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The concept of a Digital Building Logbook (DBL) was first introduced with the European strategy ‘Renovation Wave’. It is considered as one of two fundamental parts of which the Building Renovation Passport is composed: the DBL and a Renovation Roadmap. As the implementation of the DBL is a European priority, this paper reviews the existing literature and analyses the most developed European Digital Building Logbook models. The analysis includes iBRoad, ALDREN, X-tendo, and the Study on the Development of a European Union Framework for Buildings’ Digital Logbook, from the perspective of seven key aspects: References used as a starting point for the model definition; Identification of the relevant stakeholders in the DBL; Identified potential user needs; Proposed structure of indicators; Data sources; Potential functionalities; and Operation and use. The results show that important advancement has been made, although there is still no consensus about crucial subjects, such as the indicators to be collected or how to collect and use them. This is probably due to the fact that the final functionalities (objective and scope) that the logbook should provide are not fully clear.

According to the European Commission, the Digital Building Logbook (DBL) is a repository of all of the relevant data of a building. It was first introduced at the European scale in the Renovation Wave strategy and was first defined in the proposal for the recast of the energy performance of buildings Directive in December 2021. The European DBL has not been implemented yet, since a common model does not yet exist. Even though great efforts are being made to establish it, some relevant issues need to be addressed first. One of them is the identification of data sources that will feed the DBL. Existing digital data sources have already been explored in some countries and they have been found to be insufficient. In this paper, new digital data sources suitable for the logbook are identified, and their contribution in terms of indicators and interoperability is analysed. The analysis shows that these sources have great potential to contribute to the DBL, because they bring the possibility to collect a great amount of real data on buildings. However, the main barrier for these tools to be incorporated into the DBL is that their linkage still requires further research.

The construction sector plays a significant role in global environmental impact, accounting for substantial resource consumption, energy use, and carbon emissions. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has emerged as a key methodology for evaluating the environmental footprint of buildings. This paper introduces a newly developed calculation tool designed to assess the role of transport within a comprehensive LCA of construction works, while also incorporating the benefits of reusing building materials in a circular manner. By applying this tool, we analyse the environmental and economic implications of transport in different scenarios, focusing on the case of recycled concrete versus landfill disposal. Cement, as one of the largest contributors to global warming in the building sector, makes this analysis particularly relevant for sustainable construction strategies. Using a structured calculation matrix, the tool quantifies transport-related gains and losses by incorporating key variables such as concrete composition, transportation distances to and from the construction site, landfill locations, diesel costs, deposit fees, and associated CO2 emissions. The tool enables a systematic evaluation of critical parameters, including transport distances and the proportion of recycled concrete, providing insights into optimising environmental performance. The results offer a practical framework for decision-making, supporting policymakers and industry stakeholders in understanding the role of transport within LCA methodologies. Integrating this tool into building assessments can serve as a guideline for promoting more sustainable and data-driven construction practices.

Europe has set a target to become a decarbonised continent by 2050. To achieve this, intervention in buildings is crucial, as they serve as significant energy consumers and greenhouse gas emitters. This intervention encompasses two essential pathways: renovation and digitalisation. The combination of these two aspects gives rise to elements such as the Digital Building Logbook (DBL), a digital data repository expected to enhance the pace and quality of renovation efforts. This paper introduces, for the first time, a European DBL data model with a specific focus on building renovation purposes—the DBrL. It outlines its initial requirements, constituent entities, relationships, and attributes. While acknowledging the need to address issues related to data protection, integration with existing data sources, and connections with Building Information Modelling (BIM) and Geographic Information System (GIS) in subsequent design phases, the study’s outcome represents a significant stride in defining this tool.

To achieve climate neutrality by 2050, decarbonizing the building sector is crucial, as it currently contributes 36 % of greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. Monitoring decarbonization progress is essential for evaluating our trajectory towards long-term goals, facilitating informed decision-making. However, monitoring this issue is currently unfeasible due to a lack of real data. Despite challenges in data gathering, directives like Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE) and the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) promote open data accessibility. To overcome this barrier, this paper suggests using georeferencing and automated cross-referencing of open building data to obtain data to monitor progress towards decarbonization effectively. This approach materializes in the proposal of a national-scale Urban Building Energy Model (UBEM) for Spain, which leverages data from Energy Performance Certificates (EPC) and potentially Digital Building Logbooks (DBL) to enhance it. The study demonstrates the considerable potential of this approach, not only in characterizing the energy performance of Spanish buildings based on location, type, and age but also in estimating energy consumption, carbon dioxide emissions, monitoring renovation progress, assessing energy savings, and identifying energy-inefficient building segments. Finally, this study compares the information obtained using the proposed model with the set of progress indicators of the EPBD recast for the new national building renovation plans, concluding that the UBEM model manages to provide data to collect 29 of the progress indicators and, when combined with a DBL, it would be able to provide 59. This framework holds promise for replication in other MS, offering valuable insights into the decarbonization of the European building stock.

The European Union (EU), aware that having an energy efficient building stock is crucial to achieve decarbonisation goals and to improve people's quality of life, has established a legislative framework made up of Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBDs) and Energy Efficiency Directive (EEDs) to support Member States’ (MS) governments in boosting energy performance of buildings by offering a broad range of policies and support measures. Since 2014, all EU countries must establish a long-term renovation strategy (LTRS) every three years to support the renovation of their national building stock into a highly energy efficient and decarbonised building stock by 2050, contributing to achieving the Member States’ energy and climate plans (NECPs) targets. The requirement for EU countries to adopt a LTRS was first set out in the EED (2012/27/EU) and was revised in 2018 EPBD (2018/844/EU). With the aim of facilitating the interpretation of the latter directive by the national governments, Commission Recommendation (EU) 2019/786 was published. In this recommendation a voluntary framework based on progress indicators to assess the decarbonisation of the building stock was proposed. Later, in 2021, a proposal for the recast of the EPBD was launched, and in 2023 it was amended. In these new versions, the LTRs are strengthened towards Building renovation plans (BRP). The plans will include national targets in a more unified and comparable approach, and progress will be measured through a compulsory assessment framework based on indicators, among other issues. In this paper, the assessment frameworks proposed in the Commission Recommendation (EU) 2019/786, the proposal for the EPBD recast (2021 version) and the 2023 amended version of the EPBD recast are compared. Additionally, 2020 Member States’ LTRSs are analysed, focusing on the indicators that each one proposes to assess the renovation progress in the country. Finally, the level of alignment between the indicators proposed by each national strategy and by the 2023 amended version of the EPBD recast is evaluated, in order to identify best practices among MS to get closer to the future ‘Building renovation plans’.

A low-cost custom-made pseudo-anthropomorphic lung phantom, offering a model for ultrasound-guided interventions, is presented. The phantom is a rectangular solidstructure fabricated with polyvinyl alcohol cryogel (PVA-C) and cellulose to mimic the healthy parenchyma. The pathologies of interest were embedded as inclusions containing gaseous, liquid, or solid materials. The ribs were 3D-printed using polyethylene terephthalate, and the pleura was made of a bidimensional reticle based on PVA-C. The healthy and pathological tissues were mimicked to display acoustic and echoic properties similar to that of soft tissues. Theflexible fabrication process facilitated the modification of the physical and acoustic properties of the phantom. The phantom’s manufacture offers flexibility regarding the number, shape, location, and composition of the inclusions and the insertion of ribs and pleura. In-plane and out-of-plane needle insertions, fine needle aspiration, and core needle biopsy were performed under ultrasound image guidance. The mimicked tissues displayed a resistance and recoil effect typically encountered in a real scenario for a pneumothorax, abscesses, and neoplasms. The presented phantom accurately replicated thoracic tissues (lung, ribs, and pleura) and associated pathologies providing a useful tool for training ultrasound-guided procedures.

The Digital Building Logbook (DBL) is defined in the recast of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) as a common repository for all relevant building data. While the directive does not specify the exact features or structure of this tool, it is clear that its implementation will be required in the near future. For this reason, various research groups are currently working on the development of a common DBL model that can be applied across all Member States. This paper presents the approach undertaken to propose a DBL model focused on promoting the energy renovation of national building stocks. The methodology involves analysing existing initiatives, identifying the essential data fields that the model should include, and evaluating potential data sources to populate the model. As a result, a logical data model is developed and tested using a case study based on a real building located in Spain. Through the realisation of this case study, the consistency of the proposed model architecture is demonstrated, as well as its ability to fulfil the intended function of promoting energy renovation.

ABSTRACT Background In living kidney transplantation there are two different individuals, a healthy donor and a renal transplant recipient. This is an excellent human model to study factors that influence kidney function in the context of reduced renal mass and the adaptation of two comparable kidneys to different metabolic demands. Methods We analyzed the changes in measured glomerular filtration rate (GFR, iohexol) from pretransplantation to 12 months after transplantation in 30 donor–recipient pairs. Each donor was compared with his/her recipient. We defined a priori three different groups based on GFR differences at 12 months: donor > recipient (Group A; 78 ± 8 versus 57 ± 8 mL/min), donor < recipient (Group B; 65 ± 11 versus 79 ± 11 mL/min) and donor ≈ recipient (Group C; 66 ± 7 versus 67 ± 7 mL/min). Other factors like donor/recipient mismatches in body mass index (BMI), surface area and gender were evaluated. Results In Group A donors were mostly male and recipients were female (75% each). Donors had a higher baseline weight than their recipients. During follow-up, weight remained stable in donors but increased 7% in recipients. In Group B donors were mostly female (60%) and recipients male. At baseline, donors had a lower weight than recipients. At 12 months, weight was stable in donors but increased in recipients. In Group C donors were mostly (75%) female and recipients male. At baseline, donors had a higher BMI than their recipients. At 12 months, BMI was stable in donors but increased 14% in recipients. In multivariable analysis, higher GFR at 12 months was associated with higher baseline weight and GFR in donors and with male gender and higher baseline weight in recipients. Conclusions Kidneys from living donors are more ‘plastic’ than originally thought and respond to metabolic demands and weight changes of their new host. These changes should be taken into account when assessing GFR outcomes in this population.

Reticular hybrid meshes represent an alternative material for intraperitoneal repair of abdominal hernias. These consist of a reticular mesh coated or interwoven/knitted with inert materials. This study assesses the performance of two reticular polypropylene-containing hybrid meshes, TiMESH (coated with titanium) and DynaMesh (interwoven with polyvinylidene fluoride), in vitro, as well as their efficiency in adhesion prevention and tissue incorporation in an intraperitoneal model. The mesothelialization capacity of TiMESH and DynaMesh was evaluated in vitro and compared to that of Surgipro (reticular bare polypropylene) and Preclude (laminar expanded polytetrafluoroethylene). Mesh fragments were placed on the intact parietal peritoneum of New Zealand white rabbits (n = 24), and laparoscopy performed 7 days post-surgery. Fourteen days post-implantation, adhesions were evaluated and host tissue incorporation, macrophage response, collagen expression (immunohistochemistry/RT-PCR) and neoperitoneum formation assessed. Adhesions and omental tissue were also examined. Mesh pores in reticular meshes were devoid of cells in the in vitro study. TiMESH, DynaMesh and Surgipro showed similar adhesion rates at 7/14 days and optimal tissue integration, with significant differences in comparison to Preclude. The greatest presence of macrophages was observed for TiMESH and was significant versus that for Preclude. Hybrid meshes revealed significantly higher collagen 1 mRNA expression in implants, with no differences in the levels of collagen 3. Omental samples from animals with a reticular mesh showed significantly greater collagen 1 mRNA levels. The reticular structure of a mesh limits the formation of a continuous mesothelial monolayer in vitro, regardless of its composition. The presence of titanium as a coating or polyvinylidene fluoride interwoven with polypropylene in a reticular structure did not prevent adhesions. The hybrid meshes showed proper integration and an increase in the mRNA Col 1 levels in the implant area compared to Surgipro or Preclude.