Bistable molecular conductors with a field-switchable dipole group

A class of bistable "stator-rotor" molecules is proposed, where a stationary bridge (stator) connects the two electrodes and facilitates electron transport between them. The rotor part, which has a large dipole moment, is attached to an atom of the stator via a single sigma bond. Hydrogen bonds formed between the rotor and stator make the symmetric orientation of the dipole unstable. The rotor has two potential minima with equal energy for rotation about the sigma bond. The dipole orientation, which determines the conduction state of the molecule, can be switched by an external electric field that changes the relative energy of the two potential minima. Both orientation of the rotor correspond to asymmetric current-voltage characteristics that are the reverse of each other, so they are distinguishable electrically. Such bistable stator-rotor molecules could potentially be used as parts of molecular electronic devices.Comment: 8 pages, 7 figure

Operando XAFS investigation on the effect of ash deposition on three-way catalyst used in Gasoline Particulate Filters and the effect of the manufacturing process on the catalytic activity

Platinum group metals (PGM) such as palladium and rhodium based catalysts are currently being implemented in Gasoline Particulate Filter (GPF) autoexhaust aftertreatment systems. However, little is known about how the trapped particulate matter, such as the incombustible ash, interacts with the catalyst and so may affect its performance. This operando study follows the evolution of the Pd found in two different model GPF systems: one containing ash components extracted from a GPF and another from a catalyst washcoat prior to adhesion onto the GPF. We show that the catalytic activity of the two systems vary when compared with a 0 g ash containing GPF. Compared to the 0 g ash sample the 20 g ash containing sample had a higher CO light off temperature, in addition, an oscillation profile for CO, CO2 and O2 was observed, which is speculated to be a combination of CO oxidation, C deposition via a Boudouard Reaction and further partial oxidation of the deposited species to CO. During the ageing procedure the washcoat sample reduces NO at a lower temperature than the 0 g ash sample. However, post ageing the 0 g ash sample recovers and both samples reduce NO at 310 circleC. In comparison, the 20 g ash GPF sample maintains a higher NO reduction temperature of 410 circleC post ageing, implying that the combination of high temperature ageing and presence of ash has an irreversible negative effect on catalyst performance

E-retailing ethics in Egypt and its effect on customer repurchase intention

The theoretical understanding of online shopping behaviour has received much attention. Less focus has been given to the formation of the ethical issues that result from online shopper interactions with e-retailers. The vast majority of earlier research on this area is conceptual in nature and limited in scope by focusing on consumers’ privacy issues. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to propose a theoretical model explaining what factors contribute to online retailing ethics and its effect on customer repurchase intention. The data were analysed using variance-based structural equation modelling, employing partial least squares regression. Findings indicate that the five factors of the online retailing ethics (security, privacy, non- deception, fulfilment/reliability, and corporate social responsibility) are strongly predictive of online consumers’ repurchase intention. The results offer important implications for e-retailers and are likely to stimulate further research in the area of e-ethics from the consumers’ perspective

Two-electron elastic tunneling in low-dimensional conductors

This article was published in the journal, Physical Review B [© American Physical Society]. It is also available at: http://link.aps.org/abstract/PRB/v65/e155209.We solve the Lippmann-Schwinger equation describing one-dimensional elastic scattering of preformed pairs (e.g., bipolarons) off a short-range scattering center, and find the two-particle transmission through a thin potential barrier. While the pair transmission is smaller than the single-electron transmission in the strong-coupling limit, it is remarkably larger in the weak-coupling limit. We also calculate current-voltage characteristics of a molecule-barrier-molecule junction. They show unusual temperature and voltage behaviors which are experimentally verifiable at low temperatures in bulk and nanoscale molecular conductors

The Marine Microbial Eukaryote Transcriptome Sequencing Project (MMETSP): Illuminating the Functional Diversity of Eukaryotic Life in the Oceans through Transcriptome Sequencing

Microbial ecology is plagued by problems of an abstract nature. Cell sizes are so small and population sizes so large that both are virtually incomprehensible. Niches are so far from our everyday experience as to make their very definition elusive. Organisms that may be abundant and critical to our survival are little understood, seldom described and/or cultured, and sometimes yet to be even seen. One way to confront these problems is to use data of an even more abstract nature: molecular sequence data. Massive environmental nucleic acid sequencing, such as metagenomics or metatranscriptomics, promises functional analysis of microbial communities as a whole, without prior knowledge of which organisms are in the environment or exactly how they are interacting. But sequence-based ecological studies nearly always use a comparative approach, and that requires relevant reference sequences, which are an extremely limited resource when it comes to microbial eukaryotes

Randomized phase II study of sunitinib versus standard of care forpatients with previously treated advanced triple-negative breast cancer

Purpose: This randomized, open-label phase II study compared the efficacy of sunitinib monotherapy with that of single-agent standard-of-care (SOC) chemotherapy in patients with previously treated advanced triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Methods: Patients with advanced TNBC, relapsed after anthracycline- and taxane-based chemotherapy, were randomized to receive either sunitinib (37.5mg/day) or the investigator's choice of SOC therapy. Progression-free survival was the primary endpoint. Results: Median progression-free survival was 2.0 months with sunitinib and 2.7 months with SOC chemotherapy (one-sided P=0.888). Median overall survival was not prolonged with sunitinib (9.4 months) compared with SOC chemotherapy (10.5 months; one-sided P=0.839). The objective response rate was 3% with sunitinib and 7% with SOC chemotherapy (one-sided P=0.962). Conclusions: Sunitinib monotherapy did not improve efficacy compared with SOC chemotherapy in patients with previously treated advanced TNBC, for which identification of effective treatments and therapeutic targets remains an urgent need. Trial registration: NCT00246571