Potential of Energy Savings in the Public Housing Stock of Comunitat Valenciana Region by Applying the MedZEB Cost-Optimal Methodology

Improving energy efficiency in buildings has a key role to play in achieving the ambitious goal of EU-wide climate neutrality by 2050, set out in the European Green Deal. This paper describes a cost-optimal analysis of residential buildings of Valencian Community, Spain. Thus, an assessment of the contribution of total primary energy savings per year (MW/h) of the social dwellings managed by EVha, Entitat Valenciana d’Habitatge i Sòl (eng. Valencian entity for dwelling and ground) towards the national contribution is presented in this paper. To assess it, the MedZEB cost-optimal methodology has been applied to optimise the performance of the building’s envelope. This means that Optimal Renovation Strategies through Life-Cycle Analysis have been applied to obtain the Packages of Optimal Solutions of the different reference buildings in a reference climate. First, the renovation scenario with 100% of the building stock being renovated has been calculated. Then, the renovation scenario of 1%, being the current European rate of renovation and, finally the renovation scenario of 2%, given that the objective of the Renovation Wave is to at least double the annual energy renovation rate of residential and non-residential buildings by 2030 and to foster deep energy renovations.Unión Europea. Horizonte 2020 78507

Because people act, cities can be smart: Promoting social innovation in smart-city design-tools in the Mediterranean

[EN] Smart city is an innovative paradigm tackling a range of emerging problems associated with urbanization, massively understood from a technology-driven approach. Much of the focus of the smart city movement to date – city authorities and other organizations deploying sensors, networks, decision support tools and data analytics to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of urban systems (like transport, utilities, etc.) – is only half the story. In occasions, citizens struggle with a top-down managing city system that should help public administrators, service providers and citizens, but reports instead on personal frustration. To avoid this, an attempt to promote social innovation processes to the smart city paradigm is now taking place. In this paper, we analyze reactions to a smart city design-tool for energy strategy plans’ definition and implementation, in the three EU most populated Mediterranean countries (Spain, France, Italy). The research is based on the ACCENT study case. Interviews show common challenges with regard to ACCENT smartness, as the needs and dangers of sharing real energy consumption data of buildings, the low willingness of some energy suppliers to offer information, the user-unfriendly interfaces for citizens, the lack of linkage among public bodies, the dispersion of data, the requirement of disseminating mechanisms to make citizens aware of the benefits of the energy renovation, or the inaccessibility to existing information on the state of buildings. These challenges resulting from ACCENT study give rise to three recommendations to foster social innovation in further Mediterranean smart city design-tools: co-responsibility, hand-in-hand co-creation and citizens’ organizational empowerment.Mateo Cecilia, CA.; Navarro Escudero, M.; Serrano Lanzarote, AB.; Valero Escribano, V. (2018). Because people act, cities can be smart: Promoting social innovation in smart-city design-tools in the Mediterranean. En 24th ISUF International Conference. Book of Papers. Editorial Universitat Politècnica de València. 1179-1186. https://doi.org/10.4995/ISUF2017.2017.6936OCS1179118

Optimal Renovation Strategies through Life-Cycle Analysis in a Pilot Building Located in a Mild Mediterranean Climate

The 2030 climate and energy framework includes EU-wide targets and policy objectives for the period 2021-2030 of (1) at least 55% cuts in greenhouse gas emissions (from 1990 levels); (2) at least 32% share for renewable energy; and (3) at least 32.5% improvement in energy efficiency. In this context, the methodology of the cost-optimal level from the life-cycle cost approach has been applied to calculate the cost of renovating the existing building stock in Europe. The aim of this research is to analyze a pilot building using the cost-optimal methodology to determine the renovation measures that lead to the lowest life-cycle cost during the estimated economic life of the building. The case under study is an apartment building located in a mild Mediterranean climate (Castellon, SP). A package of 12 optimal solutions has been obtained to show the importance of the choice of the elements and systems for renovating building envelopes and how energy and economic aspects influence this choice. Simulations have shown that these packages of optimal solutions (different configurations for the building envelope, thermal bridges, airtightness and ventilation, and domestic hot water production systems) can provide savings in the primary energy consumption of up to 60%.This research was funded by European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme, grant agreement number 785072. It has been performed within the framework of the project HAPPEN-Holistic APproach and Platform for the deep renovation of the med residential built Environment. It reflects only the author's view and that the Agency and the Commission are not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains

Diseño y preparación de un laboratorio virtual de Química Analítica: Técnicas instrumentales de análisis

La reciente pandemia del COVID-19 ha supuesto un cambio excepcional y drástico de la concepción tradicional del aprendizaje, tanto para los estudiantes como para los docentes. Ante esta situación se requiere no sólo acciones que faciliten la adaptación de los estudiantes y profesores a las plataformas educativas en línea, sino también a que éstas se conviertan en auténticas herramientas para potenciar y mejorar de forma significativa el aprendizaje del alumno. El presente proyecto de Innovación Educativa y Mejora de la Calidad Docente pretende mejorar la calidad del aprendizaje de varias asignaturas de los Grados de Química e Ingeniería Química que llevan asociado un Laboratorio de Técnicas Instrumentales. Tradicionalmente esa docencia práctica ha sido presencial, pero la situación excepcional surgida con la pandemia en el curso 2019/2020, ha demostrado que disponer de unas prácticas virtualizadas es de gran ayuda para facilitar el aprendizaje de los alumnos y facilitar una transferencia del conocimiento constructivo y colaborativo. Desde hace años, el personal docente e investigador (PDI), personal de administración y servicios (PAS) y los estudiantes de la UCM, disponemos de la plataforma de enseñanza online Moodle (Campus Virtual, CV). Sin embargo, la pandemia que vivimos ha evidenciado la brecha digital en lo referente a cómo usar Moodle y, por ende, la utilización de las Tecnologías de Información y Comunicación (TICs) como facilitadoras didácticas. A pesar de nuestras limitaciones, tanto profesores como estudiantes, hemos desarrollado una enorme capacidad resiliente, lo que permitió, durante el pasado mes de mayo, la puesta en marcha de los primeros laboratorios en línea en el Departamento de Química Analítica de la UCM. Fruto de esta experiencia, así como de la situación actual de incertidumbre para el curso próximo, algunos profesores, estudiantes y PAS del departamento hemos decidido adelantarnos a un escenario futuro en el que se contemple nuevamente la impartición de Docencia Experimental en línea y solicitar el presente proyecto de Innovación Educativa y Mejora de la Calidad Docente

Overview of recent TJ-II stellarator results

The main results obtained in the TJ-II stellarator in the last two years are reported. The most important topics investigated have been modelling and validation of impurity transport, validation of gyrokinetic simulations, turbulence characterisation, effect of magnetic configuration on transport, fuelling with pellet injection, fast particles and liquid metal plasma facing components. As regards impurity transport research, a number of working lines exploring several recently discovered effects have been developed: the effect of tangential drifts on stellarator neoclassical transport, the impurity flux driven by electric fields tangent to magnetic surfaces and attempts of experimental validation with Doppler reflectometry of the variation of the radial electric field on the flux surface. Concerning gyrokinetic simulations, two validation activities have been performed, the comparison with measurements of zonal flow relaxation in pellet-induced fast transients and the comparison with experimental poloidal variation of fluctuations amplitude. The impact of radial electric fields on turbulence spreading in the edge and scrape-off layer has been also experimentally characterized using a 2D Langmuir probe array. Another remarkable piece of work has been the investigation of the radial propagation of small temperature perturbations using transfer entropy. Research on the physics and modelling of plasma core fuelling with pellet and tracer-encapsulated solid-pellet injection has produced also relevant results. Neutral beam injection driven Alfvénic activity and its possible control by electron cyclotron current drive has been examined as well in TJ-II. Finally, recent results on alternative plasma facing components based on liquid metals are also presentedThis work has been carried out within the framework of the EUROfusion Consortium and has received funding from the Euratom research and training programme 2014–2018 under Grant Agreement No. 633053. It has been partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Inovación y Universidades of Spain under projects ENE2013-48109-P, ENE2015-70142-P and FIS2017-88892-P. It has also received funds from the Spanish Government via mobility grant PRX17/00425. The authors thankfully acknowledge the computer resources at MareNostrum and the technical support provided by the Barcelona S.C. It has been supported as well by The Science and Technology Center in Ukraine (STCU), Project P-507F

Higher COVID-19 pneumonia risk associated with anti-IFN-α than with anti-IFN-ω auto-Abs in children

We found that 19 (10.4%) of 183 unvaccinated children hospitalized for COVID-19 pneumonia had autoantibodies (auto-Abs) neutralizing type I IFNs (IFN-alpha 2 in 10 patients: IFN-alpha 2 only in three, IFN-alpha 2 plus IFN-omega in five, and IFN-alpha 2, IFN-omega plus IFN-beta in two; IFN-omega only in nine patients). Seven children (3.8%) had Abs neutralizing at least 10 ng/ml of one IFN, whereas the other 12 (6.6%) had Abs neutralizing only 100 pg/ml. The auto-Abs neutralized both unglycosylated and glycosylated IFNs. We also detected auto-Abs neutralizing 100 pg/ml IFN-alpha 2 in 4 of 2,267 uninfected children (0.2%) and auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-omega in 45 children (2%). The odds ratios (ORs) for life-threatening COVID-19 pneumonia were, therefore, higher for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-alpha 2 only (OR [95% CI] = 67.6 [5.7-9,196.6]) than for auto-Abs neutralizing IFN-. only (OR [95% CI] = 2.6 [1.2-5.3]). ORs were also higher for auto-Abs neutralizing high concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 12.9 [4.6-35.9]) than for those neutralizing low concentrations (OR [95% CI] = 5.5 [3.1-9.6]) of IFN-omega and/or IFN-alpha 2

CARB-ES-19 Multicenter Study of Carbapenemase-Producing Klebsiella pneumoniae and Escherichia coli From All Spanish Provinces Reveals Interregional Spread of High-Risk Clones Such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

ObjectivesCARB-ES-19 is a comprehensive, multicenter, nationwide study integrating whole-genome sequencing (WGS) in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing K. pneumoniae (CP-Kpn) and E. coli (CP-Eco) to determine their incidence, geographical distribution, phylogeny, and resistance mechanisms in Spain.MethodsIn total, 71 hospitals, representing all 50 Spanish provinces, collected the first 10 isolates per hospital (February to May 2019); CPE isolates were first identified according to EUCAST (meropenem MIC > 0.12 mg/L with immunochromatography, colorimetric tests, carbapenem inactivation, or carbapenem hydrolysis with MALDI-TOF). Prevalence and incidence were calculated according to population denominators. Antibiotic susceptibility testing was performed using the microdilution method (EUCAST). All 403 isolates collected were sequenced for high-resolution single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) typing, core genome multilocus sequence typing (cgMLST), and resistome analysis.ResultsIn total, 377 (93.5%) CP-Kpn and 26 (6.5%) CP-Eco isolates were collected from 62 (87.3%) hospitals in 46 (92%) provinces. CP-Kpn was more prevalent in the blood (5.8%, 50/853) than in the urine (1.4%, 201/14,464). The cumulative incidence for both CP-Kpn and CP-Eco was 0.05 per 100 admitted patients. The main carbapenemase genes identified in CP-Kpn were blaOXA–48 (263/377), blaKPC–3 (62/377), blaVIM–1 (28/377), and blaNDM–1 (12/377). All isolates were susceptible to at least two antibiotics. Interregional dissemination of eight high-risk CP-Kpn clones was detected, mainly ST307/OXA-48 (16.4%), ST11/OXA-48 (16.4%), and ST512-ST258/KPC (13.8%). ST512/KPC and ST15/OXA-48 were the most frequent bacteremia-causative clones. The average number of acquired resistance genes was higher in CP-Kpn (7.9) than in CP-Eco (5.5).ConclusionThis study serves as a first step toward WGS integration in the surveillance of carbapenemase-producing Enterobacterales in Spain. We detected important epidemiological changes, including increased CP-Kpn and CP-Eco prevalence and incidence compared to previous studies, wide interregional dissemination, and increased dissemination of high-risk clones, such as ST307/OXA-48 and ST512/KPC-3

Desarrollo de las bases para un sistema de certificación de personas en mantenimiento industrial

Consulta en la Biblioteca ETSI Industriales (7518)[ES] Tiene por objeto establecer las bases de un sistema para cualificación y certificación del personal encargado de realizar, supervisar y gestionar las diferentes acciones del mantenimiento industrial definido a nivel Europeo y la adaptación de este sistema al ámbito del mantenimiento en España. La metodología del sistema se basará en el establecimiento de tres niveles de certificación: Gestor, Supervisor y Técnico de Mantenimiento, en función del grado de conocimiento adquirido por la persona.Navarro Escudero, M. (2007). Desarrollo de las bases para un sistema de certificación de personas en mantenimiento industrial. http://hdl.handle.net/10251/35568.Archivo delegad

'Out of sight, out of mind?' : the role of physical stressors, cognitive appraisal, and positive emotions in employees’ health

This study analyzes the mediating role of the appraisal of environmental stressors in the relationship between physical characteristics in the offices and health symptoms. It also studies the moderating role of positive emotions in the relationship between physical characteristics and the appraisal of environmental stressors using a diary study on 59 office workers ( n = 432 time points) and sensor data. The results show that the appraisal of environmental stressors mediates the relationship between physical office characteristics and health symptoms, emphasizing the important link of stress appraisal in the stressors–strain relationship. The results also show that positive emotions moderate the relationship between the sound level and the appraisal of noise, supporting the fact that emotions can have an impact on people’s appraisals. The contributions of this study are the objective measurement of physical stressors in offices, along with their appraisals by the office users, using the diary study design

Improving energy-efficiency skills in the construction sector through technology-enhanced learning: the case of BIMplement project

[EN] The building sector offers a large untapped potential for cost-effective energy savings. One of the most challenging aspects of reducing energy use in the building sector lies in increasing the rate, quality and effectiveness of nZEB (nearly Zero Energy Buildings) construction and renovation. The European Commission has underlined one of the barriers that hampers the development of nZEBs and effective renovations is the lack of adequate constructions skills. Improving the skills of the different building and trade professionals in the area of low carbon and energy-efficient construction is key to tackle this barrier. To improve this situation the BUILD UP Skills initiative was launched in 2011 and has been expanded under the European Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme with specific calls for projects on Construction Skills. The objective is to increase the number of skilled building professionals across the building value chain (designers, architects, engineers, building managers, technicians, installers, workers, apprentices and other building professionals) to ensure proper interactions between different trades and professions. Since 2011, several projects across Europe have been funded to map the skills gaps and needs and provide building professionals and construction workers with the necessary training to meet the challenges posed by energy-efficiency regulations. Moreover, during the last period, the introduction of digital learning environments in the construction sector has gained importance. The recent report titled "Supporting digitalisation of the construction sector and SMEs" states that the digitalisation of the construction sector is underway in Europe but at a slower pace than expected. The report also presents an overview and brief description of the recommended actions to improve the current state of digitalisation of the construction sector, among which is the following: ¿Provide lifelong (Digital) skills development for employees within the construction sector through trainings¿. New digital technologies, such as Building Information Modelling (BIM), have begun to transform the way that buildings are designed, built, operated and maintained [1]. This paper introduces the EU-funded H2020 project BIMplement whose main objective is to achieve an improved quality for nZEB construction and renovation by using BIM as a universal information carrier and enabler of the learning process within building projects and between building projects. BIMplement sets up large scale training, Continuous Professional Development and flexible qualification methodology integrating technical, cross-craft and BIM related skills and competences. The value of the BIMplement methodology is being tested in 50 construction or renovation projects in France, Spain, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Poland.Esparza-Arbona, MJ.; Navarro-Escudero, M.; Serrano Lanzarote, AB.; Cromwijk, J.; Op't Veld, P. (2020). Improving energy-efficiency skills in the construction sector through technology-enhanced learning: the case of BIMplement project. IATED Academy. 4646-4653. https://doi.org/10.21125/edulearn.2020.1224S4646465