A review of unconventional sustainable building insulation materials

AbstractBuilding insulation is commonly realized using materials obtained from petrochemicals (mainly polystyrene) or from natural sources processed with high energy consumptions (glass and rock wools). These materials cause significant detrimental effects on the environment mainly due to the production stage, i.e. use of non-renewable materials and fossil energy consumption, and to the disposal stage, i.e. problems in reusing or recycling the products at the end of their lives. The introduction of the concept of "sustainability" in building design process encouraged researches aimed at developing thermal and acoustic insulating materials using natural or recycled materials. Some of them, such as kenaf or wood fiber, are already commercialized but their diffusion could be further improved since their performance is similar to the synthetic ones. Others are currently under study and their development is only at an early stage. The goal of the paper is to report a state of the art of building insulation products made of natural or recycled materials that are not or scarcely commercialized. Comparative analyses were carried out considering in particular thermal characteristics in terms of thermal conductivity, specific heat and density. Data on the acoustic performance of the materials were also reported. Life Cycle Assessment data were finally collected, in order to put in evidence the environmental advantages of these materials. Particular attention was paid to researches focused to exploit local materials and even industrial byproducts, since these approaches respectively limit transportation and disposal impacts

Evaluating in situ thermal transmittance of green buildings masonries—A case study

Abstract The determination of the thermal properties of a building envelope is fundamental for the correct design of energy efficient constructions. Opaque walls can be easily modeled as parallel and homogeneous layers, being characterized by a monodimensional thermal flux which allows to evaluate the thermal transmittance with analytical models. These procedures are well established and they lead to reliable results; however, it is important to verify the actual performance with in situ thermal transmittance measurements. This analysis is more important when the wall performance is high, being closely linked to economic assessments. The paper presents the results of a measurement campaign of in situ thermal transmittance, performed in some buildings in the Umbria Region (Italy), designed implementing bio-architecture solutions. The analyzed walls were previously monitored with thermographic surveys in order to assess the correct application of the sensors. Results of the investigation show that in situ thermal transmittance measurements and theoretical calculated U -value are not in perfect agreement. The mismatch becomes important for monolithic structures such as walls made of thermal blocks without insulating layers

Effective electrothermal analysis of electronic devices and systems with parameterized macromodeling

We propose a parameterized macromodeling methodology to effectively and accurately carry out dynamic electrothermal (ET) simulations of electronic components and systems, while taking into account the influence of key design parameters on the system behavior. In order to improve the accuracy and to reduce the number of computationally expensive thermal simulations needed for the macromodel generation, a decomposition of the frequency-domain data samples of the thermal impedance matrix is proposed. The approach is applied to study the impact of layout variations on the dynamic ET behavior of a state-of-the-art 8-finger AlGaN/GaN high-electron mobility transistor grown on a SiC substrate. The simulation results confirm the high accuracy and computational gain obtained using parameterized macromodels instead of a standard method based on iterative complete numerical analysis

Acoustic mitigation of noise in ports: an original methodology for the identification of intervention priorities

Abstract The paper presents an original methodology for the identification of intervention priorities through a tailored priority index IP in areas that are highly-exposed to port noise. The methodology is applied to a case study developed in the framework of the European project ANCHOR, acronym of Advanced Noise Control strategies in HarbOuR, funded as part of the announcement Life 2017. In detail, the paper discusses the results of its application in the assessment of the evolution of port noise impacts in the city of Melilla, Spain. The methodology has been applied considering the port with or without the realization of an expansion project on three different time periods; differences between standard and the summer traffic peak season have been considered. Finally, the paper evaluates the realization of cold ironing in the most impacting port area, the passenger (Ro-Pax) terminal. The results of the analyses demonstrate how the measure is a key action to mitigate noise in port areas. The methodology is not limited to the identification of city areas that needs to be protected; it also aims to identify port areas where anti-noise actions would produce the greatest effect. The index also allows to build a ranking to understand where anti-noise actions are more useful and urgent

The impact of methanotrophic activity on methane emissions through the soils of geothermal areas

Methane plays an important role in the Earth’s atmospheric chemistry and radiative balance being the most important greenhouse gas after carbon dioxide. It has recently been established that geogenic gases contribute significantly to the natural CH4 flux to the atmosphere (Etiope et al., 2008). Volcanic/geothermal areas contribute to this flux, being the site of widespread diffuse degassing of endogenous gases (Chiodini et al., 2005). In such an environment soils are a source rather than a sink for atmospheric CH4 (Cardellini et al., 2003; Castaldi and Tedesco, 2005; D’Alessandro et al., 2009; 2011; 2013). Due to the fact that methane soil flux measurements are laboratory intensive, very few data have been collected until now in these areas. Preliminary studies (Etiope et al., 2007) estimated a total CH4 emission from European geothermal and volcanic systems in the range 4-16 kt a-1. This estimate was obtained indirectly from CO2 or H2O output data and from CO2/CH4 or H2O/CH4 values measured in the main gaseous manifestations. Such methods, although acceptable to obtain order-of-magnitude estimates, completely disregard possible methanotrophic activity within the soil. At the global scale, microbial oxidation in soils contributes for about 3-9% to the total removal of methane from the atmosphere. But the importance of methanotrophic organisms is even larger because they oxidise the greatest part of the methane produced in the soil and in the subsoil before its emission to the atmosphere. Environmental conditions in the soils of volcanic/geothermal areas (i.e. low oxygen content, high temperature and proton activity, etc.) have been considered inadequate for methanotrophic microrganisms. But recently, it has been demonstrated that methanotrophic consumption in soils occurs also under such harsh conditions due to the presence of acidophilic and thermophilic Verrucomicrobia. These organisms were found in Italy at the Solfatara di Pozzuoli (Pol et al., 2007), in New Zealand at Hell’s Gate (Dunfield et al., 2007) and in Kamchatka, Russia (Islam et al., 2008). Both the Italian and the Hellenic territories are geodynamically very active with many active volcanic and geothermal areas. Here we report on methane flux measurements made at Pantelleria (Italy) and at Sousaki and Nisyros (Greece). The total methane output of these three systems is about 10, 19 and 1 t a-1, respectively (D’Alessandro et al., 2009; 2011; 2013). The total emissions obtained from methane flux measurements are up to one order of magnitude lower than those obtained through indirect estimations. Clues of methanotrophic activity within the soils of these areas can be found in the CH4/CO2 ratio of the flux measurements which is always lower than that of the respective fumarolic manifestations, indicating a loss of CH4 during the travel of the gases towards earth’s surface. Furthermore laboratory methane consumption experiments made on soils collected at Pantelleria and Sousaki revealed, for most samples, CH4 consumption rates up to 9.50 μg h-1 and 0.52 μg h-1 respectively for each gram of soil (dry weight). Only few soil samples displayed no methane 2 consumption activity. Finally, microbiological and molecular investigations allowed us to identify the presence of methanotrophic bacteria belonging to the Verrucomicrobia and to the Alpha- and Gamma-Proteobacteria in the soils of the geothermal area of Favara Grande at Pantelleria. While the presence of the former was not unexpected due to the fact that they include acidophilic and thermophilic organisms that were previously found in other geothermal environments, the latter are generally considered not adapted to live in harsh geothermal environments. Their presence in the soils of Pantelleria could be explained by the fact that these soils do not have extremely low pH values (>5). Indeed thermotollerant methanotrophic Gamma-proteobacteria, have been previously found in the sediments of thermal springs in Kamchatka (Kizilova et al., 2012). Such species could find their niches in the shallowest part of the soils of Favara Grande were the temperatures are not so high and they thrive on the abundant upraising hydrothermal methane. References: Cardellini C., Chiodini G., Frondini F., Granieri D., Lewicki J., Peruzzi L., 2003. Accumulation chamber measurements of methane fluxes: application to volcanic–geothermal areas and landfills. Appl. Geochem. 18, 45–54. Castaldi S., Tedesco D., 2005. Methane production and consumption in an active volcanic environment of Southern Italy. Chemosphere 58, 131–139. Chiodini G., Granieri D., Avino R., Caliro S., Costa A., 2005. Carbon dioxide diffuse degassing and estimation of heat release from volcanic and hydrothermal systems. J. Geophys. Res. 110, B08204. D’Alessandro W., Bellomo S., Brusca L., Fiebig J., Longo M., Martelli M., Pecoraino G., Salerno F., 2009. Hydrothermal methane fluxes from the soil at Pantelleria island (Italy). J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 187, 147–157. D’Alessandro W., Brusca L., Kyriakopoulos K., Martelli M., Michas G., Papadakis G., Salerno F., 2011. Diffuse hydrothermal methane output and evidence of methanotrophic activity within the soils at Sousaki (Greece). Geofluids 11, 97–107 D’Alessandro W., Gagliano A.L., Kyriakopoulos K., Parello F., 2013. Hydrothermal methane fluxes from the soil at Lakki plain (Nisyros island, Greece). Bull. Geol. Soc. Greece, vol. XLVII Proc. of the 13th International Congress, Chania, Sept. 2013 Dunfield P.F., Yuryev A., Senin P., Smirnova A.V., Stott M.B., Hou S., Ly B., Saw J.H., Zhou Z., Ren Y, Wang J., Mountain B.W., Crowe M.A., Weatherby T.M., Bodelier P.L.E., Liesack W., Feng L., Wang L., Alam M., 2007. Methane oxidation by an extremely acidophilic bacterium of the phylum Verrucomicrobia. Nature, 450, 879–882. Etiope G., Fridriksson T., Italiano F., Winiwarter W., Theloke J., 2007. Natural emissions of methane from geothermal and volcanic sources in Europe. J. Volcanol. Geotherm. Res. 165, 76–86. Etiope G., Lassey K.R., Klusman R.W., Boschi E., 2008. Reappraisal of the fossil methane budget and related emission from geologic sources. Geophys. Res. Lett. 35, L09307. Islam T., Jensen S., Reigstad L.J., Larsen Ø., Birkeland N.K., 2008. Methane oxidation at 55°C and pH 2 by a thermoacidophilic bacterium belonging to the Verrucomicrobia phylum. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 105, 300–304. Kizilova A.K., Dvoryanchikova E.N., Sukhacheva M.V., Kravchenko I.K., Gal’chenko V.F., 2012. Investigation of the communities of the Hot Springs of the Uzon Caldera, Kamchatka, by Molecular Ecological Techniques. Microbiology, 81, 606-613. Pol A., Heijmans K., Harhangi H.R., Tedesco D., Jetten M.S.M., Op den Camp H.J.M., 2007. Methanotrophy below pH 1 by a new Verrucomicrobia species. Nature, 450, 874–878

Methodology for the identification of economic, environmental and health criteria for road noise mitigation

Abstract The aim of the paper is to define a method for evaluating infrastructural interventions for the mitigation of noise generated by roads based on multi-criteria analysis which considers a series of parameters (environmental, social, economic and health) that could give broader evaluations than just economic convenience. The research develops a guideline based on an already known methodology applied in other fields, which has been adapted to the above-mentioned topic: the multi-criteria analysis. The decision to use this method originates from an in-depth study of the state of the art regarding the issue of noise pollution related to transport infrastructures in Italy and at a European level. The Multi-criteria Analysis proved to be the best solution both for completeness and versatility. In particular, the developed methodology uses the Analytic Hierarchy Process as a multi-criteria analysis method. Through its hierarchical structure, this method offers a comparison not only between possible interventions, but also between the same criteria taken into consideration for the choice of the best intervention. The model was validated by analyzing a real noise mitigation project on an Italian main road. The results showed how the model could represent a valid support to decision-making processes

Innovative techniques for the improvement of industrial noise sources identification by beamforming

Abstract An innovative technique based on beamforming is implemented, at the aim of detecting the distances from the observer and the relative positions among the noise sources themselves in multisource noise scenarios. By means of preliminary activities to assess the optical camera focal length and stereoscopic measurements followed by image processing, the geometric information in the source-microphone direction is retrieved, a parameter generally missed in classic beamforming applications. A corollary of the method consists of the possibility of obtaining also the distance among different noise sources which could be present in a multisource environment. A loss of precision is found when the effect of the high acoustic reflectivity ground interferes with the noise source

The Role of Radiotherapy in the Management of Vaginal Melanoma: A Literature Review with a Focus on the Potential Synergistic Role of Immunotherapy

Among the mucosal melanomas, vaginal melanomas are very rare tumors, accounting for less than 20% of melanomas arising from the female genital tract. They occur most frequently in women in post-menopausal age, but younger patients may also experience this neoplasm, mainly located in the lower third of the vagina or the anterior wall. The optimal management of this tumor remains controversial, with surgery reported as the most frequently adopted approach. However, a clear benefit of surgical treatment in terms of survival has not yet been demonstrated. Conversely, radiotherapy may represent an attractive non-invasive alternative, and there are several favorable reports of the role of radiation therapy, either delivered with photons, brachytherapy, or hadrontherapy. A wide range of techniques and fractionation regimens are reported with substantially good tolerance to the treatment, and acute G3 or higher toxicities are reported only in the case of concurrent immunotherapy. Of note, due to the rarity of the disease, there is a lack of high-level evidence for the optimal therapeutic option. In this scenario, recent studies theorize the possibility of developing combinatorial approaches of radiotherapy with immunotherapy based on cutaneous melanomas reports. In this review, we aim to summarize the evidence available in the literature supporting the role of definitive radiotherapy for vaginal melanomas, with a focus on the combination of RT with immunotherapy, in terms of optimal timing and biological rationale

Increased levels of DNA methyltransferases are associated with the tumorigenic capacity of prostate cancer cells

DNA methylation might be the earliest somatic genome changes in prostate cancer that also play an important role in the process of tumor invasion, growth and metastasis. In recent years, several inhibitors of DNA methyltransferases (DNMTis) have been developed and evaluated in pre-clinical models and in clinical trials. While these compounds are effective in the treatment of hematological conditions, clinical trials in solid tumors and in prostate cancer have shown limited or no efficacy. This may be attributed to inappropriate dose regimens leading to toxicity-related adverse events. As with other anti-target compounds, one of the obstacles encountered with DNMTis in prostate cancer could be the inability to select patients for the clinical studies as well as the inability to monitor the efficacy of the drug if not the conclusion of the study. Primary cultures derived from human prostatic tissues harvested from patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and prostate cancer (PCa) as well as neoplastic and non-neoplastic prostate cell lines were tested for DNMT expression/activity and to monitor azacitidine molecular efficacy. We observed that in primary cultures the levels of DNMT activity as well as the protein levels of DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b were higher in cultures derived from PCa compared to BPH tissue samples and significantly higher in cultures derived from PCa with Gleason scores ≥7 compared to those observed in cultures derived from Gleason scores <7. In addition, DNMT activity as well as DNMT1, DNMT3a and DNMT3b levels were higher in PCa cell lines compared to their non-neoplastic counterparts. Although DNMT activity was higher in high tumorigenic/aggressive PCa cell lines compared to low tumorigenic/aggressive cell lines, only the levels of DNMT3a and DNMT3b were significantly higher in the first group of cells, suggesting that DNMT1 activity is related to the transition to non-neoplastic versus neoplastic phenotype whereas the de novo methylation enzymes were mainly related to progression. Nevertheless, the comparison in the more aggressive PC3 cell derivatives (PC3-LN4 cells) also possessed higher levels of DNMT1 compared to PC3 and PC3M from which these cells were derived. Collectively, our results confirm previous data on the increased methylation in more aggressive tumors supporting the use of DNMTis in advanced prostate cancer. In addition, since glutathione S-transferase-π (GSTP1) was re-expressed or its protein levels were increased after treatment with non-toxic azacitidine doses and since GSTP1 can easily be measured in patient sera, the monitoring of this protein may aide in the evaluation of therapy in future clinical trials