Review of UK microgeneration. Part 1 : policy and behavioural aspects

A critical review of the literature relating to government policy and behavioural aspects relevant to the uptake and application of microgeneration in the UK is presented. Given the current policy context aspiring to zero-carbon new homes by 2016 and a variety of minimum standards and financial policy instruments supporting microgeneration in existing dwellings, it appears that this class of technologies could make a significant contribution to UK energy supply and low-carbon buildings in the future. Indeed, achievement of a reduction in greenhouse gas emissions by 80% (the UK government's 2050 target) for the residential sector may entail substantial deployment of microgeneration. Realisation of the large potential market for microgeneration relies on a variety of inter-related factors such as microeconomics, behavioural aspects, the structure of supporting policy instruments and well-informed technology development. This article explores these issues in terms of current and proposed policy instruments in the UK. Behavioural aspects associated with both initial uptake of the technology and after purchase are also considered

Rescue of synaptic failure and alleviation of learning and memory impairments in a trisomic mouse model of down syndrome.

ABSTRACT: Down syndrome (DS) is caused by the triplication of 3c240 protein-coding genes on chromosome 21 and is the most prevalent form of developmental disability. This condition results in abnormalities in many organ systems, as well as in intellectual retardation. Many previous efforts to understand brain dysfunction in DS have indicated that cognitive deficits are coincident with reduced synaptic plasticity and decreased neuronal proliferation. One therapeutic strategy for optimizing the microenvironment for neuronal proliferation and synaptic plasticity in the brain is the use of neurotrophins to restore the homeostasis of the brain biochemical milieu. Here, we show that peripheral administration of Peptide 6, an 11-mer corresponding to an active region of ciliary neurotrophic factor, amino acid residues 146 to 156, can inhibit learning and memory impairments in Ts65Dn mice, a trisomic mouse model of DS. Long-term treatment with Peptide 6 enhanced the pool of neural progenitor cells in the hippocampus and increased levels of synaptic proteins crucial for synaptic plasticity. These findings suggest a therapeutic potential of Peptide 6 in promoting functional neural integration intonetworks, thereby strengthening biologic substrates of memory processing

Radiological survey of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Alameda Naval Air Station, and Hunters Point Shipyard

Since 1963, the Eastern Environmental Radiation Facility (EERF), US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA), in cooperation with the US Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) has surveyed facilities serving nuclear-powered warships on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts and the Gulf of Mexico. These surveys assess whether the operation of nuclear-powered warships, during construction, maintenance, overhaul, or refueling, have created elevated levels of radioactivity. The surveys emphasize sampling those areas and pathways that could expose the public. In 1984, NAVSEA requested that EPA survey all active facilities serving nuclear-powered warships over the next three years. This report contains the results of surveys conducted at Naval facilities located at Mare Island, Alameda, and Hunters Point in the San Francisco region. The locations of these facilities are shown. 3 refs., 4 figs., 3 tabs

A randomized, placebo-controlled study of the effects of telcagepant on exercise time in patients with stable angina

Telcagepant is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist being evaluated for acute migraine treatment. CGRP is a potent vasodilator that is elevated after myocardial infarction, and it delays ischemia during treadmill exercise. We tested the hypothesis that CGRP receptor antagonism does not reduce treadmill exercise time (TET). The effects of supratherapeutic doses of telcagepant on TET were assessed in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-period, crossover study in patients with stable angina and reproducible exercise-induced angina. Patients received telcagepant (600 mg, n = 46; and 900 mg, n = 14) or placebo and performed treadmill exercise at T max (2.5 h after the dose). The hypothesis that telcagepant does not reduce TET was supported if the lower bound of the two-sided 90% confidence interval (CI) for the mean treatment difference (telcagepant-placebo) in TET was more than 60 s. There were no significant between-treatment differences in TET (mean treatment difference: 6.90 (90% CI: 17.66, 3.86) seconds), maximum exercise heart rate, or time to 1-mm ST-segment depression using pooled data or with stratification for dose. © 2012 american Society for clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

A randomized, placebo-controlled study of the effects of telcagepant on exercise time in patients with stable angina

Telcagepant is a calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) receptor antagonist being evaluated for acute migraine treatment. CGRP is a potent vasodilator that is elevated after myocardial infarction, and it delays ischemia during treadmill exercise. We tested the hypothesis that CGRP receptor antagonism does not reduce treadmill exercise time (TET). The effects of supratherapeutic doses of telcagepant on TET were assessed in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, two-period, crossover study in patients with stable angina and reproducible exercise-induced angina. Patients received telcagepant (600 mg, n = 46; and 900 mg, n = 14) or placebo and performed treadmill exercise at T max (2.5 h after the dose). The hypothesis that telcagepant does not reduce TET was supported if the lower bound of the two-sided 90% confidence interval (CI) for the mean treatment difference (telcagepant-placebo) in TET was more than 60 s. There were no significant between-treatment differences in TET (mean treatment difference: 6.90 (90% CI: 17.66, 3.86) seconds), maximum exercise heart rate, or time to 1-mm ST-segment depression using pooled data or with stratification for dose. © 2012 american Society for clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics

Computational Grids for Mid-Sized Collaborative Projects : The eMinerals Experience

Grid computing has the potential to revolutionise how small groups of simulation scientists work together to tackle new science problems. In this paper we report how the eMinerals project has developed a small scale integrated compute and data grid infrastructure - the eMinerals minigrid - and developed generic job submission tools that exploit this infrastructure and which enable the science users to also access other grid systems