Domestic thermal upgrades, community action and energy saving: a three-year experimental study of prosperous households

A three-year field experiment was conducted with 185 prosperous households to assess whether behavioural interventions by a community environmental group during and after thermal upgrades (cavity wall and/or loft insulation) can achieve reductions in households’ energy use, including reductions in direct and indirect rebound. The engineering interventions on the thermal efficiency of dwellings appear effective in reducing energy use in both treatment and control groups: a direct rebound effect is estimated to be at most 40 per cent from the engineering interventions. However, across a range of measures of energy use, we observe no significant effect of the community behavioural intervention across the total lifetime of the project. Qualitative data collected on similar community groups suggests substantial constraints on their capacity to realise reductions in energy use amongst households

Financial implications of car ownership and use: A distributional analysis based on observed spatial variance considering income and domestic energy costs

This paper presents a new perspective on assessing the financial impacts of private car usage in England and Wales using novel datasets to explore implications of motoring costs (principally Vehicle Excise Duty and road fuel costs) for households as part of the overall costs of their energy budget. Using data from an enhanced version of the Department for Transport ‘MOT’ vehicle test record database, combined with data on domestic gas and electricity consumption from the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (formerly the Department of Energy and Climate Change), patterns of car usage and consequent energy consumption are investigated, and the costs of Vehicle Excise Duty and road fuel examined as a proportion of total expenditure on household direct energy consumption. Through the use of these new datasets it is possible to analyse how these vary spatially and in relation to levels of median income. The findings indicate that motoring costs are strongly regressive, with lower income areas, especially in rural locations, spending around twice as much of their income on motoring costs as the highest income areas

Louisville Seamount Trail: implications for geodynamic mantle flow models and the geochemical evolution of primary hotspots

The Louisville Seamount Trail is a 4300 km long volcanic chain that has been built in the past 80 m.y. as the Pacific plate moved over a persistent mantle melting anomaly or hotspot. Because of its linear morphology and its long-lived age-progressive volcanism, Louisville is the South Pacific counterpart of the much better studied Hawaiian-Emperor Seamount Trail. Together, Louisville and Hawaii are textbook examples of two primary hotspots that have been keystones in deciphering the motion of the Pacific plate relative to a set of "fixed" deep-mantle plumes. However, drilling during Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Leg 197 in the Emperor Seamounts documented a large ~15° southward motion of the Hawaiian hotspot prior to 50 Ma. Is it possible that the Hawaiian and Louisville hotspots moved in concert and thus constitute a moving reference frame for modeling plate motion in the Pacific? Alternatively, could they have moved independently, as predicted by mantle flow models that reproduce the observed latitudinal motion for Hawaii but that predict a largely longitudinal shift for the Louisville hotspot? These two end-member geodynamic models were tested during Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 330 to the Louisville Seamount Trail. In addition, existing data from dredged lavas suggest that the mantle plume source of the Louisville hotspot has been remarkably homogeneous for as long as 80 m.y. These lavas are predominantly alkali basalts and likely represent a mostly alkalic shield-building stage, which is in sharp contrast to the massive tholeiitic shield-building stage of Hawaiian volcanoes. Geochemical and isotopic data for the recovered lavas during Expedition 330 will provide insights into the magmatic evolution and melting processes of individual Louisville volcanoes, their progression from shield-building to postshield and (maybe) posterosional stages, the temperature and depth of partial melting of their mantle plume source, and the enigmatic long-lived and apparent geochemical homogeneity of the Louisville mantle source. Collectively, this will enable us to characterize the Louisville Seamount Trail as a product of one of the few global primary hotspots, to better constrain its plume-lithosphere interactions, and to further test the hypothesis that the Ontong Java Plateau formed from the plume head of the Louisville mantle plume around 120 Ma. During Expedition 330 we replicated the drilling strategy of Leg 197, the first expedition to provide compelling evidence for the motion of the Hawaiian mantle plume between 80 and 50 Ma. For that reason we targeted Louisville seamounts that have ages similar to Detroit, Suiko, Nintoku, and Koko Seamounts in the Emperor Seamount Trail. In total, five seamounts were drilled in the Louisville Seamount Trail: Canopus, Rigil, Burton, Achernar, and Hadar Guyots (old to young). By analyzing a large number of time-independent in situ lava flows (and other volcanic eruptive products) from these seamounts using modern paleomagnetic, 40Ar/39Ar geochronological, and geochemical techniques, we will be able to directly compare the paleolatitude estimates and geochemical signatures between the two longest-lived hotspot systems in the Pacific Ocean. We drilled into the summits of the five Louisville guyots and reached volcanic basement at four of these drilling targets. In two cases we targeted larger seamount structures and drilled near the flanks of these ancient volcanoes, and in the other three cases we selected smaller edifices that we drilled closer to their centers. Drilling and logging plans for each of these sites were similar, with coring reaching 522.0 meters below seafloor (mbsf) for Site U1374 and 232.9, 65.7, 11.5, 182.8, and 53.3 mbsf for Sites U1372, U1373, U1375, U1376, and U1377, respectively. Some Expedition 330 drill sites were capped with only a thin layer of pelagic ooze between 6.6 and 13.5 m thick, and, if present, these were cored by using a low-rotation gravity-push technique with the rotary core barrel to maximize recovery. However, at Sites U1373 and U1376 no pelagic ooze was present, and the holes needed to be started directly into cobble-rich hardgrounds. In all cases, the bulk of the seamount sediment cover comprised sequences of volcanic sandstones and various kinds of basalt breccia or basalt conglomerate, which often were interspersed with basaltic lava flows, the spatter/tephra products of submarine eruptions, or other volcanic products, including auto-brecciated flows or peperites. Also several intervals of carbonate were cored, with the special occurrence of a ~15 m thick algal limestone reef at Site U1376 on Burton Guyot. In addition, some condensed pelagic limestone units were recovered on three of the other seamounts, but these did not exceed 30 cm in thickness. Despite their limited presence in the drilled sediment, these limestones provide valuable insights for the paleoclimate record at high ~50° southern latitudes since Mesozoic times. Several Louisville sites progressed from subaerial conditions in the top of volcanic basement into submarine eruptive environments, or drilling of the igneous basement immediately started in submarine volcanic sequences, as was the case for Sites U1376 and U1377 on Burton and Hadar Guyots. At three sites we cored >100 m into the igneous basement: 187.3 m at Site U1372, 505.3 m at Site U1374, and 140.9 m at Site U1376. At the other sites we did not core into basement (Site U1375) or we cored only 38.2 m (Site U1377) because of unstable hole conditions. Even so, drilling during Expedition 330 resulted in a large number of in situ lava flows, pillow basalts, or other types of volcanic products such as auto-brecciated lava flows, intrusive sheets or dikes, and peperites. In particular, the three holes on Canopus and Rigil Guyots (the two oldest seamounts drilled in the Louisville Seamount Trail), resulted in adequate numbers of in situ lava flows to average out paleosecular variation, with probable eruption ages estimated at ~78 and 73 Ma, respectively. Remarkably, at all drill sites large quantities of hyaloclastites, volcanic sandstones, and basaltic breccias were also recovered, which in many cases show consistent paleomagnetic inclinations compared to the lava flows bracketing these units. For Site U1374 on Rigil Guyot we also observed a magnetic polarity reversal in the cored sequence. Overall, this is very promising for determining a reliable paleolatitude record for the Louisville Seamounts following detailed postcruise examinations. The deeper penetrations of several hundred meters required bit changes and reentries using free-fall funnels. Basement penetration rates were 1.8–2.5 m/h depending on drill depth. In total, 1114 m of sediment and igneous basement at five seamounts was drilled, and 806 m was recovered (average recovery = 72.4%). At Site U1374 on Rigil Guyot, a total of 522 m was drilled, with a record-breaking 87.8% recovery. Most outstandingly, nearly all Expedition 330 core material is characterized by low degrees of alteration, providing us with a large quantity of samples of mostly well-preserved basalt, containing, for example, pristine olivine crystals with melt inclusions, fresh volcanic glass, unaltered plagioclase, carbonate, zeolite and celadonite alteration minerals, various micro- and macrofossils, and, in one case, mantle xenoliths and xenocrysts. The large quantity and excellent quality of the recovered sample material allow us to address all the scientific objectives of this expedition and beyond

Estudo da formação de aderências e da cicatrização de anastomoses colônicas em ratos com sepse peritoneal induzida

OBJETIVO: Avaliar os efeitos da sepse abdominal sobre a formação de aderências e a cicatrização de anastomoses colônicas em ratos. MÉTODOS: 40 ratos distribuídos em dois grupos contendo 20 animais, para anastomose do cólon esquerdo na presença (grupo S) ou ausência (grupo N) de indução de sepse por ligadura e punção do ceco (CLP). Cada grupo foi dividido em subgrupos para eutanásia no terceiro (N3 e S3) ou sétimo (N7 e S7) dia de pós-operatório (DPO). Foi avaliada a quantidade de aderências e removido um segmento colônico contendo a anastomose para análise histopatológica, força de ruptura, hidroxiprolina e conteúdo de colágeno tecidual. RESULTADOS: Os animais submetidos à CLP apresentaram maior quantidade de aderências intra-abdominais tanto no 3° DPO (p=0,00) quanto no 7° DPO (p=0,00). Tiveram menores valores de força de ruptura no 3° DPO (p=0,00), porém maiores valores no 7° DPO (p=0,00). Não houve diferença na variação da concentração de hidroxiprolina, conteúdo de colágeno e histopatologia. CONCLUSÕES: A infecção peritoneal desencadeada por CLP aumentou a quantidade de aderências intra-cavitárias. Houve diminuição da resistência de anastomoses cólicas no 3° DPO, com posterior aumento no 7° DPO, sem efeito sobre os outros parâmetros da cicatrização. ________________________________________________________________________________ ABSTRACTPURPOSE: To evaluate the effects of abdominal sepsis on adhesion formation and colon anastomosis healing in rats. METHODS: Forty rats were distributed in two groups containing 20 rats each for left colon anastomosis in the presence (Group S) or absence (Group N) of induced sepsis by cecal ligation and puncture. Each group was divided into subgroups for euthanasia on the third (N3 and S3) or seventh (N7 or S7) post-operative day. The amount of adhesions was evaluated and a segment of the colon was removed for histopathologic analysis, bursting strength assessment, hydroxyproline and the determination of tissue collagen. RESULTS: The subjects which underwent cecal ligation and puncture presented a higher amount of intra-abdominal adherences in both third (p=0,00) and seventh (p=0,00) post-operatory days. Smaller bursting strengths were found in the S3 subgroup, and greater bursting strengths were found in the S7 subgroup. There was no difference in the variations on the concentrations of hydroxyproline, tissue collagen and histopathology. CONCLUSIONS: The peritoneal infection which was developed by cecal ligation and puncture raised the amount of intra-cavitary adhesions. There was a decrease in the amount of colonic anastomosis on the third post-operatory day with a following raise on the seventh without any effects on other healing parameters

Metamorphosis and Taxonomy of Andreev Bound States

We analyze the spatial and energy dependence of the local density of states in a SNS junction. We model our system as a one-dimensional tight-binding chain which we solve exactly by numerical diagonalization. We calculate the dependence of the Andreev bound states on position, phase difference, gate voltage, and coupling with the superconducting leads. Our results confirm the physics predicted by certain analytical approximations, but reveal a much richer set of phenomena beyond the grasp of these approximations, such as the metamorphosis of the discrete states of the normal link (the normal bound states) into Andreev bound states as the leads become superconducting.Comment: 23 pages, 15 figure

The potential of parasitoid Hymenoptera as bioindicators of arthropod diversity in agricultural grasslands

1. As measuring biodiversity in its entirety is impractical, there is a need for bioindicators. This study tested the hypothesis that parasitoid Hymenoptera are potential bioindicators that provide a useful means to assess the wider biodiversity of arthropod populations in agro-ecosystems. There are a range of theoretical arguments to support such a claim, including the high trophic position of these taxa within the arthropod communities in which they occur, and the unique nature of their biological relationships with the majority of terrestrial arthropod groups. 2. A survey of 48 commercial farms was conducted and Generalized Linear Models used to investigate relationships between six taxa—parasitoid Hymenoptera, Coleoptera, Hemiptera, Diptera, Araneae and plants (species richness and sward height)—in agricultural grasslands. As well as relationships between these groups, the relationship of each individual group to the overall biodiversity of all other arthropod groups was explored. 3. Both abundance (r2 = 0·58) and taxon richness (r2 = 0·54) of parasitoid Hymenoptera had stronger relationships with overall arthropod taxon richness than any other arthropod group investigated. Parasitoid abundance also had a positive relationship with species richness of Coleoptera (r2 = 0·23) and Hemiptera (r2 = 0·47). 4. An historical data set demonstrated how the relationship between parasitoid abundance and overall arthropod taxon richness changes over the growing season. July, when the relationship was strongest, is potentially the most useful time to sample. 5. For use in routine monitoring, it is important that an effort be made to understand the seasonal influence on the relationship in the context being studied. Equal sampling effort must be made for all sites being compared and sites should be sampled as close together in the season as is possible. 6. Synthesis and applications. We show that, within agricultural grasslands, both the abundance and taxon richness of parasitoid Hymenoptera are more closely related with overall arthropod diversity than any other arthropod group investigated. The use of parasitoid abundance provides a simple and practicable monitoring tool for tracking change in wider arthropod diversity in agro-ecosystems

IODP Expedition 330: Drilling the Louisville Seamount Trail in the SW Pacific

Deep-Earth convection can be understood by studying hotspot volcanoes that form where mantle plumes rise up and intersect the lithosphere, the Earth's rigid outer layer. Hotspots characteristically leave age-progressive trails of volcanoes and seamounts on top of oceanic lithosphere, which in turn allow us to decipher the motion of these plates relative to "fixed" deep-mantle plumes, and their (isotope) geochemistry provides insights into the long-term evolution of mantle source regions. However, it is strongly suggested that the Hawaiian mantle plume moved ~15° south between 80 and 50 million years ago. This raises a fundamental question about other hotspot systems in the Pacific, whether or not their mantle plumes experienced a similar amount and direction of motion. Integrated Ocean Drilling Program (IODP) Expedition 330 to the Louisville Seamounts showed that the Louisville hotspot in the South Pacific behaved in a different manner, as its mantle plume remained more or less fixed around 48°S latitude during that same time period. Our findings demonstrate that the Pacific hotspots move independently and that their trajectories may be controlled by differences in subduction zone geometry. Additionally, shipboard geochemistry data shows that, in contrast to Hawaiian volcanoes, the construction of the Louisville Seamounts doesn’t involve a shield-building phase dominated by tholeiitic lavas, and trace elements confirm the rather homogenous nature of the Louisville mantle source. Both observations set Louisville apart from the Hawaiian-Emperor seamount trail, whereby the latter has been erupting abundant tholeiites (characteristically up to 95% in volume) and which exhibit a large variability in (isotope) geochemistry and their mantle source components

Adaptive Gain Modulation in V1 Explains Contextual Modifications during Bisection Learning

The neuronal processing of visual stimuli in primary visual cortex (V1) can be modified by perceptual training. Training in bisection discrimination, for instance, changes the contextual interactions in V1 elicited by parallel lines. Before training, two parallel lines inhibit their individual V1-responses. After bisection training, inhibition turns into non-symmetric excitation while performing the bisection task. Yet, the receptive field of the V1 neurons evaluated by a single line does not change during task performance. We present a model of recurrent processing in V1 where the neuronal gain can be modulated by a global attentional signal. Perceptual learning mainly consists in strengthening this attentional signal, leading to a more effective gain modulation. The model reproduces both the psychophysical results on bisection learning and the modified contextual interactions observed in V1 during task performance. It makes several predictions, for instance that imagery training should improve the performance, or that a slight stimulus wiggling can strongly affect the representation in V1 while performing the task. We conclude that strengthening a top-down induced gain increase can explain perceptual learning, and that this top-down signal can modify lateral interactions within V1, without significantly changing the classical receptive field of V1 neurons