Energy rehabilitation of Portuguese residential building stock through its transformation into NZEB

The first global oil crisis, led the European Union to start the necessary procedures in order to control and reduce the energy consumption of buildings. In Europe the energy consumption of residential buildings increased since 1990 until 2003 1.3% per year and it is expected that, by 2050, the energy consumption of buildings will have increased by 40%. According to the EPBD-recast all member states should adopt the necessary measures so that buildings become highly efficient - nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEB’s). Nevertheless, quantitative standards are not appointed, so each member state should establish the minimum requirements for energy performance in buildings attending to the local conditions. However before establishing these requirements it is necessary to evaluate the building stock and its energy efficiency. As most of the Portuguese residential buildings are old and degraded an opportunity arises for the energy rehabilitation of the building stock, implementing EPBD-recast principles, making it more energy efficient and comfortable. The aim of this study was to describe the current conditions of the building stock in order to identify whether there are suitable conditions for energy rehabilitation of buildings. The analysis performed showed that although there are a significant potential for building energy rehabilitation, there are also some constraints, namely the lack of credit and loans financing of banks

Enquadramento energético do sector residencial português

Portugal não possui reservas de energias fósseis, pelo que importa grande parte dos recursos energéticos que consome. Nos últimos anos tem sido feita uma aposta na instalação de sistemas de produção de energia a partir de energias renováveis no sentido de reduzir a dependência energética nacional. Contudo, os níveis de dependência, em 2010, ainda eram muito elevados principalmente devido à importação de petróleo. O sector residencial é o que apresenta o terceiro maior consumo energético. Tendo-se verificado nos últimos anos um aumento crescente dos consumos, em especial de eletricidade. Através da avaliação da tendência de evolução do consumo energético das habitações, é possível determinar qual a melhor forma de reduzir esses consumos aquando da reabilitação energética dos edifícios. O estudo apresentado tem por objetivo analisar os consumos energéticos do sector residencial, de forma a saber em que fatores intervir para aumentar a eficiência energética do parque habitacional Português

Evaluation of respiratory muscle strength in overweight/obese children and adolescents

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate respiratory muscle strength in overweight/obese children and adolescents. METHODS: This cross-sectional study enrolled patients between four and 15 years old, classified according to the National Center for Health Statistics curve for body mass index (BMI): Overweight/Obese Group (OG, BMI> 85th percentile) and Normal Weight Group (NG, BMI between 5th and 85th percentile). Manuvacuometer was used to measure maximal inspiratory pressure (MaxInspP) and maximal expiratory pressure (MaxExpP). Three measurements were obtained using the maximum pulmonary effort and the higher value was considered. Variables were compared by t test chi-square test. Adjustment of possible covariants was made by analysis of covariance, being significant p<0.05. RESULTS: 69 children were included: 37 (54%) in the OG and 32 (46%) in the NG. Obese patients were younger: 9.8±2.3 versus 10.9±1.9 years (p=0.031). MaxInspP was 71.4±24.9cmH2O in the OG and 89.6±19.6cmH2O (p=0.002). MaxExpP was 71.9±24.8cmH2O in the OG and 95.6±19.6cmH2O in the NG (p<0.001). There was no difference between groups regarding gender and physical activity. After adjustment for age, only the MaxExpP was significantly different between groups (p=0.003). CONCLUSIONS: Maximal expiratory pressure was lower in overweight/obese patients, indicating that obesity may alter pulmonary mechanics.OBJETIVO: Avaliar a força muscular respiratória de crianças e adolescentes com sobrepeso ou obesidade. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com crianças e adolescentes entre quatro e 15 anos de idade de duas instituições de ensino fundamental e uma clínica de nutrição. As crianças foram avaliadas e classificadas em dois grupos, de acordo com a curva proposta pelo National Center for Health Statistics: sobrepeso/obesos (GSO, índice de massa corpórea (IMC) em relação à idade e ao sexo acima do percentil 85) e eutróficos (GE, IMC entre percentil 5 e 85). Para avaliar as pressões inspiratória máxima (PImax) e expiratória máxima (PEmax) foram realizadas três medidas com um manovacuômetro, considerando-se a maior medida a partir da capacidade máxima inspiratória e expiratória. Aplicou-se o teste t para as variáveis quantitativas e o qui-quadrado para as qualitativas. Para ajuste das covariáveis, foi feita a análise de covariância, sendo significante p<0,05. RESULTADOS: Foram avaliadas 69 crianças: 37 (54%) do GSO e 32 (46%) eutróficos. O GSO apresentou menor idade (9,8±2,3 versus 10,9±1,9 anos; p=0,03). A PImax foi 71,4±24,9cmH2O no GSO e 89,6±19,6cmH2O nos eutróficos (p=0,002). A PEmax foi 71,9±24,8cmH2O no GSO e 95,6±19,6cmH2O nos eutróficos (p<0,001). Não houve diferenças quanto ao sexo e à prática de atividade física. Ajustando-se os valores em relação à idade, somente a PEmax manteve-se diferente entre os grupos (p=0,003). CONCLUSÕES: A força muscular expiratória mostrou-se diminuída nesta amostra de crianças e adolescentes com sobrepeso/obesidade, indicando que a obesidade pode comprometer a mecânica pulmonar dessa população.UNIFESPUniversidade Guarulhos Unidade de Terapia Intensiva AdultoHospital Alemão Oswaldo CruzUNIFESP, EPM, São PauloSciEL

A designed cyclic analogue of gomesin has potent activity against Staphylococcus aureus biofilms

© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial License (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits non-commercial re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. For commercial re-use, please contact [email protected]: Infections caused by bacterial biofilms are very difficult to treat. The use of currently approved antibiotics even at high dosages often fails, making the treatment of these infections very challenging. Novel antimicrobial agents that use distinct mechanisms of action are urgently needed. Objectives: To explore the use of [G1K,K8R]cGm, a designed cyclic analogue of the antimicrobial peptide gomesin, as an alternative approach to treat biofilm infections. Methods: We studied the activity of [G1K,K8R]cGm against biofilms of Staphylococcus aureus, a pathogen associated with several biofilm-related infections. A combination of atomic force and real-time confocal laser scanning microscopies was used to study the mechanism of action of the peptide. Results: The peptide demonstrated potent activity against 24 h-preformed biofilms through a concentration-dependent ability to kill biofilm-embedded cells. Mechanistic studies showed that [G1K,K8R]cGm causes morphological changes on bacterial cells and permeabilizes their membranes across the biofilm with a half-time of 65 min. We also tested an analogue of [G1K,K8R]cGm without disulphide bonds, and a linear unfolded analogue, and found both to be inactive. Conclusions: The results suggest that the 3D structure of [G1K,K8R]cGm and its stabilization by disulphide bonds are essential for its antibacterial and antibiofilm activities. Moreover, our findings support the potential application of this stable cyclic antimicrobial peptide to fight bacterial biofilms.This project received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No. 828774. This work was supported by project grants funded by Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (FCT-MCTES, Portugal; UIDB/04565/2020 and PPBI-POCI-01-0145-FEDER-022122). S.A.D. acknowledges FCT for the fellowship PD/BD/114425/2016. S.T.H. is an Australian Research Council (ARC) Future Fellow (FT150100398) and is supported by the ARC Centre of Excellence for Innovations in Peptide & Protein Science (CE200100012).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Novel peptides derived from dengue virus capsid protein translocate reversibly the blood−brain barrier through a receptor-free mechanism

© 2017 American Chemical SocietyThe delivery of therapeutic molecules to the central nervous system is hampered by poor delivery across the blood-brain barrier (BBB). Several strategies have been proposed to enhance transport into the brain, including invasive techniques and receptor-mediated transport (RMT). Both approaches have several drawbacks, such as BBB disruption, receptor saturation, and off-target effects, raising safety issues. Herein, we show that specific domains of Dengue virus type 2 capsid protein (DEN2C) can be used as trans-BBB peptide vectors. Their mechanism of translocation is receptor-independent and consistent with adsorptive-mediated transport (AMT). One peptide in particular, named PepH3, reaches equilibrium distribution concentrations across the BBB in less than 24 h in a cellular in vitro assay. Importantly, in vivo biodistribution data with radiolabeled peptide derivatives show high brain penetration. In addition, there is fast clearance from the brain and high levels of excretion, showing that PepH3 is a very good candidate to be used as a peptide shuttle taking cargo in and out of the brain.The authors thank the Portuguese Funding Agency, Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia, FCT IP, for financial support (grants SFRH/BPD/94466/2013; SFRH/BPD/109010/2015; IF/01010/2013; PTDC/BBBNAN/1578/2014; HIVERA/ 0002/2013) and Marie Skłodowska-Curie Research and Innovation Staff Exchange (MSCA-RISE), call 20-MSCARISE-2014 (grant agreement H20 644167 − INPACT). M.M., L.G., C.F., and J.D.G.C. gratefully acknowledge FCT support through the UID/Multi/04349/2013 project.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Freqüência dos estudantes ao laboratório de enfermagem como atividade de livre opção

Relata os resultados obtidos com a utilização do laboratório de enfermagem pelos estudantes, como atividade de livre opção, em horários fora do período diário de aulas. Esses estudantes foram auxiliados e orientados por alunos-monitores de séries mais adiantadas. Conclui que as exigências dos estudantes em relação ao treinamento das habilidades básicas de enfermagem são altamente individuais e observa que o procedimento mais treinado foi a arrumação de cama. Deixa algumas indagações cujas respostas poderiam prover o professor de diretrizes que orientam a atuação docente

197 MHz Waveguide Loaded Crabbing Cavity Design for the Electron-Ion Collider

The Elec­tron-Ion Col­lider will re­quire crab­bing sys­tems at both hadron and elec­tron stor­age rings in order to reach the de­sired lu­mi­nos­ity goal. The 197 MHz crab cav­ity sys­tem is one of the crit­i­cal rf sys­tems of the collider. The crab cav­ity, based on the rf-di­pole de­sign, explores the op­tion of wave­guide load damp­ing to sup­press the higher order modes and meet the tight im­ped­ance spec­i­fi­ca­tions. The cav­ity is de­signed with com­pact dog-bone wave­guides with tran­si­tions to rec­tan­gu­lar wave-guides and wave­guide loads. This paper pre­sents the com­pact 197 MHz crab cav­ity de­sign with wave­guide damp­ing and other an­cil­lar­ies

Antinociceptivna i protuupalna svojstva vodeno-etanolnog ekstrakta pokožice grožđa vrste Vitis labrusca izolirane iz otpada vinske industrije

Research background. Extracts from grape pomace, including the wine, show many biological effects such as antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities. Unfortunately, winemakers discard the bagasse, so the waste is not exploited, although it contains bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The work aims to analyze the hydroethanolic extract of peels from Vitis labrusca agro-industrial waste and to evaluate its antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory properties. This study is relevant for reusing a residue and adding value to the grape economic chain. Experimental approach. A representative sample of pomace was obtained and the peels were used to produce the extract. The phenolic compounds were determined by mass spectrometry in multiple reaction monitoring mode and Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method, using gallic acid as standard. The biological analyses were carried out using mice orally treated with crude extract at doses of 30, 100 and 300 mg/kg. We evaluated mechanical hyperalgesia by the von Frey method, thermal heat hyperalgesia using a hot plate at 55 °C, paw edema using a pachymeter, and neutrophil recruitment by measurement of myeloperoxidase activity. The nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity were evaluated by biochemical analyses using blood samples that were collected after the Vitis labrusca administration. Results and conclusions. In all wet winemaking residues peel mass fraction was 75%, and in dry residues 59%. We identified nine anthocyanins (3-O-glucosides: peonidin, delphinidin, petunidin and malvidin; 3-p-coumaroyl-glucosides: cyanidin, peonidin, petunidin and malvidin, and malvidin-3,5-diglucoside), five flavonoids (apigenin-7-glucoside, luteolin-7-glucoside, quercetin-3-galactoside, isorhamnetin-3-glucoside and myricetin-3-rutinoside), and mass fraction of phenolic compounds, expressed as gallic acid equivalents, was 26.62 mg/g. In vivo assays showed that Vitis labrusca extract at mass fractions 100 and 300 mg/kg reduced carrageenan-induced mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia, 50% of the paw edema, and neutrophil recruitment. In addition, there were no indications of nephrotoxicity and hepatotoxicity. Our extract obtained from winemaking residue has analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties, related at least in part to the presence of phenolic compounds, and it is not toxic to renal and hepatic tissues. Novelty and scientific contribution. This bio-product can be used as an alternative to synthetic anti-inflammatory agents with the same pharmacological potential and fewer side effects. We demonstrated that Vitis labrusca winemaking waste can be used for the production of antinociceptive and anti-inflammatory products (nutraceutical, pharmaceutical and cosmetics) without toxicity, contributing to the environmental economy.Pozadina istraživanja. Ekstrakt komine grožđa, kao i vino, ima mnoga biološka svojstva, poput antioksidacijskog i protuupalnog učinka. Nažalost, proizvođači vina odbacuju neiskorišteni trop iako sadržava bioaktivne spojeve s antioksidacijskim i protuupalnim svojstvima. Svrha je ovoga rada bila ispitati antinociceptivna i protuupalna svojstva vodeno-etanolnog ekstrakta pokožice grožđa vrste Vitis labrusca iz agroindustrijskog otpada. Značaj je ovoga istraživanja u tome što se korištenjem otpada daje dodatna ekonomska vrijednost grožđu u uzgojnom lancu. Eksperimentalni pristup. Ekstrakt je dobiven iz pokožica izdvojenih iz reprezentativnog uzorka komine. Udjel fenolnih spojeva određen je praćenjem višestrukih reakcija pomoću masene spektrometrije i metodom Folin-Ciocalteu, uz galnu kiselinu kao standard. Biološka aktivnost ekstrakata ispitana je na miševima koji su hranjeni sirovim ekstraktom u dozama od 30, 100 i 300 mg/kg. Ispitani su sljedeći parametri: mehanička hiperalgezija pomoću von Frey filamenata, toplinska hiperalgezija na vrućoj ploči pri 55 °C, edem šape pomoću pomičnog mjerila i aktivnost mijeloperoksidaze kao pokazatelj aktivacije neutrofila. Nefrotoksičnost i hepatotoksičnost su ispitane biokemijskim pretragama uzoraka krvi miševa hranjenih ekstraktom grožđa vrste Vitis labrusca. Rezultati i zaključci. Maseni udjel pokožica u svim uzorcima otpada vinske industrije iznosio je 75 % mokre tvari i 59 % suhe tvari. Identificirali smo devet različitih antocijanina (3-O-glukozide peonidin, delfinidin, petunidin i malvidin; 3-p-kumaroil-glukozide cijanidin, peonidin, pe¬tunidin i malvidin, te malvidin-3,5-diglukozid), pet flavonoida (apigenin-7-glukozid, luteolin-7-glukozid, kvercetin-3-galaktozid, izorhamnetin-3-glukozid i miri¬cetin-3-rutinozid), a maseni udjel fenolnih spojeva, izražen kao ekvivalent galne kiseline, bio je 26,62 mg/g. Ispitivanja in vivo pokazala su da su ektrakti grožđa vrste Vitis labrusca masenog udjela 100 i 300 mg/kg smanjili mehaničku i toplinsku hiperalgeziju kod miševa nakon injekcije karagenana, reducirali edem šape za 50 % i smanjili broj neutrofila. Osim toga, nije bilo pokazatelja nefrotoksičnosti i hepatotoksičnosti. Ekstrakt dobiven iz otpada vinske industrije ima analgetska i protuupalna svojstva, djelomično zbog toga što sadržava fenolne spojeve, a nije toksičan za tkiva bubrega i jetre. Novina i znanstveni doprinos. Dobiveni se bioproizvod može upotrijebiti kao alternativa sintetičkim protuupalnim agensima, s istim farmakološkim potencijalom a manje nuspojava. Pokazali smo da se vinski otpad grožđa vrste Vitis labrusca može upotrijebiti za proizvodnju antinociceptivnih i protuupalnih proizvoda (nutraceutičkih, farmaceutskih i kozmetičkih) koji nemaju toksični učinak, te na taj način pridonijeti zaštiti okoliša

Estudo sobre o consumo excessivo de refrigerantes: um meio de promover o ensino de química

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