Innovation, low energy buildings and intermediaries in Europe: systematic case study review

As buildings throughout their lifecycle account for circa 40% of total energy use in Europe, reducing energy use of the building stock is a key task. This task is, however, complicated by a range of factors, including slow renewal and renovation rates of buildings, multiple non- coordinated actors, conservative building practices, and limited competence to innovate. Drawing from academic literature published during 2005-2015, this article carries out a systematic review of case studies on low energy innovations in the European residential building sector, analysing their drivers. Specific attention is paid to intermediary actors in facilitating innovation processes and creating new opportunities. The study finds that qualitative case study literature on low energy building innovation has been limited, particularly regarding the existing building stock. Environmental concerns, EU, national and local policies have been the key drivers; financial, knowledge and social sustainability and equity drivers have been of modest importance; while design, health and comfort, and market drivers have played a minor role. Intermediary organisations and individuals have been important through five processes: (1) facilitating individual building projects, (2) creating niche markets, (3) implementing new practices in social housing stock, (4) supporting new business model creation, and (5) facilitating building use post construction. The intermediaries have included both public and private actors, while local authority agents have acted as intermediaries in several cases

The program for biodiversity research in Brazil: The role of regional networks for biodiversity knowledge, dissemination, and conservation

The Program for Biodiversity Research (PPBio) is an innovative program designed to integrate all biodiversity research stakeholders. Operating since 2004, it has installed long-term ecological research sites throughout Brazil and its logic has been applied in some other southern-hemisphere countries. The program supports all aspects of research necessary to understand biodiversity and the processes that affect it. There are presently 161 sampling sites (see some of them at Supplementary Appendix), most of which use a standardized methodology that allows comparisons across biomes and through time. To date, there are about 1200 publications associated with PPBio that cover topics ranging from natural history to genetics and species distributions. Most of the field data and metadata are available through PPBio web sites or DataONE. Metadata is available for researchers that intend to explore the different faces of Brazilian biodiversity spatio-temporal variation, as well as for managers intending to improve conservation strategies. The Program also fostered, directly and indirectly, local technical capacity building, and supported the training of hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. The main challenge is maintaining the long-term funding necessary to understand biodiversity patterns and processes under pressure from global environmental changes

The program for biodiversity research in Brazil: The role of regional networks for biodiversity knowledge, dissemination, and conservation.

The Program for Biodiversity Research (PPBio) is an innovative program designed to integrate all biodiversity research stakeholders. Operating since 2004, it has installed long-term ecological research sites throughout Brazil and its logic has been applied in some other southern-hemisphere countries. The program supports all aspects of research necessary to understand biodiversity and the processes that affect it. There are presently 161 sampling sites (see some of them at Supplementary Appendix), most of which use a standardized methodology that allows comparisons across biomes and through time. To date, there are about 1200 publications associated with PPBio that cover topics ranging from natural history to genetics and species distributions. Most of the field data and metadata are available through PPBio web sites or DataONE. Metadata is available for researchers that intend to explore the different faces of Brazilian biodiversity spatio-temporal variation, as well as for managers intending to improve conservation strategies. The Program also fostered, directly and indirectly, local technical capacity building, and supported the training of hundreds of undergraduate and graduate students. The main challenge is maintaining the long-term funding necessary to understand biodiversity patterns and processes under pressure from global environmental changes

Comparative study of the differences between dynamic and normal strategies with Octopus 1-2-3 Estudo comparativo das diferenças entre as estratégias dinâmica e normal com o perímetro Octopus 1-2-3

Purpose: To show the results of a comparative study between dynamic and normal strategies with Octopus 1-2-3. Methods: Automatic perimetry using the Octopus 1-2-3 with dynamic and normal strategies was performed on 24 glaucomatous patients (eight males and 16 females) within an average interval of six months between the two exams. All patients had previously submitted to at least one automatic perimetry with the Octopus 1-2-3. The data compared, for both eyes, were: the patient's age, number of questions, mean sensitivity (MS), mean defect (MD), loss variance (LV), short-term fluctuation (SF) and the reliability factor (RF). In the statistical analyses through the paired t test, only the visual fields with RF less than 10 were included. The level of significance was equal to 5% (p < 0.05). Results: There was no statistically significant difference between the two strategies in relation to age, LV, SF and RF. However, there was statistically significant differences in the duration of the test, number of questions, MS and MD. The dynamic strategy showed a higher diffuse sensitivity and a lower mean defect than the normal strategy. Conclusions: Our results show that the threshold values measured by the dynamic strategy were in close agreement with the values obtained using the normal strategy in patients who have, or are suspected of having, glaucoma and whose visual fields are normal or borderline. They also confirm the claimed reduction in testing time. These results also suggest that, when comparing a visual field exam performed with the dynamic strategy to one performed with a normal strategy, it is necessary to be cautious in regard to MS and MD values.<br>Objetivo: Analisar os resultados de um estudo comparativo entre as estratégias dinâmica e normal utilizando o perí-metro Octopus 1-2-3. Métodos: Utilizando o Octopus 1-2-3 nas estratégias dinâmica e normal foi realizada a perimetria automatizada em 24 pacientes glaucomatosos (8 homens e 16 mulheres) com uma média de intervalo entre os 2 exames de 6 meses. Todos pacientes já haviam sido previamente submetidos a pelo menos um exame de perimetria automatizada no Octopus 1-2-3. Os dados comparados, para ambos os olhos, foram: a idade do paciente, número de estímulos, sensibilidade média (MS), defeito médio (MD), perda localizada (LV), flutuação em curto prazo (SF) e o fator de confiabilidade (RF). Na análise estatística, utilizando o teste t pareado, somente os campos visuais com RF menor que 10 foram incluídos. O nível de significância foi igual a 5% (p < 0,05). Resultados: Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre as duas estratégias em relação à idade, LV, SF e RF. Entretanto, houve diferença estatisticamente significativa na duração do teste, número de estímulos, MS e MD. A estratégia dinâmica mostrou uma sensibilidade difusa maior e um menor defeito médio quando comparada à estratégia normal. Conclusões: Nossos resultados indicam que os valores dos limiares medidos pela estratégia dinâmica estão em concordância com os valores obtidos utilizando a estratégia normal nos pacientes portadores ou suspeitos de glaucoma, cujos campos visuais estão normais ou limítrofes. Estes resultados também confirmam a redução na duração do exame. Também sugerem que, quando compararmos campos visuais realizados com a estratégia dinâmica com aqueles realizados com a estratégia normal, é necessária cautela em relação aos valores do MS e MD

Leishmania braziliensis and Leishmania amazonensis amastigote extracts differ in their enhancement effect on Leishmania infection when injected intradermally.

Submitted by Ana Maria Fiscina Sampaio ([email protected]) on 2014-08-22T18:16:44Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Araujo C.F Leishmania Braziliensis and ......pdf: 765622 bytes, checksum: 7059aebf2ad3bf5379b831d1aaf123b5 (MD5)Made available in DSpace on 2014-08-22T18:16:44Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Araujo C.F Leishmania Braziliensis and ......pdf: 765622 bytes, checksum: 7059aebf2ad3bf5379b831d1aaf123b5 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014Fundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilState University of Southwest Bahia. Jequié, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilFundação Oswaldo Cruz. Centro de Pesquisa Gonçalo Moniz. Salvador, BA, BrasilBACKGROUND: It has been reported that repeated intravenous injections of a relatively large amount of Leishmania amazonensis amastigote extract (LaE) in BALB/c mice exacerbates the infection of these mice by Leishmania braziliensis. The identification of the extract active principle(s) through physicochemical purification often involves dilution and losses of protein in the course of successive purification procedures. The large amount of the extract required to induce the phenomenon, therefore, hinders the carrying out of experiments aimed at identifying the active molecule(s) through extract purification. In the present work, a dose-response experiment was done to find out if smaller amounts of LaE than that necessary to be used by the intravenous route would reproduce the phenomenon when injected by the intradermal route. In addition, it was also investigated whether a Leishmania braziliensis amastigote extract (LbE) would exert the same effect and whether the effect would occur in C57BL/6 mice. RESULTS: It was found that a single injection of either LaE or LbE containing 5 µg of protein was capable of enhancing the infection in BALB/c but not in C57BL/6 mice. In addition, it was observed that the largest tested doses of LbE (containing 30 and 180 µg of protein) failed to enhance the infection by L. braziliensis, whereas all doses of LaE enhanced equally that infection. CONCLUSIONS: Those results indicate the possible existence in LbE, and not in LaE, of molecules that interfere with the extract infection-enhancing activity when it is injected in large amounts, and that the inoculation of Leishmania extracts through the intravenous and intradermal routes potentiate the infection by L. braziliensis through the same mechanism

Impaired embodiment and intersubjectivity

This paper considers the importance of the body for self-esteem, communication, and emotional expression and experience, through the reflections of those who live with various neurological impairments of movement and sensation; sensory deafferentation, spinal cord injury and Möbius Syndrome (the congenital absence of facial expression). People with severe sensory loss, who require conscious attention and visual feedback for movement, describe the imperative to use the same strategies to reacquire gesture, to appear normal and have embodied expression. Those paralysed after spinal cord injury struggle to have others see them as people rather than as people in wheelchairs and have been active in the disability movement, distinguishing between their medical impairment and the social induced disability others project onto them. Lastly those with Möbius reveal the importance of the face for emotional expression and communication and indeed for emotional experience itself. All these examples explore the crucial role of the body as agent for social and personal expression and self-esteem. <br/

Screening for Novel LOX and SOD1 Variants in Keratoconus Patients From Brazil

Purpose: To investigate the presence of the variants of lysyl oxygenase (LOX) and superoxide dismutase 1 (SOD1) genes in Brazilian patients with advanced keratoconus. Methods: Donor genomic DNA extracted from blood samples was screened for 5'UTR, exonic LOX, and SOD1 variants in a subset of 26 patients presenting with advanced keratoconus (KISA &gt; 1000% and I–S &gt; 2.0) by Sanger sequencing. The impact of non-synonymous amino acid changes was evaluated by SIFT, PMUT, and PolyPhen algorithms. The Mutation Taster tool was used to evaluate the potential impact of formation of new donor and acceptor splice sites in the promoter region of affected volunteers carrying sequence variants. A 7-base SOD1 deletion (IVS2 + 50del7bp) previously associated with keratoconus was screened in 140 patients presenting classical keratoconus by gel fragment analysis, and positive samples were sequenced for confirmation. Results: We found an unreported missense variant in LOX exon 6 in one heterozygous patient, leading to substitution of proline with threonine at residue 392 (p. Thr392Pro) of LOX protein sequence. This mutation was predicted to be potentially damaging to LOX protein. Another LOX variant, Arg158Gln, was also detected in another patient but predicted to be non-pathogenic. Two additional new polymorphisms in LOX 5'UTR region (–116C &gt; T and –58C &gt; T) were found in two patients presenting with advanced keratoconus and were predicted to modulate or create donor/acceptor splice sites in LOX transcripts. Additionally, SOD1 deletion was detected in one patient presenting with severe keratoconus, not in control samples. Conclusion: We described three novel LOX polymorphisms identified for the first time in Brazilian patients with advanced keratoconus, as well as a previously described SOD1 deletion strongly associated with keratoconus. A possible role of these variants in modulating transcript levels in the cornea of affected individual requires further investigation