Removal of mercury (II) from aqueous solution by using rice residues

Sorption potential of rice residues for Hg(II) removal from aqueous solution was investigated. Rice husk (RH) and rice straw (RS) were selected and treated with sodium hydroxide (NaOH). The raw and modified adsorbents were characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy (SEM), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and BET surface area measurements. The effects of pH, initial ion concentration, and agitation time on the removal process were studied in batch adsorption experiments. Two simple kinetic models, which are pseudo-first-order and pseudo-second-order, were tested to investigate the adsorption mechanisms. The kinetic data fits to pseudo second order model with correlation coefficients greater than 0.99 for all adsorbents. The equilibrium data fitted well with the Langmuir compared to Freundlich isotherm models. Alkali-treated adsorbent obtained larger surface area and RH-NaOH showed highest adsorption capacity followed by RS-Pure > RH-Pure > RS-NaOH. The maximum removal efficiency obtained by RH-NaOH and RS-Pure was 42 mg/l (80%) at pH 6.5 and with 2 days contact time (for 50 mg/l initial concentration and 25 mg adsorbents)

Solar-neutrino reactions on deuteron in effective field theory

The cross sections for low-energy neutrino-deuteron reactions are calculated within heavy-baryon chiral perturbation theory employing cut-off regularization scheme. The transition operators are derived up to next-to-next-to-next-to-leading order in the Weinberg counting rules, while the nuclear matrix elements are evaluated using the wave functions generated by a high-quality phenomenological NN potential. With the adoption of the axial-current-four-nucleon coupling constant fixed from the tritium beta decay data, our calculation is free from unknown low-energy constants. Our results exhibit a high degree of stability against different choices of the cutoff parameter, a feature which indicates that, apart from radiative corrections, the uncertainties in the calculated cross sections are less than 1 %.Comment: 12 pages, 3 figures. Error estimation of higher order corrections detaile

Theoretical studies of 63Cu Knight shifts of the normal state of YBa2Cu3O7

The 63Cu Knight shifts and g factors for the normal state of YBa2Cu3O7 in tetragonal phase are theoretically studied in a uniform way from the high (fourth-) order perturbation formulas of these parameters for a 3d9 ion under tetragonally elongated octahedra. The calculations are quantitatively correlated with the local structure of the Cu2+(2) site in YBa2Cu3O7. The theoretical results show good agreement with the observed values, and the improvements are achieved by adopting fewer adjustable parameters as compared to the previous works. It is found that the significant anisotropy of the Knight shifts is mainly attributed to the anisotropy of the g factors due to the orbital interactions.Comment: 5 page

Comment on a mechanism of dynamical breaking of supersymmetry

We re-examine the so-called Nambu-Jona-Lasinio mechanism suggested by Song, Xu and Chin in breaking the supersymmetry in the Wess-Zumino model and show that this mechanism cannot be justified without assuming special effects between fermions. The fermion condensation suggested by them corresponds to an unstable vacuum configuration. As a result, there is no fermion condensation and no supersymmetry breaking in the model discussed by them.Comment: 10 pages, Plain Late

Investigations of the g factors and local structure for orthorhombic Cu^{2+}(1) site in fresh PrBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{6+x} powders

The electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) g factors g_x, g_y and g_z of the orthorhombic Cu^{2+}(1) site in fresh PrBa_{2}Cu_{3}O_{6+x} powders are theoretically investigated using the perturbation formulas of the g factors for a 3d^9 ion under orthorhombically elongated octahedra. The local orthorhombic distortion around the Cu^{2+}(1) site due to the Jahn-Teller effect is described by the orthorhombic field parameters from the superposition model. The [CuO6]^{10-} complex is found to experience an axial elongation of about 0.04 {\AA} along c axis and the relative bond length variation of about 0.09 {\AA} along a and b axes of the Jahn-Teller nature. The theoretical results of the g factors based on the above local structure are in reasonable agreement with the experimental data.Comment: 6 pages, 1 figur

A Consumer-Centric Open Innovation Framework for Food and Packaging Manufacturing

This article has been archived following written permission from IGI Global.Closed innovation approaches have been employed for many years in the food industry. But, this sector recently perceives its end-user to be wary of radically new products and changes in consumption patterns. However, new product development involves not only the product itself but also the entire manufacturing and distribution network. In this paper, we present a new ICT based framework that embraces open innovation to place customers in the product development loop but at the same time assesses and eventually coordinates the entire manufacturing and supply chain. The aim is to design new food products that consumers will buy and at the same time ensure that these products will reach the consumer in time and at adequate quantity. On the product development side, our framework enables new food products that offer an integrated sensory experience of food and packaging, which encompass customization, healthy eating, and sustainability