An Exploratory Study Examining the Associations between Sunlight Exposure, Sleep Behaviours and Sleep Outcomes during an Arctic Summer

Few evidence-based recommendations exist for maintaining healthy sleep during Arctic summers. Our study aimed to examine associations between sleep hygiene, sunlight exposure and sleep outcomes in workers living in and/or near the Arctic Circle during a 24-h light period. A survey was administered July 2017 to 19 workers at 3 Arctic base camps in Northeastern Alaska. Participants with poorer sleep hygiene reported increased sleepiness (r=.62, p=0.01); this correlation remained moderately strong, albeit not statistically significant (NS), after controlling for shift work (r=.46, p=0.06). No other statistically significant correlations between sleep hygiene and sleep outcomes were found. Weekly daytime (8pm) sunlight exposures, estimated from daily self-reported sunlight exposures for a typical workday and day off, were dichotomised, based on means, into: longer (\u3e45 h/week) versus shorter (/week) daytime exposures, and longer (\u3e16 h/week) versus shorter (/week) evening exposures. Participants reporting longer, versus shorter, weekly daytime sunlight exposure had statistically significantly (Mann-Whitney U=18.00, Z=-1.98, p/=.3 for longer, vis-a-vis shorter, daylight sunlight exposure suggest it could be related to poorer sleep outcomes, such as insufficient sleep and sleep quality, yet, as these correlations were NS, future work is needed to determine this. Weak or no correlations (and NS differences) were found for longer, versus shorter, weekly evening sunlight exposure and sleep outcomes. Findings support previous research suggesting self-regulation behaviours alone are not protective against poor sleep in Arctic environments. Sleep outcomes did not differ statistically significantly by evening sunlight exposure length. Longer weekly daytime sunlight exposure, versus shorter, was significantly associated with decreased sleep duration. Results from this exploratory study should be confirmed in studies using larger sample sizes

Technical-economic potential of PV systems on Colombian residential sector

Solar energy is the second most applied variable renewable source worldwide, after the wind. In 2014, its world installed capacity was around 177 GW. During the past years, the yearly new capacity of photovoltaic (PV) solar yearly new capacity has exceeded new wind projects, highlighting this new solar power trend. This study aims to estimate technical and economic potential of the solar PV in the Colombian residential sector taking into account characteristics such as socio-economic stratum, household electric power consumption, tariffs by utility and capital cost. Technical-economic simulation tools were integrated into a geographical information system (‘GIS’) to permit a spatial analysis. Results shows solar generation potential and its annual penetration potential for all socioeconomic strata within all Colombian municipalities up to 2030. The current technical potential is around 9.1 GWp (13.10 TWh/year), while the economic potential will be 3.2 GWp by 2030.The authors would like to express their gratitude to the Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnológico (National Scientific and Technological Development Council – CNPQ), Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior ((Brazilian Federal Agency for the Improvement of Higher Education-CAPES) and NETEP - European-Brazilian Network on Energy Planning, a project supported by a Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme Fellowship within the 7th European Union Framework Programme (PIRSES-GA-2013-612263), for the essential support given for this work to be carried out

The influence of persistent pathogens on circulating levels of inflammatory markers: A cross-sectional analysis from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

Background: Systemic inflammation is linked to cardiovascular risk, but the influence of persistent pathogens, which are conventionally dichotomously categorized, on circulating levels of inflammatory markers is not clear. Antibody levels of pathogens have not been examined in relation to inflammation. Methods. Using data from a subsample of the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, we examined circulating levels of interleukin-6 (IL-6), C-reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen in relation to five common persistent pathogens: cytomegalovirus, herpes simplex virus-1, Hepatitis A virus, Helicobacter pylori and Chlamydia pneumoniae. We tested the hypothesis that the number of seropositive pathogens (based on conventional cut-off points) would not be as sensitive a marker of inflammation as immune response measured by antibody levels to pathogens. Results. High antibody response to multiple pathogens showed graded and significant associations with IL-6 (p < 0.001), CRP (p = 0.04) and fibrinogen (p = 0.001), whereas seropositive pathogen burden did not. In multiple linear regression models, high antibody response to multiple pathogens maintained a positive association only with IL-6 (4.4% per pathogen exhibiting high antibody response, 95% CI 0.0-8.9). Conclusions. High antibody response to pathogens was a more consistent marker of inflammatory outcomes compared to seropositivity alone and high antibody response to multiple pathogens was a stronger marker compared to any single pathogen

Who Drives Climate-relevant Policies in Brazil?

In this report, the central question of our research is who drives/obstructs climate-relevant policies in Brazil, paying special attention to renewable energy policies, climate policies and politics. We aim to identify the actors (in government, the private sector and civil society) who drive, or obstruct, efforts to reduce the carbon intensity of Brazil’s energy mix. The hypothesis here is that the actors who drive climate policies in Brazil are not specifically concerned with global climate change itself, but with economic, social or even political issues, such as energy security, job creation, competitiveness, promoting national industries, and gaining political power domestically or internationally. In that sense, climate change mitigation can be regarded as a co-benefit of other policies (energy policies included) that may have very different objectives. To answer the above-mentioned question, this research assesses renewable energy policies in Brazil, identifying key actors from government, business and civil society and their explicit, or implicit, motivations.UK Department for International Developmen

Methodology for hubs placement analysis: an application to Portuguese industrial CO₂ emissions

Carbon capture and Geological storage (CCGS) is recognised as a technology capable of reducing large-scale emissions of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is an important part of the portfolio of alternatives necessary to achieve significant reductions in the global emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG). As of this context where greenhouses gases constrains in Europe would come, and CCGS would be a mitigation option for GHG, it becomes necessary to develop a CO2 transport network to collect and inject it in a proper geological reservoir. Therefore, the following methodology can help to implement a pipeline network in any region in the world by doing a preliminary analysis about the best places to locate a HUB (temporary CO2 reservoir). In this paper, the demonstration of the methodology refers to Portugal’s industrial emission sources in which CCS could be implemented.This research was supported by a Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme Fellowship within the 7th European Union Framework Programme, under project NETEP- European Brazilian Network on Energy Planning (PIRSES-GA-2013612263)

Understanding cost escalation in nuclear reactor construction projects

This work seeks to evaluate overnight construction costs (OCC) and lead time escalation of nuclear reactors from 1955 to 2016. To this end, a comprehensive database of commercial Light Water Reactors (LWR) was developed and a statistical analysis was conducted. Findings reveal that there is significant delay in lead time, especially for the last generation reactors constructed from 2010’s. This results in the escalation of capital costs rather than a decline. Average OCC of newer reactors are 60% higher than the ones implemented in the earlier stages of the nuclear era. This suggests a negative learning curve effect for both OCC and lead time, which threats the market and financial sustainability of current and future nuclear energy projects. Although this is a general trend, this negative effect is country specific and, thus, induced by national policies and regulatory frameworks. Therefore, the role of nuclear technology to cope with the decarbonisation of the power sector must be better evaluated, taking into account the real cost impacts of nuclear technology implementation.This work was also funded by the Brazilian research funding agency CNPq.This work was funded by the Brazilian research funding agency CNPq and the Marie Curie International Research Staff Exchange Scheme Fellowship within the 7th European Union Framework Programme, under the project NETEP- European Brazilian Network on Energy Planning (PIRSES-GA-2013-612263)

The relationship between attitudes, beliefs and physical activity in older adults with knee pain: secondary analysis of a randomised controlled trial

Objective To investigate how attitudes and beliefs about exercise relate to physical activity behavior in older adults with knee pain attributable to osteoarthritis (OA). Methods We conducted secondary data analyses of a randomized controlled trial of exercise interventions (ISRCTN: 93634563). Participants were adults ≥45 years old with knee pain attributable to OA (n = 514). Crude and adjusted cross‐sectional and longitudinal associations between baseline Self‐Efficacy for Exercise (SEE), Positive Outcome Expectations for Exercise (POEE), Negative Outcome Expectations for Exercise scores, and physical activity level, at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months (measured by self‐report using the Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly [PASE]), and important increases in physical activity level (from baseline to 6‐month followup) were investigated using multiple linear and logistic regression. Results Cross‐sectional associations were found between SEE and PASE scores (β = 4.14 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.26, 8.03]) and POEE and PASE scores (β = 16.71 [95% CI 1.87, 31.55]), adjusted for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. Longitudinal associations were found between baseline SEE and PASE scores at 3 months (β = 4.95 [95% CI 1.02, 8.87]) and 6 months β = 3.71 (0.26, 7.16), and baseline POEE and PASE at 3 months (β = 34.55 [95% CI 20.13, 48.97]) and 6 months (β = 25.74 [95% CI 11.99, 39.49]), adjusted for baseline PASE score and intervention arm. However, no significant associations with important increases in physical activity level were found. Conclusion Greater exercise self‐efficacy and more positive exercise outcome expectations were associated with higher current and future physical activity levels. These may be targets for interventions aimed at increasing physical activity

Child Acute Malnutrition and Mortality in Populations Affected by Displacement in the Horn of Africa, 1997–2009

Drought and conflict in the Horn of Africa are causing population displacement, increasing risks of child mortality and malnutrition. Humanitarian agencies are trying to mitigate the impact, with limited resources. Data from previous years may help guide decisions. Trends in different populations affected by displacement (1997–2009) were analyzed to investigate: (1) how elevated malnutrition and mortality were among displaced compared to host populations; (2) whether the mortality/malnutrition relation changed through time; and (3) how useful is malnutrition in identifying high mortality situations. Under-five mortality rates (usually from 90-day recall, as deaths/10,000/day: U5MR) and global acute malnutrition (wasting prevalences, < −2SDs of references plus edema: GAM) were extracted from reports of 1,175 surveys carried out between 1997–2009 in the Horn of Africa; these outcome indicators were analyzed by livelihood (pastoral, agricultural) and by displacement status (refugee/internally displaced, local resident/host population, mixed); associations between these indicators were examined, stratifying by status. Patterns of GAM and U5MR plotted over time by country and livelihood clarified trends and showed substantial correspondence. Over the period GAM was steady but U5MR generally fell by nearly half. Average U5MR was similar overall between displaced and local residents. GAM was double on average for pastoralists compared with agriculturalists (17% vs. 8%), but was not different between displaced and local populations. Agricultural populations showed increased U5MR when displaced, in contrast to pastoralist. U5MR rose sharply with increasing GAM, at different GAM thresholds depending on livelihood. Higher GAM cut-points for pastoralists than agriculturalists would better predict elevated U5MR (1/10,000/day) or emergency levels (2/10,000/day) in the Horn of Africa; cut-points of 20–25% GAM in pastoral populations and 10–15% GAM in agriculturalists are suggested. The GAM cut-points in current use do not vary by livelihood, and this needs to be changed, tailoring cut points to livelihood groups, to better identify priorities for intervention. This could help to prioritize limited resources in the current situation of food insecurity and save lives