Novel polyoxometalates: Is antimony the new molybdenum?

Polyoxometalates based on Mo, W or V have been known for a long time and present a diverse range of structures, with the [XMo₁₂O₄₀]ⁿ⁻ Keggin ions (X = P, Si ,…) perhaps the best known.¹ They are still subject to intense research with >4000 papers published in the past five years. Following on from our study² of aryl arsonic acids RAsO₃H₂, which are straightforward molecular species based on four-coordinate As(V), we became interested in the corresponding antimony compounds. Although aryl stibonic acids of nominal formula RSbO₃H₂ have been known for over 100 years,³ their composition has remained uncertain, as they form only amorphous solids, have complicated titration behaviour and only limited solubility. The presumption has been that they are polymeric, based on 5- or 6-coordinate Sb with Sb-O-Sb linkages, though direct evidence is sparse.⁴ Recently, it has been shown by Beckman that if very bulky R groups are used, then relatively simple dimers such as (2,6-Mes₂C₆H₃Sb₂O₂(OH)₄(Mes=mesityl) can be isolated, but these represent a special case.

The Underappreciated Intersection of Science Fiction and Satire

This thesis considers, from a creative writer’s perspective, the largely untapped potential for combining the strengths of satire and science fiction to create stories that provide both escapism and real-world commentary without sacrificing one for the other. It discusses background information and examples of both genres, and then illustrates the principles discussed with three original short stories

Arylstibonic acids [H₈(RSb)₁₂O₂₈]; precursors to organometallic isopolyoxostibonates [Na₂H₉(RSb)₁₂O₃₀]-, (R = aryl).

Electrospray ionisation mass spectrometry shows that arylstibonic acids, RSbO₃H₂, give rise to oxo-bridged clusters derived from [H₈(RSb)₁₂O₂₈] which act as inorganic crown ligands towards Na+ cations; structure determination of one derivative revealed a cage-like anion [Na₂H₉(p-O₂NC₆H₄Sb)₁₂O₃₀.4H₂O]-

A survey study comparing adult orthodontic patient quality of life between Invisalign and fixed appliances.

We aimed to examine differences in treatment impacts and quality of life between adult orthodontic patients with Invisalign and fixed appliances. Adults represent a burgeoning branch of orthodontics yet many prospective patients have been reluctant to pursue orthodontics due to concerns with treatment. It was hypothesized that removable aligners would be better tolerated by adult patients. Sixty-three adult patients (forty Invisalign, twenty-three fixed appliances) were recruited from private practice. The treatment groups were largely comparable although the braces group reported more frequent unplanned appointments and use of auxiliaries. The Invisalign group experienced less negative impacts and these differences were generally preserved after adjustment for confounding influences with the exception of pain-related impacts. The Invisalign group had a higher propensity to choose same modality again while a subjective evaluation on quality of life yielded no difference between the groups. The results may guide patient education and selection of the appropriate modality

Legislation: Maryland\u27s Drunk Driving Laws: An Overview

AII the king\u27s horses and all the king\u27s men cannot change the position of road curves, telephone poles, fences and railway crossings often or quickly enough to meet the changing intentions of the driver who is under the influence of alcoho

Habitat selection by mule deer: Effects of migration and population density

Thesis (Ph.D.) University of Alaska Fairbanks, 1995I investigated effects of migration and population density on habitat and diet selection in a population of mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus) in southern California from 1989 to 1991. All male deer were migratory, whereas females exhibited a mixed strategy with both migrant and resident individuals. No difference occurred in sizes of home ranges for migratory or resident deer. Home-range size of deer was smaller in summer than in winter, however. Size of home range was positively associated with proximity to human disturbance and the amount of avoided habitat (use $<$ available) in the home range. Deer avoided human disturbance in all seasons. Clear tradeoffs existed for deer in montane southern California with respect to whether they migrated. Migratory females were farther from human disturbance and used high-quality habitats more often than did their nonmigratory conspecifics. Nonetheless, during migration deer were at increased risk of predation, and in years of low precipitation (low snow) had higher rates of mortality than did resident deer. Thus, in areas with extremely variable precipitation and snow cover, a mixed strategy for migration can be maintained. Migration patterns of deer resulted in drastic shifts of population density between seasons as deer migrated into and out of ranges. Quality of diet (as indexed by fecal crude protein) for deer in a low-density area was higher than that of a high-density area in winter, when deer densities were most different. Diet quality was similar in summer when both areas had similar densities of deer. Contrary to predictions of the ideal-free distribution, diet quality was different between the two areas in autumn when population densities were similar; this may have been due to an elevated availability of graminoids on the high-density area. Niche breadth, as measured by diet diversity, differed in a manner opposite to the predictions of the ideal-free distribution. During winter, when differences in density between the two study areas were most evident, niche breadth along the dietary axis in the low-density group was twice the size of this measure for the high-density area. Theoretical models for changes in niche dimension need to consider such empirical outcomes

Ghosts, Hauntings, Kinship, and Contamination: Key Tropes for Narrating Extinction in Jeff VanderMeer\u27s Hummingbird Salamander and James Bradley\u27s Ghost Species

This thesis examines the narrative portrayals of issues pertaining to anthropogenic extinction in two contemporary speculative fiction novels: Jeff VanderMeer’s Hummingbird Salamander (2021) and James Bradley’s Ghost Species (2020). This focus leads to consideration of narrative genre, tropes, and affective resonance. The first half of this thesis centers the genres of tragedy and elegy, their tropes of ghosts and hauntings, and the affective processes of grief and horror. Within these narrative frameworks extinction is experienced as a claustrophobic site of horror in Hummingbird Salamander, and as a time-warping inspiration of grief in Ghost Species. However, in each novel these genres of experience permeate one another, suggesting that grief and horror, tragedy and elegy are intertwined. The latter half of this thesis builds on this permeability to trace how tragedy and elegy can bleed into comedy, grief and horror can morph into hope, and ghosts and hauntings – reminders of loss – can be reconceived as kin and contaminants which affirm presence and connection. Ultimately, I suggest that VanderMeer and Bradley each accomplish the novel usage of kinship and contamination as comedic tropes through which to narrate localized, embodied experiences of the sixth extinction that trigger hope, in juxtaposition with the relatively well-worn usage of elegiac and tragic tropes of ghosts and hauntings to narrate the grief and horror with which anthropogenic extinction is generally met

The reactivity of [Pt₂(μ-S)₂(PPh₃)₄] towards difunctional chloroacetamide alkylating agents: Formation of cyclized or bridged products

The reactions of [Pt₂(μ-S)₂(PPh₃)₄] towards some bis(chloroacetamide) alkylating agents have been investigated. Reaction with one mole equivalent of the hydrazine-derived compound ClCH₂C(O)NHNHC(O)CH₂Cl led to the cyclized product [Pt₂{SCH₂C(O)NHNHC(O)CH₂S}(PPh₃)₄]²⁺ which showed two different PPh₃ environments in the ³¹P{1H} NMR spectrum, as a result of non-fluxional behavior of the dithiolate ligand in solution. Reactions of [Pt₂(μ-S)₂(PPh₃)₄] with the ortho and para isomers of the phenylenediamine-derived bis(chloroacetamides) ClCH2C(O)NHC6H4NHC(O)CH2Cl gave tetrametallic complexes containing two {Pt₂S₂} moieties spanned by the CH₂C(O)NHC₆H₄NHC(O)CH₂ group. Both the ortho and para isomers were crystallographically characterized; in the ortho isomer there is intramolecular CO=H–N and S•••H–N hydrogen bonding involving the two amide groups