Understanding the energy use behaviour of British Indian households to shape optimised sustainable housing strategies in existing housing stock

The notional benefits of more efficient use and effective retrofit to existing housing is both sensible and attractive. Unlike new build, performance improvements cannot be pursued purely by legislation and regulation. Instead, householders need to be persuaded of the material benefits of better energy practices. In improving energy efficiency in the home, providing relevant and useful guidance is critical. Current guidance rarely takes account of specific cultural and ethnic circumstances. The research examines the relationship between cultural values and the energy use behaviour of diaspora households in the UK. The paper presents the results of two surveys that seek to measure energy use practices in the British Indian community. The first, conducted by the authors in England, seeks to understand attitudes and habits in relation to energy consumption in the home for British Indians. This is compared to a wider survey of British attitudes using an identical question set as undertaken by the EnerGAware project. The second survey researches cultural perspectives on the home in a British Indian community. This is compared to an identical survey conducted by the authors with comparative Indian households. The results of the research highlight where behavioural characteristics between the two contexts diverge. The paper suggests there are key areas for future research using ethnographic as well as quantitative techniques to produce tailored strategies for energy conservation in British Indian communities

Data from: Holocene lake phosphorus species and primary producers reflect catchment processes in a small, temperate lake

This palaeo data set consists of a Holocene record from a small, temperate lake (Lake Fuglsø, Denmark). It comprises radiocarbon (14C)-dating, pollen, X-ray fluorescence scanning, carbon and nitrogen (contents and stable isotopes), phosphorus (P) pools (from sequential P extraction and 31P nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy), pigment, diatom, and plant macrofossil data. Our multi-proxy palaeolimnological study aimed to investigate how natural processes and anthropogenic land-use changes have affected sedimentary P forms and primary producers. We found three periods of human impact: (1) low disturbance from domestic grazing during the Early/Mid Neolithic (~3600 – ~2600 BC), (2) higher disturbance because of animal husbandry and some grain cultivation during the Late Bronze and Pre-Roman Iron Age (~800 BC – AD ~100) and (3) strong disturbance caused by domestic grazing, intensified crop cultivation and, in particular, by retting of fibre plants during the Middle Ages and Renaissance (AD ~1000 – ~1700). Cultural eutrophication during the latter phase caused unprecedented changes in the lake, including altered species composition, high production and strongly accelerated sediment accumulation rates. Generally, catchment deforestation was related to elevated proportions of metal (iron, aluminium, calcium)-bound P forms in the sediment, while high tree cover correlated with elevated proportions of P forms associated with organic material ("organic" P, humic-bound P, refractory organic P) and loosely bound P. During phases with forest in the catchment, silicon (Si) inputs to the lake were insufficient and diatom frustules were mostly absent in the sediments. In contrast, diatoms thrived in the lake when the landscape was open and erosional Si influx was high. This study is the first to show long-term (~eight millennia) and recurring Si limitation of diatoms, a finding that may explain the absence of diatoms in sediment records of other sites too. In summary, human land-use with preceding deforestation accelerated the transport of nutrients and elements from the terrestrial to the aquatic environment, leading to substantial and irreversible changes in Lake Fuglsø. Our study is a good example of the tight links between catchment processes and lake status, indicating that catchment dynamics should be considered in lake restoration projects, particularly for lowland lakes with high catchment:lake area ratios

"The effect of calcium supplementation on bone loss in 32 controlled trials in postmenopausal women": response to comments

B. E. C. Nordin, P. Keane, A. Metcalf

Amantadine Therapy for Chronic Hepatitis C: A Randomized Double-blind Placebo-controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE: Although treatment of hepatitis C has improved, up to 50% do not respond to standard therapy with interferon regimes or cannot tolerate the treatment due to side effects. The purpose of the present investigation was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the antiviral drug amantadine for the treatment of hepatitis C in those who had either previously failed interferon therapy or were not candidates for interferon. DESIGN: A prospective double-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial. SETTING: Outpatient research clinic of a teaching hospital. PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS: One hundred fifty-two patients with confirmed hepatitis C with abnormal liver enzymes, detectable hepatitis C RNA in the blood, and abnormal liver histology by biopsy were randomized to receive treatment or placebo. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Patients received either amantadine 100 mg twice daily by mouth or placebo for 6 months. After 6 months, placebo-treated patients were crossed over and treated with amantadine for 6 months and amantadine-treated subjects received 6 additional months of therapy. Amantadine therapy resulted in a significant decline in serum alanine aminotransferase compared to placebo (P = .03). Nine percent cleared the virus at the end of therapy and 6.8% had a sustained virologic response 6 months after discontinuation of amantadine, but this was not statistically significant. Side effects were minimal, and the social quality of life survey improved with 12 months of amantadine (P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: Oral amantadine may provide a safe alternative treatment for those patients who are intolerant or unresponsive to interferon

The effect of calcium supplementation on bone loss in 32 controlled trials in postmenopausal women

© International Osteoporosis Foundation and National Osteoporosis Foundation 2009SummaryIn 32 controlled trials of calcium supplementation (700-2000 mg) in 3,169 postmenopausal women, mean bone loss in the controls was -1.07% p.a. and in the treated subjects -0.27% p.a. (P for difference IntroductionWe have reviewed 32 trials of calcium supplementation in 3,169 postmenopausal women.MethodsWe found 24 publications reporting 32 controlled trials lasting at least 1 year, which provided annual percentage changes in bone mass or density at one or more sites in the calcium-treated and control subjects.ResultsThe median calcium supplement was 1,000 mg, median duration of the trials 2 years and total number of sites measured 79. The average of the mean rates of change in bone mass or density was -1.07% p.a. (P ConclusionCalcium supplementation of about 1,000 mg daily has a significant preventive effect on bone loss in postmenopausal women for at least 4 years.B. E. C. Nordi