FIBRE OPTIC COUPLED, INFRARED THERMOMETERS FOR PROCESSES INCURRING HARSH CONDITIONS

This study undertook the development and testing of fibre optic coupled infrared thermometers (IRTs) that could substitute for thermocouples in harsh conditions that would affect contact temperature measurements deleteriously. The IRTs have been configured without photodiode cooling and signal chopping but achieved low minimum measurable temperatures, fast responses and good sensitivities. IRTs were configured with mid-wave infrared (MWIR) and short-wave infrared (SWIR) photodiodes, to measure over different temperature ranges. The thermometers had small footprints, therefore could be installed into constrained spaces and not cause interference with the process. The MWIR thermometers were substituted for thermocouples in high temperature conditions in end milling tool temperature measurements and reactive electrochemical conditions in Lithium-ion cell temperature measurements. The conditions into which the fibre optics were embedded would lead to inaccurate measurements from thermocouples, whereas the fibre optic and remotely positioned IRT offered immunity against these errors. Calibration drift is a major problem that afflicts thermocouple temperature measurements. There has been progress towards addressing this weakness with improved thermocouples. The SWIR thermometer used a zero drift operational amplifier to minimise offset voltage, drift and noise. The IRT was coupled to a sapphire fibre optic probe that had tin deposited onto the core to form an integral fixed point temperature calibration cell. This low drift IRT provided an increment towards creating a drift-free, self-calibrating IRT that would substitute for thermocouples with integral calibration capabilities. The feasibility of substituting thermocouples with embedded fibre optics coupled to IRTs has been demonstrated and potential improvements of these thermometers have been identified

Recent experiments on a small-angle/wide-angle X-ray scattering beam line at the ESRF

Recent results using a new combined small-angle/wide-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS/WAXS) beam line at the European Synchrotron Radiation Source (ESRF) will be presented. This beam line is specifically designed to be able to handle complicated sample environments required to perform time-resolved experiments mimicking processing conditions used in material science. Besides the attention that has been given to the interfacing of these sample environments to the beam line data acquisition system also the developments in detector technology will be discussed. The influence that a high count rate and low noise WAXS detector can have on the accuracy of experimental results in polymer crystallisation will be shown. It is shown that it is feasible to detect crystalline volume fractions as low as 10-3-10-4 in polymeric systems

Triggering and event building results using the C104 packet routing chip

The C104 is an asynchronous 32-way dynamic packet routing chip. It has a 264Mbytes/s bi-directional bandwidth and a 1 µsec switching latency. It offers high-density cost- effective commodity communications, which allow large switching networks to be con- structed. Results are presented on the performance of this switching technology within the context of future High Energy Physics level II and level III trigger data traffic patterns

A small-angle X-ray scattering study of the effect of chain architecture on the shear-induced crystallization of branched and linear poly(ethylene terephthalate)

The synchrotron-based small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) technique was used to investigate the shear-induced crystallization kinetics of branched/unbranched poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET). Reactive extrusion of bottle-grade PET with the branching and chain-extension agents pyromellitic dianhydride and pentaerythritol results in enhanced rheological properties, such as higher melt strength and higher viscosity. In this study, six samples of PET were investigated: linear PET [intrinsic viscosity (IV) ≈0.76 dm3 g-1]; four branched PETs produced from linear PET by a reactive extrusion technique (IV ≈0.86-1.06 dm3 g-1); and a control PET (IV ≈0.73 dm3 g-1) extruded under the same conditions without reactive agents. SAXS data were recorded for the PET at the melt temperature and time-resolved SAXS data were recorded following the application of a step shear (53 s-1 for 2 s). As the PET IV was increased, the extent of shear-induced orientation increased, whilst the time taken for the polymer to initiate and complete crystallization decreased

An integrated general practice and pharmacy-based intervention to promote the use of appropriate preventive medications among individuals at high cardiovascular disease risk: protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial

Background: Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are responsible for significant morbidity, premature mortality, and economic burden. Despite established evidence that supports the use of preventive medications among patients at high CVD risk, treatment gaps remain. Building on prior evidence and a theoretical framework, a complex intervention has been designed to address these gaps among high-risk, under-treated patients in the Australian primary care setting. This intervention comprises a general practice quality improvement tool incorporating clinical decision support and audit/feedback capabilities; availability of a range of CVD polypills (fixed-dose combinations of two blood pressure lowering agents, a statin ± aspirin) for prescription when appropriate; and access to a pharmacy-based program to support long-term medication adherence and lifestyle modification. Methods: Following a systematic development process, the intervention will be evaluated in a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial including 70 general practices for a median period of 18 months. The 35 general practices in the intervention group will work with a nominated partner pharmacy, whereas those in the control group will provide usual care without access to the intervention tools. The primary outcome is the proportion of patients at high CVD risk who were inadequately treated at baseline who achieve target blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels at the study end. The outcomes will be analyzed using data from electronic medical records, utilizing a validated extraction tool. Detailed process and economic evaluations will also be performed. Discussion: The study intends to establish evidence about an intervention that combines technological innovation with team collaboration between patients, pharmacists, and general practitioners (GPs) for CVD prevention. Trial registration: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN1261600023342

Current management of intracerebral haemorrhage in China: a national, multi-centre, hospital register study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We aimed to examine current practice of the management and secondary prevention of intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH) in China where the disease is more common than in Western populations.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Data on baseline characteristics, management in-hospital and post-stroke, and outcome of ICH patients are from the ChinaQUEST (QUality Evaluation of Stroke Care and Treatment) study, a multi-centre, prospective, 62 hospital registry in China during 2006-07.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Nearly all ICH patients (n = 1572) received an intravenous haemodiluting agent such as mannitol (96%) or a neuroprotectant (72%), and there was high use of intravenous traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) (42%). Neurosurgery was undertaken in 137 (9%) patients; being overweight, having a low Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) score on admission, and Total Anterior Circulation Syndrome (TACS) clinical pattern on admission, were the only baseline factors associated with this intervention in multivariate analyses. Neurosurgery was associated with nearly three times higher risk of death/disability at 3 months post-stroke (odd ratio [OR] 2.60, p < 0.001). Continuation of antihypertensives in-hospital and at 3 and 12 months post-stroke was reported in 732/935 (78%), 775/935 (83%), and 752/935 (80%) living patients with hypertension, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>The management of ICH in China is characterised by high rates of use of intravenous haemodiluting agents, neuroprotectants, and TCM, and of antihypertensives for secondary prevention. The controversial efficacy of these therapies, coupled with the current lack of treatments of proven benefit, is a call for action for more outcomes based research in ICH.</p

Integration across time determines path deviation discrimination for moving objects.

YesBackground: Human vision is vital in determining our interaction with the outside world. In this study we characterize our ability to judge changes in the direction of motion of objects-a common task which can allow us either to intercept moving objects, or else avoid them if they pose a threat. Methodology/Principal Findings: Observers were presented with objects which moved across a computer monitor on a linear path until the midline, at which point they changed their direction of motion, and observers were required to judge the direction of change. In keeping with the variety of objects we encounter in the real world, we varied characteristics of the moving stimuli such as velocity, extent of motion path and the object size. Furthermore, we compared performance for moving objects with the ability of observers to detect a deviation in a line which formed the static trace of the motion path, since it has been suggested that a form of static memory trace may form the basis for these types of judgment. The static line judgments were well described by a 'scale invariant' model in which any two stimuli which possess the same two-dimensional geometry (length/width) result in the same level of performance. Performance for the moving objects was entirely different. Irrespective of the path length, object size or velocity of motion, path deviation thresholds depended simply upon the duration of the motion path in seconds. Conclusions/Significance: Human vision has long been known to integrate information across space in order to solve spatial tasks such as judgment of orientation or position. Here we demonstrate an intriguing mechanism which integrates direction information across time in order to optimize the judgment of path deviation for moving objects.Wellcome Trust, Leverhulme Trust, NI

Impact of the blending of kaolin on particulate matter (PM) emissions in a biomass field-scale 250 kW grate boiler

The aim of the study was to investigate the impact of adding kaolin on the partitioning of chemical elements in the particulate matter (PM) when virgin and waste woody biomass fuels were fired in a 250 kW grate boiler. A comprehensive analysis of the chemical compositions of the PM has been conducted, including alkali and non-volatile species, size-fractionated mass concentrations and micromorphology images. The results showed that the PM emission levels were significantly decreased by approximately 70–76 % and 60–66 % after the addition of kaolin to virgin wood (VW) and grade A recycled wood (RW), respectively, which inhibited the partitioning of the alkali species into fine and ultrafine PM. On the other hand, the concentration of the non-volatile elements, SiO2 and Al2O3, significantly increased in the PM emissions after the addition of kaolin due to the adhesion and aggregation of particulates between airborne kaolin and the fine and ultrafine PM. Moreover, the addition of the kaolin at 1.55 wt% showed comparable effects with that at 2.5 wt% on the chemical composition of PM emission. Furthermore, the SEM morphology suggested that KCl salts were diminished after the addition of the kaolin. These findings demonstrate the practicality of adding kaolin to mitigate PM emissions and their impacts in actual biomass combustion scenarios

The haptic perception of spatial orientations

This review examines the isotropy of the perception of spatial orientations in the haptic system. It shows the existence of an oblique effect (i.e., a better perception of vertical and horizontal orientations than oblique orientations) in a spatial plane intrinsic to the haptic system, determined by the gravitational cues and the cognitive resources and defined in a subjective frame of reference. Similar results are observed from infancy to adulthood. In 3D space, the haptic processing of orientations is also anisotropic and seems to use both egocentric and allocentric cues. Taken together, these results revealed that the haptic oblique effect occurs when the sensory motor traces associated with exploratory movement are represented more abstractly at a cognitive level