Domestic Water Demand During Droughts in Temperate Climates: Synthesising Evidence for an Integrated Framework

In the upcoming years, as the population is growing and ageing, as lifestyle changes create the need for more water and as fewer people live in each household, the UK water sector will have to deal with challenges in the provision of adequate water services. Unless critical action is taken, every area in the UK may face a supply-demand gap by the 2080s. Extreme weather events and variations that alter drought and flood frequency add to these pressures. However, little evidence is available about householders’ response to drought and there are few if any studies incorporating this evidence into models of demand forecasting. The present work lays the groundwork for modelling domestic water demand response under drought conditions in temperate climates. After discussing the current literature on estimating and forecasting domestic water consumption under both ‘normal’ and drought conditions, this paper identifies the limited ability of current domestic demand forecasting techniques to include the many different and evolving factors affecting domestic consumption and it stresses the need for the inclusion of inter and intra household factors as well as water use practices in future demand forecasting models

CARSV Stigma Toolkit FOR JUSTICE

Synergy’s Stigma Toolkit equips justice actors & justice systems to become survivor-centric, trauma-informed and capable of delivering the predictable and rigorous justice necessary to end impunity for conflict and atrocity-related sexual violence (CARSV). The Stigma Toolkit provides a roadmap for recognising and understanding the effects of stigma across the justice spectrum so that survivors feel empowered and secure enough to disclose their experiences and seek justice. Justice systems that meet survivor-centric and trauma-informed standards will prosecute more cases and convict more perpetrators, reducing impunity

No biotic homogenisation across decades but consistent effects of landscape position and pH on macrophyte communities in boreal lakes

It has been predicted that spatial beta diversity shows a decreasing trend in the Anthropocene due to increasing human impact, causing biotic homogenisation. We aimed to discover if vascular aquatic macrophyte communities show different spatial patterns in beta diversity in relation to land use and environmental characteristics in different decades from 1940s to 2010s. We aimed to discover if spatial structures differ between species-, phylogeny- and functional-based beta diversity. We used presence–absence data of aquatic macrophytes from five decades from small boreal lakes. We utilized generalised dissimilarity modelling to analyse spatial patterns in beta diversity in relation to environmental gradients. We found that lake elevation and pH were the most important variables in each decade, while land use was not particularly important in shaping beta diversity patterns. We did not find signs of a decreasing trend in spatial beta diversity in our study area during the past 70 yr. We did not find signs of either biotic homogenisation or biotic differentiation (taxonomic, phylogenetic or functional). Vascular aquatic macrophyte communities showed only slightly different beta diversity patterns in relation to human impact across decades. The patterns of different facets of beta diversity diverged only slightly from each other. Lake position in the landscape, reflecting both natural connectivity and lake characteristics, explained the patterns found in beta diversity, probably because our study area has faced only modest changes in land use from 1940s to 2010s when compared globally. Our study highlights the fact that biotic homogenisation is not an unambiguous process acting similarly at all spatial and temporal scales or in different environments and different organism groups

Circular Economy in the Built Environment in Finland - A case example of collaboration

Abstract Circular Economy in the building and construction sector is challenging the conventional habits and models of work. It demands comprehensive collaboration between stakeholders and collaborations even with unconventional partners. Nevertheless, circular economy model can give remarkable opportunities to tackle the climate change with the help of building and construction sector and helps to find sustainable solutions to the growing urbanisation and to expansion of the cities. Very crucial obstacle in order to implement circular economy into building and construction sector’s processes is the sector’s difficulties to adopt new methods. This includes difficulties to use new recycled materials and building components, legislation obstacles, contract models do not support circular economy solutions etc. Often these obstacles are result of absence of life cycle thinking and coordination. Key to solve these kinds of situation where no stakeholder alone can take the responsibility is to gather all the stakeholders together and boost them to solve these cross sectoral obstacles. To support the adaptation of circular economy into Finnish building and construction sector, The Finnish Innovation Fund Sitra launched a project “Circular Economy in the Built Environment” in the beginning of year 2018. The coordinator of this project is the Green Building Council Finland. Target of this project is: 1. To increase the knowledge on circular economy on the construction and building sector 2. Define how we can support circular economy in building and construction sector and what indicators we can use to authenticate this development 3. Create new collaboration between different stakeholders 4. Develop the procurement and designing processes The project started by identifying key persons that can advance circular economy in Finland in the building and construction sector. These key persons were asked to point out more circular economy professionals. The project succeeded to collect a network with hundred professionals. With this network and workshops, we defined what circular economy means in build environment and what is our common targets in the implementation of it. As a result, in the project we defined seven imperative targets that must happen in the building and construction sector. These targets are: 1. Construction and building sector have a common goal to advance circular economy 2. Norm and regulation steer strongly to circular economy 3. Renewing the habits 4. Life cycle thinking is the starting point of all planning and design 5. Areal planning advances circular economy 6. Procurement support circular economy 7. All spaces and locations are in maximal use In the project we also defined action proposals how to achieve these targets. As a conclusion we argue that achieving circular economy targets and actions that the whole sector is ready to implement willingly demands common work and the will to work together must come from the stakeholders themselves. Different stakeholder has different motives, but this does not prevent collaboration if there is a neutral platform where to co-work with colleagues.</jats:p

Effect of buffer composition on binding of adenosine 3':5'-cyclic monophosphate by bovine adrenal extracts.

The binding of cyclic [3H] AMP by bovine adrenal extracts was studied in different buffer systems; 50 mM-Tris/HCl, pH 7.5, buffer containing 4mM-EDTA (disodium salt) offered advantages such as low non-specific interference and high binding affinity. 2-Mercaptoethanol decreased, but EDTA and theophylline increased, the specificity of cyclic [3H]AMP binding as expressed by the displacement of cyclic [3H]AMP by a 1000-fold excess of unlabelled cyclic GMP. The study indicated heterogeneity of the binding material. Mg2+-dependent binding may be eliminated in Tris/EDTA buffer. The heterogeneity and the specificity of intracellular cyclic AMP binders and their dependence in environmental factors should be considered in the evaluation of cyclic AMP binding and second-messenger systems