Reducing energy use in housing: insulation and retrofit problems in Wales and the UK

There is general agreement that existing and new build houses should achieve higher standards of energy efficiency. Research into different forms of insulation and methods of installation has been carried out for a new book on insulation materials. (ICE Publications later in 2019). There has been an assumption that all insulation materials are much the same and that, providing that thermal performance figures are satisfactory, any material can be used in any form of construction. The evidence shows, however, that inappropriate insulation and installation measures can lead to many unintended consequences and a gap between predicted and actual performance. Far from reducing fuel poverty and carbon emissions, mould and damp can occur, aggravating health problems, which has been confirmed by academic research. Sealing up increasingly airtight buildings with non-breathable, flammable and even hazardous synthetic materials can cause damage to building fabric and occupant health. Furthermore the embodied energy and pollution involved in the production of many commonly produced insulation materials can be bad for the environment. The importance of indoor air quality and ventilation is often overlooked, though recent work by NICE and the Environmental Audit Committee in Westminster has drawn attention to the problems. The paper will review the range of insulation materials available and their differences. It will be illustrated with case study examples of so-called retrofit disasters where cavity wall, external wall and internal insulation have been wrongly applied. Some of these case study examples are in Wales and the assistance of CIVALLI (based in Newport) will be acknowledged

Reanimating scenes of history : the treatment of Italy in the writings of Mary Shelley

PhD ThesisThe mediation through history of Shelley's treatment of Italy is the central theme of this thesis. My analysis of her oeuvre participates in the ongoing critical re~ evaluation of Shelley, and emphasises her sophisticated treatment of civic, social, and national identity through history. The opening two chapters discuss influential texts that prefigure Shelley's treatment of Italy and history. My discussion of J. C. L. Sismondi's Histoire des repubuques itauennes du moyen age (1807 -09, 1818) foregrounds the historical significance of the medieval Italian republics. Consideration of Lady Morgan's Italy (1821) and Germaine de Stael's Corinne (1807) further explores the political resonance of the historical past in the present. The shaping of Shelley's historical aesthetic is traced through William Godwin's Essay of History and Romance and Essay on Sepulchres, uncovering Shelley's strong emphasis on place. The compass of these generically diverse texts accentuates a thematic concern with Shelley's own versatile use of genre. The chapter on Valperga (1823) addresses the generic hybridity of fiction that incorporates history and biography. Additionally, it connects Shelley's representation of the North Italian landscape to political liberty through Sismondi's Tuscan landscapes in his Tableau sur l'agriculture toscane (1801). Shelley's historical aesthetic unites reanimation of the past with a sensitivity to Italy's civic and rural topoi, as the chapter on The last Man (1826) shows. The two concluding chapters interpret Shelley's later writings about Italy as an integration of civic identity, memory, and history. Her biographical project Litles (1835-39) invests the individual aesthetic responses to Italy with a cultural heritage. This is then further developed in her travel memoir Rambles in Germany and Italy (1844), which evaluates Italy's emergent nationalism through its past.Research Committee of the University of Newcastl

Improving Polk County Service Integration Team\u27s Resource Sharing

Background: Polk County Service Integration (SI) collaborates with community partners to provide resources/information for individuals and families within the community. This collaboration includes a monthly newsletter to promote community resources, services, and events. Aim: The aim was to create a standardized submission tool for newsletter contributors to use to improve communication and promote resource utilization by community members. Methodology: This process improvement was structured using the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) model. The PDSA model allowed for reassessment of project needs, and multiple cycles were done to develop a comprehensive evaluation and recommendation for the SI newsletter process. One assessment completed was a survey of SI partners.Results: The focus of survey data was surrounding the partner\u27s participation in submitting information to the SI newsletter. It revealed an overarching theme that partners do not feel they have relevant information to contribute. This thought represented the majority of respondents with a percentage of 68.3%. Discussion: Based on the results, we recommend implementation of the standardized submission tool. Through evaluation of results, it was found that users had difficulty with the submission process as a whole. With addition of the submission tool, these problems will be mitigated via guided questioning that will spark contribution ideas from the partners. To evaluate the continued effectiveness of the submission tool, participation of partners will be monitored. Implications: Implementation of the submission tool will begin January 2021. The implications of this are to ease the submission process for the SI coordinator and improve utilization of resources

Molecular mechanism of BMP signal control by Twisted gastrulation

Twisted gastrulation (TWSG1) is an evolutionarily conserved secreted glycoprotein which controls signaling by Bone Morphogenetic Proteins (BMPs). TWSG1 binds BMPs and their antagonist Chordin to control BMP signaling during embryonic development, kidney regeneration and cancer. We report crystal structures of TWSG1 alone and in complex with a BMP ligand, Growth Differentiation Factor 5. TWSG1 is composed of two distinct, disulfide-rich domains. The TWSG1 N-terminal domain occupies the BMP type 1 receptor binding site on BMPs, whereas the C-terminal domain binds to a Chordin family member. We show that TWSG1 inhibits BMP function in cellular signaling assays and mouse colon organoids. This inhibitory function is abolished in a TWSG1 mutant that cannot bind BMPs. The same mutation in the Drosophila TWSG1 ortholog Tsg fails to mediate BMP gradient formation required for dorsal-ventral axis patterning of the early embryo. Our studies reveal the evolutionarily conserved mechanism of BMP signaling inhibition by TWSG1

Light painting photography makes particulate matter air pollution visible

The World Health Organization estimates that air pollution causes approximately seven million premature deaths worldwide each year. Solutions to air pollution are well known, yet this rarely equates to easily actionable. Here we demonstrate how art science collaboration can successfully highlight the issue of air pollution and create wider civic discourse around its amelioration. We document a light painting photographic technique that uses data from calibrated low-cost particulate matter sensors to measure and depict air pollution. We also use a postcard technique to grasp individuals’ sentiments regarding air pollution. The photographs from three countries, Ethiopia, India and United Kingdom, visually highlight the importance of location and occupation upon human exposure. The photographs are used as a proxy to communicate and create dialogues, spaces and places about air pollution. The sentiment analysis show how this approach can foster awareness and create agency for stakeholders to take actions to tackle air pollution

Outbreak of Diarrhea Caused by a Novel Cryptosporidium hominis Subtype During British Military Training in Kenya

Background: We report clinical, epidemiological, and laboratory features of a large diarrhea outbreak caused by a novel Cryptosporidium hominis subtype during British military training in Kenya between February and April 2022. Methods: Data were collated from diarrhea cases, and fecal samples were analyzed on site using the multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) BioFire FilmArray. Water was tested using Colilert kits (IDEXX, UK). DNA was extracted from feces for molecular characterization of Cryptosporidium A135, Lib13, ssu rRNA, and gp60 genes. Results: One hundred seventy-two of 1200 (14.3%) personnel at risk developed diarrhea over 69 days. One hundred six primary fecal samples were tested, and 63/106 (59.4%; 95% CI, 0.49%–0.69%) were positive for Cryptosporidium spp. Thirty-eight had Cryptosporidium spp. alone, and 25 had Cryptosporidium spp. with ≥1 other pathogen. A further 27/106 (25.5%; 95% CI, 0.18%–0.35%) had non-Cryptosporidium pathogens only, and 16/106 (15.1%; 95% CI, 0.09%–0.23%) were negative. C. hominis was detected in 58/63 (92.1%) Cryptosporidium spp.–positive primary samples, but the others were not genotypable. Twenty-seven C. hominis specimens were subtypable; 1 was gp60 subtype IeA11G3T3, and 26 were an unusual subtype, ImA13G1 (GenBank accession OP699729), supporting epidemiological evidence suggesting a point source outbreak from contaminated swimming water. Diarrhea persisted for a mean (SD) of 7.6 (4.6) days in Cryptosporidium spp. cases compared with 2.3 (0.9) days in non-Cryptosporidium cases (P = .001). Conclusions: Real-time multiplex PCR fecal testing was vital in managing this large cryptosporidiosis outbreak. The etiology of a rare C. hominis gp60 subtype emphasizes the need for more genotypic surveillance to identify widening host and geographic ranges of novel C. hominis subtypes

Antidepressants for the prevention of depression following first-episode psychosis (ADEPP): study protocol for a multi-centre, double-blind, randomised controlled trial

Background: Depressive episodes are common after first-episode psychosis (FEP), affecting more than 40% of people, adding to individual burden, poor outcomes, and healthcare costs. If the risks of developing depression were lower, this could have a beneficial effect on morbidity and mortality, as well as improving outcomes. Sertraline is a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor and a common first-line medication for the treatment of depression in adults. It has been shown to be safe when co-prescribed with antipsychotic medication, and there is evidence that it is an effective treatment for depression in established schizophrenia. We present a protocol for a multi-centre, double-blind, randomised, placebo-controlled clinical trial called ADEPP that aims to investigate the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of sertraline in preventing depression after FEP. Methods: The recruitment target is 452 participants between the ages of 18 and 65 years who are within 12 months of treatment initiation for FEP. Having provided informed consent, participants will be randomised to receive either 50 mg of sertraline daily or matched placebo for 6 months, in addition to treatment as usual. The primary outcome measure will be a comparison of the number of new cases of depression between the treatment and placebo arms over the 6-month intervention phase. Secondary outcomes include suicidal behaviour, anxiety, rates of relapse, functional outcome, quality of life, and resource use. Discussion: The ADEPP trial will test whether the addition of sertraline following FEP is a clinically useful, acceptable, and cost-effective way of improving outcomes following FEP. Trial registration: ISRCTN12682719 registration date 24/11/2020

SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity are associated with genetic variants affecting gene expression in a variety of tissues

Variability in SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and COVID-19 disease severity between individuals is partly due to genetic factors. Here, we identify 4 genomic loci with suggestive associations for SARS-CoV-2 susceptibility and 19 for COVID-19 disease severity. Four of these 23 loci likely have an ethnicity-specific component. Genome-wide association study (GWAS) signals in 11 loci colocalize with expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) associated with the expression of 20 genes in 62 tissues/cell types (range: 1:43 tissues/gene), including lung, brain, heart, muscle, and skin as well as the digestive system and immune system. We perform genetic fine mapping to compute 99% credible SNP sets, which identify 10 GWAS loci that have eight or fewer SNPs in the credible set, including three loci with one single likely causal SNP. Our study suggests that the diverse symptoms and disease severity of COVID-19 observed between individuals is associated with variants across the genome, affecting gene expression levels in a wide variety of tissue types

A first update on mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19

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