Guidebook on promotion of sustainable energy consumption : consumer organizations and efficient energy use in the residential sector

This publication presents the main outcomes and recommendations of the various jointly implemented activities together with selected background and discussion papers that may serve as a guideline to other NGOs as they develop, review or implement their own national or local efforts for the promotion of energy and sustainable consumption. This publication comprises three parts. While Part One provides an introductory overview to the promotion of sustainable energy consumption in the residential sector of the region. Parts Two and Three present the general framework and case studies respectively, which could be used as possible models for similar initiatives in other countries. Part Two presents four selected background information papers on essential legal, technical and policy aspects of campaigning for energy efficiency. This information will be important to concerned non governmental organizations which intend to engage in campaign work for the first time. Part Three aims at facilitating the exchange of information on best practices and presents five institutional profiles of selected energy efficiency promotion campaigns. The secretariat acknowledges with thanks the various contributions made by the individual authors.Contents Page Foreword ...................................................................................................................... iii Part One Introductory Overview on Promotion of Sustainable Energy Consumption in the Residential Sector .................................................................................................1 1.1 Household Energy Consumption in the Asian and Pacific Region: Analysis of Development Trends and Policy Implications ......................................... 5 by ESCAP secretariat 1.2 The Role of Consumer Organizations and Other Non-Governmental Organizations in Promotion of Sustainable Energy Consumption ........... 21 by Vo-Kyung Song, President (International), Citizens’ Alliance for Consumer Protection of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea 1.3 Recommendations of Recent ESCAP NGO Meetings on Effective Consumer Information for Promotion of Sustainable Energy Use .. 30 by ESCAP secretariat Asia-Pacific NGO Forum on Effective Consumer Information for Sustainable Energy Use, Seoul, 19-21 May 1999 ............................................... 30 North-East Asia Forum on Effective Consumer Information for Sustainable Energy Use, Beijing, 21-23 March 2001 ............................................................. 37 ESCAP/CACPK Regional Forum on Effective Campaigning for Energy Efficiency and Sustainable Consumption, Seoul, 14-15 November 2001 ........ 42 Part Two Promotion of Energy Efficiency through Effective Consumer Information: Selected Issues and Policies ........................................................................................47 2.1 Promotion of National Legislation for Energy Conservation: Advocacy for Market Transparency and Sustainable Development ................................ 50 by Adrian J. Bradbrook, Bonython Professor of Energy Law, University of Adelaide, Australia; former Chair of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature Working Group on Climate Change and Energy 2.2 Promotion of Energy Efficiency: An Overview on Energy Labelling Programmes .................................................................................................... 61 by Jong-Duck Kim, Korea Energy Economics Institute, Kyonggi-Do, Republic of Korea 2.3 Energy Labelling Programmes and Their Effective Implementation: Perspectives on Consumer Behaviour .......................................................... 75 by Kwisun Huh, Senior Researcher, Institute of Environmental Engineering, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies, Seoul, Republic of Korea 2.4 Perspectives for Reduction of Standby Power Consumption in Electrical Appliances ......................................................................................................... 82 by Brahmanand Mohanty, Visiting Associate Professor, Asian Institute of Technology, Pathumthani Part Three Best Practices of Energy Efficiency Campaigns ...................................................... 103 3.1 Raising Awareness and Participation of Manufacturers and Consumers: Energy Winner Award Programme of the Citizens’ Alliance for Consumer Protection of Korea ........................................................................................ 106 by Jai-Ок Kim, President (Domestic Affairs), Citizens’ Alliance for Consumer Protection of Korea, Seoul, Republic of Korea 3.2 Consumer Organizations and Their Role in Consumer Education: Programmes and Experiences of the China Consumers’Association ...... 115 by Ren Jing, Deputy Director, Consumer Guidance Department, China Consumers’ Association, Beijing, China 3.3 Comparative Product Testing and Consumer Information Services ............. 120 by Connie Lau, Head of Research and Survey Division, Hong Kong Consumer Council, Hong Kong, China 3.4 Profile of Activities of the Energy Conservation Center of Japan in Enhancement of Energy Efficiency in the Commercial and Residential Sectors ............................................................................................................... 128 by Yukie Kawaguchi, Energy Conservation Center of Japan, Tokyo, Japan 3.5 Promotion of Glass Bottles Recycling for Energy Conservation: Successful Experiences of the “Magic Eyes” Project ..................................................... 133 by Mattana Homlaor, Secretary General, Thai Environmental and Community Development Association, Bangkok, Thailand United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection (as expanded in 1999) ...... 139 Contributing Authors and ESCAP Secretariat Contact Information .................. 149 Readership Survey and Feedback Questionnaire ................................................... 15

Anesthetic management of penetrating neck injury patient with embedded knife -A case report-

Penetrating neck injuries can be a fatal event and they are difficult to manage for both surgeons and anesthesiologists. So, adequate preoperative evaluation is important to improve the patients' outcomes, but this can not be done for hemodynamically unstable or uncooperative patient. Here we present our clinical experience with a patient with a penetrating neck injury and who was hemodynamically stable, but she was uncooperative and the knife was still embedded in her neck. The surgical exploration and bronchoscopic examination were successfully done under monitored anesthesia care

Mitophagy links oxidative stress conditions and neurodegenerative diseases

Mitophagy is activated by a number of stimuli, including hypoxia, energy stress, and increased oxidative phosphorylation activity. Mitophagy is associated with oxidative stress conditions and central neurodegenerative diseases. Proper regulation of mitophagy is crucial for maintaining homeostasis; conversely, inadequate removal of mitochondria through mitophagy leads to the generation of oxidative species, including reactive oxygen species and reactive nitrogen species, resulting in various neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These diseases are most prevalent in older adults whose bodies fail to maintain proper mitophagic functions to combat oxidative species. As mitophagy is essential for normal body function, by targeting mitophagic pathways we can improve these disease conditions. The search for effective remedies to treat these disease conditions is an ongoing process, which is why more studies are needed. Additionally, more relevant studies could help establish therapeutic conditions, which are currently in high demand. In this review, we discuss how mitophagy plays a significant role in homeostasis and how its dysregulation causes neurodegeneration. We also discuss how combating oxidative species and targeting mitophagy can help treat these neurodegenerative diseases

Momentum dependent dxz/yz band splitting in LaFeAsO

The nematic phase in iron based superconductors (IBSs) has attracted attention with a notion that it may provide important clue to the superconductivity. A series of angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) studies were performed to understand the origin of the nematic phase. However, there is lack of ARPES study on LaFeAsO nematic phase. Here, we report the results of ARPES studies of the nematic phase in LaFeAsO. Degeneracy breaking between the dxz and dyz hole bands near the Γ and M point is observed in the nematic phase. Different temperature dependent band splitting behaviors are observed at the Γ and M points. The energy of the band splitting near the M point decreases as the temperature decreases while it has little temperature dependence near the Γ point. The nematic nature of the band shift near the M point is confirmed through a detwin experiment using a piezo device. Since a momentum dependent splitting behavior has been observed in other iron based superconductors, our observation confirms that the behavior is a universal one among iron based superconductors

The Evolutionarily Conserved LIM Homeodomain Protein LIM-4/LHX6 Specifies the Terminal Identity of a Cholinergic and Peptidergic C. elegans Sensory/Inter/Motor Neuron-Type

The expression of specific transcription factors determines the differentiated features of postmitotic neurons. However, the mechanism by which specific molecules determine neuronal cell fate and the extent to which the functions of transcription factors are conserved in evolution are not fully understood. In C. elegans, the cholinergic and peptidergic SMB sensory/inter/motor neurons innervate muscle quadrants in the head and control the amplitude of sinusoidal movement. Here we show that the LIM homeobox protein LIM-4 determines neuronal characteristics of the SMB neurons. In lim-4 mutant animals, expression of terminal differentiation genes, such as the cholinergic gene battery and the flp-12 neuropeptide gene, is completely abolished and thus the function of the SMB neurons is compromised. LIM-4 activity promotes SMB identity by directly regulating the expression of the SMB marker genes via a distinct cis-regulatory motif. Two human LIM-4 orthologs, LHX6 and LHX8, functionally substitute for LIM-4 in C. elegans. Furthermore, C. elegans LIM-4 or human LHX6 can induce cholinergic and peptidergic characteristics in the human neuronal cell lines. Our results indicate that the evolutionarily conserved LIM-4/LHX6 homeodomain proteins function in generation of precise neuronal subtypes

Effective Organs-at-Risk Dose Sparing in Volumetric Modulated Arc Therapy Using a Half-Beam Technique in Whole Pelvic Irradiation

Background: Although there are some controversies regarding whole pelvic radiation therapy (WPRT) due to its gastrointestinal and hematologic toxicities, it is considered for patients with gynecological, rectal, and prostate cancer. To effectively spare organs-at-risk (OAR) doses using multi-leaf collimator (MLC)’s optimal segments, potential dosimetric benefits in volumetric modulated arc therapy (VMAT) using a half-beam technique (HF) were investigated for WPRT. Methods: While the size of a fully opened field (FF) was decided to entirely include a planning target volume in all beam’s eye view across arc angles, the HF was designed to use half the FF from the isocenter for dose optimization. The left or the right half of the FF was alternatively opened in VMAT-HF using a pair of arcs rotating clockwise and counterclockwise. Dosimetric benefits of VMAT-HF, presented with dose conformity, homogeneity, and dose–volume parameters in terms of modulation complex score, were compared to VMAT optimized using the FF (VMAT-FF). Consequent normal tissue complication probability (NTCP) by reducing the irradiated volumes was evaluated as well as dose–volume parameters with statistical analysis for OAR. Moreover, beam-on time and MLC position precision were analyzed with log files to assess plan deliverability and clinical applicability of VMAT-HF as compared to VMAT-FF. Results: While VMAT-HF used 60%–70% less intensity modulation complexity than VMAT-FF, it showed superior dose conformity. The small intestine and colon in VMAT-HF showed a noticeable reduction in the irradiated volumes of up to 35% and 15%, respectively, at an intermediate dose of 20–45 Gy. The small intestine showed statistically significant dose sparing at the volumes that received a dose from 15 to 45 Gy. Such a dose reduction for the small intestine and colon in VMAT-HF presented a significant NTCP reduction from that in VMAT-FF. Without sacrificing the beam delivery efficiency, VMAT-HF achieved effective OAR dose reduction in dose–volume histograms. Conclusions: VMAT-HF led to deliver conformal doses with effective gastrointestinal-OAR dose sparing despite using less modulation complexity. The dose of VMAT-HF was delivered with the same beam-on time with VMAT-FF but precise MLC leaf motions. The VMAT-HF potentially can play a valuable role in reducing OAR toxicities associated with WPRT

Primary Cardiac Angiosarcoma Presenting With Cardiac Tamponade

Primary cardiac angiosarcoma is a very rare disease with a poor prognosis. We report a case of a patient with a primary cardiac angiosarcoma who presented with cardiac tamponade; the angiosarcoma was successfully resected surgically

Study on the obesity and nutrition status of housewives in Seoul and Kyunggi area

This study was conducted to evaluate the rate of obesity of 212 women (age 45-60 years) in Seoul and the Kyunggi area through analysis of BMI and the dietary life factors related to obesity using a survey on dietary habits, dietary assessment, and nutrient intake. The height of the underweight group was taller than normal. The height of the obese group was equal to that of the normal group, but the weight was 8.5 kg greater than the normal group. Women in the underweight group consumed meals irregularly, and only 33.4% ate breakfast. Additionally, the rate of overeating was low in the underweight group, and milk, dairy products (yogurt, etc.), fruit, and fruit juice were consumed more than once a day. It was found that 62.1% of the women in the obese group never ate out, and the rate of eating one serving of fruit, drinking one cup of fruit juice, and eating various kinds of foods was high. The average point of women's dietary life was 21.9 ± 2.9, and 12.7% of all women responded that their dietary life was good. However, in the obese group, only 6.9% of the women reported that their dietary life was good. Evaluation of snacking habits revealed that the underweight group consumed a high level of carbonated drinks and ice cream, whereas for in the obese group, 24.1% of the women consumed milk and its products and 5.6% regularly consumed fast and fried foods. Evaluation of nutrient intake revealed that the consumption of energy, protein, vitamin A, vitamin B1, B2, B6, niacin, vitamin C, and vitamin E was high in all of the groups, but the intake of folic acid in the underweight group was lower than the required level. Overall, 24.1% of the women in the obese group were found to have metabolic diseases, mostly hypertension (43%). In conclusion, a balanced diet to avoid excessive nutrient intake is needed to prevent obesity