Synthesis and characterisation of new Bi(iii)-containing apatite-type oxide ion conductors: the influence of lone pairs

Lone-pair cations are known to enhance oxide ion conductivity in fluorite- and Aurivillius-type materials. Among the apatite-type phases, the opposite trend is found for the more widely studied silicate oxide ion conductors, which exhibit a dramatic decrease in conductivity on Bi(III) incorporation. In this work, the influence of lone-pair cations on the properties of apatite-type germanate oxide ion conductors has been investigated by preparing and characterising seven related compositions with varying Bi(III) content, by X-ray and neutron powder diffraction and impedance spectroscopy. All materials are very good oxide ion conductors (with conductivities of up to 1.29 × 10−2 S cm−1 at 775 °C). Increasing Bi(III) content leads to increases in conductivity by up to an order of magnitude, suggesting significant differences in the oxide-ion conduction mechanisms between lone-pair-containing apatite-type germanate and silicate solid electrolytes

From Predicting Solar Activity to Forecasting Space Weather: Practical Examples of Research-to-Operations and Operations-to-Research

The successful transition of research to operations (R2O) and operations to research (O2R) requires, above all, interaction between the two communities. We explore the role that close interaction and ongoing communication played in the successful fielding of three separate developments: an observation platform, a numerical model, and a visualization and specification tool. Additionally, we will examine how these three pieces came together to revolutionize interplanetary coronal mass ejection (ICME) arrival forecasts. A discussion of the importance of education and training in ensuring a positive outcome from R2O activity follows. We describe efforts by the meteorological community to make research results more accessible to forecasters and the applicability of these efforts to the transfer of space-weather research.We end with a forecaster "wish list" for R2O transitions. Ongoing, two-way communication between the research and operations communities is the thread connecting it all.Comment: 18 pages, 3 figures, Solar Physics in pres

A Web System based on a Sports injuries model towards global athletes monitoring

Comunicação apresentada no World Conference on Information Systems and Technologies - WorldCIST 2014, Madeira, PortugalThis paper presents the project iReport SportsInjuries, which is a system with a focus on a Web application directed to sport health professionals, supporting the acquisition, analysis and dissemination of sports injuries information. This software will allow health professionals register and analyze sports injuries among sports populations. The application provides a reporting module that includes tables and charts to individually analyze injuries of a specific sports organization, a specific sport across organizations or a specific athlete, independently of where s/he practices. The system also offers a module for a global analysis, which allows the iReport SportsInjuries to obtain the incidence and prevalence values, besides the socioeconomics costs, regarding sports injuries at a national level. In order to offer these features, it is based on a global sports injuries model with the goal of standardizing data related to the sports injuries subject

Coordinating domestic legislation and international agreements to conserve migratory species: a case study from Australia

Migratory movements of animals frequently span political borders and the need for international collaboration in the conservation of migratory species is well recognized. There is, however, less appreciation of the need for coordinated protection within nations. We explore consequences of multilevel governance for top-down implementation of international agreements, drawing on examples from Australia and with reference to the United States and European Union. Coherent implementation of legislation and policy for migratory species can be challenging in federal jurisdictions where environmental law making can be split across multiple levels of governance and local and federal priorities may not necessarily be aligned. As a result of these challenges, for example, two-thirds of Australian migratory birds remain unprotected under national legislation. In Australia and elsewhere, coordinated protection of migratory species can be implemented within the current framework of conservation law and policy by actions such as designating national migration areas, negotiating nationally coordinated agreements or listings of migratory species and pursuing new bilateral agreements with key countries along migratory routes.Claire A. Runge, Eduardo Gallo-Cajiao, Mark J. Carey, Stephen T. Garnett, Richard A. Fuller, Phillipa C. McCormac

The socio-demographics and health service use of opioid overdose decedents in Wales : a cross-sectional data linkage study

Background: Fatal opioid overdose is a significant public health problem with increasing incidence in developed countries. This study aimed to describe demographic and service user characteristics of decedents of opioid overdose in Wales to identify possible targets for behaviour modification and life-saving interventions. Methods: A retrospective cross-sectional analysis was conducted of a census sample of opioid overdose-related deaths recorded between January 01, 2012, and October 11, 2018, in Wales. UK Office for National Statistics, Welsh Demographic Service, and National Health Service datasets were linked deterministically. Decedents’ circumstances of death, demographic characteristics, residency, and health service use were characterized over 3 years prior to fatal overdose using descriptive statistics. Results: In total, 638 people died of opioid overdose in Wales between January 01, 2012, and October 11, 2018, with an incidence rate of 3.04 per 100,000 people per year. Decedents were predominantly male (73%) and middle aged (median age 50 years). Fatal overdoses predominantly occurred in the community (93%) secondary to heroin (30%) or oxycodone derivative use (34%). In the 3 years prior to death, decedents changed address frequently (53%) but rarely moved far geographically. The majority of decedents had recently visited the emergency department (83%) or were admitted to the hospital (64%) prior to death. Only a minority had visited specialist drug services (32%). Conclusions: Deaths from opioid overdose typically occur in middle-aged men living peripatetic lifestyles. Victims infrequently visit specialist drug services but often attend emergency medical services. Emergency department-based interventions may therefore be important in prevention of opioid overdose fatalities in the community

Life path analysis: scaling indicates priming effects of social and habitat factors on dispersal distances

1. Movements of many animals along a life-path can be separated into repetitive ones within home ranges and transitions between home ranges. We sought relationships of social and environmental factors with initiation and distance of transition movements in 114 buzzards Buteo buteo that were marked as nestlings with long-life radio tags. 2. Ex-natal dispersal movements of 51 buzzards in autumn were longer than for 30 later in their first year and than 35 extra-natal movements between home ranges after leaving nest areas. In the second and third springs, distances moved from winter focal points by birds that paired were the same or less than for unpaired birds. No post-nuptial movement exceeded 2 km. 3. Initiation of early ex-natal dispersal was enhanced by presence of many sibs, but also by lack of worm-rich loam soils. Distances travelled were greatest for birds from small broods and with relatively little short grass-feeding habitat near the nest. Later movements were generally enhanced by the absence of loam soils and short grassland, especially with abundance of other buzzards and probable poor feeding habitats (heathland, long grass). 4. Buzzards tended to persist in their first autumn where arable land was abundant, but subsequently showed a strong tendency to move from this habitat. 5. Factors that acted most strongly in ½-km buffers round nests, or round subsequent focal points, usually promoted movement compared with factors acting at a larger scale. Strong relationships between movement distances and environmental characteristics in ½-km buffers, especially during early ex-natal dispersal, suggested that buzzards became primed by these factors to travel far. 6. Movements were also farthest for buzzards that had already moved far from their natal nests, perhaps reflecting genetic predisposition, long-term priming or poor habitat beyond the study area

Surface preparation of powder metallurgical tool steels by means of wire electrical discharge machining

The surface of two types of powder metallurgical (PM) tool steels (i.e., with and without nitrogen) was prepared using wire electrical discharge machining (WEDM). From each grade of tool steel, seven surfaces corresponding to one to seven passes of WEDM were prepared. The WEDM process was carried out using a brass wire as electrode and deionized water as dielectric. After eachWEDM pass the surface of the tool steels was thoroughly examined. Surface residual stresses were measured by the X-ray diffraction (XRD) technique. The measured stresses were found to be of tensile nature. The surface roughness of the WEDM specimens was measured using interference microscopy. The surface roughness as well as the residual stress measurements indicated an insignificant improvement of these parameters after four passes of WEDM. In addition, the formed recast layer was characterized by means of scanning electron microscopy (SEM), XRD, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The characterization investigation clearly shows diffusion of copper and zinc from the wire electrode into the work material, even after the final WEDM step. Finally, the importance of eliminating excessive WEDM steps is thoroughly discussed