Advantages of coupling a woody biomass cogeneration plant with a district heating network for a sustainable built environment: a case study in Luserna San Giovanni (Torino, Italy).

One of the key strategies towards the European goals is the exploitation of local and renewable energy sources: the paper analyses the benefits and the feasibility of a woody biomass cogeneration plant in Luserna San Giovanni (Torino, Italy). The first part of the paper presents a graphical method to evaluate the thermal energy use of public and residential buildings. Then, after the selection of the buildings with both higher energy consumption and higher specific energy consumption, a thermal analysis allows the assessment of energy savings potential of these buildings. The results of this first analysis permit to estimate the effective and peak power of the plant considering different scenarios of buildings' renovation and then of heat distribution. The second part of the paper describes the pre-feasibility analysis of the district heating network supported by a GIS-based tool (Geographical Information System). Main results are the evaluation of the environmental and economic impacts of the biomass plant and of the connection to the district heating network on a short and long term horizon

The role of urban form and socio-economic variables for estimating the building energy savings potential at the urban scale

In the past, to make the city liveable, the urban morphology has always be considered taking into account the climate, the buildings’ density and characteristics, the type of inhabitants and their social condition. On the contrary, recently in the urban planning process the morphological aspects are no more included even if they influence the energy consumption, the thermal comfort of the urban spaces and the district air quality. Moreover, the socio-economic conditions of inhabitants might strongly affect the lifestyle choice and behavior of building occupants and thus, the probability of success of urban planning measures for energy conservation. The present study aims to: 1) identify the correlation between thermal energy consumption for space heating and urban variables and 2) investigate the role of socio-economic variables in energy savings potential. The city of Turin is suitable for these analyses because it is characterized by different urban forms and urban spaces and by various characteristics of the population. By using a GIS tool, the district 3, chosen as a case study, has been divided into different urban textures considering their urban and socio-economic characteristics. The results of this study show that the measured energy consumption of single building depends on the physical building features (f.i. thermal insulation level, the compactness, the energy system efficiency etc.) but also on the urban form and the streets’ orientation. Another important result is that the social and economic situation of inhabitants has a relevant role in the success of sustainable policies. These conclusions may support urban planners in the definition of new urban areas with some “preliminary” energy savings measures at no cost and in formulating tailored policies according to socio-economic conditions from district to district. (Presented at the AIGE Conference 2015

Socioeconomic Differences in SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Vaccination in Germany: A Seroepidemiological Study After One Year of COVID-19 Vaccination Campaign

Objective: To evaluate the socioeconomic patterns of SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through infection, vaccination or both (“hybrid immunity”) after 1 year of vaccination campaign.Methods: Data were derived from the German seroepidemiological Corona Monitoring Nationwide study (RKI-SOEP-2; n = 10,448; November 2021–February 2022). Combining serological and self-report data, we estimated adjusted prevalence ratios (PR) of SARS-CoV-2 infection, COVID-19 vaccination, basic immunization (at least two SARS-CoV-2 antigen contacts through vaccination and/or infection), and three antigen contacts by education and income.Results: Low-education groups had 1.35-times (95% CI 1.01–1.82) the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection compared to high-education groups. COVID-19 vaccination (at least one dose) and basic immunization decreased with lower education and income. Low-education and low-income groups were less likely to have had at least three antigen contacts (PR low vs. high education: 0.74, 95% CI 0.65–0.84; PR low vs. high income: 0.66, 95% CI 0.57–0.77).Conclusion: The results suggest a lower level of protection against severe COVID-19 for individuals from low and medium socioeconomic groups. Pandemic response and vaccination campaigns should address the specific needs and barriers of these groups

Genomic investigations of unexplained acute hepatitis in children

Since its first identification in Scotland, over 1,000 cases of unexplained paediatric hepatitis in children have been reported worldwide, including 278 cases in the UK1. Here we report an investigation of 38 cases, 66 age-matched immunocompetent controls and 21 immunocompromised comparator participants, using a combination of genomic, transcriptomic, proteomic and immunohistochemical methods. We detected high levels of adeno-associated virus 2 (AAV2) DNA in the liver, blood, plasma or stool from 27 of 28 cases. We found low levels of adenovirus (HAdV) and human herpesvirus 6B (HHV-6B) in 23 of 31 and 16 of 23, respectively, of the cases tested. By contrast, AAV2 was infrequently detected and at low titre in the blood or the liver from control children with HAdV, even when profoundly immunosuppressed. AAV2, HAdV and HHV-6 phylogeny excluded the emergence of novel strains in cases. Histological analyses of explanted livers showed enrichment for T cells and B lineage cells. Proteomic comparison of liver tissue from cases and healthy controls identified increased expression of HLA class 2, immunoglobulin variable regions and complement proteins. HAdV and AAV2 proteins were not detected in the livers. Instead, we identified AAV2 DNA complexes reflecting both HAdV-mediated and HHV-6B-mediated replication. We hypothesize that high levels of abnormal AAV2 replication products aided by HAdV and, in severe cases, HHV-6B may have triggered immune-mediated hepatic disease in genetically and immunologically predisposed children

Energy Rational Use and Underground Space: Opportunities for Sustainability

ABSTRAC

Planning for Low-Carbon Cities in China: the role of the underground space into a comprehensive Advanced Local Energy Plan

In large and congested metropolitan areas - where several millions of people live and work - as well as in medium size cities the need of offering to their inhabitants better life standards is a very urgent topic. In such a contest, suitable underground spaces, infrastructures and device networks - like district heating and cooling - can play a significant role for achieving reliable, efficient and high quality results for “smart” urban development. The solution of “going underground” can be usefully adopted for improving the mobility and reducing the traffic pollution through metro lines, road tunnels, parking devices and pedestrian connections. Furthermore, it permits to build and manage a series of public services for water, gas and other commodities, mainly if inserted into rational Multi-Utility Tunnel networks and to offer safe, reliable and low-energy spaces for several activities - commerce, services, and for leisure. In China, the current trends for more Sustainable Low-Carbon Cities aim to achieve relevant carbon emission reductions and local sustainable development. The interrelationships among the main factors that characterize the above mentioned objectives are complex and concern the urban form, the spatial development, the improvement of energy efficiency in industry and buildings, the use of low-carbon vehicles and public oriented transport systems, low-carbon waste and other services management. To achieve low-carbon outcomes, city leaders must develop a comprehensive set of actions requiring the use of a suitable set of tools, resulting in a so-called Advanced Local Energy Plan (ALEP) and involving, as much as possible, the two side of the urban land, over- and under-ground. This paper describes the local energy planning tool (LEP-CN) developed by the Energy Analysis and Model Laboratory of the Politecnico di Torino that can be applied to both existing and planned settlements and analyse over- and under-ground solutions for some significant energy infrastructures. The tool integrates a Bottom-up Simulation Model of the energy flows through all the main processes belonging to the urban sectors (residential, transportation, industry, commerce and services), a large Data Base with the characteristics (existing and foreseen) of these processes (including infrastructures) and a Geographical Information System which relates to the urban over- and under-ground space the above mentioned processes, the input data, the “smart” indicators and the effects of policies and actions adopted/suggested by the Modelling procedure (simulation, optimization or multi-criteria). A Beijing district has been used as reference exercise for the procedure explanations