The influence of housing size, style and location on energy and greenhouse gas emissions

Concern about the growth of greenhouse gas emissions in Victoria has prompted the introduction of legislation to improve the thermal performance of the residential building envelope. Unfortunately, the size of the house is not considered in the rating tool that underpins the legislation. The energy embodied in the constructional materials is also not considered although it too is directly related to the size of the house. Another intrinsic factor relating residential housing energy and greenhouse gas emissions is the location of the residence and the travel preferences of the homeowner. The relationship between the operational, embodied and travel energy associated with a typical residential scenario in Melbourne over the last 50 years is examined in this paper. The analysis found that by the year 2000, the energy associated with work-related travel (44%) now exceeds the operational energy (37%). In terms of greenhouse gas emissions, the contribution from travel energy is almost double that from operational energy (28%).<br /

A Model for the Impact of Task Complexity on Deception in a Group Decision Making Task

This paper reports the results of a pilot study of a group decision making task. A research model and hypotheses are presented related to the larger main study which has yet to be conducted. The purpose of this series of studies is to investigate the impact of task complexity on truthful and deceptive participants in a group computer mediated communication (CMC) scenario. The pilot study tests perceived task difficulty when task complexity is manipulated. The results show the desired difference in task complexity is perceived by the participants. These results set the stage for the next phase of this study in which a deception manipulation will be introduced

Life-cycle energy analysis of building integrated photovoltaic systems (BiPVs) with heat recovery unit

Building integrated photovoltaic (BiPV) systems generate electricity, but also heat, which is typically wasted and also reduces the efficiency of generation. A heat recovery unit can be combined with a BiPV system to take advantage of this waste heat, thus providing cogeneration. Two different photovoltaic (PV) cell types were combined with a heat recovery unit and analysed in terms of their life-cycle energy consumption to determine the energy payback period. A net energy analysis of these PV systems has previously been performed, but recent improvements in the data used for this study allow for a more comprehensive assessment of the combined energy used throughout the entire life-cycle of these systems to be performed. Energy payback periods between 4 and 16.5 years were found, depending on the BiPV system. The energy embodied in PV systems is significant, emphasised here due to the innovative use of national average input&ndash;output (I&ndash;O) data to fill gaps in traditional life-cycle inventories, i.e. hybrid analysis. These findings provide an insight into the net energy savings that are possible with a well-designed and managed BiPV system.<br /

A Survey of Action-Learning Opportunities

This is a preliminary report on a survey of Action-Learning opportunities conducted in the Spring of 1972. The survey director was Allan Cameron; a grant from the White House Committee on Youth enabled a number of persons age 15-20 to participate in the surve

Jim Allen : radical drama beyond 'days of hope'

Due to a desire to establish television as a serious medium, television drama has often been seen as a forum for writers, with names such as David Mercer, Dennis Potter and Trevor Griffiths identified by critics as the driving force, or auteur, behind the works that bear their names rather than, as in much writing about film, the director. However, while this has been so, there are also many examples of writers whose contribution to television writing has been much less celebrated, often due to their close collaboration with a high-profile director who in many critics’ view remains the most influential contributor to the final piece of work. One practitioner who arguably has failed to get the critical credit he is due is Jim Allen, a writer still perhaps best known for his work with one such high-profile director, Ken Loach

Understanding contemporary Islamic crises in the Middle East : the issues beneath the surface

Over the past decade the Middle East has undergone huge geopolitical shifts, including widespread war and violence, the collapse of numerous regimes, a changing American role, a restored Russian presence, and the emergence of ISIS. In this book Graham Fuller addresses the character of these shifts and how they will shape the future of this tumultuous region as well as the role of major outside powers. Fuller firstly focuses on Shari’a law and its appropriate role, if any, in the politics and governance of the Muslim world, thereby further exploring why identity may be the most important factor in examining Middle East politics today. Next he addresses the current Shi’ite-Sunni conflict, not simply by scrutinizing the essentially theological approach found in most Western analysis but also through better understanding the many more extra-religious factors behind the scenes. Finally the author claims that the appearance of ISIS has stretched the perennial phenomenon of Political Islam to the extreme. What, then, does ISIS imply for the future of the Middle East and for Islamist movements in general, not to mention for Muslims’ understanding of Islam itself?9789400602687 (epdf); 9789400602694 (epub)Wetensch. publicati

Natchez Bluffs Cuisine and the Transition to Maize Agriculture (AD 750-1500)

This dissertation investigates the relationship between food and social identity for Native groups in the Lower Mississippi Valley (LMV) during the transition to maize agriculture. The intensification of maize agriculture in the LMV is notable because it occurred several hundred years after surrounding regions. Previous studies have focused on why LMV communities adopted maize, ignoring how maize was added to existing foodways. Data from ceramics and plant remains from communal gathering spaces at six sites in the Natchez Bluffs region—Feltus (22Je500), Smith Creek (22Wk526), Center’s Creek (22Cb518), Bayou Pierre (22Cb534), Lessley (22Wk504), and Fatherland (22Ad501)—support the conclusion that communities in the region had a longstanding shared cuisine. Notably, these sites span the periods before and after maize was introduced and intensified (AD 750–1500), indicating that maize was an addition, rather than a disruption, to existing cuisine practices. Plant data indicate that Natchez Bluffs communities relied on a mixture of nuts and starchy seeds, some of which were cultivated. The types and amounts of plant foods used does not dramatically change following the intensification of maize, indicating continuity in cuisine staples. Ceramic evidence reveals that the forms and sizes of ceramic vessel that communities used to cook and serve their food was consistent through time, suggesting people adapted maize to existing cooking techniques and routines. Taken together, the plant and ceramic evidence demonstrate a consistent cuisine through time, as communities made use of similar types of ingredients and cooking styles despite the addition of maize. While the content of cuisine was not considerably altered, ceramic evidence and contextual data indicate that the performance of community meals shifted from humble and integrative to fancy and prestige-building over time. Differences in use-wear patterns on bowls from pre- and post-maize contexts suggest changes in how and where the meal was prepared. Additionally, large serving vessels, which were primarily plain and undecorated in the pre-maize periods, are elaborately decorated in post-maize contexts. Contextual data also indicate that some portion of the community began living in these gathering spaces in the post-maize period. I interpret these lines of evidence together as indicating that communal meals had taken on a prestige-building component for host communities. I argue that these findings demonstrate that a shared cuisine tradition remained important to Natchez Bluffs communities, despite shifting social relationships. Overall, this project demonstrates the dynamic relationship between continuity and change within cuisine practices through time.Doctor of Philosoph

Measuring the difference between actual and reported food intakes in the context of energy balance under laboratory conditions

Acknowledgements The present study was funded by the Food Standards Agency, UK. The Food Standards Agency had no role in the design, analysis or writing of this article. The authors’ responsibilities were as follows: R. J. S., L. M. O’R. and G. W. H. designed the research; L. M. O’R. and Z. F. conducted the research and analysed the data; G. W. H. performed the statistical analyses; P. R. carried out the DLW analysis; R. J. S. had primary responsibility for the final content; R. J. S., L. M. O’R., Z. F., S. W. and M. B. E. L. wrote the paper.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Embodied energy analysis of the refurbishment of a small detached building

Energy efficient design principles and the minimisation of operational energy requirements have been demonstrated in the refurbishment of a small existing residential building. Significant thought has been given to these areas, together with an emphasis on the minimisation of resource consumption and material wastage. However, less consideration has been given to the embodied energy of the additional materials, components and systems required to meet these aims. The additional embodied energy may reduce the advantages of minimising the operational energy consumption by extending the energy payback period beyond the life of the building. In general, the embodied energy of buildings and their products has been found to be significant, when national average input-output data is used to fill gaps in traditional life-cycle assessment inventories. Through the use of an input-outputbased hybrid embodied energy analysis, the embodied energy of this refurbished building has increased by 63% compared to the existing building, showing the impact that filling the gaps in traditional inventories can have on energy payback periods.<br /

Social enterprise : an appropriate model for a child and youth care organisation?

This article charts the journey of Kibble, from one of Scotland's oldest child and youth care charities, to an award-winning social enterprise. It explores the definition and history of social enterprise and how Kibble created a Victorian blended income-stream long before the term 'social enterprise' had been coined. The authors discuss the daily challenges and opportunities of adopting a social enterprise model in a child and youth care organisation. Finally they outline the need to blend purpose with profit and explore the impact on stakeholders, beneficiaries, staff and ultimately on wider society