Magnetic excitations and amplitude fluctuations in insulating cuprates

We present results from light scattering experiments on three insulating antiferromagnetic cuprates, YBa$_2$Cu$_3$O$_{6.05}$, Bi$_2$Sr$_2$YCu$_2$O$_{8+\delta}$, and La$_2$CuO$_4$ as a function of polarization and excitation energy {using samples of the latest generation. From the raw data we derive symmetry-resolved spectra.} The spectral shape in $B_{1g}$ symmetry is found to be nearly universal and independent of the excitation energy. The spectra agree quantitatively with predictions by field theory [\onlinecite{Weidinger:2015}] facilitating the precise extraction of the Heisenberg coupling $J$. {In addition, the asymmetric line shape on the high-energy side is found to be related to amplitude fluctuations of the magnetization. In La$_2$CuO$_4$ alone minor contributions from resonance effects may be identified.} The spectra in the other symmetries are not universal. The variations may be traced back to weak resonance effects and extrinsic contributions. For all three compounds we find support for the existence of chiral excitations appearing as a continuum in $A_{2g}$ symmetry having an onset slightly below $3J$. In La$_2$CuO$_4$ an additional isolated excitation appears on top of the $A_{2g}$ continuum.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

The hospital organization of the future

The future of hospital Nuclear Medicine is triggered by the hospital organisation itself. In general, the hospital organisation of the present requires substantial changes in order to be competitive, economical, and abreast of the rapid progresses in medical developments and patient management. It also must be flexible to changes in health politics. In this special report an organisational hospital structure is outlined which may help encounter the challenging hospital future. Some hospitals have already implemented convincing changes, whereas others are far behind

Decreased Liver Fibrosis in Patients with Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)/Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Coinfection After Treatment with Sofosbuvir/Daclatasvir

Background: Hepatitis C Virus (HCV)/Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) co-infection increases the progression of liver fibrosis to advanced liver disease and death. The aim of this study is to determine whether the changes of liver fibrosis occur in HCV/HIV coinfection patients after therapy with Sofosbuvir/daclatasvir.Method: This study used a quasi-experimental study design without a control group. The study subjects were HCV / HIV coinfection patients who received Sofosbuvir / daclatasvir therapy in the Gastroentero-Hepatology Clinic of Dr. Hasan Sadikin Hospital. In this study measurement of liver fibrosis was carried out by using AST to Platelet Ratio Index (APRI) and Fibrosis-4 Index (FIB-4) before therapy and when SVR-24 was achieved.Results: The study involved 29 subjects. Most of the research subjects were men, with an average age of 40.38 years (SD 3.48). From the results of this study, we found a decrease in APRI scores and FIB-4 index when HCV / HIV coinfection patients, that were treated with Sofosbuvir / Daclatasvir, achieved SVR 24. The median of APRI scores before therapy and after SVR-24 was decreased from 0.41 to 0.28 (95% CI: 0.01 - 0.23, p-value 0,01) and the median of FIB-4 Index before therapy and after the SVR 24 was decreased from 0.94 to 0.81 (95% CI: -0, 04 - 0.35, p-value 0.28).Conclusion: This study concluded that therapy using Sofosbuvir / Daclatasvir in HCV / HIV coinfected patients has very good effectiveness and can reduce liver fibrosis

Data-driven assessment of eQTL mapping methods

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The analysis of expression quantitative trait loci (eQTL) is a potentially powerful way to detect transcriptional regulatory relationships at the genomic scale. However, eQTL data sets often go underexploited because legacy QTL methods are used to map the relationship between the expression trait and genotype. Often these methods are inappropriate for complex traits such as gene expression, particularly in the case of epistasis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Here we compare legacy QTL mapping methods with several modern multi-locus methods and evaluate their ability to produce eQTL that agree with independent external data in a systematic way. We found that the modern multi-locus methods (Random Forests, sparse partial least squares, lasso, and elastic net) clearly outperformed the legacy QTL methods (Haley-Knott regression and composite interval mapping) in terms of biological relevance of the mapped eQTL. In particular, we found that our new approach, based on Random Forests, showed superior performance among the multi-locus methods.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Benchmarks based on the recapitulation of experimental findings provide valuable insight when selecting the appropriate eQTL mapping method. Our battery of tests suggests that Random Forests map eQTL that are more likely to be validated by independent data, when compared to competing multi-locus and legacy eQTL mapping methods.</p

Techno-Economic Analysis of Intermediate Pyrolysis with Solar Drying: A Chilean Case Study

Intermediate pyrolysis can be used to obtain high-quality biofuels from low-value residues such as sewage sludge or digestate. A major obstacle is the high water content of sludgy biomass, which requires an energy-intensive and expensive drying step before pyrolysis. Solar greenhouse drying is an efficient and sustainable alternative to a thermally heated belt dryer. In this study, a techno-economic assessment of intermediate pyrolysis with solar drying is carried out. Marketable products of the process are bio-oil, a substitute for diesel or heating oil, and bio-char with various possible applications. Chile is chosen as the setting of the study as its 4000 km long extension from north to south gives the opportunity to evaluate different locations and levels of solar irradiation. It is found that solar drying results in higher capital investment, but lower fuel costs. Depending on the location and solar irradiation, solar drying can reduce costs by 5–34% compared to belt drying. The break-even price of bio-char is estimated at 300–380 EUR/ton after accounting for the revenue from the liquid bio-oil

Processing Miscanthus to high-value chemicals: A techno-economic analysis based on process simulation

Thermochemical biorefineries for the production of chemicals and materials can play an important role in the bioeconomy. However, their economic viability is often questioned under the premise of the economy of scale. This paper presents a regional, modular biorefinery concept for the production of the platform chemicals hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF), furfural and phenols from the lignocellulosic perennial miscanthus, which can be cultivated on marginal and degraded areas. The paper focuses on the question of the minimum selling price of HMF and the optimal plant size for this purpose, using the region of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, as an example. Based on small pilot plant results, a scalable process simulation was created via AspenPlus. This allows different scenarios and process combinations of this multi-output biorefinery concept to be compared with each other. Using this, a minimum sales price for the main product HMF is calculated using methods of dynamic investment cost calculation according to the net present value method. Based on this, the plant capacity was scaled. The scenarios and sensitivity analyses show that, with an accuracy of ±15%, regional biorefineries could already offer platform chemicals at prices of 2.21–2.90 EUR/kg HMF at the current stage of development. This corresponds to three to four times the price of today\u27s comparative fossil base chemicals and is thus a competitive option from the authors’ point of view. The local biomass and the heat prices were identified as the main influencing factors. As a result, the selection of the location will have a decisive influence on the economic viability of such concepts in the case of further development and optimization of the process in first demonstration plants