Constructing Arctic security: an inter-disciplinary approach to understanding security in the Barents region

Although traditionally Security Studies focused on military threats to states' survival, however, since the end of the Cold War the concept of security has widened and individuals and communities have gradually become viewed as appropriate referent objects of security. In the Arctic region, the human population are exposed to multiple non-traditional and non-military threats resulting from environmental, economic, and societal changes, which can be understood as threats to human security. In this article, we argue that a comprehensive approach to human security overlaps with the concept of societal security, and must therefore consider threats to collective identity and the essential conditions necessary for the maintenance and preservation of a distinct society. We use the human security framework as an analytical tool to study the specific challenges that threaten the Arctic population, and in turn the well-being of Arctic societies. The article demonstrates that using the concept of human security can promote societal security in the context of the Arctic

Porous honeycomb self-assembled monolayers : tripodal adsorption and hidden chirality of carboxylate anchored triptycenes on Ag

S.D. and M.Z thank the Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin for the allocation of synchrotron radiation beamtime at BESSY II and financial support. The work was financially supported by the German Research Foundation (Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft; DFG) via grant ZH 63/39-1 (S.D. and M.Z.), EPSRC (doctoral training grant, R.O.d.l.M.), and CREST (Japan Science and Technology Agency; JST) via grant JPMJCR18I4 (T.F.) and also supported in part by “Dynamic Alliance for Open Innovation Bridging Human, Environment and Materials” from MEXT, Japan. The authors acknowledge financial support through the Austrian Science Fund (FWF): P28051-N36.Molecules with tripodal anchoring to substrates represent a versatile platform for the fabrication of robust self-assembled monolayers (SAMs), complementing the conventional monopodal approach. In this context, we studied the adsorption of 1,8,13-tricarboxytriptycene (Trip-CA) on Ag(111), mimicked by a bilayer of silver atoms underpotentially deposited on Au. While tripodal SAMs frequently suffer from poor structural quality and inhomogeneous bonding configurations, the triptycene scaffold featuring three carboxylic acid anchoring groups yields highly crystalline SAM structures. A pronounced polymorphism is observed, with the formation of distinctly different structures depending on preparation conditions. Besides hexagonal molecular arrangements, the occurrence of a honeycomb structure is particularly intriguing as such an open structure is unusual for SAMs consisting of upright-standing molecules. Advanced spectroscopic tools reveal an equivalent bonding of all carboxylic acid anchoring groups. Notably, density functional theory calculations predict a chiral arrangement of the molecules in the honeycomb network, which, surprisingly, is not apparent in experimental scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) images. This seeming discrepancy between theory and experiment can be resolved by considering the details of the actual electronic structure of the adsorbate layer. The presented results represent an exemplary showcase for the intricacy of interpreting STM images of complex molecular films. They are also further evidence for the potential of triptycenes as basic building blocks for generating well-defined layers with unusual structural motifs.Publisher PDFPeer reviewe

„Recommendation“ for the further procedure for open access monitoring. Deliverable of the AT2OA subproject TP1-B

As part of the Austrian Transition to Open Access (AT2OA) project, subproject TP1-B is working on designing a monitoring solution for the output of Open Access publications in Austria. This report on a potential Open Access monitoring approach in Austria is one of the results of these efforts and can serve as a basis for discussion on an international level.Als Teil des Hochschulraumstrukturmittel-Projekts Austrian Transition to Open Access (AT2OA) befasst sich das Teilprojekt TP1-B mit der Konzeption einer Monitoring-Lösung für den Open Access-Publikationsoutput in Österreich. Der nun vorliegende Bericht zu einem potentiellen Open Access-Monitoring in Österreich ist eines der Ergebnisse dieser Bemühungen und kann als Grundlage einer Diskussion auf internationaler Ebene dienen

"Recommendation" for the further procedure for open access monitoring. Deliverable of the AT2OA subproject TP1-B

Als Teil des Hochschulraumstrukturmittel-Projekts Austrian Transition to Open Access (AT2OA) befasst sich das Teilprojekt TP1-B mit der Konzeption einer Monitoring-Lösung für den Open Access-Publikationsoutput in Österreich. Der nun vorliegende Bericht zu einem potentiellen Open Access-Monitoring in Österreich ist eines der Ergebnisse dieser Bemühungen und kann als Grundlage einer Diskussion auf internationaler Ebene dienen.As part of the Austrian Transition to Open Access (AT2OA) project, subproject TP1-B is working on designing a monitoring solution for the output of Open Access publications in Austria. This report on a potential Open Access monitoring approach in Austria is one of the results of these efforts and can serve as a basis for discussion on an international level

The Effects of Embedded Dipoles in Aromatic Self-Assembled Monolayers

Using a representative model system, here electronic and structural properties of aromatic self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) are described that contain an embedded, dipolar group. As polar unit, pyrimidine is used, with its orientation in the molecular backbone and, consequently, the direction of the embedded dipole moment being varied. The electronic and structural properties of these embedded-dipole SAMs are thoroughly analyzed using a number of complementary characterization techniques combined with quantum-mechanical modeling. It is shown that such mid-chain-substituted monolayers are highly interesting from both fundamental and application viewpoints, as the dipolar groups are found to induce a potential discontinuity inside the monolayer, electrostatically shifting the core-level energies in the regions above and below the dipoles relative to one another. These SAMs also allow for tuning the substrate work function in a controlled manner independent of the docking chemistry and, most importantly, without modifying the SAM-ambient interface

Analysis of Bonding between Conjugated Organic Molecules and Noble Metal Surfaces Using Orbital Overlap Populations

The electronic structure of metal−organic interfaces is of paramount importance for the properties of organic electronic and single-molecule devices. Here, we use so-called orbital overlap populations derived from slab-type band-structure calculations to analyze the covalent contribution to the bonding between an adsorbate layer and a metal. Using two prototypical molecules, the strong acceptor 2,3,5,6-tetrafluoro-7,7,8,8-tetracyanoquinodimethane (F4TCNQ) on Ag(111) and the strong donor 1H,1′H-[4,4′]bipyridinylidene (HV0) on Au(111), we present overlap populations as particularly versatile tools for describing the metal−organic interaction. Going beyond traditional approaches, in which overlap populations are represented in an atomic orbital basis, we also explore the use of a molecular orbital basis to gain significant additional insight. On the basis of the derived quantities, it is possible to identify the parts of the molecules responsible for the bonding and to analyze which of the molecular orbitals and metal bands most strongly contribute to the interaction and where on the energy scale they interact in bonding or antibonding fashion

Phenotypic Detection of Clonotypic B Cells in Multiple Myeloma by Specific Immunoglobulin Ligands Reveals their Rarity in Multiple Myeloma

In multiple myeloma, circulating “clonotypic” B cells, that express the immunoglobulin rearrangement of the malignant plasma cell clone, can be indirectly detected by PCR. Their role as potential “feeder” cells for the malignant plasma cell pool remains controversial. Here we established for the first time an approach that allows direct tracking of such clonotypic cells by labeling with patient-specific immunoglobulin ligands in 15 patients with myeloma. Fifty percent of patients showed evidence of clonotypic B cells in blood or bone marrow by PCR. Epitope-mimicking peptides from random libraries were selected on each patient's individual immunoglobulin and used as ligands to trace cells expressing the idiotypic immunoglobulin on their surface. We established a flow cytometry and immunofluorescence protocol to track clonotypic B cells and validated it in two independent monoclonal B cell systems. Using this method, we found clonotypic B cells in only one out of 15 myeloma patients. In view of the assay's validated sensitivity level of 10−3, this surprising data suggests that the abundance of such cells has been vastly overestimated in the past and that they apparently represent a very rare population in myeloma. Our novel tracing approach may open perspectives to isolate and analyze clonotypic B cells and determine their role in myeloma pathobiology