Evaluating the impact of indoor insulation on historic build-ings: A multilevel approach involving heat and moisture simulations

The energy refurbishment of historic buildings is a complex task for building envelope designers who need to carefully consider building conservation guidelines and principles. In most cases, external wall insulation techniques can determine an unacceptable alteration of the historical value of a building. For this reason, internal wall insulation techniques have been used widely in the last few decades. Nevertheless, dealing with internal wall insulation requires a complex design to avoid the risk of condensation and moisture-related pathologies. Moreover, an internal wall insulation may have a relevant impact on indoor comfort conditions. In this paper, the Monastery of Santa Maria de Monfero in Galicia (Spain) has been adopted as a building case study to compare different technological solutions based on: (i) an insulating plaster layer, (ii) dry counter wall systems. In the first step, heat and moisture transfer simulations of the wall components were performed to analyze the hygrothermal behavior of the different alternatives considering two different climate conditions. In a second step, a simulation of the whole building was performed to analyze the impact of the retrofitting strategies on the indoor climate and on the building heating and cooling demand. The obtained results show that the counter wall solution leads to higher energy savings during the heating season in the colder winter climate. However, the use of insulating thermal plaster could also be a viable solution since they lead to several advantages in summer because of their higher thermal inertia. Therefore, the selection of the most appropriate insulation technique has to be evaluated carefully considering the outdoor/indoor climate and using a case-by-case approach

Aquatic insects and benthic diatoms: A history of biotic relationships in freshwater ecosystems

The most important environmental characteristic in streams is flow. Due to the force of water current, most ecological processes and taxonomic richness in streams mainly occur in the riverbed. Benthic algae (mainly diatoms) and benthic macroinvertebrates (mainly aquatic insects) are among the most important groups in running water biodiversity, but relatively few studies have investigated their complex relationships. Here, we review the multifaceted interactions between these two important groups of lotic organisms. As the consumption of benthic algae, especially diatoms, was one of the earliest and most common trophic habits among aquatic insects, they then had to adapt to the particular habitat occupied by the algae. The environmental needs of diatoms have morphologically and behaviorally shaped their scrapers, leading to impressive evolutionary convergences between even very distant groups. Other less evident interactions are represented by the importance of insects, both in preimaginal and adult stages, in diatom dispersion. In addition, the top-down control of diatoms by their grazers contributes to their spatial organization and functional composition within the periphyton. Indeed, relationships between aquatic insects and diatoms are an important topic of study, scarcely investigated, the onset of which, hundreds of millions of years ago, has profoundly influenced the evolution of stream biological communities

Development of advanced multifunctional façade systems: Thermo-acoustic modelling and performance

The development of lightweight a nd multifunctional curta in wa ll systems, which integra te different technological solutions, is a imed at a chieving increa singly higher requirements rela ted to energy efficiency a s well a s indoor environmental quality in nonresidentia l buildings. On one ha nd lightweight a nd thin fa çade elements present several a dvantages (such a s construction time, space, a nd transportation savings, less weight on primary structure etc.), while fa cing the cha llenge of gua ranteeing the required thermal a nd a coustic performance and achieving legisla tive compliance on the other. In the framework of the Horizon 2020 Project Powerskin+ a new concept of multifunctional fa çade, which combines high performance insulation, energy harvesting, heating system, a nd la tent heat storage capabilities is under development. Within the design process of the different sub -modules (opaque and tra nsparent), performance calculations a re carried out by means of existing simulation tools, or a d-hoc developed models for more complex systems. In this study, the authors present the main steps required to a ccelerate the simula tion-based design process a nd the future thermal and a coustic optimization of the novel lightweight a nd multifunctional façade element

POS0704 LONG-TERM CLINICAL OUTCOMES OF PATIENTS WITH LUPUS NEPHRITIS TREATED WITH AN INTENSIFIED B-CELL DEPLETION PROTOCOL: A PROSPECTIVE STUDY

Background:B cells play a key role In the pathogenesis of Lupus Nephritis (LN).Objectives:we aim to investigate the safety and efficacy of an intensified B-cell depletion induction therapy (IBCDT)without immunosuppressive maintenance regimen compared to standard of care in biopsy-proven LN.Methods:Thirty patients were administered an IBCDT (4 weekly Rituximab 375mg/m2 and 2more doses after 1&2 months;2 infusions of 10 mg/kg cyclophosphamide (CYC),3 methylprednisolone pulses), followed by oral prednisone (tapered to 5 mg/day by the 3rd month). No immunosuppressive maintenance therapy was given. Thirty patients matched for LN class and age were selected as controls: 20 received 3 methylprednisolone pulses days followed by oral prednisone and mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) 2-3 g/day, while 10 were given the Euro Lupus CYC.Results:At 12 months, complete renal remission was observed in 93% of patients on IBCDT, in 62.7% on MMF, and in 75% on CYC (p=0,03); the dose of oral prednisone was lower in the IBCDT group (mean±SD 2.9±5.0mg/dl) than MMF (10.5±8.0 mg/day,p<0.01) or CYC group (7.5±9.0mg/day,p<0.01). Mean follow-up after treatment was 44.5 months (IQR 36–120months), 48.6 months (IQR36–120months), and 45.3 (IQR36–120months) for IBCDT, MMF and CYC, respectively. At their last follow-up visit, we observed no significant differences in proteinuria and serum creatinine, nor in the frequency of new flares among the three groups.Conclusion:In biopsy proven LN, the IBCDT without further immunosuppressive maintenance therapy was shown to be as effective as conventional regimen of MMF or CYC followed by a 3-year maintenance MMF regimen. Moreover, the use of IBCDT was associated with a marked reduction of glucocorticoid cumulative dose.Disclosure of Interests:None declare

IL-33 and its decoy sST2 in patients with Alzheimer&apos;s disease and mild cognitive impairment

BACKGROUND: Interleukin-33 is a cytokine endowed with pro- and anti-inflammatory properties that plays a still poorly defined role in the pathogenesis of a number of central nervous system (CNS) conditions including Alzheimer's disease (AD). We analyzed this cytokine and its decoy receptor sST2 in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). METHOD: IL-33 and sST2 were analyzed in serum and CSF of AD and MCI patients, comparing the results to those obtained in age-matched healthy controls (HC). Because of the ambiguous role of IL-33 in inflammation, the concentration of both inflammatory (IL-1\u3b2 and IL-6) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines was analyzed as well in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of the same individuals. Finally, the effect of IL-33 on in vitro A\u3b242-stimulated monocytes of AD, MCI, and HC individuals was examined. RESULTS: As compared to HC, (1) IL-33 was significantly decreased in serum and CSF of AD and MCI, (2) sST2 was increased in serum of AD and MCI but was undetectable in CSF, (3) serum and CSF IL-1\u3b2 concentration was significantly increased and that of IL-10 was reduced in AD and MCI, whereas no differences were observed in IL-6. In vitro addition of IL-33 to LPS+A\u3b2 42-stimulated monocytes downregulated IL-1\u3b2 generation in MCI and HC, but not in AD, and stimulated IL-10 production in HC alone. IL-33 addition also resulted in a significant reduction of NF-kB nuclear translocation in LPS+A\u3b242-stimulated monocytes of HC alone. CONCLUSIONS: These data support the hypothesis that IL-33 plays a complex anti-inflammatory role that is lost in AD- and MCI-associated neuroinflammation; results herein also suggest a possible use of IL-33 as a novel therapeutic approach in AD and MCI