32 research outputs found
The Dependence of the Superconducting Transition Temperature of Organic Molecular Crystals on Intrinsically Non-Magnetic Disorder: a Signature of either Unconventional Superconductivity or Novel Local Magnetic Moment Formation
We give a theoretical analysis of published experimental studies of the
effects of impurities and disorder on the superconducting transition
temperature, T_c, of the organic molecular crystals kappa-ET_2X and beta-ET_2X
(where ET is bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene and X is an anion eg I_3).
The Abrikosov-Gorkov (AG) formula describes the suppression of T_c both by
magnetic impurities in singlet superconductors, including s-wave
superconductors and by non-magnetic impurities in a non-s-wave superconductor.
We show that various sources of disorder lead to the suppression of T_c as
described by the AG formula. This is confirmed by the excellent fit to the
data, the fact that these materials are in the clean limit and the excellent
agreement between the value of the interlayer hopping integral, t_perp,
calculated from this fit and the value of t_perp found from angular-dependant
magnetoresistance and quantum oscillation experiments. If the disorder is, as
seems most likely, non-magnetic then the pairing state cannot be s-wave. We
show that the cooling rate dependence of the magnetisation is inconsistent with
paramagnetic impurities. Triplet pairing is ruled out by several experiments.
If the disorder is non-magnetic then this implies that l>=2, in which case
Occam's razor suggests that d-wave pairing is realised. Given the proximity of
these materials to an antiferromagnetic Mott transition, it is possible that
the disorder leads to the formation of local magnetic moments via some novel
mechanism. Thus we conclude that either kappa-ET_2X and beta-ET_2X are d-wave
superconductors or else they display a novel mechanism for the formation of
localised moments. We suggest systematic experiments to differentiate between
these scenarios.Comment: 18 pages, 5 figure
A standard protocol for reporting species distribution models
Species distribution models (SDMs) constitute the most common class of models
across ecology, evolution and conservation. The advent of ready-to-use software pack
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ages and increasing availability of digital geoinformation have considerably assisted
the application of SDMs in the past decade, greatly enabling their broader use for
informing conservation and management, and for quantifying impacts from global
change. However, models must be fit for purpose, with all important aspects of their
development and applications properly considered. Despite the widespread use of
SDMs, standardisation and documentation of modelling protocols remain limited,
which makes it hard to assess whether development steps are appropriate for end use.
To address these issues, we propose a standard protocol for reporting SDMs, with an
emphasis on describing how a study’s objective is achieved through a series of model
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ing decisions. We call this the ODMAP (Overview, Data, Model, Assessment and
Prediction) protocol, as its components reflect the main steps involved in building
SDMs and other empirically-based biodiversity models. The ODMAP protocol serves
two main purposes. First, it provides a checklist for authors, detailing key steps for model building and analyses, and thus represents a quick guide and generic workflow for modern SDMs. Second, it introduces
a structured format for documenting and communicating the models, ensuring transparency and reproducibility, facilitating
peer review and expert evaluation of model quality, as well as meta-analyses. We detail all elements of ODMAP, and explain
how it can be used for different model objectives and applications, and how it complements efforts to store associated metadata
and define modelling standards. We illustrate its utility by revisiting nine previously published case studies, and provide an
interactive web-based application to facilitate its use. We plan to advance ODMAP by encouraging its further refinement and
adoption by the scientific community
Reducing the environmental impact of surgery on a global scale: systematic review and co-prioritization with healthcare workers in 132 countries
Background
Healthcare cannot achieve net-zero carbon without addressing operating theatres. The aim of this study was to prioritize feasible interventions to reduce the environmental impact of operating theatres.
Methods
This study adopted a four-phase Delphi consensus co-prioritization methodology. In phase 1, a systematic review of published interventions and global consultation of perioperative healthcare professionals were used to longlist interventions. In phase 2, iterative thematic analysis consolidated comparable interventions into a shortlist. In phase 3, the shortlist was co-prioritized based on patient and clinician views on acceptability, feasibility, and safety. In phase 4, ranked lists of interventions were presented by their relevance to high-income countries and low–middle-income countries.
Results
In phase 1, 43 interventions were identified, which had low uptake in practice according to 3042 professionals globally. In phase 2, a shortlist of 15 intervention domains was generated. In phase 3, interventions were deemed acceptable for more than 90 per cent of patients except for reducing general anaesthesia (84 per cent) and re-sterilization of ‘single-use’ consumables (86 per cent). In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for high-income countries were: introducing recycling; reducing use of anaesthetic gases; and appropriate clinical waste processing. In phase 4, the top three shortlisted interventions for low–middle-income countries were: introducing reusable surgical devices; reducing use of consumables; and reducing the use of general anaesthesia.
Conclusion
This is a step toward environmentally sustainable operating environments with actionable interventions applicable to both high– and low–middle–income countries
Miscanthus combustion properties and variations with Miscanthus agronomy
A study of the interaction of agronomy and its effects on fuel quality has been carried out for Miscanthus x giganteus grown in the UK through the UK’s SUPERGEN Bioenergy Consortium activities. Work on Miscanthus yield responses to N, K and S fertilizer will be reported elsewhere, and this study is focused on how fertilisers affected Miscanthus fuel quality. Six different fertiliser treatments were chosen to give interesting contrasts from the field experiment investigating yield responses; nitrogen (ammonium nitrate) at 0, 100, 150 and 250 kg N ha 1 in combination with potassium (K as KCl) at 50 kg K ha 1 and 150 kg N ha 1 also with zero K, and with 50 kg K ha 1 (K as K2SO4). A total of 270 samples were taken at five time points over the autumn and winter harvest window in each of the two growth years, 2005 and 2006. Results show that Miscanthus stems have better fuel quality than leaves, with much lower ash, N and S contents, and slightly higher C concentrations and hence higher estimated calorific value. The treatment without any N added into fertiliser seems to give a better fuel quality than other treatments considered in the study, resulting in a fuel with lower N, ash content, and a lower propensity to fouling (as indicated by the indices calculated from its ash analysis), and also higher C concentrations. In general, the late harvested Miscanthus samples have better fuel quality, with lower N, Cl, ash contents, alkali index and slightly higher C contents
Investigating the longterm biomass yield of Miscanthus giganteus and switchgrass when harvested as a green energy feedstock
International audienc