The applicability of the catalytic wet-oxidation to CELSS

The wet oxidation catalysis of Au, Pd, Pt, Rh or Ru on a ceramic honeycomb carrier was traced in detail by 16 to 20 repetitive batch tests each. As a result, Pt or Pd on a honeycomb carrier was shown to catalyze complete nitrogen gasification as N2. Though the catalysts which realize both complete nitrogen gasification and complete oxidation could not be found, the Ru+Rh catalyst was found to be most promising. Ru honeycomb catalyzed both nitrification and nitrogen gasification

Surface spin dynamics of antiferromagnetically coupled frustrated triangular films

Results are presented for spin-wave dispersions in geometrically frustrated stacked triangular antiferromagnets with a thin film or semi-infinite geometry having either zero, easy-plane, or easy-axis anisotropy. Surface effects on the equilibrium spin configurations and excitation spectrum are investigated for the case of antiferromagnetically coupled films, serving to extend previous results on ferromagnetically coupled layers [E. Meloche et al., Phys. Rev. B 74, 094424 (2006)]. An operator equation of motion formalism is applied to systems which are quasi-one and quasi-two dimensional in character. In contrast to the case of ferromagnetically coupled films the new results show surface modes that are well separated in frequency from bulk excitations. Magnetic excitations in thin films with an even or an odd number of layers show qualitatively different behavior. These results are relevant for a wide variety of stacked triangular antiferromagnetics materials.Comment: 24 pages, 9 figure

A study of long range order in certain two-dimensional frustrated lattices

We have studied the Heisenberg antiferromagnets on two-dimensional frustrated lattices, triangular and kagome lattices using linear spin-wave theory. A collinear ground state ordering is possible if one of the three bonds in each triangular plaquette of the lattice becomes weaker or frustrated. We study spiral order in the Heisenberg model along with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction and in the presence of a magnetic field. The quantum corrections to the ground state energy and sublattice magnetization are calculated analytically in the case of triangular lattice with nearesr-neighbour interaction. The corrections depend on the DM interaction strength and the magnetic field. We find that the DM interaction stabilizes the long-range order, reducing the effect of quantum fluctuations. Similar conclusions are reached for the kagome lattice. We work out the linear spin-wave theory at first with only nearest-neighbour (nn) terms for the kagome lattice. We find that the nn interaction is not sufficient to remove the effects of low energy fluctuations. The flat branch in the excitation spectrum becomes dispersive on addition of furthet neighbour interactions. The ground state energy and the excitation spectrum have been obtained for various cases.Comment: 18 pages, 9 figure

Introduction to the special issue “Damage assessment and conservation of underground spaces as valuable resources for human activities in Italy and Japan

This special issue is the main scientific output of the homonymous bilateral project between Italy and Japan “Damage assessment and conservation of underground spaces as valuable resources for human activities in Italy and Japan”. The project was financed within the agreement regarding the scientific cooperation between the National Research Council of Italy (CNR) and the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) signed on October 23, 2011. The fund supported mutual scientific exchanges between the teams, which were led by Roberta Varriale from the Institute for Studies on the Mediterranean (ISMed), Italy and by Chiaki T. Oguchi from the Graduate School of Science and Engineering of Saitama University, Japan during the period 2018/2019

Magnetism and superconductivity in McM_{c}Ta2_{2}S2_{2}C (M = Fe, Co, Ni, and Cu)

Magnetic properties of $M_{c}$Ta$_{2}$S$_{2}$C ($M$ = Fe, Co, Ni, Cu) have been studied using SQUID DC and AC magnetic susceptibility. In these systems magnetic $M^{2+}$ ions are intercalated into van der Waals gaps between adjacent S layers of host superconductor Ta$_{2}$S$_{2}$C. Fe$_{0.33}$Ta$_{2}$S$_{2}$C is a quasi 2D $XY$-like antiferromagnet on the triangular lattice. It undergoes an antiferromagnetic phase transition at $T_{N}$ (= 117 K). The irreversible effect of magnetization occurs below $T_{N}$, reflecting the frustrated nature of the system. The AF phase coexists with two superconducting phases with the transition temperatures $T_{cu} = 8.8$ K and $T_{cl} = 4.6$ K. Co$_{0.33}$Ta$_{2}$S$_{2}$C is a quasi 2D Ising-like antiferromagnet on the triangular lattice. The antiferromagnetic phase below $T_{N} = 18.6$ K coexists with a superconducting phase below $T_{cu} = 9.1$ K. Both Ni$_{0.25}$Ta$_{2}$S$_{2}$C and Cu$_{0.60}$Ta$_{2}$S$_{2}$C are superconductors with $T_{cu}$ ($= 8.7$ K for Ni and 6.4 K for Cu) and $T_{cl}$ (= 4.6 K common to $M_{c}$Ta$_{2}$S$_{2}$C). Very small effective magnetic moments suggest that Ni$^{2+}$ and Cu$^{2+}$ spins are partially delocalized.Comment: 15 pages, 17 figures, and 3 table

Consumer expectations of product lifetimes around the world: a review of global research findings and methods

This paper presents the findings of research to identify and evaluate current studies into consumer expectations of product lifetimes across durable goods. Following a literature review, studies were classified using a product categorisation scheme formulated at Nottingham Trent University and a product lifetime expectations typology adapted from Oguchi et al. (2016a) was developed. The results would appear to suggest that consumer expectations of product lifetimes are in decline, and that those in the United Kingdom appear to be lower than those in other parts of the world. However, identifying differences in consumer expectations of product lifetimes is hindered by the different methods employed in studies, as face-to-face interviews, and online, telephone and postal studies all have the potential to produce different results. Three key challenges to furthering research into consumer expectations of product lifetimes were identified: Product coverage, definitions of consumer expectations and sampling strategies. Only if these challenges can be addressed will researchers be able to draw meaningful conclusions on both personal and cultural trends in expected product lifetimes and make a positive contribution to addressing both material and social aspects of the circular economy