Ligand mixed-valence and electrical conductivity in coordination complexes containing a redox-active phenalenol-substituted ligand.

A new redox-active hydrazone ligand bearing a phenalenol group is described (phpl), which produces neutral six-coordinate Fe and Co complexes (1 & 2) with the ligands identified in different oxidation states; an open-shell anion radical and closed-shell dianion. An intense and very low-energy intervalence charge transfer (IVCT) band is identified in solid-state and in solution in the complexes. Single crystals of 1 are semiconducting (at 300 K, σ = 3.

Linking immune responses with fibrosis in allergic eye disease.

Purpose Of Review: Here, we explore an emerging theme in the literature, which is the role of dendritic cells in the causation of fibrosis. To fully appreciate this pathway to disease, we also review the most recent literature regarding dendritic cell biology as it pertains to ocular surface tissues. On the basis of this information, we propose a unifying hypothesis for how dendritic cells may cause conjunctival fibrosis in the allergy setting.

Pervasive and strong effects of plants on soil chemistry: a meta-analysis of individual plant 'Zinke' effects.

Plant species leave a chemical signature in the soils below them, generating fine-scale spatial variation that drives ecological processes. Since the publication of a seminal paper on plant-mediated soil heterogeneity by Paul Zinke in 1962, a robust literature has developed examining effects of individual plants on their local environments (individual plant effects). Here, we synthesize this work using meta-analysis to show that plant effects are strong and pervasive across ecosystems on six continents.

Limbal Fibroblasts Maintain Normal Phenotype in 3D RAFT Tissue Equivalents Suggesting Potential for Safe Clinical Use in Treatment of Ocular Surface Failure.

Limbal epithelial stem cell deficiency can cause blindness, but transplantation of these cells on a carrier such as human amniotic membrane can restore vision. Unfortunately, clinical graft manufacture using amnion can be inconsistent. Therefore, we have developed an alternative substrate, Real Architecture for 3D Tissue (RAFT), which supports human limbal epithelial cells (hLE) expansion.

Personal nitrogen footprint tool for the United Kingdom.

The global nitrogen (N) cycle has been transformed by human use of reactive N as a consequence of increased demand for food and energy. Given the considerable impact of humans on the N cycle, it is essential that we raise awareness amongst the public and policy makers as this is the first step in providing individuals and governments the opportunity to reduce their impact on the N cycle and reduce the environmental and health consequences of N pollution. Here we describe an N footprint tool for the UK developed as part of the N-PRINT program.

Captured segment exchange: a strategy for custom engineering large genomic regions in Drosophila melanogaster.

Site-specific recombinases (SSRs) are valuable tools for manipulating genomes. In Drosophila, thousands of transgenic insertions carrying SSR recognition sites have been distributed throughout the genome by several large-scale projects. Here we describe a method with the potential to use these insertions to make custom alterations to the Drosophila genome in vivo.

Secretory immunoglobulin A reactions to prolonged mental arithmetic stress: inter-session and intra-session reliability.

Although previous evidence suggests that mucosal immunity may be influenced by mental stress, the importance of the duration of stress exposure on secretory immunoglobulin A (sIgA) has yet to be fully elucidated. Salivary sIgA and cardiovascular activity were measured at rest, following 14 and 28 min of mental arithmetic, and after recovery in 24 men and women on two sessions 2-4 days apart. Mental arithmetic was, on both sessions and after both the early and late phases of the task, associated with increases in sIgA concentration and sIgA secretion rate compared to rest and recovery.