99 research outputs found
Microstructural and mechanical characterisation of Fe-14Cr-0.22Hf alloy fabricated by spark plasma sintering
Fe-14Cr pre-alloyed powder and pure Hf powder were mechanically alloyed to produce powder with nominal composition Fe-14Cr-0.22Hf (wt. %) that was consolidated by the spark plasma sintering (SPS) technique in order to investigate the ability of Hf to produce a nanometric dispersion of oxide particles in a ferritic matrix. Comprehensive microstructural and mechanical characterisation of the as-milled powder and the consolidated material was performed using electron microscopy, X-ray diffraction, atom probe tomography and indentation techniques. It was shown that Hf additions can effectively produce, by internal oxidation, a fine scale dispersion of Hf-O nanoparticles in the consolidated material. A uniform grain structure was produced in the alloy. Although the nanoparticle dispersion was not homogeneous at the finest scale, the resulting dispersion strengthening contributed significantly to the hardness. According to these results, internal oxidation of reactive elements rather than direct addition of oxides may offer additional opportunities in the design and development of oxide dispersion strengthened steels
A comprehensive approach to managing a neglected, neglected tropical disease; The Myanmar Snakebite Project (MSP)
Snakebite is predominantly an occupational disease affecting poor rural farmers in tropical regions and was recently added to the World Health Organisation list of Neglected Tropical Diseases (NTD). We document an overview of methodologies developed and deployed in the Myanmar Snakebite Project, a foreign aid project largely funded by the Australian Government, with the core aim to âimprove outcomes for snakebite patientsâ. A multidisciplinary team of experts was assembled that worked in a collaborative manner with colleagues in Myanmar, first to identify problems related to managing snakebite and then develop interventions aimed to improve selected problem areas. A broad approach was adopted, covering antivenom production, antivenom distribution and health system management of snakebite. Problems identified in antivenom production included poor snake husbandry resulting in poor survival of captive specimens, lack of geographical diversity; poor horse husbandry, resulting in high mortality, inadequate stock acquisition protocols and data collection, and inappropriate immunisation and bleeding techniques; and inadequate production capacity for freeze dried antivenoms and quality control systems. These problems were addressed in various ways, resulting in some substantial improvements. Antivenom distribution is being reorganised to achieve better availability and utilisation of stock. Health system management of snakebite was assessed across all levels within the area selected for the study, in Mandalay region. A comprehensive community survey indicated that hospital statistics substantially underestimated the snakebite burden, and that access to care by local villagers was delayed by transport and cost issues compounded by lack of antivenom at the most peripheral level of the health service. A health system survey confirmed under-resourcing at the local village level. Prospective case data collection initiated at tertiary hospitals indicated the extent of the snakebite burden on health resources. Interventions initiated or planned include training of health staff, development of a core of senior trainers who can âtrain the trainersâ nationwide in a sustainable way, development and deployment of management guidelines and algorithms for snakebite and a distribution of solar powered fridges to remote health facilities to allow storage of antivenom and prompt treatment of snakebite cases before transfer to major hospitals, thereby reducing the âbite to needleâ time.Julian White, Mohammad Afzal Mahmood, Sam Alfred, Khin Thida Thwin, Khin Maung Kyaw, Aung Zaw, David Warrell, Robert Cumming, John Moody Debbie Eagles, Keiran Ragas h, Nathan Dunstan, David Bacon, Plinio Hurtado, Chen Au Pe
Diagonal Representation for a Generic Matrix Valued Quantum Hamiltonian
A general method to derive the diagonal representation for a generic matrix
valued quantum Hamiltonian is proposed. In this approach new mathematical
objects like non-commuting operators evolving with the Planck constant promoted
as a running variable are introduced. This method leads to a formal compact
expression for the diagonal Hamiltonian which can be expanded in a power series
of the Planck constant. In particular, we provide an explicit expression for
the diagonal representation of a generic Hamiltonian to the second order in the
Planck constant. This last result is applied, as a physical illustration, to
Dirac electrons and neutrinos in external fields.Comment: Significant revision, typos corrected and references adde
Strangeness Suppression of q(q)over-bar Creation Observed in Exclusive Reactions
We measured the ratios of electroproduction cross-sections from a proton
target for three exclusive meson-baryon final states: , ,
and , with the CLAS detector at Jefferson Lab. Using a simple model of
quark hadronization we extract q-qbar creation probabilities for the first time
in exclusive two-body production, in which only a single q-qbar pair is
created. We observe a sizable suppression of strange quark-antiquark pairs
compared to non-strange pairs, similar to that seen in high-energy production.Comment: 5pages, 2figure
First measurement of the polarization observable E in the pâ(Îłâ,Ï<sup>+</sup>)n reaction up to 2.25 GeV
First results from the longitudinally polarized frozen-spin target (FROST)
program are reported. The double-polarization observable E, for the reaction
, has been measured using a circularly polarized
tagged-photon beam, with energies from 0.35 to 2.37 GeV. The final-state pions
were detected with the CEBAF Large Acceptance Spectrometer in Hall B at the
Thomas Jefferson National Accelerator Facility. These polarization data agree
fairly well with previous partial-wave analyses at low photon energies. Over
much of the covered energy range, however, significant deviations are observed,
particularly in the high-energy region where high-L multipoles contribute. The
data have been included in new multipole analyses resulting in updated nucleon
resonance parameters. We report updated fits from the Bonn-Gatchina, J\"ulich,
and SAID groups.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figure
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