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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.

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

Presents a travel guide to England, Scotland, and Wales, providing recommendations on hotels, restaurants, shopping, local transportation, sights of interest, and nightlife.

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.

The propagation of interfacial waves in free and constrained conditions, such as deep and shallow water, has been broadly studied over centuries. It is a common event that anyone can witness, while contemplating the ocean waves washing ashore. As a complementary configuration, this work introduces waves propagating on an interface restricted by its pinning to the solid microstructures of an underwater superhydrophobic surface. The latter has the ability to stabilize a well-defined microscale gas layer, called a plastron, trapped between the water and the solid phase. The acoustic radiation force produced with focused MHz ultrasound successfully triggers kHz “plastronic waves”, i.e., capillary waves travelling on a plastron’s gas-water interface. The exposed waves possess interesting features, i.e., (i) a high propagation speed up to 45 times faster than conventional deep water capillary waves of comparable wavelength and (ii) a relation of the propagation speed with the geometry of the microstructures. Based on this and on the observed variation of wave speed over time in conditions of gas-undersaturated or -supersaturated water, the usefulness of the plastronic waves for the non-destructive monitoring of the plastron’s stability and the spontaneous air diffusion is eventually demonstrated. The study of wave propagation at interfaces in various conditions, including deep and shallow water, has garnered significant interest over centuries. This work explores a class of capillary waves traveling on the plastron of underwater superhydrophobic surfaces, hence the name “plastronic waves”, with extraordinary fast propagation speed and applications for monitoring microscale gas layer stability.

The intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) is one of the most striking features of Earth’s climate system, often forming a narrow band of convection over many oceanic regions, especially in eastern ocean basins. It is not well understood why the ITCZ is so thin; however, a recent study highlighted that classical Ekman balance is not obeyed near the equator and nonlinear horizontal wind advection can localize ITCZ boundary layer vertical motion so that it becomes very narrow and intense. In this study, we use a similar model but with more realistic forcings from the Year of Tropical Convection (YOTC) reanalysis, focusing on the eastern Pacific Ocean ITCZ. The model is a zonally symmetric, slab (subcloud) boundary layer numerical model on the sphere, which can be considered the simplest “dry” model of the ITCZ. Due to the slab model’s simplicity, simulations are conducted at a range of resolutions, from 1° to 1 km. The slab model dynamical fields are in general agreement with the YOTC dynamical fields and precipitation estimates from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission for one summer and two spring ITCZ cases. We find that Ekman balance is indeed violated within 10°–15° of the equator and nonlinear horizontal wind advection is crucial to understanding the preferential location, width, and intensity of the eastern Pacific ITCZ. Additionally, it appears that these boundary layer processes involved in ITCZ intensification and narrowing are dependent on model resolution such that present-day general circulation models likely cannot sufficiently resolve them.

After the oil crisis in the 70s energy regulation codes were implemented, but a great portion of existing dwellings have not been retrofitted to current requirements. To face this issue several actions were taken in the European Union (EU), among these, the implementation of Energy Performance Certificates (EPC), which include a Recommendation List of Measures (RLMs) to retrofit buildings. Some concerns exist about the lack of confidence on these recommendations. The main objective of this study is to analyze the usefulness of the EPC, answering if it is possible to deliver a realistic financial assessment about renovation strategies using these tools. The study is based on three indicators: Consumption, energy saving variations and profitability. The study is based on a renovation project case study, where simulations and Life Cycle Cost Assessment (LCCA) were performed, in order to identify the different results that EPC’s and an energy efficiency assessment could lead to. The results show important differences in all the concepts evaluated.

Cytokines such as IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β trigger inflammatory cascades which may play a role in the pathogenesis of chronic kidney disease (CKD)-associated cachexia. CKD was induced by 5/6 nephrectomy in mice. We studied energy homeostasis in Il1β −/− /CKD, Il6 −/− / CKD and Tnf α −/− / CKD mice and compared with wild type (WT)/CKD controls. Parameters of cachexia phenotype were completely normalized in Il1β −/− /CKD mice but were only partially rescued in Il6 −/− / CKD and Tnf α −/− / CKD mice. We tested the effects of anakinra, an IL-1 receptor antagonist, on CKD-associated cachexia. WT/CKD mice were treated with anakinra (2.5 mg/kg/day, IP) or saline for 6 weeks and compared with WT/Sham controls. Anakinra normalized food intake and weight gain, fat and lean mass content, metabolic rate and muscle function, and also attenuated molecular perturbations of energy homeostasis in adipose tissue and muscle in WT/CKD mice. Anakinra decreased serum and muscle expression of IL-6, TNF-α and IL-1β in WT/CKD mice. Anakinra attenuated browning of white adipose tissue in WT/CKD mice. Moreover, anakinra normalized gastrocnemius weight and fiber size as well as attenuated muscle fat infiltration in WT/CKD mice. This was accompanied by correcting the increased muscle wasting signaling pathways while promoting the decreased myogenesis process in gastrocnemius of WT/CKD mice. We performed qPCR analysis for the top 20 differentially expressed muscle genes previously identified via RNAseq analysis in WT/CKD mice versus controls. Importantly, 17 differentially expressed muscle genes were attenuated in anakinra treated WT/CKD mice. In conclusion, IL-1 receptor antagonism may represent a novel targeted treatment for adipose tissue browning and muscle wasting in CKD.