Use of colloidal ruthenium particles in the electrochemical reduction of benzene by solvated electrons

Ruthenium colloidal particles prepared by the decomposition of a ruthenium acid sulfite complex increased the electrochemical reduction of benzene from 45% to 60% at room temperature and 10 psig of hydrogen. The reduction was carried out in a 21 mole % ethanol - 79 mole % hexamethylphosporamide. The significant increase in the percent of benzene reduced was accompanied by an apparent current efficiency of 98%. Comparison with analogous experiments employing colloidal platinum particles indicates that the above increase in benzene reduction can be attributed to direct catalytic hydrogenation by the ruthenium.     

Laser-Printed Plasmonic Metasurface Supporting Bound States in the Continuum Enhances and Shapes Infrared Spontaneous Emission of Coupled HgTe Quantum Dots

In order to advance the development of quantum emitter-based devices, it is essential to enhance light-matter interactions through coupling between semiconductor quantum dots with high quality factor resonators. Here, efficient tuning of the emission properties of HgTe quantum dots in the infrared spectral region is demonstrated by coupling them to a plasmonic metasurface that supports bound states in the continuum. The plasmonic metasurface, composed of an array of gold nanobumps, is fabricated using single-step direct laser printing, opening up new opportunities for creating exclusive 3D plasmonic nanostructures and advanced photonic devices in the infrared region. A 12-fold enhancement of the photoluminescence in the 900–1700 nm range is observed under optimal coupling conditions. By tuning the geometry of the plasmonic arrays, controllable shaping of the emission spectra is achieved, selectively enhancing specific wavelength ranges across the emission spectrum. The observed enhancement and shaping of the emission are attributed to the Purcell effect, as corroborated by systematic measurements of radiative lifetimes and optical simulations based on the numerical solution of Maxwell's equations. Moreover, coupling of the HgTe photoluminescence to high quality factor modes of the metasurface improves emission directivity, concentrating output within an ≈20° angle.     

Assessing the risk of climate change for buildings: A comparison between multi-year and probabilistic reference year simulations

Given a changing climate, there is a need to provide data for future years so that practicing engineers can investigate the impact of climate change on particular designs and examine any risk the client might be exposed to. In addition, such files are of use to building scientists in developing generic solutions to problems such as elevated internal temperatures and poor thermal comfort. With the release of the UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) [1], and the publication of a methodology for the creation of probabilistic future reference years using the UKCP09 weather generator [2], it is possible to model future building performance. However, the collapse of the distribution of possibilities inherent in the UKCP09 method into a single reference year or a small number of reference years, potentially means the loss of most of the information about the potential range of the response of the building and of the risk occupants might be subject to. In this paper we model for the first time the internal conditions and energy use of a building with all 3000 example years produced by the UKCP09 weather generator in an attempt to study the full range of response and risk. The resultant histograms and cumulative distribution functions are then used to examine whether single reference years can be used to answer questions about response and risk under a changing climate, or whether a more probabilistic approach is unavoidable.     

Electron fractography and fatigue crack propagation in 7075-T6 aluminum sheet

A centrally slotted thick sheet of 7075-T6 aluminum alloy was cyclically loaded. Striation spacings and crack propagation rates on the specimen surface were measured and compared and the fractographs were examined. The average striation spacing is found proportional to K ^1.8; while the surface crack propagation rate is proportional to K^{2 8}, where K is stress intensity factor range. Cleavage fractures of brittle particles appear to cause a difference between the overall surface crack propagation rate and striation spacings.In the lower K region, there are fewer cleavage fractures, the striations are more distinct and the directions of the striations do not deviate much from the normal to the direction of the overall crack propagation. In the higher K region, there are more cleavage fractures. In this region striations run in divergent directions and become less evident. The differences in fracture surface features result from the cleavage fracture of brittle particles.

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Zusammenfassung Ein zentral geschlitztes Blech aus Aluminium-legierung wurde zyklischen Beanspruchungen unterworfen.Die Abstände zwischen den Verformungslinien sowie die Rißfortpflanzungsgeschwindigkeit an der Proben-oberfläche wurden gemessen und miteinander verglichen; die Mikrofiaktogramme wurden untersucht.Es ergab sick daß der mittlere Abstand zwischen zwei Verformungslinien K ^1.8 proportional ist, während die an der Oberfläche gemessene Rißfortpflanzungsgeschwindigkeit K ^2.8 proportional ist, wobei K der Schwankungsbereich den Span nungsintensitätsfaktors darstellt.Dieses unterschiedliche Verhalten wird durch das Auftreten von Spaltbruchen in den spröden Materialteilen erklärt. Im Bereich kleiner K-Werte gibt es nur wenig Spaltbrüche; die Verformungslinien sind gut ausgebildet and ihre Richtung weicht nur geringfügig von der Normalen zur allgemeinen RiBfortpflanzungsrichtung ab.Im Bereich hoher K-Werte sind die Spaltbrüche zahlreicher und die Verformungslinien entwickeln sich nach verschiedenen Richtungen ; sie Bind auch weniger ausgeprägt. Die Unterschiede in der Ausbildung der Bruchoberfläche stammen von den Spaltbruchen spröder Teilchen her.

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Résumé Une tôle de d'alliage d'aluminium comportant une entaille en son centre a été soumisse à sollicitations cyclicques.On a mesuré et comparé les espacements entre les stries, et les vitesses de propagation de la fissure en surface. Des microfractographies ont également été effectuées. On a trouvé que la distance moyenne séparant deux stries était proportionnelle à K ^1.8, tandis que la vitesse de propagation de la fissure, mesureé en surface, était proportionnelle à K ^2.8, K désignant l'intervalle de variation du facteur d'intensité des contraintes.Des ruptures par clivage de portions fragiles apparaissent être la cause des differences rencontrées.Dans la zone des faibles valeurs de K, il n'y a que peu de ruptures par clivage, les stries sont plus distinctes, et leur orientation ne dévie pas beaucoup de la normale à la direction générale de la propagation de la fissure.Dans la zone des valeurs élevées de K, les ruptures par clivage sent plus nombreuses; les stries se développent selon des orientations divergentes; elles deviennent moins visibles.Les différences qui caractérisent les aspects des ruptures precedent de la rupture par clivage de portions fragiles.

     

Temperature‐Dependent Exciton and Trap‐Related Photoluminescence of CdTe Quantum Dots Embedded in a NaCl Matrix: Implication in Thermometry

Temperature‐dependent optical studies of semiconductor quantum dots (QDs) are fundamentally important for a variety of sensing and imaging applications. The steady‐state and time‐resolved photoluminescence properties of CdTe QDs in the size range from 2.3 to 3.1 nm embedded into a protective matrix of NaCl are studied as a function of temperature from 80 to 360 K. The temperature coefficient is found to be strongly dependent on QD size, with the highest sensitivity obtained for the smallest size of QDs. The emission from solid‐state CdTe QD‐based powders is maintained with high color purity over a wide range of temperatures. Photoluminescence lifetime data suggest that temperature dependence of the intrinsic radiative lifetime in CdTe QDs is rather weak, and it is mostly the temperature‐dependent nonradiative decay of CdTe QDs which is responsible for the thermal quenching of photoluminescence intensity. By virtue of the temperature‐dependent photoluminescence behavior, high color purity, photostability, and high photoluminescence quantum yield (26%–37% in the solid state), CdTe QDs embedded in NaCl matrices are useful solid‐state probes for thermal imaging and sensing over a wide range of temperatures within a number of detection schemes and outstanding sensitivity, such as luminescence thermochromic imaging, ratiometric luminescence, and luminescence lifetime thermal sensing.     

Xenospecific CD8+ cytotoxic T lymphocyte generation: accessory function for CD4+ T cells and natural killer 1.1+ cells

BACKGROUND: Controversy exists as to whether natural killer (NK)1.1+ cells additionally support cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) generation. We have previously demonstrated that mice generate a strong in vitro xenospecific CTL response in local popliteal lymph nodes (LN) to footpad immunizations with large numbers of human tumor cells. METHODS: In vivo depletion of various LN subsets using cytotoxic monoclonal antibodies was used to determine their relative importance in stimulating xenospecific CD8+ CTL responses to human Jurkat tumor cells. Depletion of functional NK cells in vivo was evidenced by the relative lack of NK1.1+ cells and NK activity in the spleens and LN of anti-NK1.1 monoclonal antibody-treated mice. CONCLUSION: Depletion of LN subsets indicated that CD4+ T cells were critical in generating an effective xenospecific CD8+ CTL response, but also suggested that NK1.1+ cells play a significant additional accessory role in the development of mouse anti-human xenospecific CTL.     

Identification of podocalyxin-like protein as a high endothelial venule ligand for L-selectin: parallels to CD34

The leukocyte adhesion molecule, L-selectin, mediates the recruitment of lymphocytes to secondary lymphoid organs via interactions with specific ligands presented on high endothelial venules (HEV). Although the HEV-derived ligands for L-selectin are still incompletely defined, they share a common sialomucin-like structure which is thought to present clustered oligosaccharides to the lectin domain of L-selectin. Podocalyxin-like protein (PCLP) is a transmembrane sialomucin that is similar in structure to the well-characterized L-selectin ligand CD34. PCLP has been shown previously to be expressed on the foot processes of podocytes in the kidney glomerulus as well as on vascular endothelium at some sites. We have determined that PCLP is present on HEV, where it binds to both recombinant L-selectin and the HEV-specific monoclonal antibody MECA-79. Furthermore, purified HEV-derived PCLP is able to support the tethering and rolling of lymphocytes under physiological flow conditions in vitro. These results suggest a novel function for PCLP as an adhesion molecule and allow the definition of conserved structural features in PCLP and CD34, which may be important for L-selectin ligand function.