Efficient generation of highly crystalline carbon quantum dots via electrooxidation of ethanol for rapid photodegradation of organic dyes

Achieving versatile routes to generate crystalline carbon-based nanostructures has become a fervent pursuit in photocatalysis-related fields. We demonstrate that the direct electrooxidation of ethanol, performed on Ni foam, yields ultra-small and highly crystalline graphene-like structures named carbon quantum dots (CQDs). We perform simulations of various sp2 and sp3 domains in order to understand the optical properties of CQDs by accounting their contribution as absorbance/luminescent centers in the overall optical response. Experiments and simulations reveal that absorbance bands for as-synthesized CQDs are dominated by small sp2 domains comprised of r7 aromatic-rings. After 48 h synthesis, the dispersion transition from yellow to red, exhibiting new and red shifted absorbance bands. Furthermore, fluorescence emission is governed by medium-sized sp 2 domains (with aromatic ring counts r12) and oxygen-containing groups. These oxygen-rich groups within the CQDs, confirmed by FT-IR and XPS, are responsible for the fast photodegradation of organic dyes, with B90% of methylene blue (MB) being degraded within the first 5 min of light exposure. Our work provides crucial insights about the electrochemical synthesis and overall optical properties of carbon nanostructures, while being effective and reliable toward the degradation of contaminants in water

Do master narratives change among High School Students?: a characterization of how national history is represented

Master narratives frame students’ historical knowledge, possibly hindering access to more historical representations. A detailed analysis of students’ historical narratives about the origins of their own nation is presented in terms of four master narrative characteristics related to the historical subject, national identification, the main theme and the nation concept. The narratives of Argentine 8th and 11th graders were analyzed to establish whether a change toward a more complex historical account occurred. The results show that the past is mostly understood in master narrative terms but in the 11th grade narratives demonstrate a more historical understanding. Only identification appears to be fairly constant across years of history learning. The results suggest that in history education first aiming at a constructivist concept of nation and then using the concept to reflect on the national historical subject and events in the narrative might help produce historical understanding of a national past.This article was written with the support of projects EDU-2010-17725 (DGICYT, Spain) and PICT-2008-1217 (ANPCYT, Argentina), coordinated by the first author. We are grateful for that support

The Effect of Interpersonal Psychotherapy and other Psychodynamic Therapies versus ‘Treatment as Usual’ in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder

Major depressive disorder afflicts an estimated 17% of individuals during their lifetimes at tremendous suffering and costs. Interpersonal psychotherapy and other psychodynamic therapies may be effective interventions for major depressive disorder, but the effects have only had limited assessment in systematic reviews.Cochrane systematic review methodology with meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis of randomized trials comparing the effect of psychodynamic therapies versus ‘treatment as usual’ for major depressive disorder. To be included the participants had to be older than 17 years with a primary diagnosis of major depressive disorder. Altogether, we included six trials randomizing a total of 648 participants. Five trials assessed ‘interpersonal psychotherapy’ and only one trial assessed ‘psychodynamic psychotherapy’. All six trials had high risk of bias. Meta-analysis on all six trials showed that the psychodynamic interventions significantly reduced depressive symptoms on the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (mean difference −3.12 (95% confidence interval −4.39 to −1.86;P<0.00001), no heterogeneity) compared with ‘treatment as usual’. Trial sequential analysis confirmed this result.We did not find convincing evidence supporting or refuting the effect of interpersonal psychotherapy or psychodynamic therapy compared with ‘treatment as usual’ for patients with major depressive disorder. The potential beneficial effect seems small and effects on major outcomes are unknown. Randomized trials with low risk of systematic errors and low risk of random errors are needed

Limits on WWZWWZ and WWγWW\gamma couplings from WWWW and WZWZ production in pp‾p\overline{p} collisions at s=1.8\sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV

Direct limits are set on $WWZ$ and $WW\gamma$ three-boson couplings in a search for $WW$ and $WZ$ production with high transverse momentum in $p\overline{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s} = 1.8$ TeV, using the Collider Detector at Fermilab. The results are in agreement with the SU(2) $\times$ U(1) model of electroweak interactions. Assuming Standard Model $WW\gamma$ coupling, the the limits are interpreted as direct evidence for a non-zero $WWZ$ coupling at subprocess energies near 500 GeV. Alternatively, assumiong identical $WWZ$ and $WW\gamma$ couplings, bounds $-0.11 < \kappa < 2.27$ and $-0.81 < \lambda < 0.84$ are obtained at $95\%$ CL for a form factor scale 1000 GeV.Comment: 16 pages, submitted to PRL, URL: http://www-cdf.fnal.gov/physics/pub95/cdf2951_vvprl.p

Measurement of correlated μ−overlineb\mu - {overline b} jet cross sections in ppˉp {\bar p} collisions at s=1.8\sqrt{s}=1.8 TeV

We report on measurements of differential $\mu - {\bar b}$ cross sections, where the muon is from a semi-leptonic $b$ decay and the ${\bar b}$ is identified using precision track reconstruction in jets. The semi-differential correlated cross sections, d$\sigma$/d\Et^{{\bar b}}, d$\sigma$/d\pt^{{\bar b}}, and d$\sigma$/d$\delta\phi(\mu - {\bar b})$ for \pt^{\mu}>~9 GeV/c, $|\eta^{\mu}|$~10 GeV, $|\eta^{{\bar b}}|<$~1.5, are presented and compared to next-to-leading order QCD calculations.Comment: Uses Latex, Article 12 point, figures appended as uuencoded file The full PostScript available via WWW at http://www-cdf.fnal.gov/physics/pub95/cdf3164_mu_bbar_prd_final.p

The Charge Asymmetry in W-Boson Decays Produced in p-pbar Collisions at sqrt(s) = 1.8 TeV

The charge asymmetry has been measured using $19,039~W$ decays recorded by the CDF detector during the 1992-93 run of the Tevatron Collider. The asymmetry is sensitive to the ratio of $d$ and $u$ quark distributions to $x<0.01$ at $Q^2 \approx M_W^2$, where nonperturbative effects are minimal. It is found that of the two current sets of parton distributions, those of Martin, Roberts and Stirling (MRS) are favored over the sets most recently produced by the CTEQ collaboration. The $W$ asymmetry data provide a stronger constraints on $d/u$ ratio than the recent measurements of $F_2^{\mu n}/F_2^{\mu p}$ which are limited by uncertainties originating from deutron corrections.Comment: to be published in PR

Measurement of the BB Meson Differential Cross Section, dσ/dpTd\sigma/dp_T, in ppˉp\bar{p} Collisions at s=1.8\sqrt{s} = 1.8 TeV

This paper presents the first direct measurement of the $B$ meson differential cross section, $d\sigma/dp_T$, in $p\bar{p}$ collisions at $\sqrt{s}=1.8$ TeV using a sample of $19.3 \pm 0.7$ pb$^{-1}$ accumulated by the Collider Detector at Fermilab (CDF). The cross section is measured in the central rapidity region $|y| 6.0$ GeV/$c$ by fully reconstructing the $B$ meson decays $B^{+}\to J/\psi K^{+}$ and $B^{0}\to J/\psi K^{*0}(892)$, where $J/\psi \to \mu^+\mu^-$ and $K^{*0} \to K^+ \pi^-$. A comparison is made to the theoretical QCD prediction calculated at next-to-leading order.Comment: 14 pages. Submitted to Phys. Rev. Lett. The postscript file is at http://www-cdf.fnal.gov/physics/pub95/cdf2893_bexcl_xsection.p