Ultrafast dynamics of neutral superexcited Oxygen: A direct measurement of the competition between autoionization and predissociation

Using ultrafast extreme ultraviolet pulses, we performed a direct measurement of the relaxation dynamics of neutral superexcited states corresponding to the nl\sigma_g(c^4\Sigma_u^-) Rydberg series of O_2. An XUV attosecond pulse train was used to create a temporally localized Rydberg wavepacket and the ensuing electronic and nuclear dynamics were probed using a time-delayed femtosecond near-infrared pulse. We investigated the competing predissociation and autoionization mechanisms for superexcited molecules and found that autoionization is dominant for the low n Rydberg states. We measured an autoionization lifetime of 92+/-6 fs and 180+/-10 fs for (5s,4d)\sigma_g and (6s,5d)\sigma_g Rydberg state groups respectively. We determine that the disputed neutral dissociation lifetime for the \nu=0 vibrational level of the Rydberg series is 1100+/-100fs.Comment: 5 pages, 4 figure

Experiences of people taking opioid medication for chronic non-malignant pain : a qualitative evidence synthesis using meta-ethnography

Objective To review qualitative studies on the experience of taking opioid medication for chronic non-malignant pain (CNMP) or coming off them. Design This is a qualitative evidence synthesis using a seven-step approach from the methods of meta-ethnography. Data sources and eligibility criteria We searched selected databases—Medline, Embase, AMED, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Web of Science and Scopus (Science Citation Index and Social Science Citation Index)—for qualitative studies which provide patients’ views of taking opioid medication for CNMP or of coming off them (June 2017, updated September 2018). Data extraction and synthesis Papers were quality appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool, and the GRADE-CERQual (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation working group - Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) guidelines were applied. We identified concepts and iteratively abstracted these concepts into a line of argument. Results We screened 2994 unique citations and checked 153 full texts, and 31 met our review criteria. We identified five themes: (1) reluctant users with little choice; (2) understanding opioids: the good and the bad; (3) a therapeutic alliance: not always on the same page; (4) stigma: feeling scared and secretive but needing support; and (5) the challenge of tapering or withdrawal. A new overarching theme of ‘constantly balancing’ emerged from the data. Conclusions People taking opioids were constantly balancing tensions, not always wanting to take opioids, and weighing the pros and cons of opioids but feeling they had no choice because of the pain. They frequently felt stigmatised, were not always ‘on the same page’ as their healthcare professional and felt changes in opioid use were often challenging

More security or less insecurity

We depart from the conventional quest for ‘Completely Secure Systems’ and ask ‘How can we be more Secure’. We draw heavily from the evolution of the Theory of Justice and the arguments against the institutional approach to Justice. Central to our argument is the identification of redressable insecurity, or weak links. Our contention is that secure systems engineering is not really about building perfectly secure systems but about redressing manifest insecurities.Final Accepted Versio

Altered expression of the voltage-gated calcium channel subunit α2δ-1: a comparison between two experimental models of epilepsy and a sensory nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain.

The auxiliary α2δ-1 subunit of voltage-gated calcium channels is up-regulated in dorsal root ganglion neurons following peripheral somatosensory nerve damage, in several animal models of neuropathic pain. The α2δ-1 protein has a mainly presynaptic localization, where it is associated with the calcium channels involved in neurotransmitter release. Relevant to the present study, α2δ-1 has been shown to be the therapeutic target of the gabapentinoid drugs in their alleviation of neuropathic pain. These drugs are also used in the treatment of certain epilepsies. In this study we therefore examined whether the level or distribution of α2δ-1 was altered in the hippocampus following experimental induction of epileptic seizures in rats, using both the kainic acid model of human temporal lobe epilepsy, in which status epilepticus is induced, and the tetanus toxin model in which status epilepticus is not involved. The main finding of this study is that we did not identify somatic overexpression of α2δ-1 in hippocampal neurons in either of the epilepsy models, unlike the upregulation of α2δ-1 that occurs following peripheral nerve damage to both somatosensory and motor neurons. However, we did observe local reorganisation of α2δ-1 immunostaining in the hippocampus only in the kainic acid model, where it was associated with areas of neuronal cell loss, as indicated by absence of NeuN immunostaining, dendritic loss, as identified by areas where microtubule-associated protein-2 immunostaining was missing, and reactive gliosis, determined by regions of strong OX42 staining

Characterization of Iron Phthalocyanine as the Cathode Active Material for Lithium-Ion Batteries

The developed thermodynamic functions for the determination of Gibbs free energy, enthalpy, and entropy of formation of solid lithium-iron phthalocyanine (LixFePc) from solid lithium and iron phthalocyanine as a function of x, defined as g-moles of the intercalated lithium per g-mole of iron phthalocyanine, at a fixed set of temperature and pressure conditions are presented. In addition, a proposed expression for the evaluation of lithium diffusion coefficient in solid iron phthalocyanine as a function of both x and temperature, and the experimental results from the ongoing research/development work on the lithium/iron phthalocyanine cells are included