Sustainability assessment of dwellings - a comparison of methodologies

Building sustainability assessment tools (BSATs) aim to promote and rank the sustainability of building stock. This paper makes a deep comparative analysis on how dwellings are evaluated by five BSAT and one performance-based design tool. The comparison is based on: (i) the purpose of assessment; (ii) sustainability dimensions considered; (iii) indicators addressed; (iv) life cycle phases considered by the indicators; (v) type of indicators; (vi) measurements; (vii) aggregation processes; and (vii) life cycle phases during which the assessment was carried out. The evaluation showed that the scope of BSAT varies significantly as well as the life cycle phases addressed in the assessment. Financial issues are often excluded from the assessment. None of the schemes is totally quantitative or qualitative in their measurement system; all have different types of indicators and different ways to assess them. This research provides researchers and stakeholders with important inside knowledge on the tools that allow the development and construction of more sustainable buildings.This work was supported by FCT (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia - Portugal) under Grant SFRH/BD/76043/2011 to Joana Bonifacio Andrade

Biological functions of blood group antigens

Os antígenos de grupos sanguíneos eritrocitários são estruturas macromoleculares localizadas na superfície extracelular da membrana eritrocitária. Com o desenvolvimento de estudos moleculares, mais de 250 antígenos são conhecidos e estão organizados em 29 sistemas de grupos sanguíneos reconhecidos pela Sociedade Internacional de Transfusão Sanguínea (ISBT). Estudos têm revelado que os antígenos de grupo sanguíneo estão expressos na membrana eritrocitária com ampla diversidade estrutural, incluindo epítopos de carboidratos em glicoproteínas e/ou glicolipídios e em proteínas inseridas na membrana via um domínio, via domínios de multipassagem ou ligados a glicosilfosfatidinositol. Além das diversidades estruturais, muitas funções importantes têm sido associadas aos antígenos eritrocitários recentemente identificadas, podendo ser esquematicamente divididas em: estruturais, transportadores, receptores e moléculas de adesão, enzimas, proteínas controladoras do complemento e outras. Esta revisão tem como foco as funções potenciais das moléculas que expressam os antígenos eritrocitários.Erythrocyte blood group antigens are macromolecules structures located on the extracellular surface of the red blood cell membrane. The development of molecular studies allowed the recognition of more than 250 antigens by the International Society for Blood Transfusion (ISBT). These studies have also shown that blood group antigens are carried on red blood cell membrane of wide structural diversity, including carbohydrate epitopes on glycoproteins and/or glycolipids and on proteins inserted within the membrane via single or multi-pass transmembrane domains, or via glycosylphosphatidylinositol linkages. In addition, to their structural diversity, many important functions associated with blood group antigens have been recently identified and can be didactically divided into: structural proteins, transporters, receptors and adhesion molecules, enzymes, complement control proteins and others. This review will focus on the potential functions of the molecules that express blood group antigens

Avaliação dos sistemas de aquecimento, arrefecimento e ventilação de edifícios

O bem-estar do ser humano, é fundamental para promover a sua qualidade de vida, melhorar o seu rendimento no trabalho e a interação saudável com outros. Este artigo foca o conforto térmico, que é um dos principais fatores que influenciam esse bem-estar. Os sistemas técnicos de climatização - aquecimento, arrefecimento e ventilação ? e de água quente sanitária são uma mais-valia na melhoria do clima interior, no entanto, o seu uso excessivo levou ao aumento do consumo da energia final ? que em parte se deve à falta de conhecimento dos projetistas e dos utilizadores ? espelhando-se no aumento do consumo energético dos edifícios. Foi estudado um edifício típico português com baixa classificação energética, com recurso à Plataforma para a Eficiência Energética de Edifícios do IteCons, o que permitiu avaliar o comportamento térmico típico das habitações. Procedeu-se à reabilitação do edifício primando pelas soluções passivas e em seguida, implementando sistemas ativos de acordo com as necessidades do edifício. Após esta análise, foram estudadas soluções que apresentavam maior potencial de melhoria. Assim, conseguiu-se concluir acerca da importância que as medidas de melhoria têm, e de que forma promovem o aumento da eficiência energética de um edifício. Realizou-se também a análise económica de cada solução, para avaliar a relação custo/benefício. O desenvolvimento deste trabalho pretende criar formas de auxiliar o projeto, construção ou reabilitação de um edifício, apresentando os benefícios e desvantagens quer dos vários sistemas ativos quer passivos.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessing micro-generation’s and non-linear loads’ impact in the power quality of low voltage distribution networks

Distribution networks face an increasing penetration of solar PV (photovoltaic) and small WTG (wind turbine generator) as well as other forms of micro-generation. To this scenario, one must add the dissemination of non-linear loads such as EV (electric vehicles). There is something in common between those loads and sources: the extensive use of power electronic converters with commutated switches. These devices may be a source of medium-to-high frequency harmonic distortion and their impact on the local distribution grid must be carefully assessed in order to evaluate their negative impacts on the network, on the existing conventional loads and also on other active devices. In this paper, methodologies to characterize effects such as: harmonics, network unbalances, damaging power line resonance conditions, and over/under voltages are described and applied to a real local grid configuration

Early stage design decisions: the way to achieve sustainable buildings at lower costs

The construction industry attempts to produce buildings with as lower environmental impact as possible. However, construction activities still greatly affect environment; therefore, it is necessary to consider a sustainable project approach based on its performance. Sustainability is an important issue to consider in design, not only due to environmental concerns but also due to economic and social matters, promoting architectural quality and economic advantages. This paper aims to identify the phases through which a design project should be developed, emphasising the importance and ability of earlier stages to influence sustainability, performance, and life cycle cost. Then, a selection of sustainability key indicators, able to be used at the design conceptual phase and able to start predicting environmental sustainability performance of buildings is presented. The output of this paper aimed to enable designers to compare and evaluate the consequences of different design solutions, based on preliminary data, and facilitate the collaboration between stakeholders and clients and eventually yield a sustainable and high performance building throughout its life cycle.This research work has received partial funding from the European Community’s Research Fund for Coal and Steel (RFCS) under Grant Agreement no. RFSR-CT-2010-00027. This paper reflects only the author’s views and the community is not liable for any use that may be made of the information contained therein. Joana Andrade was supported by the Ph.D. FCT Fellowship SFRH/BD/76043/2011

TEX4WOUNDS: development of advanced textile materials for wound care

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Assessment of PV and wind microgeneration's impact in the power quality of low and medium voltage distribution networks

Electric power systems face an ever-growing penetration (PV) and other microgeneration as well as non-linear loads such as electric vehicles. This is a common link between these : the extensive use of power electronics converters. These devices are a source of medium-to-high frequency harmonic distortion and their impact on the local distribution grid must be carefully assessed in order to evaluation possible network unbalances, demaging power line resonance conditions, transformer core saturation and overhearing

Suitability of silk-based 3D biotextiles seeded with human adipose-derived stem cells for a bone tissue engineering approach

Human Adipose-derived Stem Cells (hASCs) became an emerging possibility for tissue replacement therapies, such as bone tissue regeneration. Due to their osteogenic differentiation potential, easy isolation, expansion and in vitro proliferation, they have become a highly potential source of seed cells to be seeded in bone tissue engineering (TE) constructs and have demonstrated promising prospects in bone regeneration [1, 2]. To date several strategies have been proposed with more or less success to prepare porous three-dimensional biodegradable scaffolds for bone TE. Among them, textile technologies are particularly interesting since they can allow for producing finely tuned, fibre-based complex structures, offering superior control over the design (ex: size, shape, porosity, fibre alignment), manufacturing and reproducibility. The aim of this work is to evaluate the potential of recently developed silk-based biotextile structures [3] to promote hASCs adhesion, proliferation and osteoblastic differentiation. Natural silk yarns were processed into different 3D structures using standard knitting or warpknitting technologies to increase the scaffold’s tridimensionality. In the latter case two knitted silk layers are assembled and spaced by a monofilament of polyethylene terephthalate (PET). These constructs were characterized in terms of their morphology by Microcomputed Tomography (l-CT) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The mechanical properties were investigated through compressive tests and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). All constructs disclose a biocompatible behavior, assessed using a mouse fibroblastic cell line (L929; ECACC, UK). hASCs were seeded onto the scaffolds and cultured for 14, 21 and 28 days in osteogenic medium. All textile constructs were analysed in terms of cell adhesion, proliferation and differentiation potential influence through the biological assays, alkaline phosphatase (ALP), DNA and Ca2+ quantification and histological, confocal, SEM and Real-Time PCR analysis. The obtained constructs present very reproducible intra-architectural scaffold geometry with high surface area and exhibiting a wide range of porosities. By the above mentioned assays it was possible validate the developed constructs as suitable for hASCs adhesion, proliferation and differentiation into an osteoblastic lineage. The positive influence of the developed 2D/3D textile structures on the osteoblastic differentiation potential of hACSs is an important outcome that validates future bone tissue enginnering approaches using these fibre-based architectures

In vitro susceptibilities of Neoscytalidium spp. sequence types to antifungal agents and antimicrobial photodynamic treatment with phenothiazinium photosensitizers

Neoscytalidium spp. are ascomycetous fungi consisting of pigmented and hyaline varieties both able to cause skin and nail infection. Their colour-based identification is inaccurate and may compromise the outcome of the studies with these fungi. The aim of this study was to genotype 32 isolates morphologically identified as Neoscytalidium dimidiatum or Neoscytalidium dimidiatum var. hyalinum by multilocus sequence typing (MLST), differentiate the two varieties by their sequence types (STs), evaluate their susceptibility to seven commercial antifungal drugs [amphotericin B (AMB), voriconazole (VOR), terbinafine (TER), 5-flucytosine (5FC), ketoconazole (KET), fluconazole (FLU), and caspofungin (CAS)], and also to the antimicrobial photodynamic treatment (APDT) with the phenothiazinium photosensitizers (PSs) methylene blue (MB), new methylene blue (NMBN), toluidine blue O (TBO), and the pentacyclic derivative S137. The efficacy of each PS was determined, initially, based on its minimal inhibitory concentration (MIC). Additionally, the APDT effects with each PS on the survival of ungerminated and germinated arthroconidia of both varieties were evaluated. Seven loci of Neoscytalidium spp. were sequenced on MLST revealing eight polymorphic sites and six STs. All N. dimidiatum var. hyalinum isolates were clustered in a single ST. AMB, VOR, and TER were the most effective antifungal agents against both varieties. The hyaline variety isolates were much less tolerant to the azoles than the isolates of the pigmented variety. APDT with S137 showed the lowest MIC for all the isolates of both varieties. APDT with all the PSs killed both ungerminated and germinated arthroconidia of both varieties reducing the survival up to 5 logs. Isolates of the hyaline variety were also less tolerant to APDT. APDT with the four PSs also increased the plasma membrane permeability of arthroconidia of both varieties but only NMBN and S137 caused peroxidation of the membrane lipids. © 2017 British Mycological Society