Influence of advanced cylinder coatings on vehicular fuel economy and emissions in piston compression ring conjunction

IC engines contribute to global warming through extensive use of fossil fuel energy and emission of combustion by‐products. Innovative technologies such as cylinder de‐activation (CDA), after‐exhaust heat treatment, surface texturing and coatings are proposed to improve fuel economy and reduce emissions of the vehicle fleet. Therefore, study of coating technology through a comprehensive multi‐physics analytical model of engine top compression ring is important to ascertain ways of promoting energy savings. This paper presents a multi‐scale, multi‐physics model of the compression ring‐cylinder bore conjunction, using three alternative bore surfaces. The model comprises ring dynamics, contact tribology, heat transfer and gas blow‐by. Tribological and thermal properties of advanced coatings, such as Nickel Nanocomposite (NNC) and diamond‐like carbon (DLC) are compared with an uncoated steel bore surface as the base line configuration. Such a comprehensive analysis has not hitherto been reported in open literature, particularly with original contributions made through inclusion of salient properties of alternative bore materials for high performance race engines. Power loss and FMEP are evaluated in a dynamometric test, representative of the World‐ wide harmonised Light vehicles Test Cycle (WLTC). The NNC coating shows promising tribological improvements. The DLC coating is detrimental in terms of frictional power loss and FMEP, although it can effectively improve sealing of the combustion chamber. The differences in power loss of nominated bore surfaces are represented as fuel mass and CO emissions, using theoretical and empirical relations. For the first time the paper shows that advanced coatings can potentially mitigate the adverse environmental impacts of spark ignition (SI) engines, with significant repercussions when applied to the global gasoline‐powered vehicle fleet

Synthesis and characterisation of aluminium(III) imine bis(phenolate) complexes with application for the polymerisation of <i>rac</i>-LA

A series of Al(iii) complexes based on novel amine-bis(phenolate)s have been prepared for the production of polyesters.</p

Measuring the productivity of residential long-term care in England: methods for quality adjustment and regional comparison

Productivity trend information is valuable in developing policy and for understanding changes in the ‘value for money’ of the care system. In this paper, we consider approaches to measuring productivity of adult social care (ASC), and particularly care home services. Productivity growth in the public sector is traditionally measured by comparing change in total output to change in total inputs, but has not accounted for changes in service quality and need. In this study, we propose a method to estimate ‘quality adjusted’ output based on indicators of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit (ASCOT), using data collected in the annual adult social care survey (ASCS). When combined with expenditure and activity data for 2010 to 2012, we found that this approach was feasible to implement with current data and that it altered the productivity results compared with non-adjusted productivity metrics. Overall, quality-adjusted productivity grew in most regions between 2010 and 2011 and remained unchanged for most regions from 2011 to 2012

The role of adult social care in the prevention of intensive health and care needs: a scoping review

Context: Despite the strong emphasis on prevention in social care policy, there is a lack of evidence on the effectiveness of preventive social care interventions to delay escalation of intensive care needs. Objective(s): We reviewed the literature relating to the role of Adult Social Care to prevent escalation of care needs. We aimed to identify mechanisms in service delivery that prevent development of long-term care needs. Method(s): We used the PRISMA-ScR framework to review papers reporting the (cost)effectiveness of preventative services. Findings were qualitatively synthesised using elements of realist synthesis. Findings: Thirty-one papers were included covering: integrated care, intermediate care, rehabilitation, post-discharge services, community-based care, and domiciliary care. Overall, we found few studies with conclusive results to inform policy and practice. Moreover, the evidence was mostly concerned with the impact of social care on health care utilisation, with relatively few studies addressing the impact on social care utilisation. There was some preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of multi-faceted support set within the community, and improvements were observed for patients’ Quality of Life. Limitations: The variety of papers we included reflects the complexity of the social care landscape but prevents robust assessment of the impact of services to delay advancing care needs. Implications: Greater investment in research in this field will help policy makers and families target scarce resources and invest in the most effective prevention services. We emphasise the impact of prevention services can take several years to realise, which must be reflected in research design and social care funding

Synthesis and characterisation of Li11RE18M4O39−δ: RE = Nd or Sm; M = Al, Co or Fe

Four new phases of general formula, Li11RE18M4O39−δ: REM = NdAl, NdCo, SmCo, SmFe, have been synthesised and characterised. The NdAl phase, and probably the others, is isostructural with the NdFe analogue, but some cation disorder and partial site occupancies prevent full structural refinement of powder neutron diffraction data. The NdCo phase also forms a solid solution with variable Li content (and charge compensation by either oxygen vacancies or variable transition metal oxidation state). The NdAl phase is a modest conductor of Li+ ions whereas the other three phases are electronic conductors, attributed to mixed valence of the transition metal ions. Subsolidus phase diagrams for the systems Li2O–Nd2O3– Al2O3, ‘CoO’ have been determined and an additional new phase, LiCoNd4O8, which appears to have a K2NiF4-related superstructure, identified

Effects of different Papua New Guinea sweetpotato varieties on performance and level of enteric pathogens in chickens

Published: 23 April 2019In the last decade, research has targeted the evaluation of local feed ingredients for use in monogastric diets to alleviate the high cost of production of livestock at smallholder levels in Papua New Guinea (PNG). The PNG smallholder poultry production system involves many families who rear multiple batches of meat birds every year. This study was conducted to evaluate the levels of enteric pathogens in the caeca of broilers fed with sweetpotato diets with varying levels of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP). Selection of a sweetpotato variety for use in broiler diets should be based on the total NSP content. In particular, varieties with low soluble NSPs are economical to use as Apparent Metabolizable Energy (AME) values are within the desired range for poultry and there is minimal need to include enzymes to improve NSP digestibility. The use of varieties with a low total NSP is also advantageous as the numbers of Clostridium perfringens was lower in broilers fed with these sweetpotato varieties. The level of Campylobacter and Salmonella levels were high in the ceca of birds fed with the sweetpotato varieties with high total NSP. These levels can be reduced with the inclusion of enzymes. This information will assist in the efficient use of local varieties of sweetpotato in PNG by small holder poultry farmers for sustainable poultry production and the commercial industry.Janet Pandi, Phil Glatz, Rebecca Forder and Kapil Chousalka