Quantitative chemical analysis of perovskite deposition using spin coating

Lead and halide ion compositions of spin coated organo-lead halide perovskite films have been quantified using ion chromatography (IC) and atomic absorption spectroscopy (AAS) using perovskite films manufactured by 5 different researchers (3 replicates per treatment) to monitor variability between researchers and individual researcher reproducibility. Planar and mesoporous TiO2-coated glass substrates have been studied along with tribromide (CH3NH3PbBr3), triiodide (CH3NH3PbI3) and mixed halide (CH3NH3PbI3�xClx) perovskite films. The data show low yields of spin coated perovskite material (ca. 1%) and preferential deposition of I� over Cl� in mixed halide films

Tropomyosin receptor kinase inhibitors in the management of sarcomas.

Purpose of review Genetic aberrations resulting in tropomyosin receptor kinase (TRK) fusion proteins can drive oncogenesis and are postulated to occur in up to 1% of solid tumours. However, TRK fusions in adult sarcomas are rare and there is a significant challenge in identifying patients with sarcomas harbouring TRK fusions in the clinical setting. Despite a recent European Society of Medical Oncology consensus article regarding screening of tumours for TRK fusions, economical and practical limitations present a barrier to widespread screening of sarcomas.Recent findings Larotrectinib and entrectinib are pan-TRK inhibitors which have both received FDA approval for the management of solid tumours harbouring NTRK fusions. Initial results of a number of clinical trials have demonstrated promising efficacy and safety data, including dramatic and durable responses in patients with sarcomas. As such, TRK inhibitors represent a promising treatment option in a small cohort of adult sarcoma patients, where currently treatment options are limited. The emergence of acquired resistance is a concern associated with TRK inhibitor therapy and a number of second-generation agents targeting TRK kinase mutations driving acquired resistance have entered early-phase clinical trials.Summary With the growing appreciation of the implications of TRK fusions, this review will summarize the emerging clinical trial data of TRK inhibitors in sarcomas. Although in their infancy, clinical trial results are encouraging, and as further results and analyses are released, we will have a greater understanding of their impact on clinical practice and the management of patients with sarcomas

Worldbuilding as Narrative in Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan

Scott Westerfeld’s Leviathan trilogy (Leviathan, Behemoth, and Goliath) is an alternative history of the First World War written for a Young Adult audience. It is an example of steampunk fiction, and as such makes numerous changes to historical fact. Chief among these is the division of much of the world along two axes, namely those nations who have chosen to pursue progress through mechanical engineering – known in the novels as Clankers – and those nations who continue to build on Charles Darwin’s discovery of genetic engineering to create new creatures that are employed in industrial and military capacities. Examples of Clanker nations are Germany and Austria, whilst Britain – thanks to Darwin’s pioneering work – is the leading Darwinist nation. Some powers want the best of both worlds, and so Japan as well as the USA show evidence of using both Clanker inventions and Darwinist creatures. For the most part, therefore, this division allows Westerfeld to map his re-imagined world onto the genuine antagonisms of the period surrounding the First World War. The narrative is based around the adventures of two young protagonists. His Serene Highness, Prince Aleksander of Hohenburg is the fictitious son of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, and is also a representative of the Clanker approach to progress. His counterpart representing the Darwinists is Deryn Sharp, who for much of the trilogy is disguised as a boy called Dylan, since this was the only way open to her to gain admittance into the Air Service. The changing relationship between Alek and Deryn – at first suspicious, then collegial, before transforming into love – is the backbone of the trilogy, allowing Westerfeld to weave numerous themes, such as gender and class differences, into his work. However, Westerfeld’s major goal is to build a world that, whilst originally based on open hostility between the mechanical and the organic, realises that its only opportunity for peace and progress will lie in a deconstruction of this division. In keeping with the steampunk agenda, and echoing Donna Haraway’s work on the cyborg, Westerfeld leads his readers to the point where a type of mechanical / organic hybridity is seen as the most desirable and optimistic solution not just for his fictional early 20th Century world, but also for our own early 21st Century

Cladding strategies for building-integrated photovoltaics

Photovoltaic cladding on the surfaces of commercial buildings has the potential for considerable reductions in carbon emissions due to embedded renewable power generation displacing conventional power utilization. In this paper, a model is described for the optimization of photovoltaic cladding densities on commercial building surfaces. The model uses a modified form of the ‘fill factor’ method for photovoltaic power supply coupled to new regression-based procedures for power demand estimation. An optimization is included based on a defined ‘mean index of satisfaction’ for matched power supply and demand (i.e., zero power exportation to the grid). The mean index of satisfaction directly translates to the reduction in carbon emission that might be expected over conventional power use. On clear days throughout the year, reductions of conventional power use of at least 60% can be achieved with an optimum cladding pattern targeted to lighting and small power load demands