Investigating the correlation between deactivation and the carbon deposited on the surface of Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/La2O3-Al2O3 catalysts during the biogas reforming reaction

Ni/Al2O3 and Ni/La2O-Al2O3 catalysts were investigated for the biogas reforming reaction using CH4/CO2 mixtures with minimal dilution. Stability tests at various reaction temperatures were conducted and TGA/DTG, Raman, STEM-HAADF, HR-TEM, XPS techniques were used to characterize the spent samples. Graphitized carbon allotrope structures, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) and amorphous carbon were formed on all samples. Metallic Ni0 was recorded for all (XPS), whereas a strong peak corresponding to Ni2O3/NiAl2O4, was observed for the Ni/Al sample (650–750 °C). Stability tests confirm that the Ni/LaAl catalyst deactivates at a more gradual rate and is more active and selective in comparison to the Ni/Al for all temperatures. The Ni/LaAl exhibits good durability in terms of conversion and selectivity, whereas the Ni/Al gradually loses its activity in CH4 and CO2 conversion, with a concomitant decrease of the H2 and CO yield. It can be concluded that doping Al2O3 with La2O3 stabilizes the catalyst by (a) maintaining the Ni0 phase during the reaction, due to higher dispersion and stronger active phase-support interactions, (b) leading to a less graphitic and more defective type of deposited carbon and (c) facilitating the deposited carbon gasification due to the enhanced CO2 adsorption on its increased surface basic sites

Gravitational perturbations of Schwarzschild spacetime at null infinity and the hyperboloidal initial value problem

We study gravitational perturbations of Schwarzschild spacetime by solving a hyperboloidal initial value problem for the Bardeen-Press equation. Compactification along hyperboloidal surfaces in a scri-fixing gauge allows us to have access to the gravitational waveform at null infinity in a general setup. We argue that this hyperboloidal approach leads to a more accurate and efficient calculation of the radiation signal than the common approach where a timelike outer boundary is introduced. The method can be generalized to study perturbations of Kerr spacetime using the Teukolsky equation.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

Self-hypnosis for intrapartum pain management in pregnant nulliparous women: a randomised controlled trial of clinical effectiveness

Objective: (Primary) To establish the effect of antenatal group self-hypnosis for nulliparous women on intra-partum epidural use. Design: Multi-method randomised control trial (RCT). Setting: Three NHS Trusts. Population: Nulliparous women not planning elective caesarean, without medication for hypertension and without psychological illness. Methods: Randomisation at 28–32 weeks’ gestation to usual care, or to usual care plus brief self-hypnosis training (two × 90-minute groups at around 32 and 35 weeks’ gestation; daily audio self-hypnosis CD). Follow up at 2 and 6 weeks postnatal. Main outcome measures: Primary: epidural analgesia. Secondary: associated clinical and psychological outcomes; cost analysis. Results: Six hundred and eighty women were randomised. There was no statistically significant difference in epidural use: 27.9% (intervention), 30.3% (control), odds ratio (OR) 0.89 [95% confidence interval (CI): 0.64–1.24], or in 27 of 29 pre-specified secondary clinical and psychological outcomes. Women in the intervention group had lower actual than anticipated levels of fear and anxiety between baseline and 2 weeks post natal (anxiety: mean difference −0.72, 95% CI −1.16 to −0.28, P = 0.001); fear (mean difference −0.62, 95% CI −1.08 to −0.16, P = 0.009) [Correction added on 7 July 2015, after first online publication: ‘Mean difference’ replaced ‘Odds ratio (OR)’ in the preceding sentence.]. Postnatal response rates were 67% overall at 2 weeks. The additional cost in the intervention arm per woman was £4.83 (CI −£257.93 to £267.59). Conclusions: Allocation to two-third-trimester group self-hypnosis training sessions did not significantly reduce intra-partum epidural analgesia use or a range of other clinical and psychological variables. The impact of women's anxiety and fear about childbirth needs further investigation

Unexpected Consequences: Women’s experiences of a self-hypnosis intervention to help with pain relief during labour.

Background Self-hypnosis is becoming increasingly popular as a means of labour pain management. Previous studies have produced mixed results. There are very few data on women’s views and experiences of using hypnosis in this context. As part of a randomized controlled trial of self-hypnosis for intra-partum pain relief (the SHIP Trial) we conducted qualitative interviews with women randomized to the intervention arm to explore their views and experiences of using self-hypnosis during labour and birth. Methods Participants were randomly selected from the intervention arm of the study, which consisted of two antenatal self-hypnosis training sessions and a supporting CD that women were encouraged to listen to daily from 32 weeks gestation until the birth of their baby. Those who consented were interviewed in their own homes 8-12 weeks after birth. Following transcription, the interviews were analysed iteratively and emerging concepts were discussed amongst the authors to generate organizing themes. These were then used to develop a principal organizing metaphor or global theme, in a process known as thematic networks analysis. Results Of the 343 women in the intervention group, 48 were invited to interview, and 16 were interviewed over a 12 month period from February 2012 to January 2013. Coding of the data and subsequent analysis revealed a global theme of ‘unexpected consequences’, supported by 5 organising themes, ‘calmness in a climate of fear’, ‘from sceptic to believer’, ‘finding my space’, ‘delays and disappointments’ and ‘personal preferences’. Most respondents reported positive experiences of self-hypnosis and highlighted feelings of calmness, confidence and empowerment. They found the intervention to be beneficial and used a range of novel strategies to personalize their self-hypnosis practice. Occasionally women reported feeling frustrated or disappointed when their relaxed state was misinterpreted by midwives on admission or when their labour and birth experiences did not match their expectations. Conclusion The women in this study generally appreciated antenatal self-hypnosis training and found it to be beneficial during labour and birth. The state of focused relaxation experienced by women using the technique needs to be recognized by providers if the intervention is to be implemented into the maternity service

Sugar Ka Saathi – A Case Study Designing Digital Self-management Tools for People Living with Diabetes in Pakistan

This paper presents the results of an iterative participatory process to design a smart self-management tool for less-literate people living with diabetes in Pakistan. Initially, interviews and focus groups with sixty-nine people living with diabetes identified issues that they face when self-managing including un-controllable factors, lack of diabetes awareness, low-tech mobile phones, and poor internet availability. We developed personas grounded in the scoping results and adjusted our PD approach to focus on more tangible design artefacts before running narrative scoping PD sessions. Working from older, illiterate persona, we designed a phone-line delivered Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system. We developed a functional IVR Prototype “Sugar ka Saathi” (Diabetes Companion) with input from a group of 4 Pakistan-based healthcare professionals, to act as a design probe in the PD process. We tested the IVR probe with fifty-seven of the original scoping participants which validated the knowledge transferred by the IVR and its acceptability. Invisible design videos were shown to elaborate the IVR and community concept to thirteen participants through two filmed videos using our existing persona characters from the scoping studies, these videos helped to engage older people with diabetes in PD sessions

Phase Measurement for Driven Spin Oscillations in a Storage Ring

This paper reports the first simultaneous measurement of the horizontal and vertical components of the polarization vector in a storage ring under the influence of a radio frequency (rf) solenoid. The experiments were performed at the Cooler Synchrotron COSY in J\"ulich using a vector polarized, bunched $0.97\,\textrm{GeV/c}$ deuteron beam. Using the new spin feedback system, we set the initial phase difference between the solenoid field and the precession of the polarization vector to a predefined value. The feedback system was then switched off, allowing the phase difference to change over time, and the solenoid was switched on to rotate the polarization vector. We observed an oscillation of the vertical polarization component and the phase difference. The oscillations can be described using an analytical model. The results of this experiment also apply to other rf devices with horizontal magnetic fields, such as Wien filters. The precise manipulation of particle spins in storage rings is a prerequisite for measuring the electric dipole moment (EDM) of charged particles

Spin tune mapping as a novel tool to probe the spin dynamics in storage rings

Precision experiments, such as the search for electric dipole moments of charged particles using storage rings, demand for an understanding of the spin dynamics with unprecedented accuracy. The ultimate aim is to measure the electric dipole moments with a sensitivity up to 15 orders in magnitude better than the magnetic dipole moment of the stored particles. This formidable task requires an understanding of the background to the signal of the electric dipole from rotations of the spins in the spurious magnetic fields of a storage ring. One of the observables, especially sensitive to the imperfection magnetic fields in the ring is the angular orientation of stable spin axis. Up to now, the stable spin axis has never been determined experimentally, and in addition, the JEDI collaboration for the first time succeeded to quantify the background signals that stem from false rotations of the magnetic dipole moments in the horizontal and longitudinal imperfection magnetic fields of the storage ring. To this end, we developed a new method based on the spin tune response of a machine to artificially applied longitudinal magnetic fields. This novel technique, called \textit{spin tune mapping}, emerges as a very powerful tool to probe the spin dynamics in storage rings. The technique was experimentally tested in 2014 at the cooler synchrotron COSY, and for the first time, the angular orientation of the stable spin axis at two different locations in the ring has been determined to an unprecedented accuracy of better than $2.8\mu$rad.Comment: 32 pages, 15 figures, 7 table

The association between acute and late genitourinary and gastrointestinal toxicities: an analysis of the PACE B study

Simple Summary: Several studies have shown the association between significant short-term and long-term side-effects after prostate radiotherapy using older techniques. Our study, tests whether there is an association between short- and long-term bowel and urinary side-effects with modern prostate radiotherapy techniques such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) and intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT). We use CTCAE clinical assessments of patient symptoms for radiotherapy side-effects in the PACE-B study to answer this question. We show that patients who develop short-term urinary and bowel side-effects are at higher odds of developing long-term side-effects, after conventional fractionated radiotherapy and SBRT. This association remains even after adjusting for patient, treatment and tumour factors. We show that patients who have significant urinary symptoms before radiotherapy are also at higher odds of developing long-term side-effects. We suggest that patients who experience significant short-term side-effects should be closely monitored and potentially have their symptoms treated earlier. Abstract: Several studies have demonstrated the association between acute and late radiotherapy toxicity in prostate cancer using older radiotherapy techniques. However, whether this association is present with newer techniques such as stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT), remains unclear. We use univariable and multivariable logistic regression to analyse the association between grade 2 or worse acute gastrointestinal (GI) and genitourinary (GU) toxicities with equivalent late toxicities in patients treated with SBRT and conventional or moderately fractionated radiotherapy (CRT) within the PACE-B study. 842 patients were included in this analysis. Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events (CTCAE) was the primary clinician reported outcome measure used in this analysis. In univariable analysis, experiencing a grade 2+ acute GU toxicity was significantly associated with developing a grade 2+ late GU toxicity after SBRT (OR 4.63, 95% CI (2.96–7.25), p < 0.0001) and CRT (OR 2.83, 95% CI (1.69–4.71), p < 0.0001). This association remained significant in multivariable analysis. In univariable analysis, experiencing a grade 2+ acute GI toxicity was also associated with developing a grade 2+ late GI toxicity after SBRT (OR 3.67, 95% CI (1.91–7.03), p < 0.0001) and CRT (OR 4.4, 95% CI (2.04–9.47), p < 0.0001). This association also remained significant in multivariable analysis. Grade 2+ baseline GU symptoms were also associated with grade 2+ late urinary toxicity in both univariable and multivariable analysis. Overall, acute toxicity is an important predictor variable for late GU/GI toxicity after localised prostate radiotherapy using SBRT and CRT. Future work should test whether optimising symptoms pre-treatment and early intervention in those with significant acute toxicities could mitigate the development late of toxicity

Phase locking the spin precession in a storage ring

This letter reports the successful use of feedback from a spin polarization measurement to the revolution frequency of a 0.97 GeV/$c$ bunched and polarized deuteron beam in the Cooler Synchrotron (COSY) storage ring in order to control both the precession rate ($\approx 121$ kHz) and the phase of the horizontal polarization component. Real time synchronization with a radio frequency (rf) solenoid made possible the rotation of the polarization out of the horizontal plane, yielding a demonstration of the feedback method to manipulate the polarization. In particular, the rotation rate shows a sinusoidal function of the horizontal polarization phase (relative to the rf solenoid), which was controlled to within a one standard deviation range of $\sigma = 0.21$ rad. The minimum possible adjustment was 3.7 mHz out of a revolution frequency of 753 kHz, which changes the precession rate by 26 mrad/s. Such a capability meets a requirement for the use of storage rings to look for an intrinsic electric dipole moment of charged particles