‘A devotion to the experimental sciences and arts’: the subscription to the great battery at the Royal Institution 1808–9

A significant but neglected theme in the history of British science in the nineteenth century is the funding of institutional research. The subscription to the ‘great battery’ at the Royal Institution in 1808 and 1809 provides the first instance of named individuals prepared to commit themselves to the provision of apparatus to be used for research in the new field of electrochemistry. This paper analyses the subscribers who were deemed to be ‘enlightened’ and whom Humphry Davy subsequently described as ‘a few zealous cultivators and patrons of science’. Using information from the subscription list, a distinction is made between the individual subscriptions pledged and the sums actually paid. In contextualizing the subscription, insights are provided into the Royal Society, the contemporary scientific community and the politics of metropolitan science. The voltaic subscription represents an early example of the repercussions of the nature of research funding for institutional finances and governance

Annihilation Signals from Asymmetric Dark Matter

In the simplest models of asymmetric dark matter (ADM) annihilation signals are not expected, since the DM is non-self-conjugate and the relic density of anti-DM is negligible. We investigate a new class of models in which a symmetric DM component, in the `low-mass' 1-10 GeV regime favoured for linking the DM and baryon asymmetries, is repopulated through decays. We find that, in models without significant velocity dependence of the annihilation cross section, observational constraints generally force these decays to be (cosmologically) slow. These late decays can give rise to gamma-ray signal morphologies differing from usual annihilation profiles. A distinctive feature of such models is that signals may be absent from dwarf spheroidal galaxies.Comment: 31 pages, 9 figures, v3; minor corrections, and reference added - matches version published in JHE

The History of the Rock Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The Rock Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is well known and loved by alpine plant enthusiasts worldwide. This paper describes the history of the area since 1809 when it was established as the demonstration garden for the Caledonian Horticultural Society. It describes the change in horticultural fashions and techniques for growing and displaying plants, and the role that influential horticulturists have played in the history of the Garden. The paper is illustrated with maps and photographs taken throughout the period

The Renovation of the Lower Woodland Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The origins and history of the Lower Woodland Garden at the Royal Botanic Garden at Edinburgh are described along with the rationale for their restoration. The concept of a Stumpery or Rootery a precursor to the Peat Walls, is also described. The method of restoration, reconstruction and replanting of the area is discussed and examples of species planted in the area are given

Collection and Curation of Trillium Species at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh

The genus Trillium are spring-flowering woodland plants which thrive at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh. The rationale, planning and collection details of a field trip to the eastern states of the USA in 2011 are described. An account of the living and seed collections made of trilliums and associated species and their germination and establishment following the trip is given. A list of the species collected is provided as an appendix

Basic and applied renal and gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology

In my statement below, the number and scope of the publications chosen are intended to represent the different elements of my research work and studies over the years; they are highlighted in yellow by Curriculum Vitae (CV) order number in the following text that outlines the main topics of investigation and tries to summarise my published work and place it in a wider context. To lend further support to my scientific contributions and publication record, I have also referred, to and referenced, other relevant publications as additional examples, and as they are listed by order number in my accompanying CV (as CV# in parentheses) for crossreference. The papers cited and included in the listed (at the end and included in my submission in pdf format) and representative 27 publications are all conjoint work to which I have made a significant contribution in deciding the topic for study, in the experimental planning and execution, in writing up the findings for publication, and in providing financial support. I have never insisted on any specific author order for myself, considering it a team effort, and I have always given due recognition to the lead author, a research student, postdoctoral fellow or senior collaborator, without whom the work could not have been completed

The relationship between P2X4 and P2X7: a physiologically important interaction?

Purinergic signaling within the kidney is becoming an important focus in the study of renal health and disease. The effectors of ATP signaling, the P2Y and P2X receptors, are expressed to varying extents in and along the nephron. There are many studies demonstrating the importance of the P2Y2 receptor on kidney function, and other P2 receptors are now emerging as participants in renal regulation. The P2X4 receptor has been linked to epithelial sodium transport in the nephron and expression levels of the P2X7 receptor are up-regulated in certain pathophysiological states. P2X7 antagonism has been shown to ameliorate rodent models of DOCA salt-induced hypertension and P2X4 null mice are hypertensive. Interestingly, polymorphisms in the genetic loci of P2X4 and P2X7 have been linked to blood pressure variation in human studies. In addition to the increasing evidence linking these two P2X receptors to renal function and health, a number of studies link the two receptors in terms of physical associations between their subunits, demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo. This review will analyze the current literature regarding interactions between P2X4 and P2X7 and assess the potential impact of these with respect to renal function

Nanoscale intermittent contact-scanning electrochemical microscopy

A major theme in scanning electrochemical microscopy (SECM) is a methodology for nanoscale imaging with distance control and positional feedback of the tip. We report the expansion of intermittent contact (IC)-SECM to the nanoscale, using disk-type Pt nanoelectrodes prepared using the laser-puller sealing method. The Pt was exposed using a focused ion beam milling procedure to cut the end of the electrode to a well-defined glass sheath radius, which could also be used to reshape the tips to reduce the size of the glass sheath. This produced nanoelectrodes that were slightly recessed, which was optimal for IC-SECM on the nanoscale, as it served to protect the active part of the tip. A combination of finite element method simulations, steady-state voltammetry and scanning electron microscopy for the measurement of critical dimensions, was used to estimate Pt recession depth. With this knowledge, the tip-substrate alignment could be further estimated by tip approach curve measurements. IC-SECM has been implemented by using a piezo-bender actuator for the detection of damping of the oscillation amplitude of the tip, when IC occurs, which was used as a tip-position feedback mechanism. The piezo-bender actuator improves significantly on the performance of our previous setup for IC-SECM, as the force acting on the sample due to the tip is greatly reduced, allowing studies with more delicate tips. The capability of IC-SECM is illustrated with studies of a model electrode (metal/glass) substrate