Photo-excitation of a light-harvesting supra-molecular triad: a Time-Dependent DFT study

We present the first time-dependent density-functional theory (TDDFT) calculation on a light harvesting triad carotenoid-diaryl-porphyrin-C60. Besides the numerical challenge that the ab initio study of the electronic structure of such a large system presents, we show that TDDFT is able to provide an accurate description of the excited state properties of the system. In particular we calculate the photo-absorption spectrum of the supra-molecular assembly, and we provide an interpretation of the photo-excitation mechanism in terms of the properties of the component moieties. The spectrum is in good agreement with experimental data, and provides useful insight on the photo-induced charge transfer mechanism which characterizes the system.Comment: Accepted for publication on JPC, March 09th 200

Draft genome of the lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis) and comparison with buffalo genome assemblies (Bovidae, Bubalina)

Genomic data for wild species of the genus Bubalus (Asian buffaloes) are still lacking while several whole genomes are currently available for domestic water buffaloes. To address this, we sequenced the genome of a wild endangered dwarf buffalo, the lowland anoa (Bubalus depressicornis), produced a draft genome assembly, and made comparison to published buffalo genomes. The lowland anoa genome assembly was 2.56 Gbp long and contained 103,135 contigs, the longest contig being 337.39 kbp long. N50 and L50 values were 38.73 kbp and 19.83 kbp, respectively, mean coverage was 44x and GC content was 41.74%. Two strategies were adopted to evaluate genome completeness: (i) determination of genomic features with de novo and homology-based predictions using annotations of chromosome-level genome assembly of the river buffalo, and (ii) employment of benchmarking against universal single-copy orthologs (BUSCO). Homology-based predictions identified 94.51% complete and 3.65% partial genomic features. De novo gene predictions identified 32,393 genes, representing 97.14% of the reference's annotated genes, whilst BUSCO search against the mammalian orthologues database identified 71.1% complete, 11.7% fragmented and 17.2% missing orthologues, indicating a good level of completeness for downstream analyses. Repeat analyses indicated that the lowland anoa genome contains 42.12% of repetitive regions. The genome assembly of the lowland anoa is expected to contribute to comparative genome analyses among bovid species. [Abstract copyright: © The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of Genetics Society of America.

Pengaruh Green Economy terhadap Green Accounting pada UMKM di Desa Tambak Rejo Sidoarjo

Penelitian dengan judul “Pengaruh Green Economy terhadap Green Accounting pada UMKM di Desa Tambakrejo Sidoarjo” ini memiliki tujuan untuk meningkatkan kesadaran akan kelestarian lingkungan untuk mendorong perhatian pada praktik bisnis yang ramah lingkungan utamanya pada sektor UMKM. Artikel ini bertujuan untuk menginvestigasi pengaruh Green Economy terhadap Green Accounting pada UMKM di Desa Tambakrejo, Sidoarjo. Metode kuantitatif diterapkan guna mengolah data yang diperoleh berdasarkan survei yang dilakukan terhadap sejumlah UMKM di wilayah tersebut. Penelitian ini mencakup evaluasi praktik Green Economy yang diadopsi oleh UMKM, serta pengukuran tingkat implementasi Green Accounting dalam aktivitas bisnis mereka. Hasil analisis data akan memberikan wawasan tentang sejauh mana pengaruh Green Economy dalam mendorong Green Accounting di tingkat UMKM, serta implikasi potensialnya terhadap keberlanjutan lingkungan dan kesejahteraan ekonomi di tingkat lokal. Temuan akhir dalam penelitian ini menyatakan green economy tidak berpengaruh signifikan terhadap green accounting pada UMKM di desa tambakrejo sidoarjo

New record of Sphagnum falcatulum Besch (Sphagnaceae) on Navarino Island, Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve

This article characterizes habitats of Navarino Island to quantify the coverage of three main types of terrestrial environments

Electron-Electron Interactions in Artificial Graphene

Recent advances in the creation and modulation of graphene-like systems are introducing a science of "designer Dirac materials". In its original definition, artificial graphene is a man-made nanostructure that consists of identical potential wells (quantum dots) arranged in a adjustable honeycomb lattice in the two-dimensional electron gas. As our ability to control the quality of artificial graphene samples improves, so grows the need for an accurate theory of its electronic properties, including the effects of electron-electron interactions. Here we determine those effects on the band structure and on the emergence of Dirac points

Embedded, micro-interdigitated flow fields in high areal-loading intercalation electrodes towards seawater desalination and beyond

Faradaic deionization (FDI) is a promising technology for energy-efficient water desalination using porous electrodes containing redox-active materials. Herein, we demonstrate for the first time the capability of a symmetric FDI flow cell to produce freshwater (<17.1 mM NaCl) from concentrated brackish water (118mM), to produce effluent near freshwater salinity (19.1 mM) from influent with seawater-level salinity (496 mM), and to reduce the salinity of hypersaline brine from 781 mM to 227 mM. These remarkable salt-removal levels were enabled by using flow-through electrodes with high areal-loading of nickel hexacyanoferrate (NiHCF) Prussian Blue analogue intercalation material. The pumping energy consumption due to flow-through electrodes was mitigated by embedding an interdigitated array of <100 $\mu$m wide channels in the electrodes using laser micromachining. The micron-scale dimensions of the resulting embedded, micro-interdigitated flow fields (e$\mu$-IDFFs) facilitate flow-through electrodes with high apparent permeability while minimizing active-material loss. Our modeling shows that these e$\mu$-IDFFs are more suitable for our intercalation electrodes because they have >100X lower permeability compared to common redox-flow battery electrodes, for which millimetric flow-channel widths were used exclusively in the past. Total desalination thermodynamic energy efficiency (TEE) was improved by more than ten-fold relative to unpatterned electrodes: 40.0% TEE for brackish water, 11.7% TEE for hypersaline brine, and 7.4% TEE for seawater-salinity feeds. Water transport between diluate and brine streams and charge efficiency losses resulting from (electro)chemical effects are implicated as limiting energy efficiency and water recovery, motivating their investigation for enhancing future FDI performance.Comment: 70 pages, 23 figures. Energy Environ. Sci. (2023

Terahertz plasmons in coupled two-dimensional semiconductor resonators

Advances in theory are needed to match recent progress in measurements of coupled semiconductor resonators supporting terahertz plasmons. Here, we present a field-based model of plasmonic resonators that comprise gated and ungated two-dimensional electron systems. The model is compared to experimental measurements of a representative system, in which the interaction between the gated and ungated modes leads to a rich spectrum of hybridized resonances. A theoretical framework is thus established for the analysis and design of gated low-dimensional systems used as plasmonic resonators, underlining their potential application in the manipulation of terahertz frequency range signals