Fellow Of The Royal Society Research Articles

Snow Falling Through Smoke

Snow Falling Through Smoke Sean O’Brien (bio) Snow was falling through the smoke. The lightWas the same as the beef tea I set by the bed.Was I a relative? A servant? Hard to say,Since everything resigned itself to duty.When I was a child and called awayFrom reading to be useful in the house,I saw what must become of me. And nowI felt myself abandoned by my name,To watch that yellow face that wouldn’t die:This year, next year, then my turnTo wear the grave-clothes in the attic bed.I knew that I must leave the room, and when I didI heard the snow, as if I were not there,But was an ear, an afterwards, a nobody,Perpetual and incomplete among the smokeThat hung along the ridges of the roofs,A flake of icy rage among the millionsTo whom the blizzard was the sum of things.For hours I stood at the head of the stairsBeneath the dim deadlight, with nothing in mindExcept that I must rouse myself or else be lost.And yet I could not see my way. The house itselfSeemed far off then, forgotten, like somethingAlready surrendered. I say it was madnessThat came up around me, as water will coilThrough the decks of a ship. Too lateFor these reflections, I remarked, and then was gladThat there was no one present who might hear,And, with an effort, gathering myself at last,Pretending not to listen to the snow,Went back into the bedroom, since I must. [End Page 55] Sean O’Brien Sean O’Brien’s tenth collection of poems, It Says Here, is to be published by Picador in autumn 2020. His work has received awards including the T. S. Eliot Prize, the Forward Prize, and the E. M. Forster Award. His Collected Poems appeared in 2012. He has translated the Inferno, as well as works by Aristophanes, Fortino Cortes, and Lope de Vega. A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, he is Professor of Creative Writing at Newcastle University and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne. Copyright © 2020 Middlebury College Publications

Introducing our Inaugural Early Career Advisory Board

Introducing our Inaugural Early Career Advisory Board

From partitions to Hodge numbers of Hilbert schemes of surfaces.

We celebrate the 100th anniversary of Srinivasa Ramanujan's election as a Fellow of the Royal Society, which was largely based on his work with G. H. Hardy on the asymptotic properties of the partition function. After recalling this revolutionary work, marking the birth of the 'circle method', we present a contemporary example of its legacy in topology. We deduce the equidistribution of Hodge numbers for Hilbert schemes of suitable smooth projective surfaces. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Srinivasa Ramanujan: in celebration of the centenary of his election as FRS'.

Asymptotics and Ramanujan's mock theta functions: then and now.

This article is in commemoration of Ramanujan's election as Fellow of The Royal Society 100 years ago, as celebrated at the October 2018 scientific meeting at the Royal Society in London. Ramanujan's last letter to Hardy, written shortly after his election, surrounds his mock theta functions. While these functions have been of great importance and interest in the decades following Ramanujan's death in 1920, it was unclear how exactly they fit into the theory of modular forms-Dyson called this 'a challenge for the future' at another centenary conference in Illinois in 1987, honouring the 100th anniversary of Ramanujan's birth. In the early 2000s, Zwegers finally recognized that Ramanujan had discovered glimpses of special families of non-holomorphic modular forms, which we now know to be Bruinier and Funke's harmonic Maass forms from 2004, the holomorphic parts of which are called mock modular forms. As of a few years ago, a fundamental question from Ramanujan's last letter remained, on a certain asymptotic relationship between mock theta functions and ordinary modular forms. The author, with Ono and Rhoades, revisited Ramanujan's asymptotic claim, and established a connection between mock theta functions and quantum modular forms, which were not defined until 90 years later in 2010 by Zagier. Here, we bring together past and present, and study the relationships between mock modular forms and quantum modular forms, with Ramanujan's mock theta functions as motivation. In particular, we highlight recent work of Bringmann-Rolen, Choi-Lim-Rhoades and Griffin-Ono-Rolen in our discussion. This article is largely expository, but not exclusively: we also establish a new interpretation of Ramanujan's radial asymptotic limits in the subject of topology. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Srinivasa Ramanujan: in celebration of the centenary of his election as FRS'.

How to Measure the Reaction Performance of Heterogeneous Catalytic Reactions Reliably

Ding Ma is a professor of Peking University. He is an advisory member for various journals, has been Associate Editor for the catalysis journal of RSC, Catalysis Science & Technology, since 2014, and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2016. His research interests are heterogeneous catalysis, especially those related with energy issues, including C1 chemistry (methane, CO2, and syngas conversion), new reaction routes for sustainable chemistry, and the development of an in situ spectroscopic method that can be operated at working reaction conditions to study reaction mechanisms. Bingjun Xu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at University of Delaware. He received his PhD in Physical Chemistry, advised by Prof. Friend, from Harvard University in 2011 and worked with Prof. Davis at Caltech as a postdoctoral researcher. The overarching goal of Xu research group is to develop innovative strategies to produce renewable electricity, fuels, and chemicals by the rational design of efficient thermo- and electro-catalytic processes. A special focus is placed on the mechanistic understanding of surface-mediated reactions by employing and developing state-of-the-art spectroscopic and kinetic techniques. Meng Wang is a Research Scientist in the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University. He received his PhD in Chemistry from Technical University of Munich, advised by Prof. Lercher, in 2018 and worked in Pacific Northwest National Laboratory as a Research Associate from 2015 to 2019. Wang’s principal research task focuses on deciphering the kinetic and mechanistic pathways for catalytic reactions by combining reaction kinetics, isotopic experiments, and various in situ characterization methods. Mengtao Zhang is a PhD student in the College of Chemistry and Molecular Engineering at Peking University (Prof. Ding Ma). He received his BS (Chemistry) from Nanjing University in 2015. His research interests include water activation and hydrogen production, CO2 and other greenhouse gas conversion into desirable chemicals, design and development of new catalysts, and operando reaction mechanism and kinetics study.

An interview with Kate Storey.

Kate Storey is Professor of Neural Development and Head of the Division of Cell and Developmental Biology at the University of Dundee in Scotland. Her lab works on neural differentiation in the developing spinal cord. A Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Biology, in 2019 she was awarded the British Society for Developmental Biology's (BSDB) Waddington Medal, which recognises outstanding individuals who have made major contributions to UK developmental biology. After her award lecture, we caught up with Kate to survey her career and hear her thoughts on the field's future.

The earliest experimental convulsions by Joseph Priestley in 1766 friendship with Benjamin Franklin

In 1766, Joseph Priestley (1733–1804) was the first to systematically demonstrate the universal convulsive effect of an electrical discharge applied to the head of all the several species studied. We here republish his overlooked experiments, which often resulted in death, and which ante date the scientific studies of the electrical functions of the brain, the role of “discharges” in seizures, and experimental epilepsy by about a century.Priestley's studies of electricity were influenced by those of Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790), who became a good friend during Franklin's prolonged period in London between 1757 and 1775. Both were elected Fellows of the Royal Society and both were awarded the Copley Medal of that Society.Priestley's experiments are relevant to the history of epilepsy and neuropsychiatry, and to the modern study of sudden unexplained death in epilepsy (SUDEP).

Editorial

Editorial

James Alexander Green. 26 February 1926—7 April 2014

James Alexander Green, known as Sandy, was a mathematician of great influence and distinction. He was an algebraist, famous for his work on modular representations of finite groups, and the development of the theory of polynomial representations of general linear groups. He was elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1968) and Fellow of the Royal Society of London (1987). He was awarded prizes of the London Mathematical Society, a Senior Berwick Prize (in 1984) and the De Morgan Medal (in 2001). In his doctoral thesis, on semigroups, Sandy introduced fundamental relations, now known as ‘Green's relations’. He determined the characters of arbitrary finite general linear groups published 1955. Sandy then turned to representations of finite groups over fields of prime characteristic; his work laid the foundations for the module theoretic approach to the subject. His next highlight is his monograph on polynomial representations of GL n , published in 1980, which has become the basis for algebraic highest weight theory. Furthermore, in 1995 he proved a fundamental result on Hall algebras, establishing a connection between quantum groups and representations of finite-dimensional quiver algebras.

Reflections on Randomized Trials and Observational Studies: "Big Is Beautiful" A Conversation With Sir Rory Collins, FRS.

Rory Collins is the Head, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Principal Investigator and Chief Executive, UK Biobank, and the British Heart Foundation Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology at the University of Oxford. He was born in Hong Kong and received his medical degree from St Thomas's Hospital Medical School, University of London. He was Knighted for Services to Science in 2011 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2015. He has delivered the Paul Dudley White International Lecture of the American Heart Association and the Royal Society of Medicine William Harvey Lecture, and he has received both the European Society of Cardiology Gold Medal and the British Cardiovascular Society MacKenzie Medal.

Richard Waller and the Fusion of Visual and Scientific Practice in the Early Royal Society

Richard Waller, Fellow and Secretary of the Royal Society, is probably best remembered for editing Robert Hooke’s posthumously published works. Yet, Waller also created numerous drawings, paintings, and engravings for his own work and the Society’s publications. From precisely observed grasses to allegorical frontispieces, Waller’s images not only contained a diverse range of content, they are some of the most beautiful, colorful, and striking from the Society’s early years. This article argues that Waller played a distinctly important role in shaping the visual program of the Royal Society by virtue of his multiple functions as reliable administrator and translator, competent natural philosopher, and skilled image-maker. It analyzes Waller’s visual works in the context of his graphic training—in part influenced by his mother Mary More—and situates them within the context of English image-making traditions and Waller’s own natural philosophical interests. Examined as a functional whole, Waller’s career as a Fellow of the Royal Society emerges as an important case study in the fusion of visual and scientific practices in early-modern England.

New Fellows of the Royal Society

New Fellows of the Royal Society

Growth of Boron-Doped Diamond Films on Gold-Coated Substrates with and without Gold Nanoparticle Formation

This work was financially supported by the Hasselt Univ. Special Research Fund (BOF) and the Methusalem NANO network. The Hercules Foundation Flanders is acknowledged for financial support of the Raman and LA MW CVD equipment. S.S.N. is a Newton International Fellow of the Royal Society. P.P. is a Postdoctoral Fellow, and J.R. is a Ph.D. Fellow of the Research Foundation-Flanders (FWO). We gratefully acknowledge Prof. Bohuslav Rezek for fruitful discussions, Mr. Bart Ruttens for EDX spectroscopic measurements, and Mr. Johnny Baccus for technical assistance.

John Mercer FRS, FCS, MPhS, JP: the Father of Textile Chemistry

John Mercer (1791–1866) was a pioneering textile and colour chemist with a legacy of achievements. His invention of mercerising that bears his name, treating cellulosics with sodium hydroxide to bring about advantageous changes in fibre and fabric properties, will stand for all time as one of the most important textile chemical treatments ever developed. However, Mercer's contributions to the textiles and coloration industries went far beyond mercerisation. A self‐taught chemical experimentalist par excellence, his keen observations and interest in calico printing led to many novel developments, such as his work on Chrome Yellow and other ‘mineral colours’. Mercer developed new methods for fixing Prussian Blue on calico and wool, developed new mordants for dyeing, improved the extraction of carminic acid from cochineal, and improved the oiling process in Turkey Red dyeing. He saved lives with his research into early antimicrobials, preventing the spread of cholera in textile villages in Lancashire. Mercer was an unsung hero of early photography, and developed light‐sensitive imaging materials and made some of the earliest recorded monochromatic colour photographs. His forward‐looking views on technical education, that workers in the industry should be fully instructed in the nature of the various substances used in their arts, later came to fruition in the establishment of the textile departments in Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. To this day, Mercer remains the only textile chemist who has ever been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society since 1852. He is thus quite rightly considered as the Father of Textile Chemistry.

Editorial

Editorial

Sir Diarmuid Downs CBE. 23 April 1922—12 February 2014

Diarmuid Downs was a one-company man. He started work at Ricardo in 1942, after graduation from the University of London, Northampton Polytechnic (now City University) with a first-class honours degree in engineering, and retired 45 years later. His early meticulously executed research concentrated on spark-ignition combustion phenomena—essentially knock, pre-ignition and the effects of fuel additives— an important understanding in those early days for the oil and additive companies. Later, in the 1970s, his attention moved to engine and vehicle exhaust emission control, a key emerging technology at that time. In his more senior years, he took a broader picture of the industry and technology, building on his detailed pioneering research as he continued to develop his vision and balanced technical judgement. Recognized and encouraged initially by Harry Ricardo, he rose quickly to senior positions in the company, becoming a board member at the age of 35 and managing director 10 years later. In 1976 he became joint chairman and managing director, ultimately to become chairman and finally to retire in 1987. He authored or co-authored some 46 technical papers in his working career. He has been described as a ‘gentleman engineer’ with strong support for his staff at all levels. In the broad spectrum of engineering disciplines, Diarmuid leaned more towards the intellectual/scientific end. He was a deep thinker, with a prodigious memory and love of the arts as well as biographical and historical literature. He inspired respect through his vision, balanced judgement and supreme confidence and was an articulate orator. He was awarded many honours in his lifetime, including a CBE in 1979, a knighthood in 1985 and in the same year Fellowship of the Royal Society. He held appointments in over 30 professional organizations, including four charities, to which he and his wife, Carmel, were dedicated, helping the vulnerable and homeless. He was a lifelong devout Catholic and active supporter of the church and related charities, recognized by a Papal knighthood in 1993.

Was Thomas Wharton Jones FRS, assistant to the infamous Dr Knox, the first to recognise the blood eosinophil?

Thomas Wharton Jones (1808-91), described as a 'genius' by his famous pupil Thomas Henry Huxley, was an Edinburgh medical graduate. At the age of 19 years he was appointed anatomy demonstrator to the infamous Dr Robert Knox so unwittingly becoming caught up in the Burke and Hare scandal. Escaping to Glasgow, and then to Cork and London, Jones eventually became an outstanding physiologist and ophthalmologist. His seminal observations included scholarly treatises on the vasculature in inflammation together with descriptions of the contractile movement of white blood cells, as well as studies on regeneration and repair, astigmatism and retinitis pigmentosa. He was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1840. One of his seminal contributions was his detailed description of 'granular cells' in the blood of a large number of animal species, including man. His illustrations suggest strongly these were eosinophils, predating Paul Erhlich's definitive studies (using aniline dyes) by 33years. In later life he was found destitute in his London home and 'rescued' by friends and colleagues. William Gladstone was persuaded to give Jones a civil list pension. He lived out the rest of his life in Ventnor on the Isle of Wight.

U N Brahmachari: Scientific Achievements and Nomination for the Nobel Prize and the Fellowship of the Royal Society of London

U N Brahmachari: Scientific Achievements and Nomination for the Nobel Prize and the Fellowship of the Royal Society of London

A biography and obituary of William G. Chaloner FRS (1928–2016)

William G. (‘Bill’) Chaloner FRS (1928–2016) was one of the world’s leading palaeobotanists and palynologists. He developed a love of natural science at school which led to a penchant for palaeobotany at university. Bill graduated in 1950 from the University of Reading, and remained there for his PhD, supervised by Tom Harris, on the spores of Carboniferous lycopods. After completing his PhD in 1953, Bill undertook a postdoctoral fellowship in the USA. He returned to the UK and, in 1956, began a long and distinguished academic career at four colleges of the University of London. His first position was at University College London, where he continued to work on Paleozoic palaeobotany and palynology. His 1958 paper on the effects of fluctuating sea levels on Carboniferous pollen-spore assemblages proved highly influential. Bill moved to a Chair at Birkbeck College in 1972, began to use the scanning electron microscope and was elected a Fellow of The Royal Society in 1976. He is the only pre-Quaternary palynologist to have been given the latter honour. In 1979, Bill was appointed to the Chair of Botany at Bedford College where he began to apply plant fossil evidence to general scientific problems. He began to work on arthropod–plant interactions, fossil charcoal and growth rings in wood. Bill was awarded the Medal for Scientific Excellence by the American Association of Stratigraphic Palynologists in 1984. Bedford College and Royal Holloway College merged in 1985, and Bill moved to the amalgamated institution. Bill continued to investigate very diverse topics, and added the analysis of leaf stomata, global environmental change and molecular palaeontology to his portfolio. Following retirement in 1994, Bill continued his research and teaching at Royal Holloway, University of London. His final paper was published in 2016, bringing to an end a research career of 66 years.

The role of group psychology in democracy

IPPR Progressive ReviewVolume 25, Issue 4 p. 348-357 Original Article The role of group psychology in democracy Stephen Reicher, Stephen Reicher Stephen Reicher is Wardlaw professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews. He is a fellow of the British Academy, a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.: Search for more papers by this author Stephen Reicher, Stephen Reicher Stephen Reicher is Wardlaw professor of psychology at the University of St Andrews. He is a fellow of the British Academy, a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and a fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences.: Search for more papers by this author First published: 17 February 2019 https://doi.org/10.1111/newe.12132 Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditWechat Volume25, Issue4Spring 2019Pages 348-357 RelatedInformation