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Dwellings built between 1945 and 1980 have the largest energy demand in the EU, which by 2009 represented 70% of the final energy use in buildings. A great portion of these dwellings have not been retrofitted and most of them were not built with any energy efficiency measures, since most of the energy regulations were implemented after the oil crisis in the 70s. To face this issue several actions were taken in the EU, among these, the implementation of Energy Performance Certification, which includes a Recommendation List of Measures (RLMs) to retrofit the property. The main objective of this study is to identify the weaknesses of the RLMs and to suggest changes to improve the quality and impact of this feature. The results indicate that to retrofit an existing building, the RLMs lack information for decision-making. The study suggests important barriers to overcome for achieving potential energy reductions in existing residential buildings, highlighting improvements to the recommendation content and its implementation.

يقدم المؤلفون للقارئ عصارة خبراتهم العميقة في العمل بالمدارس الثانوية بإستخدام برنامج \"محو الأمية هذا الكتاب، المعلوماتية\" وقد بدؤوا بتقديم نموذج تعليمي عام يتسم بالفعالية، وبخاصة في دعم مثل هذا النمط من التعليم. وبعد ذلك، شرعوا في عرض طرق التدريس الخاصة بمهارات النسخة الثانية من البرنامج، التي تتعلق بإكتساب المعلومات وإنتاجها وإشراك الآخرين فيها. وتتضمن هذه المهارات إستخدام محركات البحث بكفاءة، وتقييم المعلومات التي يجدونها على المواقع الإلكترونية المختلفة، وتجنب الاقتباس، والتواصل مع قاعدة عريضة من الجماهير، والعمل بروح الفريق، وإنتاج مخرجات متعددة.

Longstanding climate model biases in tropical precipitation exist over the east Pacific (EP) Ocean, especially during boreal winter and spring when models have excessive Southern Hemisphere (SH) precipitation near the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). In this study, we document the impact of convectively coupled waves (CCWs) on EP precipitation and the ITCZ using observations and reanalyses. We focus on the months when SH precipitation peaks in observations: February–April (FMA). CCWs explain 93% of total precipitation variance in the SH, nearly double the percent (48%) of the NH during FMA. However, we note that these percentages are inflated as they inevitably include the background variance. We further investigate the three leading high-frequency wave bands: mixed Rossby–gravity waves and tropical depression–type disturbances (MRG–TD type), Kelvin waves, and n = 0 eastward inertia–gravity waves (IG0). Compared to their warm pool counterparts, these three CCWs have a more zonally elongated and meridionally narrower precipitation structure with circulations that resemble past observational studies and/or shallow water theory. We quantify the contribution of all CCWs to four different daily ITCZ “states”: Northern Hemisphere (NH) (nITCZ), SH (sITCZ), double (dITCZ), and equatorial (eITCZ) using a new precipitation-based ITCZ-state algorithm. We find that the percent of total precipitation variance explained by each of the CCWs is heightened for sITCZs and eITCZs and diminished for nITCZs. Last, we find that nITCZs are most prevalent weeks after strong CCW activity happens in the NH, whereas CCWs and sITCZs peak simultaneously in the SH.Significance StatementConvectively coupled atmospheric waves (CCWs) are a critical feature of tropical weather and are an important source of precipitation near the region of highest precipitation on Earth called the intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ). Given three decades of climate model biases in CCWs and ITCZ precipitation over the east Pacific (EP) Ocean during spring, few studies have examined the relationship between CCWs and the springtime EP ITCZ. We explored the CCWs and EP ITCZ relationship through calculations of the percent of precipitation that comes from CCWs. A significant portion of the tropical precipitation is associated with CCWs during spring. CCWs are even more impactful when the ITCZ is in the SH or on the equator, which are both problematic in climate models.

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The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is a zonally elongated band of near-surface convergence and precipitation near the equator. During boreal spring, the eastern Pacific ITCZ migrates latitudinally on daily to subseasonal time scales, and climate models exhibit the greatest ITCZ biases during this time of the year. In this work, we investigate the air–sea interactions associated with the variability in the eastern Pacific ITCZ’s latitudinal location for consecutive days when the ITCZ is only located north of the equator (nITCZ events) compared to when the ITCZ is on both sides of the equator or south of the equator (dsITCZ events) during February–April. The distribution of sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies and surface latent heat flux (SLHF) anomalies during the nITCZ and dsITCZ events follow the classic wind–evaporation–SST (WES) positive feedback mechanism. However, an alternative mechanism, embracing the effect of SST anomalies on vertical stratification and momentum mixing, gives rise to a negative WES feedback. Our results show that in the surface layer, there is a general progression of positive WES feedbacks happening in the weeks leading to the events followed by negative WES feedbacks occurring after the ITCZ events, with an alternate mechanism involving air–sea humidity differences limiting evaporation occurring in between. Additionally, the spatial structures of the components of the feedbacks are nearly mirror images for these opposite ITCZ events over the east Pacific during boreal spring. In closing, we find that understanding the air–sea interactions during daily to weekly varying ITCZ events (nITCZ and dsITCZ) helps to pinpoint how fundamental processes differ for ITCZs in different hemispheres.

This study investigates an exceptional Gulf of Mexico dry air outbreak triggered by Hurricane Ian and fueled by dry air originating from drought‐stricken mid‐latitudes under a high‐pressure system. The convergence of meteorological forces, combining cooler, dry air with a warmer, humid sea surface and strong winds, intensified latent and sensible heat exchanges, resulting in significant oceanic heat loss. Data from the 2022 Atlantic hurricane Saildrone mission and satellite flux analysis revealed that the outbreak's total turbulent heat fluxes peaked above 850 Wm−2, comparable to or even surpassing the hurricane’s impact. Argo float measurements recorded a 40‐m deepening of the mixed layer and a 1.4°C temperature decrease. In the tropical Atlantic, wind effects outweighed humidity in driving flux variability. Saildrone’s high‐frequency linewise measurements, distinct from satellite’s footprint averages, provide unique insights into wind variability under high wind conditions. Plain Language Summary Dry air outbreaks in the Gulf of Mexico are meteorological events marked by the influx of drier and often cooler air masses into the typically warm and humid Gulf region. These events occur mostly during the fall and winter months and are associated with atmospheric circulation patterns, particularly the transit of high‐pressure systems from the North American continent. This study highlights an exceptional dry air outbreak in late September 2022, triggered by Hurricane Ian and intensified by dry air originating from drought‐stricken mid‐latitudes, a condition sustained by a persistent high‐pressure system. The interaction between cold, dry air and warm, humid sea surface, coupled with strong winds, intensified the turbulent transfer of heat from the ocean to the atmosphere, resulting in significant ocean heat loss. Data from the 2022 Atlantic hurricane Saildrone mission and satellite flux analysis revealed that the outbreak’s total turbulent heat fluxes peaked above 850 Wm−2, comparable to or even surpassing the hurricane’s impact. Concurrently, the ocean’s surface layer deepened by about 40 m, and the temperature dropped by around 1.4°C. These findings hold substantial implications for understanding the Gulf's weather patterns and their impact on tropical storms, with the potential to influence both their intensity and trajectories. Key Points Hurricane Ian triggered a dry air outbreak, causing substantial turbulent heat loss (>850 Wm−2) and Gulf of Mexico surface cooling (∼1.4°C) Winds, not air‐sea humidity, are a dominant contributor to turbulent heat flux in the tropical Atlantic warm water pool Saildrone’s high‐frequency linewise data, differing from satellite’s footprint averages, offer unique insight into high wind variability

Daytime sleepiness is posited to stimulate hunger and food intake of specific macronutrients such that obesity and type 2 diabetes mellitus risk may be elevated. To assess this hypothesis, this study of insulin sensitive and insulin resistant non‑diabetic individuals utilized standardized meal administration conditions to examine: 1) the extent to which self-reported sleepiness was associated with specific food cravings over the course of a day; and 2) whether insulin sensitivity interactively influenced this relationship. Non-diabetic men and women (N = 143) participated in one session, where a euglycemic-hyperinsulinemia clamp was used to provide an insulin sensitivity index, and in a subsequent 14‑hour session, where four standardized mixed-meals and one pre-bedtime meal were provided. Concurrent pre-meal measures of sleepiness and cravings for sweet, salty, and starchy foods, and fruit, meat, and dairy foods were obtained. Hierarchical linear modeling analyses examined the within- and between-person association of sleepiness with food cravings across meals as a function of insulin sensitivity, controlling for age, sex and caloric intake administration. Craving ratings were highest for fruits, followed by dairy and starchy foods, meat, and then salty and sweet foods (p < .001). Analyses showed that insulin sensitivity moderated the positive association of daytime sleepiness with all food cravings, except for salty foods (p = .011 to .036), independent of covariates. This moderation effect displayed the strongest magnitude at below-average and average insulin sensitivity levels (p < .001). Study results extend previous findings to show that daytime sleepiness is positively associated with cravings for a range of food types. The fact that these associations were increased in persons with more diminished insulin sensitivity is novel and supports further examination of underlying mechanisms linking daytime sleepiness and food cravings with food consumption and metabolic dysregulation early in diabetes pathophysiology.

The lipase B from Candida antarctica was immobilized on octyl-agarose using low and high (one that saturated the support surface with enzyme) loadings. Then, both biocatalysts were aminated, and the aminated and non-aminated biocatalysts were used in further experiments. The enzyme activity was determined using substrates with different structures. The modification of the four biocatalysts with poly (ethylene-alt-maleic anhydride) revealed that only a marginal covalent reaction occurs. That way, the ion exchange of the polymer on the immobilized enzyme surface should be responsible for the enzyme functional changes. The modification of the biocatalysts with this polymer produced mixed results for enzyme activity (depending on the enzyme loading, use of aminated or non-aminated enzyme, polymer concentration and used substrate), in some instances more than doubling the activity, in others reducing it by 5–6 times the activity when compared to the unmodified biocatalyst. The effects on biocatalyst stability were also mixed, depending on the same factors; in some instances, great stabilization could be found (e.g., in inactivation of the highly loaded aminated biocatalyst at pH 7.0, the unmodified biocatalyst kept 5% of the initial activity, while the biocatalyst modified with 1% of the polymer maintained 80%), but in other instances, enzyme stability was reduced after modification. It was shown that one of the effects of the polymer modification was the prevention of the enzyme release during inactivation.

The latitudinal location of the east Pacific Ocean intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) changes on time scales of days to weeks during boreal spring. This study focuses on tropical near-surface dynamics in the days leading up to the two most frequent types of ITCZ events, nITCZ (Northern Hemisphere) and dITCZ (double). There is a rapid daily evolution of dynamical features on top of a slower, weekly evolution that occurs leading up to and after nITCZ and dITCZ events. Zonally elongated bands of anomalous cross-equatorial flow and off-equatorial convergence rapidly intensify and peak 1 day before or the day of these ITCZ events, followed 1 or 2 days later by a peak in near-equatorial zonal wind anomalies. In addition, there is a wide region north of the southeast Pacific subtropical high where anomalous northwesterlies strengthen prior to nITCZ events and southeasterlies strengthen before dITCZ events. Anomalous zonal and meridional near-surface momentum budgets reveal that the terms associated with Ekman balance are of first-order importance preceding nITCZ events, but that the meridional momentum advective terms are just as important before dITCZ events. Variations in cross-equatorial flow are promoted by the meridional pressure gradient force (PGF) prior to nITCZ events and the meridional advection of meridional momentum in addition to the meridional PGF before dITCZ events. Meanwhile, variations in near-equatorial easterlies are driven by the zonal PGF and the Coriolis force preceding nITCZ events and the zonal PGF, the Coriolis force, and the meridional advection of zonal momentum before dITCZ events.