Mechanical activation process for self-propagation high-temperature synthesis of ceramic-based composites

Journal of Thermal Analysis and Calorimetry - In this study, the mechanical activation process of the Al–TiO2–H3BO3 thermite mixture was modeled and optimized before self-propagation...     

Biogas Production from N-Methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) Pretreated Forest Residues

Lignocellulosic biomass represents a great potential for biogas production. However, a suitable pretreatment is needed to improve their digestibility. This study investigates the effects of an organic solvent, N-Methylmorpholine-N-oxide (NMMO) at temperatures of 120 and 90 °C, NMMO concentrations of 75 and 85 % and treatment times of 3 and 15 h on the methane yield. The long-term effects of the treatment were determined by a semicontinuous experiment. The best results were obtained using 75 % NMMO at 120 °C for 15 h, resulting in 141 % increase in the methane production. These conditions led to a decrease by 9 % and an increase by 8 % in the lignin and in the carbohydrate content, respectively. During the continuous digestion experiments, a specific biogas production rate of 92 NmL/gVS/day was achieved while the corresponding rate from the untreated sample was 53 NmL/gVS/day. The operation conditions were set at 4.4 gVS/L/day organic loading rate (OLR) and hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 20 days in both cases. NMMO pretreatment has substantially improved the digestibility of forest residues. The present study shows the possibilities of this pretreatment method; however, an economic and technical assessment of its industrial use needs to be performed in the future.     

Outdoor ground impedance models

Many models for the acoustical properties of rigid-porous media require knowledge of parameter values that are not available for outdoor ground surfaces. The relationship used between tortuosity and porosity for stacked spheres results in five characteristic impedance models that require not more than two adjustable parameters. These models and hard-backed-layer versions are considered further through numerical fitting of 42 short range level difference spectra measured over various ground surfaces. For all but eight sites, slit-pore, phenomenological and variable porosity models yield lower fitting errors than those given by the widely used one-parameter semi-empirical model. Data for 12 of 26 grassland sites and for three beech wood sites are fitted better by hard-backed-layer models. Parameter values obtained by fitting slit-pore and phenomenological models to data for relatively low flow resistivity grounds, such as forest floors, porous asphalt, and gravel, are consistent with values that have been obtained non-acoustically. Three impedance models yield reasonable fits to a narrow band excess attenuation spectrum measured at short range over railway ballast but, if extended reaction is taken into account, the hard-backed-layer version of the slit-pore model gives the most reasonable parameter values.     

The influence of hydrogen- and lithium-bonding on the cooperativity of chalcogen bonds: A comparative ab initio study

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study is to investigate the influence of a hydrogen- or lithium-bonding interaction on the cooperativity of chalcogen bonds in linear NCH···(OCX)_2–5 and NCLi···(OCX)_2-5 clusters (X?=?S, Se). The nature of interactions in the optimised structures is analysed by means of molecular electrostatic potential, quantum theory of atoms in molecules, natural bond orbital and electron density difference methods. According to our results, the formation of a lithium-bonding interaction in NCLi···(OCX)_2-5 clusters induces a large increase in the strength of X···O chalcogen bonds, and hence their cooperativity. This can be mainly rationalised in terms of the electrostatic nature of chalcogen bonds as well as the fundamental orbital interaction between the interacting OCX subunits. The results of this study provide a theoretical evidence for the tuning of chalcogen bonds cooperativity by a hydrogen- or lithium-bonding.     

The first X-ray crystal structure of a mercury(II) complex with an SP(N)3-based ligand: Synthesis and crystal structure of SP(NC5H10)3 and [Hg{SP(NC5H10)3}Cl2]2

The synthesis, spectral characteristics (IR and NMR), elemental analysis and X-ray crystal structure of phosphorothioic triamide SP(NC₅H₁₀)₃ (1) and its dinuclear mercury(II) complex [Hg₂(μ-Cl)₂(Cl)₂{SP(NC₅H₁₀)₃}₂] (2) were investigated. A survey using the Cambridge Structural Database (CSD, version 5.38, May 2017) shows structures of coordination compounds of Au, Ag, Cd, Cu, Li, Mo, Ni, Pd, Te, Ti, Zn, and Zr with sulfur-donor SP(N)₃-based ligands; the complex 2 is the first example of a mercury complex with the SP(N)₃-based ligand studied by X-ray crystallography. Valence bond calculation was performed for the Hg–S bond in 2 and compared with the Hg–O bond in the only structure with a Cl₂Hg–OP(N)₃ structural motive in the CSD. The calculation confirms a more covalent nature of the Hg–S bond with respect to the Hg–O bond made by the EP(N)₃-based ligands (E?=?S, O). The supramolecular structures based on C–H···S?=?P contacts in 1 and C–H···S═P and C–H···Cl–Hg assemblies in 2 are discussed.     

Biological Pretreatment of Chicken Feather and Biogas Production from Total Broth

Chicken feathers are available in large quantities around the world causing environmental challenges. The feathers are composed of keratin that is a recalcitrant protein and is hard to degrade. In this work, chicken feathers were aerobically pretreated for 2–8 days at total solid concentrations of 5, 10, and 20 % by Bacillus sp. C₄, a bacterium that produces both α- and β-keratinases. Then, the liquid fraction (feather hydrolysate) as well as the total broth (liquid and solid fraction of pretreated feathers) was used as substrates for biogas production using anaerobic sludge or bacteria granules as inoculum. The biological pretreatment of feather waste was productive; about 75 % of feather was converted to soluble crude protein after 8 days of degradation at initial feather concentration of 5 %. Bacteria granules performed better during anaerobic digestion of untreated feathers, resulting in approximately two times more methane yield (i.e., 199 mlCH₄/gVS compared to 105 mlCH₄/gVS when sludge was used). Pretreatment improved methane yield by 292 and 105 % when sludge and granules were used on the hydrolysate. Bacteria granules worked effectively on the total broth, yielded 445 mlCH₄/gVS methane, which is 124 % more than that obtained with the same type of inoculum from untreated feather.     

Sequence‐based prediction of protein–peptide binding sites using support vector machine

Protein–peptide interactions are essential for all cellular processes including DNA repair, replication, gene‐expression, and metabolism. As most protein – peptide interactions are uncharacterized, it is cost effective to investigate them computationally as the first step. All existing approaches for predicting protein – peptide binding sites, however, are based on protein structures despite the fact that the structures for most proteins are not yet solved. This article proposes the first machine‐learning method called SPRINT to make Sequence‐based prediction of Protein – peptide Residue‐level Interactions. SPRINT yields a robust and consistent performance for 10‐fold cross validations and independent test. The most important feature is evolution‐generated sequence profiles. For the test set (1056 binding and non‐binding residues), it yields a Matthews’ Correlation Coefficient of 0.326 with a sensitivity of 64% and a specificity of 68%. This sequence‐based technique shows comparable or more accurate than structure‐based methods for peptide‐binding site prediction. SPRINT is available as an online server at: http://sparks-lab.org/ . © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

The strengthening effect of a halogen,chalcogen or pnicogen bonding on halogen–π interaction: a comparative ab initio study

The aim of this work is to study the possible cooperative effects between Z···N and X···π interactions (Z = Cl, S, P and X = Cl, Br) in some model complexes, where both these interactions coexist. The nature of the interactions in these complexes is characterised by means of molecular electrostatic potential, electron localisation function, quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses. According to the results, the formation of an Z···N interaction in these systems makes a significant shortening of X···π distance. The cooperative enhancement of the X···π bonding in the ternary complexes depend on the strength of the Z···N interaction, and it becomes larger in the order Z = Cl > S > P. The mechanism of the cooperativity between the Z···N and X···π interactions is studied using the parameters derived from the QTAIM and NBO analyses.     

The triel bond: a potential force for tuning anion–π interactions

Using ab-initio calculations, the mutual influence between anion–π and B···N or B···C triel bond interactions is investigated in some model complexes. The properties of these complexes are studied by molecular electrostatic potential, noncovalent interaction index, quantum theory of atoms in molecules (QTAIM) and natural bond orbital (NBO) analyses. According to the results, the formation of B···N or B···C triel bond interactions in the multi-component systems makes a significant shortening of anion–π distance. Such remarkable variation in the anion–π distances has not been reported previously. The strengthening of the anion–π bonding in the multi-component systems depend significantly on the nature of the anion, and it becomes larger in the order Br^? > Cl^? > F^?. The parameters derived from the QTAIM and NBO methodologies are used to study the mechanism of the cooperativity between the anion–π and triel bond interactions in the multi-component complexes.