Rohingya Crisis and the Darkside of Military in Myanmar and International Responses

Rohingyas are one of the several Muslim groups in the Rakhine state of Myanmar and were regarded as the most persecuted minorities in the world They are ethnic and religious minorities in their province and speak Rohinyalis and Bengalis rather than either Burmese or the Rakhine language and are not from a single race but from various ethnics groups including the Arabs Moguls and Bengalis Sometimes they are also known as Asia s new Palestinians The Government in Myanmar deny any recognition to them and identified them as illegal Bengali migrants from India and Bangladesh during the colonial ruled in India and Burma The government in Myanmar also refuse to grant them citizenship status or any local documentation effectively and made them stateless Under Myanmar s 1982 Citizenship Law Rohingyas had been declared non-national or foreign residents Thus the Rohingyas are an ethnic groups who have been denying citizenship from Bangladesh and Myanmar and live their life as refugees without any security protection in both countries with uncertain futur

The politics underpinning the BRICS expansion

The cooperation of Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa, or BRICS, is a vital organization founded in 2009. In the politics of the modern world, there is no denying the significance of this international institution. Throughout its history, the organization has been a strong supporter of developing nations and has earned the reputation of being a guardian. The announcement that BRICS leaders had agreed to expand their organization during the fourteenth BRICS summit, which was held in Beijing, China, in 2022, garnered a great deal of attention from many different regions of the world. This article examines the reasons behind the BRICS' considerable involvement in global politics, the expansion policy, and how the BRICS outreach and the BRICS Plus summit or meeting play a role in this sector

X-Ray Investigation of Ultra-Thin Spin-Crossover Molecular Films

This thesis concerns with the investigation of two closely-related spin-crossover molecules (SCMs)—[Fe(H2B(pz)2)bipy] (pz = pyrazole; bipy = 2,2’-bipyridine) and [Fe(H2B(pz)2)phen] (phen = 1,10-phenanthroline)—and their derivatives in submonolayers and in ultra-thin films deposited mainly on a highly-oriented graphite (HOPG) substrate (apart from Au(111) and Bi(111) substrates) with the aim of gaining insight into the fundamental processes governing the spin switching in such systems, using x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). In a submonolayer of the SCM [Fe(H2B(pz)2)bipy] deposited on an HOPG substrate, x-ray-induced HS→LS transition, termed as reverse-SOXIESST, is observed at 5K for the first time—apart from the observation of soft x-ray-induced excited spin-state trapping (SOXIESST) already reported in the literature for the bulk material. The switching rates are found to be highly dependent upon the photon fluxes. This observation is rationalized as the spin switching processes being essentially caused by the interaction between the x-ray-induced secondary electrons and the molecules. The observed SOXIESST and reverse-SOXIESST phenomenon is analogous to light- and electron-induced spin switching reported in the literature. Both thermal- and light-induced spin transition of [Fe(H2B(pz)2)bipy] deposited on an HOPG substrate in coverage ranging from submonolayers to multilayers (of up to 10 monolayers (ML)) is systematically probed for cooperative effects and its evolution. In the thermal-induced spin transitions, the submonolayers exhibit an apparent anticooperativity, while a free-molecule-like behaviour is indicated at the monolayer; yet, the multilayers, starting from the double-layer, evidenced cooperativity in their spin-transition processes, with the interaction energy increasing to about 60% of the reported bulk value for the 10-ML sample. The light-induced spin transitions—albeit highly efficient—are free from cooperative effects. The photo-induced metastable HS state of the submonolayers at low temperatures is highly unstable, and showed a clear departure in the mode of spin relaxation from the bulk material. The SCM [Fe(H2B(pz)2)phen] is methylated with two ([Fe(H2B(pz)2)2(phen–me2)]) and four ([Fe(H2B(pz)2)2(phen–me4)]) methyl compounds at the phen ligand. The daughter molecules exhibit spin-crossover behaviour entirely different from the parent molecule upon contact with an HOPG surface; while [Fe(H2B(pz)2)phen] is found to undergo complete spin transition with light and temperature, about 50% of [Fe(H2B(pz)2)2(phen–me2)] molecules are trapped in the HS state within the accessible temperature range; [Fe(H2B(pz)2)2(phen–me4)] molecules lose their spin-crossover behaviour altogether upon contact with the HOPG surface. Similar spin-crossover behaviour is exhibited by the parent and the daughter molecule [Fe(H2B(pz)2)2(phen–me2)] on Au(111) and Bi(111) substrates: both the molecules undergo decomposition, resulting in the loss of spin-crossover on Au(111), while just about 50% of both types of molecules retain their spin-crossover on Bi(111) substrate

Spin-Crossover Molecules on Surfaces: From Isolated Molecules to Ultrathin Films

Molecular spintronics seeks to use single or few molecules as functional building blocks for spintronic applications, directly relying on molecular properties or properties of interfaces between molecules and inorganic electrodes. Spin-crossover molecules (SCMs) are one of the most promising classes of candidates for molecular spintronics due to their bistability deriving from the existence of two spin states that can be reversibly switched by temperature, light, electric fields, etc. Building devices based on single or few molecules would entail connecting the molecule(s) with solid surfaces and understanding the fundamental behavior of the resulting assemblies. Herein, the investigations of SCMs on solid surfaces, ranging from isolated single molecules (submonolayers) to ultrathin films (mainly in the sub-10 nm range) are summarized. The achievements, challenges and prospects in this field are highlighted

Effect of ligand methylation on the spin-switching properties of surface-supported spin-crossover molecules

X-ray absorption spectroscopy investigations of the spin-state switching of spin-crossover (SCO) complexes adsorbed on a highly-oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) surface have shown so far that HOPG is a promising candidate to realize applications such as spintronic devices because of the stability of SCO complexes on HOPG and the possibility of highly efficient thermal and light-induced spin-state switching. Herein, we present the spin switching of several Fe(II) SCO complexes adsorbed on an HOPG surface with particular emphasis on the thermally induced spin transition behaviour with respect to different structural modifications. The complexes of the type [Fe(bpz)2(L)] (bpz  =  dihydrobis(pyrazolyl)borate, L  =  1,10-phenanthroline, 2,2'-bipyridine) and their methylated derivatives exhibit SCO in the solid state with some differences regarding cooperative effects. However, in the vacuum-deposited thick films on quartz, complete and more gradual spin transition behavior is observable via UV/vis spectroscopy. In contrast to that, all complexes show large differences upon direct contact with HOPG. Whereas the unmodified complexes show thermal and light-induced SCO, the addition of e.g. two or four methyl groups leads to a partial or a complete loss of the SCO on the surface. The angle-dependent measurement of the N K-edge compared to calculations indicates that the complete SCO and HS-locked molecules on the surface exhibit a similar preferential orientation, whereas complexes undergoing an incomplete SCO exhibit a random orientation on the surface. These results are discussed in the light of molecule-substrate interactions

Reversible Switching of Spiropyran Molecules in Direct Contact With a Bi(111) Single Crystal Surface

Photochromic molecular switches immobilized by direct contact with surfaces typically show only weak response to optical excitation, which often is not reversible. In contrast, here, it is shown that a complete and reversible ring-opening and ring-closing reaction of submonolayers of spironaphthopyran on the Bi(111) surface is possible. The ring opening to the merocyanine isomer is initiated by ultraviolet light. Switching occurs in a two-step process, in which after optical excitation, an energy barrier needs to be overcome to convert to the merocyanine form. This leads to a strong temperature dependence of the conversion efficiency. Switching of the merocyanine isomer back to the closed form is achieved by a temperature increase. Thus, the process can be repeated in a fully reversible manner, in contrast to previously studied nitrospiropyran molecules on surfaces. This is attributed to the destabilization of the merocyanine isomer by the electron-donating nature of the naphtho group and the reduced van der Waals interaction of the Bi(111) surface. The result shows that molecules designed for switching in solutions need to be modified to function in direct contact with a surface

physicochemical properties in the crystalline bulk and in thin films deposited from the gas phase

Four analogues of the spin-crossover complex [Fe(H2Bpz2)2(phen)] (H2Bpz2 = dihydrobis(pyrazolyl)borate; 2) containing functionalized 1,10-phenanthroline (phen) ligands have been prepared; i.e., [Fe(H2Bpz2)2(L)], L = 4-methyl-1,10-phenanthroline (3), 5-chloro-1,10-phenanthroline (4), 4,7-dichloro-1,10-phenanthroline (5), and 4,7-dimethyl-1,10-phenanthroline (6). The systems are investigated by magnetic susceptibility measurements and a range of spectroscopies in the solid state and in thin films obtained by physical vapour deposition (PVD). Thermal as well as light-induced SCO behaviour is observed for 3–6 in the films. By contrast, thermal SCO in the solid state occurs only for 3 and 4 but is absent for 5 and 6. These findings are discussed in the light of cooperative and intermolecular interactions

Assessment of active tubulointerstitial nephritis in non-scarred renal cortex improves prediction of renal outcomes in patients with IgA nephropathy

Background: The addition of tubulointerstitial inflammation to the existing pathological classification of IgA nephropathy (IgAN) is appealing but was previously precluded due to reportedly wide inter-observer variability. We report a novel method to score percentage of non-atrophic renal cortex containing active tubulointerstitial inflammation (ATIN) in patients with IgAN and assess its utility to predict clinical outcomes. Methods: All adult patients with a native renal biopsy diagnosis of IgAN between 2010 and 2015 in a unit serving 1.5 million people were identified. Baseline characteristics, biopsy reports and outcome data were collected. ATIN was calculated by subtracting the percentage of atrophic cortex from the percentage of total cortex with tubulointerstitial inflammation, with ≥10% representing significant ATIN. The primary outcome was a composite of requiring renal replacement therapy or doubling of serum creatinine. Results: In total 153 new cases of IgAN were identified, of which 111 were eligible for inclusion. Of these, 76 (68%) were male and 54 (49%) had ATIN on biopsy. During a median follow-up of 2.3 years, 34 (31%) reached the primary outcome. On univariable Cox regression analysis, ATIN was associated with a five-fold increase in the primary outcome [hazard ratio (HR) (95% confidence interval) 4.9 (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.1–11.3)]. On multivariable analysis, mesangial hypercellularity, tubular atrophy and interstitial fibrosis and ATIN independently associated with renal outcome (P = 0.02 for ATIN). Inter-observer reproducibility revealed fair agreement in the diagnosis of ATIN (κ=0.43, P = 0.05). Conclusions: Within our centre, ATIN was significantly associated with renal outcome in patients with IgAN, independently of established histological features and baseline clinical characteristics

Light-induced photoisomerization of a diarylethene molecular switch on solidsurfaces

Diarylethenes are molecular switches, the state of which can efficiently be controlled by illumination with ultraviolet or visible light. To use the change in the molecular properties when switching between the two states for a specific function, direct contact with solid surfaces is advantageous as it provides immobilization. Here we present a study of a diarylethene derivate (T-DAE, 1,2-bis(5-methyl-2-phenylthiazol-4-yl)cyclopent-1-ene) in direct contact with highly ordered graphite as well as with semimetallic Bi(1 1 1) surfaces by x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, x-ray absorption spectroscopy and simulated spectra based on density functional theory. On both surfaces, the molecule can be switched from its open to its closed form by 325–475 nm broadband or ultraviolet illumination. On the other hand, back isomerization to the ring-open T-DAE was not possible

Thermal- and Light-Induced Spin-Crossover Characteristics of a Functional Iron(II) Complex at Submonolayer Coverage on HOPG

Studies on the spin-state switching characteristics of surface-bound thin films of spin-crossover (SCO) complexes are of interest to harness the device utility of the SCO complexes. Molecule–substrate interactions govern the SCO of surface-bound films in direct contact with the underlying substrates. In this study, we elucidate the role of molecule–substrate interactions on the thermal- and light-induced spin-state switching characteristics of a functional SCO-complex—[Fe(H2B(pz)2)2COOC12H25-bipy] (pz = pyrazole, C12-bpy = dodecyl[2,2′-bipyridine]-5-carboxylate) deposited at a submonolayer coverage on a highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) substrate. A spin-state coexistence of 42% low-spin (LS) and 58% high-spin (HS) is observed for the 0.4 ML deposit of the complex at 40 K, in contrast to the complete spin-state switching observed in the bulk and in SiOx-bound 10 nm thick films. Cooling the sample to 10 K results in a decrease of the LS fraction to 36%, attributed to soft-X-ray-induced excited spin-state trapping (SOXIESST). Illumination of the sample with a green light (λ = 520 nm) at 10 K caused the LS-to-HS switching of the remaining (36%) LS complexes, by a process termed light-induced excited spin-state trapping (LIESST). The mixed spin-state in the submonolayer coverage of [Fe(H2B(pz)2)2COOC12H25-bipy] highlights the role of molecule–HOPG substrate interactions in tuning the thermal SCO characteristics of the complex. The 100% HS state obtained after light irradiation indicates the occurrence of efficient on-surface light-induced spin switching, encouraging the development of light-addressable molecular devices based on SCO complexes