In this paper, the thermal performance of four common insulators in two internal and external insulation systems is investigated for the ASHRAE setpoint range by applying detailed numerical simulation and Anti-Insulation phenomenon. Anti-Insulation phenomenon and consequent extra load on the HVAC system can occur following the thermal insulation of a building if proper temperature setpoint is n...

Free cooling techniques can be used to substantially reduce energy costs. During cold weather, the outside ambient temperature can help in saving energy in refrigeration systems. The low temperature of the cooling ambient air supply enables free cooling technique to store fresh fruits and vegetables. This energy-efficiency measure can save enough compressor electric power to pay for modulating ...

Costs of phenotypic plasticity are important for the evolution of plasticity because they prevent organisms from shaping themselves at will to match heterogeneous environments. These costs occur when plastic genotypes have relatively low fitness regardless of the trait value expressed. We report two experiments in which we measured selection on predator-induced plasticity in the behaviour and e...

Data are related to the multi-objective optimization process applied to the building materials to obtain high energy-efficient precast walls for cold climate. The methodology has been explained on the paper entitled "High performance precast external walls for cold climate by a multi criteria methodology" (Baglivo and Congedo, 2016) [1]. The modeFRONTIER rel.4.3 optimization tool has been used ...

Economic activities within and between networked organizations can be coordinated via hierarchies (internal coordination) or markets (external coordination). There are theories that explain both agency theory (Jensen transaction cost economics (Williamson, 1985). It is assumed that networked organizations design their organization and network of trading partners such that the sum of internal an...

From the viewpoint of a company’s controlling shareholder, the optimal ownership structure generally involves some measure of dispersion, to avoid excessive monitoring by other shareholders. The optimal dispersion of share ownership can be achieved by going public, but this choice also entails some costs (the cost of listing and the loss of control over the shareholder register). If the control...

Old adults' tendency to rely on information present in the environment rather than internal representations has been frequently noted, but is not well understood. The fade-out paradigm provides a useful model situation to study this internal-to-external shift across the life span: Subjects need to transition from an initial, cued task-switching phase to a fade-out phase where only 1 task remain...

Ample evidence points to a negative relation between internal funds (profitability) and the demand for external funds (debt issuance). This relation has been interpreted as evidence supporting the pecking order theory. We show, however, that the negative effect of internal funds on the demand for external financing is concentrated among firms that are least likely to face high external financin...

Sperm competition may select for male reproductive traits that influence female mating or oviposition rate. These traits may induce fitness costs to the female; however, they may be costly for the males as well as any decrease in female fitness also affects male fitness. Male adaptations to sperm competition manipulate females by altering not only female behaviour or physiology, but also female...

This paper investigates the relation between financial development and firm size. The model shows that the quality of laws, by affecting the level of monitoring costs, has an effect on risk sharing and, through this channel, on the investor basis and the availability of external finance to firms. If, because of high monitoring costs, the provision of finance to projects is concentrated in very ...