Upskilling student engineers : the role of design in meeting employers' needs

Integrated learning makes use of group work to develop students’ professional competencies in tandem with their transferable skills. This paper looks at the skills required to undertake a fourth year chemical engineering “capstone design project” (Design) and the skills developed therein. Staff and students were surveyed about their perceived skills abilities, both before and after the project; the results of which showed agreement as to the skills necessary to undertake Design: these were grouped under personal effectiveness skills, communication skills or research skills. Students described a number of extra-curricular activities that contributed to skills development but sometimes failed to appreciate their transference to academic arenas. The surveyed students indicated that their confidence in all skills areas was increased by Design but there were instances where some individual sub-set devaluing occurred. There is a link between experiential practice, predominantly as a result of producing assessed components, and high skills confidence; hence, it is recommended that students are encouraged to reflect on their project experience and that integrated learning be promoted to develop all skills effectively

Group work experiences of women students in a Scottish chemical engineering programme

Chemical Engineering, similar to other Engineering courses, has seen an undergraduate gender shift 10 in recent years towards greater women student representation. This raises the issue of the inclusion, 11 in terms of equality of participation and opportunities, of these women students in learning activities 12 and also the role that they can play in encouraging inclusion and development of others, which can 13 have implications, not only for their current studies, but their future careers. This paper provides both 14 statistical evaluation of students’ attainment from group working activities, and a narrative account of 15 the students’ experiences along with the resulting impact on their inclusion, engagement and group 16 interactions. We highlight the changing role filled by women students and their awareness of these 17 changes and impacts. Notably, the work identifies a change in attitude with regards to roles for 18 women in facilitating group work with many women students purposefully avoiding the additional 19 work-load that past studies have identified

(E,E)-N 1,N 4-Bis(2,6-difluoro­benzyl­idene)butane-1,4-diamine

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, C18H16F4N2, comprises two half crystallographically independent potentially bidentate Schiff base ligands, with an inversion centre located at the mid-point of the central C—C bond. The crystal packing is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯F and π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distance = 3.8283 (11) Å]

Ferrocenylmethylphosphanes and the Alpha Process for Methoxycarbonylation: The Original Story

The Lucite Alpha process is the predominant technology for the preparation of acrylics. This two-stage process involves the palladium-catalysed formation of methyl propanoate from ethene, CO, and methanol, followed by the oxidative formylation of methyl propanoate into methyl methacrylate. A range of bis-1,2-disubstituted aminomethylferrocenes has been prepared and characterised. These complexes serve as precursors to a variety of bulky ferrocenylmethyldiphosphanes that, in turn, function as ligands in the palladium-catalysed process. We describe the crystal structures of five ligand precursors and provide a rationale for their design. In situ catalyst testing on palladium complexes derived from ferrocenylphosphanes demonstrates that these are highly selective (>99.5%) catalysts for the formation of methyl propanoate from ethene, CO, and methanol and have turnover numbers exceeding 50,000. This article credits those researchers who worked on this project in the early days, who received little or no credit for their achievements and endeavours

Self-assembly and charge transport properties of a benzobisthiazole end-capped with dihexylthienothiophene units

The synthesis of a new conjugated material is reported; BDHTT–BBT features a central electron-deficient benzobisthiazole capped with two 3,6-dihexyl-thieno[3,2-b]thiophenes. Cyclic voltammetry was used to determine the HOMO (−5.7 eV) and LUMO (−2.9 eV) levels. The solid-state properties of the compound were investigated by X-ray diffraction on single-crystal and thin-film samples. OFETs were constructed with vacuum deposited films of BDHTT–BBT. The films displayed phase transitions over a range of temperatures and the morphology of the films affected the charge transport properties of the films. The maximum hole mobility observed from bottom-contact, top-gate devices was 3 × 10−3 cm2 V−1 s−1, with an on/off ratio of 104–105 and a threshold voltage of −42 V. The morphological and self-assembly characteristics versus electronic properties are discussed for future improvement of OFET devices

Cutaneous head and neck melanoma in OPTiM, a randomized phase 3 trial of talimogene laherparepvec versus granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor for the treatment of unresected stage IIIB/IIIC/IV melanoma

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous head and neck melanoma has poor outcomes and limited treatment options. In OPTiM, a phase 3 study in patients with unresectable stage IIIB/IIIC/IV melanoma, intralesional administration of the oncolytic virus talimogene laherparepvec improved durable response rate (DRR; continuous response ≥6 months) compared with subcutaneous granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). METHODS: Retrospective review of OPTiM identified patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma given talimogene laherparepvec (n = 61) or GM-CSF (n = 26). Outcomes were compared between talimogene laherparepvec and GM-CSF treated patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma. RESULTS: DRR was higher for talimogene laherparepvec-treated patients than for GM-CSF treated patients (36.1% vs 3.8%; p = .001). A total of 29.5% of patients had a complete response with talimogene laherparepvec versus 0% with GM-CSF. Among talimogene laherparepvec-treated patients with a response, the probability of still being in response after 12 months was 73%. Median overall survival (OS) was 25.2 months for GM-CSF and had not been reached with talimogene laherparepvec. CONCLUSION: Treatment with talimogene laherparepvec was associated with improved response and survival compared with GM-CSF in patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1752-1758, 2016

Cutaneous head and neck melanoma in OPTiM, a randomized phase 3 trial of talimogene laherparepvec versus granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor for the treatment of unresected stage IIIB/IIIC/IV melanoma

BACKGROUND: Cutaneous head and neck melanoma has poor outcomes and limited treatment options. In OPTiM, a phase 3 study in patients with unresectable stage IIIB/IIIC/IV melanoma, intralesional administration of the oncolytic virus talimogene laherparepvec improved durable response rate (DRR; continuous response ≥6 months) compared with subcutaneous granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor (GM-CSF). METHODS: Retrospective review of OPTiM identified patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma given talimogene laherparepvec (n = 61) or GM-CSF (n = 26). Outcomes were compared between talimogene laherparepvec and GM-CSF treated patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma. RESULTS: DRR was higher for talimogene laherparepvec-treated patients than for GM-CSF treated patients (36.1% vs 3.8%; p = .001). A total of 29.5% of patients had a complete response with talimogene laherparepvec versus 0% with GM-CSF. Among talimogene laherparepvec-treated patients with a response, the probability of still being in response after 12 months was 73%. Median overall survival (OS) was 25.2 months for GM-CSF and had not been reached with talimogene laherparepvec. CONCLUSION: Treatment with talimogene laherparepvec was associated with improved response and survival compared with GM-CSF in patients with cutaneous head and neck melanoma. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Head Neck 38: 1752-1758, 2016

New crystal packing arrangements in radical cation salts of BEDT-TTF with [Cr(NCS)6]3− and [Cr(NCS)5(NH3)]2−

BEDT-TTF forms three packing arrangement styles in its radical cation salts with [Cr(NCS)6]3− in two of which two trans-oriented isothiocyanate ligands penetrate the BEDT-TTF layers either at the point where a solvent (nitrobenzene) is incorporated in a stack of donors or by four donor molecules forming a “tube” motif to accept a ligand at each end along with a small solvent molecule in between (acetonitrile). The [Cr(NCS)5NH3]2− ion forms a related crystal packing arrangement with BEDT-TTF with a reduction in the number of “tube” motifs needed to accept an isothiocyanate ligand

New chiral organosulfur donors related to bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene

Six new enantiopure chiral organosulfur donors, with structures related to BEDT-TTF, have been synthesised for use in the preparation of organic metals, starting either by double nucleophilic substitutions on the bis-mesylate of 2R,4Rpentane-2,4-diol or by a cycloaddition with subsequent elimination of acetic acid on the enol acetate of (+)-nopinone. Crystal structures of some of their radical cation triiodides salts and TCNQ complexes are reported

Contrasting crystal packing arrangements in triiodide salts of radical cations of chiral bis(pyrrolo[3,4-d])tetrathiafulvalenes

Crystal structures of six 1 : 1 triiodide salts of a series of enantiopure bis(pyrrolo[3,4-d])TTF derivatives, the first structures of radical cation salts reported for this bis(pyrrolo) donor system, show three different arrangements of triiodide ions, organised either in head-to-tail pairs, in infinite lines, or in a castellated arrangement. The complex crystal structures, obtained by electrocrystallisation, are influenced by the presence of solvent, for example changing an ABCABC packing arrangement to ABAB with inclusion of THF, as well as by the size of the chiral side chain