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Access to clean water has become increasingly scarce in recent years due to various factors, such as increasing population density, urbanisation, and inequality, among others.1 The development of new, inexpensive, and reliable methods for the removal of various impurities and toxins from water is therefore vital. In recent years, the emergence of nanofiltration (NF) membranes has become an exciting prospect for water purification. NF can be described as a type of filtration which exhibits separation characteristics in between reverse osmosis and ultrafiltration, and typically has molecular weight cut-offs in the region of 200–1000 Daltons.2,3 Various nanomaterials have been implemented in NF membranes, such as metal organic frameworks (MOFs), metal oxide nanoparticles and nanotubes.4–6 NF membranes based on 2D nanomaterials such as graphene and boron nitride (BN) have attracted significant interest due to the unique properties of 2D nanomaterials, most importantly their high surface-to-volume ratio, which leads to high adsorption capacity. In particular, BN is an attractive candidate for use in NF membranes as it is mechanically strong, inexpensive, and environmentally friendly. BN-based membranes have been the subject of numerous studies, with BN shown to be very effective in the removal of several water pollutants, including various dyes, that often can be leached into wastewater, from the textile industry.

He+ ion irradiation is used to pattern multiple areas of Pt/Co/W films with different irradiation doses in Hall bars. The resulting perpendicular magnetic anisotropy landscape enables selective multilevel current-induced switching with full deterministic control of the position and order of the individual switching elements. Key pattern design parameters are specified, opening a way to scalable multi-level switching devices.

In recent years, nanotechnology-based approaches have resulted in the development of new alternative sustainable technologies for water purification. Two-dimensional (2D) nanomaterials are an emerging class of materials for nanofiltration membranes. In this work, we report the production, characterisation and testing of a promising nanofiltration membrane made from water-exfoliated boron nitride (BN) 2D nanosheets. The membranes have been tested for water purification and removal of typical water-soluble dyes such as methyl orange, methylene blue and Evans blue, with the water-exfoliated BN membranes achieving retention values close to 100%. In addition, we compared the performance of membranes made from water-exfoliated BN with those produced from BN using sonication-assisted liquid exfoliation in selected organic solvents such as 2-propanol and N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone. It was found that membranes from the water-exfoliated BN showed superior performance. We believe this research opens up a unique opportunity for the development of new high-performance environmentally friendly membranes for nanofiltration and new sustainable separation technologies.

Controlling supramolecular polymerization is of fundamental importance to create advanced materials and devices. Here we show that the thermodynamic equilibrium of Gd3+-bearing supramolecular rod networks is shifted reversibly at room temperature in a static magnetic field of up to 2 T. Our approach opens opportunities to control the structure formation of other supramolecular or coordination polymers that contain paramagnetic ions.

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This chapter addresses the legal status of trans persons in England. The chapter considers English trans-focused laws against the background of their historical and contemporary context. The mechanics and consequences of trans-oriented laws in England (statute, policy and case law) are presented. The merits of existing law and potential future reforms are analysed. By exploring the myriad intersections of law and trans identities, this chapter presents a clear, detailed insight into the status of trans communities in modern English law.

This chapter contextualises the challenges facing LGBTIQ people who seek legal recognition in the United Kingdom and sets out the key themes addressed in the collection. In particular, we draw attention to how notions of queer(ness), law, inside, and outside are imagined in the pursuit of LGBTIQ rights and associated queer legal scholarship. Adopting an interdisciplinary socio-legal methodology, we outline how the various contributors to our collection approach the “queer outside” from two inter-connected perspectives. On the one hand, despite highly publicised movements for reform, there are still large sections of the UK’s “queer” population who remain untouched by legal advancements. Trans and intersex people, queer asylum applicants and those within the criminal justice system continue to exist—despite recent progress—as strangers to the law. This chapter identifies the (often) unseen lacunas in existing legal protections, and it asks whether and how UK policy-makers can establish a truly inclusive queer rights framework.

Spin orbit torque driven switching is a favourable way to manipulate nanoscale magnetic objects for both memory and wireless communication devices. The critical current required to switch from one magnetic state to another depends on the geometry and the intrinsic properties of the materials used, which are difficult to control locally. Here we demonstrate how focused helium ion beam irradiation can modulate the local magnetic anisotropy of a Co thin film at the microscopic scale. Real-time in-situ characterisation using the anomalous Hall effect showed up to an order of magnitude reduction of the magnetic anisotropy under irradiation, and using this, multi-level switching is demonstrated. The result is that spin-switching current densities, down to 800 kA cm$^{-2}$, can be achieved on predetermined areas of the film, without the need for lithography. The ability to vary critical currents spatially has implications not only for storage elements, but also neuromorphic and probabilistic computing., Main text: 22 pages, 3 figures, 2 tables, 1 TOC graphic. Included SI: 2 pages, 2 figures

Understanding and controlling supramolecular polymerization are of fundamental importance to create advanced materials and devices. Many stimuli have been explored in the past decades, but magnetic fields and field gradients have received little attention. This is because magnets do not provide enough magnetic energy to overcome thermal noise at the single molecule level. Here we show that significant changes in network topology of Gd3+-decorated supramolecular polymer rods can nevertheless be observed using magnetic fields of order 1 T at room temperature. The structure of the rod networks is influenced during a slow diffusive process over a timescale of hours by the anisotropy of the demagnetizing field. Our approach opens opportunities to control and tune structure formation of many supramolecular and coordination polymers using a variety of rare earth or other paramagnetic ions.

The method of neutron imaging was adopted to map the concentration evolution of aqueous paramagnetic Gd(NO3)3 solutions. Magnetic manipulation of the paramagnetic liquid within a miscible nonmagnetic liquid is possible by countering density-difference driven convection. The formation of salt fingers caused by double-diffusive convection in a liquid-liquid system of Gd(NO3)3 and Y(NO3)3 solutions can be prevented by the magnetic field gradient force., Comment: 5 Pages of article with 4 figures, 1 page of supplementary material with 2 figures; Time sequenced neutron images available at https://aip.scitation.org/doi/suppl/10.1063/1.5135390

When miniaturizing fluidic circuitry, the solid walls of the fluid channels become increasingly important(1) because they limit the flow rates achievable for a given pressure drop, and they are prone to fouling(2). Approaches for reducing the wall interactions include hydrophobic coatings(3), liquid-infused porous surfaces(4-6), nanoparticle surfactant jamming(7), changes to surface electronic structure(8), electrowetting(9,10), surface tension pinning(11,12) and use of atomically flat channels(13). A better solution may be to avoid the solid walls altogether. Droplet microfluidics and sheath flow achieve this but require continuous flow of the central liquid and the surrounding liquid(1,14). Here we demonstrate an approach in which aqueous liquid channels are surrounded by an immiscible magnetic liquid, both of which are stabilized by a quadrupolar magnetic field. This creates self-healing, non-clogging, anti-fouling and near-frictionless liquid-in-liquid fluidic channels. Manipulation of the field provides flow control, such as valving, splitting, merging and pumping. The latter is achieved by moving permanent magnets that have no physical contact with the liquid channel. We show that this magnetostaltic pumping method can be used to transport whole human blood with very little damage due to shear forces. Haemolysis (rupture of blood cells) is reduced by an order of magnitude compared with traditional peristaltic pumping, in which blood is mechanically squeezed through a plastic tube. Our liquid-in-liquid approach provides new ways to transport delicate liquids, particularly when scaling channels down to the micrometre scale, with no need for high pressures, and could also be used for microfluidic circuitry.

This Case Note discusses the recent judgment of the German Constitutional Court (1 BvR 2019/16) requiring either the legal recognition of sex categories beyond male or female, or the aboltion of sex registration requirements. The Note considers the Court's decision within the broader constitutional case law on gender identity, and explores both the progressive potential, and the future—perhaps unforeseen—consequences, of the ruling. The Case Note proceeds in three sections. Section A introduces the facts of the constitutional challenge, and sets out both the submissions of the complainant, as well as the reasoning of the Constitutional Court. In Section B, the Case Note explores the domestic law novelty of the decision, placing particular emphasis on the application of a constitutional equality framework to persons who experience intersex variance. Finally, in Section C, the Case Note contextualizes the judgment, situating the reasoning of the Constitutional Court within wider movements for transgender—otherwise known as trans—and intersex rights.

The recent judgment of the Court of Appeal, In the Matter of M (Children) (hereinafter ‘Re M’) [2017] EWCA Civ 2164, considered an application by a legal father for direct contact with her 1 five m...

In AP, Garcon and Nicot v France App Nos. 79885/12, 52471/13 and 52596/13 (ECtHR, 6 April 2017) (‘APN’), the Fifth Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) issued an important ruling o...

The right of transgender (‘trans’) persons to access gender-segregated space is neither a new controversy nor a conversation which is unique to the United Kingdom. Yet, despite increasingly charged political debates in North America, the question of trans access to single-gender facilities remains largely underexplored by British legal academics. In January 2016, the UK House of Commons Select Committee on Women and Equalities recommended expanding trans entry into single-gender services and communal accommodations under the Equality Act 2010. Using the Committee’s report as a springboard for debate, this article considers the right of trans populations to use their preferred women-only and men-only spaces. Critically analysing the existing possibilities to exclude trans persons from services and accommodations, as well as the policy arguments which motivate this approach, the article demonstrates how, adopting common-sense, evidence-based reforms, Parliament can introduce legal rules which both prioritize user safety and respect trans dignity.

The electrode/electrolyte interface is the seat of electrochemical redox reactions, which are controlled by the structure of ions and solvent molecules at an interfacial double layer, 0.5–10 nm thi...

International audience; Manganite perovskite oxides exhibit a wide range of properties relevant for catalysis, energy conversion and spintronics. Such behaviors can be deeply modified at the nanoscale where confinement and surface effects may prevail. Interesting properties could then emerge from manganite perovskite nanocrystals, although their synthesis remains a challenge. The present study reports a versatile synthesis of manganite perovskite nanocrystals by using molten salts as high temperature liquids in the 600-750 °C range. Through X-ray diffraction, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, scanning and transmission electron microscopies, we show that many substitutions on the A perovskite site are within reach by applying the approach to La2/3Sr1/3MnO3, La2/3Ca1/3MnO3 and La1/3Pr1/3Ca1/3MnO3 cubic-shape nanocrystals with diameter of 20, 22 and 38 nm, respectively. The magnetic properties of these nanocrystals are then investigated at 5 K, highlighting the coexistence of a ferromagnetic phase typical of the bulk, with disordered and non-magnetic domains, which presumably arise from the nanoscale and surface effects.

Membership of the EU has had an immensely positive impact on sexual orientation and gender identity rights in the UK. Following the decision to withdraw from the Union in 2019, there has been considerable speculation about the likely consequences for existing sexual orientation and gender identity rights. While recognising how the EU has precipitated (sometimes radical) ‘gay rights’ reform is important, it is arguably subordinate to the question of whether Parliament will seek future amendments or repeal. This chapter critically evaluates the likely consequences of Brexit for sexual orientation and gender identity rights. It identifies the key EU contributions to LGBTQI protections in the UK, and considers the status of those guarantees beyond Union membership. While the chapter acknowledges how the EU has helped to re-shape queer intersections with law in this jurisdiction, it nonetheless argues that Brexit is unlikely to fundamentally alter existing rights and entitlements.

IN Identoba and Others v Georgia (Application No 73235/12), 12 May 2015, the Fourth Section of the European Court of Human Rights held that Georgia's failure to prevent, and effectively investigate, attacks against an anti-homophobia march violated Articles 3 and 11 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), read in conjunction with Article 14.

The possibility of individuals procreating post-transition has long stalked debates on transgender rights. In 1972, Sweden became the first European jurisdiction to formally acknowledge preferred gender. Under the original Swedish law, applicants for gender recognition were explicitly required to prove an incapacity to reproduce-either through natural infertility or through a positive act of sterilisation. Across the Council of Europe, 20 countries continue to enforce a sterilisation requirement. When considering reforms to their current gender recognition rules as recently as 2015, the Polish executive and the Finnish legislature both rejected proposals to remove mandatory infertility provisions. This article critiques the rationales for transgender sterilisation in Europe. It places transgender reproduction, and non-traditional procreation, in the wider context of European equality and family law. Adopting a highly inter-disciplinary framework, the article explores legal, social, medical, and moral arguments in favour of sterilisation, and exposes the weak intellectual and evidential basis for the current national laws. The article ultimately proposes a new departure for Europe's attitude towards transgender parenting, and argues that sterilisation should not be a pre-condition for legal recognition.

Optimally-doped mixed-valence manganites have been a favorite of scientists interested in solid-state magnetism for sixty years [1].

Around the world, a majority of jurisdictions either partially or fully exclude transgender (trans) children from legal gender recognition pathways. Gender recognition for minors involves myriad (often highly complex) considerations. While deciding whether to formally acknowledge trans youth is often framed as a ‘welfare’ or ‘best interests’ question, answering that question requires a nuanced appreciation of existing medical and social science research. Historically, medico-legal responses to trans children have emphasised ‘ignoring’ or ‘corrective’ strategies. There was a concern (still prevalent in contemporary academic and politically commentary) that affirming trans expression would encourage ‘confused’ or ‘impressionable’ young minds. In recent years, however, a growing consensus (backed up by extensive empirical data) has developed in favour of affirmative interventions. There is increasing appreciation that acknowledging lived-experiences of gender (howsoever manifested) enhances mental health outcomes for trans youth. Although policies of affirmation might (in general) best serve the interests of trans children, law-makers should not adopt child-inclusive amendments if (in practice) they would compromise well-being. Drawing upon existing medical and social science research, this paper asks whether it is possible to introduce affirmative policies which adequately protect persons under the age of majority. Among the factors explored, the paper will consider the possibility of reliably identifying trans youth who persist in a stable gender identity beyond puberty. In recent years, much political and media debate around trans youth has centred on the potential negative consequences for children who ‘de-transition’ in adolescence or early-adulthood. The paper will also address issues surrounding capacity to consent (to gender recognition), claims regarding the premature medicalisation of young bodies and alternative options arising from social transition. Ultimately, the paper concludes that, while gender recognition for minors remains a question of extreme political sensitivity, there is growing evidence that trans children can (and should) be affirmed through safe, secure and child-centred policies.

IN Hämäläinen v Finland (Application no. 37359/09), 16 July 2014, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights held that Contracting States of the Council of Europe may require the dissolution of an existing marriage before extending the right to legal gender recognition.

The electronic model describing the electrochemical micromachining (ECMM) of passive electrodes utilizing the transpassive dissolution is discussed. Numerical simulations are performed on a machining model circuit using measured electrochemical properties of the model system which consisted of a tungsten tool electrode, a 1 M H 2 SO 4 electrolyte and a stainless steel work piece electrode. The results of these simulations were verified by performing machining experiments applying the same model system. For a passive stainless steel electrode it is shown that it can be treated like an actively dissolving electrode with high reaction overpotential. The efficiency of the machining process can be enhanced by polarizing the steel work piece electrode close to the transpassive potential region. Three different ways of achieving this polarization are discussed: by polarizing the work piece electrode only, by polarizing both electrodes and by adding oxidizing species to the electrolyte solution.

Software security is a challenging issue for distributed and open systems. Despite the importance of external protections of software systems, internal security has significant impact on the overall security of the software systems. In this study, internal security issues of software systems are addressed. Internal security of software systems is defined in terms of security properties: authentication, authorization, confidentiality, integrity, non-repudiation and resource availability. Internal security of software systems largely depends on the integration of these security properties into the software systems. A precise and unambiguous representation of these security properties is crucial for any successful secure system. Majority of the existing models are based on informal or semi- formal approaches to model these security properties. But no model is based on formal methods. Therefore, in this study, a formal specification of these security properties is presented in Z notation because formal methods are the only way to specify system properties unambiguously, completely and precisely. The resulting models are then analyzed by using Z/EVES theorem prover. The formal specifications of these security properties are analyzed only for syntax checking, type checking and automatic proofs of models.

Pure and impure graphite powders, and two samples of highly oriented pyrolytic graphite (HOPG) have been studied by X-ray diffraction, electron microscopy, magnetometry and 57Fe Mossbauer spectrometry in order to identify the distribution of iron impurities and establish their role in the weak ferromagnetism of some of these materials. Pure graphite powder (99.9995%) shows straightforward diamagnetic behavior, with quantum oscillations at 4 K. The impure (>99%) powder gives a ferromagnetic signal exhibiting little temperature dependence in the temperature range 1.8–300 K, due to the presence of roughly isometric inclusions of metallic iron and cementite (Fe3C) about 100 nm in size. These inclusions are not superparamagnetic. The HOPG-ZYA and -ZYB samples show similar, but highly anisotropic ferromagnetic signals with a saturation magnetization of 1–5 × 10−3 A m2 kg−1, due to inclusions of thin Fe3C platelets in the graphite sheet with a diameter of ≈1 μm and diameter to thickness ratio >10. These platelets form Frisbee-shaped rings around primary lens-shaped inclusions of cubic (Ti, V)C. It is important to account quantitatively for the presence of these metallic, iron-rich inclusions before claiming that the origin of any weak ferromagnetic behavior of graphite is related to intrinsic lattice defects.

We demonstrate supramolecular pathway selection of a perylenediimide derivative in aqueous solution using chemically fueled redox reactions to control assembly/disassembly cycles. The number and frequency of cycles affect the nucleation and growth process, providing control over the size and internal order of the resulting self-assembled structures.

Density functional theory calculations were performed on bulk and V-doped ZnO. Electronic correlations on the O 2p band were introduced using a Hubbard Hamiltonian (DFT + Ud + Up). An excellent agreement was found between the calculated electronic and crystallographic structure and the experimental values for bulk ZnO. The band gap was found to be 3.4 eV, with a lattice parameter error of < 1%. Antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic ground states were found to coexist in V-doped ZnO, with little site preference, explaining the conflicting reports in experiments.

The choice of particle filter dissimilarity distance measures and likelihood functions is considered in the context of object tracking in grey scale CCTV video. The geometrical interpretation of the Bhattacharyya coefficient and distance is reviewed and the relationships between the Bhattacharyya, Matusita, histogram intersection and @g^2 distances are examined. It is argued that as long as the likelihood function satisfies certain criteria its analytical form is not critical in the stated tracking context. This is demonstrated through an experimental comparison between the use of the standard Bhattacharyya distance/Gaussian likelihood combination and the potentially computationally simpler histogram intersection distance/triangular likelihood combination in particle filter tracking sequences. It is shown that the differences between the approaches are marginal when the likelihood criteria are applied. Whilst the analysis was focused on a specific application and context, we suggest that the findings will be of value to particle filter tracking in general.

The effects of an applied magnetic field of up to 5 T on hydrogen evolution and cathodic overpotential were studied for H2SO4 and an acidic Cu/CuSO4 system. Cyclic voltammetry, potentiostatic and galvanostatic deposition as well as electrochemical noise measurements were used. The magnetic field simultaneously increases the rate of hydrogen evolution and modifies the hydrogen bubble size. The periodicity of bubble release from a microelectrode is strongly influenced by the field, which may change the characteristic frequency or make it aperiodic, depending on the field orientation relative to buoyancy. The magnetic field stabilizes a bubble growing on a microelectrode, especially at high current densities. For example, bubble volume increases by a factor four in 1.5 T when the Lorentz force acts downwards. The noise spectra around 1 kHz are characteristic of a coalescence phenomenon. Hydrogen co-reduction with copper was studied by scanning electron microscopy and the current efficiency was measured with a quartz crystal microbalance; at −1.0 V it decreases from 95% to 75% in a field of 1.5 T. Bubble release is no longer periodic, but the noise spectrum has a characteristic shape depending on whether the current density is greater than, equal to or less than the diffusion-limited copper current. The field reduces the roughness of the copper deposit, but the current efficiency can be maximized by controlling the system galvanostatically, which allows a high copper deposition rate at overpotential lower than 0.5 V in the applied field, with smooth deposit quality.