Report on a visit to Sri Lanka to evaluate performance of traditional furnace/heat exchanger systems used in the tea industry: 10 to 29 November 1992

Under a project entitled "Fuel efficient wood-fired furnace systems" NRI has developed a fuel efficient wood fired furnace/heat exchanger system suitable for application in developing countries. To gauge its effectiveness in both economic and technical terms a comparative study of a typical system used in the Sri Lankan tea industry was carried out. This was coupled to a detailed energy audit of a tea processing factory in order to assess the relative importance of process heat within the entire manufacturing operation. This exercise was carried out in close collaboration with Browns Engineering, a long established Sri Lankan company which sells and maintains tea furnace/dryer equipment both to the Sri Lankan industry and for export. On the evidence of detailed trial results at one factory, observations in other factories, and discussion with equipment suppliers; there are clearly significant energy savings that could be achieved in the industry. Servicing of existing furnace equipment and furnace operator training should be given high priority. Production scheduling within the new factory groupings·also offers scope for reduced specific energy consumption. It was also established from the assignment that there exists a desire to upgrade furnace equipment in the tea industry. The NRI unit is competitively priced and offers significantly improved wood fuel utilization. Changes in the industry and the plans of new management groups to improve efficiency and update manufacturing techniques makes this an opportune time for introduction of the NRI design. A simple payback financial analysis shows that there are financial benefits in replacing old and inefficient units. A suitable venue for field testing and techno-economic evaluation of performance under prolonged operation has been identified

Anisotropic Neutron Spin Resonance in Superconducting BaFe1.9_{1.9}Ni0.1_{0.1}As2_2

We use polarized inelastic neutron scattering to show that the neutron spin resonance below $T_c$ in superconducting BaFe$_{1.9}$Ni$_{0.1}$As$_2$ ($T_c=20$ K) is purely magnetic in origin. Our analysis further reveals that the resonance peak near 7~meV only occurs for the planar response. This challenges the common perception that the spin resonance in the pnictides is an isotropic triplet excited state of the singlet Cooper pairs, as our results imply that only the $S_{001}=\pm1$ components of the triplet are involved

Proteomic analysis revealed that the oomyceticide phosphite exhibits multi-modal action in an oomycete pathosystem

Phytopathogenic oomycetes constitute some of the most devastating plant pathogens and cause significant crop and horticultural yield and economic losses. The phytopathogen Phytophthora cinnamomi causes dieback disease in native vegetation and several crops. The most commonly used chemical to control P. cinnamomi is the oomyceticide phosphite. Despite its widespread use, the mode of action of phosphite is not well understood and it is unclear whether it targets the pathogen, the host, or both. Resistance to phosphite is emerging in P. cinnamomi isolates and other oomycete phytopathogens. The mode of action of phosphite on phosphite-sensitive and resistant isolates of the pathogen and through a model host was investigated using label-free quantitative proteomics. In vitro treatment of sensitive P. cinnamomi isolates with phosphite hinders growth by interfering with metabolism, signalling and gene expression; traits that are not observed in the resistant isolate. When the model host Lupinus angustifolius was treated with phosphite, proteins associated with photosynthesis, carbon fixation and lipid metabolism in the host were enriched. Increased production of defence-related proteins was also observed in the plant. We hypothesise the multi-modal action of phosphite and present two models constructed using comparative proteomics that demonstrate mechanisms of pathogen and host responses to phosphite. Significance: Phytophthora cinnamomi is a significant phytopathogenic oomycete that causes root rot (dieback) in a number of horticultural crops and a vast range of native vegetation. Historically, areas infected with phosphite have been treated with the oomyceticide phosphite despite its unknown mode of action. Additionally, overuse of phosphite has driven the emergence of phosphite-resistant isolates of the pathogen. We conducted a comparative proteomic study of a sensitive and resistant isolate of P. cinnamomi in response to treatment with phosphite, and the response of a model host, Lupinus angustifolius, to phosphite and its implications on infection. The present study has allowed for a deeper understanding of the bimodal action of phosphite, suggested potential biochemical factors contributing to chemical resistance in P. cinnamomi, and unveiled possible drivers of phosphite-induced host plant immunity to the pathogen

A Right to ‘Dying Well’ with Dementia? Capacity, ‘Choice’ and Relationality.

A right to 'dying well' with dementia? Capacity, 'choice' and relationalit

Spin density wave induced disordering of the vortex lattice in superconducting La2−x_{2-x}Srx_xCuO4_4

We use small angle neutron scattering to study the superconducting vortex lattice in La$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$CuO$_4$ as a function of doping and magnetic field. We show that near optimally doping the vortex lattice coordination and the superconducting coherence length $\xi$ are controlled by a van-Hove singularity crossing the Fermi level near the Brillouin zone boundary. The vortex lattice properties change dramatically as a spin-density-wave instability is approached upon underdoping. The Bragg glass paradigm provides a good description of this regime and suggests that SDW order acts as a novel source of disorder on the vortex lattice.Comment: Accepted in Phys. Rev.

Electronic and Magnetic Structures of Chain Structured Iron Selenide Compounds

Electronic and magnetic structures of iron selenide compounds Ce2O2FeSe2 (2212\ast) and BaFe2Se3(123\ast) are studied by the first-principles calculations. We find that while all these compounds are composed of one-dimensional (1D) Fe chain (or ladder) structures, their electronic structures are not close to be quasi-1D. The magnetic exchange couplings between two nearest-neighbor (NN) chains in 2212\ast and between two NN two-leg-ladders in 123\ast are both antiferromagnetic (AFM), which is consistent with the presence of significant third NN AFM coupling, a common feature shared in other iron-chalcogenides, FeTe (11\ast) and KyFe2-xSe2 (122\ast). In magnetic ground states, each Fe chain of 2212\ast is ferromagnetic and each two-leg ladder of 123\ast form a block-AFM structure. We suggest that all magnetic structures in iron-selenide compounds can be unified into an extended J1-J2-J3 model. Spin-wave excitations of the model are calculated and can be tested by future experiments on these two systems.Comment: 6 pages, 6 figures, 2 table

Norwich COVID-19 testing initiative pilot: evaluating the feasibility of asymptomatic testing on a university campus

Background: There is a high prevalence of COVID-19 in university-age students, who are returning to campuses. There is little evidence regarding the feasibility of universal, asymptomatic testing to help control outbreaks in this population. This study aimed to pilot mass COVID-19 testing on a university research park, to assess the feasibility and acceptability of scaling up testing to all staff and students. Methods: This was a cross-sectional feasibility study on a university research park in the East of England. All staff and students (5625) were eligible to participate. All participants were offered four PCR swabs, which they self-administered over two weeks. Outcome measures included uptake, drop-out rate, positivity rates, participant acceptability measures, laboratory processing measures, data collection and management measures. Results: 798 (76%) of 1053 who registered provided at least one swab; 687 (86%) provided all four; 792 (99%) of 798 who submitted at least one swab had all negative results and 6 participants had one inconclusive result. There were no positive results. 458 (57%) of 798 participants responded to a post-testing survey, demonstrating a mean acceptability score of 4.51/5, with five being the most positive. Conclusions: Repeated self-testing for COVID-19 using PCR is feasible and acceptable to a university population

Progress in Neutron Scattering Studies of Spin Excitations in High-Tc Cuprates

Neutron scattering experiments continue to improve our knowledge of spin fluctuations in layered cuprates, excitations that are symptomatic of the electronic correlations underlying high-temperature superconductivity. Time-of-flight spectrometers, together with new and varied single crystal samples, have provided a more complete characterization of the magnetic energy spectrum and its variation with carrier concentration. While the spin excitations appear anomalous in comparison with simple model systems, there is clear consistency among a variety of cuprate families. Focusing initially on hole-doped systems, we review the nature of the magnetic spectrum, and variations in magnetic spectral weight with doping. We consider connections with the phenomena of charge and spin stripe order, and the potential generality of such correlations as suggested by studies of magnetic-field and impurity induced order. We contrast the behavior of the hole-doped systems with the trends found in the electron-doped superconductors. Returning to hole-doped cuprates, studies of translation-symmetry-preserving magnetic order are discussed, along with efforts to explore new systems. We conclude with a discussion of future challenges.Comment: revised version, to be published in JPSJ, 20 pages, 21 figure

Optimal strategy to identify incidence of diagnostic of diabetes using administrative data

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Accurate estimates of incidence and prevalence of the disease is a vital step toward appropriate interventions for chronic disease like diabetes. A growing body of scientific literature is now available on producing accurate information from administrative data. Advantages of use of administrative data to determine disease incidence include feasibility, accessibility and low cost, but straightforward use of administrative data can produce biased information on incident cases of chronic disease like diabetes. The present study aimed to compare criteria for the selection of diabetes incident cases in a medical administrative database.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An exhaustive retrospective cohort of diabetes cases was constructed for 2002 using the Canadian National Diabetes Surveillance System case definition (one hospitalization or two physician claims with a diagnosis of diabetes over a 2-year period) with the Quebec health service database. To identify previous occurrence of diabetes in the database, a five-year observation period was evaluated using retrograde survival function and kappa agreement. The use of NDSS case definition to identify incident cases was compared to a single occurrence of an ICD-9 code 250 in the records using the McNemar test.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Retrograde survival function showed that the probability of being a true incident case after a 5-year diabetes-free observation period was almost constant and near 0.14. Agreement between 10 years (maximum period) and 5 years and more diabetes-free observation periods were excellent (kappa > 0.9). Respectively 41,261 and 37,473 incident cases were identified using a 5-year diabetes-free observation period with NDSS definition and using a single ICD-9 code 250.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>A 5-year diabetes-free observation period was a conservative time to identify incident cases in an administrative database using one ICD-9 code 250 record.</p