Double Envelope Unitized Curtain Wall for solar preheating of ventilation air

Despite recent efforts on energy performance improvement, curtain walls remain a significant contributor to the energy consumption of commercial buildings. A novel double envelope unitized curtain wall system is presented, aimed at the substantial improvement of the energy performance of glazed systems. Outdoor air is ventilated through an integrated cavity in its paths to the ventilation air intake of the air handling unit. In its path through the glazed envelope, the air is heated from both incident solar radiation and transmission losses recovered from the indoor environment. A substantial energy performance improvement is achieved by means of the preheating of fresh air. Energy consumption is reduced in the heating season, and even net gains above the heating demand are delivered under favorable conditions. By-pass elements are integrated to allow free cooling and natural ventilation when required in cooling mode. In this way, the double envelope also provides advantages in summer mode, where solar heat gain coefficients are substantially lower than for other systems due to the double envelope and the ventilation of the cavity to the ambient. The overall architectural concept, engineering design and outcomes of an experimental campaign over a 2-story full scale test in Spain are presented

Degradación enzimática de TRH y análogos en semen humano. Posible función en la fertilidad

Recientemente se ha descrito la presencia en semen humano de un péptido similar a la hormona liberadora de tirotropina (TRH) directamente implicado en la fertilidad, habiéndose denominado FPP (péptido promotor de la fertilidad). Se han determinado las actividades de las peptidasas más importantes en la degradación de estos péptidos en semen en distintos diagnósticos. Aunque se registran diferencias significativas en la actividad enzimática entre los distintos diagnósticos, dichas variaciones no son lo suficientemente claras como para aceptar estas peptidasas como marcadores válidos.Ugalkortasun arloan egindako azken aurkikuntzen artean tirotropinaren hormona askatzailearen (TRH) antzeko peptido baten aurkikuntza azpimarratzekoa da. Peptido honek ugalkortasunaren prozesuan eragin zuzena duela aurkitu da, izan ere ugalkortasuna errazten duen peptidoa izendatu diote (FPP). Haziko zatikietan ematen den peptido hauen apurketan peptidasa garrantzitsuenen funtzioa ezartzeko asmoz eta ugalkortasunarekin erlazionatutako diagnostiko adierazle bezala balio dezaketen frogatzeko asmoz, bere aktibitate entzimatikoak neurtu dira. Diagnostiko desberdinen artean aldaketa adierazgarriak badira ere, diferentziak ez dira nahiko argiak peptidasa hauek adierazle baliogarri bezala onartzeko.Parmi les derniers découvertes réalisées dans le champ de la fertilité il faut détacher la présence dans le liqueur seminale humain d'un peptide similaire à l'hormone libératrice de tirotropina (TRH) directèment impliqué dans ce procés qui a été nommé FPP (fertilization promoting peptide). A fin d'etablir le rol des peptidases les plus importants dans la dégradation de ses peptides dans les fractions seminales et de vérifier s'ils peuvent servir comme marqueurs des divers diagnostiques seminalesm rélationés avec la fertilité, les activités enzimatiques ant été déterminés. Malgré les differences significatives parmi les deux diagnostiques, ces variations ne sont pas suffisamment clairs pour accepterces peptidases comme des marqueurs valids.Recently it has been described the presence in human semen of a thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) like peptide, directly implicated in the fertility and therefore it has been called fertilization promoting peptide (FPP). We have measured the activities of the most important peptidases in the degradation of these peptides in semen in different diagnostics. Although there are significative differences among the diagnostics, these variations are not clear enough to accept these peptidases like valid markers

Enhancing surface integrity of A7050-T7451 aluminium alloy by pneumatic machine hammer peening

Aerostructures withstand cyclic mechanical loads and therefore, their design must fulfil surface integrity and fatigue strength requirements. This paper studies the effect of pneumatic machine hammer peening on surface integrity of 7050-T7451 aluminium alloy. Specimens were hammer peened using two different stepover distances (0.07 and 0.35 mm) and initial offset (0.3 and 0.5 mm). A Kistler dynamometer was used to measure the forces generated by hammer peening. Then, the surface topography, residual stresses and microstructural damage of the specimens were characterised. The results demonstrate that the magnitude of residual stresses and the thickness of the affected layer increases when reducing the stepover distance, while surface roughness reduces. Additionally, none of the tested conditions produced microstructural defects. These findings suggest that pneumatic hammer peening is an additional process to manufacture thin-walled structural aluminium alloy components

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Vinylcyclopropane-Cyclopentene (VCP-CP) Rearrangement

We have demonstrated that the catalytic and enantioselective vinylcyclopropane-cyclopentene rearrangement can be carried out on (vinylcyclopropyl)acetaldehydes through activation via enamine intermediates. The reaction makes use of racemic starting materials that, upon ring opening facilitated by the catalytic generation of a donor-acceptor cyclopropane, deliver an acyclic iminium ion/dienolate intermediate in which all stereochemical information has been deleted. The final cyclization step forms the rearrangement product, showing that chirality transfer from the catalyst to the final compound is highly effective and leads to the stereocontrolled formation of a variety of structurally different cyclopentenes

Organocatalytic Enantioselective Vinylcyclopropane-Cyclopentene (VCP-CP) Rearrangement

We have demonstrated that the catalytic and enantioselective vinylcyclopropane-cyclopentene rearrangement can be carried out on (vinylcyclopropyl)acetaldehydes through activation via enamine intermediates. The reaction makes use of racemic starting materials that, upon ring opening facilitated by the catalytic generation of a donor-acceptor cyclopropane, deliver an acyclic iminium ion/dienolate intermediate in which all stereochemical information has been deleted. The final cyclization step forms the rearrangement product, showing that chirality transfer from the catalyst to the final compound is highly effective and leads to the stereocontrolled formation of a variety of structurally different cyclopentenes.Grants PID2019-104090RB-100 and PID2020-118422GB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by “ESF Investing in your future” are gratefully acknowledged together with the Basque Government (Grupos IT1558-22) and the Government of Aragón (Grupos Consolidados, E34-20R and a fellowship to M. P.). G. G. also thanks the Spanish Ministerio de Universidades for an FPU grant. The authors thankfully acknowledge the resources from the supercomputers “Memento” and “Cierzo”, technical expertise and assistance provided by BIFI-ZCAM (Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain)

Level of Physical Activity, Sedentary Behavior, and Sleep in the Child and Adolescent Population in the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country (6-17 Years Old): Protocol for the Mugikertu Study.

[EN] BACKGROUND: Physical inactivity and sedentary behavior are increasingly common problems in the general population, which can lead to overweight, obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and decreased motor and cognitive capacity among children and adolescents. Establishing healthy habits in childhood on the basis of the World Health Organization's 2020 Physical Activity Guidelines is essential for proper physical, motor, and cognitive development. OBJECTIVE: The primary aim of this study is to describe the level of physical activity (PA), sedentary behavior, and sleep of the child and adolescent population from 6 to 17 years of age in the Basque Autonomous Community (BAC). Our secondary aim is to establish a starting point for future research and intervention protocols to improve the existing reality. METHODS: This cross-sectional study aims to recruit 1111 children and adolescents, aged 6 to 17 years from the BAC in a representative random sample. Participants will wear the ActiGraph WGT3X-BT triaxial accelerometer for 7 consecutive days in their nondominant wrist, and fill out a habit diary log of PA, mobility, and sleep routine. PA intensities, sedentary behavior, and sleep parameters (total bedtime, total sleep time, and sleep efficiency) will be calculated from raw accelerometer data using SPSS (IBM Corp). Participants will be randomly selected. RESULTS: The results of this study intend to demonstrate significant differences in PA levels in different age and gender groups since the volume of school PA in the BAC decreases as the age of the schoolchildren increases. The total study sample includes 1111 participants. In April 2021, up to 50% of the sample size was reached, which is expected to increase to 100% by April 2022. This sample will allow us to analyze, discuss, compare, and assess the reality of the school population, in a sensitive period of adherence to behavior patterns, using data from the geographical and administrative area of the BAC. This study will provide a realistic insight into PA levels among children and adolescents in the BAC. It will also offer scientific contributions on the positive relationship between PA levels and sleep quality in this population. CONCLUSIONS: This study might highlight the need for the promotion of cross-sectional policies so that children and adolescents may increase their levels of PA, thus improving both the school environment and positive healthy behavior.This study has been performed with the support of the Basque government and all the centers. In addition, we express our gratitude to all the children, adolescents, and their families who have and will participate in the study

Strategy for managing maternal variant RHD alleles in Rhesus D negative obstetric populations during fetal RHD genotyping

ObjectivesFetal RHD screening programs that aim to reduce unnecessary antenatal anti-D prophylaxis are being introduced into clinical practice. Strategies to manage women serologically typed as Rhesus D negative who have maternal RHD variants are needed. This study describes maternal RHD allelic variants detected in nonselected and alloimmunised Rhesus D negative obstetric populations and explores a mathematical approach to identify these variants