Carbon dioxide as the working fluid in heating and/or cooling systems

Despite vigorous research the use of carbon dioxide in the market is still relatively small. This is due to legislation, and technical difficulties of developing efficient, acceptable carbon dioxide systems

The detection of ultra-relativistic electrons in low Earth orbit

Aims. To better understand the radiation environment in low Earth orbit (LEO), the analysis of in-situ observations of a variety of particles, at different atmospheric heights, and in a wide range of energies, is needed. Methods. We present an analysis of energetic particles, indirectly detected by the Large Yield RAdiometer (LYRA) instrument on board ESA's Project for On-board Autonomy 2 (PROBA2) satellite as background signal. Combining Energetic Particle Telescope (EPT) observations with LYRA data for an overlapping period of time, we identified these particles as electrons with an energy range of 2 to 8 MeV. Results. The observed events are strongly correlated to geo-magnetic activity and appear even during modest disturbances. They are also well confined geographically within the L=4-6 McIlwain zone, which makes it possible to identify their source. Conclusions. Although highly energetic particles are commonly perturbing data acquisition of space instruments, we show in this work that ultra-relativistic electrons with energies in the range of 2-8 MeV are detected only at high latitudes, while not present in the South Atlantic Anomaly region.Comment: Topical Issue: Flares, CMEs and SEPs and their space weather impacts; 20 pages; 7 figures; Presented during 13th European Space Weather Week, 201

Seafood from Norway : food safety

Since Norway is a major supplier of seafood worldwide, monitoring the food safety of Norwegian fish products is a priority. This commentary gives a brief overview of the food safety of seafood from Norwegian waters. Several preventative measures during harvest/catch, processing and distribution have been established and are implemented regularly. Furthermore, comprehensive monitoring programmes to detect and quantify undesirable substances, such as heavy metals and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), in Norwegian seafood are carried out. Substances with health benefits, such as omega-3 fatty acids, are also analysed. In general, evidence shows the level of undesirable substances in seafood from Norway to be low. In fact, in the majority of samples analysed, levels of undesirable substances were reported to be below the maximum limit set by the European Union (EU). This leads to the conclusion that consumption of seafood originating from Norway involves a low risk of negative health effects and that consumers can have confidence in the products they purchase.peer-reviewe

Northern News

The news items include: 1) a summary of round table conference concerning Eskimo affairs that was held in Ottawa on May 19-20, 1952 (reprinted from Arctic Circular, v. 5, no. 4, 1952, p. 41-43); 2) information on the Canadian ice distribution survey by J. Keith Fraser (reprinted from Arctic Circular, v. 5, no. 5, 1952, p. 56); 3) a summary of two articles written by Provst Aage Bugge (an obituary of Provst C.W. Schultz-Lorentzen and a book review of a novel, "Kateketen Johannes", by Karl Heilmann) that were published in pamphlet no. 79 of Meddelelser om Den grønlandske Kirkesag; and 4) a notice that the Shorey Book Store of Seattle has issued a catalogue of their books on Alaska and the Arctic

A summary of the BARREL campaigns: Technique for studying electron precipitation.

BARREL observed electron precipitation over wide range of energy and timescalesPrecipitating electron distribution is determined using spectroscopy for 19 January 2013 eventBARREL timing data has accuracy within sampling interval of 0.05 s

On the contribution of thermal excitation to the total 630.0 nm emissions in the northern cusp ionosphere

Direct impact excitation by precipitating electrons is believed to be the main source of 630.0 nm emissions in the cusp ionosphere. However, this paper investigates a different source, 630.0 emissions caused by thermally excited atomic oxygen O$(^{1}$D) when high electron temperature prevail in the cusp. On 22 January 2012 and 14 January 2013, the European Incoherent Scatter Scientific Association (EISCAT) radar on Svalbard measured electron temperature enhancements exceeding 3000 K near magnetic noon in the cusp ionosphere over Svalbard. The electron temperature enhancements corresponded to electron density enhancements exceeding $10^{11}$m$^{-3}$ accompanied by intense 630.0 nm emissions in a field of view common to both the EISCAT Svalbard radar and a meridian scanning photometer. This offered an excellent opportunity to investigate the role of thermally excited O$(^{1}$D) 630.0 nm emissions in the cusp ionosphere. The thermal component was derived from the EISCAT Radar measurements and compared with optical data. For both events the calculated thermal component had a correlation coefficient greater than 0.8 to the total observed 630.0 nm intensity which contains both thermal and particle impact components. Despite fairly constant solar wind, the calculated thermal component intensity fluctuated possibly due to dayside transients in the aurora

Microwave ablation therapy for colorectal liver metastases

BACKGROUND: The gold standard treatment for colorectal cancer liver metastases (CRCLM) is surgical resection. Unfortunately, the majority of patients with colorectal hepatic metastases are not candidates for resection. In recent years, several alternatives have emerged for patients whom are not resection candidates including modern systemic chemotherapy, targeted biologic treatments, regional therapies and local tumor ablation options. Microwave ablation (MWA) therapy is one such treatment alternative, based on thermal tissue ablation. This modality in concert with the most recent published literature on its use for patients with CRCLM will be reviewed in this paper. LITERATURE REVIEW FINDINGS: A structured review of the literature on ablative technologies was performed. In recent years, there has been an evolution from radiofrequency ablation (RFA) to microwave ablation therapy for the treatment of CRCLM. RFA has several limitations to its use and MWA theoretically avoids such limitations making it the currently preferable treatment option. There are limited publications comparing the use of RFA to MWA and limited publications on the use of microwave ablation for CRCLM. This paper will focus on the most recent data on MWA for CRCLM. This data can then be compared to the already published data on RFA. PROPOSED METHODS: Given the relative novel status for MWA as a treatment option for CRCLM, a potential disadvantage for its use is the perceived lack of knowledge across the medical professional spectrum. In an effort to expand the knowledge of MWA, the proposed outcomes for this study include creating a curriculum to be offered as a CME course focused for Primary Care Providers (PCPs) to provide a basis of clinical familiarity for its use. This effort will familiarize providers who may have patients diagnosed with CRCLM and also allow them to initiate the conversation about this therapy with their patients who may be candidates for this treatment. CONCLUSIONS: MWA therapy is a safe and effective treatment modality for CRCLM. Due to this new development in treating liver lesions originating from colorectal cancer, it’s imperative for providers to become familiar with these new technologies especially considering the high incidence of CRCLM. Therefore, a curriculum for PCPs will allow for a better understanding of this new technology and foster better provider-patient relationships