Real-time monitoring of proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack failure

Uneven pressure drops in a 75-cell 9.5-kWe proton exchange membrane fuel cell stack with a U-shaped flow configuration have been shown to cause localised flooding. Condensed water then leads to localised cell heating, resulting in reduced membrane durability. Upon purging of the anode manifold, the resulting mechanical strain on the membrane can lead to the formation of a pin-hole/membrane crack and a rapid decrease in open circuit voltage due to gas crossover. This failure has the potential to cascade to neighbouring cells due to the bipolar plate coupling and the current density heterogeneities arising from the pin-hole/membrane crack. Reintroduction of hydrogen after failure results in cell voltage loss propagating from the pin-hole/membrane crack location due to reactant crossover from the anode to the cathode, given that the anode pressure is higher than the cathode pressure. Through these observations, it is recommended that purging is avoided when the onset of flooding is observed to prevent irreparable damage to the stack

Large-scale sequencing identifies multiple genes and rare variants associated with Crohn’s disease susceptibility

peer reviewe

Community factors and excess mortality in first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in England

COVID-19-related mortality in England shows geographical variation but the reasons for this are not well understood. This study estimated excess mortality in the first wave of the pandemic and found associations with higher density of care homes, overcrowding, and economic deprivation, but not with population density or air pollution

The challenge of opt-outs from NHS data: a small-area perspective.

[First paragraph] One of the founding principles of the NHS is that it offers comprehensive, universal and free public health services at the point of delivery. As a result, NHS data provide a huge and invaluable resource of routinely collected primary (e.g. visits to GP practices) and secondary (e.g. hospital admissions, outpatient appointments, A&E attendances) healthcare data covering near-100% of the population of England. NHS Digital has the responsibility for collecting and publishing data and information from across the health and social care system in England and controls the dissemination of these data. Detailed analysis of NHS data by public health and research institutions has the potential to considerably improve health and social care in England

Fetal growth, stillbirth, infant mortality and other birth outcomes near UK municipal waste incinerators; retrospective population based cohort and case-control study

Some studies have reported associations between municipal waste incinerator (MWI) exposures and adverse birth outcomes but there are few studies of modern MWIs operating to current European Union (EU) Industrial Emissions Directive standards.; Associations between modelled ground-level particulate matter ≤10 μm in diameter (PM; 10; ) from MWI emissions (as a proxy for MWI emissions) within 10 km of each MWI, and selected birth and infant mortality outcomes were examined for all 22 MWIs operating in Great Britain 2003-10. We also investigated associations with proximity of residence to a MWI. Outcomes used were term birth weight, small for gestational age (SGA) at term, stillbirth, neonatal, post-neonatal and infant mortality, multiple births, sex ratio and preterm delivery sourced from national registration data from the Office for National Statistics. Analyses were adjusted for relevant confounders including year of birth, sex, season of birth, maternal age, deprivation, ethnicity and area characteristics and random effect terms were included in the models to allow for differences in baseline rates between areas and in incinerator feedstock.; Analyses included 1,025,064 births and 18,694 infant deaths. There was no excess risk in relation to any of the outcomes investigated during pregnancy or early life of either mean modelled MWI PM; 10; or proximity to an MWI.; We found no evidence that exposure to PM; 10; from, or living near to, an MWI operating to current EU standards was associated with harm for any of the outcomes investigated. Results should be generalisable to other MWIs operating to similar standards

Risk of congenital anomalies near municipal waste incinerators in England and Scotland: Retrospective population-based cohort study

Background: Few studies have investigated congenital anomalies in relation to municipal waste incinerators (MWIs) and results are inconclusive. Objectives: To conduct a national investigation into the risk of congenital anomalies in babies born to mothers living within 10 km of an MWI associated with: i) modelled concentrations of PM10 as a proxy for MWI emissions more generally and; ii) proximity of residential postcode to nearest MWI, in areas in England and Scotland that are covered by a congenital anomaly register. Methods: Retrospective population-based cohort study within 10 km of 10 MWIs in England and Scotland operating between 2003 and 2010. Exposure was proximity to MWI and log of daily mean modelled ground-level particulate matter ≤10 μm diameter (PM10) concentrations. Results: Analysis included 219,486 births, stillbirths and terminations of pregnancy for fetal anomaly of which 5154 were cases of congenital anomalies. Fully adjusted odds ratio (OR) per doubling in PM10 was: 1·00 (95% CI 0·98–1·02) for all congenital anomalies; 0·99 (0·97–1·01) for all congenital anomalies excluding chromosomal anomalies. For every 1 km closer to an MWI adjusted OR was: 1·02 (1·00–1·04) for all congenital anomalies combined; 1·02 (1·00–1·04) for all congenital anomalies excluding chromosomal anomalies; and, for specific anomaly groups, 1·04 (1·01–1·08) for congenital heart defect sand 1·07 (1·02–1·12) for genital anomalies. Discussion: We found no increased risk of congenital anomalies in relation to modelled PM10 emissions, but there were small excess risks associated with congenital heart defects and genital anomalies in proximity to MWIs. These latter findings may well reflect incomplete control for confounding, but a possible causal effect cannot be excluded