84 research outputs found
On Predicting Mössbauer Parameters of Iron-Containing Molecules with Density-Functional Theory
The performance of six frequently used density functional theory (DFT) methods (RPBE, OLYP, TPSS, B3LYP, B3LYP*, and TPSSh) in the prediction of Mössbauer isomer shifts(ÎŽ) and quadrupole splittings (ÎEQ) is studied for an extended and diverse set of Fe complexes. In addition to the influence of the applied density functional and the type of the basis set, the effect of the environment of the molecule, approximated with the conducting-like screening solvation model (COSMO) on the computed Mössbauer parameters, is also investigated. For the isomer shifts the COSMO-B3LYP method is found to provide accurate ÎŽ values for all 66 investigated complexes, with a mean absolute error (MAE) of 0.05 mm sâ1 and a maximum deviation of 0.12 mm sâ1. Obtaining accurate ÎEQ values presents a bigger challenge; however, with the selection of an appropriate DFT method, a reasonable agreement can be achieved between experiment and theory. Identifying the various chemical classes of compounds that need different treatment allowed us to construct a recipe for ÎEQ calculations; the application of this approach yields a MAE of 0.12 mm sâ1 (7% error) and a maximum deviation of 0.55 mm sâ1 (17% error). This accuracy should be sufficient for most chemical problems that concern Fe complexes. Furthermore, the reliability of the DFT approach is verified by extending the investigation to chemically relevant case studies which include geometric isomerism, phase transitions induced by variations of the electronic structure (e.g., spin crossover and inversion of the orbital ground state), and the description of electronically degenerate triplet and quintet states. Finally, the immense and often unexploited potential of utilizing the sign of the ÎEQ in characterizing distortions or in identifying the appropriate electronic state at the assignment of the spectral lines is also shown
Political Economy of Civil Society
This chapter explores the role of civil society in relation to the economy and the polity by focusing on three distinct yet related dimensions: (1) the conceptual history of civil society in relation to political economy; (2) the theory underpinning a political economy of civil society; (3) the implications of a political economy of civil society for policy-making. The main argument is that there is a fundamental difference between ancient and medieval conceptions, which emphasise natural sociability, and modern accounts that accentuate a violent âstate of natureâ. As a result, civil society either reflects the fundamental embeddedness of economic and political processes in social relations or is an artificial construct. The chapter develops a typology of four modern models, provides a theory of the political economy of civil society and outlines a series of policy ideas
Gardens of happiness: Sir William Temple, temperance and China
This is the author accepted manuscript. The final version is available from Taylor & Francis via the DOI in this recordSir William Temple, an English statesman and humanist, wrote âUpon the
Gardens of Epicurusâ in 1685, taking a neo-epicurean approach to happiness
and temperance. In accord with Pierre Gassendiâs epicureanism, âhappinessâ is
characterised as freedom from disturbance and pain in mind and body, whereas
âtemperanceâ means following nature (Providence and oneâs physiopsychological constitution). For Temple, cultivating fruit trees in his garden was
analogous to the threefold cultivation of temperance as a virtue in the humoral
body (as food), the mind (as freedom from the passions), and the bodyeconomic (as circulating goods) in order to attain happiness. A regimen that was
supposed to cure the malaise of Restoration amidst a crisis of unbridled
passions, this threefold cultivation of temperance underlines Templeâs reception
of China and Confucianism wherein happiness and temperance are highlighted.
Thus Templeâs âgardens of happinessâ represent not only a reinterpretation of
classical ideas, but also his dialogue with China.European CommissionLeverhulme Trus
Use of fluorescence in situ hybridization as a tool for introgression analysis and chromosome identification in coffee (Coffea arabica L.)
Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) was used to study the presence of alien chromatin in interspecific hybrids and one introgressed line (S.288) derived from crosses between the cultivated species Coffea arabica and the diploid relatives C canephora and C. liberica. In situ hybridization using genomic DNA from C. canephora and C. arabica as probes showed elevated cross hybridization along the hybrid genome, confirming the weak differentiation between parental genomes. According to our genomic in situ hybridization (GISH) data, the observed genomic resemblance between the modern C. canephora genome (C) and the C. canephora-derived subgenome of C. arabica (C-a) appears rather considerable. Poor discrimination between C and Ca chromosomes supports the idea of low structural modifications of both genomes since the C. arabica speciation, at least in the frequency and distribution of repetitive sequences. GISH was also used to identify alien chromatin segments on chromosome spreads of a C liberica-introgressed line of C arabica. Further, use of GISH together with BAC-FISH analysis gave us additional valuable information about the physical localization of the C. liberica fragments carrying the S(H)3 factor involved in resistance to the coffee leaf rust. Overall, our results illustrate that FISH analysis is a complementary tool for molecular cytogenetic studies in coffee, providing rapid localization of either specific chromosomes or alien chromatin in introgressed genotypes derived from diploid species displaying substantial genomic differentiation from C. arabica
Adam Smith on American Economic Development and the Future of the European Atlantic Empires
Three-dimensional spectral measurements of paint samples using optical coherence tomography
Adam Smith and Rousseau: Ethics, Politics, Economics, by MariaPia Paganelli, Dennis C.Rasmussen and CraigSmith (Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh, 2018), pp. x + 331.
Three-dimensional spectral measurements of paint samples using optical coherence tomography
The visual appearance of a painting is the result of variations in pigments, layers and layer thicknesses. An important role can be played by ground colour. The ground is the first preparation of the support before the actual painting. Medieval painters worked on white grounds. Coloured grounds appeared during the late 15th century in Italy before spreading to the northern part of Europe around 1550. Painters like Rembrandt or Rubens exploited dark or light coloured grounds to create spectacular, realistic effects. But how can we understand how they do this? To answer this question and add some quantifiable analysis, one needs to resolve the spectral reflectivity profile of a painting in three spatial dimensions. In addition, as the main intent is to relate the optical effects with colours, one needs to operate using visible light. The answer to these challenges is visible-light Optical Coherence Tomography (vis-OCT). In this study, we investigate the use of vis-OCT to measure the reflectivity profile of multi-layered paint samples in three dimensions. Using mock-up paint samples we prepared with two thin paint layers on a black and a white paper support, we measured the reflectivity profiles of the separate colours and of the superposed colours over either the black or white (back)ground. This paper first describes the signal processing involved in rebuilding the spectral reflectivity in three dimensions. Secondly, we will present the results obtained from the mock-up samples and draw conclusions on the possibility to discriminate colours in a three-dimensional context. All reflectivity measurements will be compared to a classical, commercially available hyperspectral imaging setup. This study is executed in the context of the NWO Down to the Ground Project. The results of the OCT measurements will be used by technical art historians and conservators for investigations into coloured grounds
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