Energy efficiency at building sites: barriers and drivers

The construction industry is an important societal sector and a major consumer of energy. Improved energy efficiency is important for this sector, but energy efficiency at construction sites has so far been under-researched. The aim of this article is to analyse the drivers of and barriers to improved energy efficiency at construction sites, as perceived by professional actors. The peer-reviewed research and the grey literature on the topic were reviewed, and semi-structured interviews were conducted with 20 relevant professionals in Sweden. The identified barriers were related to lack of money, split incentives, lack of standards and procedures, low electricity prices, lack or regulations, lack of knowledge and information and the conservatism of the industry. The identified drivers were regulations forcing actors to implement energy efficiency, environmental and building certifications, internal education, be part of an industry network, engaged electricity utility company providing information, supportive top and site managers, competition between construction sites, the existence of a plan, checklists or project database, back-office support and client demand of energy efficiency

Population Genetic Analysis of Lobelia rhynchopetalum Hemsl. (Campanulaceae) Using DNA Sequences from ITS and Eight Chloroplast DNA Regions

DNA sequence data from the internal transcribed spacer of nuclear ribosomal DNA and eight chloroplast DNA regions were used to investigate haplotypic variation and population genetic structure of the Afroalpine giant lobelia, Lobelia rhynchopetalum. The study was based on eight populations sampled from two mountain systems in Ethiopia. A total of 20 variable sites were obtained, which resulted in 13 unique haplotypes and an overall nucleotide diversity (ND) of 0.281 ± 0.15 and gene diversity (GD) of 0.85 ± 0.04. Analysis of molecular variance (AMOVA) revealed a highly significant variation (P < 0.001) among populations (FST), and phylogenetic analysis revealed that populations from the two mountain systems formed their own distinct clade with >90% bootstrap support. Each population should be regarded as a significant unit for conservation of this species. The primers designed for this study can be applied to any Lobelia and other closely related species for population genetics and phylogenetic studies

Adaptation ideas in osteopathy and its relevance for patients presenting with nonspecific low back pain

A substantial amount of patients, seeking primary health care, suffer from conditions where a clear pathological lesion cannot be found. These conditions, categorized as medically unexplained symptoms, can cause disability with the same severity as those that originate from organic pathology. Nonspecific low back pain is one of the many conditions categorized as medically unexplained symptoms. Many attempts have been made to find the cause of the problem, but there is no common consensus regarding causal factors existing today. Researchers on Medically Unexplained Symptoms (MUS) criticize the foundational ideas of reductionism, dualism and linear cause-effect relationships in health care sciences because it fails to include individual variety and context sensitivity. A new ontological model is needed that can be an alternative to the separation of physiological and psychological processes, and the one-dimensional tendency to solely explain illness/disease from the micro level. We will explain why the foundational assumptions following the biomedical model do not work well when approaching patients that suffer from MUS. Further we will describe the prevalence, management and suggested pathology of NSCLBP and relate this to stress-physiology and allostatic load. Finally we will present the foundational idea of adaptation and explain how emphasizing the adaptive ability of the individual can embrace both context sensitivity and individual variety, and be a holistic alternative to reductionism

Scenarier för klimatpåverkan från matkonsumtionen 2050

Denna rapport är framtagen inom ramen för Mistra Urban Futures-projektet WISE - Well-being In Sustainable cities, och mer specifikt inom delprojektet Klimatomställning Göteborg: potentialer och livskvalitetseffekter. Göteborgarnas klimatpåverkan idag och potentialer för framtiden beräknas avseende boende, transporter, mat, etc. Detta kan ge en samlad bild av möjligheterna att nå klimatmålen. En livskvalitetskoppling är att denna överblick kan ge underlag för en samhällsdiskussion om vilka vägar för att uppnå klimatmålen som människor föredrar. Syftet med denna underlagsrapport är att beräkna potentialer för utsläppsminskningar till 2050 från svenskarnas matkonsumtion. Beräkningar har gjorts för år 2006, samt för nio alternativa scenarier för 2050

Att stipulera transvärldslig identifikation: interna och externa problem

Denna uppsats kommer att fokusera kring en teori, stipulationsteorin, för identifikation över möjliga världar. Stipulationsteorin gör att vi kan veta vilka möjligheter vi pratar om. Genom att stipulera möjligheter så kan man identifiera vilka individer och vilka egenskaper dessa individer har i de möjligheter vi pratar om. En teoris ramverk är det som definierar vad teorin refererar till samt vad teorin kan göra. I litteraturen om transvärldslig identifikation så har jag funnit kritik av stipulation i form av problem.1 Dessa problem har betydelse för en värdering av stipulationsteorin. Genom att se teorier som att de bestäms av deras ramverk så kan man göra en uppdelning mellan interna och externa problem. Om varje problem tolkas som internt, externt eller både och för stipulationsteorin så kan problemens fulla potential utnyttjas för att se vad deras konsekvenser blir för stipulationsteorin. Undersökningen av problem som interna och/eller externa blir intressant för att det kan visa på vad problem kan användas till. Uppsatsen ska försöka visa på att de interna problemen kan användas för att visa på stipulationsteorins koherens medan de externa problemen kan visa på stipulationsteorins användbarhet

Assessment of genetic diversity in Ethiopian field pea (Pisum sativum L.) accessions with newly developed EST-SSR markers

Passport data of Pisum sativum ssp. sativum L. varieties from NordGen that were used for genetic diversity analyses. (DOC 28 kb

Differential amplification of rDNA repeats in barley translocation and duplication lines: role of a specific segment

Variation in restriction pattern, relative amounts of the two ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats, and the overall content of rDNA were compared among twelve segmental duplications and eleven parental translocations involving NOR6 and NOR7 of cultivated barley. Southern blot hybridization revealed two rDNA repeats of 9.9 kb and 9.0 kb. While all duplications snowed dimers for these rDNA repeats, the duplication lines D29 and D47 displayed trimers in addition to a higher proportion of rDNA repeats as dimers. The rDNA of Dl, D29 and D47 showed resistance to Bam HI and Taq I digestion, indicating possible melhylation of cytosine and adenine. Densitometric scans of autoradiographs revealed variations in the relative amounts of the 9.0 kb and 9.9 kb rDNA repeats among different karyotypes. Dot blot hybridizations indicated variation in the overall rDNA content. Comparison of the 9.0/9.9 kb ratios and the percentage of genomic DNA hybridizing to an rDNA clone of barley illustrates differential amplification for the two rDNA repeats. When the segmental composition of these deviating lines were compared, it was evident that the relative position of the segment 12-16 of chromosome 6 determines differential amplification while duplication of the same segment controls the overall rDNA content

The new EU regulation on nutrition and health claims: comments related to experiences from the Swedish Code of Practice

The new European Union (EU) regulation on nutrition and health claims came into force on 19 January 2007. This means that the same rules for use of such claims in advertisements, labelling and presentation of foods, including food supplements, will now be implemented throughout the EU. Some countries have had Codes of Practices allowing certain health claims. Experiences from such Codes, such as in Sweden since 1990, will be useful in implementing the new regulation. When used in a responsible way according to the regulation, health claims may be important in driving product development and assisting consumers in making healthy choices

Energy embodied in household cookery: the missing part of a sustainable food system? Part 1: A method to survey and calculate representative recipes

This paper firstly reviews the current state of knowledge on sustainable cookery and the environmental impacts of the food consumption phase. It then uses the example of a dish of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding to explore energy use in food production and consumption. Part 1 of this paper conducts a meta-analysis of 33 roast beef and Yorkshire pudding recipes in order to create a representative recipe for analysis. Part 2 of this paper then uses life cycle assessment and energy use data is coupled with the representative recipe of roast beef and Yorkshire pudding, to calculate the embodied energy of the meal. Seven interventions are modelled to illustrate how sustainable cookery can play a role as part of a sustainable food system. Interventions show that sustainable cookery has the potential to reduce cookery related energy use by 18%, and integrating sustainable cookery within a sustainable food system has the potential to reduce the total energy use by 55%. Finally, the paper discusses the issue of how the adoption of the sustainable cookery agenda may help or hinder attempts to shift consumers towards sustainable diets