Search results for "Insula"
showing 10 items of 735 documents
Water-stable cellulose fiber foam with antimicrobial properties for bio based low-density materials
2018
New bio-based packaging materials are highly interesting for replacing conventional fossil based products for a more sustainable society. Waterstable cellulose fiber foams have been produced in a simple one-batch foam-forming process with drying under ambient conditions. The cellulose fiber foams have a low density (33–66 kg/m3) and can inhibit microbial growth; two highly valuable features for insulating packaging materials, especially in combination with stability in water. Cationic chitosan and/or polyvinylamine have been added during the foamforming process to give the foams water-stability and antimicrobial properties. The structural and mechanical properties of the cellulose fiber foa…
Life Cycle Energy and Environmental Assessment of the Thermal Insulation Improvement in Residential Buildings
2021
The refurbishment of the building stock is a key strategy towards the achievement of the climate and energy goals of the European Union. This study aims at evaluating the energy and environmental impacts associated with retrofitting a residential apartment to improve its vertical envelope thermal insulation. Two insulation materials, stone wool and cellulose fibers, are compared. The life cycle assessment methodology is applied assuming 1 m2 of retrofitted vertical envelope as functional unit. Moreover, to estimate the net energy and environmental benefits achievable in the retrofitted scenario compared with the non-retrofitted one, a second analysis is performed in which the system boundar…
Where are you from, stranger? The enigmatic biogeography of North African pond turtles (Emys orbicularis)
2014
Abstract The European pond turtle (Emys orbicularis) is a Nearctic element in the African fauna and thought to have invaded North Africa from the Iberian Peninsula. All North African populations are currently identified with the subspecies E. o. occidentalis. However, a nearly range-wide sampling in North Africa used for analyses of mitochondrial and microsatellite DNA provides evidence that only Moroccan populations belong to this taxon, while eastern Algerian and Tunisian pond turtles represent an undescribed distinct subspecies. These two taxa are most closely related to E. o. galloitalica with a native distribution along the Mediterranean coast of northern Spain through southern France …
In-situ measurements of hemp-lime insulation materials for energy efficiency improvement
2018
Abstract Reduction of the CO2 emissions in the atmosphere is one of the goals set forth by the European Union, hence various directives have been adopted, such as the European directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency, i.e. ensuring from 2019 the construction of the near-zero energy buildings (nZEB). The construction segment plays a very important part in solving the current global problem of the greenhouse gas emissions and related processes of global warming, because in certain countries (i.e. in Latvia) it represents more than a half of the total energy consumption. Hence the necessity to elaborate means on how to boost the energy efficiency of the buildings meanwhile not rising pressure…
Lesions to the posterior insular cortex cause dysarthria
2011
Background: Up to now, there are few systematic studies in a sufficient number of patients with lesions involving the insular cortex (IC) examining whether damage of the IC is directly related to dysarthria. Thus, this is the first study applying modern voxel-lesion behaviour mapping (VLBM) aimed to examine whether the IC is involved in dysarthria – and if so – which part of the IC is involved. Methods: Twenty-five patients with acute stroke lesions affecting the IC and peri-insular region were investigated employing VLBM analysis. Results: Present data indicated that dysarthria is associated with stroke lesions affecting the right- and left-sided posterior IC. Conclusions: Owing to the…
Firm Demography in the Accommodation Industry. Evidence from Italian Insular Regions
2020
The purpose of this study is to analyse the spatial pattern and the post-entry performance of tourism businesses in the Italian insular regions of Sardinia and Sicily. Using geo-referenced micro-data for the period 2011-2014, we explore the spatial distribution of ac-commodation firms in the two insular regions, and then compare the coastal and inland areas of the two regions. We observe a higher dispersion of firms in Sardinia than in Sicily; the latter, however having a higher concentration of firms in coastal and urban areas. We do not find significant differences in survival probability across the two insular regions but we do detect significant differences be-tween coastal and inland a…
Polyurethane and Polyisocyanurate Foams in External Tank Cryogenic Insulation
2013
External tanks of the spacecrafts need not only efficient, but also safe cryogenic insulation materials and the issues of their development are still urgent. At present, polyurethane (PUR) or polyisocyanurate (PIR) foams’ cryogenic insulation is widely applied in the partially reusable launch systems. Factors influencing the cryogenic resistance of external thermal insulation performed of spray-on PUR or PIR foams are characterised based on a wide literature search. They include chemical structure and macromolecules’ architecture of polymeric matrix, physical and mechanical properties of foams, thermal stability and combustibility, cellular structure of foams etc. Experimental data on physi…
Reinforcement Efficiency of Cellulose Microfibers for the Tensile Stiffness and Strength of Rigid Low-Density Polyurethane Foams
2020
Rigid low-density closed-cell polyurethane (PU) foams are widely used in both thermal insulation and structural applications. The sustainability of PU foam production can be increased by using bio-based components and fillers that ensure both enhanced mechanical properties and higher renewable material content. Such bio-based foams were produced using polyols derived from rapeseed oil and microcrystalline cellulose (MCC) fibers as filler. The effect of MCC fiber loading of up to 10 wt % on the morphology, tensile stiffness, and strength of foams has been evaluated. For estimation of the mechanical reinforcement efficiency of foams, a model allowing for the partial alignment of filler fibers…
Hybrid silicon on insulator/polymer electro-optical intensity modulator operating at 780 nm
2014
Currently inorganic materials prevail as the nonlinear active medium for light modulation in electro-optical (EO) device technology. A recent promising trend is to consider organic nonlinear optical materials for application in EO modulators due to their multiple advantages including low costs and high EO coefficients. In this paper, we proposed a new type of polymer EO modulator whose fabrication is compatible with the currently used silicon on insulator technology. Our numerical optimization of the proposed structure demonstrates that it is theoretically possible to achieve a half-wave voltage as low as 1.56 V for a 1 cm long modulator structure operating at 780 nm. Based on the results o…
Emergent ultrafast phenomena in correlated oxides and heterostructures
2017
The possibility of investigating the dynamics of solids on timescales faster than the thermalization of the internal degrees of freedom has disclosed novel non-equilibrium phenomena that have no counterpart at equilibrium. Transition metal oxides (TMOs) provide an interesting playground in which the correlations among the charges in the metal $d$-orbitals give rise to a wealth of intriguing electronic and thermodynamic properties involving the spin, charge, lattice and orbital orders. Furthermore, the physical properties of TMOs can be engineered at the atomic level, thus providing the platform to investigate the transport phenomena on timescales of the order of the intrinsic decoherence ti…