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Heteroanionic synthesis of lanthanum/neodymium-based titanium oxycarbide : a novel approach with multiple objectives for clean energy and pollutant-free environment
Get PDFFunding: The author Y.S. is also thankful to the RoHan Catalysis Lab, HUST, Vietnam funded by German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD, no. 57315854) for providing the Asian student research stay scholarship to carry out his research work. The author M.A.S.A. would like to acknowledge the funding from the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia, through a Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) with code FRGS/1/2023/TK08/UKM/02/5.In this study, a new type of oxycarbide-based compounds, namely lanthanum titanium oxycarbide and neodymium titanium oxycarbide, were synthesized through solid-state reaction to replace titanium oxycarbide due to its rapid charge carrier recombination and limited responsiveness to visible light (VL) in photocatalysis. The structural, morphological, optical absorption, and vibrational properties of the synthesized catalysts were thoroughly characterized using powder X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, ultraviolet-visible spectroscopy, and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy to assess their suitability for catalytic applications. Subsequently, the photocatalytic behavior of the synthesized materials was evaluated for their ability to degrade the hazardous Congo red (CR) dye in various types of water, including deionized water, domestic utility water used for household purposes, and seawater, under VL illumination. Notably, lanthanum titanium oxycarbide and neodymium titanium oxycarbide exhibited superior degradation efficiencies for CR dye, achieving maximum degradation rates of 87% and 89%, respectively, in domestic water used for routine household purposes within a duration of 90 minutes, when compared to TiOC. However, the degradation efficiency was slightly lower in deionized water and seawater. Additionally, lanthanum titanium oxycarbide and neodymium titanium oxycarbide demonstrated promising hydrogen evolution activity, generating 19.7 and 21.1 µmol/g, respectively, under VL in 180 minutes. The enhanced efficiency in CR removal and hydrogen generation activity of lanthanum titanium oxycarbide and neodymium titanium oxycarbide has been attributed to the synergistic effects of improved VL absorption, higher exciton separation and a supportive pH environment due to the presence of lanthanum, neodymium, and carbon ions in a combined entity.Peer reviewe
Terrorism and cultural heritage : an unconventional threat assessment
Get PDFMultiple terrorist attacks on cultural heritage since 2001 have drawn heritage into international security politics, reframing it from a Law of Armed Conflict issue to one of hybrid warfare. This exploratory study uses semi-structured interviews with 51 practitioners from two community groups to examine perspectives on terrorism and heritage, testing assumptions in the literature against protection practices. Findings reveal that credible, dynamic threat data is scarce, leading to reliance on historic event data to extrapolate future risks. The article proposes a new multi-layered cultural intelligence framework for more critical threat assessments and argues that concerns over religiously motivated terrorist attacks may be overstated, suggesting a shift toward considering political and ideological drivers within unconventional warfare.Peer reviewe
exoALMA. III. Line-intensity modeling and system property extraction from protoplanetary disks
Get PDFFunding: Support for AFI was provided by NASA through the NASA Hubble Fellowship grant No. HST-HF2-51532.001-A awarded by the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., for NASA, under contract NAS5-26555. J.S., M.B., D.F. have received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (PROTOPLANETS, grant agreement No. 101002188). C.P. acknowledges Australian Research Council funding via FT170100040, DP18010423, DP220103767, and DP240103290. J.B. acknowledges support from NASA XRP grant No. 80NSSC23K1312. S.F. is funded by the European Union (ERC, UNVEIL, 101076613), and acknowledges financial contribution from PRIN-MUR 2022YP5ACE. C.L. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 823823 (DUSTBUSTERS) and by the UK Science and Technology research Council (STFC) via the consolidated grant ST/W000997/1. P.C. and L.T. acknowledge support by the Italian Ministero dell’Istruzione, Università e Ricerca through the grant Progetti Premiali 2012—iALMA (CUP C52I13000140001) and by the ANID BASAL project FB210003. N.C. has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union Horizon Europe research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 101042275, project Stellar-MADE). M.F. has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Unions Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 757957). M.F. is supported by a Grant-in-Aid from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (KAKENHI: No. JP22H01274). C.H. acknowledges support from NSF AAG grant No. 2407679. I.H. and T.H. are supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program (RTP) Scholarship. J.D.I. acknowledges support from an STFC Ernest Rutherford Fellowship (ST/W004119/1) and a University Academic Fellowship from the University of Leeds. A.I. acknowledges support from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration under grant No. 80NSSC18K0828. G.L. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Sklodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 823823 (DUSTBUSTERS). D.P. acknowledges Australian Research Council funding via DP18010423, DP220103767, and DP240103290. G.R. acknowledges funding from the Fondazione Cariplo, grant No. 2022-1217, and the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research & Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 101039651 (DiscEvol). H.-W.Y. acknowledges support from National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in Taiwan through grant NSTC 113-2112-M-001-035- and from the Academia Sinica Career Development Award (AS-CDA-111-M03). G.W.F. acknowledges support from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union Horizon 2020 research and innovation program (grant agreement No. 815559 (MHDiscs)). G.W.F. was granted access to the HPC resources of IDRIS under the allocation A0120402231 made by GENCI. A.J.W. has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under the Marie Skłodowska-Curie grant agreement No. 101104656. T.C.Y. acknowledges support by Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows JP23KJ1008. Support for B.Z. was provided by The Brinson Foundation. This work was partly supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemein- schaft (DFG, German Research Foundation)—Ref no. 325594231 FOR 2634/2 TE 1024/2-1, and by the DFG Cluster of Excellence Origins (www.origins-cluster.de). This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) via the ERC Synergy Grant ECOGAL (grant 855130).The ALMA large program exoALMA offers a unique window into the three-dimensional physical and dynamical properties of 15 circumstellar disks where planets may be actively forming. Here, we present an analysis methodology to map the gas disk structure and substructure encoded in 12CO, 13CO, and CS line emission from our targets. To model and characterize the disk structure probed by optically thin species, such as CS and, in some cases, 13CO, we introduce a composite line profile kernel that accounts for increased intensities caused by the projected overlap between the disk’s front and back side emission. Our workflow, built on the discminer modeling framework, incorporates an improved iterative two-component fitting method for inclined sources (i > 40°) to mitigate the impact of the disk back side on the extraction of velocity maps. Also, we report best-fit parameters for the Keplerian stellar masses, as well as inclinations, position angles, systemic velocities, rotation direction, and emission surfaces of the disks in our sample.Peer reviewe
Predicted role of Mitsugumin 23 in skeletal and cardiac muscle
Get PDFFunding: This work was supported by Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (to D. Watanabe, No. 23K24738 and No. 23KK0297; to M. Nishi, 20K10634; to H. Takeshima, 21H02663). R.C.E is supported by a BBSRC funded EastBio studentship BB/T00875X/1.Mitsugumin 23 (MG23) is a transmembrane protein expressed in the nuclear membrane and endo/sarcoplasmic reticulum (ER/SR) of various tissues, including skeletal and cardiac muscle. MG23 is a non-selective cation channel that has been implicated in the leakage of calcium ions (Ca2+) under diverse pathophysiological conditions. SR Ca2+ leak is considered to be a contributing factor of skeletal muscle weakness and is also implicated in the progression of heart failure. The absence of MG23 has been reported to alleviate negative outcomes associated with SR Ca2+ leak. Targeting MG23 could represent a new therapeutic strategy against muscle disorders. This review discusses the potential role of MG23 in skeletal and cardiac muscle, and highlights MG23 as both a regulator of basal SR Ca2+-handling and a mediator of pathophysiological remodelling in muscle.Peer reviewe
To the victor, the spoils : repatriation issues and case studies within Scottish museums
No full textThis thesis is concerned with discussing the range of issues that are involved in cases of repatriation and also examining the different types of repatriation such as that of human remains and cultural objects. By looking at these matters with reference to Scottish museums it is possible to see the various ways in which requests for repatriation can be dealt with and how the assorted laws and guidelines affect the outcome of repatriation cases.
The “definitive” case in Britain surrounds the Elgin Marbles. Although they were purchased legally by Lord Elgin, a Scot, and subsequently bought by the government, the Greeks want the Marbles to be returned to the Parthenon Museum in Athens where they claim the Marbles rightfully belong. The strong opinions that are voiced during discussions over the Marbles are applicable to any repatriation case whether it is a request from an indigenous community or a Scottish town. All parties involved have an opinion on whether the human remains or cultural objects should be repatriated to the originating community or whether they should be retained by the museum.
Museums around Scotland, including national, local authority and university museums, have been involved with cases of repatriation. Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum, Glasgow, the Marischal Museum, Aberdeen and Edinburgh University Collections have featured prominently in returning remains and cultural objects to communities. However, there are also requests that have been refused for specific reasons and these are examined as well.
Guidelines and legislation provide a way of dealing with such requests but each request should be examined on its own merits in order to establish whether repatriation is possible. This thesis provides a broad look at all of these aspects and while making suggestions, does not make any recommendations and merely seeks to continue the discussions that repatriation creates
The East and the origins of "the West"Drawing boundaries between Russia and Europe in the 19th century
No full textNon peer reviewe
Comparing neural networks against click train detectors to reveal temporal trends in passive acoustic sperm whale detections
Get PDFFunding: The Direcció General de Pesca i Medi Marí del Govern de les Illes Balears - support to obtain data about Sperm Whale presence in Emile Baudot and Mallorca Channel. Additionally, we are grateful to the Fundación Biodiversidad of the Ministerio de Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico for their support of projects CALMA and CALMADOS, which were conducted to assess the temporal presence of cetaceans in the sea mountains Ausiàs March and Monte Olivas.Passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) is an increasingly popular tool to study vocalising species. The amount of data generated by PAM studies calls for robust automatic classifiers. Deep learning (DL) techniques have been proven effective in identifying acoustic signals in challenging datasets, but due to their black-box nature their underlying biases are hard to quantify. This study compares human analyst annotations, a multi-hypothesis tracking (MHT) click train classifier and a DL-based acoustic classifier to classify acoustic recordings based on the presence or absence of sperm whale (Physeter macrocephalus) click trains and study the temporal and spatial distributions of the Mediterranean sperm whale subpopulation around the Balearic Islands. The MHT and DL classifiers showed agreements with human labels of 85.7% and 85.0%, respectively, on data from sites they were trained on, but both saw a drop in performance when deployed on a new site. Agreement rates between classifiers surpassed those between human experts. Modeled seasonal and diel variations in sperm whale detections for both classifiers showed compatible results, revealing an increase in occurrence and diurnal activity during the summer and autumn months. This study highlights the strengths and limitations of two automatic classification algorithms to extract biologically useful information from large acoustic datasets.Peer reviewe
Gl 725A b : a potential super-Earth detected with SOPHIE and SPIRou in an M dwarf binary system at 3.5 pc
Get PDFFunding: We acknowledge funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the H2020 research & innovation program (grant agreement #740651 NewWorlds). PCZ and ACC acknowledge support from STFC consolidated grant number ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant number ST/X002217/1. TWi acknowledges support from the UKSA and the University of Warwick. This project is funded/Co-funded by the European Union (ERC, ESCAPE, project No 101044152). J.H.C.M. is also supported by the European Union (ERC, FIERCE, 101052347).We report the discovery of a super-Earth candidate orbiting the nearby mid-M dwarf Gl 725A using the radial velocity (RV) method. The planetary signal has been independently identified using high-precision RVs from the SOPHIE and SPIRou spectrographs, in the optical and near-infrared (NIR) domains, respectively. We modelled the stellar activity signal jointly with the planet using two Gaussian processes, one for each instrument to account for the chromaticity of the stellar activity and instrumental systematics, along with a Keplerian model. The signal was significantly detected with a RV semi-amplitude of 1.67 ± 0.20 m/s. The planet Gl725A b is found to be in an orbit compatible with circular with a period of 11.2201 ± 0.0051 days. We analysed 27 sectors of TESS photometry, for which no transit event was found. We determined a minimum mass of Mp sin i = 2.78 ± 0.35 M⊕, which places the planet in the super-Earth regime. Using mass-radius relationships, we predict the planetary radius to be between 1.2 and 2.0 R⊕. The proximity of Gl 725A (at only 3.5 pc) makes this new exoplanet one of the closest to Earth and joins the group of S-type low-mass planets in short orbits (P < 15 days) around close M dwarfs.Peer reviewe
Photo-dynamical characterisation of the TOI-178 resonant chain
Get PDFFunding: The contributions at the Mullard Space Science Laboratory by E.M.B. have been supported by STFC through the consolidated grant ST/W001136/1. T.Wi. acknowledges support from the UKSA and the University of Warwick. This research was funded in whole or in part by the UKRI, (Grants ST/X001121/1, EP/X027562/1). A.C.C. acknowledges support from STFC consolidated grant number ST/V000861/1, and UKSA grant number ST/X002217/1. E.G. gratefully acknowledges support from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC. project reference ST/W001047/1). C.He. acknowledges support from the European Union H2020-MSCA-ITN-2019 under Grant Agreement no. 860470 (CHAMELEON). P.M. acknowledges support from STFC research grant number ST/R000638/1. N.C.Sa. acknowledges funding by the European Union (ERC, FIERCE, 101052347). N.A.W. acknowledges UKSA grant ST/R004838/1.Context. The TOI-178 system consists of a nearby, late-K-dwarf with six transiting planets in the super-Earth to mini-Neptune regime, with radii ranging from to 2.9 R⊕ and orbital periods between 1.9 and 20.7 days. All the planets, but the innermost one, form a chain of Laplace resonances. The fine-tuning and fragility of such orbital configurations ensure that no significant scattering or collision event has taken place since the formation and migration of the planets in the protoplanetary disc, thereby providing important anchors for planet formation models. Aims. We aim to improve the characterisation of the architecture of this key system and, in particular, the masses and radii of its planets. In addition, since this system is one of the few resonant chains that can be characterised by both photometry and radial velocities, we propose to use it as a test bench for the robustness of the planetary mass determination with each technique. Methods. We performed a global analysis of all the available photometry from CHEOPS, TESS and NGTS, and radial velocity from ESPRESSO, using a photo-dynamical modelling of the light curve. We also tried different sets of priors on the masses and eccentricity, as well as different stellar activity models, to study their effects on the masses estimated by transit-timing variations (TTVs) and radial velocities (RVs). Results. We demonstrate how stellar activity prevents a robust mass estimation for the three outer planets using radial velocity data alone. We also show that our joint photo-dynamical and radial velocity analysis has resulted in a robust mass determination for planets c to , with precision of ~ 12% for the mass of planet c, and better than 10% for planets d to . The new precisions on the radii range from 2 to 3%. The understanding of this synergy between photometric and radial velocity measurements will be valuable for the PLATO mission. We also show that TOI-178 is indeed currently locked in the resonant configuration, librating around an equilibrium of the chain.Peer reviewe
Testing kinematic distances under a realistic Galactic potential : investigating systematic errors in the kinematic distance method arising from a non-axisymmetric potential
Get PDFFunding: This investigation is funded by the European Research Council under ERC Synergy Grant ECOGAL (grant 855130), lead by Patrick Hennebelle, Ralf S. Klessen, Sergio Molinari and Leonardo Testi. MCS acknowledges financial support from the European Research Council under the ERC Starting Grant “GalFlow” (grant 101116226) and from the Royal Society (URF\R1\221118). EV acknowledges support from an STFC Ernest Rutherford fellowship (ST/X004066/1).Context. Obtaining reliable distance estimates to gas clouds within the Milky Way is challenging in the absence of certain tracers. The kinematic distance approach has been used as an alternative, and it is derived from the assumption of circular trajectories around the Galactic centre. Consequently, significant errors are expected in regions where gas flow deviates from purely circular motions. Aims. We aim to quantify the systematic errors that arise from the kinematic distance method in the presence of a Galactic potential that is non-axisymmetric. We investigated how these errors differ in certain regions of the Galaxy and how they relate to the underlying dynamics. Methods. We performed 2D isothermal hydrodynamical simulation of the gas disk with the moving-mesh code AREPO, adding the capability of using an external potential provided by the AGAMA library for galactic dynamics. We introduced a new analytic potential of the Milky Way, taking elements from existing models and adjusting parameters to match recent observational constraints. Results. In line with results of previous studies, we report significant errors in the kinematic distance estimate for gas close to the Sun along sight lines towards the Galactic centre and anti-centre and associated with the Galactic bar. Kinematic distance errors are low within the spiral arms, as gas resides close to local potential minima and the resulting line-of-sight velocity is similar to what is expected for an axisymmetric potential. Interarm regions exhibit large deviations at any given Galactic radius, and this is caused by the gas being sped up or slowed down as it travels into or out of spiral arms. In addition, we identify ‘zones of avoidance’ in the lv-diagram, where the kinematic distance method is particularly unreliable and should only be used with caution, and we find a power-law relation between the kinematic distance error and the deviation of the projected line-of-sight velocity from circular motion.Peer reviewe
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