Multi-component complex hydrides for hydrogen storage

Hydrogen as an energy vector offers great potential for mobile energy generation through fuel cell technology, however this depends on safe, mobile and high density storage of hydrogen. The destabilised multi-component complex hydride system LiBH4 : MgH2 was investigated in order to characterise the destabilisation reactions which enable reduction of operating temperatures for this high capacity system (ca. 9.8 wt.%). In-situ neutron diffraction showed that regardless of stoichiometry similar reaction paths were followed forming LiH and MgB¬2¬ when decomposed under H¬2 and Mg-Li alloys (Mg0.816Li0.184 and Mg0.70Li0.30) when under dynamic vacuum. Hydrogen isotherms of the 0.3LiBH4 : MgH¬2¬ showed a dual plateau behaviour with the lower plateau due to the destabilised LiBH4 reaction. Thermodynamic data calculated from the isotherm results showed a significant reduction in the T(1bar) for LiBH4 to 322 C (cf. 459 C for LiBH4(l)). Cycling behaviour of 0.3LiBH4 : MgH2 system decomposed under both reaction environments showed very fast kinetics on deuteriding at 400C and 100 bar D2, reaching 90 % conversion within 20 minutes. In contrast 2LiBH4 : MgH2 samples had kinetics an order of magnitude slower and after 4 hours conversions <50 %. These results demonstrate the strong influence of stoichiometry in the cycling kinetics compared to decomposition conditions. Investigation of catalysts found dispersion of metal hydrides through long ball-milling times, or dispersion through reaction with metal halide additions provided the greatest degree of kinetic advantage, with pre-milled NbH providing the best kinetic improvement without reducing capacity due to Li-halide formation. Finally, additions of LiAlH4 to the system formed an Al dispersion through the sample during decomposition, which acted both as a catalyst and destabilising agent on the MgH2 component, forming Mg-Al-Li alloys. Decomposition under H2 also showed a destabilisation effect for the LiBH4 component

Multi-component complex hydrides for hydrogen storage

Hydrogen as an energy vector offers great potential for mobile energy generation through fuel cell technology, however this depends on safe, mobile and high density storage of hydrogen. The destabilised multi-component complex hydride system LiBH4 : MgH2 was investigated in order to characterise the destabilisation reactions which enable reduction of operating temperatures for this high capacity system (ca. 9.8 wt.%). In-situ neutron diffraction showed that regardless of stoichiometry similar reaction paths were followed forming LiH and MgB¬2¬ when decomposed under H¬2 and Mg-Li alloys (Mg0.816Li0.184 and Mg0.70Li0.30) when under dynamic vacuum. Hydrogen isotherms of the 0.3LiBH4 : MgH¬2¬ showed a dual plateau behaviour with the lower plateau due to the destabilised LiBH4 reaction. Thermodynamic data calculated from the isotherm results showed a significant reduction in the T(1bar) for LiBH4 to 322 C (cf. 459 C for LiBH4(l)). Cycling behaviour of 0.3LiBH4 : MgH2 system decomposed under both reaction environments showed very fast kinetics on deuteriding at 400C and 100 bar D2, reaching 90 % conversion within 20 minutes. In contrast 2LiBH4 : MgH2 samples had kinetics an order of magnitude slower and after 4 hours conversions <50 %. These results demonstrate the strong influence of stoichiometry in the cycling kinetics compared to decomposition conditions. Investigation of catalysts found dispersion of metal hydrides through long ball-milling times, or dispersion through reaction with metal halide additions provided the greatest degree of kinetic advantage, with pre-milled NbH providing the best kinetic improvement without reducing capacity due to Li-halide formation. Finally, additions of LiAlH4 to the system formed an Al dispersion through the sample during decomposition, which acted both as a catalyst and destabilising agent on the MgH2 component, forming Mg-Al-Li alloys. Decomposition under H2 also showed a destabilisation effect for the LiBH4 component

Impacts of HIV/AIDS on Labor Allocation and Crop Diversity : do Stages of the Disease Matter?

This paper deals with the impact of HIV/AIDS on labor allocation and crop diversity. The study is based on an in-depth analysis of 4 case studies in Ethiopia. A novel element in the study is the emphasis on the distinction of various stages in which the disease affects families. Results show that impact on labor allocation very much depends on the various stages of the disease and which family member (or members) is affected. Also land tenure plays an important role, because of the options of having sharecropping contracts or opportunities for off-farm labour. This has implications for the intervention strategies in the various phases of the disease, both for men and women

Metodología de investigación en sistemas de cultivo en finca

Publicado originalmente por el IRRI bajo el título: A methodology for on-farm cropping systems researc

A minimal physiologically based pharmacokinetic model that predicts anti-PEG IgG-mediated clearance of PEGylated drugs in human and mouse

Circulating antibodies that specifically bind polyethylene glycol (PEG), a polymer routinely used in protein and nanoparticle therapeutics, have been associated with reduced efficacy and increased adverse reactions to some PEGylated therapeutics. In addition to acute induction of anti-PEG antibodies (APA) by PEGylated drugs, typically low but detectable levels of APA are also found in up to 70% of the general population. Despite the broad implications of APA, the dynamics of APA-mediated clearance of PEGylated drugs, and why many patients continue to respond to PEGylated drugs despite the presence of pre-existing APA, remains not well understood. Here, we developed a minimal physiologically based pharmacokinetic (mPBPK) model that incorporates various properties of APA and PEGylated drugs. Our mPBPK model reproduced clinical PK data of APA-mediated accelerated blood clearance of pegloticase, as well as APA-dependent elimination of PEGyated liposomes in mice. Our model predicts that the prolonged circulation of PEGylated drugs will be compromised only at APA concentrations greater than ~500 ng/mL, providing a quantitative explanation to why the effects of APA on PEGylated treatments appear to be limited in most patients. This mPBPK model is readily adaptable to other PEGylated drugs and particles to predict the precise levels of APA that could render them ineffective, providing a powerful tool to support the development and interpretation of preclinical and clinical studies of various PEGylated therapeutics

The AMANDA Neutrino Telescope

With an effective telescope area of order $10^4$ m$^2$ for TeV neutrinos, a threshold near $\sim$50 GeV and a pointing accuracy of 2.5 degrees per muon track, the AMANDA detector represents the first of a new generation of high energy neutrino telescopes, reaching a scale envisaged over 25 years ago. We describe early results on the calibration of natural deep ice as a particle detector as well as on AMANDA's performance as a neutrino telescope.Comment: 12 pages, Latex2.09, uses espcrc2.sty and epsf.sty, 13 postscript files included. Talk presented at the 18th International Conference on Neutrino Physics and Astrophysics (Neutrino 98), Takayama, Japan, June 199

Deep exclusive π+\pi^+ electroproduction off the proton at CLAS

The exclusive electroproduction of $\pi^+$ above the resonance region was studied using the $\rm{CEBAF}$ Large Acceptance Spectrometer ($\rm{CLAS}$) at Jefferson Laboratory by scattering a 6 GeV continuous electron beam off a hydrogen target. The large acceptance and good resolution of $\rm{CLAS}$, together with the high luminosity, allowed us to measure the cross section for the $\gamma^* p \to n \pi^+$ process in 140 ($Q^2$, $x_B$, $t$) bins: $0.16<x_B<0.58$, 1.6 GeV$^2<$$Q^2$$<4.5$ GeV$^2$ and 0.1 GeV$^2<$$-t$$<5.3$ GeV$^2$. For most bins, the statistical accuracy is on the order of a few percent. Differential cross sections are compared to two theoretical models, based either on hadronic (Regge phenomenology) or on partonic (handbag diagram) degrees of freedom. Both can describe the gross features of the data reasonably well, but differ strongly in their ingredients. If the handbag approach can be validated in this kinematical region, our data contain the interesting potential to experimentally access transversity Generalized Parton Distributions.Comment: 18pages, 21figures,2table

Star Formation and Dynamics in the Galactic Centre

The centre of our Galaxy is one of the most studied and yet enigmatic places in the Universe. At a distance of about 8 kpc from our Sun, the Galactic centre (GC) is the ideal environment to study the extreme processes that take place in the vicinity of a supermassive black hole (SMBH). Despite the hostile environment, several tens of early-type stars populate the central parsec of our Galaxy. A fraction of them lie in a thin ring with mild eccentricity and inner radius ~0.04 pc, while the S-stars, i.e. the ~30 stars closest to the SMBH (<0.04 pc), have randomly oriented and highly eccentric orbits. The formation of such early-type stars has been a puzzle for a long time: molecular clouds should be tidally disrupted by the SMBH before they can fragment into stars. We review the main scenarios proposed to explain the formation and the dynamical evolution of the early-type stars in the GC. In particular, we discuss the most popular in situ scenarios (accretion disc fragmentation and molecular cloud disruption) and migration scenarios (star cluster inspiral and Hills mechanism). We focus on the most pressing challenges that must be faced to shed light on the process of star formation in the vicinity of a SMBH.Comment: 68 pages, 35 figures; invited review chapter, to be published in expanded form in Haardt, F., Gorini, V., Moschella, U. and Treves, A., 'Astrophysical Black Holes'. Lecture Notes in Physics. Springer 201

Contributions of HIV, hepatitis C virus, and traditional vascular risk factors to peripheral artery disease in women

Objectives:HIV and hepatitis C virus (HCV) have been associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), but it is unclear whether HIV and HCV are also associated with peripheral artery disease (PAD). We examined the association of HIV, HCV, and traditional CVD risk factors with PAD in the Women's Interagency HIV Study, a multicenter US cohort.Methods:In this cross-sectional study, ankle-brachial index was estimated using Doppler ultrasound and manual sphygmomanometer in 1899 participants aged more than 40 years with HIV/HCV coinfection, HCV or HIV monoinfection, or neither infection. Multivariable logistic regression was used to estimate the odds of PAD (ankle-brachial index ≤0.9) after controlling for demographic, behavioral, and CVD risk factors.Results:Over two-thirds were African-American, median age was 50 years, and PAD prevalence was 7.7% with little difference by infection status. After multivariable adjustment, neither HIV nor HCV infection was associated with greater odds of PAD. Factors associated with PAD included older age [adjusted odds ratio (aOR): 2.01 for age 61-70 vs. 40-50 years; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.04, 3.87], Black race (aOR: 2.30; 95% CI: 1.15, 4.63), smoking (aOR: 1.27 per 10-pack-year increment; 95% CI: 1.09, 1.48), and higher SBP (aOR: 1.14 per 10 mmHg; 95% CI: 1.01, 1.28).Conclusion:The high PAD prevalence in this nationally representative cohort of women with or at risk for HIV is on par with general population studies in individuals a decade older than our study's median age. HIV and HCV infection are not associated with greater PAD risk relative to uninfected women with similar risk factors. Modifiable traditional CVD risk factors may be important early intervention targets in women with and at risk for HIV