Carbon capture in the cement industry: technologies, progress, and retrofitting

Several different carbon-capture technologies have been proposed for use in the cement industry. This paper reviews their attributes, the progress that has been made toward their commercialization, and the major challenges facing their retrofitting to existing cement plants. A technology readiness level (TRL) scale for carbon capture in the cement industry is developed. For application at cement plants, partial oxy-fuel combustion, amine scrubbing, and calcium looping are the most developed (TRL 6 being the pilot system demonstrated in relevant environment), followed by direct capture (TRL 4–5 being the component and system validation at lab-scale in a relevant environment) and full oxy-fuel combustion (TRL 4 being the component and system validation at lab-scale in a lab environment). Our review suggests that advancing to TRL 7 (demonstration in plant environment) seems to be a challenge for the industry, representing a major step up from TRL 6. The important attributes that a cement plant must have to be “carbon-capture ready” for each capture technology selection is evaluated. Common requirements are space around the preheater and precalciner section, access to CO2 transport infrastructure, and a retrofittable preheater tower. Evidence from the electricity generation sector suggests that carbon capture readiness is not always cost-effective. The similar durations of cement-plant renovation and capture-plant construction suggests that synchronizing these two actions may save considerable time and money

Neurohumoral and ambulatory haemodynamic adaptations following isometric exercise training in unmedicated hypertensive patients

Objective: Hypertension remains the leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Isometric exercise training (IET) has been shown to be a useful non-pharmacological intervention for reducing resting blood pressure (BP). This study aimed to measure alterations in office BP, ambulatory BP, cardiac autonomic modulation and inflammatory and vascular biomarkers following a programme of IET in unmedicated hypertensive patients. Methods: Twenty-four unmedicated stage 1 hypertensive patients (age 43.8±7.3 years; height, 178.1±7 cm; weight 89.7±12.8 kg) were randomly assigned in a cross-over study design, to 4-weeks of home based IET and control period, separated by a 3-week washout period. Office and Ambulatory BP, cardiac autonomic modulation, and inflammatory and vascular biomarkers were recorded pre and post IET and control periods. Results: Clinic and 24-hour ambulatory BP significantly reduced following IET by 12.4/6.2 mmHg and 11.8/5.6 mmHg in systolic/diastolic BP, respectively (p<0.001 for both), compared to the control. The BP adaptations were associated with a significant (p=0.018) reduction in the average real variability of 24-hour ambulatory BP following IET, compared to control. Cardiac autonomic modulation improved by 11% (p<0.001), baroreceptor reflex sensitivity improved by 47% (p<0.001), and interleukin-6 and asymmetric dimethylarginine reduced by 10% (p=0.022) and 19% (p=0.023), respectively, which differed significantly to the control period. Conclusion: This is the first evidence of durable BP reduction and wider CVD risk benefits of IET in a relevant patient population. Our findings support the role of IET as a safe and viable therapeutic and preventative intervention in the treatment of HTN

Global and regional left ventricular myocardial deformation measures by magnetic resonance feature tracking in healthy volunteers: comparison with tagging and relevance of gender

This work was funded by a grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/G030693/1) and supported by the Oxford British Heart Foundation Centre of Research Excellence and the National Institute for Health Research Oxford Biomedical Research Centr

Validity of Ligand Efficiency Metrics

A recent viewpoint article (Improving the plausibility of success with inefficient metrics. ACS Med. Chem. Lett. 2014, 5, 2-5) argued that the standard definition of ligand efficiency (LE) is mathematically invalid. In this viewpoint, we address this criticism and show categorically that the definition of LE is mathematically valid. LE and other metrics such as lipophilic ligand efficiency (LLE) can be useful during the multiparameter optimization challenge faced by medicinal chemists

p-Adic Models of Ultrametric Diffusion Constrained by Hierarchical Energy Landscapes

We demonstrate that p-adic analysis is a natural basis for the construction of a wide variety of the ultrametric diffusion models constrained by hierarchical energy landscapes. A general analytical description in terms of p-adic analysis is given for a class of models. Two exactly solvable examples, i.e. the ultrametric diffusion constraned by the linear energy landscape and the ultrametric diffusion with reaction sink, are considered. We show that such models can be applied to both the relaxation in complex systems and the rate processes coupled to rearrangenment of the complex surrounding.Comment: 14 pages, 6 eps figures, LaTeX 2.0

A revised look at the effects of the Channel Model on molecular communication system

Molecular communications, where information is passed between the Transmitter (TX) and the Receiver (RX) via molecules is a promising area with vast potential applications. However, the infancy of the topic within the overall taxonomy of communications has meant that to date, several channel models are in press, each of which is applied under various constraints and/or assumptions. Amongst them is that the arrival of molecules in different time slots can be, or is, considered as independent events. In practice, this assumption is not accurate, as the molecules arriving in the previous slot reduce the possible number of molecules in the next slot and hence make them correlated. In this letter, we analyze a more realistic performance of a molecular communication assuming correlated events. The key result shown, is that the widely used model assuming independent events significantly overestimates the error rates in the channel. This result is thus critical to researchers who focus on energy use at the nano-scale, as the new analysis provides a more realistic prediction and therefore, less energy will be needed to attain a desired error rate, increasing system feasibility

Discovery of TUG-770: a highly potent free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFA1/GPR40) agonist for treatment of type 2 diabetes

Free fatty acid receptor 1 (FFA1 or GPR40) enhances glucose-stimulated insulin secretion from pancreatic β-cells and currently attracts high interest as a new target for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. We here report the discovery of a highly potent FFA1 agonist with favorable physicochemical and pharmacokinetic properties. The compound efficiently normalizes glucose tolerance in diet-induced obese mice, an effect that is fully sustained after 29 days of chronic dosing

Risperidone versus placebo for aggression following traumatic brain injury: a feasibility randomised controlled trial

Objectives: To conduct a feasibility randomised controlled trial of risperidone for the treatment of aggression in adults with traumatic brain injury (TBI). Design: Multicentre, parallel design, placebo controlled (1:1 ratio) double-blind feasibility trial with an embedded process evaluation. No statistical comparison was performed between the two study groups. Setting: Four neuropsychiatric and neurology outpatient clinics in London and Kent, UK. Participants: Our aim was to recruit 50 patients with TBI over 18 months. Follow-up participants at 12 weeks using a battery of assessment scales to measure changes in aggressive behaviour and irritability (Modified Overt Aggression Scale (MOAS)-primary outcome, Irritability Questionnaire) as well as global functioning (Glasgow Outcome Scale-Extended, Clinical Global impression) and quality of life (EQ-5D-5L, SF-12), mental health (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale) and medication adverse effects (Udvalg for Kliniske Undersøgelser). Results: Six participants were randomised to the active arm of the trial and eight to the placebo arm over a 10-month period (28% of our target). Two participants withdrew because of adverse events. Twelve out of 14 (85.7%) patients completed a follow-up assessment at 12 weeks. At follow-up, the scores of all outcome measures improved in both groups. Placebo group showed numerically better score change according to the primary outcome MOAS. No severe adverse events were reported. The overall rate of adverse events remained low. Data from the process evaluation suggest that existence of specialised TBI follow-up clinics, availability of a dedicated database of TBI patients’ clinical details, simple study procedures and regular support to participants would enhance recruitment and retention in the trial. Feedback from participants showed that once in the study, they did not find the trial procedure onerous. Conclusions: It was not feasible to conduct a successful randomised trial of risperidone versus placebo for post-TBI aggression using the methods we deployed in this study. It is not possible to draw any definitive conclusion about risperidone’s efficacy from such a small trial. Trial registration number: ISRCTN3019143

From Anti-equilibrium to The Socialist System and Beyond

This essay attempts to understand János Kornai’s works from a political economy perspective. It argues that Kornai has significantly contributed to the formation of a new paradigm of political economy. The main endeavor of Kornai has been the combination of analytical concepts of economics with the empirical description of real economies. After a certain period of theoretical experimentation János Kornai formulated his research program that can be called the shortage economy explanation of the socialist system. The Economics of Shortage and The Socialist System have created a new theoretical paradigm in a framework in which it has become possible to establish a connection between the analytical and empirical, universal and historical aspects of the theory studying the socialist system as a real economic entity. János Kornai has built his analysis of the socialist system on the primary role of politics in the creation of economic institutions. In his present work on capitalism he has extended this thesis to the capitalist system. This seems to be an important contribution of his to a new political economy paradigm that is just in the process of formation