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The present case study reports a shear rheological characterization in the temperature domain of inks and pastes loaded with conductive High Reactivity Carbonaceous Material (HRCM) consisting mainly of few-layers graphene sheets. The combined effect of filler concentration and applied shear rate is investigated in terms of the shear viscosity response as a function of testing temperature. The non-Newtonian features of shear flow ramps at constant temperature are reported to depend on both the HRCM load and the testing temperature. Moreover, temperature ramps at a constant shear rate reveal a different viscosity–temperature dependence from what is observed in shear flow ramps while maintaining the same filler concentration. An apparent departure from the well-known Vogel–Fulcher–Tamman relationship as a function of the applied shear rate is also reported.

According to the recent EU Directives on building energy efficiency, the Italian government is paying particular attention to energy refurbishments of buildings by enacting energy measures and obtaining significant results. In particular, the Italian government is providing economic incentives to citizens or public administrations that improve the envelope of the energy performance of a building. However, according to strict national regulations concerning building heritage, most actions cannot be applied to historic buildings, even though they represent approximately 30.1% of all buildings. In this context, the energy retrofits for Italian buildings are not simple but necessary. Therefore, in this work, a public historic building was simulated, and some permitted retrofit actions were applied to analyse the effectiveness of national measures in four different climatic zones. The results showed that the same applied action that reduces the primary energy consumption in some zones will significantly increase consumption in other zones, even if the zones fall within the same case-law. Finally, the results highlight two main unsolved issues: the renewable energy source installation of a historic building and a strong distinction between measures and economic incentives around the Italian peninsula, which has very different climate conditions.

This study investigates energy efficiency in buildings. The accurate evaluation of energy consumption in existing buildings is a difficult task, particularly due to the Mediterranean climate, which is in the temperate zone. Among the various analytical models, the most effective measurement of the energy consumption of buildings is the dynamic type. In evaluating the energy consumption of buildings, the greatest contribution is provided by opaque components and particularly by the external walls of that building. In the model, which is reported in the EN ISO 13786, the thermal properties (the specific heat (J/kgK) and thermal conductivity (W/mK) of the layers of the wall were tested, and the technical standard reported that the physical properties (from which they derive the phase shift and decrement factor) transferred through the wall when a sinusoidal wave temperature variation was applied in a periodic steady state. We propose an inverse approach to measure the sinusoidal periodic steady state (temperature and thermal flux) on the two faces of the wall. With this approach, it is possible to obtain the thermal properties of the wall through an inverse analytical model. The model was applied in a real experiment on a full-size wall in a climatic chamber to verify the dynamic thermal and physical properties of the layers.

The demand on reducing energy consumption of buildings, recently became tighter and tighter, as well as the need of shortening the building materials’ supply chain. It is generating a growing attention to natural and local construction materials and opening new and interesting research scenarios. The use of novel materials makes necessary reaching a deeper and appropriate understanding of their thermal performances by means of an accurate thermal characterization. The present research has been addressed at testing and verifying the thermal performance of Sardinian local masonry materials (hollow clay blocks and adobe bricks) and three different natural insulations: cork, sheep-wool and reeds. By the use of a dedicated hot box apparatus, working on full-scale wall models, the thermal resistance of eight different samples has been measured and then compared with the theoretical values calculated according to current standards. The results show that the measured values are by far higher than the calculated ones and that the use of local natural materials, if not accompanied by a rigorous standardization of production and installation procedures, can lead to overestimate their thermal performances.

Today, evaluation of thermohygrometric indoor conditions is one of the most useful tools for building design and re-design and can be used to determine energy consumption in conditioned buildings. Since the beginning of the Predicted Mean Vote index (PMV), researchers have thoroughly investigated its issues in order to reach more accurate results; however, several shortcomings have yet to be solved. Among them is the uncertainty of environmental and subjective parameters linked to the standard PMV approach of ISO 7730 that classifies the thermal environment. To this end, this paper discusses the known thermal comfort models and the measurement approaches, paying particular attention to measurement uncertainties and their influence on PMV determination. Monte Carlo analysis has been applied on a data series in a "black-box" environment, and each involved parameter has been analysed in the PMV range from -0.9 to 0.9 under different Relative Humidity conditions. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis has been performed in order to define the role of each variable. The results showed that an uncertainty propagation method could improve PMV model application, especially where it should be very accurate (-0.2 < PMV

In this work the uncertainties related to the optimal planning/allocation of government subsidies for residential building stocks retrofits are considered and the uncertainty based planning problem is formulated and solved as a multi-objective, constrained problem. Different multi-objective algorithms are considered with the idea to determine the most effective and efficient approach that can be customized as planning tool to be used by the public administration personnel. The preliminary comparison between 2 multi-objective evolutionary algorithms and a deterministic one is presented and optimal/pareto results are analysed.

The strict energy saving standards are based on the declared values of the materials, i.e. U-value, thermal conductivity or thermal capacity. To this end, proper knowledge of the thermophysical properties of the wall components is needed, especially with regard to new lightweight technologies that are being used in building construction/refurbishment, under the dynamic conditions of the Mediterranean climate, where one of most important parameters of building materials is their heat capacity because of the influence of solar radiation energy. With this regard, the actual heat capacity value, obtained in laboratory tests, is typically quite different from the nominal one. So, this paper reviews several methods of calculating the heat capacities of materials and several worldwide applications, with the aim of providing an overview of the thermal behaviour of lightweight insulation materials and their implications for energy and indoor comfort. Finally, the authors propose a simple method able to evaluate the specific heat capacity of real scale building materials with a ~5% of uncertainty.

Traditional energy retrofit interventions focus on reducing energy requirements and costs, which can be achieved by acting on the envelope or on the plants, without taking into account that the conditions of indoor air quality and thermal, visual and acoustic comfort, provided for by current legislation, must be maintained. To the in place mea-surement campaigns of the energy parameters before and after the retrofit intervention, should be added those relating to the IEQ sectors. The results of the various measures in the field must be analyzed in synergy, using a rigo-rous or simplified approach, evaluating the sensitivity of energy costs to individual retrofit interventions, always on equal terms. This theme is addressed in all fields by the Operative Units 2 and 4. This paper presents an example case study that simply gives an idea of the problem.

Thermal conductivity is one of the most important parameters for construction and building materials. Indeed, extensive efforts have been put in by Europe in order to decrease energy consumption at various levels. However, with regards to historical buildings, the measures of thermal performance are not simple and they, in fact, pose a wide range of error. In this paper, an intermingled fractal model has been proposed, which is capable of reproducing the porous microstructure. Moreover, by converting this model into an electrical circuit, it is capable of predicting thermal conductivity. The results are in perfect agreement with experimental ones obtained by climatic chamber.

Thermal comfort and energy saving have become a priority for construction industry professionals. An important parameter of the comfort is the mean radiant temperature and its dependence on the building envelope. In the present research, a dynamic physical model has been studied in a climatic chamber, linked to the specific heat (C), density (r) and thermal conductivity (l). The heat capacity is usually quantifiable in small, homogeneous and uniform samples by the application of calorimetric methods. Consequently, the building energy consumption assessed through calorimetric methods, is often quite different from the energy consumption measured in situ. In this work an experimental model for the assessment of specific heat of real-size building components is proposed. Such a parameter was determined by measuring the heat flow through a building wall. The model has been validated by comparing the evaluated properties of known materials for different thermal gaps.

Olje- og gassinstallasjoner i sensitive områder med tøffe miljøforhold kan kreve forbedret risikovervåkning, vurdering og styring for å forhindre og begrense skaden forårsaket av utilsiktet hydrokarbonutslipp i sjøen. Dette problemet er en prioritet når installasjonen som undersøkes ligger i et område som er definert som følsomt. Foreliggende arbeid omhandler en reell referansefallstudie, en offshoreinstallasjon lokalisert i Barentshavet, som representerer et relevant eksempel på nyskapende anlegg som opererer offshore i den arktisfølsomme regionen. Hydrokarbonprosesslekkasjer er en viktig bidragsyter til offshore-risiko. Scenariene som kan utvikle seg fra prosessområdet til denne installasjonen, er valgt gjennom bruk av en lekkasjefrekvensmodell og modellering av sikkerhetsbarrierer. Prosesslekkasjen for offshore installasjon Frekvensvurderingsmodell estimerer prosesslekkasjefrekvensene for bruk i kvantitativ risikoanalyse av brann og eksplosjon ved installasjoner lokalisert på norsk kontinentalsokkel. Det er basert på antakelsen om at lekkasjefrekvensen er proporsjonal med antallet av hver type utstyr. Prestasjonene til sikkerhetsbarrierer har blitt brukt som QRA-parametere. Miljørisikoen blir evaluert gjennom en eksponeringsbasert analyse, basert på varighet, hastighet og mengde frigjøring samt oljedriftssimulering. Dette trinnet er utført takket være SINTEFs programvare OSCAR - Oil Spill Contingency and Response. Nivået på estimert risiko blir deretter sammenlignet med de strenge tolerabilitetskriteriene som installasjoner som ligger i sensitive områder blir utsatt for, gjennom en risikomatrise. Oil and gas installations in sensitive areas with harsh environmental conditions may require improved risk monitoring, assessment and management in order to prevent and limit the damage caused by accidental hydrocarbon spills in the sea. This issue is a priority when the installation under examination is located in an area defined as sensitive. The present work deals with a real reference case study, an offshore installation located in the Barents Sea, which represents a relevant example of innovative facility operating offshore in the Arctic sensitive region. Hydrocarbon process leaks are a major contributor to offshore risk. The scenarios that may develop from the Process area of this installation have been selected through the application of a leak frequency model and the modeling of the safety barriers. The Process Leak for Offshore installation Frequency Assessment Model estimates the topside process leak frequencies for use in Quantitative Risk Analysis of fire and explosion at installations located on the Norwegian Continental Shelf. It is based on the assumption that the leak frequency is proportional to the number of each type of equipment. The performances of the safety barriers have been used as QRA parameters. The environmental risk is evaluated through an exposure-based analysis, based on duration, rate and amount of the release as well as oil drift simulation. This step has been carried out thanks to the SINTEF’s software OSCAR – Oil Spill Contingency and Response. The level of estimated risk is then compared with the stringent tolerability criteria to which installations located in sensitive areas are subjected, through a risk matrix.

The goal of the research is to propose an optimization-based methodology for the evaluation of retrofit incentives, using as a benchmark the wide data collection reported by the ENEA Italian Agency since 2007. To determine the best mix of energy retrofit measures for different areas of Italy, two Linear Programming models are proposed. The first model maximizes energy savings and the second one minimizes retrofit costs. The results show a 17% reduction in the average cost for each MW h of saved energy. More importantly, the methodology can help decision-makers appreciate how energy efficiency incentives have been used so far and how effective they could be. Furthermore, the methodology can be used for setting future incentive distribution plans.

This work proposes the application of a new simulation method based on fractal geometry for the calculation of the thermal conductivity for building materials. The results obtained are compared with the measurement, in a climatic chamber, of the heat flow through a material chosen as the sample. The test sample is made with “pietracantone”, a stone widely used as a building material and as an ornamental stone in the areas of Cagliari and Sassari in Sardinia. This material is characterized by a limestone matrix and a porosity which significantly influences the value of thermal conductivity. It is not known to the authors that this material had already been studied for its thermal properties.

In this study a theoretical analysis of a collector augmented by a bottom booster reflector is presented. An analytical model has been developed and used to estimate the solar irradiation passing through the transparent cover of a flat collector, both with and without a bottom reflector. The analytical model is based on the anisotropic sky model and takes into account a finite length system with different angular configurations and reciprocal shading and reflections between reflector and collector. Computer simulations have been carried out in order to find the optimum angles of the reflector with respect to the plane of the collector. Optimal inclinations of the collector and reflector for each month at 39° N latitude have been identified.

Italian energy policy has determined important keystones in building energy efficiency regulations and their application throughout the country. However, there is still much work to be done in order to make sustainable societies and territories, especially in historical contexts that have the greatest potentiality of energy saving. In detail, in the framework of conservation, restoration, refurbishment, and retrofit actions, the debate among scientists, administrators and skilled people is still open due to the many aspects yet to be considered and solved. In this paper, the state of the art of Italian residential building heritage has been reviewed, while energy retrofit issues and viable solutions have been investigated by collecting literature examples and experiences, focusing on common retrofit measures on historical buildings per thematic area. Finally, the advantages and disadvantages of each action have been discussed. Anyway, two main aspects have to be solved yet: the high Payback Times and the restriction about Renewable Energy Sources installation on this kind of buildings.

In this work the energy cost of a human operator during the harvesting of saffron flowers is discussed. The amounts of energy cost was achieved for a traditional harvesting hand-made activity compared to a harvesting phase with a facilitator machine. In the paper the facilitator machine prototype is described with its mechanical performances. Oxygen uptake (VO2) and carbon dioxide consumption (VCO2) were taken in five male healthy volunteers using a progressive exercise test on a cycle ergometer to calculate the respiratory ratio (VCO2/VO2) corresponding to the anaerobic threshold (AT) which, just it exceed 1, indicates the fatigue onset. VO2 was also assessed when volunteers simulated hand-made saffron harvesting or assisted by the facilitator device, to establish if the VO2 reached or not the AT value/fatigue onset in the one or in the other harvesting modalities.

The aim of the research is to investigate the role of the microclimatic conditions and their variations on the decay due to salt crystallisation, observed in a semi-confined archaeological site, in an urban area. A microclimatic monitoring was carried out in the site to detect temperature and relative humidity and their respective variations. Statistical methodology was conducted to examine the microclimatic data with seasonal, monthly and daily analyses. Different zones of the site were monitored and a microclimatic zoning was detected. The outside environment influences the most external zones of the site, while in the confined ones a high relative humidity was detected in all the seasons. The comparison between the hygrothermal conditions monitored in the site and those thermodynamic favourable to salt crystallization revealed a very harmful risk of salt damage for the archaeological structures.

The paper presents a research carried out at the University of Cagliari during two academic years. The aim was to analyse the effect on students learning resulting from the introduction of a method based on questions and answers in a traditional large-classroom lecture. We investigated whether an interactive teaching approach, facilitated by an interactive software application based on mobile technologies, would lead to improved student engagement and learning outcomes in large-group of environmental engineering science lectures for undergraduate students. The goal was to assess the impact on learning outcomes, as well as the acceptance and appreciation of the students, of a lecture intermixed with questions and answers followed by analysis and discussion of the answers. In our experience we compared two different application of this methodology: with and without technology. The results obtained, in turn, were compared with those of a traditional lecture. Dispositivi mobili per aumentare l’attenzione e migliorare l’apprendimento Il contributo presenta una ricerca svolta all’Università di Cagliari nel corso di due anni accademici tesa ad analizzare le potenzialità di una modalità di lezione basata sull’uso frequente di “domande e risposte” gestite attraverso tecnologie. Abbiamo cercato di capire se un approccio didattico più interattivo, facilitato da un’applicazione software basata su tecnologie mobili, riesca a migliorare il coinvolgimento degli studenti e i risultati di apprendimento, in un contesto caratterizzato da un elevato numero di partecipanti. L’obiettivo era quello di verificare l’impatto sui risultati di apprendimento, oltre all’accettazione ed all’apprezzamento da parte degli studenti, di una didattica frontale intervallata da domande di verifica e dalla conseguente analisi e discussione delle risposte. Nell’esperienza sono state comparate due diverse modalità di applicazione di questa metodologia: con e senza le tecnologie e, i risultati ottenuti, sono a loro volta stati confrontati con quelli di una lezione tradizionale., Form@re - Open Journal per la formazione in rete, Vol. 17 No. 1 (2017): Learning and school technologies. Critical issues and potentiality

The aim of the present research work is to investigate the emission of neutrons from inert materials subjected to mechanical load. If confirmed, this emission can be seen as a proof of the existence of piezonuclear reactions, i.e. nuclear reactions of fission induced by pressure. This investigation was performed by loading specimens of granite under uniaxial compression till failure and recording the emissions through passive dosimeters. In the present work, the experimental setup was designed and realised, in accordance with what is described in the literature as concerns neutron emissions from inert rock specimens under compressive uniaxial loads. The proper functioning of dosimeters was verified and the experimental functional procedure with radioactive sources was described in the paper. The preliminary experimental activity of the measurement of the background level of neutrons was performed describing the set up allowing it. Finally, the functional tests with radioactive sources, measurement of background values and neutron emission tests during the monoaxial destructive compression tests of the granite specimen were compared and discussed.

The application of retrofit actions to existing building stocks can improve the energy performance of the residential sector. In this context, particular attention should be given to historical buildings, which represent a large part of the Italian building stock. To improve the energy performance of them, adequate retrofit actions must be applied. Many studies and regulations have focused on identifying the best refurbishment measures. However, the selection of these measures is difficult due to restrictive regulations, which are dictated by the Ministry of Cultural Heritage and Activities, high retrofit costs, and variable climate zones. Thus, energy renovations in Italian buildings are not simple, and it is very difficult to find generic solutions that can be applied to buildings across the entire territory. In this paper, the authors investigated the most common retrofit solutions used in Italy, focusing in particular on the energy performance of historical building envelopes. First, energy performance analyses were conducted for two typical base cases in four different Italian cities using TRNSYS software, and some common retrofit measures were analysed. In some cases, the results showed Primary Energy saving of 44.6% (sample A) and 56.7% (sample B). Furthermore, these were used to identify different energy and economic impacts associated with the same refurbishment measures in different climatic contexts, highlighting the non-existence of a generic solution suitable for all regions or countries.

In buildings, to ensure the thermal comfort of the occupants and to keep the energy consumption as low as possible, a correct design of the thermal system is necessary. To do so, an appropriate determination of the thermo-physical properties of the wall materials is needed, particularly; new light-weight building technologies are widely used in the construction of the building envelope. One of these parameters, particularly important in Mediterranean climatic dynamic conditions is the heat capacity, due to the presence of the sun’s energy contribution in hot and cold seasons. The value of the heat capacity in such like materials is typically quite different from the declared parameter, obtained in laboratory tests. To solve this problem, the authors propose a simple method for the evaluation of the specific heat capacity of the thermal properties of real scale building materials.

The age of European existing building stock and the very low growth rate make energy retrofit a critical issue at the moment. The spreading of good practices is strongly hampered by their cost effectiveness. National legislation thermal requirements for retrofitting works play a fundamental role. If they are too strict, the initial economic investment could be too high if compared with energy savings achievable. The paper refers to a case study of improving fabric thermal performance of stone masonry buildings located in Cagliari – Italy. They were built in 1950s. The economic feasibility of different energy efficiency retrofits is evaluated. Two different scenarios are analyzed: the former according to the earlier Italian legislation (valid from 2006 to 2008), the latter according to the latest and strictest measures (valid from 2010). The results show that heavy thermal performance upgrades, even though compulsory, are not completely cost-effective in a mild Mediterranean climate area as far as payback time is concerned. National subsidy policies can improve the economic return on the investment. The impact of present Italian incentives has also been evaluated.

In this paper the oxygen uptake using a metabolic measurement system and energy cost of a human operator during the harvesting of saffron flowers are discussed. The measurement of energy cost was performed for a traditional harvesting handmade activity compared to a harvesting phase with a facilitator machine. In the paper the facilitator machine prototype is described and its mechanical performances are presented. The metabolic measurements layout and results are then discussed, the test protocols are declared and the measures outlined and discussed comparing the energy cost with and without facilitator machine. For the experimental evaluation of the energy consumption a significant number of measurement samples for a statistically reliable evaluation has been used. A quantity synoptic parameter has been proposed for the comparison of energy consumption with and without the facilitator machine.

This paper introduces a comparison of different measuring methods of buildings fabric thermal resistance, including the test wall measuring points arrangements and measurement results, conducted in a test chamber in Cagliari (Italy) in summer 2009. Two methods and their measurement uncertainties are presented and compared by the compatibility of measurement study. The non-destructive method involves the heat-flow rate measurement through the test wall and its surface temperatures. The reliability of this method depends on the temperatures difference between the two environments separated by the building envelope. Thus two measurement series with different temperatures were carried out on the test wall. The destructive method instead foresees the acquisition of a sample by the use of a hollow drill, the building envelope layers thickness measurement and the thermal properties assignment to each different material. The wall R-value is the sum of each layer thermal resistance. The comparison shows that the R-values measured by the non-destructive method with a temperature difference of 10 °C and 7 °C and the one calculated from the destructive method obey the compatibility of measurement principle.

The article describes an experimental evaluation of performance of a flexible actuator specially conceived for propulsion of biomorphic robots. Static and dynamic characteristics are presented, particularly referring to the energy consumption.

The comfort sensation is mainly affected by six variables: air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, relative humidity, personal metabolism and clothing insulation. These are characterized by different mean values and distributions. To analyze the uncertainty propagation three numerical models are used: the Fully Monte Carlo Simulation MCSs, the Monte Carlo Simulation Trials MCSt, and a novel model named "Adaptive Derivative based High Dimensional Model Representation" (AD-HDMR). In the paper these three different methods are applied to the thermal comfort evaluation, through the PMV Index, they are analyzed and their efficiency was verified in terms of computational time. To allow a revision of this index, the effect of the different variables was then analyzed.

The system described here is conceived as a shoulder portable device for saffron flowers detaching and collecting. The system is a portable light machine, carried by the human operator on his back during the harvesting phase of the saffron production. The main parts of the system are two: the first one is a gripper designed to detach the flower containing three stigmas, which are the costly final product; the second one is aimed to collect the detached flower through a vacuum collector. In this paper, the operating principles of detaching and collecting devices are described: a model of the gripper is written and compared to the experimental laboratory tests, The model is also used to investigate the system operating principle sensitivity to the variation of some physical characteristics of the gripper. Experimental tests on field are also described to know on field performances of the system.

The home automation system to control the climatic health in confined environments is the subject of this article. The standard UNI EN ISO 7730:2006 classifies the conditions of moderate confined environments by three categories according to the PMV index. The comfort sensation is mainly affected by four variables: air temperature, mean radiant temperature, air velocity, relative humidity. They are all mechanical and thermal quantities therefore they are measured through the same measurement method. In evaluating the PMV index two more variables are taken into account: metabolism and clothing insulation. They can be evaluated by different accuracy levels. Their indirect measure is subjected to more uncertainty than the above four measuring parameters and the distribution is typically non-Gaussian. The paper analyses the uncertainty in PMV measuring through the Monte Carlo simulation. The proposed study identifies the different weight of independent variables showing as their uncertainty, particularly those referred to metabolism and clothing insulation, affects considerably the final values for classifying the moderate environments.

The kinetics and equilibria of indium(III) binding to 8-quinolinol-5-sulfonic acid (HQSA) have been investigated in acidic aqueous solution at 0.2 M ionic strength and 25 C by stopped-flow, absorption and fluorescence spectrometric methods. Absorption and fluorescence spectrometry revealed that a monoprotonated MHL3+ complex is formed in addition to the ML2+ chelate. The stability constants of the chelate (log K(ML) 6.53). of the monoprotonated complex (logK(MHL = 3.5l) and its acid dissociation constant (pK(C2) = 1.4) have been determined. Stopped-flow measurements indicate three reaction paths that involve the interaction of M3+ with H2L+ (k1 =(3.21 +/- 0.04) x 10(2) m(-1) s(-1)), M3+ with HL (k2=(6.52 +/- 0.04) x 10(4) M(-1)s(-1)) and MOH2+ with HL (k3 = (1.60 +/- 0.08) x 10(6) M(-1) s(-1)), respectively. The reactivity of In3+ toward the uncharged form of HQSA has been found to be approximately two orders of magnitude less than expected based upon water exchange experiments. This behaviour has been explained with the assumption that the ligand is distributed between two forms (neutral and zwitterion) of which only the neutral form is reactive. The rate of complex formation between In3+ and SO4(2-) ion has been measured by the temperature-jump method with Tropaeolin 00 as the indicator. The second-order rate constant of the binding process is 5.1 x 10(4) M s(-1). This quantity yields a value for the first-order rate constant of 570 s(-1) for ligand penetration into the In3+ coordination shell, approximately two orders of magnitude less than normal. This finding is interpreted by the hypothesis that SO4(2-) forms a chelate with In3+ for which ring closure is the rate-determining step.

This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus sativus L. (saffron) flowers. The system is conceived as a shoulder portable device with two main parts: the former is specifically designed to detach the flower containing three stigmas, which are the costly final product, while the second one collects the detached flower through a vacuum collector. This paper describes the operating principle of the device that imitates one of the procedures followed by the pickers but with the peculiarity that it harvests the flower without separating it from its leaves, which is a significant advantage since it simplifies the mechanical detachment of the flower. Experimental laboratory tests were carried out on the gripper prototype in order to investigate the dynamic behaviour of the detaching and harvesting device. The experimental activity is described in the paper and the experimental results are discussed to know the gripper prototype performances and to define the future work.

This work is concerned with a mechanical system designed to harvest Crocus Sativus (saffron) flowers. The system is conceived as a shoulder portable device with two main parts: the first one is specifically designed to detach the flower containing three stigmas, which are the costly final product; the second one is aimed to collect the detached flower through a vacuum collector. The system is carried by the human operator on his back. This paper describes the operating principle of the detaching and of the harvesting devices. The former device imitates one of the procedures followed by the pickers but with the peculiarity that allows to harvest the flower without separating it from its leaves, which is a significant advantage since it simplifies the mechanical detachment of the flower. The paper also deals with some experimental tests in the laboratory carried out in order to highlight the dynamic behaviour of the detaching and of the harvesting devices.

A temperature-jump apparatus with laser light sources was used to investigate the binding mechanism of indium(III) to pyrocathecol violet (3,3‘,4‘- trihydroxyfuchsone-2-sulfonic acid, whose neutral form is denoted as H4L). Spectrophotometric measurements revealed that for [H+] > 0.015 M, the main bound species are MH3L2+ and MH2L+ whereas for [H+] < 0.015 M, the main bound species is M2L2+. Two relaxation effects were observed. The fast relaxation is associated mainly with the reaction steps M3+ + H3L- ↔ MH3L2+ (k2 = 1.2 × 106 M-1 s-1, k-2 = 1.5 × 105 s-1) and MOH2+ + H3L- ↔ MH2L+ (k3 = 4.4 × 107 M-1 s-1, k-3 = 7.4 × 102 s-1). The rate constant k2 decreases, whereas k-2 increases, with increasing ionic strength. Addition of Na2SO4 results in a large reduction of the fast relaxation time that is ascribed to the binding of indium(III) to sulfate. Analysis of the relaxation time dependence on the sulfate concentration provides the binding constant of the indium−sulfate complex (K = 1.5 × 102 M-1). The activa...

The guidelines of the European community towards a low-carbon economic society identify one of the most important scenarios in the energy efficiency of existing buildings. The discrepancy between the requirement and availability of free heat (endogenous heat, solar radiation) in certain hours of the day and operating conditions, makes the steady-state hypothesis generally inappropriate. In particular, the oscillating component of the transmitted flow, compared to the average temperature difference, is regressive in winter and dominant in summer. From this it follows the reliability of the stationary forecast models in winter and the need for dynamic forecast models in summer. The dominance of the continental climate in the EU, compared to the Mediterranean one, led to the actual delay in the development of dynamic models, especially at a regulatory level. In this paper, a methodology for assessing the dynamic properties of a building component is evaluated. The methodology, based on heat transmission equations implements a numerical model for existing building components whose input data can be obtained from experimental measurements. The developed model has been used to estimate the energetic and thermal behaviour of a building envelope subjected to energy efficiency measures.