Formation of belite-based binder from waste materials

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - The present work deals with the preparation of belite-based binders using a mixture of sludge waste from mining and washing of limestone (source of...     

Intramolecular association within the SAFT framework

A general theory for modelling intramolecular association within the SAFT framework is proposed. Sear and Jackson [Phys. Rev. E. 50 (1), 386 (1994)] and Ghonasgi and Chapman [J. Chem. Phys. 102 (6), 2585 (1995)] have previously extended SAFT to include intramolecular association for chains with two sites. We show that the resulting equations from the two approaches are equivalent, and use their work as a basis for developing a new general theory. The approach used by Ghonasgi and Chapman is based on mass balances and an infinite dilution result and provides the equations needed to determine the contribution to the Helmholtz free energy from association (inter- as well as intramolecularly) at equilibrium. Sear and Jackson rederived the contribution to the Helmholtz free energy from association from the theory by Wertheim [J. Stat. Phys. 42 (3–4), 459 (1986)] with inclusion of intramolecular association, and using this approach we obtain an expression for the Helmholtz free energy that is valid also at non-equilibrium states (with respect to hydrogen bonds), which is very useful when calculating derivatives.     

Illumination of the effect of the overlap of lone-pairs on indirect nuclear spin-spin coupling constants

The effect of electron lone-pairs on the Fermi-contact (FC) contribution to indirect nuclear spin-spin coupling constants is analyzed using new tools for their interpretation. In particular, visualization of spin-spin coupling pathways using the coupling deformation density (CDD) has been employed. Furthermore, the recently developed perturbation-stable localization procedure has been applied for decomposition of CDD and the calculated value of couplings into contributions from localized molecular orbitals (LMOs). Correlation between the overlap of densities of LMOs representing lone-pairs and the Fermi-contact contribution to spin-spin coupling constants has been demonstrated. A new way for analyzing spin-spin couplings using the expansion of CDD as a linear combination of the products of molecular orbitals has been suggested. The considered examples include two- and three-bond phosphor-phosphor couplings. Significance of the obtained insight is not restricted to spin-spin couplings of nuclei possessing lone-pairs, as demonstrated in the example of vicinal hydrogen-hydrogen coupling in ethane.     

In‐situ and laboratory Raman analysis in the field of cultural heritage: the case of a mural painting

The present work exemplifies, over a mural painting from the 14th century, the advantages of an initial exhaustive research using latest generation hand‐held spectrometers (Raman mainly) in order to perform the characterization of valuable objects of cultural heritage. These in‐situ techniques (meaning on‐site and non‐destructive) are very useful to study the pigments and materials, to identify the nature and causes of some of the main sources of deterioration and to examine past repaints. In addition, the in‐situ measurements are of great importance in the selection of micro‐samples for the laboratory analyses. In this particular case, the combination of these results with the chemical imaging analyses in the laboratory (such as Raman and energy dispersive X‐ray spectrometry imaging) allowed the characterization of the mural painting, including, the identification of all restoration works applied in the past. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Foveal Pit Morphology Characterization: A Quantitative Analysis of the Key Methodological Steps

Disentangling the cellular anatomy that gives rise to human visual perception is one of the main challenges of ophthalmology. Of particular interest is the foveal pit, a concave depression located at the center of the retina that captures light from the gaze center. In recent years, there has been a growing interest in studying the morphology of the foveal pit by extracting geometrical features from optical coherence tomography (OCT) images. Despite this, research has devoted little attention to comparing existing approaches for two key methodological steps: the location of the foveal center and the mathematical modelling of the foveal pit. Building upon a dataset of 185 healthy subjects imaged twice, in the present paper the image alignment accuracy of four different foveal center location methods is studied in the first place. Secondly, state-of-the-art foveal pit mathematical models are compared in terms of fitting error, repeatability, and bias. The results indicate the importance of using a robust foveal center location method to align images. Moreover, we show that foveal pit models can improve the agreement between different acquisition protocols. Nevertheless, they can also introduce important biases in the parameter estimates that should be considered.     

LC–MS/MS quantification of ractopamine in bovine and swine muscle: stability of matrix-matched calibration solutions

Accreditation and Quality Assurance - Ractopamine is used as an animal feed additive, but its adverse effects led to the necessity of the current monitoring programs of ractopamine residues in food...     

Crystal and Molecular Structures of Two Triazole Derivatives: 4-Cyclopropyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,3-triazole and Methyl 1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate

Abstract  

The molecule in 4-cyclopropyl-4,5-dihydro-1H-1,2,3-triazole (I) is disposed about a mirror plane with the triazole ring lying in the plane and being orthogonal to the cyclopropyl ring. Considerable delocalization of π-electron density within the triazole ring is indicated by the pattern of bond distances in (I). The molecule of methyl 1-benzyl-1H-1,2,3-triazole-4-carboxylate (II) adopts a curved shape with the dihedral angle formed between the triazole and benzene rings being 63.23(8)°. By contrast to (I), localization of π-electron density within the triazole ring in (II) is indicated. Both (I), via N–H···N hydrogen bonding, and (II), via C–H···O and C–H···N interactions, associate in the solid state to form supramolecular chains. In (I), the chain is a zigzag with a flat topology, whereas in (II) the linear chain has a curved topology. Compound (I) crystallizes in the orthorhombic space group Pnma with a = 5.6470(2) ?, b = 7.3359(4) ?, c = 13.4404(7) ?, and Z = 4. Compound (II) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P2₁/c with a = 12.1314(5) ?, b = 5.5951(2) ?, c = 16.4339(7) ?, β = 111.269(2)°, and Z = 4.     

Ultra-high pressure synthesis of a tetrathiafulvalene-diquat cyclophane

Quaternization of a tetrathiafulvalene (TTF)/2,2′-bipyridine cyclophane under 10 kbar of pressure yields a TTF-diquat donor-acceptor cyclophane revealing distinct charge-transfer interactions.     

Electrochemical technologies combined with membrane filtration

The aim of this article is to review the recent progress in the coupling of membrane separation and electrochemical technologies for water treatment. Process integration strategies have been classified in three groups. The first group deals with electrocoagulation and electrooxidation as pretreatment of membrane separation, in most cases aimed at reducing membrane fouling and decay of permeate flux of porous ultrafiltration membranes. The second group is dedicated to electrooxidation as remediation treatment for nanofiltration and reverse osmosis concentrates, which accumulate priority pollutants and emerging contaminants. Finally, the article evaluates the optimal integration of technologies using process systems engineering tools, for producing a single purified water stream, considering not only the minimization of the energy consumption but also of the total costs. Overall, it is concluded that the preconcentration strategy provides a remarkable enhancement of electrooxidation performance to degrade persistent pollutants.