Supporting Universities and Employers to Measure the Value of Postgraduate Placements

A 'Return on Investment' toolkit for HEI's to identify and quantify the benefits to employers of investing in postgraduate education. This was one of two toolkits funded by HEFCE under the Postgraduate Support Scheme.HEFC

Ligand Effect on Gold Nanomolecules Demonstrated Using Aliphatic, Aromatic and Bulky Thiolate Ligands

Atomically precise thiolate protected gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) known as gold nanomolecules (AuNMs) are intensely pursued owing to their feasibility to elucidate their structure by single crystal X-ray crystallography. They have distinct number of Au atoms (n) and thiolate (-SR, R-hydrocarbon chain) ligands (m) with molecular formula of the form [Aun(SR)m]. AuNMs are made of a gold core protected by a thiolate-monolayer and possess size-dependent properties conferred by quantum confinement. Atomic precision has been achieved in the 1-3 nm range and crystal structures of several AuNMs ranging from 18 to 279gold atoms have been studied. They provide significant insights into the structural assembly of AuNMs and surface protection motifs. Also, AuNMs in the range of 1-3 nm are the most ideal form of AuNPs and they can be predictably manipulated at the atomic level. Therefore, this dissertation will focus on addressing the factors governing the formation of unique atomic structure, composition, metal-ligand interface and their properties have been addressed in detail. In this dissertation, the thiolate ligands are categorized into three main classes, namely; aliphatic, aromatic and bulky thiolate ligands. These distinct classes of thiolate ligands exclusively form a unique series of AuNMs and unique size-dependent properties. Thiolate monolayer protecting the gold core of AuNMs have been shown to greatly influence the atomic structure, surface chemistry, composition and physicochemical properties of AuNMs. Therefore, investigation of ligand effect on atomic structure of AuNMs would provide insights into designing the atomic structure and surface assembly architecture of AuNMs and atomically precise nanomaterials beyond 3 nm as well. Numerous synthesis, molecular conversions and interconversions, crystal structures and various applications of AuNMs have been reported over the past 5-10 years. The idea of ligand effect to tune the atomic structure and properties of materials which has not been reviecomprehensively and critically to date, would be highly beneficial and relevant to this field as well as other fields of metal cluster research. Tailoring chemical structure of metal nanoparticles is of paramount importance to utilize them effectively in related applications. This dissertation comprehensively and critically describes, a fundamental criterion, namely, the ligand effect on nanoparticles’ atomic structure, metal-ligand interface and properties of thiolate-protected AuNPs, which must be focused to enable nanoengineering at atomic level. Overall, the work presented in this dissertation discuss; 1. The influence of thiolate-ligands on atomic structure and formation of AuNMs, and their physicochemical properties will be established based on experimental and computational studies. 2. The ligand effect on atomic structure of AuNMs to reveal that ligand engineering is a promising means to enable us to achieve atomically precise next generation nanomaterials and impart novel properties. 3. The influence of ligand-ligand interactions of the three classes of thiolate ligands on thermodynamic stability of AuNMs. 4. Understandings of ligand effect on atomic structure and properties of AuNMs will improve the predictability of the designed synthetic protocols and can be extended to metal nanoparticles, quantum dots, magnetic nanoparticles and self-assembled monolayers

A question of belonging: Reading Jean Arasanayagam through nationalist discourse

Jean Arasanayagam's writing, arising from a unique confluence of what can be considered minoritized identities in Sri Lanka (Burgher and Tamil), provides critical insights into the ways in which a marginalized consciousness seeks to carve a niche for itself within an exclusive, majoritarian nationalist discourse. Such minority self-fashioning is often seen in terms of a paradigm of resistance that deconstructs the dominant or hegemonic national discourse and renders identity mobile and fluid. However, we argue that Arasanayagam's writing, rather than being "post-national", is heavily invested in the idea of national belonging. Through close readings of a selection of poems, drawn from her earliest published work to recent writing, we explore the ambiguities and contradictions arising out of Arasanayagam's desire for a self-identity in what can be loosely termed a Sri Lankan national imaginary. Copyright © 2006 SAGE Publications.postprin

MOSES: MHT Optical Star and Exoplanet Survey

This thesis presents the design and instigation of a new optical imaging survey to search for stellar variability, exoplanets and solar system bodies. The data collection was carried out using the Moses Holden Telescope based at Alston Observatory, Preston UK. Over the course of 183 nights from our first observing season and 3 nights from our second season (with actual observing achieved on 25 nights from season 1) the survey obtained 3728 images, and obtained at least 200 repeat observations for 29,399 objects. Preliminary analysis indicates a total of 430 stars display variability above 3σ, thereby increasing the number of known variables in the survey region by a factor of at least 200. Ongoing observations and analysis will classify the various forms of variability, and further push down the thresholds for detection of variability to allow the detection of transiting exoplanets

The Politics and Poetics of Authenticity

What is the role of cultural authenticity in the making of nations? Much scholarly and popular commentary on nationalism dismisses authenticity as a romantic fantasy or, worse, a deliberately constructed mythology used for political manipulation. The Politics and Poetics of Authenticity places authenticity at the heart of Sinhala nationalism in late nineteenth and twentieth-century Sri Lanka. It argues that the passion for the ‘real’ or the ‘authentic’ has played a significant role in shaping nationalist thinking and argues for an empathetic yet critical engagement with the idea of authenticity. Through a series of fine-grained and historically grounded analyses of the writings of individual figures central to the making of Sinhala nationalist ideology the book demonstrates authenticity’s rich and varied presence in Sri Lankan public life and its key role in understanding postcolonial nationalism in Sri Lanka and elsewhere in South Asia and the world. It also explores how notions of authenticity shape certain strands of postcolonial criticism and offers a way of questioning the taken-for-granted nature of the nation as a unit of analysis but at the same time critically explore the deep imprint of nations and nationalisms on people's lives

Reconciling what? History, realism and the problem of an inclusive Sri Lankan identity

"This paper examines the lack of an inclusive pan-Sri Lankan identity in relation to literary representations and understandings of nation, looking specifically at the work of the English language writing of Yasmine Gooneratne and Ambalavaner Sivanandan and the Sinhala writing of Gunadasa Amarasekara. While Sri Lankan history may not yield much evidence of an inclusive national identity one needs to raise the question as to why literature, which might be seen as a discourse where the improbable and idealistic is often explored, has failed to yield such a conception of idealistic nationhood. The tentative answer to this complex and multifaceted question proposed here is that it is related to the dominance of historical consciousness within the Sri Lankan cultural imagination and the choice of realism as a mode of representation." [OCLC Accession No.: 871323398

Postgraduate Programmes as a Development Option for Organisations

The ‘Employee as Student’ Toolkit supports higher education institutions (HEIs) to measure and demonstrate the value of postgraduate programmes when used as a development option by organisations. One of two evaluation toolkits funded by the HEFCE Postgraduate Support SchemeHEFC

Reconciling what? History, realism and the problem of an inclusive Sri Lankan identity

"This paper examines the lack of an inclusive pan-Sri Lankan identity in relation to literary representations and understandings of nation, looking specifically at the work of the English language writing of Yasmine Gooneratne and Ambalavaner Sivanandan and the Sinhala writing of Gunadasa Amarasekara. While Sri Lankan history may not yield much evidence of an inclusive national identity one needs to raise the question as to why literature, which might be seen as a discourse where the improbable and idealistic is often explored, has failed to yield such a conception of idealistic nationhood. The tentative answer to this complex and multifaceted question proposed here is that it is related to the dominance of historical consciousness within the Sri Lankan cultural imagination and the choice of realism as a mode of representation." [OCLC Accession No.: 871323398

Au38(SPh)24: Au38 Protected with Aromatic Thiolate Ligands

Au38(SR)24 is one of the most extensively investigated gold nanomolecules along with Au25(SR)18 and Au144(SR)60. However, so far it has only been prepared using aliphatic-like ligands, where R = 12SC6H13, 12SC12H25 and 12SCH2CH2Ph. Au38(SCH2CH2Ph)24 when reacted with HSPh undergoes core-size conversion to Au36(SPh)24, and existing literature suggests that Au38(SPh)24 cannot be synthesized. Here, contrary to prevailing knowledge, we demonstrate that Au38(SPh)24 can be prepared if the ligand exchanged conditions are optimized, under delicate conditions, without any formation of Au36(SPh)24. Conclusive evidence is presented in the form of matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS), electrospray ionization mass spectra (ESI-MS) characterization, and optical spectra of Au38(SPh)24 in a solid glass form showing distinct differences from that of Au38(S-aliphatic)24. Theoretical analysis confirms experimental assignment of the optical spectrum and shows that the stability of Au38(SPh)24 is not negligible with respect to that of its aliphatic analogous, and contains a significant component of ligand 12ligand attractive interactions. Thus, while Au38(SPh)24 is stable at RT, it converts to Au36(SPh)24 either on prolonged etching (longer than 2 hours) at RT or when etched at 80 \ub0C

Crystal Structure and Theoretical Analysis of Green Gold Au30(S-tBu)18 Nanomolecules and Their Relation to Au30S(S-tBu)18

We report the complete X-ray crystallographic structure as determined through single-crystal X-ray diffraction and a thorough theoretical analysis of the green gold Au30(S-tBu)18. While the structure of Au30S(S-tBu)18 with 19 sulfur atoms has been reported, the crystal structure of Au30(S-tBu)18 without the \u3bc3-sulfur has remained elusive until now, though matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS) and electrospray ionization mass spectrometry (ESI-MS) data unequivocally show its presence in abundance. The Au30(S-tBu)18 nanomolecule not only is distinct in its crystal structure but also has unique temperature-dependent optical properties. Structure determination allows a rigorous comparison and an excellent agreement with theoretical predictions of structure, stability, and optical response