Trends in Methanol-Solvated Actinide Ions and Actinide Expanded Porphyrin Complexes.

Trivalent actinide expanded porphyrin complexes have been of synthetic interest since the isolation of the series of trivalent lanthanide texaphyrin complexes in 1992, however, synthesis of these actinide-based complexes has not yet been achieved. In this work, a computational study with relativistic density functional theory was performed to determine how trivalent actinide ions (Ac through Lr) interact with Schiff base expanded porphyrin macrocycles in a methanol solvent as an alternate pathway to stabilization. A thorough analysis of structural parameters, electronic structure, stability of microsolvation environments, and relative binding energies provided insight into the most stable structures.

Viability of Plasmodium falciparum parasites in human plasma under different storage conditions.

Background And Objectives: Malaria risk deferral policies are important for mitigating the risk of transfusion-transmitted malaria and apply to all transfusable components, including plasma. While donors of plasma components are deferred for malaria risk in the United States, the viability of intraerythrocytic Plasmodium falciparum parasites present in human plasma components stored under different temperatures and durations has not been previously reported.

Materials And Methods: We spiked human plasma with a low level of ring-stage P.

Synthesis and Characterization of Solvated Lanthanide(II) Bis(triisopropylsilyl)phosphide Complexes.

Lanthanide (Ln) silylamide chemistry is well-developed, but the corresponding silylphosphide chemistry is immature; there are only ten structurally characterized examples of Ln(II) bis(trimethylsilyl)phosphide complexes to date and no reported derivatives with bulkier R-groups. Here, we report the synthesis of the first f-block bis(triisopropylsilyl)phosphide complexes, [Ln{P(SiPr)}(THF)] (; Ln = Sm, Eu, = 3; Ln = Yb, = 2), by the respective salt metathesis reactions of parent [LnI(THF)] with 2 equiv of [Na{P(SiPr)}] in toluene. Complexes were characterized by a combination of NMR, EPR, ATR-IR, electronic absorption and emission spectroscopies, elemental analysis, SQUID magnetometry, and single crystal X-ray diffraction.

The Articulatory and Acoustic Representation of Second-Language French Vowels.

This study examines how L1 English-L2 French learners use L1 articulatory and acoustic categories to produce L2 vowels that are both similar to and different from their L1 vowels. Previous studies examining the relationship between L1 and L2 sound inventories have found that learners reuse L1 phone categories to produce L2 phones that are perceived as similar, but importantly, there is a lack of articulatory data included in these types of studies, which has reinforced the assumption that vowel categories can be solely represented by their acoustic properties. The present study uses ultrasound tongue imaging data and videos of lip rounding in addition to acoustic data to examine how L1 English-L2 French learners produce the French vowels /i y u e ø o/ compared with their English vowels /i u e o/.