This research is framed in the development of an agri-food hub inthe city of Milan, including retrofitting an historical farmhouse. In particular, it focuses on the renovation of two historical ...buildings within the farmhouse. It aims to present a method to support the energy retrofit design of protected buildings, assuming the possibility of achieving high energy efficiency and integration of local renewable sources, while respecting the constraints related to the building's historical value. Two envelope scenarios, with internal and external insulation, were developed, simulated with Integrated Environmental Solutions: Virtual Environment tool and evaluated. As main results, for the demand side there are no significant differences in terms of energy loads on yearly basis in the two retrofit scenarios, on the supply side, several aspects were considered, including the local renewable potential. Concluding, the application of the described method to the mentioned case study can support in tackling the challenges of protected buildings energy retrofit.
The research aims to evaluate the technical features and the performance of a large sample of biomass district heating plants (BDHP), mainly located in northern Italy and fuelled by wooden chips. ...These plants have determined the development of a local energy supply chain based on forest by-products, as an alternative to traditional fossil fuels. Main strength of the research is the representativeness of the sample (65 plants of different size and features) and the reliability of data collected. After a deep desk research, data were collected by a questionnaire and then refined and elaborated by an Excel database. Energy, environment and economy indices and indicators were calculated. Despite the large range of variation of results, the following improvements and drivers can be defined: reduction of heat losses between heat generation and final users; optimization of the matching between heat demand and supply during the day and taking into account the winter or summer operative conditions, and, in a smart district heating framework, integration of other renewable sources, cascade use of heat, cogeneration and district cooling (where needed).
•We analysed the state of the art of biomass district heating in Italy.•We provided a database and calculated energy, environmental and economic indicators.•We resumed the outcomes by tables and graphs.•We underlined strengths and weaknesses of the set of plants.•We provided suggestions for the evolution of these plants towards low carbon scenarios and 4GDH.
In the last decades, several studies have highlighted the significant impacts of the food sector. Therefore, enhancing sustainability within this sector has become of paramount importance. A crucial ...step towards achieving this goal involves the definition and implementation of effective sustainability metric and measurements. In this regard, the adoption of multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) methods can be seen as one of the most suitable and promising approach to comprehensively capture the complex and broad-ranging effects of agricultural practices and food supply chains.
In such context, a systematic review of the scientific literature on multi-criteria approaches and tools for measuring the sustainability of food supply chains (harvest and post-harvest stages) has been carried out, resulting in the selection and analysis of 42 articles. To delve into the selected articles, three main areas of focus have been identified. The first about MCDA methods and their features, revealing the most adopted methods for sustainability assessments of food supply chains. The second, focusing on the participatory approach, led to the definition of a stakeholder's engagement map, highlighting the typology of stakeholders involved, the reasons of their involvement and engagement methods. Lastly, the third focus is related to the analysis and classification of indicators adopted in each study and the sustainability dimensions to which they refer to. The results of the present review study provide a comprehensive overview of the essential aspects to be considered when developing a MCDA for sustainability assessment in the food sector, serving as a valuable resource for both scholars and practitioners.
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•A review of the technical literature on MCDA applied to food products was accomplished.•After a systematic selection, 42 articles dealing with case studies were analysed.•MCDA methods were classified according to aims, tools, indicators, stakeholders.•For food products, the relationships with sustainability were systematically considered.•A support in selecting a MCDA method for food sustainability assessment was provided.
In the framework of the building sector de-carbonization, the case of a new nearly zero-energy district, located in the Milan urban area (Italy), is presented. In particular, the scope of the work is ...to demonstrate that the proposed energy concept, based on the combination of low-energy building design and high-efficiency technical systems, allows the reduction of the final energy uses. After the evaluation of the energy needs, a low-temperature and small-size wood biomass district thermal plant was designed to be integrated with groundwater heat pumps (GWHP) and solar photovoltaic (PV) systems, taking up the challenge to design an almost full-renewable urban district by means of a Multi-Energy System. The core is a biomass boiler coupled with a small combined heat and power (CHP) unit with a twin-screw steam expander (TSSE). The heat produced by the CHP satisfies a consistent fraction of space heating and domestic hot water (DHW) needs during the winter season. GWHPs coupled with PV satisfy remaining thermal needs in winter and the entire thermal needs in mid-season and in the summer period. The obtained outcomes prove the benefits of the combination of a wood biomass CHP with GWHPs and PV with a significant share of renewable energies.
•Provide an overview of the evolution of district heating networks.•Propose a solution for energy decarbonization of new settlements.•Show how biomass CHP, PV systems and heat pumps may be successfully integrated.•Propose an effective control strategy to enhance local-RES self-consumption.
Energy consumption for thermal purposes represents the most impacting energy issue in the European building sector. In addition to space heating, space cooling is constantly growing, due also to ...climate change, which provokes extreme hot events in summer even in moderate climates. To approach this challenge, it is essential to invest in lowering the overall energy demand, to increase the energy conversion efficiencies and to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy sources.
The research here presented deals with the European decarbonization goals and focuses on shallow geothermal technology in district thermal systems (DTS), i.e. Geo-5GDHC.
The research investigates whether Geo-5GDHC can be cost-effective in different scenarios based on climatic contexts, insulation levels and the possible integration of photovoltaic and thermal technology (PVT).
Through the elaboration of proper KPIs and the implementation and use of a tool specifically developed to couple a Geo-5GDHC energy assessment model with an economic analysis (PILEDHC), the research highlights results and guidelines for providing solutions for new and innovative DTS, considering both energy and economic aspects in different contexts.
•District thermal systems are framed in climate change and decarbonization issues.•A new model for simulating Geo-5GDHC network was developed and tested.•Scenarios based on different buildings energy performances and climates were set.•A set of techno-economic KPIs was defined and calculated for the different scenarios.•Results were discussed underlining the role of Geo-5GDHC and further developments.
•District thermal systems (DTS), promising for 2030 and 2050 goals, are investigated.•A review of the technical literature concerning different classifications of DTS is presented.•European DTS are ...analysed, with particular insights on Italian and Swiss operative context.•5th generation DTS are investigated, with insights on Italian and Swiss examples.•Technological features of DTS and their possible evolutive scenarios are discussed.
In the framework of the built environment enhancement towards energy strategy 2050, interesting debates have been developed at building and district scale. In relation to thermal energy end-uses, that are the most impacting in buildings, district thermal systems (DTS) offer a great flexibility in terms of heat generation technologies and renewable resources integration, resulting, in case of proper management and supply conditions, in primary energy and greenhouse gases savings compared to the most diffuse technologies operating at building scale. Recent progresses in DTS have followed over the years the development of technologies and energy policies resulting in different configurations and operative schemes. The present contribution reviews the different classifications of DTS provided in the technical literature. The European framework of DTS is then analysed, with particular insights to the Italian and Swiss operative context. Currently, DTS have a marginal role in these two countries and can mainly be classified as high-temperature or mid-generation systems. However, there are also innovative systems, on which the attention of the involved stakeholders is focusing. The technological features of DTS are discussed, in order to provide possible challenging evolutive scenarios to enhance their performance and economic appeal through the evaluation of successful recent examples.
This research is framed in the development of an agri-food hub in the city of Milan, including retrofitting an historical farmhouse. In particular, it focuses on the renovation of two historical ...buildings within the farmhouse. It aims to present a method to support
the energy retrofit design of protected buildings, assuming the possibility of achieving high energy efficiency and integration of local renewable sources, while respecting the constraints related to the building’s historical value. Two envelope scenarios, with internal and external insulation, were developed, simulated with Integrated
Environmental Solutions: Virtual Environment tool and evaluated. As main results, for the demand side there are no significant differences in terms of energy loads on yearly basis in the two retrofit scenarios, on the supply side, several aspects were considered, including the local renewable potential. Concluding, the application of the described
method to the mentioned case study can support in tackling the challenges of protected buildings energy retrofit.
Challenges to the widespread application of gene therapy with adeno-associated viral (AAV) vectors include dominant conditions due to gain-of-function mutations which require allele-specific ...knockout, as well as long-term transgene expression from proliferating tissues, which is hampered by AAV DNA episomal status. To overcome these challenges, we used CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homology-independent targeted integration (HITI) in retina and liver as paradigmatic target tissues. We show that AAV-HITI targets photoreceptors of both mouse and pig retina, and this results in significant improvements to retinal morphology and function in mice with autosomal dominant retinitis pigmentosa. In addition, we show that neonatal systemic AAV-HITI delivery achieves stable liver transgene expression and phenotypic improvement in a mouse model of a severe lysosomal storage disease. We also show that HITI applications predominantly result in on-target editing. These results lay the groundwork for the application of AAV-HITI for the treatment of diseases affecting various organs.
MASP-2, mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease 2, is a key enzyme in the lectin pathway of complement activation. Hyperactivation of this protein by human coronaviruses SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV ...and SARS-CoV-2 has been found to contribute to aberrant complement activation in patients, leading to aggravated lung injury with potentially fatal consequences. This hyperactivation is triggered in the lungs through a conserved, direct interaction between MASP-2 and coronavirus nucleocapsid (N) proteins. Blocking this interaction with monoclonal antibodies and interfering directly with the catalytic activity of MASP-2, have been found to alleviate coronavirus-induced lung injury both in vitro and in vivo. In this study, a virtual library of 8736 licensed drugs and clinical agents has been screened in silico according to two parallel strategies. The first strategy aims at identifying direct inhibitors of MASP-2 catalytic activity, while the second strategy focusses on finding protein-protein interaction inhibitors (PPIs) of MASP-2 and coronaviral N proteins. Such agents could represent promising support treatment options to prevent lung injury and reduce mortality rates of infections caused by both present and future-emerging coronaviruses. Forty-six drug repurposing candidates were purchased and, for the ones selected as potential direct inhibitors of MASP-2, a preliminary in vitro assay was conducted to assess their interference with the lectin pathway of complement activation. Some of the tested agents displayed a dose-response inhibitory activity of the lectin pathway, potentially providing the basis for a viable support strategy to prevent the severe complications of coronavirus infections.
Abstract A promising strategy to enhance blood-brain barrier penetration by drugs is the functionalization of nanocarriers with uptake-facilitating ligands. We studied the cellular uptake, by ...cultured RBE4 brain capillary endothelial cells, of nanoliposomes (NLs) covalently coupled with monomer or tandem dimer of apolipoprotein E (ApoE)-derived peptides (residues 141-150), at various densities. NLs without functionalization did not show either relevant membrane accumulation or cellular uptake, as monitored by confocal microscopy and quantified by fluorescence-activated cell sorting. Functionalization with peptides mediated an efficient NLs uptake that increased with peptide density; NLs carrying monomeric peptide performed the best. Moreover, we studied the ability of ApoE-NLs to enhance the transport of a drug payload through a RBE4 cell monolayer. The permeability of a tritiated curcumin derivative was enhanced after its entrapment into ApoE-NLs, in particular those functionalized with the dimer (+83% with respect to free drug, P < 0.01). Thus, these NLs appear particularly suitable for implementing further strategies for drug brain targeting. From the Clinical Editor Re and her collaborators present a method for delivering nanoliposomes via the blood brain barrier by utilizing peptide fragments including monomers or tandem dimers ApoE. This method may enable enhanced nanoliposome associated drug delivery via the blood-brain barrier, which would have enormous significance in neurodegenerative and other CNS disorders.
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