Annual Update on Fuel Poverty and Health (2008)

This paper provides an update on the All-Ireland Policy Paper on Fuel Poverty and Health published by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH) in December 2007.Economic downturn and fluctuating fuel prices mean that for many people the challenge of fuel poverty is becoming even more immediate. Alleviating financial strain and protecting the health and social well-being of fuel-poor householders must remain a priority across government. A substantial body of research links fuel poverty to physical and mental ill-health. Older people in particular are at an increased risk of suffering from heart disease, stroke and respiratory conditions in the winter months. Research published in Northern Ireland this year has also highlighted the impact of fuel poverty on children’s health and well-being.  

Eliminació autotròfica de nitrogen en una pila biològica (microbial fuel cells )

L’aigua i l’energia formen un binomi indissociable. En relació al cicle de l’aigua, des de fa varies dècades s’han desenvolupat diferents formes per recuperar part de l’energia relacionada amb l’aigua, per exemple a partir de centrals hidroelèctriques. No obstant, l’ús d’aquesta aigua també porta associat un gran consum energètic, relacionat sobretot amb el transport, la distribució, la depuració, etc... La depuració d’aigües residuals porta associada una elevada demanda energètica (Obis et al.,2009). En termes energètics, tot i que la despesa elèctrica d’una EDAR varia en funció de diferents paràmetres com la configuració i la capacitat de la planta, la càrrega a tractar, etc... es podria considerar que el rati mig seria d’ aproximadament 0.5 KWh•m-3.Els principals costos d’explotació estan relacionats tant amb la gestió de fangs (28%) com amb el consum elèctric (25%) (50% tractament biològic). Tot i que moltes investigacions relacionades amb el tractament d’aigua residual estan encaminades en disminuir els costos d’operació, des de fa poques dècades s’està investigant la viabilitat de que l’aigua residual fins i tot sigui una font d’energia, canviant la perspectiva, i començant a veure l’aigua residual no com a una problemàtica sinó com a un recurs. Concretament s’estima que l’aigua domèstica conté 9.3 vegades més energia que la necessària per el seu tractament mitjançant processos aerobis (Shizas et al., 2004). Un dels processos més desenvolupats relacionats amb el tractament d’aigües residuals i la producció energètica és la digestió anaeròbia. No obstant, aquesta tecnologia permet el tractament d’altes càrregues de matèria orgànica generant un efluent ric en nitrogen que s’haurà de tractar amb altres tecnologies. Per altre banda, recentment s’està investigant una nova tecnologia relacionada amb el tractament d’aigües residuals i la producció energètica: les piles biològiques (microbial fuel cells, MFC). Aquesta tecnologia permet obtenir directament energia elèctrica a partir de la degradació de substrats biodegradables (Rabaey et al., 2005). Les piles biològiques, més conegudes com a Microbial Fuel Cells (acrònim en anglès, MFC), són una emergent tecnologia que està centrant moltes mirades en el camp de l’ investigació, i que es basa en la producció d’energia elèctrica a partir de substrats biodegradables presents en l’aigua residual (Logan., 2008). Els fonaments de les piles biològiques és molt semblant al funcionament d’una pila Daniell, en la qual es separa en dos compartiments la reacció d’oxidació (compartiment anòdic) i la de reducció (compartiment catòdic) amb l’objectiu de generar un determinat corrent elèctric. En aquest estudi, bàsicament es mostra la posada en marxa d'una pila biològica per a l'eliminació de matèria orgànica i nitrogen de les aigües residuals.

Fuel your body - for the teenage sports person

This booklet developed by safefood inpartnership with the Irish Nutrition and Dietetic Institute (INDI) in the Republic of Ireland and the British Dietetic Association in Northern Ireland, provides general advice for 13- to 17-year-olds who are involved in sport.

Fuel Poverty and Cold Home-related Health Problems

Evidence Review 7 - Tackling fuel poverty and cold home-related health problems Briefing 7 - Fuel poverty and cold home-related health problems This pair of documents, commissioned by Public Health England, and written by the UCL Institute of Health Equity, address the health impacts of fuel poverty and cold homes. These documents provide an overview of fuel poverty, describing the evidence linking fuel poverty, cold homes, and poor health outcomes. They examine the scale of the problem across England and trends over time. Evidence shows that living in cold homes is associated with poor health outcomes and an increased risk of morbidity and mortality for all age groups. The documents also provide a brief overview of national policy and sets out the role of local authorities and potential interventions at local level. Fuel poverty is not just about poverty, but also about the quality of England’s housing stock and energy efficiency. The review discusses some of the interventions that have been implemented at the local level to help people on low incomes during cold weather and to address cold home-related health problems. The full evidence review and a shorter summary briefing are available to download above. This document is part of a series. An overview document which provides an introduction to this and other documents in the series, and links to the other topic areas, is available on the ‘Local Action on health inequalities’ project page. A video of Michael Marmot introducing the work is also available on our videos page.

Intercomparison of the response of different photon and neutron detectors around a spent fuel cask

An intercomparison of the response of different photon and neutron detectors was performed in several measurement positions around a spent fuel cask (type TN 12/2B) filled with 4 MOX and 8 UO2 15 x 15 PWR fuel assemblies at the nuclear power plant Gosgen (KKG) in Switzerland. The instruments used in the study were both active and passive, photon and neutron detectors calibrated either for ambient or personal dose equivalent. The aim of the measurement campaign was to compare the responses of the radiation instruments to routinely used detectors. It has been shown that especially the indications of the neutron detectors are strongly dependent on the neutron spectra around the cask due to their different energy responses. However, routinely used active photon and neutron detectors were shown to be reliable instruments. (C) 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Biodiesel Fuel Revolving Fund Expenditures, Iowa Department of Transportation, January 2003

Biodiesel Fuel Revolving Fund Expenditures for Iowa Department of Transportation

Biodiesel Fuel Revolving Fund Expenditures Fiscal Year 2003 Report, Iowa Department of Transportation, January 2004

Report of expenditures from the biodiesel fuel revolving fund for biodiesel fuel used in Iowa Department of Transportation vehicles.

Biodiesel Fuel Revolving Fund Expenditures Fiscal Year 2004 Report, Iowa Department of Transportation, January 2005

Report of expenditures from the biodiesel fuel revolving fund for biodiesel fuel used in Iowa Department of Transportation vehicles.

Biodiesel Fuel Revolving Fund Expenditures Report Fiscal Year 2005 Report, January 2006

Report of expenditures from the biodiesel fuel revolving fund for biodiesel fuel used in Iowa Department of Transportation vehicles.

Abnormalities of fuel utilization as predisposing to the development of obesity in humans.

A number of recent investigations in man have demonstrated that a low ratio of fat to carbohydrate oxidation (i.e., a high respiratory quotient or RQ) was associated with actual and/or subsequent body weight gain in obese non-diabetic Pima Indians, in American men of various ages and in post-obese European women investigated shortly after the cessation of a hypocaloric diet. It is well known that numerous exogenous and endogenous factors influence the RQ at rest such as: the level of feeding (positive vs. negative energy balance), the composition of food eaten (high vs. low carbohydrate), the size of the glycogen stores, the amount of adipose tissue as well as genetic factors. It should be stressed that some nutritional situations can co-exist during which a low ratio of fat to carbohydrate is observed (i.e., a high RQ) despite weight loss. Furthermore, in most studies mentioned above, the low fat to carbohydrate oxidation ratio explains less than 10% of the variance in weight gain, suggesting that numerous additional factors also play a substantial role in the onset of weight gain. It is concluded that: 1) a low fat to carbohydrate oxidation ratio or an abnormal fat oxidation is difficult to define quantitatively since it is largely influenced by the energy level and the composition of the diet.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Biodiesel Fuel Revolving Fund Expenditures Report, FY 06

Report of expenditures from the biodiesel fuel revolving fund for biodiesel fuel used in Iowa Department of Transportation vehicles.

Flexible Fuel Vehicle Report, 2007

House File 2754 requires by February 1 of each year the Iowa Department of Transportation shall deliver a report to the governor and legislative services agency regarding flexible fuel vehicles registered in Iowa.

FY 2007 Biodiesel Fuel Revolving Fund Expenditures Report

The Seventy-ninth General Assembly of the State of Iowa, 2001 Regular Session, passed Senate File 465 which was signed by the Governor on April 19, 2001. This act created the biodiesel fuel revolving fund (Fund) to be used to purchase biodiesel fuel for use in the Department of Transportation's (DOT) vehicles. The act directed that the Fund receive money from the sale of EPA credits banked by the DOT on the effective date of the act, moneys appropriated by the General Assembly, and any other moneys obtained or accepted by the DOT for deposit in the Fund. The act also directed the DOT to submit an annual report not later than January 31 of the expenditures made from the Fund during the preceding fiscal year. This is the sixth annual report under the act. In FY 2007, the DOT purchased from the Fund 14,958 gallons of neat soy oil for $31,615, or an average of $2.11 per gallon. This yielded 74,791 gallons of B 20, which is 20 percent biodiesel by volume. Since the beginning of FY 2008, the Fund has received deposits totaling $59,000 which are being used for continued biodiesel purchases.

FY08 Biodiesel Fuel Revolving Fund Expenditures Report

The Seventy-ninth General Assembly of the State of Iowa, 2001 Regular Session, passed Senate File 465 which was signed by the Governor on April 19, 2001. This act created the biodiesel fuel revolving fund (Fund) to be used to purchase biodiesel fuel for use in the Department of Transportation's (DOT) vehicles. The act directed that the Fund receive money from the sale of EPA credits banked by the DOT on the effective date of the act, moneys appropriated by the General Assembly, and any other moneys obtained or accepted by the DOT for deposit in the Fund. The act also directed the DOT to submit an annual report not later than January 31 of the expenditures made from the Fund during the preceding fiscal year. This is the seventh annual report under the act.

Currently Registered Flex Fuel Vehicles as of Jan. 27, 2009

House File 2754 requires by Feb. 1 of each year the Iowa Department of Transportation shall deliver a report to the governor and legislative services agency regarding flexible fuel vehicles registered in Iowa. This report reflects the flexible fuel vehicles registered in Iowa as of Jan. 27, 2009.