985 research outputs found
Carbon monoxide measurements at Mace Head, Ireland
The North Atlantic Ocean is bordered by continents which may each, under the influence of seasonal weather patterns, act as sources of natural and anthropogenic trace gas and particulate species. Photochemically active species such as carbon monoxide (CO) react to form ozone (O3), a species of critical importance in global climate change. CO is sparingly soluble in water, and the relatively long lifetime of CO in the troposphere makes this species an ideal tracer of air masses with origin over land. We have measured CO using a nondispersive infrared gas filter correlation analyzer at Mace Head on the west coast of Ireland nearly continuously since August 9, 1991. Measurements of CO were acquired at 20-sec resolution and recorded as 60-sec averages. Daily, monthly, and diurnal variation data characteristics of CO mixing ratios observed at this site are reported. Depending on source regions of air parcels passing over this site, 60-min concentrations of CO range from clean air values of approximately 90 ppbv to values in excess of 300 ppbv. Data characterizing the correlation between 60-min CO and O3 mixing ratio data observed at this site are reported also
Compressibility of and (M = Rh, Ir and Co) Compounds
The lattice parameters of the tetragonal compounds CeIn and
CeIn(Rh, Ir and Co) have been studied as a function of
pressure up to 15 GPa using a diamond anvil cell under both hydrostatic and
quasihydrostatic conditions at room temperature. The addition of In
layers to the parent CeIn compound is found to stiffen the lattice as the
2-layer systems (average of bulk modulus values is 70.4 GPa) have a
larger than CeIn (67 GPa), while the 1-layer systems with the are
even stiffer (average of is 81.4 GPa). Estimating the hybridization
using parameters from tight binding calculations shows that the dominant
hybridization is in nature between the Ce and In atoms. The values of
at the pressure where the superconducting transition temperature
reaches a maximum is the same for all CeIn compounds. By
plotting the maximum values of the superconducting transition temperature
versus for the studied compounds and Pu-based superconductors, we
find a universal versus behavior when these quantities are
normalized appropriately. These results are consistent with magnetically
mediated superconductivity.Comment: Updated version resubmitted to Phys. Rev.
Photoelectric Emission from Interstellar Dust: Grain Charging and Gas Heating
We model the photoelectric emission from and charging of interstellar dust
and obtain photoelectric gas heating efficiencies as a function of grain size
and the relevant ambient conditions. Using realistic grain size distributions,
we evaluate the net gas heating rate for various interstellar environments, and
find less heating for dense regions characterized by R_V=5.5 than for diffuse
regions with R_V=3.1. We provide fitting functions which reproduce our
numerical results for photoelectric heating and recombination cooling for a
wide range of interstellar conditions. In a separate paper we will examine the
implications of these results for the thermal structure of the interstellar
medium. Finally, we investigate the potential importance of photoelectric
heating in H II regions, including the warm ionized medium. We find that
photoelectric heating could be comparable to or exceed heating due to
photoionization of H for high ratios of the radiation intensity to the gas
density. We also find that photoelectric heating by dust can account for the
observed variation of temperature with distance from the galactic midplane in
the warm ionized medium.Comment: 50 pages, including 18 figures; corrected title and abstract field
Magnetic Field and Pressure Phase Diagrams of Uranium Heavy-Fermion Compound UZn
We have performed magnetization measurements at high magnetic fields of up to
53 T on single crystals of a uranium heavy-fermion compound UZn
grown by the Bridgman method. In the antiferromagnetic state below the N\'{e}el
temperature = 9.7 K, a metamagnetic transition is found at
32 T for the field along the [110] direction (-axis). The
magnetic phase diagram for the field along the [110] direction is
given. The magnetization curve shows a nonlinear increase at 35
T in the paramagnetic state above up to a characteristic
temperature where the magnetic susceptibility or
electrical resistivity shows a maximum value. This metamagnetic behavior of the
magnetization at is discussed in comparison with the metamagnetic
magnetism of the heavy-fermion superconductors UPt, URuSi, and
UPdAl. We have also carried out high-pressure resistivity measurement
on UZn using a diamond anvil cell up to 8.7 GPa. Noble gas argon was
used as a pressure-transmitting medium to ensure a good hydrostatic
environment. The N\'{e}el temperature is almost
pressure-independent up to 4.7 GPa and starts to increase in the
higher-pressure region. The pressure dependences of the coefficient of the
term in the electrical resistivity , the antiferromagnetic gap
, and the characteristic temperature are
discussed. It is found that the effect of pressure on the electronic states in
UZn is weak compared with those in the other heavy fermion
compounds
Greenhouse gas measurements from a UK network of tall towers: technical description and first results
A network of three tall tower measurement stations was set up in 2012 across the United Kingdom to expand measurements made at the long-term background northern hemispheric site, Mace Head, Ireland. Reliable and precise in situ greenhouse gas (GHG) analysis systems were developed and deployed at three sites in the UK with automated instrumentation measuring a suite of GHGs. The UK Deriving Emissions linked to Climate Change (UK DECC) network uses tall (165–230 m) open-lattice telecommunications towers, which provide a convenient platform for boundary layer trace gas sampling. In this paper we describe the automated measurement system and first results from the UK DECC network for CO2, CH4, N2O, SF6, CO and H2. CO2 and CH4 are measured at all of the UK DECC sites by cavity ring-down spectroscopy (CRDS) with multiple inlet heights at two of the three tall tower sites to assess for boundary layer stratification. The short-term precisions (1σ on 1 min means) of CRDS measurements at background mole fractions for January 2012 to September 2015 is < 0.05 µmol mol−1 for CO2 and < 0.3 nmol mol−1 for CH4. Repeatability of standard injections (1σ) is < 0.03 µmol mol−1 for CO2 and < 0.3 nmol mol−1 for CH4 for the same time period. N2O and SF6 are measured at three of the sites, and CO and H2 measurements are made at two of the sites, from a single inlet height using gas chromatography (GC) with an electron capture detector (ECD), flame ionisation detector (FID) or reduction gas analyser (RGA). Repeatability of individual injections (1σ) on GC and RGA instruments between January 2012 and September 2015 for CH4, N2O, SF6, CO and H2 measurements were < 2.8 nmol mol−1, < 0.4 nmol mol−1, < 0.07 pmol mol−1, < 2 nmol mol−1 and < 3 nmol mol−1, respectively. Instrumentation in the network is fully automated and includes sensors for measuring a variety of instrumental parameters such as flow, pressures, and sampling temperatures. Automated alerts are generated and emailed to site operators when instrumental parameters are not within defined set ranges. Automated instrument shutdowns occur for critical errors such as carrier gas flow rate deviations. Results from the network give good spatial and temporal coverage of atmospheric mixing ratios within the UK since early 2012. Results also show that all measured GHGs are increasing in mole fraction over the selected reporting period and, except for SF6, exhibit a seasonal trend. CO2 and CH4 also show strong diurnal cycles, with night-time maxima and daytime minima in mole fractions
Challenges and opportunities in resuming spirometry services in England post-pandemic with potential to adopt Artificial Intelligence decision support software: a qualitative study
Background: Spirometry services to diagnose and monitor lung disease in primary care are restarting post-pandemic in England, identified as a priority in the NHS Long Term Plan, however evidence regarding best practice is limited.Aims: To explore perspectives on spirometry provision in primary care, and the potential for Artificial Intelligence (AI) decision support software to aid quality and interpretation.Design and Setting: Semi-structured interviews with stakeholders in spirometry services in primary care.Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with key stakeholders in spirometry services across England. Participants were recruited by snowball sampling. Interviews explored the pre-pandemic delivery of spirometry, restarting of services and perceptions of the role of AI. Transcripts were analysed thematically.Results: 28 participants (mean [SD], 21.6 [9.4, range 3-40] years’ clinical experience) were interviewed between April and June 2022. Participants included clinicians (n=25) and commissioners (n=3); eight held regional and/or national respiratory network advisory roles. Four themes were identified: 1) Historical challenges in spirometry provision; 2) Inequity in post-pandemic spirometry provision and challenges to restarting spirometry in primary care; 3) Future delivery closer to patients’ homes by appropriately trained staff; 4) The potential for AI to have supportive roles in spirometry.Conclusion: Stakeholders highlighted historic challenges and the damaging effects of the pandemic contributing to inequity in provision of spirometry, which must be addressed. Overall stakeholders were positive about the potential of AI to support clinicians in quality assessment and interpretation of spirometry. However, it was evident that validation of the software must be sufficiently robust for clinicians and healthcare commissioners to have trust in the process
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