Thermal and Lighting Consumption Savings in Classrooms Retrofitted with Shading Devices in a Hot Climate

Most educational buildings in southern Spain do not meet current energy requirements as weak thermal envelopes and the lack of cooling systems lead to severe discomfort in classrooms, especially when temperatures are above 30 °C. Given that global warming is expected to worsen this situation in coming decades, one of the first steps to be taken is to protect window openings from high levels of solar radiation by adding shading devices to reduce indoor temperatures and improve visual comfort. The aim of this research is to evaluate the reduction in thermal and lighting consumption in a classroom where a solar protection system in the form of an egg-crate shading device was installed. Two classrooms—one with an egg-crate device and another with no shading system—were monitored and compared for a whole year. The use of an egg-crate device in these classrooms reduced indoor operative temperatures during warmer periods while also improving indoor natural illuminance levels. Moreover, annual electric air conditioning consumption decreased by approximately 20%, with a 50% reduction in electric lighting consumption. These savings in electricity were largely conditioned by the use patterns observed in these ambient systems.Spanish government BIA2014-53949-RMinistry of Economy and Competitiveness, Spanish GovernmentEuropean Regional Development Fun

Estudio de la distribución clonal de aislados clínicos de Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex mediante técnicas genotípicas en el área de influencia del Consorcio Hospital General Universitario de Valencia

La tuberculosis sigue siendo un importante problema sanitario y de salud pública a escala mundial. Por esta razón se han establecido estrategias que contribuyen a mejorar los procesos de control y vigilancia de esta enfermedad, basadas en el estudio epidemiológico molecular del complejo Mycobacterium tuberculosis. En las últimas dos décadas han surgido múltiples técnicas de genotipificación aplicadas a este microorganismo, permitiendo discriminar el origen clonal de los aislados clínicos en distintos contextos. El objetivo principal de este estudio es la caracterización molecular de 154 aislados clínicos del complejo Mycobacterium tuberculosis en el Departamento de Salud Valencia - Hospital General durante los años 2009 a 2015. Para ello se empleó la técnica MIRU-VNTR de 24 loci, permitiendo la identificación de cepas agrupadas en complejos clonales que podrían estar relacionados con cadenas de transmisión. Además, se estudiaron las variables demográficas y clínicas de los casos en función de si las cepas se agruparon o no en complejos clonales. También se comparó el poder discriminatorio obtenido con esta técnica respecto a la de 15 loci (n = 154, más un control positivo) y a la genotipificación mediante secuenciación de genoma completo (n = 55, de las 155), así como la asignación de linajes y sub-linajes mediante estas técnicas. Por otro lado, en los casos en que se detectó resistencia fenotípica a alguno de los fármacos antituberculosos de primera línea, se realizó un estudio genotípico para identificar las mutaciones causantes de dicha resistencia. La distribución poblacional de las cepas estudiadas del complejo Mycobacterium tuberculosis mediante MIRU-VNTR de 24 loci se mostró agrupada en un 50,3% (n = 78) empleando como umbral una diferencia máxima entre cepas de dos loci, las cuales se encontraban distribuidas en veintidós complejos clonales con un mínimo de dos cepas y un máximo de doce. El porcentaje de cepas agrupadas se redujo al 40,0% al utilizar el umbral de como máximo un locus y al 30,3% cuando presentaron el mismo mirutipo. El patrón mayoritario de los casos en función de la agrupación o no de las cepas con el umbral de como máximo 2 loci fue similar en ambos grupos: varón de entre 30 - 44 años de origen español, VIH negativo y diagnosticado de tuberculosis pulmonar. Sin embargo, sí se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas en el origen de los pacientes, la forma de presentación de la enfermedad y el linaje de las cepas. Al comparar la técnica MIRU-VNTR de 24 loci respecto a la de 15 loci, estratificando por el umbral establecido, el poder discriminatorio siempre fue superior con la primera. El mejor poder discriminatorio lo obtuvo la técnica con 24 loci tomando como umbral el mismo mirutipo (HGDI = 0,9970). En cuanto a la comparación con la secuenciación de genoma completo, a pesar de que esta última presenta un poder de resolución muy superior al de la técnica MIRU-VNTR, el poder discriminatorio obtenido con la técnica MIRU-VNTR de 24 loci con el umbral de idéntico mirutipo fue de 0,9933, superior al de la secuenciación (HGDI = 0,9838). Por lo que respecta a la asignación de linajes/sub-linajes, la concordancia del tipado mediante MIRU-VNTR 24-loci respecto al tipado de SNP fue del 94,1% (143/152). Las cepas estudiadas pertenecen fundamentalmente a tres linajes: el linaje 4.1.2 o Haarlem (35,7%), el linaje 4.3 o LAM (25,3%) y el linaje 4.10 o PGG3 (20,1%). Mediante el método fenotípico se detectaron un 6,45% de cepas resistentes a isoniazida, un 3,23% a estreptomicina y un 0,65% a pirazinamida. El porcentaje de cepas con polirresistencia fue del 1,94% y no se detectaron cepas MDR con esta metodología. Sin embargo, en el subgrupo de 55 cepas estudiadas mediante secuenciación sí se detectó una cepa MDR y dos con monorresistencia a rifampicina. También se detectó adicionalmente una cepa resistente a etambutol y otra a pirazinamida, pero no detectó una resistencia a estreptomicina. Los resultados obtenidos mediante MIRU-VNTR son buenos respecto a los obtenidos mediante la secuenciación de genoma completo. No obstante, la secuenciación presenta ventajas adicionales tanto a nivel epidemiológico y de filogenia, como en cuanto a la predicción de la sensibilidad genotípica frente a los antituberculosos, tanto de primera como de segunda línea.Tuberculosis remains a major public health problem worldwide. For this reason, strategies have been established to contribute to the improvement of the control and surveillance processes of this disease, based on the molecular epidemiological study of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. In the last two decades, multiple genotyping techniques have been applied to this microorganism, allowing to determine the clonal origin of clinical isolates in different backgrounds. The main objective of this study is the molecular characterization of 154 clinical isolates of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex in the “Departamento de Salud Valencia - Hospital General” during the years 2009 to 2015. In order to do so, the MIRU-VNTR technique of 24 loci was used, allowing the identification of strains assembled in clonal complexes that could be related to transmission chains. In addition, the demographic and clinical variables of the cases were studied according to whether the strains were gathered or not in clonal complexes. We also compared the discriminatory power obtained with this technique to the one of 15 loci (n = 154, plus a positive control) and to genotyping by complete genome sequencing (n = 55, of the 155), as well as the assignment of lineages and sub-lineages using these techniques. On the other hand, in those cases in which phenotypic resistance was detected to one of the first-line antituberculosis drugs, a genotypic study was carried out to identify the mutations causing this resistance. The population distribution of the strains studied of the Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex by means of MIRU-VNTR of 24 loci was the following: 50.3% (n = 78) of the strains were congregated in clonal complexes with one or more strains, using as threshold a maximum difference between strains of two loci, which were distributed in twenty-two clonal complexes with a minimum of two strains and a maximum of twelve. The percentage of collected strains was reduced to 40.0% when using the threshold of maximum one locus difference and to 30.3% when they presented the same mirutype. The most common pattern in terms of the grouping, or lack of if, of the strains with a maximum of two different loci was similar in both groups: male between 30 - 44 years of Spanish origin with pulmonary tuberculosis and HIV negative. However, there were statistically significant differences in the origin of the patients, the form of presentation of the disease and the lineage of the strains. When comparing the MIRU-VNTR technique of 24 loci with respect to that of 15 loci, stratifying by the established threshold, the discriminatory power was always superior with the first one. The best discriminatory power was obtained by the technique with 24 loci taking as the threshold the same mirutype (HGDI = 0.9970). Regarding the comparison with the complete genome sequencing, although the latter one has a resolution power much higher than that of the MIRU-VNTR technique, the discriminatory power obtained with the MIRU-VNTR technique of 24 loci with the threshold of identical mirutype was 0.9933, higher than the one of sequencing (HGDI = 0.9838). With regard to the allocation of lineages/sub-lineages, the concordance of the typing by MIRU-VNTR 24-loci with respect to SNP typing was 94.1% (143/152). The strains studied belonged mainly to three lineages: lineage 4.1.2 or Haarlem (35.7%), lineage 4.3 or LAM (25.3%) and lineage 4.10 or PGG3 (20.1%). The phenotypic method detected 6.45% of strains resistant to isoniazid, 3.23% to streptomycin and 0.65% to pyrazinamide. The percentage of strains with polyresistance was 1.94% and no MDR strains were detected with this methodology. However, in the subgroup of 55 strains studied by sequencing, one MDR strain was detected and two with monoresistance to rifampicin. A strain resistant to ethambutol and another to pyrazinamide was also detected, but resistance to streptomycin was not detected. The results obtained by MIRU-VNTR are good compared to those obtained by sequencing the complete genome. However, sequencing has additional advantages at the epidemiological and phylogeny level, as well as in the prediction of genotypic susceptibility to antituberculosis drugs, both first and second line

Evaluación del impacto de la motocicleta en flujos de tránsito heterogéneo

Esta investigación analiza el comportamiento del flujo vehicular heterogéneo con volúmenes significativos de motocicletas, mediante técnicas de simulación. En una primera etapa se evalúa el comportamiento del flujo en diferentes escenarios con características de tránsito heterogéneo, homogenizando el tráfico mediante el uso de factores de equivalencia y restringiendo el flujo de motos en un corredor vial urbano; se analizan indicadores del nivel de servicio (demoras, colas, velocidades) de la red modelada, así como el comportamiento individual de cada una las intersecciones que conforma el sistema. Los resultados obtenidos en la comparación de escenarios, demuestran que la mezcla de motos en flujo mixto afecta en grandes proporciones la movilidad urbana, impactando negativamente en los indicadores de nivel de servicio. Por otra parte, se comprueba que la estrategia de segregación del tráfico tiene impactos positivos en los indicadores de nivel de servicio del corredor piloto estudiado, en la ciudad de Riohacha, bajo la consideración de asignar estos flujos hacia una vía exclusiva (motoruta o motocarril). En una segunda etapa de la investigación, se hace una predicción del comportamiento de una red con una propuesta de crecimiento de motocicletas. Se observa que con el aumento en un 30% correspondiente a un periodo de cuatro (4) años, indicadores del nivel de servicio como la velocidad media de la red disminuyen al ser comparados con los de una situación actual. En una tercera etapa, con el fin de proponer la realización de infraestructura para la segregación del tránsito de motocicletas (carril exclusivo), se evalúan diferentes anchos de carriles, para determinar un valor óptimo; de los resultados obtenidos se recomienda un ancho mínimo de carril de 1.9 metros y un ancho máximo de 2.2 metros.MaestríaMagister en Ingeniería Civi

Indoor environmental assessment: comparing ventilation scenarios in pre- and post-retrofitted dwellings through test cells

In the next few years, outdoor temperature is expected to increase significantly as a result of climate change, a noticeable phenomenon, especially in the Mediterranean. In this future scenario, ventilation is a low-cost and useful strategy for tackling indoor overheating, mainly in energy-poor housing buildings. This research assesses the influence of different ventilation systems, air rates and schedules on the thermal comfort and indoor air quality of a residential retrofitted space when compared to an un-retrofitted environment, through test cell measurements. To do so, the methodology combines on-site monitoring with numerical models, simultaneously analysing both spaces under the same climate conditions. Results obtained show barely perceptible differences between the implementation of a mechanical ventilation system and a natural one, when it comes to thermal comfort in spaces with low thermal inertia, highlighting the clear advantage of energy and economic savings of the passive system

Fabrication of strong magnetic micron-sized supraparticles with anisotropic magnetic properties for magnetorheology

Dr Tavacoli is acknowledged for useful discussions. This work was supported by MICINN PID2019-104883GB-I00 project (Spain), Junta de Andalucı´a P18-FR-2465 project and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF). J. R. M. acknowledges FPU14/01576 fellowship. E. C.-G. acknowledges financial support by CONACYT (Ref. #232347).We propose three different techniques to synthesize anisotropic magnetic supraparticles for their incorporation in the formulation of magnetorheological fluids with novel potential applications. The techniques include microtransfer molding, electrodeposition and microfluidic flow-focusing devices. Although the yield of these methods is not large, with their use, it is possible to synthesize supraparticles with anisotropy in both their magnetic content and shape. The magnetorheological characteristics (yield stress) of the resulting field-induced structures were computed using finite element method simulations and demonstrated to be strongly dependent on the microstructural anisotropy of the supraparticles. In anisotropic particles, the simulated yield stress is always larger than that of the isotropic ones consisting of magnetically homogeneous spherical particles.MICINN PID2019-104883GB-I00 project (Spain)Junta de Andalucía P18-FR-2465 projectEuropean Regional Development Fund (ERDF)FPU14/01576CONACYT (Ref. #232347

Optimal retrofit solutions considering thermal comfort and intervention costs for the Mediterranean social housing stock

There is an impending need to retrofit the existing social housing stock to improve thermal comfort and to reduce energy demand. This research proposes calibrated building stock models to assess thermal comfort of the social housing stock of southern Spain (Mediterranean area). Several retrofit strategies are optimised using a genetic algorithm to obtain the best retrofit solutions, considering three objectives: annual overheating hours (%), annual undercooling hours (%) and investment costs (€/m2). Results are shown for four different climatic areas in southern Spain. This study finds that it is possible to retrofit the aforementioned stock considering investment costs from approximately 20–200 €/m2. The percent- age of improvements for each climatic area are as follows: in Sevilla (B4 climatic area), investments costs up to 50 €/m2 led to 40% and 20% annual overheating and undercooling hours. In Cádiz, (A3 climatic area), 15% and 22% overheating and undercooling hours were achieved with medium-cost solutions (50–100 €/ m2). In Almería (A4 climatic area), also medium-cost strategies reported approximately 15% and 30% overheating and undercooling hours. In Granada (C3 climatic area), 15% and 38% overheating and under- cooling hours were obtained with medium-cost measures. Yet, applying high-cost solutions (100–200 €/ m2) only significantly improved thermal comfort in Almería and Sevill

Effects of future climate change on the preservation of artworks, thermal comfort and energy consumption in historic buildings

Climate change will affect the indoor temperature of historic buildings, impacting the preservation of artworks and the thermal comfort of users, and possibly leading to increased energy consumption. These buildings generate more emissions than new buildings and in most European countries, preservation principles take precedence over energy efficiency and the reduction of emissions. This research is a key topic for the mitigation of climate change and proposes a method for assessing the impact of climate change on the preservation of artworks, thermal comfort, and energy consumption. An experimental method was followed, combining analytical formulations, on-site measure ments, and Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioning systems in order to identify the adequate hygrothermal parameters for historic buildings. The climate change scenario predicted for 2050 was based on projected tem perature variation. The case studies were Baroque churches, historic buildings located in the south of Europe. Data obtained from a monitoring campaign carried out in these churches was used to validate dynamic simulation models. The churches analysed showed an increase in cooling demand and a decrease in heating demand. Furthermore, in order to ensure human comfort and the preservation of artworks, it was necessary to implement active systems in operation for 12-hour periods. These results suggest an energy overconsumption, as the energy consumption for human comfort and artwork preservation was 50% higher than the energy consumption of active systems for the preservation of valuable historic objects. In addition, the annual energy consumption decreases for future scenarios for 2050 in the case of artwork preservation and thermal comfort, but increases by almost 15% for the preservation of works of art due to higher level relative humidity. Before historic buildings can be adapted

La evolución de la agenda urbana de la Unión Europea: Hacia un modelo de desarrollo urbano sostenible e integrado

The process towards an European agenda for the European Union was launched more than two decades ago. It was aimed at bulding an Urban development policy to face the urban challenges arised in the European territory according to an integrated and sustainable approach. The institutionalization of this process started in 1997 with the EC Communication “Towards an urban agenda in the European Union” and has led to the recent adoption of this agenda in the framework of the "Pact of Amsterdam Pact", signed in the informal meeting of ministers of urban affairs held on May 30, 2016. This paper analyzes the evolution of this process, focusing on its antecedents, development and current stage. It highlights its main phases and characteristics.El proceso conducente a la elaboración de una Agenda urbana europea se ha desarrollado a lo largo de más de dos décadas. Su objetivo ha sido la construcción de una Política de desarrollo urbano capaz de afrontar los retos urbanos del territorio comunitario de acuerdo con un enfoque sostenible e integrado. La institucionalización de este proceso comenzó en 1997 con la publicación de la comunicación de la Comisión Europea “Hacia una política urbana para la Unión Europea” y ha desembocado en la reciente aprobación de dicha agenda en el marco del “Pacto de Ámsterdam”, firmado en la reunión informal de ministros de asuntos urbanos celebrada el 30 de mayo de 2016. El presente trabajo analiza la evolución de este proceso, deteniéndose en sus antecedentes, desarrollo y estadio actual, destacando sus principales fases y características

Assessment of the Canary current upwelling system in a regionally coupled climate model

The Canary current upwelling is one of the major eastern boundary coastal upwelling systems in the world, bearing a high productive ecosystem and commercially important fisheries. The Canary current upwelling system (CCUS) has a large latitudinal extension, usually divided into upwelling zones with different characteristics. Eddies, filaments and other mesoscale processes are known to have an impact in the upwelling productivity, thus for a proper representation of the CCUS and high horizontal resolution are required. Here we assess the CCUS present climate in the atmosphere-ocean regionally coupled model. The regional coupled model presents a global oceanic component with increased horizontal resolution along the northwestern African coast, and its performance over the CCUS is assessed against relevant reanalysis data sets and compared with an ensemble of global climate models (GCMs) and an ensemble of atmosphere-only regional climate models (RCMs) in order to assess the role of the horizontal resolution. The coupled system reproduces the larger scale pattern of the CCUS and its latitudinal and seasonal variability over the coastal band, improving the GCMs outputs. Moreover, it shows a performance comparable to the ensemble of RCMs in representing the coastal wind stress and near-surface air temperature fields, showing the impact of the higher resolution and coupling for CCUS climate modelling. The model is able of properly reproducing mesoscale structures, being able to simulate the upwelling filaments events off Cape Ghir, which are not well represented in most of GCMs. Our results stress the ability of the regionally coupled model to reproduce the larger scale as well as mesoscale processes over the CCUS, opening the possibility to evaluate the climate change signal there with increased confidence.Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL. Ruben Vazquez was supported through a doctoral grant at the University of Ferrara and University of Cadiz. Dmitry Sein was supported in the framework of the state assignment of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of Russia (No. 0128-2021-0014). This work used resources of the Deutsches Klimarechenzentrum (DKRZ) granted by its Scientific Steering Committee (WLA) under project ID ba0987