Comparative analysis of measures to reduce heating energy in building renovation

In my diploma work I conducted a comparative analysis of measures to reduce heating energy consumption in building renovation.\ud Taking into account the fact that in the European Union buildings account for 40% of total energy consumption, reduction of energy consumption and use of energy from renewable energy sources in the buildings sector are important measures, required in order to reduce energy dependency of the Union and greenhouse gas emissions [1]. According to the data of the Statistical Office of the\ud Republic of Slovenia for 2012, Slovenian households consumed by far the most energy (62.2 %) for space heating. The remaining share was used for heating of household water, cooking, lighting and use of electrical appliances [3]. In this Diploma work I want to analyse and compare the measures which will contribute to the reduction of heating energy consumption in three residential houses, built in\ud three different time periods. The Diploma work is limited mainly to the measures at the level of the building envelope. The existing state and efficiency of measures have been checked by TEDI and TOST software, developed at the Chair of Buildings and Structural Elements at the Faculty of Civil and Geodetic Engineering. I have found out that in the existing buildings energy consumption for\ud heating is several times that of the maximum permitted consumption under PURES 2010. The analysis of the results shows that under PURES 2010 the measures, selected in the Diploma work, could result in coming closer to energy efficient buildings only by suitable thermal insulation of the building envelope. In addition, all the buildings considered meet the maximum permitted coefficient of specific transmission losses H'T, and none meet the maximum permitted value of the annual consumption of heating QNH/AU

Prévention et maîtrise des infections nosocomiales selon trois approches appliquées à différents niveaux d'action

Bacterial resistance to antibiotics in health care facilities complicates the therapeutic burden and increased mortality of infected patients. The objective of this work was to evaluate different approaches which aim was to prevent and control hospital-acquired infections. This work focuses on three issues: (i) Is there a strategy already in place to promote the appropriate use of antibiotics? (ii) How can we evaluate performance in terms of hand hygiene? (iii) What measures can we implement to limit the spread of P. aeruginosa?We first showed that the distributions of regional guidelines or drug monitoring alerts were followed by a change in the uptake of antibiotic prescriptions in line with such recommandations.Then we evaluated the performance of health care facilities for hand hygiene, focusing especially on the index of consumption of alcohol-base hand-rub solution. We showed that the number of alcohol-based hand-rub is far higher than that defined by the French Ministry of Health. In another study, we were faced with limitations in its construction, the latter being partly responsible for the lack of a relationship between this indicator and the prevalence of invasive devices associated with infections.Finally, we have shown that the burden of care and the contamination of clean water networks of health facilities were contextual risk factors for acquisition of Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Another study showed that wastewater networks were involved in extra-hospital spread of resistant strains. A study is currently underway to assess the value of a global approach combining screening and additional precautions in patients with P. aeruginosa.In conclusion, this study confirms the effectiveness of some preventive measures while underlining the limitations of other approaches. However it does not promote a particular strategy. Because in terms of BMR, it is necessary to define global and cross-sectorial strategies which go beyond the health care facilitiesLa résistance bactérienne aux antibiotiques dans les établissements de santé complique la prise en charge thérapeutique et entraîne une surmortalité des patients infectés. L'objectif de ce travail était d'évaluer différentes approches ayant pour finalité la prévention et la maîtrise des infections nosocomiales. Ce travail s'articule autour de trois questions : (i) Existe-t-il une stratégie de promotion d'un juste usage des antibiotiques à privilégier ? (ii) Comment évaluer la performance en matière d'hygiène des mains ? (iii) Quelles mesures pouvons-nous proposer pour limiter la diffusion de P. aeruginosa ?Nous avons d'abord montré que la diffusion de recommandations sous la forme de guides régionaux ou de messages de pharmacovigilance était suivie d'une modification des prescriptions antibiotiques conformes aux recommandations.Ensuite, nous avons évalué le niveau de performance des établissements de santé en matière d'hygiène des mains en étudiant plus particulièrement l'indicateur de consommation de solution hydro-alcoolique (ICSHA). Nous avons ainsi pu montrer que le nombre minimal d'opportunité d'hygiène des mains servant à son calcul, était sous-estime. Dans une autre étude, nous avons été confrontés aux limites liées à sa construction, ces dernières étant en partie responsable de l'absence de relation observée entre cet indicateur et la prévalence des infections associées aux dispositifs invasifs.Enfin, nous avons montré que la charge en soins et la contamination des réseaux d'eau propre des établissements de santé étaient des facteurs de risque contextuels d'acquisition du bacille pyocyanique. Un autre travail a mis en évidence que les réseaux d'eau usée étaient impliqués dans la diffusion extra-hospitalière de souches résistantes. Une étude est actuellement en cours pour évaluer l'intérêt d'une approche globale associant dépistage et précautions complémentaires chez les patients porteurs de P. aeruginosa.En conclusion, si ce travail confirme l'efficacité de certaines actions de prévention tout en mettant en avant les limites d'autres approches, il ne permet pas de privilégier une stratégie particulière. Il apparaît ainsi nécessaire de mettre en place des stratégies globales et transversales allant au-delà des seuls établissements de sant

Effective Treatment of Multiple Unresectable Skin Melanoma Metastases by Electrochemotherapy

Višestruke metastaze melanoma kože predstavljaju problem u liječenju, pogotovo u centrima koji ne raspolažu perfuzijom izoliranih organa. Predstavljamo slučaj žene u dobi od 59 godina u koje su se razvile višestruke male neoperabilne metastaze melanoma kože na bedru nakon što joj je amputiran donji dio noge. lektrokemoterapijom bleomicinom postignuti su dobri rezultati u lokalnom suzbijanju bolesti, s potpunim odgovorom liječenih čvorića melanoma (224 čvorića) nakon 4 navrata liječenja. Elektrokemoterapija frekvencije ponavljanja električnog pulsa od 1 Hz i frekvencije električnog pulsa od 5 Hz pokazala je jednaku učinkovitost u suzbijanju tumora. Elektrokemoterapija s intravenoznim bleomicinom može se rabiti kao postupak izbora za lokalno suzbijanje metastaza neoperabilnog melanoma kože.Multiple unresectable melanoma skin metastases pose a treatment problem, especially in centers where isolated limb perfusion is not available. We report the case of a 59-year-old woman who developed multiple small unresectable cutaneous melanoma metastases on the thigh after her lower limb was amputated. Electrochemotherapy with bleomycin resulted in good local control of the disease, with a complete response of the treated melanoma nodules (224 tumor nodules) after 4 treatment sessions. Comparison between electrochemotherapy using repetition frequency of the applied electric pulses of 1 Hz and 5 kHz demonstrated equal antitumor effectiveness. Electrochemotherapy with intravenous bleomycin can also be used as a treatment of choice for local control of multiple unresectable cutaneous melanoma skin metastase

Effects of selenium addition on minimally processed leafy vegetables grown in a floating system

BACKGROUND: In recent years the consumption ofminimally processed leafy vegetables has been increasing. At the same time food quality and its effects on human health have become crucial issues. Since selenium (Se) is an important microelement due to its ability to defend human organisms against free radicals, we investigated the effects of Se on chicory and lettuce production, and assessed the feasibility of a floating system as a method of producing Se-enriched vegetables. RESULTS: The addition of 0.5 and 1.0mg Se L−1 to the nutrient solution resulted in an increase in the selenium concentration in the leaves, which had a positive effect on the plant yield. Selenium was generally effective in decreasing the production of ethylene and phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL) activity, even though a seasonal effect seemed to be present, consequently improving the quality of leafy vegetables and the shelf life in both species. The amount of Se accumulated in plants grown in the nutrient solution containing 0.5 mgSe kg−1 could provide the rational Se intake for human nutrition in accordance with the recommended dietary allowance (RDA) guidelines. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of Se in a nutrient solution can be a useful system for providing enriched leafy vegetables. The floating system can be used to modulate the availability of Se in nutrient solutions and to grow vegetables with the optimal Se content for human healt

VECTOR IMAGE FORMATS

Osrednja tema diplomskega dela je predstavitev glavnih vektorskih slikovnih formatov. Obravnavali bomo tudi lastnosti vektorske in rastrske grafike ter njihove prednosti in slabosti. Preučili bomo strukturo nekaterih javno dostopnih vektorskih formatov in pomembnejše programe za delo v vektorskimi slikami. Zanima pa nas predvsem, ali lahko pride pri pretvorbi med izbranimi vektorskimi formati do izgub ali sprememb podatkov.The central theme of the thesis is description of the main vector image formats. We will also discuss the properties of vector and raster graphics, as well as their advantages and disadvantages. We will examine the structure of some publicly accessible vector formats and major software for working with vector images. We are mainly interested in loss or modification of data between conversions of the selected vector formats