Progress on the implementation of Energy Performance Certificates in EU

Energy performance certificates (EPCs) are a key policy tool to inform about and to foster improvements to the energy performance of the building stock. Since their introduction in 2002 by the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD), EPCs have been implemented across Member States (MSs) in different ways, depending on the political and legal context, the available technical capacities, as well as the characteristics of the buildings stock and buildings market in general. In 2021, in the context of ?Fit for 55? legislative package, the European Commission proposed the third revision of the EPBD. The proposal improves the provisions on EPCs, their issuing and display, and their databases. In particular, it pursues harmonisation across MSs through a mandatory template for EPCs and a harmonised scale of energy performance classes. This report presents the results of a survey conducted by JRC among MSs to collect information on how each MS has implemented the EPC scheme. It highlights differences among MSs regarding the energy uses included in the calculation, the floor area considered, the definition of energy classes, the main indicator(s), the number of EPCs issued, the availability of a national register, the mechanisms in place to ensure the quality of EPCs

A report on a survey among Portuguese Association of Interventional Cardiology associates regarding ionizing radiation protection practices in national interventional cath-labs

Introduction and objectives: Concerns surrounding the consequences of ionizing radiation (IR) have increased in interventional cardiology (IC). Despite this, the ever-growing complexity of diseases as well as procedures can lead to greater exposure to radiation. The aim of this survey, led by Portuguese Association of Interventional Cardiology (APIC), was to evaluate the level of awareness and current practices on IR protection among its members. Methods: An online survey was emailed to all APIC members, between August and November 2021. The questionnaire consisted of 50 questions focusing on knowledge and measures of IR protection in the catheterization laboratory. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: From a response rate of 46.9%, the study obtained a total sample of 159 responses (156 selected for analysis). Most survey respondents (66.0%) were unaware of the radiation exposure category, and only 60.4% reported systematically using a dosimeter. A large majority (90.4%) employed techniques to minimize exposure to radiation. All participants used personal protective equipment, despite eyewear protection only being used frequently by 49.2% of main operators. Ceiling suspended shields and table protectors were often used. Only two-thirds were familiar with the legally established limit on radiation doses for workers or the dose that should trigger patient follow-up. Most of the survey respondents had a non-certified training in IR procedures and only 32.0% had attended their yearly occupational health consultation. Conclusions: Safety methods and protective equipment are largely adopted among interventional cardiologists, who have shown some IR awareness. Despite this, there is room for improvement, especially concerning the use of eyewear protection, monitoring, and certification. Keywords: Cardiologia de intervenção; Dosimeter; Dosímetro; Equipamentos de proteção; Intervention cardiology; Ionizing radiation; Limites de dose; Protective equipment; Radiação ionizante; Safety methods; Técnicas de minimização.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Acute kidney injury promotes development of papillary renal cell adenoma and carcinoma from renal progenitor cells.

Acute tissue injury causes DNA damage and repair processes involving increased cell mitosis and polyploidization, leading to cell function alterations that may potentially drive cancer development. Here, we show that acute kidney injury (AKI) increased the risk for papillary renal cell carcinoma (pRCC) development and tumor relapse in humans as confirmed by data collected from several single-center and multicentric studies. Lineage tracing of tubular epithelial cells (TECs) after AKI induction and long-term follow-up in mice showed time-dependent onset of clonal papillary tumors in an adenoma-carcinoma sequence. Among AKI-related pathways, NOTCH1 overexpression in human pRCC associated with worse outcome and was specific for type 2 pRCC. Mice overexpressing NOTCH1 in TECs developed papillary adenomas and type 2 pRCCs, and AKI accelerated this process. Lineage tracing in mice identified single renal progenitors as the cell of origin of papillary tumors. Single-cell RNA sequencing showed that human renal progenitor transcriptome showed similarities to PT1, the putative cell of origin of human pRCC. Furthermore, NOTCH1 overexpression in cultured human renal progenitor cells induced tumor-like 3D growth. Thus, AKI can drive tumorigenesis from local tissue progenitor cells. In particular, we find that AKI promotes the development of pRCC from single progenitors through a classical adenoma-carcinoma sequence

Beyond the First Year: Epidemiology and Management of Late-Onset Opportunistic Infections After Kidney Transplantation

Late opportunistic infections (OI) occurring beyond the first year after kidney transplantation (KT) are poorly described and not targeted by prophylactic strategies. We performed a ten-year retrospective monocentric cohort study describing epidemiology, risk factors and impact of late OI occurring 1 year after KT. We included clinically symptomatic OI requiring treatment besides BK virus nephropathy. Control groups included early OI occurring in the first year after KT, and KT recipients without OI since KT and alive with a functional allograft at 1 year. Among 1066 KT recipients, 185 (19.4%) presented a first episode of OI 21.0 (8.0–45.0) months after KT: 120 late OI (64.9%) and 65 early OI (35.1%). Late OI were mainly viral (N = 83, 69.2%), mostly herpes zoster (HZ) (N = 36, 43.4%). Pneumocystis represented most late fungal infections (N = 12/25, 48%). Compared to early OI, we reported more pneumocystis (p = 0.002) and less invasive aspergillosis (p = 0.01) among late OI. Patients with late OI were significatively younger at KT (54.0 ± 13.3 vs. 60.2 ± 14.3 years, p = 0.05). Patient and allograft survival rates between late OI and control groups were similar. Only age was independently associated with mortality. While late OI were not associated with higher mortality or graft loss, implementing prophylactic strategies might prevent such infections

Logistic density-dependent growth of an Aurelia aurita polyps population

We show in this paper that the dynamics of an Aurelia aurita polyps population can be modeled by the basic density-dependent logistic, or Verhulst, ordinary differential equation. A laboratory experiment was conducted on polyps of A. aurita attached to oyster shells collected in 2013 from the Port of Koper, Slovenia (North Adriatic Sea). The purpose of the present work is twofold: to study how the substrate availability may affect the growth of the polyps (and consequently of the jellyfish) population, and to propose an example for the classic logistic equation, both in high density (over the equilibrium) and in low density (under the equilibrium)

The white marble of the cloister of the Real College-Seminar of Corpus Christi in Valencia (Spain): archival researches for de identification of its provenance and diagnostic studies for understanding its decay

White marble and Ribarroja stone are the stone materials employed for the columns, the balustrade and the façades of the cloister of the Real Colegio Seminario of Corpus Christi in Valencia (1586-1611) also called Colegio del Patriarca. The state of conservation of the marble elements of the balustrade is more critical than that of the columns. The lack of data concerning the type and provenance of the marble from both the balustrade and the columns and its chemical-physical characteristics, has probably been the cause of wrong interpretations and wrong choices adopted in the restoration works executed in the 1980s. The data reported in this paper are the preliminary results of an interdisciplinary study based on the analysis of the archival sources and on the diagnostic investigations performed on the constituent materials. The gathered data allowed us to define the provenance of the marble (Carrara, Italy) and to establish the main causes of decay of the elements of the cloister