Peptide-directed crystal growth modification in the formation of ZnO

Biomolecule-mediated synthesis is fascinating in terms of the level of control and the intricate hierarchical structures of the materials that can be produced. In this study we compare the behavior of a phage display identified peptide, EAHVMHKVAPRP (EM-12) with that of a mutant peptide EAHVCHKVAPRP (EC-12), having additional complexation capability, on the formation of ZnO from solution. The synthesis conditions (Zn(CH3COO)2–NH3 hydrothermal method at 50 °C) were chosen to generate rod-shaped ZnO via layered basic zinc salts (LBZs) as intermediates. Both peptides affected the crystal formation process by moderating the amount of Zn2+ ions in solution (EC12 having a greater effect than EM12) but only EC12 was shown to interact with the solid phase(s) formed during the reaction. Depending on the peptide concentration used, EM-12 was shown to delay and/or suppress ZnO formation. In contrast, additions of EC-12, although leading to the retention of higher levels of Zn2+ ions in solution did not similarly delay the transformation of the intermediate phases to ZnO but were found to dramatically modify the morphology of ZnO crystallites with mushroom shaped crystals being formed. From the results of detailed materials characterization and changes in the morphology observed, the interactions between the peptide(s) and solution and solid state species present during the process of ZnO crystal formation in the presence of EM-12 and EC-12 are proposed

Flourishing ‘older-old’ (80+) adults: personal projects and their enabling places

This paper sets out a framework for exploring flourishing in older age through the lens of what older adults are doing in their lives. Applying a model from positive psychology called personal project analysis (PPA) our study captures a snapshot of older people's goals and their environmental context. Targeting older people aged 80+ we applied PPA methods in a semi-structured interview to elicit participants’ personal projects which were scored on eight wellbeing dimensions (e.g., fun, stress). Qualitative data analysis identified what types of personal projects are employed by this older demographic and the environments in which they are carried out. Results showed our participants were vitally engaged in a wide spectrum of projects exercised in a range of ‘enabling places’ which we categorised as (1) restorative niches (places that afford psychological restoration) such as nature settings (e.g. a garden, local park or riverside); (2) affinity niches (places that afford social opportunities) such as religious venues, social clubs, or cafés; and (3) flow niches (places that afford immersion in mental or physical tasks) such as the home (e.g. the kitchen) or a place associated with a previous career or amateur sport (e.g. cricket club). Our findings are discussed in relation to older people's wellbeing and the role of the built environment. Despite the increasingly negative stereotyping of the ‘older-old’ our study shows that the final decades of life can be a period of continuing growth and learning, a life stage with its own distinct character, rather than a period of decline

Discovery of Temperate Latitude Clouds on Titan

Until now, all the clouds imaged in Titan's troposphere have been found at far southern latitudes (60°-90° south). The occurrence and location of these clouds is thought to be the result of convection driven by the maximum annual solar heating of Titan's surface, which occurs at summer solstice (2002 October) in this south polar region. We report the first observations of a new recurring type of tropospheric cloud feature, confined narrowly to ~40° south latitude, which cannot be explained by this simple insolation hypothesis. We propose two classes of formation scenario, one linked to surface geography and the other to seasonally evolving circulation, which will be easily distinguished with continued observations over the next few years

Confidence Intervals and Upper Bounds for Small Signals in the Presence of Background Noise

We discuss a new method for setting limits on small signals in the presence of background noise. The method is based on a combination of a two dimensional confidence region and the large sample approximation to the likelihood ratio test statistic. It automatically quotes upper limits for small signals and two-sided confidence intervals for larger samples. We show that this method gives the correct coverage and also has good power.Comment: Document was created by Sciword V3.0, it consists of one main document (lrt.tex), eight figures (figure1.eps - figure8.eps) and one table (table.tex). Paper was revised after being accepted for publication in NIM A Paper was revised after being accepted for publication in NIM

Vortex information display system program description manual

A vortex information display system is described which provides flexible control through system-user interaction for collecting wing-tip-trailing vortex data, processing this data in real time, displaying the processed data, storing raw data on magnetic tape, and post processing raw data. The data is received from two asynchronous laser Doppler velocimeters (LDV's) and includes position, velocity, and intensity information. The raw data is written onto magnetic tape for permanent storage and is also processed in real time to locate vortices and plot their positions as a function of time. The interactive capability enables the user to make real time adjustments in processing data and provides a better definition of vortex behavior. Displaying the vortex information in real time produces a feedback capability to the LDV system operator allowing adjustments to be made in the collection of raw data. Both raw data and processing can be continually upgraded during flyby testing to improve vortex behavior studies. The post-analysis capability permits the analyst to perform in-depth studies of test data and to modify vortex behavior models to improve transport predictions

Direct measurement of the size of 2003 UB313 from the Hubble Space Telescope

We have used the Hubble Space Telescope to directly measure the angular size of the large Kuiper belt object 2003 UB313. By carefully calibrating the point spread function of a nearby field star, we measure the size of 2003 UB313 to be 34.3$\pm$1.4 milliarcseconds, corresponding to a diameter of 2400$\pm$100 km or a size $\sim5$% larger than Pluto. The V band geometric albedo of 2003 UB313 is $86\pm7$%. The extremely high albedo is consistent with the frosty methane spectrum, the lack of red coloring, and the lack of observed photometric variation on the surface of 2003 UB313. Methane photolysis should quickly darken the surface of 2003 UB313, but continuous evaporation and redeposition of surface ices appears capable of maintaining the extreme alebdo of this body