A new class of unnatural heterogeneous foldamers is reported to contain alternative α-amino acid and sulfono-γ-AA amino acid residues in a 1:1 repeat pattern. Two-dimensional NMR data show that two 1:1 α/sulfono-γ-AA peptides with diverse side chains form analogous right-handed helical structures in solution. The effects of sequence length, side chain, N-capping, and temperature on folding propensity were further investigated using circular dichroism and small-angle X-ray scattering.

The aim of this paper was to study qualitatively and quantitatively the thermal perception and corresponding heat stress conditions that prevail in two schoolyards in a coastal city in central Greece. For this purpose, meteorological parameters (i.e., wind speed, temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation) were recorded at 70 and 55 measuring points in the schoolyards, from 14:00 to 15:30 local time, during May and June of 2011. The measuring points were distributed so as to get measurements at points (a) directly exposed to the sun, (b) under the shadow of trees and building structures, and (c) near building structures. Cluster analysis was applied to group observations and revealed places that are microclimatically homogeneous. Thermal perception and heat stress conditions were assessed by means of the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET, °C), and the results are presented in relevant charts. The impact of material's albedo, radiation's reflection by structures and obstacles, and different tree species on thermal perception and heat stress conditions was also assessed. The analysis showed that trees triggered a reduction of incident solar radiation that ranged between 79 and 94 % depending on tree's species, crown dimension, tree height, and leaf area. PET values were mainly affected by solar radiation and wind speed. Trees caused a reduction of up to 37 % in PET values, while a 1-m s(-1) increase in wind speed triggered a reduction of 3.7-5.0 °C in PET value. The effective shading area in the two schoolyards was small, being 27.5 and 11 %. The results of this study could be exploited by urban planning managers when designing or improving the outdoor environment of a school complex.

The present study explores the effects on microclimate parameters and on heat stress conditions of the bioclimatic redevelopment of an urban schoolyard based mainly on inserting shading canopies and replacing hard surfaces with green cover. This included the use of the recent version of the microclimate model ENVI-met (V4), first validated using experimental data and then later applied to different case studies in schoolgrounds of Volos, a coastal city in central Greece under Mediterranean type climate. The simulation of the existing yard condition showed that the values of the biometorological index PET (physiologically equivalent temperature, in °C), were within the range of the thermal sensation class of extreme heat stress (> 41 °C) from early morning, while at midday 80.5% of the yard area was within the range of the above class. With the implementation of the redesign proposal, 69.9% of the yard area was improved by two or three PET scale classes, helping to improve the microclimate in 82% of the total area of the courtyard. Tree canopies reduced the direct incident radiation more than 90%, reduced T and PET index up to 31 °C and 19 °C, respectively, and the surface ground temperatures of wet grass and hard surfaces more than 20 °C and 14 °C, respectively.

Urban outdoor thermal conditions, and its impacts on the health and well-being for the city inhabitants have reached increased attention among biometeorological studies during the last two decades. Children are considered more sensitive and vulnerable to hot ambient conditions compared to adults, and are affected strongly by their thermal environment. One of the urban outdoor environments that children spend almost one third of their school time is the schoolyard. The aims of the present manuscript were to review studies conducted worldwide, in order to present the biophysical characteristics of the typical design of the urban schoolyard. This was done to assess, in terms of bioclimatology, the interactions between the thermal environment and the children’s body, to discuss the adverse effects of thermal environment on children, especially the case of heat stress, and to propose measures that could be applied to improve the thermal environment of schoolyards, focusing on vegetation. Human thermal comfort monitoring tools are mainly developed for adults, thus, further research is needed to adapt them to children. The schemes that are usually followed to design urban schoolyards create conditions that favour the exposure of children to excessive heat, inducing high health risks to them. The literature survey showed that typical urban schoolyard design (i.e., dense surface materials, absence of trees) triggered high surface temperatures (that may exceed 58 °C) and increased absorption of radiative heat load (that may exceed 64 °C in terms of Mean Radiant Temperature) during a clear day with intense solar radiation. Furthermore, vegetation cover has a positive impact on schoolyard’s microclimate, by improving thermal comfort and reducing heat stress perception of children. Design options for urban schoolyards and strategies that can mitigate the adverse effects of heat stress are proposed with focus on vegetation cover that affect positively their thermal environment and improve their aesthetic and functionality.

The objectives of this effort was to study the effect of vertical (green wall) and horizontal (pergola) green structures on the microclimate conditions of the building surroundings and estimate the thermal perception and heat stress conditions near the two structures. The experimental data were used to validate the results simulated by the recent version (V4.0 preview III) of ENVI-met software which was used to simulate the effect of different design parameters of a pergola and a green façade on microclimate and heat stress conditions. Further aim is to use these results for better design of green structures. The microclimate measurements were carried out in real scale structures (hydroponic pergola and hydroponic green wall) at the Kostakii Campus of the Technological Education Institute of Epirus (Arta, Greece). The validation results showed a very good agreement between measured and simulated values of air temperature, with T = 0.98 T in the Empty atrium and T = 0.99 T in the Atrium with pergola, with a determination coefficient R of 0.98 and 0.93, respectively. The model was used to predict the effects of green structures on air temperature (T), relative humidity (RH), and mean radiant temperature (T). The output values of these parameters were used as input data in the RayMan pro (V 2.1) model for estimating the physiologically equivalent temperature (PET) of different case scenarios. The average daytime value of simulated air temperature in the atrium for the case without and with pergola during three different days was 29.2 and 28.9 °C while the corresponding measured values were 29.7 and 29.2 °C. The results showed that compared to the case with no pergola in the atrium, covering 100% the atrium area with a planted pergola reduced at the hottest part of the day T and PET values by 29.4 and 17.9 °C, respectively. Although the values of air temperature (measured and simulated) were not greatly affected by the presence of a green wall, the most important effect of green wall to the building wall is the reduction of solar radiation behind the green wall. This reduction leads to a significant reduction (about 8 °C) of building surface temperature behind the green wall and accordingly to a reduction of the energy load of the building.