Combinatorial synthesis and high-throughput photopotential and photocurrent screening of mixed-metal oxides for photoelectrochemical water splitting

A high-throughput method has been developed using a commercial piezoelectric inkjet printer for synthesis and characterization of mixed-metal oxide photoelectrode materials for water splitting. The printer was used to deposit metal nitrate solutions onto a conductive glass substrate. The deposited metal nitrate solutions were then pyrolyzed to yield mixed-metal oxides that contained up to eight distinct metals. The stoichiometry of the metal oxides was controlled quantitatively, allowing for the creation of vast libraries of novel materials. Automated methods were developed to measure the open-circuit potentials (Eoc), short-circuit photocurrent densities (Jsc), and current density vs. applied potential (J–E) behavior under visible light irradiation. The high-throughput measurement of Eoc is particularly significant because open-circuit potential measurements allow the interfacial energetics to be probed regardless of whether the band edges of the materials of concern are above, close to, or below the values needed to sustain water electrolysis under standard conditions. The Eoc measurements allow high-throughput compilation of a suite of data that can be associated with the composition of the various materials in the library, to thereby aid in the development of additional screens and to form a basis for development of theoretical guidance in the prediction of additional potentially promising photoelectrode compositions

Applying affiliation social network analysis to understand interfaith groups

AbstractThis study applies affiliation social network analysis to understand how interfaith groups provide resources to other community groups and link interfaith group members to resources for local community change. Based on a sample of 88 interfaith groups from across the U.S., affiliation social network analysis pictures show distinct patterns in how interfaith groups share resources with community groups and link members to community resources. Overall, results show how interfaith groups may be empowering community settings that provide resources and link members to other resources in the interest of community change. These findings imply that interfaith groups may be part of the social fabric within communities that hold potential to be partners and contributors of resources to promote community change efforts. Limitations and directions for future research also are discussed

Interpreting Community Accountability: Citizen Views of Responding to Domestic Violence (or Not)

In spite of common public condemnations of domestic violence, survey research suggests that citizens aware of actual abuse often believe they cannot or should not personally respond. Through in-depth interviews with 20 local citizens across the political spectrum, we sought to explore this dynamic more carefully by better understanding community interpretations of domestic violence and its appropriate response. This paper explores ten specific views identified in these interviews as potentially relevant to citizen action (or inaction) in response to known abuse. After examining subtle consequences of each belief, we explore broader implications for community mobilization and propose several ways of facilitating a more thoughtful and extensive deliberation about domestic violence among the general public

Distribution, functional impact, and origin mechanisms of copy number variation in the barley genome

BACKGROUND There is growing evidence for the prevalence of copy number variation (CNV) and its role in phenotypic variation in many eukaryotic species. Here we use array comparative genomic hybridization to explore the extent of this type of structural variation in domesticated barley cultivars and wild barleys. RESULTS A collection of 14 barley genotypes including eight cultivars and six wild barleys were used for comparative genomic hybridization. CNV affects 14.9% of all the sequences that were assessed. Higher levels of CNV diversity are present in the wild accessions relative to cultivated barley. CNVs are enriched near the ends of all chromosomes except 4H, which exhibits the lowest frequency of CNVs. CNV affects 9.5% of the coding sequences represented on the array and the genes affected by CNV are enriched for sequences annotated as disease-resistance proteins and protein kinases. Sequence-based comparisons of CNV between cultivars Barke and Morex provided evidence that DNA repair mechanisms of double-strand breaks via single-stranded annealing and synthesis-dependent strand annealing play an important role in the origin of CNV in barley. CONCLUSIONS We present the first catalog of CNVs in a diploid Triticeae species, which opens the door for future genome diversity research in a tribe that comprises the economically important cereal species wheat, barley, and rye. Our findings constitute a valuable resource for the identification of CNV affecting genes of agronomic importance. We also identify potential mechanisms that can generate variation in copy number in plant genomes.This work was financially supported by the following grants: project GABI-BARLEX, German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), #0314000 to MP, US, KFXM and NS; Triticeae Coordinated Agricultural Project, USDA-NIFA #2011-68002-30029 to GJM; and Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Plant Genome, Genetics and Breeding Program of USDA’s Cooperative State Research and Extension Service, #2009-65300- 05645 to GJM

Who Is Most Vulnerable to Social Rejection? The Toxic Combination of Low Self-Esteem and Lack of Negative Emotion Differentiation on Neural Responses to Rejection

People have a fundamental need to belong that, when satisfied, is associated with mental and physical well-being. The current investigation examined what happens when the need to belong is thwarted—and how individual differences in self-esteem and emotion differentiation modulate neural responses to social rejection. We hypothesized that low self-esteem would predict heightened activation in distress-related neural responses during a social rejection manipulation, but that this relationship would be moderated by negative emotion differentiation—defined as adeptness at using discrete negative emotion categories to capture one\u27s felt experience. Combining daily diary and neuroimaging methodologies, the current study showed that low self-esteem and low negative emotion differentiation represented a toxic combination that was associated with stronger activation during social rejection (versus social inclusion) in the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and anterior insula—two regions previously shown to index social distress. In contrast, individuals with greater negative emotion differentiation did not show stronger activation in these regions, regardless of their level of self-esteem; fitting with prior evidence that negative emotion differentiation confers equanimity in emotionally upsetting situations

A Spectroscopic Study of Mass Outflows in the Interacting Binary RY Scuti

The massive interacting binary RY Scuti is an important representative of an active mass-transferring system that is changing before our eyes and which may be an example of the formation of a Wolf-Rayet star through tidal stripping. Utilizing new and previously published spectra, we present examples of how a number of illustrative absorption and emission features vary during the binary orbit. We identify spectral features associated with each component, calculate a new, double-lined spectroscopic binary orbit, and find masses of 7.1 +/- 1.2 M_sun for the bright supergiant and 30.0 +/- 2.1 M_sun for the hidden massive companion. Through tomographic reconstruction of the component spectra from the composite spectra, we confirm the O9.7 Ibpe spectral class of the bright supergiant and discover a B0.5 I spectrum associated with the hidden massive companion; however, we suggest that the latter is actually the spectrum of the photosphere of the accretion torus immediately surrounding the massive companion. We describe the complex nature of the mass loss flows from the system in the context of recent hydrodynamical models for beta Lyr, leading us to conclude RY Scuti has matter leaving the system in two ways: 1) a bipolar outflow from winds generated by the hidden massive companion, and 2) mass from the bright O9.7 Ibpe supergiant flowing from the region near the L2 point to fill out a large, dense circumbinary disk. This circumbinary disk (radius ~ 1 AU) may feed the surrounding double-toroidal nebula (radius ~ 2000 AU).Comment: 41 pages with 7 tables and 11 figures, accepted to Ap

A high-tech, low-cost, Internet of Things surfboard fin for coastal citizen science, outreach, and education

Coastal populations and hazards are escalating simultaneously, leading to an increased importance of coastal ocean observations. Many well-established observational techniques are expensive, require complex technical training, and offer little to no public engagement. Smartfin, an oceanographic sensor–equipped surfboard fin and citizen science program, was designed to alleviate these issues. Smartfins are typically used by surfers and paddlers in surf zone and nearshore regions where they can help fill gaps between other observational assets. Smartfin user groups can provide data-rich time-series in confined regions. Smartfin comprises temperature, motion, and wet/dry sensing, GPS location, and cellular data transmission capabilities for the near-real-time monitoring of coastal physics and environmental parameters. Smartfin\u27s temperature sensor has an accuracy of 0.05 °C relative to a calibrated Sea-Bird temperature sensor. Data products for quantifying ocean physics from the motion sensor and additional sensors for water quality monitoring are in development. Over 300 Smartfins have been distributed around the world and have been in use for up to five years. The technology has been proven to be a useful scientific research tool in the coastal ocean—especially for observing spatiotemporal variability, validating remotely sensed data, and characterizing surface water depth profiles when combined with other tools—and the project has yielded promising results in terms of formal and informal education and community engagement in coastal health issues with broad international reach. In this article, we describe the technology, the citizen science project design, and the results in terms of natural and social science analyses. We also discuss progress toward our outreach, education, and scientific goals

Management of histoplasmosis by infectious disease physicians

BACKGROUND: The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines for the management of histoplasmosis were last revised 15 years ago. Since those guidelines were compiled, new antifungal treatment options have been developed. Furthermore, the ongoing development of immunomodulatory therapies has increased the population at increased risk to develop histoplasmosis. METHODS: An electronic survey about the management practices of histoplasmosis was distributed to the adult infectious disease (ID) physician members of the IDSA\u27s Emerging Infections Network. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 37% (551/1477). Only 46% (253/551) of respondents reported seeing patients with histoplasmosis. Regions considered endemic had 82% (158/193) of physicians report seeing patients with histoplasmosis compared to 27% (95/358) of physicians in regions not classically considered endemic ( CONCLUSIONS: Though there are increased reports of histoplasmosis diagnoses outside regions classically considered endemic, a majority of ID physicians reported not seeing patients with histoplasmosis. Most respondents reported adherence to IDSA guidelines recommending itraconazole in each clinical situation. New histoplasmosis guidelines need to reflect the growing need for updated general guidance, particularly for immunocompromised populations