Developing a benchmarking tool for measuring the effectiveness of local authority domestic energy reduction policies

The Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) promote Local Authorities as their preferred route for implementing policies aimed at reducing domestic sector energy consumption, and delivering the Government’s 2050 energy and climate targets. DECC provide data at lower layer super output area (LSOA) to aid monitoring strategies. These data in principle enable the change in energy demand over time and the relative energy use in different regions to be understood. However there is at present little incentive for Local Authorities to initiate local domestic reduction policies. Furthermore it remains unclear if national datasets are suitable for measuring and monitoring the success of Local Authorities. This paper argues the need for an improved benchmarking tool to measure the effectiveness of Local Authorities in this task. It utilises data – covering demographic, economic and climatic factors – to calculate descriptive statistics, and correlation and regression analysis to examine the relationships between these factors and domestic energy consumption. The analysis is to be expanded, incorporating further demographic, economic and built form data to try and develop a stronger statistical model, while collaboration with Local Authorities is to be sought in order to develop practical applications

Weather information network including graphical display

An apparatus for providing weather information onboard an aircraft includes a processor unit and a graphical user interface. The processor unit processes weather information after it is received onboard the aircraft from a ground-based source, and the graphical user interface provides a graphical presentation of the weather information to a user onboard the aircraft. Preferably, the graphical user interface includes one or more user-selectable options for graphically displaying at least one of convection information, turbulence information, icing information, weather satellite information, SIGMET information, significant weather prognosis information, and winds aloft information

Ex-nihilo II: Examination Syllabi and the Sequencing of Cosmology Education

Cosmology education has become an integral part of modern physics courses. Directed by National Curricula, major UK examination boards have developed syllabi that contain explicit statements about the model of the Big Bang and the strong observational evidence that supports it. This work examines the similarities and differences in these specifications, addresses when cosmology could be taught within a physics course, what should be included in this teaching and in what sequence it should be taught at different levels.Comment: 9 pages. Accepted for publication in a special issue of Physics Educatio

Identifying robust response options to manage environmental change using an ecosystem approach:a stress-testing case study for the UK

A diverse range of response options was evaluated in terms of their utility for sustaining ecosystem services in the UK. Robustness of response options was investigated by applying a ‘stress-testing’ method which evaluated expected performance against combined scenarios of socioeconomic and climate change. Based upon stakeholder feedback, a reference scenario representing current trends in climate and socioeconomic drivers (‘business-as-usual’) was used as a dynamic baseline against which to compare results of other scenarios. The robustness of response options was evaluated by their utility in different environmental and social contexts as represented by the scenarios, and linked to their adaptability to adjust to changing conditions. Key findings demonstrate that adaptability becomes increasingly valuable as the magnitude and rate of future change diverges from current trends. Stress-testing also revealed that individual responses in isolation are unlikely to be robust meaning there are advantages from integrating cohesive combinations (bundles) of response options to maximise their individual strengths and compensate for weaknesses. This identifies a role for both top-down and bottom-up responses, including regulation, spatial targeting, incentives and partnership initiatives, and their use in combination through integrated assessment and planning consistent with the adoption of an Ecosystem Approach. Stress-testing approaches can have an important role in future-proofing policy appraisals but important knowledge gaps remain, especially for cultural and supporting ecosystem services. Finally, barriers and enablers to the implementation of more integrated long-term adaptive responses were identified drawing on the ‘4 Is’ (Institutions, Information, Incentives, Identity) conceptual framework. This highlighted the crucial but usually understated role of identity in promoting ownership and uptake of responses

952-30 Left Ventricular Ejection Performance Improves Late After Aortic Valve Replacement in Patients with Aortic Stenosis and Reduced Ejection Fraction

To assess the time course and magnitude of change in left ventricular (LV) wall stress and ejection performance indices, 24 patients undergoing aortic valve replacement (AVR) for aortic stenosis were prospectively evaluated. Each patient underwent resting radionuclide angiography (RNA), echocardiography, and cardiac catheterization (high fidelity pressure) before AVR, then RNA and echocardiogram at one week and six months after AVR. Patients were stratified by preoperative ejection fraction (EF) into reduced EF (<50%) and normal EF (≥50%) groups.Pre-operatively, peak positive dp/dt was lower in the reduced EF group (1300 vs 1700mmHg/sec, p=0.035), and wall stress was elevated similarly in both groups (p=NS).Temporal Relationships of EF and Wall StressPre-op1 Week6 MosNormal EF (n=14)Mean Ejection Fraction (%)666468Mean Wall Stress (dyne/cm2×103)623444Reduced EF (n=10)Mean Ejection Fraction (%)383757Mean Wall Stress (dyne/cm2×103)785261Wall stress was reduced at one week post-operatively (p<0.005) in both groups. Ejection fraction remained depressed in the reduced EF group. By six months, however, EF had dramatically improved in the reduced EF group (p=0.002).ConclusionIn patients with LV dysfunction, EF remains low one week after AVR despite rectification of afterload mismatch. At six months, however, ejection performance improves. Therefore, when measured by ejection phase indices, the surgical benefit from AVR is not evident until late post-operatively

An X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) study of Fe ordering in a synthetic MgAl₂O₄ – Fe₃O₄ (spinel – magnetite) solid solution series; implications for magnetic properties.

Fe L₂,₃-edge XAS and XMCD studies have been used to unravel structural trends in the MgAl₂O₄-Fe₃O₄ solid solution where thermodynamic modelling has presented a challenge due to the complex ordering arrangements of the end-members. Partitioning of Fe³⁺ and Fe²⁺ between tetrahedral (Td) and octahedral (Oh) sites has been established. In the most Fe-rich samples, despite rapid quenching from a disordered state, Fe²⁺_Td is not present, which matches the ordered, inverse spinel nature of end-member magnetite (Mgt) at room-T. However, in intermediate compositions Al and Mg substantially replace Fe and small amounts of Fe²⁺_Td are found, stabilized or trapped by decreasing occurrence of the continuous nearest neighbour Fe – Fe interactions which facilitate charge redistribution by electron transfer. Furthermore, in the composition range ~Mgt₀.₄₋₀.₉, XAS and XMCD bonding and site occupancy data suggest that nano- scale, magnetite-like Fe clusters are present. By contrast, at the spinel-rich end of the series, Mgt₀.₁₇and Mgt₀.₂₃ have a homogeneous long-range distribution of Fe, Mg and Al. These relationships are consistent with the intermediate and Fe-rich samples falling within a wide solvus in this system such that the Fe- clusters occur as proto-nuclei for phases which would exsolve following development of long-range crystalline order during slow cooling. Unit cell edges calculated from the spectroscopy-derived site occupancies show excellent agreement with those measured by X-ray powder diffraction on the bulk samples. Calculated saturation magnetic moments (M_s) for the Fe-rich samples also show excellent agreement with measured values but for the most Mg-rich samples are displaced to slightly higher values; this displacement is due to the presence of abundant Mg and Al disrupting the anti-parallel alignment of electron spins for Fe atoms

The ribosomal protein genes and Minute loci of Drosophila melanogaster.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in genes encoding ribosomal proteins (RPs) have been shown to cause an array of cellular and developmental defects in a variety of organisms. In Drosophila melanogaster, disruption of RP genes can result in the 'Minute' syndrome of dominant, haploinsufficient phenotypes, which include prolonged development, short and thin bristles, and poor fertility and viability. While more than 50 Minute loci have been defined genetically, only 15 have so far been characterized molecularly and shown to correspond to RP genes. RESULTS: We combined bioinformatic and genetic approaches to conduct a systematic analysis of the relationship between RP genes and Minute loci. First, we identified 88 genes encoding 79 different cytoplasmic RPs (CRPs) and 75 genes encoding distinct mitochondrial RPs (MRPs). Interestingly, nine CRP genes are present as duplicates and, while all appear to be functional, one member of each gene pair has relatively limited expression. Next, we defined 65 discrete Minute loci by genetic criteria. Of these, 64 correspond to, or very likely correspond to, CRP genes; the single non-CRP-encoding Minute gene encodes a translation initiation factor subunit. Significantly, MRP genes and more than 20 CRP genes do not correspond to Minute loci. CONCLUSION: This work answers a longstanding question about the molecular nature of Minute loci and suggests that Minute phenotypes arise from suboptimal protein synthesis resulting from reduced levels of cytoribosomes. Furthermore, by identifying the majority of haplolethal and haplosterile loci at the molecular level, our data will directly benefit efforts to attain complete deletion coverage of the D. melanogaster genome.RIGHTS : This article is licensed under the BioMed Central licence at http://www.biomedcentral.com/about/license which is similar to the 'Creative Commons Attribution Licence'. In brief you may : copy, distribute, and display the work; make derivative works; or make commercial use of the work - under the following conditions: the original author must be given credit; for any reuse or distribution, it must be made clear to others what the license terms of this work are