Giant Fluctuations of Coulomb Drag in a Bilayer System

We have observed reproducible fluctuations of the Coulomb drag, both as a function of magnetic field and electron concentration, which are a manifestation of quantum interference of electrons in the layers. At low temperatures the fluctuations exceed the average drag, giving rise to random changes of the sign of the drag. The fluctuations are found to be much larger than previously expected, and we propose a model which explains their enhancement by considering fluctuations of local electron properties.Comment: 10 pages, 4 figure

Effect of silicic acid and other silicon compounds on fungal growth in oligotrophic and nutrient-rich media

Mycelium grew from a spore-mycelial inoculum of Aspergillus oryzae added to ultra-pure water (upw) containing silicon compounds, but did not grow in upw alone. Growth of other fungi also occurred in upw only when silicon compounds were added. Increased growth of A. oryzae, and other fungi, also followed the addition of silicic acid and other silicon compounds to Czapek Dox. Aspergillus oryzae solubilized silicon compounds in both upw and nutrient-rich media. Although interactions between microorganisms and silicon have been generally neglected, the results show that silicon compounds can increase fungal growth under both oligotrophic and nutrient-rich conditions

Highly Restrictive Goals Turn Temptations into Multifinal Means

A goal that is characterized by highly restrictive demands threatens personal behavioral freedoms, activating psychological reactance. Reactance is a goal to restore the freedom to engage in those threatened behaviors. As such, temptations that are forbidden by the highly restrictive goal satisfy the goal to indulge in an appealing behavior (the definition of temptation), and the freedom goal activated by psychological reactance. The present work investigated the hypothesis that highly restrictive goals transform temptations into multifinal means. Consequently increasing their perceived value and decreasing their perceived instrumentality, compared to unifinal alternatives. Two studies supported this hypothesis. Temptations-means were perceived as less instrumental than goal-means in the context of a highly restrictive goal, but not in the context of a less restrictive goal (Study 2). Additionally, highly restrictive goals caused greater desire for restricted than non-restricted temptations, but a less restrictive goal did not (Study 3). These findings demonstrated that when goals are framed as highly restrictive, temptations are transformed from unifinal into multifinal means.Bachelor of Art

Geodynamic implications for zonal and meridional isotopic patterns across the northern Lau and North Fiji Basins

We present new Sr-Nd-Pb-Hf-He isotopic data for sixty-five volcanic samples from the northern Lau and North Fiji Basin. This includes forty-seven lavas obtained from forty dredge sites spanning an east-west transect across the Lau and North Fiji basins, ten ocean island basalt (OIB)-type lavas collected from seven Fijian islands, and eight OIB lavas sampled on Rotuma. For the first time we are able to map clear north-south and east-west geochemical gradients in 87Sr/86Sr across the northern Lau and North Fiji Basins: lavas with the most geochemically enriched radiogenic isotopic signatures are located in the northeast Lau Basin, while signatures of geochemical enrichment are diminished to the south and west away from the Samoan hotspot. Based on these geochemical patterns and plate reconstructions of the region, these observations are best explained by the addition of Samoa, Rurutu, and Rarotonga hotspot material over the past 4 Ma. We suggest that underplated Samoan material has been advected into the Lau Basin over the past ∼4 Ma. As the slab migrated west (and toward the Samoan plume) via rollback over time, younger and hotter (and therefore less viscous) underplated Samoan plume material was entrained. Thus, entrainment efficiency of underplated plume material was enhanced, and Samoan plume signatures in the Lau Basin became stronger as the trench approached the Samoan hotspot. The addition of subducted volcanoes to the Cook-Austral Volcanic Lineament material, first from the Rarotonga hotspot, then followed by the Rurutu hotspot, contributes to the extreme geochemical signatures observed in the northeast Lau Basin

The use of solid biomass stoves for heating: An investigation into the effects of fuel properties and operational practices on pollutant emissions

There is considerable public interest in the emission of pollutants, especially smoke, from wood burning stoves in the UK. The popularity of residential combustion appliances has increased in recent years which has contributed in poor urban air quality. Additionally, the use of inadequate fuels and limitations in stove testing methods may suggest that the negative impact of such appliances is worse than currently predicted. Combustion testing was undertaken on a HETAS approved 5.7 kW Waterford Stanley Oisin SF NB multifuel heating stove. A custom LabVIEW development platform was constructed for measuring various combustion properties including burning rate, flue gas flowrate and temperature. Gaseous pollutant analysis was undertaken using fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy and electrochemical sensors. Particulate pollutant sampling was undertaken using a Dekati PM10 Impactor system. Independent studies investigated changes in combustion conditions and pollutant formation associated with (i) changes in the properties of the fuel and (ii) the influence of the stove operator. Predominantly, the impact of fuelwood moisture content, cold-start operation and reproducibility where reviewed. Moisture content (MC%) was shown to significantly affect the properties of the combustion reaction. The combustion of wet fuelwood resulted in lower combustion temperatures and a prolonged burning period (reduced burning rate). The emission of CO, CH4, non-methane volatile organic compound (NMVOC) and CH2O was shown to increase with (i) an increase in MC% and (ii) the subsequent reduction in combustion temperature. The average CO emission for dry fuelwood (MC is 20%) was 105.6±12.3 g/kgfuel. The average CH4 emission for dry fuelwood was 1.32±0.76 g/kgfuel and for wet fuelwood was 5.01.6±2.48 g/kgfuel. The average NMVOC emission for dry fuelwood was 2.14±1.26 g/kgfuel and for wet fuelwood was 8.51±4.17 g/kgfuel. The average CH2O emission for dry fuelwood was 0.47±0.36 g/kgfuel and for wet fuelwood was 2.00±1.09 g/kgfuel. Both NOx and SO2 emission was shown to be generally unaffected by MC% and was dependent upon fuel nitrogen and sulphur content. Particulate matter (PM) emission was also found to vary depending on MC%. The combustion of dry fuelwood produced lower PM emissions (2.03±1.06 g/kgfuel) than wet fuelwood (7.20±4.85 g/kgfuel). As a result, combusting fuelwood which maintains Ready to Burn certified moisture contents contributes in a PM emission reduction of 112%. In addition, the structure and morphology of soot generated by the combustion of dry and wet fuelwood was also found to differ. Dry fuelwood produced soot comprising long chains of spherical particulate matter which presented a higher elemental carbon (EC) fraction. Alternatively, wet fuelwood produced amorphous tar-like material which presented a higher organic carbon (OC) fraction. The impact of repeat stove testing was examined in order to determine the effect of prolonged operational practices and emission inventory sample size on the properties of the combustion process and results confidence. An increase in the inventory size resulted in an improvement in results confidence to an extent. Issues relating to reproducibility were observed when additional batches were applied to the stove. An increase in combustion temperature was identified during prolonged stove operation which improved combustion efficiency and reduced reproducibility. Poor stove operation was also presented during prolonged operation in response to limitations in the fuel. Finally, individual events relating to the dynamic nature of the combustion reaction limited reproducibility. These events, such as a fuel particle falling from the heated grate, leads to an increase in emissions and is identified as an uncontrollable factor. Finally, the inclusion of cold-start operation within standard operating practices and emission inventories was investigated. Cold-start testing is often negated from standardised testing procedures due to the difficulties in attaining repeatable results. The findings of this work revealed a notable increase in the average emission of CO by a factor of 2.9, total hydrocarbon (THC) by a factor of 2.4 and PM by a factor of 1 when cold-start data was included. Data from stove testing is applied in the regulation of appliances and in climate modelling. These results show that by neglecting cold-start data from accreditation and testing practices, emission inventories may be underestimating the true impact of stove operation. This is of greater importance in urban locations where air quality problems persist, and stove operational duration may be confined to a single cold-start batch only

Emissions performance of high moisture wood fuels burned in a residential stove

A study has been made of the effect of fuel moisture content on emissions from a wood burning domestic stove. Two fuel types were studied: beech which is a hardwood, and spruce which is a softwood. The moisture contents investigated were for a freshly felled wood, a seasoned wood and a kiln dried wood. The effect of the moisture measurement method was considered using a commercial electrical conductivity probe moisture meter which was compared with laboratory analysis by drying in an oven at 105 °C. It was shown that the probe can significantly underestimate the actual moisture content in certain cases. Correlations were made of the burning rate, the Emission Factors for the formation of gaseous and particulate pollutants as a function of the moisture content. We also studied the ratio of Black Carbon to Total Carbon (BC/TC) to obtain information on the organic content of the particles. The NOₓ emissions from this type of stove were only dependent on the fuel-nitrogen content and not on the moisture content

An integrated low carbon energy solution to cooking fuel, tailored to Niger state’s rural population

Niger State (Nigeria) was selected as a case study of renewable, affordable and user friendly clean energy provision in remote areas of developing countries. Niger state has 80% of its 4.5 million population living in rural agrarian areas with low literacy rates, there is a lack of wind thus eliminating wind as widely available potential power source. Based on the assessment of the local large insolation, the type of agricultural, biomass and husbandry resources, this study selected the design of anaerobic digestion units processing mostly animal and human waste, and whose heating and power requirement would be entirely provided by solar photovoltaic/thermal to maintain optimum efficiency of the biogas production. The designs was carried out at the scale of up to 15 household demand (community scale). Volume and therefore the production of biogas maybe increased or decreased in the design considered, and local, low cost resilient material were proposed. The proposed system was costed for a community of 24 people, demonstrating the potential for clean and renewable gas production economically

Is a specialist breathlessness service more effective and cost-effective for patients with advanced cancer and their carers than standard care? Findings of a mixed-method randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Breathlessness is common in advanced cancer. The Breathlessness Intervention Service (BIS) is a multi-disciplinary complex intervention theoretically underpinned by a palliative care approach, utilising evidence-based non-pharmacological and pharmacological interventions to support patients with advanced disease. We sought to establish whether BIS was more effective, and cost-effective, for patients with advanced cancer and their carers than standard care. METHODS: A single-centre Phase III fast-track single-blind mixed-method randomised controlled trial (RCT) of BIS versus standard care was conducted. Participants were randomised to one of two groups (randomly permuted blocks). A total of 67 patients referred to BIS were randomised (intervention arm n = 35; control arm n = 32 received BIS after a two-week wait); 54 completed to the key outcome measurement. The primary outcome measure was a 0 to 10 numerical rating scale for patient distress due to breathlessness at two-weeks. Secondary outcomes were evaluated using the Chronic Respiratory Questionnaire, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Client Services Receipt Inventory, EQ-5D and topic-guided interviews. RESULTS: BIS reduced patient distress due to breathlessness (primary outcome: -1.29; 95% CI -2.57 to -0.005; P = 0.049) significantly more than the control group; 94% of respondents reported a positive impact (51/53). BIS reduced fear and worry, and increased confidence in managing breathlessness. Patients and carers consistently identified specific and repeatable aspects of the BIS model and interventions that helped. How interventions were delivered was important. BIS legitimised breathlessness and increased knowledge whilst making patients and carers feel 'not alone'. BIS had a 66% likelihood of better outcomes in terms of reduced distress due to breathlessness at lower health/social care costs than standard care (81% with informal care costs included). CONCLUSIONS: BIS appears to be more effective and cost-effective in advanced cancer than standard care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: RCT registration at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00678405 (May 2008) and Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN04119516 (December 2008).The study was supported by the following funders: NIHR Research for Patient Benefit (for Phase III RCT funding); Macmillan Cancer Support (MF’s post-doctoral fellowship); The Gatsby Foundation for the initial funding of BIS; and AT Prevost was supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and King’s College London. The study sponsor was CUHNFT.This is the final published version. It first appeared at http://www.biomedcentral.com/1741-7015/12/194

Nurses\u27 Alumnae Association Bulletin - Volume 6 Number 9

Remember the Relief Fund Welcome! Miss Childs Financial Report Calendar of Coming Events Lest You Forget! Attention Review of the Alumnae Association Meetings Institutional Staff Nurses\u27 Section Report of Staff Activities - 1947-1948 Private Duty Section The White Haven Division Barton Memorial Division Remember the Relief Fund Student Nurses\u27 Activities Jefferson Scores Again The Clara Melville Scholarship Fund Interesting Activities of the Nurses\u27 Home Committee of the Women\u27s Board Exclusive for Nurses Changes in the Maternity Division Gray Lady Musical Therapy Service Memorial Service Honoring Mrs. Bessie Dobson Altemus The Blood Donor Center The Hospital Pharmacy Medical College News Remember the Relief Fund Administrative Staff and Faculty of the School of Nursing Streptomycin Changes in the Staff at Jefferson Hospital Care of the Thoracic Surgical Patient Miscellaneous Items Marriages New Arrivals Deaths The Bulletin Committee Attention, Alumnae New Addresse