Seminal Achievements Research Articles

Can Li: A Career in Catalysis

Prof. Can Li is distinguished for his seminal achievements in fundamental and applied researches in catalysis, especially in advancing the characterization of catalysts and catalytic reactions related to solar energy conversion and fine chemical synthesis. The scope of his research is wide ranging, and he is leading some of the fields. This account highlights his major scientific achievements in advancing the fundamental sciences of characterizing catalysts and understanding the mechanisms of catalytic reactions by developing in situ spectroscopic techniques (e.g., infrared (IR), ultraviolet (UV), Raman, space- and time-resolved spectroscopies and photoelectric imaging), and applying the obtained knowledge in the rational design and synthesis of catalysts for practical applications in photocatalytic, electrocatalytic and photoelectrocatalytic water splitting and CO2 reduction, chiral synthesis in nanoreactors and ultradeep desulfurization of fuels, and fine chemical synthesis. In particular, his demonstration of the kiloton scale solar fuel production project will be introduced as a successful model for converting fundamental science into practical and impactful applications to convert CO2 and water into solar fuels. This account also highlights his services to the catalysis communities and international collaborations for promoting catalysis science worldwide.

The Chemistry of Azolium‐Carboxylate Zwitterions and Related Compounds: a Survey of the Years 2009–2020

AbstractThis review highlights the most significant advances that were accomplished in the chemistry of azolium‐carboxylate betaines within the years 2009–2020. Whenever needed, prior, seminal achievements are also briefly recalled to help put recent developments in a broader perspective. The compounds under scrutiny are zwitterions obtained upon nucleophilic addition of N‐heterocyclic carbenes (NHCs) onto carbon dioxide. We first present an overview of the various synthetic paths that give access to these inner salts before discussing their stability. The main part of this report then summarizes the numerous applications relying on NHC ⋅ CO2 zwitterions employed either in stoichiometric or catalytic proportions in the fields of organometallic chemistry and homogeneous catalysis, organic synthesis and organocatalysis, polymer chemistry, and materials science. A particular emphasis is placed on the endeavors devoted to trap carbon dioxide and to convert this greenhouse gas into valuable chemicals via the intermediacy of NHC ⋅ CO2 zwitterions. Whenever available, mechanistic considerations that help assess the pivotal role played by these species in CO2 activation are discussed. Because of their close relationship with azolium‐carboxylate betaines, azolium hydrogencarbonate salts and azolium‐methylenecarboxylate zwitterions resulting from the addition of carbon dioxide onto N‐heterocyclic olefins (NHOs) are included in this survey, which also covers the reactivity of carbon monoxide toward NHCs and related carbene species.magnified image

Synthesis and emerging properties of 2D layered III–VI metal chalcogenides

Atomically thin layered III–VI metal chalcogenides are an emerging class of 2D materials that have attracted increasing attention in recent years due to their remarkable physical properties and technological applications. Thanks to the recently developed theoretical and experimental methods, a number of exciting discoveries for these materials have revealed their new phases, a unique “Mexican hat”-shaped electronic band structure, and superior optical and electronic properties that distinguish them from other 2D materials such as transition metal dichalcogenides. This review summarizes the novel properties, structures, and synthesis strategies for these materials and emphasizes the most cutting-edge and seminal achievements in this rapidly growing field in order to provide input for future research works. We first present the rich crystal structure and phases that have been found in these materials, with an emphasis on the possibility of phase engineering. Then, we discuss the synthesis strategies for 2D layered III–VI metal chalcogenides from the top-down, bottom-up, and template-based chemical conversion approaches. We focus on the highly controlled synthesis methods that provide fine-tuning of the thickness, phase, edge structure, and other morphological characteristics. Third, we discuss the properties and applications of these materials, focusing on their unique electronic structure including the Mexican hat-shaped valence band, their superior nonlinear optical properties, high-performance electronic devices, promising photoelectrochemical properties, and emerging quantum properties such as quantum emission, exciton condensation, ferromagnetism, and topological quantum phase transition. Finally, we provide our perspective on the current challenges and future directions in this field.

Genera, subgenera, species and subspecies of hard ticks (Acari: Ixodidae) described, named, renamed or given new rank by Paul Schulze (1887–1949) and their current status

The names for 19 genera, 17 subgenera, 150 species and 150 subspecies of Ixodidae described by Paul Schulze, names changed by him after the revision of certain taxa, new ranks for names originally described by other authors, a few lapsus calamorum and some incorrect names ascribed to Schulze by other workers are discussed. Two genera (Cosmiomma and Nosomma) are valid, but most of Schulze’s subgenera are difficult to assess because of the current disarray that prevails at this classificatory level in the Ixodidae. Thirty-six of 150 species names discussed by Schulze are considered valid herein (3 species of Amblyomma, 1 Bothriocroton, 1 Cosmiomma, 6 Dermacentor, 4 Haemaphysalis, 5 Hyalomma, 13 Ixodes, 1 Nosomma and 2 Rhipicephalus), while 28 are valid species epithets that are currently assigned to different genera (e.g., Acarus undatus was formerly classified in the genus Aponomma but is currently known as Bothriocroton undatum). Twenty-nine of these valid species names were authored by Schulze or Schulze & Schlottke. The remaining species names are mostly synonyms or names that are incertae sedis, nomen nudum or lapsus calamorum. The 150 subspecific names are treated as synonyms of valid species or as nomina nuda, nomina dubia, incertae sedis or lapsus calamorum. Many names used by Schulze have been synonymized based on sound systematic research, but the justification for synonymizing other names is occasionally weak. It will be important to take these names into account if, as has already happened, future molecular and morphological studies result in the reinstatement of Schulze names currently considered synonyms. This situation has particular relevance for Amblyomma geoemydae, the Amblyomma marmoreum species complex, Amblyomma testudinarium, Oriental species of Dermacentor, Hyalomma in general, Ixodes arboricola, Ixodes canisuga, Ixodes lividus, Ixodes trianguliceps and Ixodes uriae. In conclusion, the prolific contributions of Paul Schulze have their weak points —the many species and subspecies of Hyalomma described by him are unjustified as is the alleged worldwide distribution of the former genus Aponomma—but his perception of the complexity of the genus Dermacentor (under Indocentor) in the Oriental and Australasian Zoogeographic Regions, as well as his understanding of tick biodiversity in these regions constitute seminal scientific achievements.

Questions and Assays.

The Thomas Hunt Morgan Medal is awarded to an individual Genetics Society of America member for lifetime achievement in the field of genetics. It recognizes the full body of work of an exceptional geneticist. The 2016 recipient is Nancy Kleckner, who has made many significant contributions to our understanding of chromosomes and the mechanisms of inheritance. Kleckner has made seminal achievements in several different research areas, including bacterial transposition, chromosome organization, and meiosis. She has repeatedly combined traditional genetic approaches with molecular biology, microscopy, physics, and modeling-unprecedented applications of these methods at the time, but which have now become commonplace. Indeed, she is widely recognized as one of the leaders in bringing meiosis research into the modern era. Notably, her laboratory played a key role in elucidating the mechanism that initiates meiotic recombination, has helped to decipher the "strand gymnastics" of recombination, and is beginning to provide insight into the enigmatic phenomenon of crossover interference.

Microbiology Highlights from 2015

Let us take a look at this year in terms of its milestones in microbiology, focusing first on the Nobel prizes in medicine and in chemistry, each of which recognized seminal achievements in microbiology. From there we can reexamine several other crucial developments throughout the year, including efforts to halt the Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa, to develop national and global plans to foster antibiotic development and contend with the expanding challenge of antibiotic resistance, and to deal with matters of microbiology safety.

Be Careful What You Wish For: The Ironic Connection Between the Civil Rights Struggle and Today's Divided America

The deep political and economic divisions that characterize the contemporary United States have been the subject of much discussion and analysis. However, most of the accounts of these divisions have tended to emphasize relatively recent events or trends, such as the Tea Party movement or the extreme partisanship that has marked the last three presidential administrations (e.g., Obama, George Bush Jr., Clinton). The origins of today's divisions, however, have much older roots. They date to the heyday of the Civil Rights struggle and ironically to the seminal achievements of the movement. More accurately, it is the story of not one, but two parallel movements, the revitalized civil rights movement of the early to mid‐1960s and the powerful segregationist countermovement, that quickly developed in response to the African‐American freedom struggle. The argument is that over the course of the decade of the 1960s, these two linked struggles decisively altered the partisan geography of the United States, and in the process pushed the national Democratic and Republican parties sharply to the left and right, respectively, undermining the centrist policy convergence of the postwar period and setting the parties on the divisive course they remain on today.

Perspectives on Seminal Achievements and Challenges in the Field of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders

This commentary for a special issue of Remedial and Special Education (RASE) on the perspectives of senior scholars (a) opens with some comments regarding the role of measures we use in behavioral science to pursue scientific truth and then (b) discusses the three most impactful developments in emotional and behavioral disorders over the past several decades, followed by commentary on three problems or issues that need addressing going forward. In the author’s view, the three most impactful developments have been the advent of school-wide positive behavior supports, the growth in approaches to conduct universal behavioral disorder screenings in schools, and the acceptance of teacher judgment in the appraisal of student behavior. Challenges going forward are the need to contextualize school interventions, solve the problem of decay of achieved intervention effects over time, and plan/manage school transitions better.

Special Section Guest Editorial: Special Section on Fluorescence Molecular Imaging Honoring Prof. Roger Tsien, a Pioneer in Biomedical Optics

Professor Roger Y. Tsien is a renowned world leader in chemical biology and biochemistry whose pioneering work in fluorescence sensing and imaging has revolutionized virtually all of experimental biology. He is an insightful scientist, and a cordial colleague and mentor; always invigorating with his ideas and energy, and inspiring with his vision. His work has profoundly influenced our abilities to study biochemical and molecular processes and events in live cells and animals. His early work on calcium imaging has revealed spatiotemporal characteristics of calcium signaling in various physiological processes and resulted in a widely disseminated use of his methods. But it is his seminal contributions in elucidating the biochemical mechanism of green fluorescent protein (GFP) formation that brought him major acclaim. Over a short period of time, Prof. Tsien further invented a broad spectrum of fluorescent proteins with distinctive colors and characteristics, a technology also adopted in all corners of the biology and biotechnology world. All these contributions have not only provided powerful tools for molecular and cellular imaging, but also advanced our in-depth and systematic understanding of a variety of cellular processes. To date, Prof. Tsien continues to lead and contribute to the emerging fields of molecular and cellular imaging as well as biomedical optics. Because of Prof. Tsien’s seminal scientific achievements, he was awarded the 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his role in “the green fluorescent protein: discovery, expression and development” and the Wolf Prize in medicine “for his seminal contribution to the design and biological application of novel fluorescent and photolabile molecules to analyze and perturb cell signal transduction.” Prof. Tsien is a member of the National Academy of Sciences and the Institute of Medicine, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) investigator, and a professor at University of California, San Diego.

Second genesis of a plastid organelle

One of the more remarkable discoveries of 20th century biology is that all eukaryotes are chimeras of two or more different cells (1). The tree of life does not just bifurcate through successive speciation events; its branches also graft, one onto another, merging lineages to produce novel fruit. Our mitochondria, and the photosynthetic plastids of plants and algae, are proof of the success of these new combinations. Both organelles were acquired from separate bacterial lineages, where a useful bacterium was internalized and maintained within the host cell—a process known as endosymbiosis. These organelles are no mere hitchhikers. They have been elaborately integrated with their hosts, so intimately that even their genes have been relinquished to the host cell to allow these partnerships to truly operate as one. To achieve this, the host cell learned to take responsibility for expressing the organelle genes and delivering the protein products back into the organelle according to its requirements. Our understanding of how these seminal achievements of organellogenesis occurred, however, is obscured by their antiquity, both organelles arising ∼1+ billion years ago (2). It is akin to studying modern jet aircraft in the hope of reconstructing the Wright brothers’ first daring attempts at flight. Iterative leaps of technology often mask the formative innovations. However, now we have a chance to revisit this process, as Nowack and Grossman in PNAS (3) show that the new photosynthetic endosymbiont of Paulinella chromatophora has also commenced this journey of genetic integration.

GFAP, Ki67 and IDH1: perhaps the golden triad of glioma immunohistochemistry

In this issue of Acta Neuropathologica, Capper et al. [2] describe a monoclonal antibody that specifically and sensitively recognizes the IDH1 (isocitrate dehydrogenase 1) protein carrying the R132H mutation in routinely processed (formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded) tissues. In 2008, hotspot sequence mutations at position 132 of IDH1 were discovered in 12% of glioblastomas [4] and in about 70% of diffuse astrocytomas, oligodendrogliomas, oligoastrocytomas and secondary glioblastomas [1], a finding that has been confirmed by several other studies. Because more than 90% of IDH1 mutations are of the R132H type and mutations are assumed to be present in all tumor cells, this antibody is able to identify virtually all glioma cells in paraffin sections from the majority of grade-II diffuse gliomas and from their more malignant descendants. When compared with a PCRand restriction endonuclease-based assay for different IDH1 mutations recently described by the same group of authors [3], the immunohistochemical technique is easier to perform and is presumably more sensitive, whereas R132H-immunonegative cases will require additional PCR or sequencing analysis to search for other types of IDH1 and IDH2 mutations. Although the antibody still needs to be evaluated by other institutions on a large number of specimens, it may represent one of the seminal achievements in diagnostic neuropathology of the past decades. Hundreds of antibodies and antigens have been proposed as potential diagnostic markers for gliomas, but only a handful have turned out to be reliable and useful, the most important being GFAP for glial differentiation, developed in the seventies and Ki67/MIB1 for assessing proliferation, established in the eighties for frozen sections and in the nineties for paraffin sections. These antibodies, however, are not able to assist in resolving two common differential diagnostic problems: diffuse versus pilocytic astrocytoma; and invasion of diffuse astrocytoma versus reactive gliosis. Although staining for p53 is often performed to detect single-invading astrocytoma cells, it helps in only a minority of cases, in part because reactive astrocytes and other non-neoplastic cells may also show immunoreactivity for p53. In contrast, staining for R132H is expected to be of help in a significant fraction of cases and the diagnostic value of anti-R132H may reach that of anti-GFAP and MIB1. The present work of Capper et al. is important for other reasons as well. First, because brain biopsies may be (rarely) associated with complications such as hemorrhage and infection, and because an ambiguous neuropathological diagnosis (invasive edge or gliosis) may lead to rebiopsy, increased diagnostic accuracy by demonstration of R132H-positive cells may decrease mortality and morbidity. Second, since IDH1 mutations are associated with more favorable prognosis in diffuse astrocytic and oligodendroglial tumors of grades II–IV, staining for R132H (and for other IDH1 mutations using antibodies to be developed) may provide important prognostic information. Third, the antibody will promote the detection of glioma cells in CSF specimens. Fourth, the availability of the mutation-specific antibody will stimulate research using biopsy materials by clearly identifying tumor cells and correlating them with a variety of structural and molecular features. Fifth, anti-R132H will be useful for biological experiments aimed at further elucidating the function of mutated IDH1 protein; and finally, this report illustrates the efficient and beneficial outcome of a close cooperation and W. Paulus (&) Institute of Neuropathology, University Hospital Munster, Domagkstr. 19, 48129 Munster, Germany e-mail: werner.paulus@uni-muenster.de

Colin pittendrigh: The lion in winter

Unfortunately, I am not qualified to render an eye-witnesshistory of Colin Pittendrigh’s remarkable career; indeed, manyof his seminal achievements – the discovery of the circadianclock in Drosophila , the characterization of the common charac-teristics of circadian clocks, the debates with Frank Brown overwhether circadian timekeeping is intrinsic or environmentallydriven, the first formal models of circadian rhythmicity – wereall history at my birth. All I can offer is a small vignette of Pitt inhis later years, of the ‘lion in winter’. By a process of pureserendipity I had the pleasure of becoming perhaps Pitt’s last(albeit informal) student. Our educational model was ahead ofits time – a combination of e-mail correspondence and oneremarkably intensive weekend seminar. The dialogue we heldwas representative of the great currents runing through the fieldin the late 1980’s and early 1990’s, currents which are stillmanifest 15 years later.My first and only interaction with Pitt in a classroom was a guestlecture he gave to my undergraduate organismal physiologycourse during my sphomore year at Stanford in 1983. Helectured on avian migration mechanisms, how some birds mea-sure the position of the sun against their internal clock todetermine the direction of migration. Pitt was a powerfullecturer; this was one of the few lectures I remember well fromthis course (now 23 years ago!). (Interestingly, Pitt later claimedthat hearing Gustav Kramer lecture on the same topic in 1951stimulated his own interest in clocks). Pitt retired the next year,and – were it not for serendipity and the kindness of a wonderfullab technician – I probably would have had no interaction withPitt again.I had stayed at Stanford for my medical and graduate schooltraining, and was working in the labs of William Dement and

Liturgical Polyphony in the Pre-Reformation English Parish Church: A Provisional List and Commentary

The great majority of late-medieval lay people encountered the Universal Church most directly, and in some cases exclusively, through their local parish church. The parish has therefore been at the heart of research into lay piety, as witnessed in a range of detailed studies of pre-Reformation beliefs, rituals, rites of passage, clergy, episcopal oversight, parochial administration and social organization. Until recently, however, the ‘soundscape’ of the pre-Reformation parish has received less exhaustive attention, perhaps because the parish has been seen as peripheral or subordinate to the mainstream of musicological research (few first-rank composers are known to have worked within English parish churches), but also because the documentary sources are more disparate and often less complete and informative than the archives of more superficially prestigious institutions. Nevertheless, if the widespread cultivation of polyphonic singing within divine worship was one of the seminal cultural achievements of late-medieval England, what contribution did the parish make towards this revolution? How many parishes maintained polyphonic choirs? What role did the laity play in promoting liturgical polyphony? And what might such initiatives reveal concerning lay attitudes towards liturgical music? Studies of Bristol, London, Louth, Ludlow and York have highlighted the potential of the parish as a focus for musicological research, and have begun to answer some of these questions. The following handlist, an earlier form of which was prepared for the 2002 Harlaxton Medieval Symposium, is intended to serve as a springboard for further research in this field. Although neither complete nor definitive, its aims are to bring together, as comprehensively as possible, the available evidence concerning the singing of liturgical polyphony before 1559, and to provide an overview of the contextual factors which have informed the underlying methodology: to this end, the list itself is preceded by an extended commentary.

Evidence Base for Pacemaker Mode Selection

The development of implantable technology for cardiac rhythm management remains one of the seminal achievements of the second half of the 20th century. The modern era of cardiac pacing began in 1958, when Elmqvist and Senning1 implanted the first cardiac pacemaker by thoracotomy in a human, and Furman and Robinson2 implanted the first endocardial lead. The focus of development of cardiac pacing has changed over the last several decades. In the 1950s through 1970s, the emphasis was on the development of more reliable power sources and leads. By the end of the 1970s, the power source problems had been largely overcome, and efforts focused on mimicking the normal physiology of cardiac contraction. In the 1980s, in the United States, the focus on normal physiology led to the nearly universal application of dual-chamber pacing to restore atrioventricular (AV) synchrony in patients with sinus rhythm. As sensor technology improved in the 1980s and 1990s,3,4 the same physiological focus spurred the advent and generalization of sensor-driven, rate-modulated pacing to restore chronotropic competence. By the early 1990s, there were lessons from physiology and an emerging body of evidence from observational epidemiological studies.5,6 Indeed, some pacemaker physicians believed that randomized trials in pacing might not be necessary to demonstrate incremental gains in prevention of clinical events and improvement of quality of life with atrial-based pacing.7 It is certainly true that for many hypotheses, randomized trials are neither necessary nor desirable. For example, it would have been unethical to conduct randomized trials of cardiac pacing for the treatment of Stokes-Adams-Morgagni attacks because the benefit was so large.8 As a result of the evolution of progressively more sophisticated technologies, the most plausible effect sizes have become small to moderate, or between a 15% and 30% relative reduction in risk. Such effects, …

What Is Right With Behavior Disorders: Seminal Achievements and Contributions of the Behavior Disorders Field

This article focuses on the theme of, "What's right with behavior disorders?" In recent years, the internal and external attacks on special education have accelerated markedly. The field of behavior disorders (BDs) has not been immune from such attacks, but they have been less frequent than is the case for other areas of special education or generic special education. The current landscape of BDs, and critical issues within it, are described herein followed by a review of the strengths, contributions, and notable achievements of professionals in our field that have influenced society and general education as well as special education. The capacity of our field to produce high-quality research is also reviewed. Some challenges that our field faces from postmodern formulations of BDs as well as translating our research into effective, deliverable practices are discussed. The article concludes with a discussion of the strengths and resilience of BDs and its cadre of professionals.

Achievements in Management and Utilization of Privately-Owned Rangelands

Historically, there have been several seminal achievements in management and utilization of privately-owned rangelands. The most important of the early achievements were domestication of livestock, fencing, haying, and the transfer of federal lands to private ownership. Later, federal programs to stimulate range research and extension were the springboard for the modern range research complex. The Morrill Acts established the land-grant institutions with agricultural research as one of the founding principles. The Hatch Act later provided funding for agricultural research, and the Smith-Lever Act funding for the extension of that research to the agricultural industry. Recent trends have been away from funding applied research and towards funding for basic research defined by the political scientific bureaucracy. Those achievements that I consider of major influence in management and utilization of rangelands include: defining stocking rate-animal performance relationships, refining prescribed burning techniques, formulation of selective-translocated herbicides, developing plant varieties and seeding methods for reseeding, matching forage quality with nutritional requirements of livestock, basic research on morphologic and physiologic characteristics of range plants, and information dispersal through extension and federal agencies for better management of rangelands. The future is uncertain, and unless we can reverse the trend away from applied to wholly basic research funding, we will have fewer achievements in managements of privately-owned rangeland. DOI:10.2458/azu_jrm_v53i1_owensby

Achievements in management and utilization of privately-owned rangelands

Historically, there have been several seminal achievements in management and utilization of privately-owned rangelands. The most important of the early achievements were domestication of livestock, fencing, haying, and the transfer of federal lands to private ownership. Later, federal programs to stimulate range research and extension were the springboard for the modern range research complex. The Morrill Acts established the land-grant institutions with agricultural research as one of the founding principles. The Hatch Act later provided funding for agricultural research, and the Smith-Lever Act funding for the extension of that research to the agricultural industry. Recent trends have been away from funding applied research and towards funding for basic research defined by the political scientific bureaucracy. Those achievements that I consider of major influence in management and utilization of rangelands include: defining stocking rate-animal performance relationships, refining prescribed burning techniques, formulation of selective-translocated herbicides, developing plant varieties and seeding methods for reseeding, matching forage quality with nutritional requirements of livestock, basic research on morphologic and physiologic characteristics of range plants, and information dispersal through extension and federal agencies for better management of rangelands. The future is uncertain, and unless we can reverse the trend away from applied to wholly basic research funding, we will have fewer achievements in managements of privately-owned rangeland.