Oxygen Adsorption on Au–Ni(111) Surface Alloys

Molecular O[subscript 2] dissociates upon interaction with a Ni(111) surface, as the spatial and energetic overlap between the Ni 3d electrons and the O[subscript 2] antibonding orbitals is quite favorable. On a Au–Ni(111) surface alloy where the extent of this overlap is greatly reduced, exposure to O[subscript 2] results in adsorption of molecular O[subscript 2] characterized by three peroxo- or superoxo-like vibrational bands centered at 743, 856, and 957 cm[superscript –1] as observed by high resolution electron energy loss spectroscopy. These bands correspond to the stretch vibrational mode of O[subscript 2] at respective adsorption sites of type pseudo-3-fold fcc/hcp, degenerate-pseudo-2-fold fcc/hcp and bridge, and pseudo-3-fold bridge. These unusual chemical environments are brought about by surface alloying, rather than the presence of Au clusters on Ni, and are further stabilized by a dramatic reconstruction of the top two surface layers, as explained with an idealized surface alloy model in conjunction with electronic structure considerations. The ability to adjust the relative populations of the different oxygen cohorts by varying the Au content suggests the utility of surface alloy motifs for engineering applications.United States. Dept. of Energy (DE-FG02-05ER15665)Shell-MITEI Seed Fund Progra

Lucerne guidelines for Western Australia principles for integrating a perennial pasture into broadacre dryland farming systems

Lucerne, often regarded as the queen of forages, has been used in agriculture for centuries. In Western Australia, however, its potential has never been fully realised despite its well-documented ability to dewater soils and reduce groundwater recharge. Over the years adoption has been limited by a range of factors including pests and diseases, soil acidity, grazing management and economics. During the last decade research has addressed these issues, paving the way for much greater impact at the farm and catchment level.https://researchlibrary.agric.wa.gov.au/bulletins/1204/thumbnail.jp

Alternative-substitute business models and the provision of local infrastructure: Alterity as a solution to financialization and public-sector failure

Everyday living is supported by an array of services provided by a complex local infrastructure nexus that is financed and funded by the public, private and third sectors. The on-going debate on the financialization of infrastructure has neglected to explore the provision of local infrastructure in places experiencing infrastructural exclusion. This paper seeks to contribute toward filling this gap by exploring local infrastructure in the UK that has been provided by blending non-capitalist with capitalist activities. In other words, the provision of local infrastructure using an ‘alternative’ approach that attempts to address infrastructure exclusion by filling gaps in the provision of local infrastructure. The question is: how is infrastructure provided when it does not meet either a value for money calculation undertaken by the state or does not meet the investment criteria required by capital markets? This paper is the first to develop a dialogue between three unrelated literatures - financialization, business models and alterity – by developing a conceptual framework for exploring local infrastructure that is provided by alternative-substitute business models. The paper explores this approach through the analysis of two alternative infrastructure projects – Broadband 4 the Rural North and Malvern’s heritage gas lamps

Art students who cannot draw: exploring the relations between drawing ability, visual memory, accuracy of copying and dyslexia

This article in the journal of the American Psychology Association is the culmination of research resulting from collaborative inquiry into the question: is there a relationship between art students’ drawing ability and factors such as dyslexia, mathematical ability or personality traits, and could these relationships inform strategies for the teaching of drawing to art students of mixed abilities? A cross-disciplinary team was formed, including two psychologists (McManus, UCL and Brunswick, Middlesex Univ.), two PhD students (Chamberlain and Loo, UCL), Rankin, coordinator for dyslexic students at the RCA , and Riley. The objective is to design pedagogical strategies for the teaching of drawing to art students who would otherwise be excluded from developing best practice through traditional teaching techniques which do not take into consideration the wide range of psychological and cognitive conditions exhibited by art school student cohorts. An early research output explored the relationship between drawing ability and dyslexia: Riley and Rankin, ‘Exploring the Link between Drawing and Dyslexia’ in BODDINGTON, A. and CLEWS, D. (eds.) 2007 Teachers’ Academy Papers: European League of Institutes of Art. Brighton: University of Brighton. pp100-104. ISBN 978-1-905593-07-1. A presentation ‘Widening Participation in the Practice of Drawing’ at the 2nd Annual Conference of the National Arts Learning Network, London, February 2008 proposed an eight-step teaching strategy based upon research addressing problems faced by dyslexics in the structuring of visual information, and this was developed in ‘Inclusive Practice: Researching the Relationships between Dyslexia, Personality and Art Students’ Drawing Ability’. Proceedings of the Include 2009 Conference. London: RCA. ISBN 978-1-905000-80-7 Available at: http://include09.kinetixevents.co.uk/4dcgi/prog. More recent research has identified a correlation between drawing ability and mathematical ability: ‘Inclusive Practice: Researching the Relationship between Maths Ability and Drawing Ability in Art Students’. In Proceedings of the Include 2011 Conference. London:RCA. ISBN 978-1-907342-29-5. Available at: http://include11.kinetixevents.co.uk/4dcgi/prog

Ultra-fast Au(III)-mediated Arylation of Cysteine

Through mechanistic work and rational design, we have developed the fastest organometallic abiotic Cys bioconjugation. As a result, the developed organometallic Au(III) bioconjugation reagents enable selective labeling of Cys moieties down to pM concentrations and allow for the rapid construction of complex heterostructures from peptides, proteins, and oligonucleo-tides. This work showcases how organometallic chemistry can be interfaced with biomolecules and lead to the range of reac-tivities that are largely unmatched by classical organic chemistry tools

A genetic model for central chondrosarcoma evolution correlates with patient outcome

Background Central conventional chondrosarcoma (CS) is the most common subtype of primary malignant bone tumour in adults. Treatment options are usually limited to surgery, and prognosis is challenging. These tumours are characterised by the presence and absence of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations, and recently, TERT promoter alterations have been reported in around 20% of cases. The effect of these mutations on clinical outcome remains unclear. The purpose of this study was to determine if prognostic accuracy can be improved by the addition of genomic data, and specifically by examination of IDH1, IDH2, and TERT mutations. Methods In this study, we combined both archival samples and data sourced from the Genomics England 100,000 Genomes Project (n = 356). Mutations in IDH1, IDH2, and TERT were profiled using digital droplet PCR (n = 346), whole genome sequencing (n=68), or both (n = 64). Complex events and other genetic features were also examined, along with methylation array data (n = 84). We correlated clinical features and patient outcomes with our genetic findings. Results IDH2-mutant tumours occur in older patients and commonly present with high-grade or dedifferentiated disease. Notably, TERT mutations occur most frequently in IDH2-mutant tumours, although have no effect on survival in this group. In contrast, TERT mutations are rarer in IDH1-mutant tumours, yet they are associated with a less favourable outcome in this group. We also found that methylation profiles distinguish IDH1- from IDH2-mutant tumours. IDH wild-type tumours rarely exhibit TERT mutations and tend to be diagnosed in a younger population than those with tumours harbouring IDH1 and IDH2 mutations. A major genetic feature of this group is haploidisation and subsequent genome doubling. These tumours evolve less frequently to dedifferentiated disease and therefore constitute a lower risk group. Conclusions Tumours with IDH1 or IDH2 mutations or those that are IDHwt have significantly different genetic pathways and outcomes in relation to TERT mutation. Diagnostic testing for IDH1, IDH2, and TERT mutations could therefore help to guide clinical monitoring and prognostication

Patient-ventilator interaction using autoencoder derived magnitude of asynchrony breathing

The occurrence of asynchronous breathing (AB) is prevalent during mechanical ventilation (MV) treatment. Despite studies being carried out to elucidate the impact of AB on MV patients, the asynchrony index, a metric to describe the patient-ventilator interaction, may not be sufficient to quantify the severity of each AB fully in MV patients. This research investigates the feasibility of using a machine learning-derived metric, the ventilator interaction index, to describe a patient’s interaction with a mechanical ventilator. VI is derived using the magnitude of a breath’s asynchrony to measure how well patient is interacting with the ventilator. 1,188 hours of hourly and for 13 MV patients were computed using a convolution neural network and an autoencoder. Pearson’s correlation analysis between patients’ and versus their levels of partial pressure oxygen (PaO2) and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) was carried out. In this patient cohort, the patients’ median is 38.4% [Interquartile range (IQR): 25.9-48.8], and the median is 86.0% [IQR: 76.5-91.7]. Results show that high AI does not necessarily predispose to low. This difference suggests that every AB poses a different magnitude of asynchrony that may affect patient’s PaO2 and PaCO2. Quantifying hourly along with during MV could be beneficial in explicating the aetiology of AB

The multi-facets of sustainable nanotechnology : lessons from a nanosafety symposium

An international symposium for nanosafety was held recently at the Nanyang Technological University in Singapore. Topics relating to understanding nanomaterial properties, tools, and infrastructure required for predicting hazardous outcomes, measuring nanomaterial exposure levels, systems approach for risk assessment and public's perception of nanotechnology were covered. The need for a multidisciplinary approach, across both natural and social sciences, for developing sustainable nanotechnology solutions was heavily emphasized. This commentary highlights the major issues discussed and the commitment of the nanosafety research community in Singapore to contribute collectively to realise the vision of sustainable nanotechnology

Striking the Right Balance of Intermolecular Coupling for High-Efficiency Singlet Fission

Singlet fission is a process that splits collective excitations, or excitons, into two with unity efficiency. This exciton splitting process, unique to molecular photophysics, has the potential to considerably improve the efficiency of optoelectronic devices through more efficient light harvesting. While the first step of singlet fission has been characterized in great detail, subsequent steps critical to achieving overall highly-efficient singlet-to-triplet conversion are only just beginning to become well understood. One of the most elementary suggestions, which has yet to be tested, is that an appropriately balanced coupling is necessary to ensure overall highly efficient singlet fission; that is, the coupling needs to be strong enough so that the first step is fast and efficient, yet weak enough to ensure the independent behavior of the resultant triplets. In this work, we show how high overall singlet-to-triplet conversion efficiencies can be achieved in singlet fission by ensuring that the triplets comprising the triplet pair behave as independently as possible. We show that side chain sterics govern local packing in amorphous pentacene derivative nanoparticles, and that this in turn controls both the rate at which triplet pairs form and the rate at which they decay. We show how compact side chains and stronger couplings promote a triplet pair that effectively couples to the ground state, whereas bulkier side chains promote a triplet pair that appears more like two independent and long-lived triplet excitations. Our results show that the triplet pair is not emissive, that its decay is best viewed as internal conversion rather than triplet–triplet annihilation, and perhaps most critically that, in contrast to a number of recent suggestions, the triplets comprising the initially formed triplet pair cannot be considered independently. This work represents a significant step toward better understanding intermediates in singlet fission, and how molecular packing and couplings govern overall triplet yields