Light-Driven Hydrogen Production from Aqueous Solutions Based on a New Dubois-Type Nickel Catalyst

In this work, we report a new photocatalytic system that links multifunctional semiconductor nanocrystals with emerging water-soluble molecular catalysts made of earth-abundant elements for H2 generation [Ni(P2RN2R′)2(BF4)2]4−, R = Ph, R′ = [PhSO3]− (NiS). This noble metal free hybrid exhibits remarkable catalytic activity with a turnover number of 511 for H2 production and a photon-to-H2 conversion efficiency of 12.5%. The mechanistic insight into such high efficiency in this photocatalytic system was examined using a combination of steady-state emission and time-resolved absorption spectroscopy

Atomic electron tomography in three and four dimensions

Atomic electron tomography (AET) has become a powerful tool for atomic-scale structural characterization in three and four dimensions. It provides the ability to correlate structures and properties of materials at the single-atom level. With recent advances in data acquisition methods, iterative three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction algorithms, and post-processing methods, AET can now determine 3D atomic coordinates and chemical species with sub-Angstrom precision, and reveal their atomic-scale time evolution during dynamical processes. Here, we review the recent experimental and algorithmic developments of AET and highlight several groundbreaking experiments, which include pinpointing the 3D atom positions and chemical order/disorder in technologically relevant materials and capturing how atoms rearrange during early nucleation at four-dimensional atomic resolution

Comparative study of commercial building energy-efficiency retrofit policies in four pilot cities in China

The energy efficiency of existing commercial buildings is more challenging to regulate and improve than the energy efficiency of new constructions. In 2011 and 2012, the Chinese Government selected four cities- Shanghai, Tianjin, Shenzhen, and Chongqing- to implement pilot commercial building energy efficiency retrofit program. Based on site surveys and expert interviews in these pilot cities, this research conducted a comparative analysis on incentive policies of local city level. The analysis results show that policy designs of existing commercial buildings should be further improved. The aspects that influence the implementation effect in the future, such as subsidy level, installments, and business model promotion, should be specified in the policy clauses. Referring to the technical solution and cost-benefit in Chongqing, we found that lighting system is the most common retrofit objects while envelope system is the least common one. And the subsidy incentive is greatest for educational buildings, followed by office buildings. In the end, we further discussed the problems and obstacles in commercial building retrofit market, and provided a series of recommendations

Influence of Potamogeton crispus growth on nutrients in the sediment and water of Lake Tangxunhu

An incubation experiment was performed on Potamogeton crispus (P. crispus) using sediment collected from Lake Tangxunhu in the center of China, in order to determine the effects of plant growth on Fe, Si, Cu, Zn, Mn, Mg, P, and Ca concentrations in the sediments and overlying waters. After 3 months of incubation, Ca, Mg, and Si concentrations in the water column were significantly lower, and P and Cu concentrations were significantly higher than in unplanted controls. The effect of P. crispus growth on sediment pore waters and water-extractable elements varied. Concentrations of Ca, Mg, Si, Fe, Cu, and Zn were significantly higher, and P was significantly lower, than in pore waters of the control. Water-extracted concentrations of Fe, Mg, and Si in the sediments were lower, and P was higher, than in the control. Presence of P. crispus generally enhanced concentration gradients of elements between pore waters and overlying waters but not for P. The growth of P. crispus was associated with an increase in water pH and formation of root plaques, resulting in complex effects on the sediment nutritional status

Highlights of the TEXONO Research Program on Neutrino and Astroparticle Physics

This article reviews the research program and efforts for the TEXONO Collaboration on neutrino and astro-particle physics. The ``flagship'' program is on reactor-based neutrino physics at the Kuo-Sheng (KS) Power Plant in Taiwan. A limit on the neutrino magnetic moment of \munuebar < 1.3 X 10^{-10} \mub} at 90% confidence level was derived from measurements with a high purity germanium detector. Other physics topics at KS, as well as the various R&D program, are discussedComment: 10 pages, 9 figures, Proceedings of the International Symposium on Neutrino and Dark Matter in Nuclear Physics (NDM03), Nara, Japan, June 9-14, 200

Numerical simulation of solid tumor blood perfusion and drug delivery during the “vascular normalization window” with antiangiogenic therapy

This Article is provided by the Brunel Open Access Publishing Fund - Copyright @ 2011 Hindawi PublishingTo investigate the influence of vascular normalization on solid tumor blood perfusion and drug delivery, we used the generated blood vessel network for simulations. Considering the hemodynamic parameters changing after antiangiogenic therapies, the results show that the interstitial fluid pressure (IFP) in tumor tissue domain decreases while the pressure gradient increases during the normalization window. The decreased IFP results in more efficient delivery of conventional drugs to the targeted cancer cells. The outcome of therapies will improve if the antiangiogenic therapies and conventional therapies are carefully scheduled

Charmless decays B->pipi, piK and KK in broken SU(3)symmetry

Charmless B decay modes $B \to \pi \pi, \pi K$ and $KK$ aresystematically investigated with and without flavor SU(3) symmetry. Independent analyses on $\pi \pi$ and $\pi K$ modes both favor a large ratio between color-suppressed tree ($C$) and tree ($T)$ diagram, which suggests that they are more likely to originate from long distance effects. The sizes of QCD penguin diagrams extracted individually from $\pi\pi$, $\pi K$ and $KK$ modes are found to follow a pattern of SU(3) breaking in agreement with the naive factorization estimates. Global fits to these modes are done under various scenarios of SU(3)relations. The results show good determinations of weak phase $\gamma$ in consistency with the Standard Model (SM), but a large electro-weak penguin (P_{\tmop{EW}}) relative to $T + C$ with a large relative strong phase are favored, which requires an big enhancement of color suppressed electro-weak penguin (P_{\tmop{EW}}^C) compatible in size but destructively interfering with P_{\tmop{EW}} within the SM, or implies new physics. Possibility of sizable contributions from nonfactorizable diagrams such as $W$-exchange ($E$), annihilation($A$) and penguin-annihilation diagrams($P_A$) are investigated. The implications to the branching ratios and CP violations in $K K$modes are discussed.Comment: 27 pages, 9 figures, reference added, to appear in Phy.Rev.