refurbishment of a university building in cold italian backcountry part 2 sensitivity studies and optimization

Abstract The first part of this study provided a discussion about the methodological approach for designing energy refurbishment measures of buildings. The case study is a building owned by University of Molise, in Campobasso, a cold Italian city. The reference scenario is a numerical model built after deep investigations, and thus surveys, questionnaires, documents and experimental measurements on the real building. Then, a calibrated energy model was presented. In this second part, starting from the calibrated model, some energy retrofit measures have been implemented. The obtained results allow to discuss two key points for researches in matter of energy refurbishment of buildings: a) the importance of using validated models to simulate the present performance; b) the environmental benefits and the economic implications of a deep energy refurbishment

Energy Performance of Cool-colors and Roofing Coatings in Reducing the Free Solar Gains during the Heating Season: Results of an In-Field Investigation☆

Abstract Today, it is not well-known the impact of cool roofs during heating season in balanced climates. Proposed study tries to quantify the increase of energy demands of buildings characterized by high-reflective and high-emissive coatings of roof, by means of experiments and numerical simulations. Three coatings are investigated with different solar absorptance and thermal emittance. The experiments have been carried out at the living lab of the University of Sannio, a full-scale test-room, provided with a large flexibility in terms of variability of the thermal envelope and air-conditioning system. Moreover, numerical evaluations of heating and annual energy consumptions are presented

Recovery of bioactive compounds from walnut ( Juglans regia L.) green husk by supercritical carbon dioxide extraction

In this work, the use of supercritical carbon dioxide, a nontoxic solvent, was proposed to extract bioactive compounds from Juglans regia L. green husk and was compared to other traditional techniques based on solvents such as ethanol, methanol and water. Supercritical CO2 was combined with ethanol as an organic modifier at a rate of 20% of the total flow to achieve greater extraction of polar compounds. The extracts were characterised in terms of extraction yields, antioxidant activity, total polyphenol content, phenolic acids, juglone, volatile organic compounds and antifungal activity. The results showed that the extracts obtained with supercritical CO2 were rich in polyphenols (10750 mg GAE/100 g) and juglone (1192 mg/100 g) and exerted high antioxidant activity and antifungal activity compared with the tested fungi. Walnut green husk is not just a food industry waste but also an important economic source of bioactive compounds that could be used for food active packaging