1,760 research outputs found
How to support growth with less energy
There is considerable potential to support growth with less use of primary energy and lower carbon emissions. This can be achieved through technical solutions (existing and new), as well as behavioural change. The goal of securing growth with lower carbon emissions is just one of several strategic goals that need to be satisfied. Of the others, the need to develop alternatives to an energy system heavily dependent on oil and natural gas and to maintain security of energy supply are likely to be the most important.
The strategic goals are to achieve major reductions in the energy intensity of transport, buildings in use, and to achieve corresponding reductions in energy intensity of the major building materials. Key challenges associated with these strategic goals include:
• the development of technologies to produce carbon-free cement, carbon-free steel, carbon-free glass
• enabling infrastructural developments that provide a framework for a wide range of low-carbon technologies and increase energy diversity and security of supply
• identification of key energy-efficiency tipping points and the construction of technology policy
• development of methane-fired modular fuel cells
• improved capabilities to model whole energy systems, i.e. adequately modelling both demand and supply, social/economic as well as technical, and assessing the impact outside of the UK system boundary
• better low-carbon planning and improved co-ordination of planning, building control and other policy tools
• better monitoring and feedback on the real performance of energy efficient technologies.
The implication of the Energy White Paper goal of reducing CO2 emissions by 60% by 2050 is a six-fold reduction in the carbon intensity of the UK economy. In the longer run, it is clear that we will move towards a carbon-free economy. Within this transition, developments in supply, distribution and end-use technologies will be multiplicative, while action to constrain demand growth is crucial to the rate of the overall transition
Milton Keynes Park Revisited: changes in internal temperatures
27-30 April 2006 The Carbon Reduction in Buildings project has undertaken a pilot longitudinal survey based on a study of 160 ‘low-energy’ homes in 1989 in Milton Keynes Energy Park. In that study, a sub-sample of 29 dwellings was monitored on an hourly basis for internal temperature for the living room and main bedroom over 2 years. The follow up study has been in progress since 2005 and consists of 15 dwellings from the original detailed survey. Findings include that under an average daily external temperature of 5 ºC, internal temperatures were predicted from regression analysis to be 20.1ºC (95%CI:19.7, 20.5) for the living room in 2005 and 19.5 ºC (95 %CI:19.1, 19.9) for the bedroom. This was not significantly different from the 1990 baseline study, except for main bedroom evening temperatures (6pm-11pm) which were found to have decreased by -1.3°C (95%CI -2.4, 0.08; p-value 0.04). This may be indicative of higher ventilation rates since almost all participants in 2005 reported opening bedroom windows through winter
El moho blanco
White mold, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia (Whetzelinia) sclerotiorum, is distributed worldwide and has more than 300 hosts. It infects flowers, cotyledons, seeds, leaves or injured plant tissue. The disease can be controlled by crop rotation, flooding, reduced seeding rates, application of chemical products in the middle of the flowering period, modifying plant architecture and the use of resistant var. Many soil microorganisms are associated with sclerotia and may cause them to degrade or fan to germinate. The symptoms and damage caused by the disease are illustrated in color. (CIAT)El moho blanco causado por el hongo Sclerotinia (Whetzelinia) sclerotiorum se halla presente en todo el mundo y mas de 300 plantas son hospedantes del patogeno; infecta las flores, cotiledones, semillas, hojas o tejido herido. El control de la enfermedad se puede hacer por: rotacion de cultivos, inundacion del terreno, utilizacion de menor cantidad de semilla en la siembra, aplicacion de productos quimicos a mediados de la floracion, modificando la arquitectura de la planta y utilizando var resistentes; muchos microorganismos del suelo estan asociados con los esclerosios y pueden causar degradacion e impedir que estos germinen. Se ilustran en color los sintomas y danos causados por la enfermedad. (CIAT
3DStock: A new kind of three-dimensional model of the building stock of England and Wales, for use in energy analysis
This article describes the development of a new three-dimensional model of the British building stock, called ‘3DStock’. The model differs from other 3D urban and stock models, in that it represents explicitly and in detail the spatial relationships between ‘premises’ and ‘buildings’. It also represents the pattern of activities on different floors within buildings. The geometrical/geographical structure of the model is assembled automatically from two existing national data sets. Additional data from other sources including figures for electricity and gas consumption are then attached. Some sample results are given for energy use intensities. The first purpose of the model is in the analysis of energy use in the building stock. With actual energy data for very large numbers of premises, it is possible to take a completely new type of statistical approach, in which consumption can be related to a range of characteristics including activity, built form, construction and materials. Models have been built to date of the London Borough of Camden and the cities of Leicester, Tamworth and Swindon. Work is in progress to extend the modelling to other parts of Britain. Because of the coverage of the data, this will be limited however to England and Wales
White mold
White mold, caused by the fungus Sclerotinia (Whetzelinia) sclerotiorum, is distributed worldwide and has more than 300 hosts. It infects flowers, cotyledons, seeds, leaves, or injured plant tissue. The disease can be controlled by crop rotation, flooding, reduced seeding rates, fewer irrigations, and destruction of bean- cull screenings containing sclerotia. Other control measures include chemical products in the middle of the flowering period, modifying plant architecture, and using resistant var. Many soil microorganisms are associated with sclerotia and may cause them to degrade or fail to germinate. The symptoms and damage caused by the disease are illustrated in color. (CIAT)El moho blanco causado por el hongo Sclerotinia (Whetzelinia) sclerotiorum se halla presente en todo el mundo, con mas de 300 plantas hospedantes del patogeno; infecta las flores, cotiledones, semillas, hojas o tejido lesionado. El control de la enfermedad se puede hacer por rotacion de cultivos, inundacion del terreno, menos riego y destruccion de residuos con esclerocios y utilizacion de menor cantidad de semilla en la siembra. Otras medidas de control incluyen la aplicacion de productos quimicos a mediados de la floracion, la modificacion de la arquitectura de la planta y la utilizacion de var. resistentes. Muchos microorganismos del suelo se asocian con los esclerocios y pueden causar degradacion e impedir que estos germinen. Se ilustran a color los sintomas y danos causados por la enfermedad. (CIAT
Three-Dimensional High-Resolution Urban Thermal & Mechanical Large Eddy Simulation Interactive Physics Between Buildings, Land Cover And Trees
This paper describes the development of a 3D model of the non-domestic building stock of England and Wales. The model’s purpose is to assess energy use in the stock, and study conservation options. Previous stock models have used data on floor area by activities, and have not represented building geometry. The present model by contrast combines digital maps and property taxation data to build a 3D representation in which separate premises are located within buildings, with floor areas on each level. Sub-activities per floor are also represented in 2D. A case study of the London Borough of Camden is presented
The Stability of Polar Oxide Surfaces
The structures of the polar surfaces of ZnO are studied using ab initio calculations and surface x-ray diffraction. The experimental and theoretical relaxations are in good agreement. The polar surfaces are shown to be very stable; the cleavage energy for the (0001)-Zn and (0001̅ )-O surfaces is 4.0J/m2 comparable to 2.32J/m2 for the most stable nonpolar (1010) surface. The surfaces are stabilized by an electronic mechanism involving the transfer of 0.17 electrons between them. This leads to 2D metallic surface states, which has implications for the use of the material in gas sensing and catalytic applications
\u3ci\u3eUromyces appendiculatus\u3c/i\u3e in Honduras: Pathogen Diversity and Host Resistance Screening
Bean rust, caused by the fungus Uromyces appendiculatus, is a major constraint for common bean production worldwide. Virulence of U. appendiculatus collected from wild and cultivated Phaseolus spp. was examined in 28 locations across Honduras. Host accessions representing wild and domesticated Phaseolus spp. collected at the same sampling locations were evaluated for resistance against U. appendiculatus. In total, 91 pathotypes were identified from 385 U. appendiculatus isolates according to their virulence on each of the 12 host differentials. No significant difference in pathogen total virulence, measured as the mean disease score, was found between locations. However, significant differences were found in pathotype virulence among isolates collected from different Phaseolus spp. within a location. Moreover, when locations were compared on the basis of pathotype occurrence and frequency, differences among locations were evident. No two locations had the same pathotype composition. The most common pathotype was virulent on 9 of the 12 differential lines. A high number of resistant accessions were identified in Phaseolus coccineus and P. lunatus. Although most wild P. vulgaris accessions were highly susceptible, rust resistance was observed in P. vulgaris landraces collected from farmer’s fields. Thirty-two (52%) of the accessions screened showed intermediate to high levels of resistance and, of those, 16% were P. coccineus accessions. Our findings support the hypothesis that interaction of U. appendiculatus in host populations composed of diverse Phaseolus spp. and genotypes has favored highly diverse and virulent pathotypes, creating a center for virulence diversity of the pathogen in Honduras. The high percentage of intermediate and highly resistant accessions identified in the present study supports the strategy of collecting plants from the center of diversity of a pathogen or in locations with high incidence of disease and pathogen diversity to maximize the probability of identifying new sources of resistance
Zasuk proti vzhodu: Çadır Höyük, Transkavkazija in kompleksna povezljivost v pozni bakreni dobi
The investigation of ‘complex connectivities’ as defined by Tomlinson (1999) as a critical element in the understanding of how modern globalization works has been repurposed by archaeologists as a model to explain the mechanisms at work in the archaeological past. This study applies Tomlinson’s model to interpret evidence that such connectivities linked the vast Uruk system in Mesopotamia, the contemporary Kura-Araxes culture in Transcaucasia, and the north central Anatolian plateau in the second half of the fourth millennium BCE, known as the Late Chalcolithic period. We focus on the site of Çadır Höyük, on the north central Anatolian plateau. The occupants of this rural settlement experienced some dramatic changes in the later fourth millennium, including substantial reorganization of their village plan, expansions and contractions in socioeconomic activity and long-distance trade, more elaborate burials, and possibly the evolution of new sociopolitical and religious ideologies. Here we explore the increasing evidence that socioeconomic ‘complex connectivity,’ with both Mesopotamia and especially Transcaucasia, played some role in the substantial modifications and internal dynamics at Late Chalcolithic Çadır Höyük.Preučevanje ‘kompleksne povezljivosti’, kot jo je definiral Tomlinson (1999), je ključno za razumevanje načina, kako so arheologi spremenili model moderne globalizacije za to, da bi lahko razlagali mehanizme, ki so delovali v arheološki preteklosti. V članku uporabljamo Tomlinsonovo mrežo kompleksnih povezljivosti pri razlagi dokazov o sočasnosti kulture Kura-Araxes v Transkavkaziji ter v severnem centralnem delu Anatolije v drugi polovici četrtega tisočletja pr. n. št. oz. v času pozne bakrene dobe, in sicer v okviru širšega globalnega konteksta sistema mesta Uruk v Mezopotamiji. Osredotočamo se na najdišče Çadır Höyük v severni centralni Anatoliji. Prebivalci te ruralne naselbine so bili konec četrtega tisočletja priča dramatičnim spremembam, ki so vključevale veliko reorganizacijo načrta vasi, širitve in krčenja družbenoekonomskih aktivnosti in menjave na dolge razdalje, bolj izpopolnjene načine pokopa in morda evolucijo novih družbenopolitičnih in verskih ideologij. Raziskujemo tudi dokaze o tem, da je imela družbenoekonomska ‘kompleksna povezljivost’ s Transkavkazijo in Mezopotamijo pomembno vlogo pri bistvenih spremembah in notranji dinamiki na pozno bakrenodobnem najdišču Çadır Höyük
Professional practices, training, and funding mechanisms: A survey of pediatric primary care psychologists
The integration of mental health services in primary care settings has expanded rapidly in recent years with psychologists being at the forefront of efforts to promote healthy behaviors, reduce disease, and care for behavioral, emotional, and developmental needs to promote overall health and well-being for children and families (Asarnow, Kolko, Miranda,&Kazak, 2017; Stancin& Perrin, 2014). While there are many psychologists working in pediatric primary care (PPC), little is known about the specific activities that these psychologists engage in, the training they receive, or funding mechanisms that support their work. This study sought to address this gap in the literature through a survey of psychologists working in PPC. An anonymous online survey was disseminated to members of professional organizations and listservs who were identified as having interest in PPC. Psychologists (N-65) currently practicing in PPC completed the survey by reporting on clinical roles and practices, professional training, practice settings, and funding supports in PPC settings. Results indicate that psychologists assume a number of roles in PPC including providing individual and family therapy, conducting screenings for child mental health concerns, and providing consultation to medical colleagues. Many psychologists also provide supervision and offer educational opportunities for those in related fields, such as medicine and social work. Engagement in research activities was identified as a secondary activity. It was reported that a number of clinical activities were not billed for on a regular basis. Additional areas of research will be discussed along with implications for clinical services in PPC.. © 2017 American Psychological Association
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