[ASAP] Differentiating Photoexcited Carrier and Phonon Dynamics in the ?, , and G Valleys of Si(100) with Transient Extreme Ultraviolet Spectroscopy

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b10887

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[ASAP] Layer-by-Layer Grown Electrodes Composed of Cationic Fe3O4 Nanoparticles and Graphene Oxide Nanosheets for Electrochemical Energy Storage Devices

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b11772

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[ASAP] Improved Transport Properties and Novel Li Diffusion Dynamics in van der Waals C2N/Graphene Heterostructure as Anode Materials for Lithium-Ion Batteries: A First-Principles Investigation

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b11044

from Journals via hj on Inoreader http://bit.ly/2t6FvXi

[ASAP] Scattering Dynamics of Glycine, H2O, and CO2 on Highly Oriented Pyrolytic Graphite

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b11293

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[ASAP] Nitrogen-Terminated Diamond Surface for Nanoscale NMR by Shallow Nitrogen-Vacancy Centers

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b11274

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[ASAP] Reduction of the Fluorescence Transition Dipole Moment by Excitation Localization in a Vibronically Coupled Squaraine Dimer

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b11957

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[ASAP] A Mg-Doped High-Nickel Layered Oxide Cathode Enabling Safer, High-Energy-Density Li-Ion Batteries

Chemistry of Materials

DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.8b03900

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CNN: ‘Climate change will change the color of the oceans’ – ‘Climate change will make the blues of the ocean bluer and the greens greener’

https://cnn.it/2DVDzHu The New England Patriots celebrate 6th Super Bowl title with victory parade through Boston Climate change will even change the color of the oceans, study says By Jen Christensen, CNN Updated at 5:38 AM ET, Mon February 4, 2019 Undeniable climate change facts (2018) 01:48 (CNN) — The ocean will not look the same [...]

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Dutch Climate Intelligence Foundation Challenges Belgian Climate Alarmists

Dutch Climate Intelligence Foundation Challenges Belgian Climate Alarmists http://bit.ly/2t3QnW1 No less than 3200 Belgian academics support a terrifying climate story and claim it is five to twelve. According to them, draconian measures are necessary to save the world. Herewith our reaction[1]. Science versus religion Science differs from religion because theoretical claims have to be verified [...]

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Price Tag For Ocasio-Cortez’s ‘Green New Deal’ Is Absolutely Staggering

CURL: Price Tag For Ocasio-Cortez's 'Green New Deal' Is Absolutely Staggering http://bit.ly/2UEVc3L To Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, everything oughta be free. Health care — free. College — free. Heck, the federal government oughta' give everybody a job, too, and a pile of free money to boot, according to the New York democratic socialist. — gReader Pro

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Enviro Terrorists Sing And Chant After Allegedly Sabotaging Oil Pipeline

Enviro Terrorists Sing And Chant After Allegedly Sabotaging Oil Pipeline http://bit.ly/2HTGjsY 'Reckless and dangerous' — gReader Pro

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CLIMATE BANKRUPTCY: CALIFORNIA’S GREEN ENERGY COMPANY GOES BUST — MORE TO COME

http://bit.ly/2MQEzQ5 Peter Forster, Financial Post If climate bankruptcies are taken to include those caused by climate activism or perverse climate policies, then there are many companies  made bankrupt by the Climate Industry. PG&E is the latest example. Last week, California utility PG&E filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the face of an estimated US$30 billion of [...]

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[ASAP] Base-Promoted, Remote C–H Activation at a Cationic (?5-C5Me5)Ir(III) Center Involving Reversible C–C Bond Formation of Bound C5Me5

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.8b11752

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[ASAP] Spotlights on Recent Publications

Journal of the American Chemical Society

DOI: 10.1021/jacs.9b01300

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[ASAP] Microwave-Assisted Rapid Synthesis of Well-Shaped MOF-74 (Ni) for CO2 Efficient Capture

Inorganic Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.8b03271

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[ASAP] ReGa0.4Ge0.6: Intermetallic Compound with Pronounced Covalency in the Bonding Pattern

Inorganic Chemistry

DOI: 10.1021/acs.inorgchem.8b03468

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End of Ice: Voodoo Science Himalayan Glacier Crisis Rises from the Dead

Guest essay by Eric Worrall If you thought the "Voodoo Science" Himalayan glacier crisis died when its main backer, former IPCC head and alleged sex pest Rajendra Pachauri was forced to resign, think again; the glacier crisis is back. A third of Himalayan ice cap doomed, finds report Even radical climate change action won't save…

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In-situ Synthesis of Photoluminescence-quenching Nanopaper for Rapid and Robust Detection of Pathogen and Protein

Chem. Commun., 2019, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C8CC09991J, Communication

Yucheng Liu, Guobin Mao, Wang Wang, Songbai Tian, Xinghu Ji, Meng Liu, Zhi-Ke He
A green and facile method is presented for in-situ synthesis of a novel photoluminescence-quenching nanopaper with high-efficient quenching ability, rapid reaction time and long-term storage. The as-prepared nanopaper is further...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

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Designing redder and brighter fluorophores by synergistic tuning of ground and excited states

Chem. Commun., 2019, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C8CC10007A, Communication

Cheng Chen, Mikhail S. Baranov, Liangdong Zhu, Nadezhda S. Baleeva, Alexander Yu. Smirnov, Snizhana Zaitseva, Ilia V Yampolsky, Kyril M. Solntsev, Chong Fang
We strategically modified the GFP core via chemical synthesis to make redder and brighter biomimetic fluorophores. Based on quantum calculations, solvatochromism analysis, and femtosecond Raman, we unveiled the additive effect...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

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A Catecholamine Neurotransmitter: Epinephrine as a CO2 Wet Scrubbing Agent

Chem. Commun., 2019, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C8CC09572H, Communication

Ala`a F Eftaiha, Farah Mustafa, Fatima Alsoubani, Khaleel I. Assaf, Abdussalam K. Qaroush
Bio-renewables are emerging as potential materials for CO₂ sorbents. Epinephrine is employed as a green scrubbing agent for CO₂ capturing through the formation of a metal carbamate as proved by...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

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Two-dimensional Semiconducting and Single-crystalline Antimony Trioxide Directly-grown on Monolayer Graphene

Chem. Commun., 2019, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C8CC09416K, Communication

Qinke Wu, Taehwan Jeong, Sangwoo Park, Jia Sun, Hyun Min Kang, Tae Geun Yun, Young Jae Song
The first successful synthesis and characterizations of single-crystalline two-dimensional (2D) semiconducting antimony tri oxide (Sb2O3) by direct chemical vapor deposition (CVD) growth on monolayer graphene is presented herein. The Sb2O3...
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Congressional hearings

by Judith Curry

I will be testifying on Wed in the House Natural Resources Hearing on Climate change.

That  is, I will be testifying provided that I can make it out of Reno today — we are on the tail end of the massive snow storm in the Sierras.  You may recall that last May, I was unable to make it to DC for another Hearing, owing to heavy rain in DC. Fingers crossed.

There is also another Hearing on Wed, from the House Energy and Commerce Committees.

An overview of these two Hearings is provided in this article:  Climate Change on Front Burner after 8 years of GOP rule

Here is the announcement from from the Committee: [link]

The Hearing starts at 10 a.m. EST.  I am assured that it will be on CSPAN and a podcast will be available (possibly not in real time).  I will update with any further information, e.g. where the written testimonies will be posted, whether this will be streamed live.

The only other scientist on the extensive witness list is my colleague from Georgia Tech, Kim Cobb.  Also on the Witness list are governors from Massachusetts and North Carolina.  This Hearing is not about the science per se, so it's an opportunity for me to go in some different directions with my testimony.

Well I'm excited to participate in this Hearing.  I will post my testimony and verbal remarks at 9 a.m. on Wed, and hopefully point to links for live streaming and the written testimony from the other witnesses.

Wish me luck navigating the airports.

To give you something to talk about on this thread, here is update on the Green New Deal [link]

 

 

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In-situ synthesis of a high-performance bismuth oxide based composite cathode for low temperature solid oxide fuel cells

Chem. Commun., 2019, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C9CC00442D, Communication

Wei Fang, tianrang yang, Kevin Huang
Here, we report the design and fabrication of a cost-effective and high-performance composite (Bi0.75Y0.25)0.93Ce0.07O1.5±d-La0.8Sr0.2MnO3 cathode by in-situ synthesis strategy with single-step phase formation and microstructure assembly, which shows lower cathode...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

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Infrastructure: A Better Deal to Fix It for Our Future

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[ASAP] Intrinsic Insertion Limits of Graphene Oxide into Epoxy Resin and the Dielectric Behavior of Composites Comprising Truly 2D Structures

The Journal of Physical Chemistry C

DOI: 10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b07450

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Jim Ratcliffe: Government using ‘slippery’ manoeuvres to kill off British shale gas

Credit: mygridgb.co.uk

H/T The Global Warming Policy Forum (GWPF)
Relying on interconnectors to get out of trouble when the wind isn't blowing won't be a good plan long-term, when most of Europe is pushing its own wind-dependent electricity plans forward. Nuclear and coal are largely fading out of the UK scene, so for industrial-scale reliable power it has to be gas or bust in the end, whether UK-sourced or not.

The chairman of Britain's biggest private company has accused the government of using "slippery back door manoeuvres" to kill off fracking in the UK, reports City A.M.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the billionaire founder of Ineos, said the government is sticking to a plan which is "unworkable, unhelpful and playing politics with the country's future".

Ratcliffe hit out at a system which forces fracking to halt the moment minor seismic activity is detected around the site, saying it would prevent the UK from following the US's booming shale market.

Britain's limit of 0.5 points on the Richter scale is over 3,000 times lower than the 4.0 level in the US where just one well is producing more gas than the entire British North Sea.

"The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy seems to lack a basic understanding of the Richter Scale. It is a logarithmic scale. The limit within the United States is typically set at 4.0 – a level that the US Environmental Protection Agency feels is safe and will not lead to any damage to land, property or people," Ratcliffe said.

"To put that into perspective, magnitude 4.0 is 3,162 times higher than 0.5 and 177,827 times stronger in terms of energy release."

Continued here.

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China’s Thermal Generation Rose 7.2% In 2018

By Paul Homewood

 

The China Energy Portal has now published statistics on power production in China last year, and it makes bad reading for anybody worried about CO2:

 

https://chinaenergyportal.org/en/2018-electricity-other-energy-statistics/

 

Thermal generation has increased by 7.2% year on year, totally dwarfing the increase from all other sources combined.

Thermal output, excl biomass, now accounts for 69% of all generation, with wind and solar only accounting for 8%:

 

 

 

New thermal generating capacity, amounting to 4% of existing capacity, has been added during the year.

 

Demand for power continues to inexorably rise in China, and, as we have seen in the past, renewable energy is not capable of meeting more than a tiny part of this extra demand.

Last year, for instance, wind and solar only supplied 22% of the extra demand.

 

We keep hearing that China's economic growth is slowing down, yet emissions of CO2 will surely show another big rise, when we get the data for 2018.

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Pope Signs Document Nobody Asked Him To Sign

So the Pope did what nobody was asking him to do: sign a document that appears to have emanated from Harvard's SJW dungeon, the same serpent that had such a hard time convincing Eve to eat that apple whispering into the authors' ears.

Why the Pope signed I leave for you to tell me. Here, the highlights (all emphases mine) from "A document on human fraternity for world peace and living together."

Through faith in God, who has created the universe, creatures and all human beings (equal on account of his mercy), believers are called to express this human fraternity by safeguarding creation and the entire universe and supporting all persons, especially the poorest and those most in need.

Creatures are equal to human beings? Mary remove mousetraps what a dumb thing to say. Surely they can't mean it. Look at those parentheses: I'm misreading it. Maybe they only meant to imply the false and pernicious lie that all people are equal, a belief contradicted directly in scripture?

Now if this description of this Netflix cleaning show is accurate, people have a hard enough time safeguarding their sock drawers, so I don't know how they're going to begin to safeguard the entire universe. Who's going to be in charge of the extra-galactic patrols?

This transcendental value served as the starting point for several meetings characterized by a friendly and fraternal atmosphere where we shared the joys, sorrows and problems of our contemporary world.

The meeting was, after all, sponsored by Kleenex&tm;.

There followed some words about "therapeutic achievements", "social injustice", "inequality", "discrimination", and so on, cut and pasted from the New York Times opinion page. Then came the real meat.

In the name of God who has created all human beings equal in rights, duties and dignity…

No, no, and no.

In the name of human fraternity that embraces all human beings, unites them and renders them equal…

No.

Now war, poverty, torture, calamity, and other assorted horrors the document decries are bad and undesirable. Which everybody knows. And which everybody has always known. While there does exist the odd bloodlusting fool who calls for torture and terrorism, these people are not what anybody would consider to be a pressing problem. Not when — ahem — people are apostasizing on the pretext that today is Tuesday.

Surely the eternal souls of his flocks are of more importance than their attitude about recycling? The document nods in that direction:

[T]he most important causes of the crises of the modern world are a desensitized human conscience, a distancing from religious values and a prevailing individualism accompanied by materialistic philosophies that deify the human person and introduce worldly and material values in place of supreme and transcendental principles.

This is profoundly true. And so is this, more or less:

While recognizing the positive steps taken by our modern civilization in the fields of science, technology, medicine, industry and welfare, especially in developed countries, we wish to emphasize that, associated with such historic advancements, great and valued as they are, there exists both a moral deterioration that influences international action and a weakening of spiritual values and responsibility. All this contributes to a general feeling of frustration, isolation and desperation leading many to fall either into a vortex of atheistic, agnostic or religious extremism, or into blind and fanatic extremism, which ultimately encourage forms of dependency and individual or collective self-destruction.

Over-reaction is not as good as reaction — be a reactionary — but it is not a surprise it occurs, especially in a declining civilization.

But then comes this, the most curious and inexplicable bullet point, which is here broken in two pieces.

Freedom is a right of every person: each individual enjoys the freedom of belief, thought, expression and action.

That there is or should be freedom of expression and action is utterly false. It is as far from truth as infinity is from 0; this sentiment is even the opposite of what they preached earlier about having no freedom of action to commit torture, etc. In children, there is not and should not be freedom in thought and belief. Consciences have to be formed, not discovered. Keep children in mind when you finish reading the paragraph.

Here is where the meat turns rancid.

The pluralism and the diversity of religions, colour, sex, race and language are willed by God in His wisdom, through which He created human beings. This divine wisdom is the source from which the right to freedom of belief and the freedom to be different derives. Therefore, the fact that people are forced to adhere to a certain religion or culture must be rejected, as too the imposition of a cultural way of life that others do not accept;

No. But if it were true God wanted diversity of religions, then He should not have issued that first Commandment. And then we may as well embrace or have "dialogue" with Santeria Voodists, worshippers of Santa Muerta, Wiccans, Satanists, Baalites, Aztec heart surgeons, Planned (Un)Parenthood baby-blood drinkers, whatever demon Nancy Pelosi bows to, and on and on. If what this paragraph says is true, then there is no need for the Church, and thus no need for the Pope. Smart money says he doesn't resign, though.

The rest of the document, littered with "rights", and no remembrance Christ said he came to bring the sword.

If you cannot say This Is Right, you must bow to somebody who will.

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Atomic Structure of MgCo2O4 Nanoparticle for Positive Electrode of Mg Rechargeable Battery

Chem. Commun., 2019, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C8CC09713E, Communication

Naoto Kitamura, Yuhei Tanabe, Naoya Ishida, Yasushi Idemoto
The atomic structure of spinel-type MgCo₂O₄ nanoparticle was investigated by the reverse Monte Carlo modelling using X-ray and neutron total scattering data. It is found that Mg at an octahedral...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

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Removal efficiency of As(V) and Sb(III) in contaminated neutral drainage by Fe-loaded biochar

Abstract

Performance of raw and two Fe-loaded biochars, produced either by evaporation (E-product, 26.9% Fe) or precipitation (P-product, 12.6% Fe), was evaluated in batch and column testing for As(V) and Sb(III) removal from contaminated neutral drainage (CND). Batch testing results showed that sorption capacity of the E-product tripled for As(V) and quintupled for Sb(III), whereas for the P-product, it doubled for both contaminants, relative to the raw biochar. Moreover, As(V) removal by the E-product reached 90% in less than 8 h, for initial concentrations up to 50 mg/L. In column testing, the E-product efficiently treated the influent [pH 6; 1 mg/L As(V)] for more than 286 days. The pH of the final effluent was within the legally allowed limits (6–9.5) while less than 0.3 mg/L Fe leached out. Based on these findings, Fe-loaded biochar by evaporation (E-product) seems promising for As(V) treatment in CND.

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Association of Eu(III) and Cm(III) onto an extremely halophilic archaeon

Abstract

In addition to geological, geochemical, and geophysical aspects, also, microbial aspects have to be taken into account when considering the final storage of high-level radioactive waste in a deep geological repository. Rock salt is a potential host rock formation for such a repository. One indigenous microorganism, that is, common in rock salt, is the halophilic archaeon Halobacterium noricense DSM15987^T, which was used in our study to investigate its interactions with the trivalent actinide curium and its inactive analogue europium as a function of time and concentration. Time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy was applied to characterize formed species in the micromolar europium concentration range. An extended evaluation of the data with parallel factor analysis revealed the association of Eu(III) to a phosphate compound released by the cells (F₂/F₁ ratio, 2.50) and a solid phosphate species (F₂/F₁ ratio, 1.80). The association with an aqueous phosphate species and a solid phosphate species was proven with site-selective TRLFS. Experiments with Cm(III) in the nanomolar concentration range showed a time- and pC_H+-dependent species distribution. These species were characterized by red-shifted emission maxima, 600–602 nm, in comparison to the free Cm(III) aqueous ion, 593.8 nm. After 24 h, 40% of the luminescence intensity was measured on the cells corresponding to 0.18 μg Cm(III)/g_DBM. Our results demonstrate that Halobacterium noricense DSM15987^T interacts with Eu(III) by the formation of phosphate species, whereas for Cm(III), a complexation with carboxylic functional groups was also observed.

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L-α-Phosphatidylcholine attenuates mercury-induced hepato-renal damage through suppressing oxidative stress and inflammation

Abstract

The potential ameliorative effects of L-α-phosphatidylcholine (PC) against mercuric chloride (HgCl₂)-induced hematological and hepato-renal damage were investigated. Rats were randomly allocated into four groups (n = 12): control, PC (100 mg/kg bwt, intragastrically every other day for 30 consecutive days), HgCl₂ (5 mg/kg bwt, intragastrically daily), and PC plus HgCl₂. Hematological and hepato-renal dysfunctions were evaluated biochemically and histopathologically. Hepatic and renal oxidative/antioxidative indices were evaluated. The expression of proinflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor-α and interleukin-6) was also detected by ELISA. HgCl₂ significantly increased serum aminotransferases (ALT, AST), urea, and creatinine levels that are indicative of hepato-renal damage. HgCl₂ also induced a significant accumulation of malondialdehyde (+ 195%) with depletion of glutathione (− 43%) levels in the liver and renal tissues. The apparent hepato-renal oxidative damage was associated with obvious organ dysfunction that was confirmed by impairments in the liver and kidney histoarchitecture. Furthermore, HgCl₂ significantly attenuated the expression of proinflammatory cytokines named tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6). Conversely, PC treatment attenuated these effects, which improved the hematological and serum biochemical alternations, reduced the oxidative stress and proinflammatory cytokine levels, and ameliorated the intensity of the histopathological alterations in livers and kidneys of HgCl₂-treated rats. It could be concluded that PC displayed potential anti-inflammatory and antioxidant activities against HgCl₂-induced hepato-renal damage via suppression of proinflammatory cytokines and declining oxidative stress.

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In situ evaluation of the NO x removal efficiency of photocatalytic pavements: statistical analysis of the relevance of exposure time and environmental variables

Abstract

In the recent past, the NO_x removal efficiency of photocatalytic materials has been subject of many studies with promising results. However, many of these studies involve laboratory tests carried out under standardized climatic exposure conditions, often not representative of the real-world environment. With the aim to bridge this gap, selected photocatalytic materials have been applied to different substrates in outdoor demonstrator platforms at pilot scale as part of the project LIFE-PHOTOSCALING. The paper presents the results of in situ measurements of NO_x removal efficiency of the materials, performed during 17 months. Statistical models accounting for the influence of exposure time and relevant environmental variables are derived. They suggest that photocatalytic emulsions on the tested asphalt experience a significant loss of activity over time irrespective of climatic conditions. The efficiency of photocatalytic slurries on asphalt and of concrete tiles, with the photocatalyst applied on surface or in bulk, mainly depends on substrate humidity.

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Anthranilamide (aam)-substituted arylboranes in direct carbon–carbon bond-forming reactions

Chem. Commun., 2019, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C8CC10252J, Communication

Shintaro Kamio, Ikuo Kageyuki, Itaru Osaka, Hiroto Yoshida
Anthranilamide (aam)-substituted arylboranes, which were reported to serve as masked boranes in the Suzuki–Miyaura coupling, have been found to be directly cross-coupled just by use of an aqueous medium. The...
The content of this RSS Feed (c) The Royal Society of Chemistry

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CCC Respond To Mail’s Gummer Article

By Paul Homewood

 

The CCC has responded to the Mail's exposure of John Gummers dodgy dealings:

 

https://www.theccc.org.uk/2019/02/03/response-to-article-in-the-mail-on-sunday/

 

I'm not sure why they bothered, as the response is stating the bleedin' obvious!

 

Surely, as a taxpayer funded quango, they should at the very least have announced a full investigation into Gummer's financial arrangements?

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British chips shrink by an inch as climate change slashes potato yields

From the UK Independent 'Farmers are used to dealing with fluctuations in the weather but if we have two or three extreme years in a row it has the potential to put growers out of business' Josh Gabbatiss Science Correspondent @josh_gabbatiss The potato snack was left an inch (2.5cm) shorter on average in 2018 after…

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Seasonal variation in metal concentration in various tissues of the European chub ( Squalius cephalus L.)

Abstract

Due to the increasing industrialization, metals are discharged into all spheres of the environment, in particular, in river courses, which leads to the need for constant monitoring. Metals do not degrade into harmless end products; they are very persistent and have high potential for accumulation in biota. Metals in the fish body are accumulated in different amounts in the tissue specific matter. In relation to the biotic conditions and fish metabolism, the load of food, or the stage of the reproductive cycle, the seasonal variation of metal levels can be expected. Because of that, the objective of our present study was to analyze 15 metals and metalloids in liver, gills, muscle, and gonads of European chub (Squalius cephalus) throughout the 4 seasons, autumn, winter, spring, and summer. The specimens were collected from two rivers, Pestan and Beljanica at the Kolubara basin, and their concentrations were determined with inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry (ICP-OES). Specimens from both rivers have shown similarities in metal accumulation like the highest accumulation of majority of elements in gills, lowest accumulation of majority of elements in muscle (except for Hg), and higher accumulation of some elements in summer (Cu, Fe, Zn). In addition, Cu and Fe showed affinity for liver, while Ba, Cr, Sr, and Zn were specific for gills. Also, Al, B, Fe, Ni, and Pb did not show significant differences in concentrations among different seasons in all investigated tissues.

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Activation of endoplasmic reticulum stress in rat brain following low-intensity microwave exposure

Abstract

The present study was designed to explore the effects of low-intensity microwave radiation on endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response. Experiments were performed on male Wistar rats exposed to microwave radiation for 30 days at 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, and 2450 MHz frequencies on four groups of animal: sham-exposed group, 900 MHz exposed (SAR 5.84 × 10⁻⁴ W/kg), 1800 MHz exposed (SAR 5.94 × 10⁻⁴ W/kg), and 2450 MHz exposed (SAR 6.7 × 10⁻⁴ W/kg) groups. Expressions of mRNA were estimated at the end of exposure in rat brain by real-time quantitative PCR. Microwave exposure at 900, 1800, and 2450 MHz with respective SAR values as mentioned above significantly (< 0.05) altered mRNA expression of transcription factors ATF4, CHOP, and XBP1 in accordance with increasing microwave frequency. The result of the present study reveals that low-intensity microwave exposure at frequencies 900, 1800, and 2450 MHz induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and unfolded protein response.

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Drivers of carbon emissions in Turkey: considering asymmetric impacts

Abstract

This study investigates the impacts of income, (renewable and non-renewable) energy consumption, trade, and financial development on carbon dioxide emissions in Turkey for the 1965–2015 period by employing the non-linear autoregressive distributed lag method. Results show that non-renewable and renewable energy consumption, and trade openness have asymmetric impacts on pollution in long-run, while only renewable energy consumption has asymmetric impact on emissions in short-run. Results further reveal that the Environmental Kuznets Curve hypothesis is not valid in Turkey. Moreover, both financial development and trade positively affect emissions. Additionally, in long-run, positive shocks in renewable and non-renewable energy consumption increase emissions, but the impact of renewable energy consumption is infinitesimally small compared to the impact of non-renewable energy consumption. However, negative shocks in renewable energy consumption increase emissions, whereas negative developments in non-renewable energy consumption decrease emissions. Further, in short-run, positive developments in renewable energy consumption decrease emissions, and negative developments in non-renewable energy consumption have the same influence on emissions. In accordance with the findings, some policy suggestions are proposed.

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Removal of phenanthrene and pyrene from contaminated sandy soil using hydrogen peroxide oxidation catalyzed by basic oxygen furnace slag

Abstract

Soil contamination with polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) is a serious problem in Northeast China, especially in the steel industrial area. The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of using basic oxygen furnace (BOF) slag to activate the Fenton-like remediation of PAH-contaminated soil to achieve the objectives of "waste control by waste" and "resource recycling" in Chinese steel industry. The effects of BOF slag dosages, H₂O₂ concentrations, and exothermicity-driven evaporation were evaluated with respect to the removal efficiencies of phenanthrene (Phe) and pyrene (Pyr). Results indicated that PAH oxidation was proportional to the BOF slag dosages and was increased exponentially with H₂O₂ concentrations. Evaporation due to increasing temperature caused by exothermic reaction played an important role in total soil PAH losses. The sequential Fenton-like oxidation with a 3-times application of 15% H₂O₂ and the same BOF slag repeatedly used were able to remove 65.87% of Phe and 58.33% of Pyr, respectively. Soluble iron oxides containing in BOF slag were reduced, while amorphous iron oxide concentration remained stable during the repeated Fenton-like process. Column study mimics real field applications showing high removal efficiencies of Phe (36.05–83.20%) and Pyr (21.79–68.06%) in 30-cm depth of soil profile. The tests on soluble heavy metal concentrations after the reactions with high slag dosage or high H₂O₂ concentration confirmed that BOF slag would not cause heavy metal contamination. Consequently, BOF slag may provide an efficient way for enhancing the Fenton-like based remediation of heavily PAH-polluted soil with little risk on collateral heavy metal contamination. However, an external gas collection and purification equipment would be essential to eliminate the evaporated PAHs.

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Farmers’ knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pesticide use in apple farms of northern Iran: impact on safety behavior

Abstract

Farmers' knowledge of pesticide use as well as their attitudes and perceptions concerning risks and safety play a crucial role in safe spraying operations in farms, but little is known for the inter-relationships among these variables and their impact on safety behavior. This study examined the levels of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pesticide use among apple farmers (n = 200) of Meshkinshahr County, Iran. All farmers used fungicides in their farms. On a scale from 1 to 5, the mean scores of knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions were 3.66 ± 0.77, 3.36 ± 0.59, and 4.37 ± 0.42, respectively, implying a moderate level of knowledge of pesticide use and attitudes towards pesticides, but positive perceptions of pesticides among respondents. Contact with extension agents, education level, reading pesticide labels, and household literate members showed positive association (P < 0.01) with knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions of pesticide use, while contact with other farmers was negatively associated (P < 0.01) with these variables. Farming experience showed positive association (P < 0.01) with knowledge of pesticide use, while age showed negative association (P < 0.01) with attitudes towards pesticides. Poisoning experience was negatively associated with both attitudes and perceptions (P < 0.01), but not with knowledge. Farmers' knowledge of pesticide use (total effect 0.62) was the most important variable affecting pesticide use behavior of apple farmers followed by attitudes (total effect 0.50) and perceptions (total effect 0.42). Also, knowledge impacted attitudes towards pesticide use (accounting for 71% of the variability in farmers' attitudes), while attitudes in turn impacted perceptions (accounting for 69% of the variability in farmers' perceptions). Findings specify inter-relationships between farmers' knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions and the impact of those variables on safety behavior concerning pesticide use. Increasing farmers' knowledge of pesticide use and modifying attitudes and perceptions concerning pesticides are necessary for improving safety behavior of farmers in the use of pesticides.

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ESSIMAGE: a tool for the assessment of the agroecological performance of agricultural production systems

Abstract

Over the last few years, intensive agriculture has often been denounced as a source of negative effects, particularly at the environmental and health level (overexploitation of natural resources, degradation of their quality, appearance and development of several diseases, etc.). Reducing the excessive use of agricultural inputs for the protection of the environment and the preservation of human and animal health is a social requirement nowadays. Investing in more sustainable agricultural models which make it possible to reduce, or even eliminate the risks, has become urgent. A possible solution may be to resort to agroecological systems. In order to be sustainable, these new systems must be performant at the agronomic, economic, social, and environmental levels. There is a multitude of tools for assessing the sustainability of agricultural systems. These tools are inappropriate for organic and agroecological systems, and do not make it possible to measure the agroecological transition performance of farms (Trabelsi et al. Environ Sci Pollut Res 23:139–156, 2016; Trabelsi 2017). This research project aims to design a decision support tool in order to help farms throughout the agroecological transition process, to assess the performance of this transition, and to put forward improvement scenarios. Contrary to other assessment methods, ESSIMAGE (Evaluation and Simulation of Agroecological Systems) is based on both pressure and impact indicators, and takes the specificities of agricultural production systems into account. It is a dynamic tool which not only makes it possible to assess farm performance at the present moment but also to consider the future by putting forward possible alternative improvement scenarios and by simulating their consequences at a later stage. ESSIMAGE is based on the interaction of two elements: agro-environmental, social, and economic indicators, and the GIS (Geographic Information System) software. This tool has been tested as part of a CASDAR "Post-MAET Gimone" ( agriculture.gouv.fr/ministere/mobilisation-collective-pour-lagroecologie. ) project on the subject of "Collective mobilization for agroecology" by using farm data, most of the farms having been involved in an agro-environmental measure for the progressive reduction of phytosanitary treatments since 2008. It has made it possible to compare the agroecological performances of these farms with an optimal situation, as well as with each other. Considering the research objectives and the approaches discussed, this study is an original step in the development of agricultural management strategies in favor of agroecology.

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Effect of bifenthrin on oxidative stress parameters in the liver, kidneys, and lungs of rats

Abstract

Oxidative stress inducing potential of bifenthrin was evaluated in the liver, kidney, and lung of rats following its repeated oral administration for 20 and 30 days. Bifenthrin-treated rats showed a significant lipid peroxidation in all three tissues. By 20th day of treatment, there was a significant decrease in superoxide dismutase activity of the liver, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activity of the liver and lung, and glutathione S-transferase activity of the kidney and lung. By 30th day of exposure, the activities of these enzymes were significantly decreased in all three tissues. The highest oxidative stress, indicated by lipid peroxidation and alteration in antioxidant enzymes, is produced in the liver followed by the kidney and lung. In conclusion, bifenthrin has a potential to induce severe oxidative stress in the liver, kidney, and lung. The extent of oxidative stress is increased with the duration of exposure.

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Web-based Korean maximum residue limit evaluation tools: an applied example of maximum residue limit evaluation for trichlorfon in fishery products

Abstract

To ensure public safety against veterinary drug residues in food products from animal sources, maximum residue limits (MRLs) should be established by scientific evidence and a transparent estimation process. The Joint Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)/World Health Organization (WHO) Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA) developed an Excel workbook-based tool for MRLs evaluation in 2003. In this study, we developed a web-based tool for MRL evaluation, called Korean MRL evaluation tools (KMET). While KMET used algorithms of JECFA workbook, it added some databases (e.g., Korean food consumption database) and provided additional functions (e.g., selection of target marker residue). Web-based KMET enabled regulatory policy makers to update the database. All input data and output results related to MRL evaluation based on residue depletion and food consumption datasets were archived and provided overall processes from the initial depletion data entry to MRL establishment with user-friendly interface. Our results demonstrated the stepwise processes whereby MRL for trichlorfon in the muscle of Paralichthys olivaceus was established with functional descriptions of KMET. MRL for trichlorfon derived from KMET was proposed and notified by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety in 2018.

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Pyrolyzed municipal sewage sludge ensured safe grain production while reduced C emissions in a paddy soil under rice and wheat rotation

Abstract

Safe recycling of the growing amounts of municipal sewage sludge containing toxic metals had been critically challenged with the fast urbanization. In this study, we investigated soil amendment of municipal wastewater treatment (MSS) converted biochar for its recycling in agricultural soils. In a field experiment, unpyrolyzed (USS) and pyrolyzed municipal sewage sludge (PSS) was amended at 20 t ha⁻¹ on dry base to a rice paddy before rice plantation, with a control without amendment. Grain yield and emission of non-CO₂ potent greenhouse gases were examined as well as topsoil metal mobility and plant uptake determined throughout a rice-wheat rotation year. Compared to USS treatment, addition of PSS caused a significantly increased grain yield of rice by 35% but no change in grain yield of wheat following the rice season. No distinct difference was observed in grain concentration of major nutrients of N, P, and K between USS and PSS treatments. Compared to USS treatment, PSS treatment reduced CH₄ emissions by 91.6% from soil and by 78.5% from ecosystem during rice-growing season. Whereas, PSS treatment led to a reduction of ecosystem N₂O emissions by 70.8% relative to USS treatment during wheat-growing season. While both USS and PSS treatments slightly but insignificantly increased soil total content of heavy metals, PSS treatment reduced CaCl₂-extractable Cd pool by 33~40% over USS treatment. Grain contents of Cd and Pb and Cd/Zn were markedly reduced under PSS over USS, without exceeding the Chinese state guideline limit. Carbon emission intensity was considerably (by over 20%) reduced for soil and ecosystem but unchanged for wheat soil, under PSS over USS. Thus, soil amendment of pyrolyzed sewage sludge could be a measure for climate smart soil and for safe grain production in rice agriculture. It deserves further study if repeated amendment could exert sustainable impacts on soil health and food security in the paddy.

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Aldehyde Effect and Ligand Discovery in Ru-Catalyzed Dehydrogenative Cross-Coupling of Alcohols to Esters

Chem. Commun., 2019, Accepted Manuscript
DOI: 10.1039/C8CC10315A, Communication

Xiaolin Jiang, Jiahui Zhang, Dongmei Zhao, Yuehui Li
The presence of different aldehydes is found to have significant influence on the catalytic performance when using PN(H)P type ligands for dehydrogenation of alcohols. Accordingly, the hybrid multi-dentate ligands were...
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