Determination of Uranium Central-Field Covalency with 34 Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering.

Understanding the nature of metal-ligand bonding is a major challenge in actinide chemistry. We present a new experimental strategy for addressing this challenge using actinide 34 resonant inelastic X-ray scattering (RIXS). Through a systematic study of uranium(IV) halide complexes, [UX], where X = F, Cl, or Br, we identify RIXS spectral satellites with relative energies and intensities that relate to the extent of uranium-ligand bond covalency.

The scientific dating of standing buildings.

The techniques of dendrochronology (tree-ring dating) and radiocarbon (14C) dating are described, as they are applied to historic buildings. Both rely on determining the felling dates of the trees used in their construction. For dendrochronology, the construction of master chronologies and the matching of individual ring-width sequences to them is described and, for radiocarbon dating, the use of tree-ring results in calibration.

Development and Evaluation of Topical Gabapentin Formulations.

Topical delivery of gabapentin is desirable to treat peripheral neuropathic pain conditions whilst avoiding systemic side effects. To date, reports of topical gabapentin delivery in vitro have been variable and dependent on the skin model employed, primarily involving rodent and porcine models. In this study a variety of topical gabapentin formulations were investigated, including Carbopol hydrogels containing various permeation enhancers, and a range of proprietary bases including a compounded Lipoderm formulation; furthermore microneedle facilitated delivery was used as a positive control.

100 years of X-ray crystallography.

The developments in crystallography, since it was first covered in Science Progress in 1917, following the formulation of the Bragg equation, are described. The advances in instrumentation and data analysis, coupled with the application of computational methods to data analysis, have enabled the solution of molecular structures from the simplest binary systems to the most complex of biological structures. These developments are shown to have had major impacts in the development of chemical bonding theory and in offering an increasing understanding of enzyme-substrate interactions.

Going the distance: spatial scale of athletic experience affects the accuracy of path integration.

Evidence suggests that athletically trained individuals are more accurate than untrained individuals in updating their spatial position through idiothetic cues. We assessed whether training at different spatial scales affects the accuracy of path integration. Groups of rugby players (large-scale training) and martial artists (small-scale training) participated in a triangle-completion task: they were led (blindfolded) along two sides of a right-angled triangle and were required to complete the hypotenuse by returning to the origin.