Economic and Sustainability Impacts of Yield and Composition Variation in Bioenergy Crops: Switchgrass ( L.).

Economically viable production of biobased products and fuels requires high-yielding, high-quality, sustainable process-advantaged crops, developed using bioengineering or advanced breeding approaches. Understanding which crop phenotypic traits have the largest impact on biofuel economics and sustainability outcomes is important for the targeted feedstock crop development. Here, we evaluated biomass yield and cell-wall composition traits across a large natural variant population of switchgrass (.

Pigment analysis by Raman microscopy and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) of thirteenth to fourteenth century illuminations and cuttings from Bologna.

Non-destructive pigment analysis by Raman microscopy (RM) and portable X-ray fluorescence (pXRF) has been carried out on some Bolognese illuminations and cuttings chosen to represent the beginnings, evolution and height of Bolognese illuminated manuscript production. Dating to the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries and held in a private collection, the study provides evidence for the pigments generally used in this period. The results, which are compared with those obtained for other north Italian artwork, show the developments in usage of artistic materials and technique.

Archaeometric study of black-coated pottery from Pompeii by different analytical techniques.

Complementary spectroscopic methods were used to characterize ceramic body and black coating of fine pottery found at Pompeii (Italy). This has enabled us to investigate local productions and to clarify the technological changes over the 4th-1st centuries BC. Two different groups of ceramics were originally distinguished on the basis of macroscopic observations.

High-throughput continuous hydrothermal synthesis of nanomaterials (part II): unveiling the as-prepared CexZryYzO2-δ phase diagram.

High-throughput continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis was used to manufacture 66 unique nanostructured oxide samples in the Ce-Zr-Y-O system. This synthesis approach resulted in a significant increase in throughput compared to that of conventional batch or continuous hydrothermal synthesis methods. The as-prepared library samples were placed into a wellplate for both automated high-throughput powder X-ray diffraction and Raman spectroscopy data collection, which allowed comprehensive structural characterization and phase mapping.

Anatase: important industrial white pigment and date-marker for artwork.

Barium sulfate, BaSO4, is shown by Raman microscopy to be readily identifiable in early (1920s) industrially produced anatase (TiO2) and thus, if present, may act as a date marker for early industrial anatase. Later processes (except that for producing Titanox B) did not involve usage of barium sulfate. The matter is relevant to the possible dating of certain artwork.

Rayleigh, Ramsay, Rutherford and Raman--their connections with, and contributions to, the discovery of the Raman effect.

The key contributions of the four great Nobel Laureates - Lord Rayleigh, Sir William Ramsay, Lord Rutherford and Sir Chandrasekhara Raman - to the understanding of light scattering, to the identification and classification of the rare gases, and to the discovery in 1928 of the Raman effect are outlined. The interactions between these scientists are explored, in particular those of Rayleigh with Ramsay (in establishing the physics and chemistry of the rare gases), Ramsay with Rutherford (on studies of the radioactivity of radium dibromide and on the discovery of radon and its position in the periodic table), and Rutherford with Raman (in supporting Raman's career via the Royal Society and as a nominee for the Nobel Prize). The resilience and dedication of these scientific pioneers is emphasised, noting in particular that Rutherford and Raman emerged with success from unlikely backgrounds and from countries far removed from the then centres of scientific excellence.

Raman spectroscopy analysis of pigments on 16-17th c. Persian manuscripts.

The palette of four Persian manuscripts of the 16th and 17th centuries were established by Raman microscopy to include lazurite, red lead, vermilion, orpiment, a carbon-based black, lead white, malachite, haematite, indigo, carmine and pararealgar. The first five pigments were identified on all four manuscripts, as previously found for other Islamic manuscripts of this period. The findings were compared with information available in treatises on Persian painting techniques.

Rare immune-mediated pneumonitis in association with post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis.

We describe the case of a 48-year-old man with an acute nephritis and respiratory failure. Clinical history, streptococcal antibody titres and renal biopsy led to a diagnosis of post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis. Respiratory investigations excluded pulmonary oedema and infection.

High-throughput continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis of Zn-Ce oxides: unprecedented solubility of Zn in the nanoparticle fluorite lattice.

High-throughput continuous hydrothermal flow synthesis has been used as a rapid and efficient synthetic route to produce a range of crystalline nanopowders in the Ce-Zn oxide binary system. High-resolution powder X-ray diffraction data were obtained for both as-prepared and heat-treated (850 degrees C for 10 h in air) samples using the new robotic beamline I11, located at Diamond Light Source. The influence of the sample composition on the crystal structure and on the optical and physical properties was studied.

Raman microscopy and x-ray fluorescence analysis of pigments on medieval and Renaissance Italian manuscript cuttings.

Italian medieval and Renaissance manuscript cuttings and miniatures from the Victoria and Albert Museum were analyzed by Raman microscopy to compile a database of pigments used in different periods and different Italian regions. The palette identified in most manuscripts and cuttings was found to include lead white, gypsum, azurite, lazurite, indigo, malachite, vermilion, red lead, lead tin yellow (I), goethite, carbon, and iron gall ink. A few of the miniatures, such as the historiated capital "M" painted by Gerolamo da Cremona and the Petrarca manuscript by Bartolomeo Sanvito, are of exceptional quality and were analyzed extensively; some contained unusual materials.

Continuous hydrothermal synthesis of extensive 2D sodium titanate (Na2Ti3O7) nano-sheets.

A novel and rapid and continuous hydrothermal route to the synthesis of extensive ultra-thin 2D sodium titanate (Na(2)Ti(3)O(7)) nano-sheets using a superheated water flow at 450 degrees C and 24.1 MPa as a crystallizing medium is described. High resolution electron microscopy of the sheets revealed that they were a few layers thick and largely uncurled, highly crystalline despite their very short time under hydrothermal flow conditions.

Spectroscopic investigations of Bourdichon miniatures: masterpieces of light and color.

Metallic bismuth, pyrite (FeS2), and specular hematite (Fe2O3) were found to have been used extensively on two miniatures taken from the Book of Hours of Louis XII by Jean Bourdichon, painter at the Royal Court of France between the end of the 15th and the beginning of the 16th centuries. These unusual materials were identified, together with thirteen other more traditional pigments and dyes, by Raman microscopy and X-ray fluorescence. Pyrite was found in many areas, suggesting that it may have been deliberately added as a pigment.

Characterization of Pousão pigments and extenders by micro-X-ray diffractometry and infrared and Raman microspectroscopy.

Seventeen samples from paintings by the distinguished 19th century Portuguese painter, Henrique Pousão, were characterized by micro-X-ray diffractometry and infrared and Raman microspectroscopy. The main advantages and limitations of each technique for pigment identification are outlined, revealing the need for the use of complementary techniques. Pousão's palette is discussed.

Mixed valence: origins and developments.

Mixed-valence compounds were recognized by chemists more than a century ago for their unusual colours and stoichiometries, but it was just 40 years ago that two seminal articles brought together the then available evidence. These articles laid the foundations for understanding the physical properties of such compounds and how the latter correlate with molecular and crystal structures. This introduction to a discussion meeting briefly surveys the history of mixed valence and sets in context contributions to the discussion describing current work in the field.

The Portsmouth thoracoscopy experience, an evaluation of service by retrospective case note analysis.

Occupational asbestos exposure has been endemic in Portsmouth. A retrospective case note analysis of 50 patients who underwent thoracoscopy over a 2-year period from January 2003 was undertaken. Biopsies were taken in 47 cases, 31 of which showed malignant mesothelioma.

The Gutenberg Bibles: analysis of the illuminations and inks using Raman spectroscopy.

The King George III copy of the Gutenberg Bible, held at the British Library, has been analyzed using Raman spectroscopy to determine the palette of pigments used in the illuminations on this work. The palette is found to comprise cinnabar/vermilion, lead tin yellow (type 1), carbon-based black, azurite, malachite, an organo-copper complex (a "verdigris"), calcium carbonate (chalk), gypsum, gold leaf, and basic lead carbonate ("lead white"). This is in agreement with contemporary descriptions of the pigments used for the illuminations.

A matrix isolation study of the photochemically induced reactions of nitrogen dioxide with 1,2-dibromoethene and 1,2-dichloroethene using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy.

Photolyses of matrices of either BrCHCHBr/NO2/Ar or ClCHCHCl/NO2/Ar using quartz-filtered radiation (lambda>240 nm) led to the appearance of infrared bands attributable to carbonyl, carbon monoxide, and ketene species; no bands belonging to a precursor complex NO2cdots, three dots, centeredXCHCHX (where X=Br or Cl) were observed upon matrix deposition. The possible reaction pathway is discussed.

Pigment identification by spectroscopic means: evidence consistent with the attribution of the painting Young Woman Seated at a Virginal to Vermeer.

Technical examination of the painting Young Woman Seated at a Virginal by cross section and polarized light microscopy, chemical tests, surface microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and Raman microscopy has led to the identification of the pigments lead tin yellow (type I), lazurite, vermilion, calcite, lead white, red and yellow iron oxides, umber, lamp black, and green earth on the canvas. These pigments are entirely typical of Vermeer's palette and are consistent with a large body of other technical and art historical findings on paintings by Vermeer and other Dutch 17th century artists. While not authenticating the painting as being by Vermeer, the results provide further critical material that is consistent with this attribution.

Thienyl carboxylate ligands bound to and bridging MM quadruple bonds, M = Mo or W: models for polythiophenes incorporating MM quadruple bonds.

A series of compounds of the form [M(2)L(4)] and [[((t)()BuCO(2))(3)M(2)](2)(mu-L')] have been made where M = Mo or W, L = a thienyl, bithienyl, or terthienyl carboxylate, and L' = a corresponding thienyl dicarboxylate. The electronic absorption spectra are reported and the electronic structures discussed. Intense metal-to-ligand charge transfer bands traverse the visible and near-IR regions of the electronic absorption spectrum.

Electronically-coupled tungsten-tungsten quadruple bonds: comparisons of electron delocalization in 3,6-dioxypyridazine and oxalate-bridged compounds.

The preparation of the 3,6-dioxypyridazine-bridged tungsten complex, [W(2)(O(2)C(t)Bu)(3)](2)(mu-H(2)C(4)N(2)O(2)), I, is described, along with its single-electron oxidized cation, I(+), formed in the reaction between I and Ag(+)PF(6)(-). Compound I has been structurally characterized as a PPh(3) adduct, and I(+)PF(6)(-) as a THF solvate, by single-crystal X-ray studies. The geometric parameters of these compounds compare well with those calculated for the model compounds [W(2)(O(2)CH)(3)](2)(mu-H(2)C(4)N(2)O(2)) and [W(2)(O(2)CH)(3)](2)(micro-H(2)C(4)N(2)O(2))(+) by density functional theory employing the Gaussian 98 and 03 suite of programs.

3,6-dioxypyridazine bridged tungsten-tungsten quadruple bonds. Comparisons of electron delocalisation with oxalate bridged compounds.

The preparation and characterisation of the tungsten-tungsten quadruply bonded, 3,6-dioxypyridazine bridged complex [((t)BuCO(2))(3)W(2)](2)([micro sign]-H(2)C(4)N(2)O(2)) and its single electron oxidised radical cation are reported and, when compared with related bridged dimolybdenum complexes, reveal a different mechanism of electronic coupling from that seen in related oxalate bridged systems.

Superstructures of donor packing arrangements in a series of molecular charge transfer salts.

Three conducting BEDT-TTF charge-transfer salts with tris(oxalato)metallate anions have unit cells containing both[small alpha] and [small beta][double prime] donor packing motifs.

Raman microscopy of Greek icons: identification of unusual pigments.

Five Greek icons, made between the 15th and 18th centuries and now belonging to the Victoria and Albert Museum collections, were analysed by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence (EDXRF), optical microscopy and Raman microscopy in order to determine the stratigraphy of the artworks and the identity of the pigments used. Together with common pigments, such as red lake, vermilion, red lead, red iron oxide, orpiment, yellow ochre, lead white, chalk, gypsum, anhydrite, Prussian blue, indigo and a copper-containing green, a few unusual materials were identified, specifically pararealgar (a yellow arsenic sulphide, As4S4), its precursor the chi-phase, and lead tin yellow type II (PbSn(1-x)SixO3). Attention is drawn to the complementarity of the techniques used for the pigment identifications.