Basic Evaluation of the Catalytic Pattern of the CuCeO x System in the Wet Oxidation of Phenol with Oxygen

The working mechanism of a ceria-supported Cu (Cu_at:Ce_at = 1:10) system in the Catalytic Wet Oxidation (CWO) of phenol with O₂ (T_R, 130–170 °C; P_O2, 7 atm) has been thoroughly assessed. Basic relationships amongst pH, extent of leaching and rate of phenol and TOC conversion prove the major contribution of a homogeneous catalytic path by Cu ions on the peculiar CWO pattern of supported copper catalyst. In addition, gas-phase reduction/oxidation tests signal the lack of reversibility of the redox cycle of the CuCeO_x system under typical reaction conditions.     

The role of Ni2+ diffusion on the reducibility of NiO/MgO system: A combined TRP-XPS study

The progressive dissolution of nickel ions in the lattice of MgO matrix, promoted by the calcination temperature, has been monitored using XPS. The reducibility of Ni/MgO catalysts is affected by the modification of the surface chemical composition. TPR peaks have been correlated with several NiO forms. Both XPS and TPR results indicate a different behaviour pattern for the supported and physically mixed NiO/MgO systems, and this has been attributed to the different available contact area between NiO and MgO. The formation of both NiO rich and MgO rich NiO-MgO solid solutions, with the tendency to evolve towards the bulk solid solution, has been invoked to explain the substantial changes in the TPR pattern of the different air calcined systems.     

FTIR spectroscopic investigation of the active sites on different types of silica catalysts for methane partial oxidation to formaldehyde

Several commercial silica samples showing different catalytic activities in the partial oxidation of methane (MPO) to formaldehyde have been investigated using FTIR technique. Two IR absorption bands at 893 and 909 cm^–1, observed upon dehydroxylation of the silica catalysts and assigned to reactive siloxane sites on the surface (strained siloxane bridges), were found to disappear upon heating in methane at high temperature. The catalytic activity increases together with the intensity of the bands due to such strained sites in the different SiO₂ samples.     

Influence of hydrocarbon chemisorption on the NO x adspecies over supported noble-metal catalysts

Topics in Catalysis - In situ and time-resolved DRIFT methods were used to monitor the change in NO x adspecies on Pt(1%)–TiO2 and Rh(1%)–TiO2 catalysts during interaction with propene...     

A maintenance driven scheduling cockpit for integrated production and maintenance operation schedule

The production and maintenance functions have objectives that are often in contrast and it is essential for management to ensure that their activities are carried out synergistically, to ensure the maximum efficiency of the production plant as well as the minimization of management costs. The current evolution of ICT technologies and maintenance strategies in the industrial field is making possible a greater integration between production and maintenance. This work addresses this challenge by combining the knowledge of the data collected from physical assets for predictive maintenance management with the possibility of dynamic simulate the future behaviour of the manufacturing system through a digital twin for optimal management of maintenance interventions. The paper, indeed, presents a supporting digital cockpit for production and maintenance integrated scheduling. The tool proposes an innovative approach to manage health data from machines being in any production system and provides support to compare the information about their remaining useful life (RUL) with the respective production schedule. The maintenance driven scheduling cockpit (MDSC) offers, indeed, a supporting decision tool for the maintenance strategy to be implemented that can help production and maintenance managers in the optimal scheduling of preventive maintenance interventions based on RUL estimation. The simulation is performed by varying the production schedule with the maintenance tasks involvement; opportune decisions are taken evaluating the total costs related to the simulated strategy and the impact on the production schedule.The full text can be downloaded at https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s40436-021-00380-z     

TEM evidence for factors affecting the genesis of carbon species on bare and K-promoted Ni/MgO catalysts during the dry reforming of methane

The structure and morphology of carbon species generated under dry reforming of methane (DRM) at 650 and 800°C on ‘bare’ and ‘K-doped’ Ni/MgO catalysts have been comparatively investigated by Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM) analyses of ‘used’ samples. K-addition (K_at/Ni_at, 0.125) strongly improves the resistance of the Ni/MgO catalyst to coking and sintering phenomena at any temperature. At 650°C, an extensive formation of filamentous (whisker carbon) carbon species on bare Ni/MgO catalyst causes the detachment of a large number of Ni particles from the support with a consequent destruction of the structure and remarkable sintering phenomena of the active phase. Considerably lower amounts of carbon deposits with a shell-like (encapsulating carbon) morphology, forming at 800°C on both catalysts, point to the Bouduard reaction as the main route of carbon deposition on Ni-based catalysts during DRM. The electronic effect induced by potassium on the active phase of the Ni/MgO system, timely monitored by a rise in E_app of DRM from 50 to 70 kJ/mol, markedly hinders the rate of coking also affecting the morphology of carbon whiskers, by inhibiting the processes of C diffusion and nucleation across Ni particles under steady-state conditions.     

Cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention decreases the prevalence of depression and enhances benefit finding among women under treatment for early-stage breast cancer.

The authors tested effects of a 10-week group cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention among 100 women newly treated for Stage 0-II breast cancer. The intervention reduced prevalence of moderate depression (which remained relatively stable in the control condition) but did not affect other measures of emotional distress. The intervention also increased participants' reports that having breast cancer had made positive contributions to their lives, and it increased generalized optimism. Both remained significantly elevated at a 3-month follow-up of the intervention. Further analysis revealed that the intervention had its greatest impact on these 2 variables among women who were lowest in optimism, at baseline. Discussion centers on the importance of examining positive responses to traumatic events—growth, appreciation of life, shift in priorities, and positive affect—as well as negative responses. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Electrodeposition of PEM fuel cell catalysts by the use of a hydrogen depolarized anode

Up to 30% of the expensive catalyst metal in conventional fuel cell catalysts is not utilized in fuel cells caused by an absence of contact to either the ion conducting, electron conducting or educt phase. This contact can be improved by in situ electrodeposition with a precursor layer which is mostly done in a galvanostatic mode in the literature. In this paper electrochemical deposition with a hydrogen depolarized anode is described and so a potentiostatic electrodeposition under the control of the working-electrode potential and dry working-electrode conditions is enabled. This potentiostatic electrodeposition with a hydrogen depolarized anode significantly increases the performance of the fuel cell.     

Synthesis of highly dispersed MnCeOx catalysts via a novel “redox-precipitation” route

A new synthesis route driving redox-precipitation reactions among Mn^VII, Ce^III and Mn^II precursors in basic aqueous solution yields MnCeO_x catalysts (Mn loading, 9-33 wt%) with improved textural and structural properties in comparison to the conventional co-precipitation technique. Irrespective of the Mn loading, BET, X-ray diffraction (XRD), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) findings prove that the new method ensures a very high reproducibility in all the main physico-chemical properties of MnCeO_x catalysts. Enabling a monolayer dispersion of the active phase, the “redox-precipitation” method greatly promotes the reducibility and the surface affinity of the MnCeO_x system towards gas-phase oxygen.     

Trial consultation: A new direction in applied psychology.

Increasingly, professional psychologists are faced with the challenge of the changing marketplace, and some choose to meet that challenge by forging new career paths. In this article, the field of trial consultation is reviewed with special emphasis on common tasks trial consultants undertake. It is argued that because of the large number of civil and criminal trials conducted annually and the comparatively small proportion of consultants, the field remains an untapped source of career options for psychologists who have many of the skills necessary to be successful trial consultants. Controversies concerning the effectiveness of trial consultation, ethical issues surrounding its use, and suggestions for appropriate training in the field are explored. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)