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Articles by James E. Close
Natwest and Cogo Launch Toolkit to Help Build Carbon Literacy
NatWest and Cogo have joined forces to create a toolkit to help build carbon literacy among SMEs and guide them through the carbon disclosure process. Free to access for anyone, the toolkit has been created to support all SMEs regardless of their level of carbon literacy.
Commentary: Here's a bright idea - state licensing for electricians
The disconnect here is stark as well as baffling. New York is one of only thirteen states that does not license electricians. Instead, it delegates licensing to local governments, which may or may not choose to license and regulate the electrical trades. This results in a patchwork of regulation across the state, with residents of larger municipalities reaping the important consumer protections that licensing provides.
Connecting Climate Change and Health for Better Development
Climate change is already having real, measurable impacts on human health, and those impacts are expected to grow. Low- and middle-income countries are seeing the worst effects as they are most vulnerable to climate shifts and least able to adapt given weak health systems and poor infrastructure. The good news is that the cumulative impacts of climate change on health have been extensively discussed for decades and understanding is growing.
Prenatal base editing corrects lysosomal storage disease
Prenatal base editing corrects lysosomal storage disease 19 July 2021 Appeared in BioNews 1104 Base editing, a form of genome editing, has been used in preclinical models to correct a lysosomal storage disease known as Hurler syndrome. Sometimes referred to as mucopolysaccharidosis type 1, Hurler syndrome is a rare lysosomal storage disease that develops before birth. Lysosomes are subcellular structures containing enzymes responsible for digesting compounds in the cell that are no longer needed.
Daytime napping is partly regulated by your genes
Daytime napping is partly regulated by your genes 8 March 2021 Appeared in BioNews 1086 Napping during the day is partly controlled by a person's genetics – and is not simply a behavioural choice. Previous research has shown that when people are sleep deprived, daytime naps can have short term benefits on performance and alertness. However, it is not fully understood whether habitual napping has any longer term impacts on chronic disease risk.
National Academy of Sciences pulls misleading genome editing video
National Academy of Sciences pulls misleading genome editing video 7 October 2019 Appeared in BioNews 1018 The National Academy of Sciences – an organisation partially funded by the US government – has removed a video about genome editing from the internet after it came under widespread condemnation from the academic community. The video suggested that genome editing could be used to alter human traits such as height, weight, intelligence and behaviour.
First in-body genome editing trial delivers mixed results
First in-body genome editing trial delivers mixed results 11 February 2019 Appeared in BioNews 986 The first in vivo genome editing therapy has been successful in editing patients' DNA, but has not shown a clinical benefit. US biotech firm Sangamo Therapeutics used genome editing to introduce a working copy of a faulty gene into patients with a rare inherited disorder, Hunter syndrome.
Genetics influences whether you are a night owl or early riser
Genetics influences whether you are a night owl or early riser 4 February 2019 Appeared in BioNews 985 Are you a night owl or a morning lark? The answer is influenced by at least 351 regions of the genome, a recent study has found. Whether someone is a morning person or an evening person – a trait known as a 'chronotype' – was previously thought to be influenced by only 24 genes (see BioNews 838).
Quality after the QOF? Before dismantling it, we need a redefined measure of ‘quality’
The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) for UK general practice is one of the largest health-related pay-for-performance (P4P) schemes in the world.1 In 2004, the scheme initially had a positive impact on quality of care, primarily achieved via establishment of procedural baselines in the clinical management of incentivised (mostly chronic) diseases.
In Benin, Can Resilient Investment Solutions Save a Battered Coast?
I was raised in a small town called Hornsea on England’s east coast, a magnificent place that attracts tourists but is eroding faster than the rest of Europe. Some of the impressive, clay cliffs are literally crumbling. Local roads and the old settlement and have fallen into the sea. More than once, forward-planning residents have demolished and rebuilt their houses from salvaged materials as their coast recedes.
Adapting QOF to focus on wellbeing and health
Close James, Valderas Jose M, Byng Richard, Britten Nicky, Lloyd Helen. Adapting QOF to focus on wellbeing and health BMJ 2017; 359 :j5541
James Close - The Chaffee County Times: Obituaries
Jim grew up in Swink and graduated from Swink High School in 1954. Shortly after graduation, he joined the United States Navy and served his country from 1954-1958. On June 17, 1956, he married the love of his life Gloria Swanson in Buena Vista. Jim was proud to be a descendant of the Mahon family which were the original settlers of Buena Vista. He worked for many years at the Climax Mine and the Buena Vista Correctional Facility until his retirement in 1996.
Archaeology of the Undead
Historically, archaeology hasn’t paid much attention to deviant burials, which tend to involve peasants and criminals and are often discovered in excavations where time and resources are limited, precluding detailed analysis. But over the last few years, thanks to a broadening focus beyond the lavish mortuary practices of the elite, the field has begun to take a much keener interest.
New open online course: from climate science to action
Over the past two years, the World Bank’s flagship climate change report series Turn Down the Heat and its complementary free Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) have helped bring important climate related issues to policy makers and concerned citizens, reaching nearly 39,000 people in more than 180 countries worldwide. Now, with the adoption of the Paris Agreement at COP 21, we are ready to launch a new and exciting MOOC: “From Climate Science to Action – Turn Down the Heat Series”.
Alstom exec: Carbon pricing & technology innovation are symbiotic
Amy Ericson, U.S. country president for technology company Alstom, spoke at the World Bank Group about the interplay between carbon pricing and innovation that can lower carbon emissions for cleaner, more sustainable development. Alstom is involved in the Carbon Pricing Leadership Coalition. "Alstom supports a price on carbon for several reasons, the most important of which is, as the world is agreeing, there is a cost to CO2. And that cost is not yet out there, and it needs to be paid.
Make the easy beer harder to buy
You can learn a lot by walking down the road: I've taken to walking the rural roads of Saratoga County in earnest and have been astounded at the volume of bottles and cans that litter the roadways. But this isn't a letter about litter, it's a letter about what the litter means: The vast majority consists of discarded alcoholic beverages — beer, mostly. No surprise there, but, clearly, someone — or a lot of "someones" — is drinking, driving, and tossing the evidence.
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