Dissociation Energies of the Ga2, In2, and GaIn Molecules

The group III metal dimers Ga2 and In2 and the newly identified intermetallic molecule GaIn were investigated in a Knudsen cell-mass spectrometric study of the vapors over gallium–indium alloys. From the all-gas equilibria analyzed by the second-law and third-law methods the following dissociation energies were derived; D00 (Ga2)=110.8±4.9 kJ mol−1, D00 (In2)=74.4±5.7 kJ mol−1, D00 (GaIn)=90.7±3.7 kJ mol−1. The value here measured for the dissociation energy of In2 is discussed and compared with a previous experimental determination and with the results of more recent theoretical investigations

Party triades against democracy in Hong Kong

The paper aims at analysing the evolution of the connection between the Chinese political system and the local organised crime, in the form of triads. It focuses on the likely subordination of the triad societies to the Communist Party of China, above all in relation to the Hong Kong protests occurred in 2014 and in 2019.Questo saggio analizza l’evoluzione del rapporto tra sistema politico cinese e criminalità organizzata locale, nella fattispecie delle triadi, focalizzando l’attenzione su un possibile moderno rapporto di subordinazione delle seconde al Partito Comunista cinese, in particolar modo in occasione delle manifestazioni di protesta che hanno avuto luogo a Hong Kong nel 2014 e nel 2019

WoodCircus, Underpinning the vital role of the forest-based sector in the Circular Bioeconomy. D2.2 Resource Efficiency, Side Streams and Value Chain Analysis – WP2 Final Report

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Teaching high-temperature materials chemistry at university (IUPAC Technical Report)

AbstractOver the last four to five decades, high-temperature materials chemistry (HTMC) has become a flourishing area of scientific and applied research, spurred by both a growing demand for new inorganic materials (e.g., oxide and non-oxide modern multifunctional ceramics, intermetallics, and oxidation-resistant alloys) able to withstand extreme thermal and chemical environments and by the recognition that chemical and physical behavior at high temperatures differs from, and cannot be extrapolated from, behavior at temperatures near room temperature. Despite the important role played by HTMC in modern advanced technology and the fundamental differences in behavior encountered at high temperatures, HTMC topics are rarely covered in chemistry and materials science programs at the university level because of a lack of readily accessible resource material - no textbook exists specifically devoted to HTMC topics. IUPAC's Inorganic Chemistry Division sponsored a project to address this gap, resulting in the present report. The report includes an introduction and seven sections covering historical background, chemical behavior of condensed-phase/gas-phase systems at high temperature, basic concepts of materials thermodynamics, experimental techniques, use of thermodynamic data and modeling, vaporization, and decomposition processes, and gas-solid reactions. The ninth section covers more specific topics, primarily concerning applications of high-temperature materials and processes. Each recommended topic is accompanied by a bibliography of helpful references, a short introduction or explanation including the areas of application, and some relevant teaching suggestions. An extensive annotated resource bibliography is an Appendix to the report available as supplementary material

CRP Predicts Safe Patient Discharge after Colorectal Surgery. Reply

Reply: We would like to thank Aurelie´n Dupre`, Johan Gagnie´r, Heloı¨se Samba, Michel Rivoire, and Karem Slim for their comments about our article ‘‘Procalcitonin Reveals Early Dehiscence in Colorectal Surgery: The PREDICS Study.’’1 It is very rewarding to realize that this paper is stimulating so many observations, this means thatwe are talking about an interesting topic

Experimental and Computational Study of the New Gaseous Molecules OMnF and OMnF[Sub 2]

The new gaseous species OMnF and OMnF2 were identified and studied by high-temperature Knudsen Cell Mass Spectrometry. Their thermochemical atomization energies were derived through the study of several all-gas equilibria in the temperature range 1735–1913 K. FTIR matrix isolation experiments together with ab initio and density functional calculations were performed to determine the molecular parameters, bond distances, and vibrational frequencies of OMnF(g) and OMnF2(g) . The results allowed us to evaluate a set of thermal functions for the new species that were used in the evaluation of the equilibrium data. The proposed atomization energies and enthalpies of formation are DaH0 + (OMnF,g)5(90365) kJ mol21, DfH298.15 + (OMnF,g)5(229765) kJ mol21, and DaH0 + (OMnF2 ,g)5(1470670) kJ mol21, DfH298.15 + (OMnF2 ,g)5(2789670) kJ mol21

Laparoscopic versus open rectal resection. a 1:2 propensity score-matched analysis of oncological adequateness, short- and long-term outcomes

Laparoscopic resections for rectal cancer are routinely performed in high-volume centres. Despite short-term advantages have been demonstrated, the oncological outcomes are still debated. The aim of this study was to compare the oncological adequateness of the surgical specimen and the long-term outcomes between open (ORR) and laparoscopic (LRR) rectal resections

The Geothermal Power Plants of Amiata Volcano, Italy: Impacts on Freshwater Aquifers, Seismicity and Air

Production of geothermal energy for electricity at Amiata Volcano uses flash-type power plants with cooling towers that evaporate much of the geothermal fluid to the atmosphere to condense the geothermal vapour extracted. Because the flash occurs also within the geothermal reservoir, it causes a significant depressurization within it that, in turns, results in a drop of the water table inside the volcano between 200 and 300 m. The flow rates of natural springs around the volcano have also substantially decreased or ceased since the start of geothermal energy exploitation. Continuous recording of aquifer conditions shows substantial increases in salinity (>20%) and temperature (>2°C) as the water table falls below about 755–750 m asl. In addition to hydrologic impacts, there are also a large numbers of induced earthquakes, among which the ML 3.9, April 1, 2000 earthquake that generated significant damage in the old villages and rural houses. Relevant impacts on air quality occur when emissions are considered on a per-MW basis. For example, CO2+CH4 emissions at Amiata are comparable to those of gas-fired power plants, while the acid-rain potential is about twice that of coal-fired power plants. Also, a significant emission of primary and secondary fine particles is associated with the cooling towers. These particles contain heavy metals and are enriched in sodium, vanadium, zinc, phosphorous, sulphur, tantalium, caesium, thallium, thorium, uranium, and arsenic relative to comparable aerosols collected in Florence and Arezzo. Measurements have shown that mercury emitted at Amiata comprises 42% of the mercury emitted from all Italian industries, while an additional comparable amount is emitted from the other geothermal power plants of Tuscany. We believe that the use of air coolers in place of the evaporative cooling towers, as suggested in 2010 by the local government of Tuscany, could have and can now drastically reduced the environmental impact on freshwater and air. On the opposite side of the coin, air-coolers would increase the amount of reinjection, increasing the risk of induced seismicity. We conclude that the use of deep borehole heat exchangers could perhaps be the only viable solution to the current geothermal energy environmental impacts