CONTRIBUTION OF RESONANCE RAMAN EXCITATION SPECTROSCOPY FOR PROBING ELECTRONICALLY EXCITED-STATES - NATURE OF A PORPHYRIN-DNA EXCIPLEX

The resonance Raman spectra of a water-soluble metalloporphyrin Cu(TMpy-P4), complexed with a synthetic nucleic acid, poly(dA-dT), were measured by using excitation wavelengths located within the B (Soret) transition of the porphyrin (417-470 nm), while its excited state was synchronously pumped with 545-nm pulsed excitation corresponding to the Q transition. In the presence of pump pulses, the aqueous solution of the Cu(TMpy-P4).poly(dA-dT) complex exhibits resonance Raman bands at 1558 and 1353 cm-1 that are not observed in the absence of pump pulses. These new features were previously assigned to electronically excited Cu(TMpy-P4), stabilized by forming an exciplex with the A-T sites of the nucleic acid. Here we present resonance Raman excitation profiles (RREP) of both the excited and ground states of the complex, and we experimentally confirm the very short lifetime of the exciplex. To our knowledge this is the first time that a RREP of a very short lived (ca. 20 ps) intermediate excited state has been obtained with a two-color experiment. We use this to help to characterize the nature of the porphyrin-AT specific complex formed in the porphyrin excited state.

Happiness and Well-Being of Young Carers: Extent, Nature and Correlates of Caring Among 10 and 11 Year Old School Children

Young carers often take on practical and/or emotional caring responsibilities that would normally be expected of an adult. For many of these children and young people, caring has been shown to have a detrimental effect on their lives. For example, caring at a young age appears to be associated with poor health and well-being, bullying and poorer educational outcomes. However, previous research has tended to be retrospective, carried out using small surveys of secondary school-aged children or to use qualitative methods with young people associated with caring projects. In contrast, little is known about the extent and nature of caring undertaken by younger children. This paper reports findings from a random sample survey of 10 and 11 year old children in the final year of their primary school education. 4,192 children completed the Kids’ Life and Times (KLT) online survey in 2011. Twelve percent of respondents to KLT said they helped look after someone in their household who was sick, elderly or disabled. Supporting previous qualitative research, this survey showed that children who were carers had poorer health and well-being, reported less happiness with their lives, were more likely to be bullied at school and had poorer educational aspirations and outcomes than their peers who were not carers. These findings suggest that teachers need to discuss the issue of caring with children in the classroom in a general and supportive way so that young carers feel able to confide in them and seek support if they need it.

On the nature of the progenitors of three Type II-P supernovae: 2004et, 2006my and 2006ov

The pre-explosion observations of the Type II-P supernovae 2006my, 2006ov and 2004et are re-analysed. In the cases of supernovae 2006my and 2006ov we argue that the published candidate progenitors are not coincident with their respective supernova sites in pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope observations. We therefore derive upper luminosity and mass limits for the unseen progenitors of both these supernovae, assuming they are red supergiants: 2006my (log L/L-circle dot = 4.51; m

The problem with law in books and law in computers - the oral nature of law

It is becoming clear that, contrary to earlier expectations, the application of AI techniques to law is not as easy nor as effective as some claimed. Unfortunately, for most AI researchers, there seems to be little understanding of just why this is. In this paper I argue, from empirical study of lawyers in action, just why there is a mismatch between the AI view of law, and law in practice. While this is important and novel, it also - if my arguments are accepted - demonstrates just why AI will never have success in producing the computerised lawyer.

The type IIb SN 2008ax: the nature of the progenitor

A source coincident with the position of the type IIb supernova (SN) 2008ax is identified in pre-explosion Hubble Space Telescope (HST) Wide Field Planetary Camera 2 observations in three optical filters. We identify and constrain two possible progenitor systems: (i) a single massive star that lost most of its hydrogen envelope through radiatively driven mass-loss processes, prior to exploding as a helium-rich Wolf-Rayet star with a residual hydrogen envelope, and (ii) an interacting binary in a low-mass cluster producing a stripped progenitor. Late time, high-resolution observations along with detailed modelling of the SN will be required to reveal the true nature of this progenitor star.

Sexing up the city in the international beauty contest: the performative nature of spatial planning and the fictive spectacle of place branding

This paper responds to recent calls for more academic research and critical discussion on the relationship between spatial planning and city branding. Through the lens of Liverpool, the article analyses how key planning projects have delivered major transformations in the city's built environment and cultural landscape. More specifically, in concentrating on the performative nature of spatial planning it reveals the physical, symbolic and discursive re-imaging of Liverpool into a 'world class city'. Another aspect of the paper presents important socioeconomic datasets and offers a critical reading of the re-branding in showing how it presents an inaccurate representation of Liverpool. The evidence provided indicates that a more accurate label for Liverpool is a polarised and divided city, thereby questioning the fictive spectacle of city branding. Finally, the paper ends with some critical commentary on the role of spatial planning as an accessory to the sophistry of city branding.

Ubiquitous Nature of Multimode Vibrational Resonances in Positron-Molecule Annihilation

Positron annihilation on many molecules occurs via positron capture into vibrational Feshbach resonances, with annihilation rates often further enhanced by energy transfer to vibrational excitations weakly coupled to the positron continuum. Data presented here uncover another scenario in which the positron couples directly to a quasicontinuum of multimode vibrational states. A model that assumes excitation and escape from a statistically complete ensemble of multimode vibrations is presented that reproduces key features of the data.

British Constructions with Constitutions:The Formal and Informal Nature of 'Island' Relations on Montserrat and Gibraltar

This article explores social, economic and political relations on two British Dependent Territories (BDTs) -- Montserrat and Gibraltar. This article notes that though BDTs are British colonial constructions, created, sustained and modelled upon and by Britain, they differ from Britain in that they have political constitutions. They also exhibit an ambiguous dependence and independence upon and with Britain. This article goes on to look at social and economic relations on Montserrat and Gibraltar before comparing and contrasting the political climates on each BDT. Throughout this article, it is suggested that there is a dynamic tension between formal and informal aspects to managing life. Finally, this article concludes with a discussion about the suitability of the split between Executive and Legislative Councils in these two BDTs.