Correlation between Cu ion migration behaviour and deNO x activity in Cu-SSZ-13 for the standard NH 3 -SCR reaction

Here we present the results of a synchrotron-based in situ, time-resolved PXRD study during activation of two Cu-SSZ-13 catalysts under O2/He and one during standard NH3-SCR reaction conditions to obtain insight into the behaviour of Cu ions. The results obtained indicate that deNOx activity is inexorably linked with occupancy of the zeolite 6r

Стилістичні особливості хорових творів для дітей Б. Фільц на канонічні тексти

Авторка пропонованої читачам статті звертається до творів канонічної тематики відомої української композиторки Б. Фільц, досліджуючи особливості її авторської стилістики в аспекті виявлення співвідношень оригінальних та традиційних чинників, особливостей формотворення та циклічної драматургії.Автор предлагаемой читателям статьи исследует особенности авторской стилистики в аспекте выявления соотношений между оригинальными и традиционными факторами, особенностями формообразования, циклической драматургии.The author of the article, proposed to the readers, turns her attention to the works of the canonical thematics by the famous Ukrainian composer B. Filts, investigating the special features of her stylistics in the aspect of development of the relationships between the original and traditional factors, the special features of the forming and cyclic dramaturgy

Recent developments in X-ray diffraction/scattering computed tomography for materials science

X-ray diffraction/scattering computed tomography (XDS-CT) methods are a non-destructive class of chemical imaging techniques that have the capacity to provide reconstructions of sample cross-sections with spatially resolved chemical information. While X-ray diffraction CT (XRD-CT) is the most well-established method, recent advances in instrumentation and data reconstruction have seen greater use of related techniques like small angle X-ray scattering CT and pair distribution function CT. Additionally, the adoption of machine learning techniques for tomographic reconstruction and data analysis are fundamentally disrupting how XDS-CT data is processed. The following narrative review highlights recent developments and applications of XDS-CT with a focus on studies in the last five years. This article is part of the theme issue 'Exploring the length scales, timescales and chemistry of challenging materials (Part 2)'

Flexibility of the imidazolium based ionic liquids/water system for the synthesis of siliceous 10-ring containing microporous frameworks

By using asymmetric di-substituted imidazolium molecules (1-Butyl-3-methylimidazolium (BMIM) and 1-Ethyl-3-methylimidazolium (EMIM) bromide) as the structure directing agents, in combination with simple changes in silica source or sodium/water content it is possible to prepare three pure phase microporous 10-ring siliceous zeolitic structures. The crystallizations are comparatively rapid with fully crystalline material resulting in 1–3 days at 443 K. In contrast to many recipes reported for pure silica materials, the synthesis is performed without the use of HF or without the need to alter the properties of the SDA, while significantly lower amounts of both ionic liquid and mineralizing agent are required. The results obtained indicate that effective phase control can be achieved from a primary gel composition by minor changes to either the silica source or the water/sodium content, with a strong specificity in the formation of topologies with interconnected 10-rings

Past, present and future—sample environments for materials research studies in scattering and spectroscopy; a UK perspective

Small angle x-ray scattering and x-ray absorption fine structure are two techniques that have been employed at synchrotron sources ever since their inception. Over the course of the development of the techniques, the introduction of sample environments for added value experiments has grown dramatically. This article reviews past successes, current developments and an exploration of future possibilities for these two x-ray techniques with an emphasis on the developments in the United Kingdom between 1980–2020

Operando Spectroscopic Studies of Cu–SSZ-13 for NH3–SCR deNOx Investigates the Role of NH3 in Observed Cu(II) Reduction at High NO Conversions

The small pore zeolite chabazite (SSZ-13) in the copper exchanged form is a very efficient material for the selective catalytic reduction by ammonia (NH 3 ) of nitrogen oxides (NOx) from the exhaust of lean burn engines, typically diesel powered vehicles. The full mechanism occurring during the NH 3 –SCR process is currently debated with outstanding questions including the nature and role of the catalytically active sites. Time-resolved operando spectroscopic techniques have been used to provide new level of insights in to the mechanism of NH 3 –SCR, to show that the origin of stable Cu(I) species under SCR conditions is potentially caused by an interaction between NH 3 and the Cu cations located in eight ring sites of the bulk of the zeolite and is independent of the NH 3 –SCR of NOx occurring at Cu six ring sites within the zeolite

Removing multiple outliers and single-crystal artefacts from X-ray diffraction computed tomography data

This paper reports a simple but effective filtering approach to deal with single-crystal artefacts in X-ray diffraction computed tomography (XRD-CT). In XRD-CT, large crystallites can produce spots on top of the powder diffraction rings, which, after azimuthal integration and tomographic reconstruction, lead to line/streak artefacts in the tomograms. In the simple approach presented here, the polar transform is taken of collected two-dimensional diffraction patterns followed by directional median/mean filtering prior to integration. Reconstruction of one-dimensional diffraction projection data sets treated in such a way leads to a very significant improvement in reconstructed image quality for systems that exhibit powder spottiness arising from large crystallites. This approach is not computationally heavy which is an important consideration with big data sets such as is the case with XRD-CT. The method should have application to two-dimensional X-ray diffraction data in general where such spottiness arises

Seasonality and immunity to laboratory-confirmed seasonal coronaviruses (HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-229E): results from the Flu Watch cohort study [version 1; peer review: 2 approved with reservations]

Background: There is currently a pandemic caused by the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. The intensity and duration of this first wave in the UK may be dependent on whether SARS-CoV-2 transmits more effectively in the winter than the summer and the UK Government response is partially built upon the assumption that those infected will develop immunity to reinfection in the short term. In this paper we examine evidence for seasonality and immunity to laboratory-confirmed seasonal coronavirus (HCoV) from a prospective cohort study in England. Methods: In this analysis of the Flu Watch cohort, we examine seasonal trends for PCR-confirmed coronavirus infections (HCoV-NL63, HCoV-OC43, and HCoV-229E) in all participants during winter seasons (2006-2007, 2007-2008, 2008-2009) and during the first wave of the 2009 H1N1 influenza pandemic (May-Sep 2009). We also included data from the pandemic and ‘post-pandemic’ winter seasons (2009-2010 and 2010-2011) to identify individuals with two confirmed HCoV infections and examine evidence for immunity against homologous reinfection. Results: We tested 1,104 swabs taken during respiratory illness and detected HCoV in 199 during the first four seasons. The rate of confirmed HCoV infection across all seasons was 390 (95% CI 338-448) per 100,000 person-weeks; highest in the Nov-Mar 2008/9 season at 674 (95%CI 537-835). The highest rate was in February at 759 (95% CI 580-975). Data collected during May-Sep 2009 showed there was small amounts of ongoing transmission, with four cases detected during this period. Eight participants had two confirmed infections, of which none had the same strain twice

Interlaced X-ray diffraction computed tomography

An X-ray diffraction computed tomography data-collection strategy that allows, post experiment, a choice between temporal and spatial resolution is reported. This strategy enables time-resolved studies on comparatively short timescales, or alternatively allows for improved spatial resolution if the system under study, or components within it, appear to be unchanging. The application of the method for studying an Mn–Na–W/SiO2 fixed-bed reactor in situ is demonstrated. Additionally, the opportunities to improve the data-collection strategy further, enabling post-collection tuning between statistical, temporal and spatial resolutions, are discussed. In principle, the interlaced scanning approach can also be applied to other pencil-beam tomographic techniques, like X-ray fluorescence computed tomography, X-ray absorption fine structure computed tomography, pair distribution function computed tomography and tomographic scanning transmission X-ray microscopy

Household transmission of seasonal coronavirus infections: Results from the Flu Watch cohort study [version 1; peer review: 1 approved, 2 approved with reservations]

Background: In the context of the current coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, understanding household transmission of seasonal coronaviruses may inform pandemic control. We aimed to investigate what proportion of seasonal coronavirus transmission occurred within households, measure the risk of transmission in households, and describe the impact of household-related factors of risk of transmission. Methods: Using data from three winter seasons of the UK Flu Watch cohort study, we measured the proportion of symptomatic infections acquired outside and within the home, the household transmission risk and the household secondary attack risk for PCR-confirmed seasonal coronaviruses. We present transmission risk stratified by demographic features of households. Results: We estimated that the proportion of cases acquired outside the home, weighted by age and region, was 90.7% (95% CI 84.6- 94.5, n=173/195) and within the home was 9.3% (5.5-15.4, 22/195). Following a symptomatic coronavirus index case, 14.9% (9.8 - 22.1, 20/134) of households experienced symptomatic transmission to at least one other household member. Onward transmission risk ranged from 11.90% (4.84-26.36, 5/42) to 19.44% (9.21-36.49, 7/36) by strain. The overall household secondary attack risk for symptomatic cases was 8.00% (5.31-11.88, 22/275), ranging across strains from 5.10 (2.11-11.84, 5/98) to 10.14 (4.82- 20.11, 7/69). Median clinical onset serial interval was 7 days (IQR= 6-9.5). Households including older adults, 3+ children, current smokers, contacts with chronic health conditions, and those in relatively deprived areas had the highest transmission risks. Child index cases and male index cases demonstrated the highest transmission risks. Conclusion: Most seasonal coronaviruses appear to be acquired outside the household, with relatively modest risk of onward transmission within households. Transmission risk following an index case appears to vary by demographic household features, with potential overlap between those demonstrating the highest point estimates for seasonal coronavirus transmission risk and COVID-19 susceptibility and poor illness outcomes