Embodied carbon of concrete in buildings, Part 2: are the messages accurate?

This paper is the second output of a project that examines the embodied greenhouse gas emissions (‘embodied carbon’) from the use of concrete in buildings. In the current absence of either regulation or widespread industry practice in quantified carbon assessment, it seems likely that messaging will play a powerful role in influencing designers’ perceptions and decisions. Using the UK as a case study, this paper considers the current messages about the carbon implications of concrete in buildings from professional institutions and the cement and concrete trade body. Three mechanisms through which it is claimed carbon emissions are significantly reduced are identified: thermal mass, durability, and carbonation. By assessing each of these in turn against the available scientific literature, it is shown that they are likely to have a far more limited effect on the total impacts than suggested. More accuracy is needed from trade organisations if real carbon reductions are to be achieved. Practice relevance In the current absence of whole life carbon assessment for buildings, messaging about the carbon impacts of different materials is likely to have a strong impact. The paper recommends that the cement and concrete industry should be more accurate with the messages it is sharing. In particular the claims that thermal mass, durability and carbonation are effective mechanisms, which suggest concrete is a low carbon option, should be reconsidered. Meanwhile designers should use the excellent advice being produced by the professional institutions and undertake whole-life carbon calculations to ensure the lowest carbon design. These should include a best estimate of future trends towards warming climates and decarbonisation of electricity, but should also recognise the importance of the immediate effects of the emissions from construction materials. There is also a key role for policymakers in legislating to make the measurement of embodied impacts of buildings mandatory

New genetic loci link adipose and insulin biology to body fat distribution.

Body fat distribution is a heritable trait and a well-established predictor of adverse metabolic outcomes, independent of overall adiposity. To increase our understanding of the genetic basis of body fat distribution and its molecular links to cardiometabolic traits, here we conduct genome-wide association meta-analyses of traits related to waist and hip circumferences in up to 224,459 individuals. We identify 49 loci (33 new) associated with waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for body mass index (BMI), and an additional 19 loci newly associated with related waist and hip circumference measures (P < 5 × 10(-8)). In total, 20 of the 49 waist-to-hip ratio adjusted for BMI loci show significant sexual dimorphism, 19 of which display a stronger effect in women. The identified loci were enriched for genes expressed in adipose tissue and for putative regulatory elements in adipocytes. Pathway analyses implicated adipogenesis, angiogenesis, transcriptional regulation and insulin resistance as processes affecting fat distribution, providing insight into potential pathophysiological mechanisms

Sex-stratified Genome-wide Association Studies Including 270,000 Individuals Show Sexual Dimorphism in Genetic Loci for Anthropometric Traits

Peer reviewe

The role of the archivist and records manager in an open government environment in Sweden : InterPARES report, research project EU11

InterPARES Trus

Open data through the archive : A new role for archivists

The role of the archivist in exploiting and accessing open data as public records in an open government environment is explored.  The possible role, responsibilities and mandate of an archivist in this new public sector context are examined. Necessary knowledge, skills and competence are identified.  Content: Expectations of a more proactive release of public records and technical developments that support new ways of publishing and reusing digital information, for example as open data on the internet, create new challenges and change the way public records are managed and made accessible to citizens, which will also involve new professions in the management of records. Fundamentally this raises questions of how, in this new management environment, the trustworthiness of the records could be maintained and how the archives and records management profession could contribute to this, related to other professionals involved in these processes. In Sweden there is a long tradition of openness and citizens´ right to access public records. But with the implementation of e-government follows a new perception of what openness means and “open government” is a concept that seems to go further and be more proactive. A part of this study will be to analyze and define what is meant by ‘open government’ and ‘open data’ as they are used in Sweden, i.e. how ‘open data’ differs from ‘public records’ for example. In Sweden there is no formal records manager profession, but the archivist often does the corresponding work. That is why this project also includes the archivists´ role in the open government environment. This study will reflect upon the archivists´ role in this process and what is needed to ensure a trusted proactive release of public records. To identify what skills, guidelines, knowledge and mandate are needed. The study will focus on StockholmCity’s work on open data, which is an important part of the open government agenda, through the perspective of Stockholm City Archives. Scientific contribution: Case study methods are used to examine the role of the archivist in the domain of access to public records in an open government and open data environment. The study examines what role an archivist in the public sector currently has, and what knowledge, skills and competence are needed for these new challenges. Interpretation of existing work and the perception of the situation by practicing archivists in this changing environment provide valuable data. The case study is based on the City of Stockholm because it is quite progressive in its work on open data. It is now running an open data project, in which the Stockholm City Archive plays an active role. The role of the archivist in practice, experiences and possible needs and missing factors will be explored. Data will be collected by interviews and text analysis. Needed strategies and guidelines will be identified.InterPARES Trust in Digital Records in an Increasingly Networked Worl

The role of the archivist and records manager in an open government environment in Sweden : InterPARES report, research project EU11

InterPARES Trus