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This study was conducted at SPINLab. The full-scale experiments were performed using two experimental spaces of identical specifications to investigate the effects of electrochromic film (OG + ECON or OG + ECOFF) on indoor environment and air conditioning electricity consumption in buildings with different orientations (East and West). The electricity-saving effects are more pronounced on the building’s west-facing side than on its east-facing side. For the east-facing side, the average electricity savings for OG + ECON and OG + ECOFF were 4.5%, and 5.1%, respectively. For the west-facing side, the average electricity savings increased to 9.2% and 9.4% for OG + ECON and OG + ECOFF. The research results on thermal comfort indicate (PMV) that applying electrochromic film (OG + ECON or OG + ECOFF) significantly improved indoor thermal comfort compared to using clear glass (OG) alone. The visual comfort analysis results indicate that the opaque (OG + ECOFF) and transparent (OG + ECON) states of electrochromic film could reduce daylight glare probability (DGP) values. However, due to the light-scattering properties of the liquid crystal droplets, the OG + ECOFF and OG + ECON states of the electrochromic film increased DGP values in 26.5% and 41.5% of the cases, respectively, when sunlight directly entered the interior.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of window films on indoor environmental conditions and electricity consumption of air conditioning. The research focused on the performance of different window films (HAG, RG), taking into account variations from different building orientations. The findings of this research indicated that building orientation could significantly influence the duration of direct sunlight entering the interior, with the areas closer to the glass being more susceptible to the effects of outdoor temperature and solar radiation. The clear glass with heat-absorbing film (HAG) and reflective film (RG) both reduced the indoor temperature and indoor illuminance while increasing indoor comfort. The RG could accumulate less heat on the glass surface compared with the HAG. The glass temperature of the RG will be lower than the HAG. The electricity-saving ratios of the HAG were 1.4%, 1.9%, 1.4%, and 1.2%, respectively, when facing the east, south, west, and northwest orientations compared with the clear glass (OG). The electricity-saving ratios of the RG were 3%, 4.2%, 4.2%, and 10.3%, respectively.

Recently, energy saving has been a major issue in all aspects. In buildings, air conditioning is one major part of power consumption. In this study, we examined the effect of an intermittent control strategy for air conditioning on energy saving in western-exposed rooms under subtropical weather conditions. The strategy applied periodic deactivation and reactivation to the air conditioners. Room temperatures, power consumption, and readings from sensors of air conditioners of two identical rooms were monitored and analyzed. For indoor temperatures, we found that the deactivation of the air conditioner for 15 min resulted in temperature peaks that were 4 to 5 °C higher than the control room. The reactivation of the air conditioner was able to cool down the room within 10 min based on the built-in sensor. However, due to the location and resolution of the sensor, the overall temperature from the four temperature and humidity sensors was still higher than the target setting, which may cause thermal discomfort. For power consumption, the strategy led to power peaks while reactivating, but the summation was 2.9% lower.

Genome-wide association studies demonstrated that immune suppressive receptor CD33 variants are associated with high susceptibility to developing Alzheimer's disease (AD). Human CD33 (hCD33) regulates microglial immune response and clearance ability. However, the differential regulation of phagocytosis by human and mouse CD33 imposes constraints on utilizing the mouse model for investigating the role of CD33 in AD. Therefore, we investigate the pathogenesis progression of the AD mouse model with hCD33 knockin. We generated conditional hCD33 knock-in mice on microglia in the J20 AD mouse model. At 6 months, Morris water maze and Barnes maze were applied to examine their spatial learning and memory. The ELISA and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the accumulation of soluble and insoluble Aβ, microglial activation, in-vivo Aβ uptake, and synaptic dysregulation. In the presence of hCD33, Aβ accumulation was decreased in the AD mouse. Conversely, a more diffuse and less condensed plaque structure was observed. In hCD33 knock-in mice, microglia failed to form a compact barrier covering plaque deposits. Under hCD33 expression, AD mice had more neurotoxic dystrophic neurite around plaques, suggesting a higher plaque-associated neurotoxicity. However, spatial learning and memory retention had no significant differences between the control AD mice and hCD33 knock-in AD mice in the Morris water maze. Our findings suggested that the presence of the AD risk gene human CD33 incurred neurotoxicity and altered the structure of Aβ deposition by manipulating microglial barrier formation against AD stress.

This study focuses on the efficiency of passive solar chimney in natural ventilation performance. A case study is conducted for the conference hall at the Magic School of Green Technology (MSGT) in Tainan, Taiwan. The efficiency of the passive solar chimney is evaluated using both computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and full-scale model tests. Simulation and experimental results demonstrate that without the thermal resources of people in the conference hall. The air exchange rates were 5.15ACH and 4.92ACH. With the thermal resources of 200 people in the conference hall, the air exchange rates were as high as 8.62ACH. When the external temperature is lower than 28°C, the internal temperature in conference hall is still in acceptable and comfortable scope. By using the passive solar chimney in the conference hall, the air-conditioning system can be shut off for 4 months and energy consumption can be reduced by roughly 27% annually in Taiwan.

This is a case study on the Magic school of Green Technology (MSGT), the first zero-carbon building in Taiwan. This study simulated the energy performance of the MSGT by using eQUEST, a tool for simulating building energy, before the construction was complete. This study compared the simulated energy use with the actual energy use of the MSGT in 2011, and determined that the actual energy use was lower than the simulated energy use. Based on this comparison, the study proved that the MSGT consumed 65% less energy than do similarly sized buildings with the same functions.

Energy use intensity (EUI) is a significant index for energy management in the building sector; however, previous research that determined an EUI benchmark for a type of building resulted in serious problems. Such earlier EUI benchmarks cannot fairly evaluate office buildings with different proportions of parking areas and different numbers of floors, becoming an obstacle for energy management. Therefore, this study proposes an area-weighted office building EUI benchmark that calculates according to office areas and parking areas. This study subsequently surveys the electricity consumption of 58 office buildings in Taiwan to determine the office area EUI benchmark that depends on the number of floors in a building, and suggests a reasonable parking area EUI benchmark. Finally, this study promotes a fairer EUI benchmark and ranking system for office buildings in Taiwan. Such a benchmark and ranking system act as a reference for the promotion of the building energy certificate system in Taiwan.

Background Genome‐wide association studies demonstrated that immune suppressive receptor CD33 variants are associated with high susceptibility to developing Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Human CD33 (hCD33) regulates microglial immune response and clearance ability. However, the differential regulation of phagocytosis by human and mouse CD33 imposes constraints on utilizing the mouse model for investigating the role of CD33 in AD. Therefore, we investigate the pathogenesis progression of the AD mouse model with hCD33 knockin. Method We generated conditional hCD33 knock‐in mice on microglia in the J20 AD mouse model. At 6 months, Morris water maze and Barnes maze were applied to examine their spatial learning and memory. The ELISA and immunohistochemistry were used to examine the accumulation of soluble and insoluble Aβ, microglial activation, in‐vivo Aβ uptake, and synaptic dysregulation. Result In the presence of hCD33, Aβ accumulation was decreased in the AD mouse. Conversely, a more diffuse and less condensed plaque structure was observed. In hCD33 knock‐in mice, microglia failed to form a compact barrier covering plaque deposits. Under hCD33 expression, AD mice had more neurotoxic dystrophic neurite around plaques, suggesting a higher plaque‐associated neurotoxicity. However, spatial learning and memory retention had no significant differences between the control AD mice and hCD33 knock‐in AD mice in the Morris water maze. Conclusion Our findings suggested that the presence of the AD risk gene human CD33 incurred neurotoxicity and altered the structure of Aβ deposition by manipulating microglial barrier formation against AD stress.

A conference hall is a large meeting space that requires high-wattage lighting equipment to provide sufficient illumination. Ceiling lights are not easy to maintain and cause glare in the seating area. This study simulates the interior lighting of the International Conference Hall in the Magic School of Green Technology (MSGT) using high efficiency ceramic metal halide lamps that replace the general design luminaires, and PL and fluorescent lamps. We use the secondary reflection of light to reduce glare and improve lighting uniformity. The results show that high efficiency lighting can reduce by 25% the standard lighting equipment and still provide the same illumination levels. Furthermore, the overall conference hall lighting uniformity increases from 0.59 to 0.78.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the accumulation of amyloid plaque and neurofibrillary tangles, ultimately impairing multiple cognitive domains. Both plaques and tangles cause neuronal damage and stimulate inflammatory responses in glial cells. The fibroblast growth factor receptor 1 (FGFR1)-mediated signaling pathways support the function of damaged neurons and modulate inflammatory response. The FGFR1 agonists, including Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF1) and FG loop peptide (FGL), have been implicated in multiple disease therapy. Whether FGFR1 agonists can improve pathology and cognitive function in AD remains unknown. Here, we showed that administration of FGF1 and FGL to the AD mouse model reversed spatial memory impairment, enhanced neurogenesis, suppressed reactive astrogliosis, and restricted dystrophic neurite. However, only FGF1 treatment reduced the deposition of senile plaque. In microglial culture studies, FGF1 improves the phagocytosis ability of microglia, which contributes to the clearance of plaques. Together, our findings suggested that FGFR1 agonists alleviate pathology and cognitive impairment via immunomodulatory and improve neuronal health in the AD mouse model.Competing Interest StatementThe authors have declared no competing interest.