Evolution of Hungarian residential energy efficiency support programmes: road to and operation under the Green Investment Scheme

The residential sector is the largest final energy consumer and is responsible for 30% of total carbon dioxide emissions in Hungary. In order to address the general poor condition of the building stock and resulting inefficiency in energy use, from 1990 onwards, the government and local authorities initiated energy efficiency support programmes in the residential buildings sector. Furthermore, technical assistance and loan guarantee schemes by the International Finance Corporation (IFC) helped to establish a market for financing energy efficiency investments. EU funds also played a role in the modernisation of non-residential buildings. Residential energy efficiency support programmes entered a new phase in 2009 with the start of the Green Investment Scheme (GIS). While Hungary was a front-runner in establishing the legal framework for GIS, the success of early AAU sales (the financing source of the scheme) were overshadowed by reputation concerns in terms of additionality and the disbursement of funds. At the same time the GIS brought with it improved environmental integrity compared to earlier programmes in terms of monitoring and verification of results, establishing a focus on GHG emission reductions in addition to energy savings, and introducing incentives for deeper refurbishment. The aim of the paper is to provide an overview of the evolution of energy efficiency support programmes for residential buildings in the Hungarian context, pointing out prevailing problematic elements, as well as areas of improvement and good practice.     

Formulating Pantone colors by unused base inks,formulation software,and a spectrophotometer

Unused base inks that are not going to be used for printing production are considered to be hazardous materials. Their disposal is expensive, and strict environmental regulations should be followed for their disposal. As an alternative, this article describes how spectral data of unused base inks can be gathered and mixed to generate new colors to incorporate them back to print production for small‐volume jobs. In this study, 30 different Pantone colors were selected as target colors. The CIE L*a*b* spectral data of Pantone colors and unused base inks were gathered via a spectrophotometer. A commercial formulation software, based on multiflux theory and CIE L*a*b* color space, was used to formulate ink recipes that contained the base inks. To quantify the performance of ink recipes, they were mixed and printed using an offset printability tester. The CIELAB ΔE*_ab metric, developed by CIE, was used to detect the visual differences between the target Pantone Color and printed colors.     

Neglected Facts on Mycobacterium Avium Subspecies Paratuberculosis and Type 1 Diabetes

Civilization factors are responsible for the increasing of human exposure to mycobacteria from environment, water, and food during the last few decades. Urbanization, lifestyle changes and new technologies in the animal and plant industry are involved in frequent contact of people with mycobacteria. Type 1 diabetes is a multifactorial polygenic disease; its origin is conditioned by the mutual interaction of genetic and other factors. The environmental factors and certain pathogenetic pathways are shared by some immune mediated chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases, which are associated with triggers originating mainly from Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis, an intestinal pathogen which persists in the environment. Type 1 diabetes and some other chronic inflammatory diseases thus pose the global health problem which could be mitigated by measures aimed to decrease the human exposure to this neglected zoonotic mycobacterium.     

C/C-SiC component for metallic phase change materials

Thanks to their high energy density and thermal conductivity, metallic Phase Change Materials (mPCM) have shown great potential to improve the performance of thermal energy storage systems. However, the commercial application of mPCM is still limited due to their corrosion behavior with conventional container materials. This work first addresses on a fundamental level, whether carbon-based composite-ceramics are suitable for corrosion critical components in a thermal storage system. The compatibility between the mPCM AlSi₁₂ and the Liquid Silicon Infiltration (LSI)-based carbon fiber reinforced silicon carbide (C/C-SiC) composite is then investigated via contact angle measurements, microstructure analysis, and mechanical testing after exposure. The results reveal that the C/C-SiC composite maintains its mechanical properties and microstructure after exposure in the strongly corrosive mPCM. Based on these results, efforts were made to design and manufacture a container out of C/C-SiC for the housing of mPCM in vehicle application. The stability of the component filled with mPCM was proven nondestructively via computer tomography (CT). Successful thermal input- and output as well as thermal storage ability were demonstrated using a system calorimeter under conditions similar to the application. The investigated C/C-SiC composite has significant application potential as a structural material for thermal energy storage systems with mPCM.     

Effects of Applied Process on the In Vitro Digestibility and Resistant Starch Content of Pasta Products

Resistant starch (RS) included in pasta can have auspicious health benefits and functional properties. The resistance of starch, however, can be greatly influenced by the applied food preparation process. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of two different resistant starches on the digestibility of pasta and to predict the impact of the conventional pasta processing (extrusion under standard conditions, 120 bars, 40°C; drying in an air-drying room at 35–40°C and cooking until the optimum cooking time) on the quality of different resistant starch included in products by using an in vitro enzymatic hydrolysis method. Results showed that the applied, conventional pasta extrusion step had only a small effect on the liberated glucose level and did not influence the RS content significantly. The cooking in contrast caused an increased digestibility and the lost of resistance of all pasta products. The digestibility was significantly lower (p < 0.05) in the case of raw and dried samples compared to the cooked pastas. It can be concluded that the resistant starches used in the samples are heat sensitive and their properties change radically during the pasta preparation, mainly during cooking.     

Calcined Hydroxyapatite with Collagen I Foam Promotes Human MSC Osteogenic Differentiation

Collagen I-based foams were modified with calcined or noncalcined hydroxyapatite or calcium phosphates with various particle sizes and pores to monitor their effect on cell interactions. The resulting scaffolds thus differed in grain size, changing from nanoscale to microscopic, and possessed diverse morphological characteristics and resorbability. The materials’ biological action was shown on human bone marrow MSCs. Scaffold morphology was identified by SEM. Using viability test, qPCR, and immunohistochemical staining, we evaluated the biological activity of all of the materials. This study revealed that the most suitable scaffold composition for osteogenesis induction is collagen I foam with calcined hydroxyapatite with a pore size of 360 ± 130 µm and mean particle size of 0.130 µm. The expression of osteogenic markers RunX2 and ColI mRNA was promoted, and a strong synthesis of extracellular protein osteocalcin was observed. ColI/calcined HAP scaffold showed significant osteogenic potential, and can be easily manipulated and tailored to the defect size, which gives it great potential for bone tissue engineering applications.     

Structural Study of the Partially Disordered Full‐Length δ Subunit of RNA Polymerase from Bacillus subtilis

The partially disordered δ subunit of RNA polymerase was studied by various NMR techniques. The structure of the well‐folded N‐terminal domain was determined based on inter‐proton distances in NOESY spectra. The obtained structural model was compared to the previously determined structure of a truncated construct (lacking the C‐terminal domain). Only marginal differences were identified, thus indicating that the first structural model was not significantly compromised by the absence of the C‐terminal domain. Various ¹⁵N relaxation experiments were employed to describe the flexibility of both domains. The relaxation data revealed that the C‐terminal domain is more flexible, but its flexibility is not uniform. By using paramagnetic labels, transient contacts of the C‐terminal tail with the N‐terminal domain and with itself were identified. A propensity of the C‐terminal domain to form β‐type structures was obtained by chemical shift analysis. Comparison with the paramagnetic relaxation enhancement indicated a well‐balanced interplay of repulsive and attractive electrostatic interactions governing the conformational behavior of the C‐terminal domain. The results showed that the δ subunit consists of a well‐ordered N‐terminal domain and a flexible C‐terminal domain that exhibits a complex hierarchy of partial ordering.     

Monooxime‐monocarbamoyl Bispyridinium Xylene‐Linked Reactivators of Acetylcholinesterase—Synthesis,In vitro and Toxicity Evaluation,and Docking Studies

Acetylcholinesterase (AChE) reactivators are crucial antidotes to organophosphate intoxication. A new series of 26 monooxime‐monocarbamoyl xylene‐linked bispyridinium compounds was prepared and tested in vitro, along with known reactivators (pralidoxime, HI‐6, obidoxime, trimedoxime, methoxime, K107, K108 and K203), on a model of tabun‐ and paraoxon‐, methylparaoxon‐ and DFP‐inhibited human erythrocyte AChE. Although their ability to reactivate tabun‐inhibited AChE did not exceed that of the previously known compounds, some newly prepared compounds showed promising reactivation of pesticide‐inhibited AChE. The acute toxicity of the novel compounds was also determined. Docking studies using tabun‐inhibited AChE were performed for three compounds of interest. The structure–activity relationship (SAR) study confirmed the apparent influence of the xylene linkage and carbamoyl moiety on the reactivation ability and toxicity of the agents.     

Verfahren zur Verl?ngerung der Haltbarkeit von Konsummilch und ihre stofflichen Ver?nderungen: ESL-Milch

Die ESL-Technologie stellt nach der H-Milch eine weitere Entwicklung mit hohem Zusatznutzen in Bezug auf Haltbarkeit und Vorratshaltung dar, wovon sowohl Handel als auch Verbraucher gleicherma?en profitieren k?nnen. Im Vergleich zum herk?mmlich pasteurisierten Produkt bringt das ESL-Konzept entscheidende Vorteile hinsichtlich der Haltbarkeit der Milch mit sich, wirkt sich dabei aber kaum oder nur geringfügig auf die für den Verbraucher entscheidenden bzw. wertrelevanten Produkteigenschaften aus. ESL-Produkte sind in diesem Sinne also nicht nur „l?nger haltbar”, sondern unserer Einsch?tzung nach auch „l?nger frisch”. Dass gerade die Produktcharakteristika der ESL-Milch den Wünschen der Verbraucher entgegenkommen, zeigt sich an der stetig steigenden Nachfrage nach diesen Produkten und dem damit einhergehenden Absatzrückgang von herk?mmlich pasteurisierter Frischmilch. Die Verbraucher haben also durch ihr Kaufverhalten in den letzten Jahren bereits deutlich gemacht, dass sie der ESL-Milch durchaus positiv gegenüberstehen und sich mit diesem Produktkonzept keineswegs „get?uscht” fühlen, was die hier zusammengefassten Fakten eindeutig untermauern.     

Practical and ethical assessment issues in rural, impoverished, and managed care settings.

The rising costs of new psychological tests, increased frequency of test revisions, and difficulty receiving authorization and reimbursement from managed care companies make it increasingly difficult for practitioners to provide the best standard of care to clients when conducting psychological and neuropsychological assessments. Practitioners, especially those in low-income and rural areas, may struggle with handling these practical realities while maintaining ethical standards in conducting psychological assessment. Suggestions for how to manage practical challenges faced by practitioners who provide psychological assessments, such as selecting tests when authorization or reimbursement by a third-party payer is restricted or denied, purchasing psychological tests on a budget, and providing assessments with a limited number of qualified staff are discussed. The authors also provide recommendations for the future prevention of these challenges through work with test developers, test publishing corporations, third-party payers, political action groups, and the psychology profession itself. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)