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In this study, we sought to explore the feasibility of using ultrasonography to evaluate airway anomalies in awake children with previous airway reconstruction. For the month of December 2018, we reviewed the medical records of patients aged

Solvent extraction of La 3+ and Ba 2+ by an ionic liquid extractant in an imidazolium-based ionic liquid diluent was investigated. Seven protic ionic liquid extractants were examined and these PILs are based on five organic superbases and either 6,6,7,7,8,8,8-heptafluoro-2,2-dimethyl-3,5-octadione (Hfod) or 1,1,1,5,5,5-hexafluoroacetylacetone (Hhfac) β-diketones as anion. For these PIL extractants, the extraction efficiencies and separation factors were found to be concentration dependent. The effects of aqueous phase acidity, extractant structure, and extractant concentration on separation properties of La 3+ and Ba 2+ are discussed in this paper.

Because polyaromatic hydrocarbons show high thermal stability, an example of these compounds, phenylnaphthalene, was tested for solar thermal-power applications. Although static thermal tests showed promising results for 1-phenylnaphthalene, loop testing at temperatures to 450 ℃ indicated that the fluid isomerized and degraded at a slow rate. In a loop with a temperature high enough to drive the isomerization, the higher melting point byproducts tended to condense onto cooler surfaces. This would indicate that the internal channels of cooler components of trough solar electric generating systems, such as the waste heat rejection exchanger, may become coated or clogged affecting loop performance. Thus, pure 1-phenylnaphthalene, without addition of stabilizers, does not appear to be a fluid that would have a sufficiently long lifetime (years to decades) to be used in a loop at temperatures significantly greater than the current 400 ℃ maximum for organic fluids. Similar degradation pathways may occur with other organic materials. The performance of a concentrating solar loop using high temperature fluids was modeled based on the National Renewable Laboratory Solar Advisory Model. It was determined that a solar-to-electricity efficiency of up to 30% and a capacity factor of 60% could be achieved using a high efficiency collector and 12 h thermal energy storage when run at a field outlet temperature of 550 ℃.

A bicyclic imidazolium ionic liquids, 1-ethyl-2,3-trimethyleneimidazolium bis(tri fluoromethane sulfonyl)imide ([ETMIm][TFSI]), and reference imidazolium compounds, 1-ethyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide ([EMIm][TFSI]) and 1, 2-dimethyl-3-butylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane sulfonyl)imide ([DMBIm][TFSI]), were synthesized and investigated as solvents for lithium ion batteries. Although the alkylation at the C-2 position of the imidazolium ring does not affect the thermal stability of the ionic liquids, the stereochemical structure of the molecules has shown profound influences on the electrochemical properties of the corresponding ionic liquids. [ETMIm][TFSI] has better reduction stability than both [EMIm][TFSI] and [DMBIm][TFSI], as confirmed by both linear sweep voltammetry (LSV) and theoretical calculation. Also, a relatively stable solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) is formed in [ETMIm][TFSI], suggested by the time dependence of the impedance spectra of the Li||Li cell. Furthermore, the Li||graphite half-cell based on [BTMIm][TFSI] exhibits reversible capacity of 250 mA h g −1 and 70 mA h g −1 at 25 °C, which increases to 330 mA h g −1 and 250 mA h g −1 at 50 °C, under the current rate of C/20 and C/10, respectively. For comparison, the half-cell based on [DMBIm][TFSI] exhibits poor capacity retention under the same current rates at both temperatures.

The rare-earth elements (REEs) are a group of 17 chemically similar metallic elements; this group consists of scandium, yttrium, and 15 lanthanides. Due to their essential role in permanent magnets, lamp phosphors, catalysts, and rechargeable batteries, the REEs have become an essential component of the global transition to a green economy. Currently, with China producing over 90 % of the global REE output and its increasingly tightening export quota, the rest of the world is confronted with the potential risk of REE shortage. As such, many countries will have to rely on recycling REEs from pre-consumer scrap, industrial residues, and REE-containing end-of-life products. Over the course of the last two decades, ionic liquids have been increasingly used to separate REEs in the recycling process. Ionic liquids (ILs) are a class of molten salts that are liquid at temperatures below 100 °C. ILs are amenable to the recycling of REEs because the cation and anion components are readily tailored to a given process, and they offer numerous advantages over typical organic solvents, such as low volatility, low flammability, a broad temperature range of stability, the ability to dissolve both inorganic and organic compounds, high conductivity, and wide electrochemical windows. In this chapter, we discuss the performance of several IL-based extraction systems used to separate and recycle REEs.

New separation methodologies for radioisotopes are crucial to many medical applications. In this work, the solvent extraction of Th-227 and Ac-225 based on ionic liquids (ILs) was investigated usingN,N,N´,N´-tetraoctyldiglycolamide (TODGA) or di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) as an extractant. Four ILs, 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([C4mim][NTf2]), 1-butyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(perfluoroethanesulfonyl)imide ([C4mim][BETI]), 1-butyl-2,3-trimethyleneimidazolium (trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([BuI5][NTf2]), and 1-benzyl pyridinium bis(trifluoromethanesulfonyl)imide ([PhCH2Py][NTf2]) with different cation or anion structural features were used as diluents for the separation of Th-227 and Ac-225. Excellent extraction efficiencies and selectivities were found for Th-227/Ac-225 when HDEHP was used as an extractant in these ILs. The effects of different extractant concentrations in ILs and different aqueous phase acidities on extraction efficiencies and selectivities of Th-227/Ac-225 are also presented. The success in separation of Th-227 and Ac-225 isotopes highlights great potentials of use of ionic liquids in isotope production.

Sol-gel processed silica materials, which incorporated ionic liquids and N,N,N′,N′-tetra(n-octyl)diglycolamide (TODGA), were prepared and used as sorbents for extraction of La3+ and Ba2+ from aqueous solutions. Imidazolium-based ionic liquids (ILs), 1-alkyl-3-methylimidazolium bis(trifluoromethane)sulfonimide ([Cnmim][NTf2], n = 2, 4, 6, 8, 10) were entrapped in these monolithic composite sol-gel sorbents. The corresponding extraction efficiencies were found to be dependent on both the volume of IL used in the silica matrix and the alkyl chain length of the IL cation. The silica composite sorbent containing [C8mim][NTf2] exhibited the best extraction efficiency for La3+ and the best separation factor for La3+/Ba2+. The separation results were analyzed by both Langmuir and Freundlich adsorption isotherm models and the Freundlich model was found to give better fit.

The synthesis of the first C2 chiral phosphinine (phosphabenzene) and its pyrylium salt precursor is reported. The chiral phosphinine is derived from (+)-camphor, is a crystalline air-stable solid and is shown to effectively form complexes with metals. A preliminary result using the phosphinine as a ligand for asymmetric catalysis is reported and rationalized structurally.

Eighteen new protic ionic liquids were synthesized in one step from five organic superbases and five commercially available fluorinated β-diketones. Physical properties of the ionic liquids, including thermal decomposition temperature were determined. Nine of the ionic liquids were examined as extraction media for La 3+ , with some very large distribution coefficients obtained.

We conducted a retrospective study to reexamine the value of single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) in the evaluation of patients with neurotologic complaints, and to assess the intra- and inter-radiologist variability of SPECT readings. Our study population was made up of 63 patients--23 men and 40 women, aged 34 to 91 years (mean: 59)--who had presented to a tertiary care otolaryngology practice and university hospital for evaluation of head trauma, sensorineural hearing loss, tinnitus, and/or vertigo. All patients had undergone brain scanning with SPECT during their evaluation, and almost all had also undergone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and standard computed tomography (CT). We compared the findings of all three imaging modalities in terms of their ability to detect neurotologic abnormalities. We found that detection rates were very similar among the three modalities; abnormalities were found in 24% of SPECT scans, 26% of MRIs, and 23% of CTs. Nevertheless, we did find that among 60 patients who underwent all three types of imaging, 13 (22%) exhibited areas of cerebral hypoperfusion on SPECT while their MRIs and CTs were read as either normal or nonspecific. In all, 18 of these 60 patients (30%) exhibited normal or nonspecific findings on all three types of imaging. In addition, when SPECT scans were read by the same radiologist at different times, different results were reported for 17 of the 63 scans (27%). Likewise, when SPECT scans were read by different radiologists, different results were reported for 21 of 63 scans (33%). We conclude that SPECT may be a valuable complementary diagnostic modality for making a comprehensive neurotologic evaluation and that it may detect abnormalities in some patients whose other imaging is read as normal. However, we did not find that SPECT was the most sensitive of the three modalities in neurotologic evaluation, as we had previously found in a preliminary study that the senior author (R.T.S.) published in 1996. In addition, with respect to our radiologists, both their intra- and inter-reader reliability was low, and we recommend additional study on this matter.

Due to their superb structural versatility, guanidinium cations find increasing use as constituent ions in room temperature ionic liquids (ILs). This versatility allows fine-tuning of hydrophobicity, which is an important concern for the use of ILs as diluents for metal ion separations. However, the presence of six C-N bonds in such cations poses a question, whether the guanidinium based ILs can be considered as diluents for nuclear separations, given that the radiation emitted by the decaying radionuclides can break these relatively weak bonds over the use cycle of the solvent. As nothing is presently known about the radiolytic stability of the guanidinium cations, we addressed this question using 2-dialkylamino-1,3-dimethylimidazolidine based cations (R = Et, Pr, and Bu) as a representative model for the entire class of such cations, and assessed their stability in 2.5 MeV electron beam radiolysis. Electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, and mass spectrometry have been used to establish chemical mechanisms for radiation damage in guanidinium cations. Our conclusion is that radiation stability of these cations is not significantly different from that of more familiar aliphatic and aromatic IL cations. In fact, these cations yield exceptionally stable radicals, and fragmentation occurs only in their radiolytically generated excited states. The predominant chemical pathway for the cation decomposition is the elimination of their aliphatic arms, with radiolytic yields of 0.65 to 1.06 to 1.46 per 100 eV from R = Et to R = Bu, respectively. The total loss of the parent cation was estimated as 2.62, 1.65, and 1.98 species per 100 eV. While this attrition is not negligible, it is comparable to other organic cations that have fewer fissile C-N bonds. Many of the products are either modified guanidinium ions or protonated bases that are not expected to interfere with radionuclide separations.

Concentrating solar power (CSP) may be an alternative to generating electricity from fossil fuels; however, greater thermodynamic efficiency is needed to improve the economics of CSP operation. One way of achieving improved efficiency is to operate the CSP loop at higher temperatures than the current maximum of about 400 C. ORNL has been investigating a synthetic polyaromatic oil for use in a trough type CSP collector, to temperatures up to 500 C. The oil was chosen because of its thermal stability and calculated low vapor and critical pressures. The oil has been synthesized using a Suzuki coupling mechanism and has been tested in static heating experiments. Analysis has been conducted on the oil after heating and suggests that there may be some isomerization taking place at 450 C, but the fluid appears to remain stable above that temperature. Tests were conducted over one week and further tests are planned to investigate stabilities after heating for months and in flow configurations. Thermochemical data and thermophysical predictions indicate that substituted polyaromatic hydrocarbons may be useful for applications that run at higher temperatures than possible with commercial fluids such as Therminol-VP1.

N,N,N',N'-Tetraalkyldiglycolamides are extracting agents that are used for liquid-liquid extraction of trivalent metal ions in wet processing of spent nuclear fuel. This application places such agents in contact with the decaying radionuclides, causing radiolysis of the agent in the organic diluent. Recent research seeks to replace common molecular diluents (such as n-dodecane) with hydrophobic room-temperature ionic liquids (ILs), which have superior solvation properties. In alkane diluents, rapid radiolytic deterioration of diglycolamide agents can be inhibited by addition of an aromatic cosolvent that scavenges highly reactive alkane radical cations before these oxidize the extracting agent. Do aromatic ILs exhibit a similar radioprotective effect? To answer this question, we used electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy to study the fragmentation pathways in radiolysis of neat diglycolamides, their model compounds, and their solutions in the ILs. Our study indicates that aromatic ILs do not protect these types of solutes from extensive radiolytic damage. Previous research indicated a similar lack of protection for crown ethers, whereas the ILs readily protected di- and trialkyl phosphates (another large class of metal-extracting agents). Our analysis of these unanticipated failures suggests that new types of organic anions are required in order to formulate ILs capable of radioprotection for these classes of solutes. This study is a cautionary tale of the fallacy of analogical thinking when applied to an entirely new and insufficiently understood class of chemical materials.

The extraction separation of rare earth elements is one of the most challenging separation processes in hydrometallurgy and advanced nuclear fuel cycles. The TALSPEAK process (trivalent actinide lanthanide separations by phosphorus-reagent extraction from aqueous komplexes) is a prime example of these separation processes. The objective of this paper is to explore the use of ionic liquids (ILs) for the TALSPEAK-like process, to further enhance its extraction efficiencies for lanthanides, and to investigate the potential of using this modified TALSPEAK process for separation of lanthanides among themselves. Eight imidazolium ILs ([C(n)mim][NTf(2)] and [C(n)mim][BETI], n = 4,6,8,10) and one pyrrolidinium IL ([C(4)mPy][NTf(2)]) were investigated as diluents using di(2-ethylhexyl)phosphoric acid (HDEHP) as an extractant for the separation of lanthanide ions from aqueous solutions of 50 mM glycolic acid or citric acid and 5 mM diethylenetriamine pentaacetic acid (DTPA). The extraction efficiencies were studied in comparison with diisopropylbenzene (DIPB), an organic solvent used as a diluent for the conventional TALSPEAK extraction system. Excellent extraction efficiencies and selectivities were found for a number of lanthanide ions using HDEHP as an extractant in these ILs. The effects of different alkyl chain lengths in the cations of ILs and of different anions on extraction efficiencies and selectivities of lanthanide ions are also presented in this paper.