Enhancing eye tracking for nonhuman primates and other subjects unable to follow instructions: Adaptive calibration and validation of Tobii eye trackers with the Titta toolbox.

Accurate eye tracking is crucial for gaze-dependent research, but calibrating eye trackers in subjects who cannot follow instructions, such as human infants and nonhuman primates, presents a challenge. Traditional calibration methods rely on verbal instructions, which are ineffective for these populations. To address this, researchers often use attention-grabbing stimuli in known locations; however, existing software for video-based calibration is often proprietary and inflexible.

Electrophilic proximity-inducing synthetic adapters enhance universal T cell function by covalently enforcing immune receptor signaling.

Proximity-induction of cell-cell interactions via small molecules represents an emerging field in basic and translational sciences. Covalent anchoring of these small molecules represents a useful chemical strategy to enforce proximity; however, it remains largely unexplored for driving cell-cell interactions. In immunotherapeutic applications, bifunctional small molecules are attractive tools for inducing proximity between immune effector cells like T cells and tumor cells to induce tumoricidal function.

Offsetting Low-Affinity Carbohydrate Binding with Covalency to Engage Sugar-Specific Proteins for Tumor-Immune Proximity Induction.

Carbohydrate-binding receptors are often used by the innate immune system to potentiate inflammation, target endocytosis/destruction, and adaptive immunity (e.g., CD206, DC-SIGN, MBL, and anticarbohydrate antibodies).

Tunable Multivalent Platform for Immune Recruitment to Lower Antigen Expressing Cancers.

Chemical immunotherapeutic strategies including Antibody Recruiting Molecules (ARMs - bivalent small molecules containing an antibody-binding domain (ABD) and a target-binding domain (TBD)) direct immune-mediated clearance of diseased cells. Anti-cancer ARM function relies on high tumor antigen valency, limiting function against lower antigen expressing tumors. To address this limitation, we report a tunable multivalent immune recruitment (MIR) platform to amplify/stabilize antibody recruitment to cells with lower antigen valencies.

Covalent Immune Proximity-Induction Strategy Using SuFEx-Engineered Bifunctional Viral Peptides.

Covalent antibody recruiting molecules (cARMs) constitute a proximity-inducing chemical strategy to modulate the recognition and elimination of cancer cells by the immune system. Recognition is achieved through synthetic bifunctional molecules that use covalency to stably bridge endogenous hapten-specific antibodies like anti-dinitrophenyl (anti-DNP), with tumor antigens on cancer cell surfaces. To recruit these antibodies, cARMs are equipped with the native hapten-binding molecule.

An evaluation of thermal imaging as a welfare monitoring tool for captive chimpanzees.

Among the growing list of novel tools with which to assess animal welfare is the use of thermal (infrared) imaging. The technology has already been utilized to identify emotional arousal in several nonhuman primate species, though most of these approaches have necessitated the use of relatively controlled settings. Here, we were interested to determine the feasibility of such techniques in a sanctuary setting in which chimpanzees were unrestrained and able to move freely around their enclosures.

Covalent Stabilization of Antibody Recruitment Enhances Immune Recognition of Cancer Targets.

Antibody recruiting molecules (ARMs) represent an important class of "proximity-inducing" chemical tools with therapeutic potential. ARMs function by simultaneously binding to a hapten-specific serum antibody (Ab) (e.g.

Methods to Validate Binding and Kinetics of "Proximity-Inducing" Covalent Immune-Recruiting Molecules.

The emergence of covalent inhibitors and chemoproteomic probes in translational chemical biology research requires the development of robust biophysical and analytical methods to characterize their complex interactions with target biomolecules. Importantly, these methods must efficiently assess target selectivity and accurately discern noncovalent binding from the formation of resultant covalent adducts. One recently reported covalent chemical tool used in tumor immune oncology, covalent immune recruiters (CIRs), increases the proximity of immune cells and cancer cells, promoting immune recognition and response.

Covalent Immune Recruiters: Tools to Gain Chemical Control Over Immune Recognition.

Unprecedented progress made in the treatment of cancer using the body's own immune system has encouraged the development of synthetic molecule based immunotherapeutics. An emerging class of these compounds, called Antibody Recruiting Molecules (ARMs) or Antibody Engagers (AEs), functions by reversibly binding antibodies naturally present in human serum and recruiting these to cancer cells. The recruited antibodies then engage immune cells to form quaternary complexes that drive cancer erradication.

Correction: Polymeric hole-transport materials with side-chain redox-active groups for perovskite solar cells with good reproducibility.

Correction for 'Polymeric hole-transport materials with side-chain redox-active groups for perovskite solar cells with good reproducibility' by Rosinda Fuentes Pineda et al., Phys. Chem.

Polymeric hole-transport materials with side-chain redox-active groups for perovskite solar cells with good reproducibility.

Two monomers, M:OO and M:ON, and their corresponding polymers, P:OO and P:ON, were prepared from styrene derivatives N,N-diphenyl-4-vinyl-aniline with different substituents (-OCH3 and -N(CH3)2) in the N-phenyl para positions. The polymers were synthesised and fully characterised to study their function as hole transport materials (HTMs) in perovskite solar cells (PSCs). The thermal, optical and electrochemical properties and performance of these monomers and polymers as HTMs in PSCs were compared in terms of their structure.

Iron(ii) β-ketiminate complexes as mediators of controlled radical polymerisation.

A series of tridentate, ONO- and ONN-chelating β-ketiminate ligands were synthesised via condensation reactions, and complexed with iron(ii) using [Fe(N(SiMe))THF]. The complexation reactions proceeded in high yields to generate novel, monomeric, tetracoordinate iron(ii) complexes, each bearing a bis(trimethylsilyl)amide ligand, as confirmed by X-ray crystallography. These complexes were amenable to further reaction (protonolysis) with alcohols and phenols, generating alkoxide/phenolate-containing complexes that were dimeric in the solid state.

Solid-state structure, solution-state behaviour and catalytic activity of electronically divergent C,N-chelating palladium-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes.

A family of electronically diverse pyridyl- and picolyl-substituted imidazolium salts have been prepared and coordinated to palladium in a single step, to deliver a variety of palladium(ii)-N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) complexes. Neutral Pd(NHC)X2, cationic [Pd(NHC)2X]X and dicationic [Pd(NHC)2]X2-type complexes have been isolated and fully characterised, with single-crystal X-ray analysis revealing a variety of coordination environments around the palladium centres. The pre-formed complexes have been employed in a model Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reaction to yield a sterically congested tetra-ortho-substituted biaryl product, showcasing turnover numbers comparable to Pd-PEPPSI-IPr catalyst.

Synthesis and anticancer activity of silver(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes derived from the natural xanthine products caffeine, theophylline and theobromine.

A new library of silver(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes prepared from the natural products caffeine, theophylline and theobromine is reported. The complexes have been fully characterised using a combination of NMR spectroscopy, mass spectrometry, elemental analysis and X-ray diffraction analysis. Furthermore, the hydrophobicity of the complexes has been measured.

Mechanistic insights into the oxidative coupling of N-heterocyclic carbenes within the coordination sphere of copper complexes.

The behavior of N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) ligands in organometallic chemistry is hugely important for catalysis, due to the effect of these ligands on catalytic pathways and their involvement in catalyst decomposition. In this report, a combined experimental and computational study is presented, which provides mechanistic understanding of the unprecedented oxidative coupling of NHCs at Cu. The presence of Cu(I) -, Cu(II) -, and Cu(III) -NHC complexes during the process is postulated, with the unusual Ccarbene -Ccarbene oxidative coupling reaction occurring under extremely mild reaction conditions.

Structural diversity of copper(I)-N-heterocyclic carbene complexes; ligand tuning facilitates isolation of the first structurally characterised copper(I)-NHC containing a copper(I)-alkene interaction.

The preparation of a series of imidazolium salts bearing N-allyl substituents, and a range of substituents on the second nitrogen atom that have varying electronic and steric properties, is reported. The ligands have been coordinated to a copper(I) centre and the resulting copper(I)-NHC (NHC=N-heterocyclic carbene) complexes have been thoroughly examined, both in solution and in the solid-state. The solid-state structures are highly diverse and exhibit a range of unusual geometries and cuprophilic interactions.

Simple and versatile selective synthesis of neutral and cationic copper(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes using an electrochemical procedure.

An electrochemical approach for the preparation of copper(I) N-heterocyclic carbene complexes has been developed to include a diverse range of ligand precursors. Importantly, the method is effective for a ligand precursor that contains several acidic protons and for which traditional methods of carbene formation are not suitable.