A multi-disciplinary perspective on emergent and future innovations in peer review [version 1; peer review: 2 approved with reservations]

Peer review of research articles is a core part of our scholarly communication system. In spite of its importance, the status and purpose of peer review is often contested. What is its role in our modern digital research and communications infrastructure? Does it perform to the high standards with which it is generally regarded? Studies of peer review have shown that it is prone to bias and abuse in numerous dimensions, frequently unreliable, and can fail to detect even fraudulent research. With the advent of Web technologies, we are now witnessing a phase of innovation and experimentation in our approaches to peer review. These developments prompted us to examine emerging models of peer review from a range of disciplines and venues, and to ask how they might address some of the issues with our current systems of peer review. We examine the functionality of a range of social Web platforms, and compare these with the traits underlying a viable peer review system: quality control, quantified performance metrics as engagement incentives, and certification and reputation. Ideally, any new systems will demonstrate that they out-perform current models while avoiding as many of the biases of existing systems as possible. We conclude that there is considerable scope for new peer review initiatives to be developed, each with their own potential issues and advantages. We also propose a novel hybrid platform model that, at least partially, resolves many of the technical and social issues associated with peer review, and can potentially disrupt the entire scholarly communication system. Success for any such development relies on reaching a critical threshold of research community engagement with both the process and the platform, and therefore cannot be achieved without a significant change of incentives in research environments

On the formation of gold nanoparticles from [AuIIICl4]¿ and a non-classical reduced polyoxomolybdate as an electron source: a quantum mechanical modelling and experimental study

Polyoxometalate (POM)-mediated reduction and nucleation mechanisms in nanoparticle (NP) syntheses are still largely unknown. We carried out comprehensive theoretical analysis using density functional theory (DFT) to gain insight into the molecular and electronic changes that occur during the reduction of HAuIIICl4 with the Kabanos-type polyoxomolybdate, [Na{(MoV2 O4)3(m2-O)3(m2-SO3)3(m6-SO3)}2]15. In the system presented herein the electrons are supplied by the POM, making the computational thermodynamic analysis more feasible. Our results reveal that this particular POM is a multi-electron source and the proton-coupled electron transfer (PCET) greatly promotes the reduction process. Based on the energy and molecular orbital studies of the intermediate species the reduction of AuIII to AuI is shown to be thermodynamically favourable, and a low HOMO–LUMO gap of the POM–Au superstructure is advantageous for electron transfer. By modelling the reduction of three couples of AuIII - AuI by the same POM unit, it is proposed that the reduced polyoxomolybdate is finally fully oxidised. The subjacent idea of using the Kabanos POM was confirmed by comprehensive experimental characterisation of POMstabilised gold nanoparticles (AuNPs@POM). Present theoretical analysis suggests that protons have a significant influence on the final AuI to Au0 reduction step that ultimately leads to colloidal AuNPs@POM

Size and charge effect of guest cations in the formation of polyoxopalladates: a theoretical and experimental study

The development of rational synthetic procedures with desired nuclearity and high selectivity is a critical issue in inorganic chemistry. Here we demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the template effect induced by metal cations in the formation mechanism of the class of polyoxopalladates ({MPd12L8} nanocube and {MPd15L10} nanostar) by combining computational and experimental techniques. The capture of a Mn+ guest ion by a peripheral palladium(II)-oxo shell leads to a competition between the parent Pd2+ addenda ion and the respective guest metal ion. The present study reveals that (i) the selection of the incorporated guest ion has a thermodynamic control, (ii) the main factors governing the formation of a particular polyanion are the charge and size of the guest cation, (iii) the electrostatic interaction between the cation and the surrounding oxo ligands and (iv) the dehydration ability of the cation. As expected from the number of observed {Mn+Pd12L8} species, trivalent cations M3+ were found to be good templates resulting in several examples of {M3+Pd12L8}, whereas monovalent cations M+ are much less prone to form {M+Pd12L8}. For tetravalent cations the dehydration energies are very large, however, the formation of {M4+Pd12L8} nanocubes is found to be still energetic favourable. Fully consistent with computational predictions, four novel polyoxo-12-palladates were synthesized: the La3+-centered nanocube [LaPd12O8(PhAsO3)8]5− (LaPd12-closed), the La3+-centered “open” nanocube [LaPd12O6(OH)3(PhAsO3)6(OAc)3]3− (LaPd12-open), the Ga3+-centered [GaPd12O8(PhAsO3)8]5− (GaPd12), and the In3+-analogue [InPd12O8(PhAsO3)8]5− (InPd12). All four compounds were fully characterized in the solid state and in solution by a multitude of physicochemical techniques, including 7

Tailored Hypersound Generation in Single Plasmonic Nanoantennas.

Ultrashort laser pulses impinging on a plasmonic nanostructure trigger a highly dynamic scenario in the interplay of electronic relaxation with lattice vibrations, which can be experimentally probed via the generation of coherent phonons. In this Letter, we present studies of hypersound generation in the range of a few to tens of gigahertz on single gold plasmonic nanoantennas, which have additionally been subjected to predesigned mechanical constraints via silica bridges. Using these hybrid gold/silica nanoantennas, we demonstrate experimentally and via numerical simulations how mechanical constraints allow control over their vibrational mode spectrum. Degenerate pump-probe techniques with double modulation are performed in order to detect the small changes produced in the probe transmission by the mechanical oscillations of these single nanoantennas.Fil: Della Picca, Fabricio Leandro. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Electrónica Cuántica; ArgentinaFil: Berte, Rodrigo. Ministry Of Education Brazil; . Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Rahmani, Mohsen. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Albella, Pablo. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Bujjamer, Juan. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Electrónica Cuántica; ArgentinaFil: Poblet, Martín. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Electrónica Cuántica; ArgentinaFil: Cortés, Emiliano. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Maier, Stefan A.. Imperial College London; Reino UnidoFil: Bragas, Andrea Veronica. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Departamento de Física. Laboratorio de Electrónica Cuántica; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Ciudad Universitaria. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales. Instituto de Física de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Origin of selectivity in protein hydrolysis by Zr(IV)-containing metal oxides as artificial proteases

The origin of selectivity in protein hydrolysis promoted by Zr(IV)-substituted polyoxometalates (POMs) has been investigated through a variety of computational techniques. Initially, we analyzed the reaction mechanism for the observed hydrolysis at the Asn44—Arg45 site in the hen egg-white lysozyme protein (HEWL) by the Zr-substituted Lindqvist anion [W5O18Zr(H2O)(OH)]3– (ZrL) using cluster models obtained from molecular dynamics (MD) simulations, quantum mechanics/molecular mechanics (QM/MM) calculations, and metadynamics simulations. The mechanism characterization shows that the overall activity is governed by the energy cost to reach the transition state for C–N bond cleavage from the reactants, resulting in a calculated overall free-energy barrier of 121 kJ mol–1 that is in excellent agreement with the values derived from the experimental rate constants (113–134 kJ mol–1). In addition, QM/MM metadynamics simulations on the early stages of the mechanism revealed the formation of an exergonic non-covalent POM···protein complex at the protein surface that was stabilized by positively charged amino acids maintained during the Zr coordination to the amide oxygen. For nonreactive related sites containing Arg (Asn113—Arg114, Arg45—Asn46, and Arg21—Gly22,) we found very similar overall barriers within the cluster model approach (124, 124, and 120 kJ mol–1, respectively); however, their nonbonding POM···protein interactions along the simulated coordination of Zr to the amide oxygen were significantly weaker than those for the reactive Asn44—Arg45 site. Thus, for the HEWL protein the selectivity is governed by an enzyme-like recognition of ZrL at the cleavage site that results in an overall acceleration of the reaction rate compared to those at other sites. Conversely for human serum albumin, (HSA) the observed selectivity was not directed by nonbonding POM···protein interactions but instead was controlled by the protein secondary structure. Calculations on several Arg—Leu sites placed in positive patches showed that peptide bonds in an α-helix structure have higher overall free-energy barriers, while for the active Arg114—Leu115 site in a random coil region the C–N cleavage is facilitated by the extended conformation of the protein chain. All in all, this study has identified and evaluated two complementary factors controlling the selectivity in peptide hydrolysis promoted by transition metal-substituted POMs; hydrolysis is disfavored at α-helical regions of the protein, and then specific positively charged patches can trap the POM via electrostatic-type POM···protein interactions and accelerate the reaction