Some Results of the EU Project FASTGRID

The EU FASTGRID project aimed at improving the REBCO conductor in order to enhance its economical attractiveness for the Superconducting Fault Current Limiter (SFCL). Two approaches were simultaneously investigated: i) the reduction of the tape length through the increase of the electric field during limitation, ii) the reduction of the tape cost through improved yield and higher critical current, including the lowering of the liquid nitrogen bath temperature to 65 K. We carried out a base line using an upgraded THEVA tape. Different approaches have been tried to improve the shunt layer, both with metallic and non-conductive materials. As a first solution, we developed and successfully tested a conductor with a Hastelloy shunt able to withstand 130 Vrms/m during 50 ms at 65 K and low prospective current faults. This conductor was used in two pancake coils. These have been successfully tested at IPH in Berlin. The second shunt solution developed consisted of a ceramic in epoxy matrix coating. Another significant improvement of the tape is the successful implementation of the Current Flow Diverter (CFD) concept with a simple sulfidation process or a deposition of an insulating yttria nanolayer by Inkjet Printing. An increase by one order of magnitude of the Normal Zone Propagation Velocity with respect to tapes without CFD has been measured. A low cost and fast hot spot detection system has also been developed. To reach much higher electric fields under limitation, the FASTGRID team also developed advanced tapes based on a sapphire substrate, which can tolerate ultra-high electric fields up to about 1 kV/m. Validated at laboratory scale, this game-changing technology needs to be implemented in long lengths with an industrial process. One pancake was integrated and tested with a low-cost optical fiber and fast hot spot detection system, developed and patented within the FASTGRID project. This manuscript will showcase most of these FASTGRID results.This work was supported in part by the European Union's Horizon 2020 Research and Innovative Programme under Grant 721019 and in part by the ICMAB acknowledge the Center of Excellence Severo Ochoa under Grant CEX2019-000917-S.With funding from the Spanish government through the ‘Severo Ochoa Centre of Excellence’ accreditation (CEX2019-000917-S).Peer reviewe

Hotspot monitoring system for superconducting device

Hotspot monitoring system for superconducting devices including: - a superconductor; - a first optical waveguide attached to the superconductor for providing a first optical signal; - a second optical waveguide for providing a reference signal; and - interference means configured to overlay or superimpose the first optical signal and the reference optical signal to produce an optical interference signal

Perception and practices of community pharmacists towards antimicrobial stewardship in Lahore, Pakistan

ABSTRACT: Objectives: Antimicrobial resistance is a major health concern worldwide. Community pharmacists can play an important role in rational antibiotic use. This study aimed to evaluate the perception and practices of community pharmacists regarding antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) in Lahore, Pakistan. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among community pharmacists in Lahore from 1 November 2017 to 31 December 2017. A self-administered questionnaire was used for data collection. Non-probability convenience sampling was performed to select community pharmacists. Descriptive statistics were applied and Mann–Whitney U-tests and Kruskal–Wallis tests were performed to compare independent groups using SPSS v.20.0. A P-value of <0.05 was considered statistically significant. Perception and practice scores were determined to access community pharmacist knowledge regarding AMS. A score of 0.5–1 was considered to be very good. Results: The overall response rate was 70.9%. Sex, age, work experience and education level did not significantly influence the perception and practices of community pharmacists. Experienced pharmacists showed a better response to AMS. The majority of pharmacists strongly agreed that they educate patients on the use of antimicrobials and resistance-related issues. Conclusion: It was concluded that community pharmacists in Lahore have good perception regarding AMS and they are practicing it well. But there are several gaps in their practices that must be filled, such as dispensing without a prescription and dispensing for a longer duration than prescribed. Additionally, there should be strict implementation of guidelines for dispensing antibiotics in order to rationalise antibiotic use and decrease antimicrobial resistance

Optimization Method for Extracting Stabilizer Geometry and Properties of REBCO Tapes

A good knowledge of material properties is a critical aspect for modeling high-temperature superconductor (HTS) devices. However, the electrical resistivity of coated conductors above the critical current is limited. The major challenge in characterizing this regime lies in the fact that for I > Ic, heating effects and thermal instabilities can quickly destroy the conductor if nothing is done to protect it. In our previous works we proposed the overcritical current model, obtained by combining fast pulsed current measurements with finite element analysis (Uniform Current (UC) model). In this work, we assessed the impact of the uncertainties of the input parameters on the quantities calculated with the UC model (temperature and current in each layer of the tape). Firstly, sensitivity and uncertainty analyses were performed and it was found that the input parameters that mostly affect the UC model are the electrical resistivity and the thickness of the silver layer. Afterwards, an optimization method to correctly estimate the geometry and the resistivity of the silver layer was developed. This method combined experimental measurements of resistance R(T) of the tape and pulsed current measurement. The development of this strategy allowed us to determine the parameters that significantly impact the UC model and helps to minimize their uncertainties. This can enable a precise estimation of the overcritical current resistivity. 10

Pseudosperma quercinum Naseer & Jabeen & Ashfaq & Akbar & Hussain & Khalid 2023, sp. nov.

&lt;i&gt;Pseudosperma quercinum&lt;/i&gt; Naseer &amp; Jabeen, &lt;i&gt;sp. nov&lt;/i&gt;. (Figure 3 &amp; 4) &lt;p&gt;MycoBank no.: MB 849661&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt;Etymology:&mdash;The specific epithet &ldquo;quercinum &rdquo; refers to its habitat in oak forests.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Holotype:&mdash; PAKISTAN. KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA province, Kurram district, Parachinar, 22 August 2019, &lt;i&gt;Arooj Naseer&lt;/i&gt;, (holotype PC-93; LAH35232; GenBank MZ314058 for ITS; MZ314078 for LSU).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Diagnosis:&mdash;Differs from &lt;i&gt;Pseudosperma umbrinellum&lt;/i&gt; by the campanulate to conico-convex pileus with dark brown umbo and yellow-brown fibrillose streaks on creamy white context, a cylindrical stipe with fibrillose, furfuraceous, or almost flocculose apex, ellipsoid to phaseoliform (11.9 &times; 6.3 &micro;m) basidiospores, and clavate to cylindrical cheilocystidia.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Description:&mdash; &lt;i&gt;Basidiomata&lt;/i&gt; medium-sized. &lt;i&gt;Pileus&lt;/i&gt; 3&ndash;3.8 cm wide, campanulate to sub-conical, later conico-convex, umbonate, dark brown (7.5R 3/2) at umbo, with yellow-brown (7.5YR 4/6) fibrillose streaks on creamy white context (10Y8/2), dark brown (7.5R 3/2) patches along margins, surface fibrillose, margin striate, creamy white (10Y8/2). &lt;i&gt;Lamellae&lt;/i&gt; crowded, adnexed to sinuate, first creamy white (10Y8/2), light silvery brown (10YR 7/2) when mature, edges fimbriate. &lt;i&gt;Lamellulae&lt;/i&gt; alternating with lamellae. &lt;i&gt;Stipe&lt;/i&gt; 4.3&ndash;5.5 &times; 0.6&ndash;0.8 cm, white (5B 9/2) with brown (5Y 5/4) and dark brown tinge at center, cylindrical, central, fibrillose, apex fibrillose, furfuraceous, or almost flocculose, surface dry, white flocculose, hollow, squamulose, base non bulbous and curved. &lt;i&gt;Odor&lt;/i&gt; mild, sweet, like honey.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; &lt;i&gt;Basidiospores&lt;/i&gt; [100/3/3] &lt;b&gt;(&lt;/b&gt; 8.8&ndash;)8.9&ndash;13.8(&ndash;14.5) &times; (5.1&ndash;)5.6&ndash;6.9(&ndash;7.1) &micro;m, avl &times; avw = 11.9 &times; 6.3 &micro;m, Q = 1.5&ndash;2.1, Qav = 1.9, ellipsoid, phaseoliform, guttulate, apiculus small and indistinctive, pale brown to olive greenish in 5 % KOH, thick-walled. &lt;i&gt;Basidia&lt;/i&gt; 18.4&ndash;32.3 &times; 8.9&ndash;12.7 &micro;m, avl &times; avw = 26.9 &times; 10.9 &micro;m, clavate, hyaline in 5 % KOH, thin-walled, 4-sterigmata. &lt;i&gt;Cheilocystidia&lt;/i&gt; 18.8&ndash;41.6 &times; 9.8&ndash;25.7 &micro;m, avl &times; avw = 32.2 &times; 16.2 &micro;m, numerous, narrowly clavate, hyaline in 5 % KOH. &lt;i&gt;Pleurocystidia&lt;/i&gt; absent. &lt;i&gt;Pileipellis&lt;/i&gt; a cutis of cylindrical hyphae, 5.4&ndash;15.8 &micro;m diam., avw = 9.8 &micro;m, septate, branched, hyaline in 5 % KOH. &lt;i&gt;Stipitipellis&lt;/i&gt; a cutis of cylindrical hyphae, 3.4&ndash;9.9 &micro;m diam., avw = 6.9 &micro;m, septate, branched, hyaline in 5 % KOH. &lt;i&gt;Clamp connections&lt;/i&gt; present in all tissues, abundant.&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Additional materials examined:&mdash; PAKISTAN. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Swat district, Malam Jabba valley, 1950 m asl., under &lt;i&gt;Quercus incana&lt;/i&gt; Roxb. [= &lt;i&gt;Q. oblongata&lt;/i&gt; D. Don] in mixed coniferous forest, 10 August 2016, &lt;i&gt;Sana Jabeen MJ1630&lt;/i&gt; (LAH35233!; GenBank MZ314059 for ITS; MZ314079 for LSU. Kurram district, Parachinar, 31 July 2018, &lt;i&gt;Arooj Naseer&lt;/i&gt;, &lt;i&gt;PC61&lt;/i&gt;; (LAH37418!; GenBank OP303370 for ITS).&lt;/p&gt; &lt;p&gt; Habitat and distribution:&mdash;Solitary on rich loamy soil under &lt;i&gt;Quercus spp&lt;/i&gt;. in Kurrum district and Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.&lt;/p&gt;Published as part of &lt;i&gt;Naseer, Arooj, Jabeen, Sana, Ashfaq, Ammara, Akbar, Mahrukh, Hussain, Syed Iftikhar &amp; Khalid, Abdul Nasir, 2023, Pseudosperma quercinum sp. nov. (Inocybaceae) from the Himalayan forests of Pakistan, pp. 260-270 in Phytotaxa 622 (4)&lt;/i&gt; on pages 262-267, DOI: 10.11646/phytotaxa.622.4.3, &lt;a href="http://zenodo.org/record/10084792"&gt;http://zenodo.org/record/10084792&lt;/a&gt

Some Results of the EU Project FASTGRID

International audienc

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination modelling for safe surgery to save lives: data from an international prospective cohort study

Background: Preoperative SARS-CoV-2 vaccination could support safer elective surgery. Vaccine numbers are limited so this study aimed to inform their prioritization by modelling. Methods: The primary outcome was the number needed to vaccinate (NNV) to prevent one COVID-19-related death in 1 year. NNVs were based on postoperative SARS-CoV-2 rates and mortality in an international cohort study (surgical patients), and community SARS-CoV-2 incidence and case fatality data (general population). NNV estimates were stratified by age (18-49, 50-69, 70 or more years) and type of surgery. Best- and worst-case scenarios were used to describe uncertainty. Results: NNVs were more favourable in surgical patients than the general population. The most favourable NNVs were in patients aged 70 years or more needing cancer surgery (351; best case 196, worst case 816) or non-cancer surgery (733; best case 407, worst case 1664). Both exceeded the NNV in the general population (1840; best case 1196, worst case 3066). NNVs for surgical patients remained favourable at a range of SARS-CoV-2 incidence rates in sensitivity analysis modelling. Globally, prioritizing preoperative vaccination of patients needing elective surgery ahead of the general population could prevent an additional 58 687 (best case 115 007, worst case 20 177) COVID-19-related deaths in 1 year. Conclusion: As global roll out of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination proceeds, patients needing elective surgery should be prioritized ahead of the general population