“Simultaneous and integrated neutron-based techniques for material analysis of a metallic ancient flute“

A metallic 19th century flute was studied by means of integrated and simultaneous neutron-based techniques: neutron diffraction, neutron radiative capture analysis and neutron radiography. This experiment follows benchmark measurements devoted to assessing the effectiveness of a multitask beamline concept for neutron-based investigation on materials. The aim of this study is to show the potential application of the approach using multiple and integrated neutron-based techniques for musical instruments. Such samples, in the broad scenario of cultural heritage, represent an exciting research field. They may represent an interesting link between different disciplines such as nuclear physics, metallurgy and acoustics

Microstructural characterization of two Koto age Japanese swords

Two Japanese long blades of the Ancient Sword (Koto) age have been analysed through time of flight neutrondiffraction. This technique allows the determination of several microstructural properties on different sizegauge volumes. The results of the experiment provided a quantitative multiphase characterization of the steelcomposition of the blades and the determination of peculiar properties of the material, such as the texture,the strain level and the grain size of the crystallites

NMR techniques and prediction models for the analysis of the species formed in CO2 capture processes with aminebased sorbents: a critical review

This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from the American Chemical Society via the DOI in this recordCarbon dioxide (CO2) capture by aqueous alkanolamines is among the most mature and efficient technologies to curb the continuous emission of the greenhouse gas CO2 into the atmosphere. However, the widespread use of this technology is limited, mostly due to the energy penalty during CO2 desorption and amine regeneration. A key point to develop more efficient sorbents is the knowledge of the species formed in solution after the reaction of CO2 with the amine. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of ions in solutions can help to understand chemical reaction processes and probe chemical reaction mechanisms to discern important information including the CO2 absorption and desorption rates, the CO2 capture efficiency, the cyclic capacity, and the energy demand for regeneration, which are essential for the commercialization of this technology. Although many researchers have reported the speciation of primary, secondary, and tertiary amines when reacting with CO2 as determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) and other methods, a few discussed the state-of-the-art research in this area. This paper aims to review and compare NMR spectroscopy, pH + NMR analysis, and model prediction techniques for determining the speciation of CO2 loaded amine solution, to get information for better understanding the fundamental principles and up-to-date progress applied in various amine–CO2 systems. This review illustrates the applications of these three techniques to observe the morphology of CO2 loaded amine solutions including single amines, blended aqueous amines, and nonaqueous amine solutions. Furthermore, the operating principles are described in detail, and the strengths and weaknesses are discussed carefully. Of the three approaches, NMR spectrometry is proven to be more efficient in determining the proportion of ions in simple amine–CO2–H2O systems; however, for more complex systems, the process efficiency varies depending on the situation encountered. In sum, these three analytical techniques can help to design efficient amine materials with high CO2 separation performance and low energy cost.ICCOM institute of National Research Council of Italy (CNR)National Natural Science Foundation of ChinaHunan Province Science and Technology PlanJoint Fund of Basic and Applied Basic Research Fund of Guangdong ProvinceExcellent Youth Foundation of Hunan Province in ChinaResearch Foundation of Education Bureau of Hunan ProvinceResearch Start-up Foundation of Xiangtan UniversityHunan Key Laboratory of Environment Friendly Chemical Process Integration TechnologyNational Department of Education Engineering Research Centre for Chemical Process Simulation and OptimizationNational & Local United Engineering Research Centre for Chemical Process Simulation and Intensificatio

A New Class of Single-Component Absorbents for Reversible Carbon Dioxide Capture under Mild Conditions

With the aim of developing more efficient, less cost-intensive absorbents for CO2 separation from different gas mixtures, we formulated solvent-free, single-component absorbents based on inexpensive, commercially available secondary amines that combined a high absorption efficiency with a reduced volume of absorbent and unprecedentedly small differences between absorption and desorption temperatures at ambient pressure. Unlike traditional aqueous amines, our solvent-free absorbents captured CO2 with high efficiency, while avoiding great volumes of water and did not suffer from a dramatic increase in viscosity upon carbonation of the ionic-liquid-based absorbents

Feline lymphangiosarcoma--definitive identification using a lymphatic vascular marker.

Three cases of feline exudative dermatitis associated with lymphangiosarcoma are described. The animals, an 11-year-old, neutered male and two 10-year-old, neutered female short hair European cats, presented with a 2-month history of transparent liquid oozing from the skin of the groin and caudal abdomen. On physical examination the neutered male cat and one of the females were slightly depressed and showed loss of weight. Skin lesions were similar in all cats and characterized by the presence of alopecia and moist dermatitis in the ventral abdomen, groin and inner thigh. The hair at the periphery appeared matted by the fluid. In all three cases, histopathological examination of skin biopsies from the abdomen identified poorly defined neoplasia involving dermis and subcutis, characterized by proliferation of spindle cells aligned along pre-existing collagen bundles. The dissection of collagen bundles gave rise to irregular shaped anastomosing, often blind-ending vascular channels and trabeculae. Vascular spaces were mostly optically empty. These histological features were strongly suggestive of lymphangiosarcoma. Neoplastic cells were positive for the blood vascular marker Von Willebrand factor, and a lymphatic vascular marker LYVE-1 (Lymphatic Vessel Endothelial receptor - 1), demonstrating the mixed vascular origin of the tumour. Ultrastructural findings confirmed the final diagnosis of lymphangiosarcoma

Feline lymphangiosarcoma - definitive identification using a lymphatic vascular marker

Three cases of feline exudative dermatitis associated with lymphangiosarcoma are described. The animals, an 11-year-old, neutered male and two 10-year-old, neutered female short hair European cats, presented with a 2-month history of transparent liquid oozing from the skin of the groin and caudal abdomen. On physical examination the neutered male cat and one of the females were slightly depressed and showed loss of weight. Skin lesions were similar in all cats and characterized by the presence of alopecia and moist dermatitis in the ventral abdomen, groin and inner thigh. The hair at the periphery appeared matted by the fluid. In all three cases, histopathological examination of skin biopsies from the abdomen identified poorly defined neoplasia involving dermis and subcutis, characterized by proliferation of spindle cells aligned along pre-existing collagen bundles. The dissection of collagen bundles gave rise to irregular shaped anastomosing, often blind-ending vascular channels and trabeculae. Vascular spaces were mostly optically empty. These histological features were strongly suggestive of lymphangiosarcoma. Neoplastic cells were positive for the blood vascular marker Von Willebrand factor, and a lymphatic vascular marker LYVE-1 (Lymphatic Vessel Endothelial receptor - 1), demonstrating the mixed vascular origin of the tumour. Ultrastructural findings confirmed the final diagnosis of lymphangiosarcoma