Central heating thermostat settings and timing: building demographics

Crucial empirical data (currently absent in building energy models) on central heating demand temperatures and durations are presented. These data are derived from the first national survey of energy use in English homes and includes monitored temperatures in living rooms, central heating settings reported by participants, along with building, technical, and behavioural data. The results are compared with model assumptions with respect to thermostat settings and heating durations. Contrary to assumptions, the use of controls did not reduce average maximum living room temperatures or the duration of operation. Regulations, policies, and programmes may need to revise their assumptions that adding controls will reduce energy use. Alternative forms of heating control should be developed and tested to ascertain whether their use saves energy in real-world settings. Given the finding that detached houses are heated for longer, these dwellings should be particularly targeted in energy-efficiency retrofit programmes. Furthermore, social marketing programmes could use the wide variation in thermostat settings as the foundation of a ‘social norm’ programme aimed at reducing temperatures in ‘overheated’ homes. Finally, building energy models that inform energy policies require firmer foundations in real-world data to improve policy effectiveness. Greater coordination of data collection and management would make more data available for this purpose. Sont présentées ici des données empiriques critiques (actuellement absentes des modèles énergétiques des bâtiments) concernant les températures demandées et les durées d'utilisation du chauffage central. Ces données proviennent de la première enquête nationale sur l'utilisation de l’énergie dans les foyers anglais et comprennent les températures contrôlées dans les salles de séjour, les réglages du chauffage central indiqués par les participants, ainsi que des données comportementales, techniques et relatives aux immeubles. Les résultats sont comparés aux hypothèses des modèles en ce qui concerne le réglage des thermostats et les durées de chauffage. Contrairement aux hypothèses, l'utilisation de dispositifs de régulation n'a réduit ni les températures maximales moyennes dans les salles de séjour, ni la durée de fonctionnement. Il serait peut-être nécessaire que les réglementations, les politiques et les programmes révisent leurs hypothèses selon lesquelles le fait d'ajouter des dispositifs de régulation réduira l'utilisation d’énergie. D'autres formes de régulation du chauffage devraient être développées et testées afin de vérifier si leur utilisation économise de l’énergie dans des cadres de vie réels. Etant donné la constatation que les maisons individuelles sont chauffées pendant plus longtemps, ces logements devraient être particulièrement ciblés dans les programmes de mise aux normes visant un meilleur rendement énergétique. De plus, les programmes de marketing social pourraient utiliser les grandes variations dans le réglage des thermostats comme base d'un programme de « norme sociale » visant à réduire la température dans les logements « surchauffés ». Enfin, il est nécessaire que les modèles énergétiques des bâtiments, qui ont une influence sur les politiques énergétiques, soient plus fermement basés sur des données réelles afin d'améliorer l'efficacité de ces politiques. Une plus grande coordination dans la collecte et la gestion des données permettrait de disposer de davantage de données à cette fin. Mots clés: modèle énergétique des bâtiments, chauffage central, systèmes de contrôle, température demandée, commandes du chauffage domestique, demande énergétique, comportement des habitants, réglage des thermostats

A preliminary investigation of the effect of hypomanic personality on the specificity and speed of autobiographical memory recall

There is some evidence that patients with bipolar disorder recall more overgeneral than specific autobiographical memories, a pattern widely reported in depression. However, there are also theoretical arguments (Barnard, Watkins, & Ramponi, 2006) suggesting that experiential processing should predominate during mania/hypomania, with an associated prediction of an increase in specific rather than overgeneral memories. This hypothesis was explicitly tested using the Autobiographical Memory Test (AMT). The specificity and speed of autobiographical recollection was compared for those with high or low levels of hypomanic personality as indexed by the Hypomanic Personality Scale (HPS). High HPS scorers recalled specific autobiographical memories in response to unpleasant cues more frequently and faster than low scorers. These results provide partial support for the hypothesis, but only for unpleasant cues.

The relationship between prenatal care, personal alcohol abuse and alcohol abuse in the home environment

Nearly one-fourth of African-American women receive no prenatal care during the first trimester of pregnancy. The aim of the current study is to identify factors that underlie inadequate prenatal care among African-American women. Maternal alcohol abuse has been examined as one risk factor for inadequate prenatal care, but findings have been inconsistent, perhaps because (a) alcohol use during pregnancy is substantially under-reported and (b) studies have not considered the wider social network in which maternal alcohol use takes place. The current study attempts to clarify relationships between personal alcohol use, alcohol use in the home environment, and prenatal care in a sample of post-partum women.

Apologia pro Ben Okri'sIn Arcadia:A neglected masterpiece?

This article begins by pointing to the dearth of critical attention to Ben Okri’s novel, In Arcadia ([2002] 2003. London: Phoenix). Examples of the sparse but dismissive critical reviews of this novel are given, showing how these seemingly fail to read Okri on his own terms. The focus here is on an alternate reading in which the proposition is that, narratologically, this three-part novel evinces a careful structure, delineating three phases of spiritual growth: breakdown, breakthrough and emergence. The phases are interlinked by the linear motif of Akashic still points or ‘intuitions’ (that is, numbered meditations of poetic insight). The argument draws upon Okri’s philosophical decoding of the labyrinthine symbolism in Poussin’s famous painting Les Bergers d’Arcadie, as well as Steven Harrison’s What’s next after now: Post- irituality and the creative life (2005. Boulder, Colorado: Sentient). The article closes with the rationale for its critical approach

The Key Events Dose-Response Framework: A Foundation for Examining Variability in Elicitation Thresholds for Food Allergens

Food allergies are caused by immunological reactions in individuals sensitized to normal protein components of foods. For any given sensitized individual, the severity of a reaction is generally assumed to be proportional to the dose of allergenic protein. There is substantial clinical evidence that "threshold" doses exist for the elicitation of an allergic reaction; however, the threshold (i.e., lowest dose that elicits a reaction) varies substantially across the sensitized population. Current approaches to protecting sensitized individuals from exposure to food allergens are highly qualitative (i.e., they rely on food avoidance). The Key Events Dose-Response Framework is an analytical approach for refining understanding of the biological basis of the dose-response. Application of this approach to food allergy provides a foundation for a more rigorous quantitative understanding of variability in allergic response. This study reviews the allergic disease process and the current approaches to identifying thresholds for food allergens. The pathway of key biological events occurring between food intake and allergic response is considered, along with factors that may determine the nature and severity of response to food allergens. Data needs, as well as implications for identifying thresholds, and for characterizing variability in thresholds, are also discussed.

Prolonged myelosuppression with clofarabine in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory, aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

We evaluated the safety and efficacy of the purine nucleoside analogue, clofarabine, in patients with relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) and mantle cell lymphoma (MCL). Six patients with DLBCL (n = 5) or MCL (n = 1) and a median age of 68 years were treated with 40 mg/m(2) clofarabine IV over 2 h for 5 days, repeated every 28 days, for 1-2 cycles. The overall response rate was 50% (complete response = 1, complete response unconfirmed = 1, partial response = 1). Median progression-free survival was 3.5 months (range 1.5-10 months) and the median overall survival was 7.8 months (range 3-31 months). Grade 3-4 neutropenia and thrombocytopenia was universal, with a median of 34 (range 19-55) and 77 (range 0-275) days required for neutrophil and platelet recovery. Grade 3 non-hematologic toxicities included transaminitis, febrile neutropenia, non-neutropenic infections and orthostatic hypotension. Further accrual to the study was terminated due to prolonged Grade 3-4 myelosuppression and orthostatic hypotension in five of six patients. Clofarabine exhibits evidence of single agent activity in relapsed or refractory DLBCL. However, further study with novel administration schedules that maintain this efficacy and limit toxicity is warranted.

Prolonged myelosuppression with clofarabine in the treatment of patients with relapsed or refractory, aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphoma

Jackknife-after-bootstrap regression influence diagnostics

We propose a bootstrap approach to gauging the size of regression influence measures. The bootstrap cut-offs generated are based on approximating the sampling distribution of the respective measures under resampling, work well for small samples, and allow for features such as asymmetric cut-offs. The bootstrap method uses Efron's jackknife-after-bootstrap idea to deal with the issue of an influential point contaminating the resamples from which cut-offs are calculated. The method is illustrated through both real-world examples and a simulation study, the results of which suggest that the bootstrap method provides a reliable alternative to traditional methods particularly in small to moderate samples.

Synthetic Vision Enhanced Surface Operations With Head-Worn Display for Commercial Aircraft

Recidivism Among Child Sexual Abusers: Initial Results of a 13-Year Longitudinal Random Sample

In the initial analysis of data from a random sample of all those charged with child sexual abuse in Idaho over a 13-year period, only one predictive variable was found that related to recidivism of those convicted. Variables such as ethnicity, relationship, gender, and age differences did not show a significant or even large association with recidivism. The only variable that seemed to show both a significant and almost moderate association to recidivism was the Risk Assessment in the Sex Offender Evaluation reoffense. Comparisons were made to prior research as well as a discussion of implications of the sex offender evaluation for the legal process. Finally, a call for the continued need for further research is discussed.