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Metabarcoding datasets targeting protists in marine environments are often dominated by a group of dinoflagellates referred to as the Marine Alveolates (MALVs). Despite a global distribution, considerable sequence diversity, and significant prevalence and abundance in various hosts and environments, MAL Vs include just a handful of characterised lineages. They largely represent a vast collection of uncharacterised 18S barcodes. Known lineages, however, are important parasites that can impact fish and crustacean farming or even harmful algal bloom proliferation. Dinoflagellate genomes are notoriously large and complex. With only two comprehensive MALV genomes available, inferring robust evolutionary histories based solely on 18S phylogenies remains challenging. To overcome this issue, we are manually isolating and sequencing individual MALV cells to generate transcriptomes for phylogenomics, increasing the number of characterised MALV lineages and improving our understanding of dinoflagellate evolution in the process. Using this approach, we demonstrated that MAL Vs originated from two distinct, free-living ancestors, indicating multiple transitions to parasitism and challenging prevailing assumptions about MAL Vs as a whole. More recently, we have isolated several new genera, one of which appears to represent an entirely new MALV group. Going forward, we aim to use metabarcoding datasets to guide the targeted isolation of uncharacterised MALV lineages, filling in critical gaps in our understanding of these important regulators of both animal and environmental health.

Host: Ross Waller

• Speaker: Dr Corey Holt, University of Bath
• Wednesday 30 April 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Seminar Room, Tennis Court Road, Dept of Pathology..
• Series: Parasitology Seminars; organiser: Ross Waller.

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This Cambridge Immunology and Medicine Seminar will take place on Thursday 9 October 2025, starting at 4:00pm, in the Ground Floor Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (JCBC)

Speaker: Prof John Tregoning, Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Imperial College London

Title: ‘Inflammation in vaccines and infection: it’s (even) more complex than we think’

Prof John Tregoning is currently Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Imperial College London, where he has studied the immune responses to vaccination and respiratory infection for more than 25 years. His group is currently focusing on the immune response to RNA vaccination. John has written more than 90 peer-reviewed scientific articles. He is also the author of two books Live Forever? A Curious Scientist’s Guide to Wellness, Disease and Ageing and Infectious: Pathogens and how we fight them.

Host: Ravindra Gupta, CITIID , Cambridge

Refreshments will be available following the seminar.

• Speaker: Prof John Tregoning, Professor of Vaccine Immunology at Imperial College London
• Thursday 09 October 2025, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
• Series: Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series; organiser: Ruth Paton.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Quentin Kriaa, Uni of Cambridge
• Thursday 12 June 2025, 11:30-12:30
• Venue: Open Plan Area, Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows, Madingley Rise CB3 0EZ.
• Series: Institute for Energy and Environmental Flows (IEEF); organiser: Catherine Pearson.

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The introduction of grain boundary phases with low resistivity can effectively enhance the thermoelectric performance of Mg3(Sb,Bi)2. This work proposes an in situ engineering approach inducing TiO2-n to reduce interfacial barriers, which is attributed to the formation of Ti3Sb. These secondary phases significantly enhance the power factor while simultaneously reducing the lattice thermal conductivity, thereby resulting in a superior figure of merit (zT) and conversion efficiency.

As a promising thermoelectric material for electronic cooling and power generation, Mg3(Sb,Bi)2 has received extensive attention. Despite efforts to enhance its performance through composite modulation, challenges such as secondary phase refinement, dispersion, and interfacial mismatch, particularly at grain boundaries, remain critical. In this work, by incorporating TiO2-n into the Mg3(Sb,Bi)2-based matrix, the grain boundary phases are in situ engineered, yielding a superior figure of merit (zT) exceeding 2 at 798 K. The electrical conductivity is significantly enhanced with only slight changes to the Seebeck coefficient over the entire temperature range, mainly due to the contribution to carrier concentration and mobility from the newly generated Ti3Sb at grain boundaries. Benefiting from the remarkably enhanced power factor and the diminished lattice thermal conductivity, the zT value shows an overall increase within the temperature range of 300–798 K, leading to a considerable conversion efficiency of 15% for the single-leg device.

An innovative strategy of rapid-directional-solidification is developed to unexpectedly grow non-equilibrium single-crystals of Fe-Ga magnetostrictive material with the supersaturation of Tb, leading to an unprecedentedly giant magnetostriction of 489 ppm in bulk Fe-Ga single-crystals. This study paves the way for realizing revolutionary material performance by innovating the concept and fabrication method of non-equilibrium single-crystals.

The non-equilibrium microstructure characterized by Tb supersaturation within Fe-Ga single-crystals is deduced to induce a substantial enhancement in magnetostriction. However, the growth of the non-equilibrium single-crystal remains a formidable obstacle, as existing methods can only produce either non-equilibrium polycrystal or near-equilibrium single-crystal, leading to the stagnation in magnetostriction. Herein, a rapid-directional-solidification (RDS) strategy is devised to grow non-equilibrium single-crystals. The RDS is realized through achieving an ultrahigh temperature gradient of ≈106 K m−1 at S-L interface front, accompanied by an ultrafast growth velocity. This results in single-crystal growth under non-equilibrium conditions with a giant cooling rate of 102–103 K s−1, which is ≈1–2 orders of magnitude greater than the current state-of-the-art of directional-solidification methods. A non-equilibrium Fe-Ga single-crystal, featured with traces of Tb supersaturation, is successfully grown with a significantly enhanced magnetostriction of 489 ppm. This magnitude of magnetostriction sets a record in bulk Fe-Ga materials, surpassing the maximum value reported for Fe-Ga single-crystals by 60%. The advent of RDS strategy opens an avenue for fabricating non-equilibrium single-crystals with revolutionary performance, and paves the way for fabricating currently unattainable single-crystals for engineering applications.

T2K +NOvA Joint Result

• Speaker: Patrick Dunne: Imperial College London
• Tuesday 10 June 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: Seminar Room -- RDC D2.002 .
• Series: Cavendish HEP Seminars; organiser: Dr Paul Swallow.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Naomi Cooke: University of Glasgow
• Tuesday 03 June 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: Seminar Room -- RDC D2.002 .
• Series: Cavendish HEP Seminars; organiser: Dr Paul Swallow.

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Proton Beam Therapy and Diagnostic Detector Research

• Speaker: Simon Jolly: University College London
• Tuesday 27 May 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: Seminar Room -- RDC D2.002 .
• Series: Cavendish HEP Seminars; organiser: Dr Paul Swallow.

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Monte Carlo integration is a fundamental method underpinning Monte Carlo simulations in high-energy physics (HEP). In this talk, I will present universal “building blocks” for quantum-enhanced integration of generic cross sections in HEP , based on Fourier Quantum Monte Carlo Integration. Leveraging Quantinuum’s Quantum Monte Carlo Integration engine, this approach enables the efficient generation of quantum circuits for these calculations, achieving a quadratic speed-up in root mean-squared error convergence compared to classical methods. To illustrate its impact, I will walk through a concrete example of a 1→3 decay process, demonstrating how quantum algorithms can enhance integral estimation in HEP and potentially reshape computational strategies in the future.

• Speaker: Ifan Williams: Quantinuum
• Tuesday 20 May 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: Seminar Room -- RDC D2.002 .
• Series: Cavendish HEP Seminars; organiser: Dr Paul Swallow.

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Single charge pion production cross-sections at MicroBooNE

• Speaker: Philip Detje: Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge
• Tuesday 13 May 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: Seminar Room -- RDC D2.002 .
• Series: Cavendish HEP Seminars; organiser: Dr Paul Swallow.

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LHCb Upgrade

• Speaker: Dan Thompson: University of Birmingham
• Tuesday 06 May 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: Seminar Room -- RDC D2.002 .
• Series: Cavendish HEP Seminars; organiser: Dr Paul Swallow.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Martin Bauer: Durham University, IPPP
• Tuesday 29 April 2025, 11:00-12:00
• Venue: Seminar Room -- RDC D2.002 .
• Series: Cavendish HEP Seminars; organiser: Dr Paul Swallow.

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A self-healing nitroxide redical, DT-TEMPO, has been used to address slow oxidation and mechanical stability limitations of Spiro-OMeTAD in perovskite solar cells, achieving good power conversion efficiency of 25.69% (rigid, certified 25.30%), 21.23% (rigid mini-module), and 24.19% (flexible). Most impressively, the flexible devices with DT-TEMPO show remarkable machnical stability, maintaining ∼95% of initial efficiency after 20 000 bending cycles through a dynamic disulfide bond cleavage and reformation mechanism.

Spiro-OMeTAD is the primary hole transport material (HTM) for high-efficiency and stable flexible perovskite solar cells (FPSCs). However, the slow oxidation rate and susceptibility to film cracking under stress in Spiro-OMeTAD lead to reduced device stability and efficiency. In this paper, a multi-functional novel self-healing nitroxide radical monomer, 4-[[5-(1,2-dithiolane-3-yl)-1-oxopentyl]amino]-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidin-1-oxyl (DT-TEMPO), has been introduced to address these challenges. DT-TEMPO, on one side, enhances the hole mobility and conductivity by p-doping Spiro-OMeTAD, while boosting the charge transfer process from perovskite to Spiro-OMeTAD with an optimized energy level alignment on the other side. Additionally, DT-TEMPO endows a self-healing capability to Spiro-OMeTAD through the introduction of dynamic breaking and reconstructing disulfide bond. The optimized perovskite solar cells achieve impressive power conversion efficiencies, 25.69% on rigid substrates (certified 25.30%), 21.23% on rigid mini-modules, and 24.19% on flexible substrates. Remarkably, the FPSCs with DT-TEMPO retain over 90% of their initial efficiency even after 20 000 bending cycles (r = 6 mm) and recover to ≈95% of their initial value through the self-healing process.

The layered oxide cathode material (NNLMO) with the LiMn6 and NiMn6 dual-topology superlattice is constructed for sodium-ion batteries, realizing the reversible cationic and anionic redox. The Ni2+ electronic configuration serves as a redox buffer to tune the redox activity, while the NiMn6 topology provides topological protection to reinforce the superstructure stability.

High-voltage oxygen anionic redox provides a transformative opportunity to achieve high energy density of batteries. However, it is challenging to guarantee the reversibility of both cationic and anionic redox for layered transition metal (TM) oxide cathode materials due to the high oxygen-redox reactivity and the complex structural rearrangements. Herein, a honeycomb-layered Na0.78Ni0.12Li0.18Mn0.7O2 (NNLMO) cathode material with the NiMn6 and LiMn6 dual-topology superlattice is proposed for sodium-ion batteries. The theoretical and experimental studies demonstrate that the Ni2+ electronic configuration serves as a redox buffer to tune the cationic and anionic redox activity by enlarging the energy gap between O 2p and Mn 3d orbitals, while the NiMn6 topology renders the LiMn6 topology delocalized in the TM layers to reinforce the superstructure stability through suppressing the intralayer Mn migration and O2 formation. As a result, NNLMO delivers a highly reversible capacity of 224 mAh g−1 with the mitigated voltage hysteresis and exhibits remarkable capacity retention of 92.2% over 50 cycles within the wide voltage range of 1.5–4.5 V. The findings suggest a new insight into the topological superstructure design of high-energy oxide cathode materials for sustainable batteries.

The synthesis of high-quality AgSb0.973Cd0.017Se2 crystals with short-range order embeds within a long-range periodic structure, achieving the synergistic optimization of both electrical and phonon transport properties. Time-resolved reflectance spectroscopy provides clear evidence of a pronounced reduction in carrier scattering barriers, leads to a threefold enhancement in the average power factor (PFavg), ultimately achieving superior thermoelectric performance.

Thermoelectric materials, like other electronic materials, require high carrier mobility, which is governed by carrier scattering potential. In addition to intrinsic acoustic phonon scattering, the extrinsic factors such as microstructure and atomic arrangement also have great influence on carrier transport in solids, e.g., the emerging thermoelectric material AgSbSe2 with strong cation disorder. However, the experimental evaluation of total carrier scattering potential and distinguishing the contributions from intrinsic and extrinsic scatterings is challenging at present. Here, the time-resolved ultrafast spectroscopy analysis utilizing a pump-probe scheme is performed to characterize the charge carrier dynamics of AgSbSe2 with femtosecond time resolution quantitatively. A significantly lowered total carrier scattering potential energy in Cd-doped AgSbSe2 crystal is determined, resulting from the elimination of grain boundaries and the presence of short-range order that leads to a negative extrinsic scattering potential. The reduction in carrier scattering potential leads to a threefold increase in the average power factor from 323 to 723 K. A maximum thermoelectric figure of merit of 1.7 is achieved in high-quality AgSb0.973Cd0.017Se2 crystal at 723 K, with the output efficiency of the single-leg thermoelectric device reaching a competitive value of 8%. This work reveals how to effectively characterize and modulate carrier scattering potential in thermoelectric compounds.

This review systematically examines recent advancements in low-concentration electrolytes (LCEs) and analyzes current challenges, limitations, and failure mechanisms across various rechargeable battery systems using LCEs, including lithium-ion, lithium-metal, lithium-sulfur, sodium-ion, sodium-metal, zinc, potassium, calcium, and magnesium batteries. Modification strategies, theoretical simulations, and cutting-edge characterization techniques for LCEs are discussed, and future directions for high-performance LCEs are proposed to address ongoing challenges.

Low-concentration electrolytes (LCEs) present significant potential for actual applications because of their cost-effectiveness, low viscosity, reduced side reactions, and wide-temperature electrochemical stability. However, current electrolyte research predominantly focuses on regulation strategies for conventional 1 m electrolytes, high-concentration electrolytes, and localized high-concentration electrolytes, leaving design principles, optimization methods, and prospects of LCEs inadequately summarized. LCEs face unique challenges that cannot be addressed by the existing theories and approaches applicable to the three common electrolytes mentioned above; thus, tailored strategies to provide development guidance are urgently needed. Herein, a systematic overview of recent progress in LCEs is provided and subsequent development directions are suggested. This review proposes the core challenge of the high solvent ratio in LCEs, which triggers unstable organic-enriched electrolyte/electrode interface formation and anion depletion near the anode. On the basis of these issues, modification strategies for LCEs, including passivation interface construction and solvent‒anion interaction optimization, are used in various rechargeable battery systems. Finally, the role of advanced simulations and cutting-edge characterization techniques in revealing LCE failure mechanisms is further highlighted, offering new perspectives for their future development and practical application in next-generation rechargeable batteries.

This work identifies the lithium plating failure mechanism in energy-type and power-type single-layer graphite electrodes. Based on this, a two-layer graphite anode is designed and scaled up, with energy-type graphite on the top and power-type graphite on the bottom. This design inhibits lithium plating and greatly extends the lifespan of energy and power-densified LFP batteries.

Lithium iron phosphate (LiFePO4) batteries are increasingly adopted in grid-scale energy storage due to their superior performance and cost metrics. However, as the desired energy and power are further densified, the lifespan of LiFePO4 batteries is significantly limited, mainly because the lithium plating severely occurs on the graphite anode. Here, first the lithium plating characteristics of both energy-type and power-type graphite electrodes in single-layer design are deciphered. Based on these findings, a suitable two-layer design with energy-type graphite on the top layer and power-type one on the bottom layer, is disclosed. Such configuration effectively inhibits lithium plating throughout the graphite electrode, drastically increasing the lifespan in an energy- and power-densified LiFePO4 battery. The assembled pouch cell with an energy density of 161.5 Wh kg−1, delivers a capacity retention rate of 90.8% after 2000 cycles at 2 C. This work provides valuable insights into the failure mechanism of graphite electrodes, but also innovative strategies of electrode engineering for extending batteries’ performance horizon.

Pt1-MoL-Mo2C surface single atom alloys (SSAAs) that integrate the advantages of Single atom catalysts (SACs) and Single atom alloys (SAAs) are successfully fabricated via incorporating ultrathin Mo layer on the surface of Mo2C matrix, exhibiting superior catalytic activity toward HER.

Single atom catalysts (SACs) achieve 100% utilization of metal atoms and have versatile support effects, whereas single atom alloys (SAAs) with metallic bonds own the free-atom-like electronic structure. Herein, surface single atom alloys (SSAAs) are developed that integrate the advantages of SACs and SAAs via incorporating an ultrathin metallic layer during the synthetic process of SACs. It is shown that the Pt single atom preferentially coordinates with metallic Mo nanolayer, thereby forming a Pt1-MoL surface atom alloy on Mo2C (marked as Pt1-MoL-Mo2C SSAAs). Comprehensive spectroscopic and theoretical calculations reveal that the Mo nanolayer in SSAAs not only functions as an electron buffer between Pt1 and Mo2C, leading to a free-atom-like d state at Pt1 sites and thereby balancing the adsorption and desorption of H, but also enhances the aggregation, adsorption, and activation of H2O. Consequently, the Pt1-MoL-Mo2C SSAAs exhibit superior alkaline hydrogen evolution reaction (HER) performance compared to Pt1/Mo2C SACs, achieving a low overpotential of 12 mV at 10 mA cm−2 and a low Tafel slope of 17 mV dec−1. This work provides novel insights into the design of advanced single-site catalysts.

Using near-field infrared and atomic-resolution transmission electron imaging, a novel phenomenon is observed: the presence of conductive interstitial Ga line defects within β-Ga2O3 nanoflakes. These defects lead to an associated increase in conductivity, which in turn results in a broadband infrared response and the quenching of cathodoluminescence. Functioning as an antenna, these defects can excite phonon polaritons in hexagonal boron nitride cladding layers, offering exciting prospects for applications in nanophotonic devices.

Beta-phase gallium sesquioxide (β-Ga2O3), possessing an ultrawide bandgap and high breakdown voltage, exhibits strong potential for deep-ultraviolet photodetection and high-power electronics. However, nanometer-scale line defects, prevalent in β-Ga2O3 growth, degrade device performance by increasing leakage currents and reducing breakdown voltages, thus termed “killer defects”. Critically, the impact of these defects at the atomic scale remains unclear due to limited characterization and a lack of detailed understanding. Here, the observation of novel conductive atomic line defects is reported within β-Ga2O3 nanoflakes using near-field infrared imaging. Combining atomic-resolution imaging with density functional theory calculations, these defects are identified as interstitial Ga atoms migrating along the c-axis. These atomic line defects exhibit a broadband infrared response and quenched cathodoluminescence, indicative of significantly enhanced local conductivity. This elevated conductivity enables subsurface near-field detection of the defects and remote excitation of phonon polaritons in a hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) capping layer. These findings underscore the distinct conductivity of atomic-scale line defects, emphasizing the need for their controlled management during material synthesis and device fabrication, while simultaneously suggesting opportunities for their exploitation in nanophotonic applications.

An innovative plasmon-mediated electron emission (PMEE) nanocathode is developed through gold nanoparticle-decorated vertically aligned few-layer graphene, enabling synchronized generation of picosecond electron pulses and GHz electromagnetic radiation. This room-temperature system achieves exceptional performance of 8.81 × 109 A·m−2·sr−1·V−1 brightness and 0.97 eV energy spread, while operating at moderate excitation, offering a promising platform for compact and high-efficiency vacuum electronic devices.

Vacuum electronic devices offer superior electron mobility and spatiotemporal electron manipulating precision, with recent challenges focusing on ultrafast electron pulses for high-frequency, high-energy, and high-resolution applications. Plasmon-mediated electron emission (PMEE) nanocathodes provide a promising solution by producing high-quality ultrafast electron pulses while simplifying the electron beam manipulation. In this study, we developed a PMEE Au-on-Gr nanocathode using vertically aligned few-layer graphene decorated with gold nanoparticles, enabling synchronized generation of picosecond pulsed electron beam and electromagnetic radiation. The nanocathode achieved 80 MHz electron pulses with a 500 ps pulsewidth, 0.91 A·cm−2 peak current density, 6.53% external quantum efficiency, and 8.81 × 109 A·m−2·sr−1·V−1 reduced brightness. Additionally, it exhibited a 7.1° divergence angle and 0.97 eV energy spread under low excitations. Synchronized radiation pulses at 2.3, 5.7, and 9.2 GHz corresponded to electron pulse features. The excellent performance stems from plasmonic field enhancement and efficient hot electron generation driven by localized surface plasmon resonance (LSPR) in the PMEE nanocathode. The dynamic effects of high-energy hot electron injection at the Au-Gr interface also play a critical role. This system enables compact, room-temperature, low-power vacuum electronic devices for ultra-high spatiotemporal resolution and high-frequency applications, driving progress in materials science and nanotechnology.