Domestic UK retrofit challenge: Barriers, incentives and current performance leading into the green deal

Copyright @ 2012 Elsevier - The official published version can be accessed from the link below.This paper reviews the thermal performance of the existing UK housing stock, the main fabric efficiency incentive schemes and the barriers to obtaining deep energy and CO2 savings throughout the stock. The UK faces a major challenge to improve the thermal performance of its existing housing stock. Millions of dwellings possess ‘hard-to-treat’ solid walls and have glazing which is not cost effective to improve. A range of fabric efficiency incentive schemes exist, but many do not target the full range of private and social housing. From now on, the Green Deal will be the UK's key energy efficiency policy. However, the scheme is forecasted to have low consumer appeal and low incentives for investors. Moreover, calculated Green Deal loan repayments will be reliant upon estimated energy savings, yet it is claimed that retrofit measures may only be half as effective as anticipated due to a lack of monitoring, poor quality installation and the increased use of heating following refurbishment. Looking to Germany, there has been success through the Passivhaus standard, but the UK currently lacks appropriate skills and cost effective components to replicate this approach. In addition, the embodied energy in retrofit products and materials threatens to counter operational savings.This study is funded by the EPSRC, Brunel University and Buro Happold Ltd

Long-term trends in f0 F2 over Grahamstown using Neural Networks

Many authors have claimed to have found long-term trends in f0 F2 , or the lack thereof, for different stations. Such investigations usually involve gross assumptions about the variation of f0 F2 with solar activity in order to isolate the long-term trend, and the variation with magnetic activity is often ignored completely. This work describes two techniques that make use of Neural Networks to isolate long-term variations from variations due to season, local time, solar and magnetic activity. The techniques are applied to f0 F2 data from Grahamstown, South Africa (26 E, 33 S). The maximum long-term change is shown to be extremely linear, and negative for most hours and days. The maximum percentage change tends to occur in summer in the afternoon, but is noticeably dependent on solar activity. The effect of magnetic activity on the percentage change is not marked

Reducing Polarization Mode Dispersion With Controlled Polarization Rotations

One of the fundamental limitations to high bit rate, long distance, telecommunication in optical fibers is Polarization Mode Dispersion (PMD). Here we introduce a conceptually new method to reduce PMD in optical fibers by carrying out controlled rotations of polarization at predetermined locations along the fiber. The distance between these controlled polarization rotations must be less than both the beat length and the mode coupling length of the fiber. This method can also be combined with the method in which the fiber is spun while it drawn. The incidence of imperfections on the efficiency of the method is analysed.Comment: 4 page

First critical field measurements of superconducting films by third harmonic analysis

The temperature behaviour of the first critical field ($B_{C1}$) of superconducting thin film samples can be determined with high accuracy using an inductive and contactless method. Driving a sinusoidal current in a single coil placed in front of the sample, a non zero third harmonic voltage $V_{3}$ is induced in it when Abrikosov vortices enter the sample. Conditions to be satisfied for the quantitative evaluation of $B_{C1}$ using this technique are detailed. As validation test, different type II superconductors (Nb, NbN, MgB$_{2}$ and Y$_{1}$Ba$_{2}$Cu$_{3}$O$_{7-d}$ under the form of thin films) have been measured. The comparison between experimental results, data presented in literature and theoretical predictions is presented and discussed.Comment: to be published in Journal of Applied Physic

Axially open nonradiative structures: an example of single-mode resonator based on the sample holder

The concept of nonradiative dielectric resonator is generalized in order to include axially open configurations having rotational invariance. The resulting additional nonradiative conditions are established for the different resonance modes on the basis of their azimuthal modal index. An approximate chart of the allowed dielectric and geometrical parameters for the TE011 mode is given. A practical realization of the proposed device based on commercial fused quartz tubes is demonstrated at millimeter wavelengths, together with simple excitation and tuning mechanisms. The observed resonances are characterized in their basic parameters, as well as in the field distribution by means of a finite element method. The predictions of the theoretical analysis are well confirmed, both in the general behaviour and in the expected quality factors. The resulting device, in which the sample holder acts itself as single-mode resonating element, combines an extreme ease of realization with state-of-the-art performances. The general benefits of the proposed open single-mode resonators are finally discussed.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figure

Ince's limits for confluent and double-confluent Heun equations

We find pairs of solutions to a differential equation which is obtained as a special limit of a generalized spheroidal wave equation (this is also known as confluent Heun equation). One solution in each pair is given by a series of hypergeometric functions and converges for any finite value of the independent variable $z$, while the other is given by a series of modified Bessel functions and converges for $|z|>|z_{0}|$, where $z_{0}$ denotes a regular singularity. For short, the preceding limit is called Ince's limit after Ince who have used the same procedure to get the Mathieu equations from the Whittaker-Hill ones. We find as well that, when $z_{0}$ tends to zero, the Ince limit of the generalized spheroidal wave equation turns out to be the Ince limit of a double-confluent Heun equation, for which solutions are provided. Finally, we show that the Schr\"odinger equation for inverse fourth and sixth-power potentials reduces to peculiar cases of the double-confluent Heun equation and its Ince's limit, respectively.Comment: Submitted to Journal of Mathmatical Physic

Geometric scaling of purely-elastic flow instabilities

We present a combined experimental, numerical and theoretical investigation of the geometric scaling of the onset of a purely-elastic flow instability in a serpentine channel. Good qualitative agreement is obtained between experiments, using dilute solutions of flexible polymers in microfluidic devices, and two-dimensional numerical simulations using the UCM model. The results are confirmed by a simple theoretical analysis, based on the dimensionless criterion proposed by Pakdel-McKinley for onset of a purely-elastic instability

Learning our lesson: using past policies to improve digital and ethnic inequalities beyond the pandemic

COVID-19 has had a disproportionate impact on ethnic minorities in the UK, raising questions about whether learning from the past few decades about the interplay between ethnicity and health inequalities has been effectively incorporated in current health policy. As digital health approaches, such as remote consultations and apps, become more widespread during and after the pandemic, it is important to ensure that these do not contribute to 'widening the gap'. We highlight three areas in which existing knowledge and evidence can be translated into cross-sectoral action to avoid further ethnic and digital health inequalities: data and measurement, improved communication, and embedded equality impact

Study of the local field distribution on a single-molecule magnet-by a single paramagnetic crystal; a DPPH crystal on the surface of an Mn12-acetate crystal

The local magnetic field distribution on the subsurface of a single-molecule magnet crystal, SMM, above blocking temperature (T >> Tb) detected for a very short time interval (~ 10-10 s), has been investigated. Electron Paramagnetic Resonance (EPR) spectroscopy using a local paramagnetic probe was employed as a simple alternative detection method. An SMM crystal of [Mn12O12(CH3COO)16(H2O)4].2CH3COOH.4H2O (Mn12-acetate) and a crystal of 2,2- diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) as the paramagnetic probe were chosen for this study. The EPR spectra of DPPH deposited on Mn12-acetate show additional broadening and shifting in the magnetic field in comparison to the spectra of the DPPH in the absence of the SMM crystal. The additional broadening of the DPPH linewidth was considered in terms of the two dominant electron spin interactions (dipolar and exchange) and the local magnetic field distribution on the crystal surface. The temperature dependence of the linewidth of the Gaussian distribution of local fields at the SMM surface was extrapolated for the low temperature interval (70-5 K)