European Research Agenda for Career Guidance and Counselling

In a changing world, there is a need to reflect about the research basis of career guidance and counselling (CGC) as a professional practice, considering the contributions of various disciplines and research traditions. This paper outlines a possible European research agenda (ERA) to further enhance the knowledge foundation of the CGC practice. The proposed lines of research, which are pronounced in the ERA, are based on a literature review involving 45 researchers concerned with the CGC practice. At three events, approximately 150 researchers from across Europe were engaged in the discussion, what kind of research is needed to enhance the knowledge foundation of the CGC practice. The paper provides a systematic overview of the relevant research fields, and links key research questions to current research endeavours. Due to the necessary involvement of diverse types of practitioners, policy makers, and researchers from different disciplines to share the CGC practice and contribute to the development of its knowledge basis, the paper calls for open, cooperative and integrative research approaches, including the combination of different research paradigms and methods. The development of the European Research Agenda was co-funded by the European Union through the Lifelong Learning Programme

SrSnO3:N – nitridation and evaluation of photocatalytic activity

International audienceThe SrSnO3 was prepared in powders form by a conventional method of solid state reaction and submitted to thermal treatment under NH3 in order to obtain the oxynitride and then promote photocatalytic activity at the visible region. Three different nitridation conditions were tested. The results showed that when the SrSnO3 is subjected to nitridation at moderate conditions (600 °C and 650 °C) oxynitide is formed preserving the perovskite structure. On the other hand, when the nitridation occurs at more severe conditions (750 °C), it is possible to observe the decomposition of the structure instead of the incorporation of N. Samples in which oxynitride is formed, SrSnO3:N, showed high potential photocatalysis under visible light, showing to be about 4 times more active than SrSnO3 or TiO2 at the same condition

(2R,3S)-2-Ammonio-3-hydr­oxy-3-(4-nitro­phen­yl)propanoic acid chloride monohydrate

The title compound, C9H11N2O5 +·Cl−·H2O, was synthesized from (1S,2S)-2-amino-1-(4-nitro­phen­yl)propane-1,3-diol in four steps. As demonstrated by this work, no racemization occurs during this synthetic procedure. The crystal structure displays many inter­molecular hydrogen bonds between the acidic cation, chloride anions and the water mol­ecules, forming a three-dimensional network. An intra­molecular bond between the ammonium group and a hydroxyl O atom is also present

Substrate-controlled allotropic phases and growth orientation of TiO2 epitaxial thin films

International audienceTiO2 thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on a wide variety of oxide single-crystal substrates and characterized in detail by four-circle X-ray diffraction. Films grown at 873 K on (100)-oriented SrTiO3 and LaAlO3 were (001)-oriented anatase, while on (100) MgO they were (100)-oriented. On (110) SrTiO3 and MgO, (102) anatase was observed. On M-plane and R-plane sapphire, (001)- and (101)-oriented rutile films were obtained, respectively. On C-plane sapphire, the coexistence of (001) anatase, (112) anatase and (100) rutile was found; increasing the deposition temperature tended to increase the rutile proportion. Similarly, films grown at 973 K on (100) and (110) MgO showed the emergence, besides anatase, of (110) rutile. All these films were epitaxically grown, as shown by ' scans and/or pole figures, and the various observed orientations were explained on the basis of misfit considerations and interface arrangement

Sr1-xBaxSnO3 system applied in the photocatalytic discoloration of an azo-dye

International audienceSemiconductor materials have received substantial attention as photocatalysts for controlling water pollution. Among these materials, perovskite-structured SrSnO3 is a promising candidate for this application, whereas BaSnO3 exhibits very low activity. In the present work, Sr1−xBaxSnO3 (x = 0, 0.25, 0.50, 0.75 and 1) was synthesized by solid-state reaction and was applied in the photocatalytic discoloration of the organic dye Remazol Golden Yellow. The perovskite structure was obtained for all compositions of the solid solutions with both Sr2+ and Ba2+ present in the lattice. A remarkable change in the short-range symmetry was observed as the amount of Ba2+ increased, and this change led to a decrease in the band gap of the material. Although the BaSnO3 was not active toward water photolysis, the discoloration induced by this perovskite was twice that induced by SrSnO3. The two materials appear to feature different mechanisms of photodegradation: the direct mechanism prevails in the case of BaSnO3, whereas the indirect mechanism appears to play a key role in the case of SrSnO3

Zinc-gallium oxynitride powders: effect of the oxide precursor synthesis route

International audienceZinc-gallium oxynitride powders (ZnGaON) were synthesized by nitridation of ZnGa2O4 oxide precursor obtained by polymeric precursors (PP) and solid state reaction (SSR) methods and the influence of the synthesis route of ZnGa2O4 on the final compound ZnGaON was investigated. Crystalline single phase ZnGa2O4 was obtained at 1100 oC / 12 h by SSR and at 600 oC / 2 h by PP with different grain sizes and specific surface areas according to the synthesis route. After nitridation, ZnGaON oxynitrides with a GaN würtzite-type structure were obtained in both cases, however at lower temperatures for PP samples. The microstructure and the specific surface area were strongly dependent on the oxide synthesis method and on the nitridation temperature (42 m2g-1 and 5 m2g-1 for PP and SSR oxides treated at 700 °C, respectively). The composition analyses showed a strong loss of Zn for the PP samples, favored by the increase of ammonolysis temperature and by the higher specific surface area

Bordetella pertussis, Finland and France

We used pulsed-field gel electrophoresis analysis and genotyping to compare clinical isolates of Bordetella pertussis recovered since the early 1990s in Finland and France, 2 countries with similar histories of long-term mass vaccination with whole-cell pertussis vaccines. Isolates from both countries were similar genetically but varied temporally