Scalable Production of Ambient Stable Hybrid Bismuth-based Materials: AACVD of Phenethylammonium Bismuth Iodide Films

Large homogeneous and adherent coatings of phenethylammonium bismuth iodide were produced using the cost-effective and scalable aerosol-assisted chemical vapour deposition (AACVD) methodology. The film morphology was found to depend on the deposition conditions and substrates, resulting in different optical properties to those reported from their spin-coated counterparts. Optoelectronic characterization revealed band bending effects occurring between the hybrid material and semiconducting substrates (TiO2 and FTO) due to heterojunction formation, and the optical bandgap of the hybrid material was calculated from UV-visible and PL spectrometry to be 2.05 eV. Maximum values for hydrophobicity and crystallographic preferential orientation were observed for films deposited on FTO/glass substrates, closely followed by values from films deposited on TiO2/glass substrates

Iron-Intercalated Zirconium Diselenide Thin Films from the Low-Pressure Chemical Vapor Deposition of [Fe(η⁵-C₅H₄Se)₂Zr(η⁵-C₅H₅)₂]₂

Transition metal chalcogenide thin films of the type FexZrSe2 have applications in electronic devices, but their use is limited by current synthetic techniques. Here, we demonstrate the synthesis and characterization of Fe-intercalated ZrSe2 thin films on quartz substrates using the low-pressure chemical vapor deposition of the single-source precursor [Fe(η5-C5H4Se)2Zr(η5-C5H5)2]2. Powder X-ray diffraction of the film scraping and subsequent Rietveld refinement of the data showed the successful synthesis of the Fe0.14ZrSe2 phase, along with secondary phases of FeSe and ZrO2. Upon intercalation, a small optical band gap enhancement (Eg(direct)opt = 1.72 eV) is detected in comparison with that of the host material

How do central and satellite galaxies quench? - Insights from spatially resolved spectroscopy in the MaNGA survey

We investigate how star formation quenching proceeds within central and satellite galaxies using spatially resolved spectroscopy from the SDSS-IV MaNGA DR15. We adopt a complete sample of star formation rate surface densities ($\Sigma_{\rm SFR}$), derived in Bluck et al. (2020), to compute the distance at which each spaxel resides from the resolved star forming main sequence ($\Sigma_{\rm SFR} - \Sigma_*$ relation): $\Delta \Sigma_{\rm SFR}$. We study galaxy radial profiles in $\Delta \Sigma_{\rm SFR}$, and luminosity weighted stellar age (${\rm Age_L}$), split by a variety of intrinsic and environmental parameters. Via several statistical analyses, we establish that the quenching of central galaxies is governed by intrinsic parameters, with central velocity dispersion ($\sigma_c$) being the most important single parameter. High mass satellites quench in a very similar manner to centrals. Conversely, low mass satellite quenching is governed primarily by environmental parameters, with local galaxy over-density ($\delta_5$) being the most important single parameter. Utilising the empirical $M_{BH}$ - $\sigma_c$ relation, we estimate that quenching via AGN feedback must occur at $M_{BH} \geq 10^{6.5-7.5} M_{\odot}$, and is marked by steeply rising $\Delta \Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ radial profiles in the green valley, indicating `inside-out' quenching. On the other hand, environmental quenching occurs at over-densities of 10 - 30 times the average galaxy density at z$\sim$0.1, and is marked by steeply declining $\Delta \Sigma_{\rm SFR}$ profiles, indicating `outside-in' quenching. Finally, through an analysis of stellar metallicities, we conclude that both intrinsic and environmental quenching must incorporate significant starvation of gas supply.ERC STF

CCT complex restricts neuropathogenic protein aggregation via autophagy

Aberrant protein aggregation is controlled by various chaperones, including CCT (chaperonin containing TCP-1)/TCP-1/TRiC. Mutated CCT4/5 subunits cause sensory neuropathy and CCT5 expression is decreased in Alzheimer's disease. Here, we show that CCT integrity is essential for autophagosome degradation in cells or Drosophila and this phenomenon is orchestrated by the actin cytoskeleton. When autophagic flux is reduced by compromise of individual CCT subunits, various disease-relevant autophagy substrates accumulate and aggregate. The aggregation of proteins like mutant huntingtin, ATXN3 or p62 after CCT2/5/7 depletion is predominantly autophagy dependent, and does not further increase with CCT knockdown in autophagy-defective cells/organisms, implying surprisingly that the effect of loss-of-CCT activity on mutant ATXN3 or huntingtin oligomerization/aggregation is primarily a consequence of autophagy inhibition rather than loss of physiological anti-aggregation activity for these proteins. Thus, our findings reveal an essential partnership between two key components of the proteostasis network and implicate autophagy defects in diseases with compromised CCT complex activity.We are grateful to the Wellcome Trust (Principal Research Fellowship to DCR (095317/Z/11/Z)), a Strategic Grant to Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (100140/Z/12/Z), NIHR Biomedical Research Unit in Dementia at Addenbrooke’s Hospital, the Treat PolyQ project (European community’s Seventh Framework Programme under grant agreement No 264508) and the Wellcome Trust/MRC strategic grant for neurodegeneration (D.C.R. and C.J.O.'K.) for funding. DCC was supported by an Alzheimer’s Research U.K. Senior Research Fellowship (ART-SRF2010-2) and by the Wellcome Trust (082604/2/07/Z)

Integration of airborne and ground observations of nitryl chloride in the Seoul metropolitan area and the implications on regional oxidation capacity during KORUS-AQ 2016

Nitryl chloride (ClNO2) is a radical reservoir species that releases chlorine radicals upon photolysis. An integrated analysis of the impact of ClNO2 on regional photochemistry in the Seoul metropolitan area (SMA) during the Korea-United States Air Quality Study (KORUS-AQ) 2016 field campaign is presented. Comprehensive multiplatform observations were conducted aboard the NASA DC-8 and at two ground sites (Olympic Park, OP; Taehwa Research Forest, TRF), representing an urbanized area and a forested suburban region, respectively. Positive correlations between daytime Cl2 and ClNO2 were observed at both sites, the slope of which was dependent on O3 levels. The possible mechanisms are explored through box model simulations constrained with observations. The overall diurnal variations in ClNO2 at both sites appeared similar but the nighttime variations were systematically different. For about half of the observation days at the OP site the level of ClNO2 increased at sunset but rapidly decreased at around midnight. On the other hand, high levels were observed throughout the night at the TRF site. Significant levels of ClNO2 were observed at both sites for 4-5 h after sunrise. Airborne observations, box model calculations, and back-trajectory analysis consistently show that these high levels of ClNO2 in the morning are likely from vertical or horizontal transport of air masses from the west. Box model results show that chlorine-radical-initiated chemistry can impact the regional photochemistry by elevating net chemical production rates of ozone by 25% in the morning

Synthesis and characterization of hybrid organic-inorganic materials based on sulphonated polyamideimide and silica

The preparation of hybrid organic–inorganic membrane materials based on a sulphonated polyamideimide resin and silica filler has been studied. The method allows the sol–gel process to proceed in the presence of a high molecular weight polyamideimide, resulting in well dispersed silica nanoparticles (<50 nm) within the polymer matrix with chemical bonding between the organic and inorganic phases. Tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) was used as the silica precursor and the organosilicate networks were bonded to the polymer matrix via a coupling agent aminopropyltriethoxysilane (APTrEOS). The structure and properties of these hybrid materials were characterized via a range of techniques including FTIR, TGA, DSC, SEM and contact angle analysis. It was found that the compatibility between organic and inorganic phases has been greatly enhanced by the incorporation of APTrEOS. The thermal stability and hydrophilic properties of hybrid materials have also been significantly improved

The LSST DESC data challenge 1: Generation and analysis of synthetic images for next-generation surveys

Data Challenge 1 (DC1) is the first synthetic data set produced by the Rubin Observatory Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) Dark Energy Science Collaboration (DESC). DC1 is designed to develop and validate data reduction and analysis and to study the impact of systematic effects that will affect the LSST data set. DC1 is comprised of r-band observations of 40 deg2 to 10 yr LSST depth. We present each stage of the simulation and analysis process: (a) generation, by synthesizing sources from cosmological N-body simulations in individual sensor-visit images with different observing conditions; (b) reduction using a development version of the LSST Science Pipelines; and (c) matching to the input cosmological catalogue for validation and testing. We verify that testable LSST requirements pass within the fidelity of DC1. We establish a selection procedure that produces a sufficiently clean extragalactic sample for clustering analyses and we discuss residual sample contamination, including contributions from inefficiency in star-galaxy separation and imperfect deblending. We compute the galaxy power spectrum on the simulated field and conclude that: (i) survey properties have an impact of 50 per cent of the statistical uncertainty for the scales and models used in DC1; (ii) a selection to eliminate artefacts in the catalogues is necessary to avoid biases in the measured clustering; and (iii) the presence of bright objects has a significant impact (2-6) in the estimated power spectra at small scales (&gt; 1200), highlighting the impact of blending in studies at small angular scales in LSST

Post radiation chylous ascites: a case report

We report a 64 years old gentleman with unresectable right-sided retroperitoneal liposarcoma, who underwent radiotherapy & subsequently developed chylous ascites. He failed conservative management of chylous ascites and this was successfully managed with a peritoneovenous shunt. The pathophysiology and management of post radiational chylous ascites is discussed

Group formation under limited resources: narrow basin of equality

The formation of groups in competition and the aggressive interactions between them are ubiquitous phenomena in society. These include student activities in the classroom, election races between political parties, and intensifying trade wars between countries. Why do individuals form themselves into groups? What is the optimal size of groups? And how does the group size distribution affect resource allocations? These questions have been the subjects of intense research in economics, political science, sociology, and ethology. In this study, we explore the group-size effects on the formation of groups and resource allocations from an economic standpoint. While being in a large group is generally advantageous in competition, an increase in the management costs would set an upper bound to the individual benefit of members. Under such counteracting size effects, we consider the dynamics of group formation in which people seek a conservative measure to reduce their possible maximum loss. We are especially interested in the effects of group size on social inequalities at both group and individual level in resource allocation. Our findings show that the low positive size-effect and the high negative size-effect result in different types of social inequalities. We conclude, from the relation between the inequality measures and group distributions predicted within the model, that overall social equality only can be achieved within a narrow region where two counteracting size-effects are balanced