222 research outputs found
Estimating a threshold price for CO2 emissions of buildings to improve their energy performance level. Case study of a new Spanish home
Energy consumption in homes produces CO2. In many countries, building regulations are being set to enable energy efficiency performance levels to be issued. In Spain, there is a regulated procedure to certify the energy performance of buildings according to their CO2 emissions. Consequently, some software tools have been design to simulate buildings and to obtain their energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In this paper the investment, maintenance and energy consumption costs are calculated for different energy performance levels and for various climatic zones, in a single-family home. According to the results, more energy efficient buildings imply higher construction and maintenance costs, which are not compensated by lower energy costs. Therefore, under current conditions, economic criteria do not support the improvement of the energy efficiency of a dwelling. Among the possible measures to promote energy efficiency, a price on CO2 emissions is to be suggested, including the social cost in the analysis. For this purpose, the cost-optimal methodology is used. In different scenarios for the discount rate y energy prices, various prices for CO2 are obtained, depending on the climatic zone and energy performance level.Ruá Aguilar, MJ.; Guadalajara Olmeda, MN. (2015). Estimating a threshold price for CO2 emissions of buildings to improve their energy performance level. Case study of a new Spanish home. Energy Efficiency. 8(2):183-203. doi:10.1007/s12053-014-9286-2S18320382AICIA. (2009). Escala de calificación energética. Edificios de nueva construcción. Madrid: Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía, Ministerio de Industria, Turismo y Comercio.Al-Homoud, M. S. (2005). Performance characteristics and practical applications of common building thermal insulation materials. Building and Environment, 40(3), 353–360.Amecke, H. 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Guía Técnica: Condiciones climáticas exteriores de proyecto, (available at: http://www.minetur.gob.es/energia/desarrollo/eficienciaenergetica/rite/reconocidos/reconocidos/condicionesclimaticas.pdf ).Instituto Eduardo Torroja de Ciencias de la Construcción (IETCC) (2010). Catálogo de Elementos Constructivos del Código Técnico, versión CAT-EC-v06.3-MARZO10. Madrid.Jáber-López, J. T., Valencia-Salazar, I., Peñalvo-López, E., Álvarez-Bel, C., Rivera-López, R., Merino-Hernández, E. (2011). Are energy certification tools for buildings effective? A Spanish case study, Proceedings of the 2011 3rd International Youth Conference on Energetics. Leiria, July 7–9.Johnstone, I. M. (2001a). Energy and mass flows of housing: a model and example. Building and Environment, 36, 27–41.Johnstone, I. M. (2001b). Energy and mass flows of housing: estimating mortality. Building and Environment, 36, 43–51.Kaiser, H. H. (2001). The facilities audit. A process for improving facilities conditions. Arlington: Kirby Lithographic. APPA. The Association of Higher Education Facilities Officers.Kjaerbye, V. H. (2008). Does energy label on residential housing cause energy savings? AKF, Danish Institute of Governmental Research.La Roche, P. (2010). Calculating green house emissions for houses: analysis of the performance of several carbon counting tools in different climates. Informes de la Construcción, 62(517), 61–80.Larsen, B. M., & Nebakken, R. (1997). Norwegian emissions of CO2 1987–1994. Environmental and Resource Economics, 9, 275–290.Laustsen, J. (2008). Energy efficiency requirements in building codes, energy efficiency policies for new buildings. Paris: International Energy Agency information paper.Linares, P., & Labandeira, X. (2010). Energy efficiency: economics and policy. Journal of Economic Surveys, 24(3), 573–592.Liska, R. W. (2000). Means facilities maintenance standards. Kingston: R.S. Means Company, Inc. 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Upper Saddle River: Prentice Hall Inc.Popescu, D., Bienert, S., Schützenhofer, C., & Boazu, R. (2012). Impact of energy efficiency measures on the economic value of buildings. Applied Energy, 89(1), 454–463.Ramírez de Arellano, A. (2004). Presupuestación de obras. 3ª ed. Universidad de Sevilla. Secretariado de Publicaciones. Colección Manuales Universitarios, 37.Rodríguez-González, A. B., Vinagre-Díaz, J. J., Caañamo, A. J., & Wilby, M. R. (2011). Energy and buildings, 43(4), 980–987.Ruá, M. J., & Guadalajara, N. (2013). Application of compromise programming to a semi-detached housing development in order to balance economic and environmental criteria. Journal of the Operational Research Society, 64, 459–468.Ruá, M. J., & Guadalajara, N. (2014). Using the building energy rating software for mathematically modelling operation costs in a simulated home. International Journal of Computer Mathematics. doi: 10.1080/00207160.2014.892588 .Ruá, M. J., & López-Mesa, B. (2012). Certificación energética de edificios en España y sus implicaciones económicas. Informes de la Construcción, 64(527), 307–318.Rudbeck, C. (2002). Service life of building envelope components: making it operational in economical assessment. Construction and Building Materials, 16(2), 83–89.Ruiz, M. C., & Romero, E. (2011). Energy saving in the conventional design of a Spanish house using thermal simulation. Energy and Building, 43(11), 3226–3235.Sanstad, A. H., Blumstein, C., & Stoff, S. E. (1995). How high are option values in energy-efficiency investments? Energy Policy, 23(9), 739–743.Sumner, J., Bird, L., Smith, H. (2009). Carbon taxes: a review of experience and policy design consideration. Technical Report NREL/TP-6A2-47312. National Renewable Energy Laboratory. US Department of Energy.Tuominen, P., Forsström, J., & Honkatukia, J. (2013). Economic effects of energy efficiency improvements in the Finnish building stock. Energy Policy, 52, 181–189.Ucar, A., & Balo, F. (2009). Effect of fuel type on the optimum thickness of selected insulation materials for the four different climatic regions of Turkey. Applied Energy, 86(5), 730–736.Universidad Politécnica De Madrid. Departamento de Construcción y Vías Rurales (2009). Evaluación de los costes constructivos y consumos energéticos derivados de la calificación energética de viviendas. Precost&E. Fase1.Uzsilaityte, L., & Martinaitis, V. (2010). Search for optimal solution of public building renovation in terms of life cycle. Journal of Environmental Engineering and Landscape Management, 18(2), 102–110.Verbruggen, A. (2012). Financial appraisal of efficiency investments: why the good may be the worst enemy of the best. Energy Efficiency, 5, 571–582
Porewater methane transport within the gas vesicles of diurnally migrating Chaoborus spp.: An energetic advantage
We show that diurnally migrating Chaoborus sp. (phantom midge larvae), which can be highly abundant in eutrophic lakes with anoxic bottom, utilises sediment methane to inflate their tracheal sacs, which provides positive buoyancy to aid vertical migration. This process also effectively transports sediment methane bypassing oxidation to the upper water column, adding to the total methane outflux to the atmosphere
The feasibility of whole body vibration in institutionalised elderly persons and its influence on muscle performance, balance and mobility: a randomised controlled trial [ISRCTN62535013]
BACKGROUND: Fatigue or lack of interest can reduce the feasibility of intensive physical exercise in nursing home residents. Low-volume exercise interventions with similar training effects might be an alternative. The aim of this randomised controlled trial was to investigate the feasibility of Whole Body Vibration (WBV) in institutionalised elderly, and its impact on functional capacity and muscle performance. METHODS: Twenty-four nursing home residents (15 female, 9 male; mean age 77.5 ± 11.0 years) were randomised (stratification for age, gender and ADL-category) to 6 weeks static WBV exercise (WBV+, N = 13) or control (only static exercise; N = 11). Outcome measures were exercise compliance, timed up-and-go, Tinetti-test, back scratch, chair sit-and-reach, handgrip strength and linear isokinetic leg extension. RESULTS: At baseline, WBV+ and control groups were similar for all outcome variables. Twenty-one participants completed the program and attended respectively 96% and 86% of the exercise sessions for the WBV+ and control groups. Training-induced changes in timed up-and-go and Tinetti-test were better for WBV+ compared to control (p = 0.029 for timed up-and-go, p = 0.001 and p = 0.002 for Tinetti body balance and total score respectively). In an alternative analysis (Worst Rank Score & Last Observation Carried Forward) the differences in change remained significant on the Tinetti body balance and total score. No other significant differences in change between both groups were observed. CONCLUSION: In nursing home residents with limited functional dependency, six weeks static WBV exercise is feasible, and is beneficial for balance and mobility. The supplementary benefit of WBV on muscle performance compared to classic exercise remains to be explored further
The transfer and fate of Pb from sewage sludge amended soil in a multi-trophic food chain: a comparison with the labile elements Cd and Zn
The contamination of agroecosystems due to the presence of trace elements in commonly used agricultural materials is a serious issue. The most contaminated material is usually sewage sludge, and the sustainable use of this material within agriculture is a major concern. This study addresses a key issue in this respect, the fate of trace metals applied to soil in food chains. The work particularly addresses the transfer of Pb, which is an understudied element in this respect, and compares the transfer of Pb with two of the most labile metals, Cd and Zn. The transfer of these elements was determined from sludge-amended soils in a food chain consisting of Indian mustard (Brassica juncea), the mustard aphid (Lipaphis erysimi) and a predatory beetle (Coccinella septempunctata). The soil was amended with sludge at rates of 0, 5, 10 and 20 % (w/w). Results showed that Cd was readily transferred through the food chain until the predator trophic level. Zn was the most readily transferred element in the lower trophic levels, but transfer to aphids was effectively restricted by the plant regulating shoot concentration. Pb had the lowest level of transfer from soil to shoot and exhibited particular retention in the roots. Nevertheless, Pb concentrations were significantly increased by sludge amendment in aphids, and Pb was increasingly transferred to ladybirds as levels increased. The potential for Pb to cause secondary toxicity to organisms in higher trophic levels may have therefore been underestimated
On the Role of the Striatum in Response Inhibition
BACKGROUND: Stopping a manual response requires suppression of the primary motor cortex (M1) and has been linked to activation of the striatum. Here, we test three hypotheses regarding the role of the striatum in stopping: striatum activation during successful stopping may reflect suppression of M1, anticipation of a stop-signal occurring, or a slower response build-up. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Twenty-four healthy volunteers underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while performing a stop-signal paradigm, in which anticipation of stopping was manipulated using a visual cue indicating stop-signal probability, with their right hand. We observed activation of the striatum and deactivation of left M1 during successful versus unsuccessful stopping. In addition, striatum activation was proportional to the degree of left M1 deactivation during successful stopping, implicating the striatum in response suppression. Furthermore, striatum activation increased as a function of stop-signal probability and was to linked to activation in the supplementary motor complex (SMC) and right inferior frontal cortex (rIFC) during successful stopping, suggesting a role in anticipation of stopping. Finally, trial-to-trial variations in response time did not affect striatum activation. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE: The results identify the striatum as a critical node in the neural network associated with stopping motor responses. As striatum activation was related to both suppression of M1 and anticipation of a stop-signal occurring, these findings suggest that the striatum is involved in proactive inhibitory control over M1, most likely in interaction with SMC and rIFC
Protective effects of tumor necrosis factor-α blockade by adalimumab on articular cartilage and subchondral bone in a rat model of osteoarthritis
Training Signaling Pathway Maps to Biochemical Data with Constrained Fuzzy Logic: Quantitative Analysis of Liver Cell Responses to Inflammatory Stimuli
Predictive understanding of cell signaling network operation based on general prior knowledge but consistent with empirical data in a specific environmental context is a current challenge in computational biology. Recent work has demonstrated that Boolean logic can be used to create context-specific network models by training proteomic pathway maps to dedicated biochemical data; however, the Boolean formalism is restricted to characterizing protein species as either fully active or inactive. To advance beyond this limitation, we propose a novel form of fuzzy logic sufficiently flexible to model quantitative data but also sufficiently simple to efficiently construct models by training pathway maps on dedicated experimental measurements. Our new approach, termed constrained fuzzy logic (cFL), converts a prior knowledge network (obtained from literature or interactome databases) into a computable model that describes graded values of protein activation across multiple pathways. We train a cFL-converted network to experimental data describing hepatocytic protein activation by inflammatory cytokines and demonstrate the application of the resultant trained models for three important purposes: (a) generating experimentally testable biological hypotheses concerning pathway crosstalk, (b) establishing capability for quantitative prediction of protein activity, and (c) prediction and understanding of the cytokine release phenotypic response. Our methodology systematically and quantitatively trains a protein pathway map summarizing curated literature to context-specific biochemical data. This process generates a computable model yielding successful prediction of new test data and offering biological insight into complex datasets that are difficult to fully analyze by intuition alone.National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (NIH grant P50-GM68762)National Institutes of Health (U.S.) (Grant U54-CA112967)United States. Dept. of Defense (Institute for Collaborative Biotechnologies
Use of commercial bio-inoculants to increase agricultural production through improved phosphorus acquisition
Evolutionary ecology of mycorrhizal functional diversity in agricultural systems
The root systems of most agronomic crops are colonized by diverse assemblages of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF), varying in the functional benefits (e.g. nutrient transfer, pathogen protection, water uptake) provided to hosts. Little is known about the evolutionary processes that shape the composition of these fungal assemblages, nor is it known whether more diverse assemblages are beneficial to crop productivity. In this review we aim to identify the evolutionary selection pressures that shape AMF diversity in agricultural systems and explore whether promotion of AMF diversity can convincingly be linked to increases in agricultural productivity and/or sustainability. We then ask whether farmers can (and should) actively modify evolutionary selection pressures to increase AMF functioning. We focus on three agriculturally imposed selection regimes: tillage, fertilization, and continuous monoculture. We find that the uniform nature of these practices strongly selects for dominance of few AMF species. These species exhibit predictable, generally non-beneficial traits, namely heavy investment in reproduction at the expense of nutrient scavenging and transfer processes that are beneficial for hosts. A number of focus-points are given based on empirical and theoretical evidence that could be utilized to slow down negative selection pressures on AMF functioning, therein increasing crop benefit
Effects of salinity and drought on growth, ionic relations, compatible solutes and activation of antioxidant systems in oleander (Nerium oleander L.)
[EN] Nerium
oleander
is an
ornamental
species
of high
aesthetic
value,
grown
in arid
and
semi-
arid
regions
because
of its
drought
tolerance,
which
is also
considered
as
relatively
resistant
to salt;
yet
the
biochemical
and
molecular
mechanisms
underlying
oleander¿s
stress
toler-
ance
remain
largely
unknown.
To
investigate
these
mechanisms,
one-year-old
oleander
seedlings
were
exposed
to 15
and
30
days
of treatment
with
increasing
salt
concentratio
ns,
up
to 800
mM
NaCl,
and
to complete
withholding
of irrigation;
growth
parameters
and
bio-
chemical
markers
characteristic
of conserved
stress-response
pathways
were
then
deter-
mined
in stressed
and
control
plants.
Strong
water
deficit
and
salt
stress
both
caused
inhibition
of growth,
degradation
of photosynthetic
pigments,
a slight
(but
statistically
signifi-
cant)
increase
in the
leaf
levels
of specific
osmolytes,
and
induction
of oxidative
stress¿as
indicated
by
the
accumulation
of malondialdehyde
(MDA),
a reliable
oxidative
stress
marker
¿accompanied
by
increases
in the
levels
of total
phenolic
compounds
and
antioxidant
fla-
vonoids
and
in the
specific
activities
of ascorbate
peroxidase
(APX)
and
glutathione
reduc-
tase
(GR).
High
salinity,
in addition,
induced
accumulation
of Na
+
and
Cl
-
in roots
and
leaves
and
the
activation
of superoxide
dismutase
(SOD)
and
catalase
(CAT)
activities.
Apart
from
anatomical
adaptations
that
protect
oleander
from
leaf
dehydration
at moderate
levels
of
stress,
our
results
indicate
that
tolerance
of this
species
to salinity
and
water
deficit
is based
on
the
constitutive
accumulation
in leaves
of high
concentratio
ns
of soluble
carbohydrates
and,
to a lesser
extent,
of glycine
betaine,
and
in the
activation
of the
aforementioned
antiox-
idant
systems.
Moreover,
regarding
specifically
salt
stress,
mechanisms
efficiently
blocking
transport
of toxic
ions
from
the
roots
to the
aerial
parts
of the
plant
appear
to contribute
to a
large
extent
to tolerance
in
Nerium
oleanderThis work was financed by internal funds of the Polytechnic University of Valencia to Monica Boscaiu and Oscar Vicente. Dinesh Kumar’s stay in Valencia was financed by a NAMASTE fellowship from the European Union, and Mohamad Al Hassan was a recipient of an Erasmus Mundus pre-doctoral scholarship financed by the European Commission (Welcome Consortium).Kumar, D.; Al Hassan, M.; Naranjo Olivero, MA.; Agrawal, V.; Boscaiu, M.; Vicente, O. (2017). Effects of salinity and drought on growth, ionic relations, compatible solutes and activation of antioxidant systems in oleander (Nerium oleander L.). PLoS ONE. 12(9). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0185017Se018501712
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