Nanoscience News (<front>)

De Bruijn’s identity is a celebrated result in information theory, linking the derivative of entropy with respect to the variance of Gaussian perturbation to the Fisher information. While it has been widely applied and rigorously derived under second moment or mild regularity assumptions, the necessary conditions ensuring the validity of the required exchanges of differentiation and integration have not been fully identified in the literature.

In this talk, we present necessary and sufficient conditions for de Bruijn’s identity, as well as for continuity of entropy with respect to Gaussian perturbation. We explain their implications for characterizing the equality case in the Entropy Power Inequality (EPI) under minimal assumptions. We then turn to the question of stability in the EPI . After reviewing some existing negative and positive results, we conclude with a qualitative stability theorem in the weak convergence sense, valid under very mild assumptions.

The talk is based on joint work with Ioannis Kontoyiannis (Cambridge).

• Speaker: Dr Lampros Gavalakis, DPMMS, University of Cambridge
• Wednesday 22 October 2025, 14:00-15:00
• Venue: MR5, CMS Pavilion A.
• Series: Information Theory Seminar; organiser: Prof. Ramji Venkataramanan.

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We will first explore some of the evidence for unfolding climate change and then the role of Reduction of emissions, Removal of greenhouse gases from the atmosphere, and Refreeze (more generally known as climate engineering, climate interventions or geoengineering). We will discuss the timescales of scale-up and impact on the climate for each of these generally approaches, before then describing some of the research underway in Cambridge in the areas of greenhouse gas Removal and Refreeze. We will then discuss the challenges associated with this research in terms of social acceptability and use the opportunity to share ideas on how we might navigate this path.

• Speaker: Shaun Fitzgerald, Centre for Climate Repair, University of Cambridge
• Monday 27 October 2025, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: MR3, CMS.
• Series: Quantitative Climate and Environmental Science Seminars; organiser: Bethan Wynne-Cattanach.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Svetlana Radionovskaya, Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cambridge
• Monday 09 March 2026, 13:00-14:00
• Venue: MR3, CMS.
• Series: Quantitative Climate and Environmental Science Seminars; organiser: Bethan Wynne-Cattanach.

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Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) maintenance relies on mechanisms that control both the amount and the integrity of the genome. We identify factors and principles that underlie mtDNA homeostasis and investigate how they contribute to copy number regulation and quality control. Using S. cerevisiae as a model, we apply genetic approaches and quantitative imaging to dissect these processes across different levels of organization, from molecular interactions to cellular outcomes. Recent work has revealed pathways that determine mtDNA abundance, as well as mechanisms that promote the preferential maintenance of functional genomes over defective ones. Together, these findings provide a framework for understanding how eukaryotic cells maintain an adequate and functional mitochondrial genome population.

• Speaker: Professor Dr Christof Osman, Biocenter of the LMU, Germany
• Wednesday 12 November 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: MRC MBU, Level 7 Lecture Theatre, The Keith Peters Building, CB2 0XY.
• Series: MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit Seminars; organiser: Lisa Arnold.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Aaron Mueller (Boston University)
• Friday 05 December 2025, 12:00-13:00
• Venue: FW26 Hybrid (In-Person + Online). Here is the Zoom link: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/4751389294?pwd=Z2ZOSDk0eG1wZldVWG1GVVhrTzFIZz09.
• Series: NLIP Seminar Series; organiser: Suchir Salhan.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Christos Christodoulopoulos
• Friday 21 November 2025, 12:00-13:00
• Venue: FW26 Hybrid (In-Person + Online). Here is the Zoom link: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/4751389294?pwd=Z2ZOSDk0eG1wZldVWG1GVVhrTzFIZz09.
• Series: NLIP Seminar Series; organiser: Suchir Salhan.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Kris Cao (Cohere)
• Friday 14 November 2025, 12:00-13:00
• Venue: FW26 Hybrid (In-Person + Online). Here is the Zoom link: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/4751389294?pwd=Z2ZOSDk0eG1wZldVWG1GVVhrTzFIZz09.
• Series: NLIP Seminar Series; organiser: Suchir Salhan.

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Perovskite CsPbBr3 nanocrystals exhibit bright emission, fast response, and solution processability, but their nanoscale size limits efficient radiation detection. Organizing them into porous SiO2 mesospheres enhances radioluminescence up to 40 times, achieving an optimal combination of light yield, fast scintillation, and processability, providing a pathway to high-performance, versatile nanoscintillators for imaging, space, and high-energy physics.

Perovskite-based nanoscintillators, such as CsPbBr3 nanocrystals (NCs), are emerging as promising candidates for ionizing radiation detection, thanks to their high emission efficiency, rapid response, and facile synthesis. However, their nanoscale dimensions — smaller than the mean free path of secondary carriers — and relatively low emitter density per unit volume, limited by their high molecular weight and reabsorption losses, restrict efficient secondary carrier conversion and hamper their practical deployment. In this work, a strategy is introduced to enhance scintillation performance by organizing NCs into densely packed domains within porous SiO2 mesospheres (MSNs). This engineered architecture achieves up to a 40-fold increase in radioluminescence intensity compared to colloidal NCs, driven by improved retention and conversion of secondary charges, as corroborated by electron release measurements. This approach offers a promising pathway toward developing next-generation nanoscintillators with enhanced performance, with potential applications in high-energy physics, medical imaging, and space technologies.

Abstract not available

• Speaker: Yuxian Gu (Tsinghua University)
• Friday 31 October 2025, 12:00-13:00
• Venue: FW26 Hybrid (In-Person + Online). Here is the Zoom link: https://cam-ac-uk.zoom.us/j/4751389294?pwd=Z2ZOSDk0eG1wZldVWG1GVVhrTzFIZz09.
• Series: NLIP Seminar Series; organiser: Suchir Salhan.

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Sign up on Eventbrite: https://medai_october2025.eventbrite.co.uk

Join us for the Cambridge AI in Medicine Seminar Series, hosted by the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre and the Department of Radiology at Addenbrooke’s. This series brings together leading experts to explore cutting-edge AI applications in healthcare—from disease diagnosis to drug discovery. It’s a unique opportunity for researchers, practitioners, and students to stay at the forefront of AI innovations and engage in discussions shaping the future of AI in healthcare.

This month’s seminar will be held on Thursday 30 October 2025, 12-1pm at the Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (Main Lecture Theatre), University of Cambridge and streamed online via Zoom. A light lunch from Aromi will be served from 11:45. The event will feature the following talks:

Explainable Integration of Kidney Cancer Radiology and Pathology – Dr Shangqi Gao, Research Associate, Early Cancer Institute, Department of Oncology, University of Cambridge

Dr Shangqi Gao is a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge, working with Dr Mireia Crispin. Prior to this, he was a Postdoctoral Research Assistant at the University of Oxford, collaborating with Prof. Clare Verrill and Prof. Jens Rittscher. Shangqi Gao earned a Ph.D. in Statistics from Fudan University, an M.Sc. in Applied Mathematics from Wuhan University, and a B.Sc. in Mathematics and Applied Mathematics from Northwestern Polytechnical University. Shangqi is the recipient of the Shanghai Natural Science Award (2023), the Elsevier–MedIA 1st Prize & Medical Image Analysis MICCAI Best Paper Award (2023) and the MICCAI AMAI Best Paper Award (2025). He currently serves as President of the MICCAI Special Interest Group on Explainable AI for Medical Image Analysis.

Abstract: We present an explainable AI framework for kidney cancer analysis that integrates pathological and radiological information to enhance prognostic assessment. Using TNM staging guidelines and pathology reports, we construct interpretable pathological concepts and extract deep features from whole-slide images via foundation models. Pathological and radiological graphs are then built to capture spatial correlations, and graph neural networks with sparsity-informed probabilistic integration identify key biomarkers and risk patterns. This approach ensures explainability and fairness in distinguishing low- and high-risk patients, addressing the intrinsic heterogeneity of kidney cancer.

Development of an AI tool for Quality Assessment in Prostate MRI Using PI-QUAL v2: A Multicenter, Multireader Study – Dr Shuncong Wang, Research Associate, Department of Radiology, University of Cambridge

Shuncong is a research associate in the Department of Radiology at the University of Cambridge, His research focuses on using artificial intelligence in radiology to enhance disease characterization and prognostication.

Abstract: Background: This study aims to develop an AI-based tool for automated quality assessment of prostate MRI in accordance with the PI-QUAL v2 criteria.

Method: A total of 767 retrospectively collected prostate mpMRI exams from five centers were included. Six experienced radiologists independently assessed image quality, and their aggregated ratings served as the reference standard. Inter-rater agreement and agreement between AI predictions and individual radiologists were evaluated using weighted Cohen’s kappa coefficients. The difference between inter-rater variability and average AI–radiologist agreement was tested against zero.

Result: Inter-radiologist agreement for PI-QUAL v2 scores was moderate, with weighted Cohen’s kappa values ranging from 0.22 to 0.70. Agreement was higher for DWI and DCE sequences compared with T2WI . The difference between AI–radiologist and inter-radiologist agreement was not statistically significant in most settings (p < 0.001), except when comparing radiologists from the same institution (p > 0.001).

Conclusion: The AI model can serve as a reliable standalone tool for automated prostate MRI quality assessment.

This is a hybrid event so you can also join via Zoom:

https://zoom.us/j/99050467573?pwd=UE5OdFdTSFdZeUtIcU1DbXpmdlNGZz09

Meeting ID: 990 5046 7573 and Passcode: 617729

We look forward to your participation! If you are interested in getting involved and presenting your work, please email Ines Machado at im549@cam.ac.uk

For more information about this seminar series, see: https://www.integratedcancermedicine.org/research/cambridge-medai-seminar-series/

• Speaker: Dr Shangqi Gao and Dr Shuncong Wang
• Thursday 30 October 2025, 11:45-13:00
• Venue: Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre (Main Lecture Theatre), University of Cambridge.
• Series: Cambridge MedAI Seminar Series; organiser: Hannah Clayton.

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Host Maike De La Roche

• Speaker: Dinis Calado, the Francis Crick Institute
• Thursday 30 April 2026, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
• Series: Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series; organiser: Liat Churley.

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Host Maike De La Roche

• Speaker: Dinis Calado, the Francis Crick Institute
• Thursday 30 April 2026, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
• Series: Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series; organiser: Liat Churley.

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Abstract not available

• Speaker: Eyal Kolman (Microsoft)
• Friday 24 October 2025, 12:00-13:00
• Venue: FW26 Hybrid (In-Person + Online). Google Meet Link: https://meet.google.com/yeu-pqce-rsn.
• Series: NLIP Seminar Series; organiser: Suchir Salhan.

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The origin of Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs), millisecond-duration, extragalactic flashes of radio waves, remains one of the most pressing enigmas in modern astrophysics. While thousands of FRBs have been cataloged, their explosive progenitors and emission mechanisms are still debated. We review synthesizes current observational evidence and theoretical models to investigate the central engines powering these extreme phenomena. A critical diagnostic tool in this endeavor is the polarization properties of FRB signals. Measurements of linear polarization, and particularly the detection of extreme Faraday rotation measures and complex polarization angle swings, provide direct insights into the dense, magnetized environments local to the source. We conclude that the diverse polarization signatures observed, especially in repeating FRBs, strongly favor a magnetospheric origin, where the emission is generated within a dynamic, highly magnetized plasma.

• Speaker: Dr. Weiyang Wang (University of Chinese Academy of Sciences)
• Tuesday 21 October 2025, 11:15-12:00
• Venue: TBC.
• Series: Hills Coffee Talks; organiser: David Buscher.

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Prof. Kit Windows-Yule has worked with numerous companies, from SME to multinational, spanning 8 industrial sectors, helping to improve both the productivity and sustainability of diverse industrial processes. Through this work, and the interdisciplinary, cross-sectoral learnings facilitated thereby, he has developed transferrable knowledge, tools, and strategies which can be applied to a wide range of scientific and industrial systems. In this talk, he will discuss the most valuable learnings, centering around an experimental-numerical-AI workflow through which systems of interest can be rigorously modelled and optimised according to the needs of, or challenges faced by, a given industrial or academic researcher.

• Speaker: Kit Windows-Yule, School of Chemical Engineering, The University of Birmingham
• Thursday 16 October 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: Seminar Room West, Room A0.015, Ray Dolby Centre, Cavendish Laboratory.
• Series: Physics and Chemistry of Solids Group; organiser: Stephen Walley.

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In-process monitoring has given us fantastic scientific insight into the physics of metal additive manufacturing processes, providing new understanding of melt pool dynamics, plume behaviour, and defect formation mechanisms. However, translating this insight into industrial-scale quality assurance remains a challenge, despite the availability of sensors and software from machine manufacturers. This talk will explore the scientific progress achieved through in-process monitoring, including the identification of defect-causing phenomena and their detection to generate 3D maps of porosity and critical defects. It will also discuss emerging approaches to digital quality assurance, including the integration of machine learning and non-destructive evaluation methodologies, and how they can accelerate the qualification and adoption of metal additive manufacturing technology.

• Speaker: Paul Hooper, Department of Mechanical Engineering, Imperial College
• Thursday 23 October 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: Seminar Room West, Room A0.015, Ray Dolby Centre, Cavendish Laboratory.
• Series: Physics and Chemistry of Solids Group; organiser: Stephen Walley.

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Hydrogen embrittlement in metals and alloys, which occurs following hydrogen adsorption, is a well-documented failure mechanism where hydrogen diffusion leads to material degradation through various processes, such as hydride formation. Conventional microscopy struggles to detect hydrogen due to its low electron density and minimal electron/X-ray cross-section, making direct imaging challenging. In contrast, neutral atom microscopy offers a novel approach to surface imaging. Specifically, hydrogen has a high scattering cross-section for the extremely low-energy helium atom beams used in the scanning helium atom microscope (SHeM). This large cross-section enables highly sensitive, non-destructive imaging of hydrogen-passivated surfaces for the first time. This paper presents the initial SHeM imaging of hydrogen-passivated silicon (H/Si(111)) surfaces, revealing distinct contrast between passivated and non-passivated regions across millimetre-scale lateral dimensions. The resulting images highlight surface defects and wetting-induced structures within the hydrogen passivation layers. Helium atom scattering experiments confirm that passivated areas exhibit ordered surface diffraction aligned with the Si(111) lattice structure, whereas non-passivated regions show no significant diffraction signal. Additionally, thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) studies identify desorption peaks corresponding to mono-, di-, and tri-hydride formation, aligning with observed variations in scattered helium intensity. These findings underscore the potential of SHeM as a powerful tool for probing the initiation and evolution of hydrogen adsorption and desorption on surfaces.

• Speaker: Paul Dastoor, Department of Physics, University of Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
• Thursday 06 November 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: Seminar Room West, Room A0.015, Ray Dolby Centre, Cavendish Laboratory.
• Series: Physics and Chemistry of Solids Group; organiser: Stephen Walley.

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Thermodynamics was originally developed for large numbers of particles in macroscopic systems. Things can be very different on the nanoscale, and new questions arise:

1. How is small different from big? As nanoscale size is approached, so the effect of individual disturbances becomes significant and measurable.

2. How is few different from many? As the number of particles is reduced, it may become possible to forgo ignorance of individual positions and momenta.

3. How is cold different from hot? Many, or perhaps most, nanoscale thermodynamics experiments are carried out at low temperatures.

4. How is quantum different from classical? Quantum heat engines can be used to cool and initialise quantum devices.

The talk will focus on experiments which address questions such as these in new ways.

• Speaker: Andrew Briggs, Department of Materials, The University of Oxford
• Thursday 13 November 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: The Cluster Room, A0.022, Ray Dolby Centre, Cavendish Laboratory.
• Series: Physics and Chemistry of Solids Group; organiser: Stephen Walley.

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In the automotive and transportation sectors, engineering materials are frequently subjected to impulsive loading during collision events. Understanding their behaviour under such conditions is essential for designing safer, more impact-resilient structures. However, current research often overlooks critical factors, such as the combined influence of complex loading paths, strain rate, and environmental conditions.

This seminar will explore two key areas: (i) state-of-the-art experimental techniques for investigating the behaviour of lightweight materials under complex loading and environmental conditions; and (ii) the potential of controlling stress wave synchronisation and timing, alongside data-driven modelling approaches.

• Speaker: Antonio Pellegrino, Department of Mechanical Engineering, The University of Bath
• Thursday 20 November 2025, 15:00-16:00
• Venue: Seminar Room North, Room A0.019, Ray Dolby Centre, Cavendish Laboratory.
• Series: Physics and Chemistry of Solids Group; organiser: Stephen Walley.

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host Professor Arthur Kaser, CITIID , Department of Medicine

• Speaker: Prof Holm Uhlig, Professor of Peadiatric Gastroenterology, Oxford University
• Thursday 22 January 2026, 16:00-17:00
• Venue: Lecture Theatre, Jeffrey Cheah Biomedical Centre, Cambridge Biomedical Campus.
• Series: Cambridge Immunology Network Seminar Series; organiser: Liat Churley.

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