Keeping it modern, making it sustainable. Monitoring and energy retrofitting the Urbino University Colleges

This paper presents a research to balance building conservation, users’ comfort and energy efficiency of a masterpiece of XX century architecture. The Urbino University Colleges were designed by architect Giancarlo de Carlo and built since 1962 to 1983 beside the Renaissance city. They host more than 1,000 students within 5 dormitories and 62,000 m2 surface. Authors discuss some outcomes from the “Keeping it modern” research program financed by the Getty Foundation in 2016, which aims at providing the Colleges with a sustainable conservation plan. The goal is to lower heating and operational costs to allow funds in conservation activities. Specific issues regard: the striking dimensions of the complex, the constructive features (brickwork walls, exposed concrete structures, single-glazed windows) and the lack of data about the hygrothermal performances. The research thus includes a hygrothermal analysis, a proposal for the energy retrofitting, a building-HVAC model, a test on a pilot site. Authors have monitored surface temperatures, indoor air temperature and humidity for one year, even mapping their distribution through a digital psychrometer. Thermal imaging has been used to detect heat losses, thermal bridges and heat gains due to the solar radiation. Data have fed a building-HVAC model, which was a reference to design an appropriate strategy for retrofitting and improving the energy efficiency of the complex. Some solutions are being implemented on a pilot site. The building performances before and after retrofitting are compared. Results provide indications to merge conservation and sustainability of a XX century heritage building. In conclusion, the solid knowledge of each case confirms being required to support a retrofit proposal of a heritage building, moreover in case of a XX century building, as the cultural value of such a huge heritage is often disregarded to improve its energy performance

Aerosol Deposit Characterization by Radiation Technology

The STORM project investigates the deposition and resuspension of representative (SnO2, CsOH) aerosols in selected components (e.g. pipes, bends, steam generator) under typical accident conditions of a reactor. To characterize the phenomena of deposition and resuspension the aerosol deposit has to be well observed without disturbing the process under investigation. To fulfill this objective the attenuation of gamma radiation (60 keV Americuium 241) by the formation of a deposit in a test pipe has been measured. The Americium source has been mounted in a frame which can be moved in the x and y direction (stepwidth 0.2mm) and roteted around the pipe (stepwidth 0.1 degree). The measurement object can be scanned over a certain range. The frame can house objects of up to 500 mm in diameter. Windows of 0.7 mm thickness have been made in the testpipe surface. A deposit resolution of 1mg/cm2 is achieved. The instrument, the calibration measurements with SnO2 and CsOH and its application during the STORM experiments are presented. The use of an energy selective detector to additionally characterize the deposit composition are discussed.JRC.(ISIS)-Institute For Systems, Informatics And Safet

Application of a Three-Wavelength Extinction Meter within the STORM Experimental Programme

The STORM project analyzes the deposition and resuspension of representative (SnO2, CsOH) aerosols in selected components (pipes, bends, steam generator) under reactor accident typical conditions. To model these phenomena a large and representative data base describing the aerosol behaviour is required. To obtain real-time and on-line information of the airborne aerosols optical instruments are applied. The three wavelength extinctiometer is one of them. The instrument (EXM, Grimm 3900) is based on the attenuation of laser light of three different wavelengths. From the differences in attenuation not only the concentration but also a medium particle size are derived. To overcome the difficulties of relating mass-based and optically measured particle parameters the instrument has been intercalibrated in a separate test rig using different aerosols (parameters of choice: material, size, concentration, shape) characterizing the aerosol in parallel with the EXM, impactors (Andersen Mark III) and filters. The results of the year-long intercalibration excercise is documented using different examples. Afterwards the instrument has been employed in the STORM experiments which have been running since September 1995. Several of the experiments will be discussed in view of the performance of the EXM. Finally, the strengths and weaknesses of the instrument are summarized and a safe procedure for its use in aerosol experiments described.JRC.(ISIS)-Institute For Systems, Informatics And Safet

Optimizing a portable biosensor system for bacterial detection in milk based mix for ice cream

One of the primary focuses of the food industry is providing products compliant with safety standards. The microbiological analysis helps in the identification of the presence of pathogen microorganisms in the food. The analysis with Agar Plate is the classic method. This approach guarantees a high accuracy, but it needs a long detection time (twenty-four to forty-eight hours), beyond high costs and skilled technician. In recent times have been proposed many different methods to have a faster response, and between them there is the impedance method. One of its features is that it is fast, in fact it requires between three to fourteen hours to obtain a reliable measurement. The system is accurate, and suitable to be executed automatically. To test this method has been used UHT Ice Cream Mix. A known volume of mix has been inoculated with increasing percentage of cultures of E. coli. The measurement of the impedance of the inoculated mix has been done by an electronic board designed for the application, and by applying a sinusoidal voltage to the test tube. The signal was digitally generated by the microprocessor, and supplied externally through a D.A. converter. The signal was then filtered to delete from its spectrum the high frequency components typical of the digitally generated signals. The data obtained from impedance instrument showed a reliable correspondence with those from the plate count. By working in less time compared to traditional methods, this tool is well suited for in-situ preliminary analysis in commercial and professional foodservice environment

Identification and Characterization of DM1 Patients by a New Diagnostic Certified Assay: Neuromuscular and Cardiac Assessments

The expansion of the specific trinucleotide sequence, [CTG], is the molecular pathological mechanism responsible for the clinical manifestations of DM1. Many studies have described different molecular genetic techniques to detect DM1, but as yet there is no data on the analytical performances of techniques used so far in this disease. We therefore developed and validated a molecular method, "Myotonic Dystrophy SB kit," to better characterize our DM1 population. 113 patients were examined: 20 DM1-positive, 11 DM1/DM2-negative, and13 DM1-negative/DM2-positive, who had a previous molecular diagnosis, while 69 were new cases. This assay correctly identified 113/113 patients, and all were confirmed by different homemade assays. Comparative analysis revealed that the sensitivity and the specificity of the new kit were very high (>99%). Same results were obtained using several extraction procedures and different concentrations of DNA. The distribution of pathologic alleles showed a prevalence of the "classical" form, while of the 96 nonexpanded alleles 19 different allelic types were observed. Cardiac and neuromuscular parameters were used to clinically characterize our patients and support the new genetic analysis. Our findings suggest that this assay appears to be a very robust and reliable molecular test, showing high reproducibility and giving an unambiguous interpretation of results

Evaluations of thyme extract effects in human normal bronchial and tracheal epithelial cell lines and in human lung cancer cell line

Thyme (Thymus vulgaris) is used traditionally to prepare herbal remedies possessing expectorant, mucolytic, antitussive and antispasmodic properties. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of a standardized hydroalcoholic extract of thyme on primary human airway (bronchial/tracheal) epithelial cell lines in a model of lung inflammation induced by LPS. In addition, the effects of thyme extract on human lung cancer cell line (H460) were analysed. Thyme extract showed significant anti-inflammatory properties by reducing the NF-κB p65 and NF-κB p52 transcription factors protein levels followed by the decrease of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-1 beta and IL-8), and Muc5ac secretion in human normal bronchial and tracheal epithelial cells. Moreover, the extract showed cytotoxic effects on H460 cancer cells, modulated the release of IL-1 beta, IL-8 and down-regulated NF-κB p65 and NF-κB p52 proteins. Taken together, these results substantiated the traditional uses of thyme in the treatment of respiratory diseases. Thyme extract might be an effective treatment of chronic diseases based on inflammatory processes when hyper secretion of mucus overwhelms the ciliary clearance and obstructs airways, causing morbidity and mortality. Moreover thyme extract, evaluated in H460 lung cancer cell line, demonstrated to induce cell cytotoxicity in addition to reduce inflammatory cell signals

Evaluation of Two-Assay Serological Testing Strategies for Anti-HCV Screening in Italian Populations: A Dual Screening Approach

(1) Background: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) screening mostly uses a one-assay anti-HCV testing approach, which has a higher probability of false-positive results in populations with low HCV prevalence. (2) Methods: In this investigation, 17,926 participants were screened for HCV, and the reactives were tested using a two-assay anti-HCV approach: Elecsys ElectroChemiLuminescence (ECL) and a ChemiLuminescence ImmunoAssay (CLIA), respectively. A recombinant immunoblot assay (RIBA) was performed to confirm anti-HCV positivity. Statistical analysis was performed. (3) Results: A total of 350 specimens were reactive in the ECL screening, of which CLIA retesting showed that 292 (83.4%) were anti-HCV reactive (283 positives, 9 indeterminate, none negative by RIBA), but 58 (16.6%) were not anti-HCV reactive (15 positive, 12 indeterminate, 31 negatives by RIBA). The two-assay strategy significantly improved the positive predictive value (PPV: 95.00%) with χ2: 7.59 (p < 0.01) compared to the PPV assessed by one assay (PPV: 90.6%) with χ2: 34.51 (p < 0.001). The ROC curve defined a sensibility and specificity for the dual approach of 99.66% and 100.00%. (4) Conclusions: Compared with a one-assay testing strategy, the two-assay testing strategy may significantly reduce false positives in anti-HCV testing and identify inactive HCV infection in low seroprevalence populations