Recent Experimental Tests of Special Relativity

We review our recent Michelson-Morley (MM) and Kennedy-Thorndike (KT) experiment, which tests Lorentz invariance in the photon sector, and report first results of our ongoing atomic clock test of Lorentz invariance in the matter sector. The MM-KT experiment compares a cryogenic microwave resonator to a hydrogen maser, and has set the most stringent limit on a number of parameters in alternative theories to special relativity. We also report first results of a test of Lorentz invariance in the SME (Standard Model Extension) matter sector, using Zeeman transitions in a laser cooled Cs atomic fountain clock. We describe the experiment together with the theoretical model and analysis. Recent experimental results are presented and we give a first estimate of components of the $\tilde{c}^p$ parameters of the SME matter sector. A full analysis of systematic effects is still in progress, and will be the subject of a future publication together with our final results. If confirmed, the present limits would correspond to first ever measurements of some $\tilde{c}^p$ components, and improvements by 11 and 14 orders of magnitude on others.Comment: 29 pages. Contribution to Springer Lecture Notes, "Special Relativity - Will it survive the next 100 years ?", Proceedings, Potsdam, 200

Supramolecular self-assembly of polyoxometalates and cyclodextrin: Progress and perspectives

In this study, we present a comprehensive overview of supramolecular self-assemblies comprising cyclodextrins (CDs) and polyoxometalates (POMs). We summarize the recent advancements in supramolecular POM–CD systems, including their structures, functions, and applications. Subsequently, we focus on the self-assembly behavior of CDs and POMs, encompassing the formation of inclusion complexes, host–guest interactions, and the development of hybrid materials. In addition, we discuss the remarks on future outlooks and hope that this review will serve as a valuable reference for researchers engaged in the fields of supramolecular/POM chemistry, materials science, and nanotechnology

arrayMap: A Reference Resource for Genomic Copy Number Imbalances in Human Malignancies

Background: The delineation of genomic copy number abnormalities (CNAs) from cancer samples has been instrumental for identification of tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes and proven useful for clinical marker detection. An increasing number of projects have mapped CNAs using high-resolution microarray based techniques. So far, no single resource does provide a global collection of readily accessible oncoge- nomic array data. Methodology/Principal Findings: We here present arrayMap, a curated reference database and bioinformatics resource targeting copy number profiling data in human cancer. The arrayMap database provides a platform for meta-analysis and systems level data integration of high-resolution oncogenomic CNA data. To date, the resource incorporates more than 40,000 arrays in 224 cancer types extracted from several resources, including the NCBI's Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO), EBIs ArrayExpress (AE), The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA), publication supplements and direct submissions. For the majority of the included datasets, probe level and integrated visualization facilitate gene level and genome wide data re- view. Results from multi-case selections can be connected to downstream data analysis and visualization tools. Conclusions/Significance: To our knowledge, currently no data source provides an extensive collection of high resolution oncogenomic CNA data which readily could be used for genomic feature mining, across a representative range of cancer entities. arrayMap represents our effort for providing a long term platform for oncogenomic CNA data independent of specific platform considerations or specific project dependence. The online database can be accessed at http://www.arraymap.org.Comment: 17 pages, 5 inline figures, 3 tables, supplementary figures/tables split into 4 PDF files; manuscript submitted to PLoS ON

Novel functional polyoxo-metalate (POM) materials: synthetic strategies and applications

9. Polyoxometallate (POMs) sind eine grosse Familie von molekularen Metall-Sauerstoff-Verbindungen der frühen Übergangsmetalle in hohen Oxidationszuständen, mit VV, MoVI und WVI als häufigsten Vertretern. Die Entwicklung von Polyoxometallaten ist hochgradig interdisziplinär: Beiträge aus der Struktur- und Materialchemie im Grenzgebiet zwischen Festkörper- und Moleküldesign eröffnen ein unerreicht vielfältiges Feld an Anwendungen. Neben der aktuellen Elektro-, Magneto-, Medizinal- und Photochemie profitiert auch die Katalyse von POMs, vor allem in Form von Säure- und Oxidationskatalysatoren für wichtige organische Reaktionen in der chemischen Industrie. Heutzutage werden bedeutende Anstrengungen unternommen, um neue POM-basierte Moleküle mit einzigartigen Strukturen und faszinierenden Eigenschaften zu entwickeln. Die vorliegende Doktorarbeit umfasst daher zwei Hauptteile: TEIL 1 (Kapitel 3-4) befasst sich mit der systematischen Entwicklung von neuen Lanthanoid-substituierten Polyoxometallaten (LSPs) mit faszinierender Topologie, sowie photochemischen und magnetischen Eigenschaften. TEIL 2 (Kapitel 5-7) behandelt die Entwicklung von neuen Übergangsmetall-substituierten Polyoxometallaten (TMSPs) für die oxidative Katalyse sowie die vertieften Untersuchung der zugrundeliegenden katalytischen Mechanismen. Der erste Teil der Arbeit (Kapitel 3-4) etabliert das trivakante Keggin-Ion [A-α-SiW9O34]10- als vielseitigen Ausgangsstoff zur Konstruktion von LSPs mit verschiedenen Strukturmotiven und Eigenschaften. Diese strukturelle Vielfalt, von einzelnen Bausteinen hin zu polymeren Netzwerken, kann durch geeignete Wahl der Syntheseparameter (pH Wert, Kationen, Stöchiometrie, Temperature, etc.) flexibel beeinflusst werden. Im dritten Kapitel wird der Keggin-Prekursor {SiW9} via den Einbau von Lanthanoid-Kationen in das offene Wells-Dawson-Anion [A-α-Si2W18O66]16- überführt. Aus einfachen („one-step“) Reaktionen des [A-α-SiW9O34]10- {SiW9} Vorläufers in Pufferlösungen konnten fünf neue polymerische Ln-basierte offene Wells-Dawson POMs [Ln2(H2O)7Si2W18O66]10n- (Ln = GdIII (Gd-1, Gd-2), TbIII (Tb-2), DyIII (Dy-2), HoIII (Ho-2)) isoliert werden

Mesoporous Hollow MnO₂nanotubes Confined Sulfur As Cathode

The lithium–sulfur battery is receiving intense interest because its theoretical energy density exceeds that of traditional lithium-ion batteries at a much lower cost, but practical applications are still hindered by capacity decay caused by the polysulfide shuttle. Here, we fabricate the mesoporous hollow MnO2 nanotubes as efficient sulfur hosts. To begin with, the self-standing carbon nanofibrous membranes are prepared via electro spinning and high-temperature carbonization, followed by an in situ redox reaction in KMnO4 solution to coat the carbon nanofiber (CNF) template with MnO2 nanosheets until the CNFs are consumed. The synthesized mesoporous hollow MnO2 nanotubes are composed of an inner shell of packed MnO2, and an outer shell of mesoporous sheet like MnO2, which provide physical confinement and chemical interaction and show excellent efficiency for trapping the polysulfides. With a high sulfur content of 73 wt%, in the composite and a areal sulfur mass loading of 2 mgcm-2 in the electrode, the sulfur- mesoporous hollow MnO2 nanotubes electrode delivered a specific capacity of 1213 mAhg-1 at 0.5 C and maintained a stable cycling performance at 1 C over 300 cycles. References [1] Huang Y, Liang Z, Miao Y E, et al. Diameter-Controlled Synthesis and Capacitive Performance of Mesoporous Dual-Layer MnO 2 Nanotubes[J]. Chemnanomat, 2015, 1(3):159–166. [2] Liang X, Hart C, Pang Q, et al. A highly efficient polysulfide mediator for lithium–sulfur batteries[J]. Nature Communications, 2015, 6:5682-5682. [3] Zhen L, Jintao Z, Lou X W D. Frontispiece: Hollow Carbon Nanofibers Filled with MnO2 Nanosheets as Efficient Sulfur Hosts for Lithium-Sulfur Batteries.[J]. Angewandte Chemie International Edition, 2015, 54(44) . Acknowledgement This work was financially supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 21273195), a Project Funded by the Priority Academic Program Development of Jiangsu Higher Education Institutions.</jats:p

A novel hexanuclear titanium(<scp>iv</scp>)-oxo-iminodiacetate cluster with a <b>Ti</b>₆<b>O</b>₉ core: single-crystal structure and photocatalytic activities

A new family of hexanuclear titanium(iv)-oxo-carboxylate cluster containing a {Ti6O9} core exhibiting remarkable potential as a visible-light homogeneous photocatalyst.</p