Low carbon housing: lessons from Elm Tree Mews

This report sets out the findings from a low carbon housing trial at Elm Tree Mews, York, and discusses the technical and policy issues that arise from it. The Government has set an ambitious target for all new housing to be zero carbon by 2016. With the application of good insulation, improved efficiencies and renewable energy, this is theoretically possible. However, there is growing concern that, in practice, even existing carbon standards are not being achieved and that this performance gap has the potential to undermine zero carbon housing policy. The report seeks to address these concerns through the detailed evaluation of a low carbon development at Elm Tree Mews. The report: * evaluates the energy/carbon performance of the dwellings prior to occupation and in use; * analyses the procurement, design and construction processes that give rise to the performance achieved; * explores the resident experience; * draws out lessons for the development of zero carbon housing and the implications for government policy; and * proposes a programme for change, designed to close the performance gap

Airtightness of buildings — towards higher performance: Final Report — Domestic Sector Airtightness

This report constitutes milestone D11 — Final Report — Domestic Sector Airtightness of the Communities and Local Government/ODPM Project reference CI 61/6/16 (BD2429) Airtightness of Buildings — Towards Higher Performance (Borland and Bell, 2003). This report presents the overall conclusions and key messages obtained from the project through design assessments, construction observations, discussions with developers and pressurisation test results. It also summarises discussion on the airtight performance of current UK housing, the implementation and impact of current and future legislation, and identifies potential areas for future work

Influence of crystal structure on charge carrier effective masses in BiFeO3_3

Ferroelectric-based photovoltaics have shown great promise as a source of renewable energy, thanks to their in-built charge separation capability, yet their efficiency is often limited by low charge carrier mobilities. In this work, we compare the photovoltaic prospects of various phases of the multiferroic material BiFeO$_3$ by evaluating their charge carrier effective masses using first-principles simulations. We identify a tetragonal phase with the promising combination of a large spontaneous polarisation and relatively light charge carriers. From a systematic study of the octahedral distortions present in BiFeO$_3$, we explain the relationship between structure and effective masses in terms of the changes to the orbital character and overlap at the band edges that result from changes in the geometry. The findings in this study provide some design principles to engineer desired effective masses in BiFeO$_3$ and similar materials through manipulation of their crystal structures in experimentally accessible ways.Comment: 12 pages, 10 figure

Evaluating the impact of an enhanced energy performance standard on load-bearing masonry domestic construction: Understanding the gap between designed and real performance: lessons from Stamford Brook.

This report is aimed at those with interests in the procurement, design and construction of new dwellings both now and in the coming years as the Government’s increasingly stringent targets for low and zero carbon housing approach. It conveys the results of a research project, carried out between 2001 and 2008, that was designed to evaluate the extent to which low carbon housing standards can be achieved in the context of a large commercial housing development. The research was led by Leeds Metropolitan University in collaboration with University College London and was based on the Stamford Brook development in Altrincham, Cheshire. The project partners were the National Trust, Redrow and Taylor Wimpey and some 60 percent of the planned 700 dwelling development has been completed up to June 2008. As the UK house building industry and its suppliers grapple with the challenges of achieving zero carbon housing by 2016, the lessons arising from this project are timely and of considerable value. Stamford Brook has demonstrated that designing masonry dwellings to achieve an enhanced energy standard is feasible and that a number of innovative approaches, particularly in the area of airtightness, can be successful. The dwellings, as built, exceed the Building Regulations requirements in force at the time but tests on the completed dwellings and longer term monitoring of performance has shown that, overall, energy consumption and carbon emissions, under standard occupancy, are around 20 to 25 percent higher than design predictions. In the case of heat loss, the discrepancy can be much higher. The report contains much evidence of considerable potential but points out that realising the design potential requires a fundamental reappraisal of processes within the industry from design and construction to the relationship with its supply chain and the development of the workforce. The researchers conclude that, even when builders try hard, current mainstream technical and organisational practices together with industry cultures present barriers to consistent delivery of low and zero carbon performance. They suggest that the underlying reasons for this are deeply embedded at all levels of the house building industry. They point out also that without fundamental change in processes and cultures, technological innovations, whether they be based on traditional construction or modern methods are unlikely to reach their full potential. The report sets out a series of wide ranging implications for new housing in the UK, which are given in Chapter 14 and concludes by firmly declaring that cooperation between government, developers, supply chains, educators and researchers will be crucial to improvement. The recommendations in this report are already being put into practice by the researchers at Leeds Metropolitan University and University College London in their teaching and in further research projects. The implications of the work have been discussed across the industry at a series of workshops undertaken in 2008 as part of the LowCarb4Real project (see http://www.leedsmet.ac.uk/as/cebe/projects/lowcarb4real/index.htm). In addition, the learning is having an impact on the work of the developers (Redrow and Taylor Wimpey) who, with remarkable foresight and enthusiasm, hosted the project. This report seeks to make the findings more widely available and is offered for consideration by everyone who has a part to play in making low and zero carbon housing a reality

Stochastic models in population biology and their deterministic analogs

In this paper we introduce a class of stochastic population models based on "patch dynamics". The size of the patch may be varied, and this allows one to quantify the departures of these stochastic models from various mean field theories, which are generally valid as the patch size becomes very large. These models may be used to formulate a broad range of biological processes in both spatial and non-spatial contexts. Here, we concentrate on two-species competition. We present both a mathematical analysis of the patch model, in which we derive the precise form of the competition mean field equations (and their first order corrections in the non-spatial case), and simulation results. These mean field equations differ, in some important ways, from those which are normally written down on phenomenological grounds. Our general conclusion is that mean field theory is more robust for spatial models than for a single isolated patch. This is due to the dilution of stochastic effects in a spatial setting resulting from repeated rescue events mediated by inter-patch diffusion. However, discrete effects due to modest patch sizes lead to striking deviations from mean field theory even in a spatial setting.Comment: 47 pages, 9 figure

Magnetic Resonance Imaging Pilot Study of Intravenous Glyburide in Traumatic Brain Injury.

Pre-clinical studies of traumatic brain injury (TBI) show that glyburide reduces edema and hemorrhagic progression of contusions. We conducted a small Phase II, three-institution, randomized placebo-controlled trial of subjects with TBI to assess the safety and efficacy of intravenous (IV) glyburide. Twenty-eight subjects were randomized and underwent a 72-h infusion of IV glyburide or placebo, beginning within 10 h of trauma. Of the 28 subjects, 25 had Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores of 6-10, and 14 had contusions. There were no differences in adverse events (AEs) or severe adverse events (ASEs) between groups. The magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) percent change at 72-168 h from screening/baseline was compared between the glyburide and placebo groups. Analysis of contusions (7 per group) showed that lesion volumes (hemorrhage plus edema) increased 1036% with placebo versus 136% with glyburide (p = 0.15), and that hemorrhage volumes increased 11.6% with placebo but decreased 29.6% with glyburide (p = 0.62). Three diffusion MRI measures of edema were quantified: mean diffusivity (MD), free water (FW), and tissue MD (MDt), corresponding to overall, extracellular, and intracellular water, respectively. The percent change with time for each measure was compared in lesions (n = 14) versus uninjured white matter (n = 24) in subjects receiving placebo (n = 20) or glyburide (n = 18). For placebo, the percent change in lesions for all three measures was significantly different compared with uninjured white matter (analysis of variance [ANOVA], p < 0.02), consistent with worsening of edema in untreated contusions. In contrast, for glyburide, the percent change in lesions for all three measures was not significantly different compared with uninjured white matter. Further study of IV glyburide in contusion TBI is warranted

To explore clinical pharmacists’ opinions, and their perceived barriers and facilitators, to supporting clinical research delivery in secondary care

Introduction The National Health Service (NHS) is confronted with significant challenges in facilitating clinical research delivery.1 Clinical pharmacists were instrumental in ensuring patient safety while conducting urgent public health studies, such as the RECOVERY trial, during the COVID-19 pandemic.2 Numerous studies have reported the positive impact of pharmacy workforce in supporting clinical research delivery3. However, it remains unclear whether pharmacists are willing to take on this extra responsibility. Aim To explore the opinions of UK clinical pharmacists towards facilitating the delivery of clinical research in secondary care. Objectives include understanding the level of knowledge of clinical research among clinical pharmacists; assessing levels of interest among clinical pharmacists towards supporting clinical research delivery; identifying clinical pharmacists’ perceived barriers and facilitators to supporting clinical research delivery; and developing recommendations to facilitate pharmacists’ engagement in research delivery. Methods This study employed a qualitative research approach and utilised convenience sampling based on the researcher’s professional network. Eight pharmacists from two secondary care NHS Trusts participated. Individual semi-structured interviews were conducted using questions adapted from the Research Capacity and Culture (RCC) tool which was validated by two clinical trial pharmacists. Keele University Research Ethics Committee provided a favourable ethical opinion. Interview transcripts were analysed to identify emerging themes by using framework analysis. Results The findings revealed that participants possessed limited knowledge of clinical research in general. The key themes identified were categorised into three domains: individual, professional, and organisational, which corresponded with the RCC tool. In the individual domain, pharmacists demonstrated interest in clinical research delivery but lacked confidence. They acknowledged clinical research as contributing to evidence-based practice and enhancing professional development. However, they expressed concerns about patient harm resulting from trial interventions and poorly designed studies generating misleading data. Within the professional domain, pharmacists' capability to support clinical research delivery was limited by inadequate training in clinical research, their clinical skills, and their disease knowledge. They perceived internal and external barriers to participation. It has been suggested to improve the research culture within the profession and promote the role pharmacists can play in delivering research among other healthcare professionals. In the organisational domain, the workplace environment was perceived to present obstacles due to competing priorities and clinical research not being seen to be a core duty by managers. Additionally, awareness of clinical research opportunities was limited and exposure to clinical research-related activities within the workplace was minimal. Discussion/Conclusion Recommendations to address these barriers include promoting clinical research training, developing mentorship programs, creating platforms to connect clinical pharmacists with research opportunities, and identifying roles that allow pharmacists to incorporate clinical research into their routine practice. This research project has several limitations, including the use of a convenience sampling method, a small sample size and potential interviewer bias due to research participants all being known to the researcher. In summary, the pharmacy workforce possesses the potential to support the challenges in clinical research delivery faced by the NHS. However, addressing the perceived barriers is critical to enhancing pharmacist involvement in this field. References 1. The Future of Clinical Research Delivery: 2022 to 2025 Implementation Plan [Internet]. UK Government; 2022 [cited 26 May 2023]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-future-of-uk-clinical-research-delivery-2022-to-2025-implementation-plan/the-future-of-clinical-research-delivery-2022-to-2025-implementation-plan 2. Kathryn Murray, pharmacist [Internet]. University of Oxford; 2022 [cited 26 May 2023]. Available from: https://www.recoverytrial.net/case_studies/kathryn-murray-pharmacist 3. Martinez J, Laswell E, Cailor S, Ballentine J. Frequency and impact of pharmacist interventions in clinical trial patients with diabetes. Clinical Therapeutics. 2017;39(4):714–22. doi:10.1016/j.clinthera.2017.02.00