Hydrologic Performance of an Extensive Green Roof under Intensive Rain Events: Results from a Rain-Chamber Simulation

The water storage capacity of a green roof generates several benefits for the building contermi-nous environment. The hydrologic performance is conventionally expressed by the runoff coeffi-cient, according to international standards and guidelines. The runoff coefficient is a dimension-less number and defines the water retention performance in a long period. At the scale of single rain events, characterized by varying intensity and duration, the reaction of the green roof is scarcely investigated. The purpose of this study is to highlight how an extensive green roof \u2013 hav-ing a supposed minimum water performance, compared to intensive ones \u2013 responses to real and repetitive rain events, simulated in a rain chamber with controlled rain and runoff data. The ex-periment provides, through cumulative curves graphs, the behaviour of the green roof sample during 4 rainy days. The simulated rain events are based on a statistical study (summarized in the paper) on 25 years of rain data for a specific location in North-Italy characterized by an av-erage rain/year of 1,100 mm. The results prove the active response of the substrate, although thin and mineral, and so quit draining, in terms of water retention and detention during intense rain events. The study raises questions about how to better express the water performance of green roofs

Estimation of leaf area index in isolated trees with digital photography and its application to urban forestry

Accurate estimates of leaf area index (L) are strongly required for modelling ecophysiological processes within urban forests. The majority of methods available for estimating L is ideally applicable at stand scale and is therefore poorly suitable in urban settings, where trees are typically sparse and isolated. In addition, accurate measurements in urban settings are hindered by proximity of trees to infrastructure elements, which can strongly affect the accuracy of tree canopy analysis. In this study we tested whether digital photography can be used to obtain indirect estimate of L of isolated trees. The sampled species were Platanus orientalis, Liquidambar styraciflua and Juglans regia. Upward-facing photography was used to estimate gap fraction and foliage clumping from images collected in unobstructed (open areas) and obstructed (nearby buildings) settings; two image classification methods provided accurate estimates of gap fraction, based on comparison with measurements obtained from a high quality quantum sensor (LAI-2000). Leveled photography was used to characterize the leaf angle distribution of the examined tree species. L estimates obtained combining the two photographic methods agreed well with direct L measurements obtained from harvesting. We conclude that digital photography is suitable for estimating leaf area in isolated urban trees, due to its simple, fast and costeffective procedures. Use of vegetation indices allows extending significantly the applicability of the photographic method in urban settings, including green roofs and vertical greenery systems.L'articolo è disponibile sul sito dell'editore www.elsevier.com/locate/ufu

Hierarchical macro-nanoporous metals for leakage-free high-thermal conductivity shape-stabilized phase change materials

Impregnation of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) into a porous medium is a promising way to stabilize their shape and improve thermal conductivity which are essential for thermal energy storage and thermal management of small-size applications, such as electronic devices or batteries. However, in these composites a general understanding of how leakage is related to the characteristics of the porous material is still lacking. As a result, the energy density and the antileakage capability are often antagonistically coupled. In this work we overcome the current limitations, showing that a high energy density can be reached together with superior anti-leakage performance by using hierarchical macro-nanoporous metals for PCMs impregnation. By analyzing capillary phenomena and synthesizing a new type of material, it was demonstrated that a hierarchical trimodal macro-nanoporous metal (copper) provides superior antileakage capability (due to strong capillary forces of nanopores), high energy density (90vol% of PCM load due to macropores) and improves the charging/discharging kinetics, due to a three-fold enhancement of thermal conductivity. It was further demonstrated by CFD simulations that such a composite can be used for thermal management of a battery pack and unlike pure PCM it is capable of maintaining the maximum temperature below the safety limit. The present results pave the way for the application of hierarchical macro-nanoporous metals for high-energy density, leakage-free, and shape-stabilized PCMs with enhanced thermal conductivity. These innovative composites can significantly facilitate the thermal management of compact systems such as electronic devices or high-power batteries by improving their efficiency, durability and sustainabilit

Le NbS-Nature-based Solutions per l’architettura e la città. L’approccio prestazionale alle tecnologie vegetate. Atti della conferenza 2023

La pubblicazione raccoglie gli atti della conferenza “Le NbS-Nature-based Solutions per l’architettura e la città. L’approccio prestazionale alle tecnologie vegetate”, organizzata il 13 ottobre 2023 presso l’Università Iuav di Venezia. Da anni la CE-Commissione europea investe risorse economiche crescenti nella ricerca e nelle politiche per le NbS essendo stati dimostrati innumerevoli vantaggi ambientali derivanti dal loro utilizzo, fra cui il contributo all’adattamento ai cambiamenti climatici. La stessa CE, però, rileva un importante ostacolo alla loro diffusione: “Le NbS hanno il potenziale per stimolare le economie locali e creare opportunità di business. Tuttavia, molte autorità pubbliche segnalano una gamma di difficoltà nell’utilizzo degli appalti pubblici per attuare progetti NbS. Sono necessarie maggiore coerenza politica e trasversalità nella definizione delle priorità a livello dell’Unione europea, così come una maggiore progettualità” (Castellari et al., 2021). Il focus dell’evento ha riguardato gli aspetti funzionali e prestazionali della vegetazione e dei sistemi tecnologici vegetati, con prevalente riferimento alle coperture a verde e alle facciate vegetate, nonché ai sistemi vegetati e drenanti impiegabili al suolo. Gli obiettivi della conferenza sono stati: diffondere la conoscenza scientifica e la cultura tecnica delle NbS e riunire in dibattito le competenze interdisciplinari che si interfacciano nelle attività di ricerca sulle NbS

Serum and supplement optimization for EU GMP-compliance in cardiospheres cell culture

Cardiac progenitor cells (CPCs) isolated as cardiospheres (CSs) and CS-derived cells (CDCs) are a promising tool for cardiac cell therapy in heart failure patients, having CDCs already been used in a phase I/II clinical trial. Culture standardization according to Good Manufacturing Practices (GMPs) is a mandatory step for clinical translation. One of the main issues raised is the use of xenogenic additives (e.g. FBS, foetal bovine serum) in cell culture media, which carries the risk of contamination with infectious viral/prion agents, and the possible induction of immunizing effects in the final recipient. In this study, B27 supplement and sera requirements to comply with European GMPs were investigated in CSs and CDCs cultures, in terms of process yield/efficiency and final cell product gene expression levels, as well as phenotype. B27- free CS cultures produced a significantly reduced yield and a 10-fold drop in c-kit expression levels versus B27+ media. Moreover, autologous human serum (aHS) and two different commercially available GMP AB HSs were compared with standard research-grade FBS. CPCs from all HSs explants had reduced growth rate, assumed a senescent-like morphology with time in culture, and/or displayed a significant shift towards the endothelial phenotype. Among three different GMP gamma-irradiated FBSs (giFBSs) tested, two provided unsatisfactory cell yields, while one performed optimally, in terms of CPCs yield/phenotype. In conclusion, the use of HSs for the isolation and expansion of CSs/CDCs has to be excluded because of altered proliferation and/or commitment, while media supplemented with B27 and the selected giFBS allows successful EU GMP-complying CPCs culture

ADMA as a possible marker of endothelial damage. A study in young asymptomatic patients with cerebral small vessel disease.

Sporadic small vessel disease (SVD) has high prevalence in aging population and stroke patients, but also in younger asymptomatic subjects. In this last group it can represents a prelude to stroke and cognitive impairment. Still nowadays, its pathogenesis is unclear. 35 consecutive patients with SVD at brain MRI and 35 age- and sex-matched controls, between January 2016 and February 2018, underwent an extended screening for thrombophilia, autoimmunity and evaluated levels of blood markers of inflammation and endothelial activation. Asymmetric DiMethyl Arginine (ADMA) levels proved higher in patients (70.44 \ub1 36.25 ng/ml vs. 46.58 \ub1 30.67 ng/ml; p = 0.004), also after controlling for confounding factors. ADMA levels showed positive correlation with Fazekas score (r = 0.304; p = 0.01). ROC curve analysis showed a moderate accuracy in discriminating patients and controls (AUC\u2009= 0.70; CI 0.57\u20130.82; p = 0.004): a cut-off of 46 ng/ml is associated with 80% sensitivity, but limited (54%) specificity. Higher ADMA levels characterize selected subjects with sporadic SVD, asymptomatic for vascular diseases and without latent inflammatory conditions or coagulopathy. This reinforces the hypothesis of the key role of endothelial dysfunction in SVD. Further studies should explore the cause-effect relationship between ADMA pathway and SVD

Upregulation of Sarcolemmal Hemichannels and Inflammatory Transcripts with Neuromuscular Junction Instability during Lower Limb Unloading in Humans

Human skeletal muscle atrophy and a disproportionate force loss occur within a few days of unloading in space and on Earth, but the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Dis- ruption of neuromuscular junction homeostasis has been proposed as one of the possible causes. Here, we investigated the potential mechanisms involved in this neuromuscular disruption induced by a 10-day unilateral lower limb suspension (ULLS) in humans. Specifically, we investigated hem- ichannels’ upregulation, neuromuscular junction and axonal damage, neurotrophins’ receptor downregulation and inflammatory transcriptional signatures. Biomarkers were evaluated at local and systemic levels. At the sarcolemmal level, changes were found to be associated with an in- creased expression of connexin 43 and pannexin-1. Upregulation of the inflammatory transcripts revealed by deep transcriptomics was found after 10 days of ULLS. The destabilisation of the neu- romuscular junction was not accompanied by changes in the secretion of the brain-derived neu- rotrophic factor and neurotrophin-4, while their receptor, BDNF/NT growth factors receptor (TrkB), decreased. Furthermore, at 5 days of ULLS, there was already a significant upregulation of the se- rum neurofilament light chain concentration, an established clinical biomarker of axonal injury. At 10 days of ULLS, other biomarkers of early denervation processes appeared. Hence, short periods of muscle unloading induce sarcolemmal hemichannels upregulation, inflammatory transcripts up- regulation, neuromuscular junction instability and axonal damage

Plasma proteome profiling of healthy subjects undergoing bed rest reveals unloading-dependent changes linked to muscle atrophy

Inactivity and unloading induce skeletal muscle atrophy, loss of strength and detrimental metabolic effects. Bed rest is a model to study the impact of inactivity on the musculoskeletal system. It not only provides information for bed-ridden patients care, but it is also a ground-based spaceflight analogue used to mimic the challenges of long space missions for the human body. In both cases, it would be desirable to develop a panel of biomarkers to monitor muscle atrophy in a minimally invasive way at point of care to limit the onset of muscle loss in a personalized fashion

Developmental and Tumor Angiogenesis Requires the Mitochondria-Shaping Protein Opa1

While endothelial cell (EC) function is influenced by mitochondrial metabolism, the role of mitochondrial dynamics in angiogenesis, the formation of new blood vessels from existing vasculature, is unknown. Here we show that the inner mitochondrial membrane mitochondrial fusion protein optic atrophy 1 (OPA1) is required for angiogenesis. In response to angiogenic stimuli, OPA1 levels rapidly increase to limit nuclear factor kappa-light-chain-enhancer of activated B cell (NFκB) signaling, ultimately allowing angiogenic genes expression and angiogenesis. Endothelial Opa1 is indeed required in an NFκB-dependent pathway essential for developmental and tumor angiogenesis, impacting tumor growth and metastatization. A first-in-class small molecule-specific OPA1 inhibitor confirms that EC Opa1 can be pharmacologically targeted to curtail tumor growth. Our data identify Opa1 as a crucial component of physiological and tumor angiogenesis