Noncollinear Magnetic Structures in the Chiral Antiperovskite β-FeSeO.

We present the magnetic properties of the chiral, polar, and possibly magnetoelectric antiperovskite β-FeSeO as derived from magnetization and specific-heat measurements as well as from powder neutron diffraction and Mössbauer experiments. Our macroscopic data unambiguously reveal two magnetic phase transitions at ≈ 103 K and ≈ 78 K, while Rietveld analysis of neutron powder diffraction data reveals a noncollinear antiferromagnetic structure featuring magnetic moments in the - plane of the trigonal structure and a ferromagnetic moment along . The latter is allowed by symmetry between and , weakly visible in the magnetization data yet unresolvable microscopically.

Introducing AFS ([Al(SOF)]) - a thermally stable, readily available, and catalytically active solid Lewis superacid.

Common Lewis superacids often suffer from low thermal stability or complicated synthetic protocols, requiring multi-step procedures and expensive starting materials. This prevents their large-scale application. Herein, the easy and comparably cheap synthesis of high-purity aluminium tris(fluorosulfate) ([Al(SOF)], AFS) is presented.

An amorphous Lewis-acidic zirconium chlorofluoride as HF shuttle: C-F bond activation and formation.

An exceptional HF transfer reaction by C-F bond activation of fluoropentane and a subsequent hydrofluorination of alkynes at room temperature is reported. An amorphous Lewis-acidic Zr chlorofluoride serves as heterogeneous catalyst, which is characterised by an eightfold coordination environment at Zr including chlorine atoms. The studies are seminal in establishing sustainable fluorine chemistry.

Evidence for Lignocellulose-Decomposing Enzymes in the Genome and Transcriptome of the Aquatic Hyphomycete .

Fungi are ecologically outstanding decomposers of lignocellulose. Fungal lignocellulose degradation is prominent in saprotrophic Ascomycota and Basidiomycota of the subkingdom Dikarya. Despite ascomycetes dominating the Dikarya inventory of aquatic environments, genome and transcriptome data relating to enzymes involved in lignocellulose decay remain limited to terrestrial representatives of these phyla.

Liver X Receptor Agonist AZ876 Induces Beneficial Endogenous Cardiac Lipid Reprogramming and Protects Against Isoproterenol-Induced Cardiac Damage.

Background It is known that dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids may improve cardiac function. However, relatively high daily doses are required to achieve sufficient cardiac concentrations of beneficial omega-3 fatty acids. The liver X receptor (LXR) is a nuclear hormone receptor and a crucial regulator of lipid homeostasis in mammals.

Confined Spaces in [n]Cyclo-2,7-pyrenylenes.

A set of strained aromatic macrocycles based on [n]cyclo-2,7-(4,5,9,10-tetrahydro)pyrenylenes is presented with size-dependent photophysical properties. The K-region of pyrene was functionalized with ethylene glycol groups to decorate the outer rim and thereby confine the space inside the macrocycle. This confined space is especially pronounced for n=5, which leads to an internal binding of up to 8.

Fluorescence Quenching in J-Aggregates through the Formation of Unusual Metastable Dimers.

Molecular aggregation alters the optical properties of a system as fluorescence may be activated or quenched. This is usually described within the well-established framework of H- and J-aggregates. While H-aggregates show nonfluorescent blueshifted absorption bands with respect to the isolated monomer, J-aggregates are fluorescent displaying a redshifted peak.

Intestinal and hepatic effects of iron oxide nanoparticles.

Iron oxide nanoparticles gain increasing attention due to their broad industrial use. However, safety concerns exist since their effects on human cells are still under investigation. The presence of iron oxide nanoparticles in the food pigment E172 has been shown recently.

Application of contact-resonance AFM methods to polymer samples.

Contact-resonance AFM (CR-AFM) has been used in recent years for the measurement of mechanical properties of rather stiff materials, such as ceramics or metals, but also of some polymers. Compared with other techniques providing information on the mechanical properties of a sample, notably force-distance curves, CR-AFM has a much shorter acquisition time. This compensates in part the incomplete theoretical understanding of the underlying physical phenomena and of factors influencing the measurements.

Preparation of Nanoparticles for ToF-SIMS and XPS Analysis.

Nanoparticles have gained increasing attention in recent years due to their potential and application in different fields including medicine, cosmetics, chemistry, and their potential to enable advanced materials. To effectively understand and regulate the physico-chemical properties and potential adverse effects of nanoparticles, validated measurement procedures for the various properties of nanoparticles need to be developed. While procedures for measuring nanoparticle size and size distribution are already established, standardized methods for analysis of their surface chemistry are not yet in place, although the influence of the surface chemistry on nanoparticle properties is undisputed.

Substitution pattern controlled aggregation-induced emission in donor-acceptor-donor dyes with one and two propeller-like triphenylamine donors.

We present a comparative study of the spectroscopic properties of the donor-acceptor-donor substituted dyes triphenylamine-allylidenemalononitrile-julolidine (TMJ) and triphenylamine-allylidenemalononitrile-triphenylamine (TMT), bearing one and two propeller-like triphenylamine donor moieties, in solvents of varying polarity and viscosity and in the aggregated and solid state. Our results reveal control of the aggregation-induced spectroscopic changes and the packing motifs of the dye molecules in the solid state by the chemical nature and structure of the second nitrogen-containing donor, i.e.

Mussel-Inspired Multivalent Linear Polyglycerol Coatings Outperform Monovalent Polyethylene Glycol Coatings in Antifouling Surface Properties.

Biofouling constitutes a major challenge in the application of biosensors and biomedical implants, as well as for (food) packaging and marine equipment. In this work, an antifouling surface coating based on the combination of mussel-inspired dendritic polyglycerol (MI-dPG) and an amine-functionalized block copolymer of linear polyglycerol (lPG-b-OA, OA = oligo-amine) was developed. The coating was compared to a MI-dPG surface which was postfunctionalized with commercially available amine-terminated polyethylene glycol (HO-PEG-NH) of similar molecular weight.

Analysis and Classification of Liquid Samples Using Spatial Heterodyne Raman Spectroscopy.

Spatial heterodyne spectroscopy (SHS) is used for quantitative analysis and classification of liquid samples. SHS is a version of a Michelson interferometer with no moving parts and with diffraction gratings in place of mirrors. The instrument converts frequency-resolved information into a spatially resolved one and records it in the form of interferograms.

Dynamic Assembly of Class II Hydrophobins from at the Air-Water Interface.

Class II hydrophobins are amphiphilic proteins produced by filamentous fungi. One of their typical features is the tendency to accumulate at the interface between an aqueous phase and a hydrophobic phase, such as the air-water interface. The kinetics of the interfacial self-assembly of wild-type hydrophobins HFBI and HFBII and some of their engineered variants at the air-water interface were measured by monitoring the accumulated mass at the interface via nondestructive ellipsometry measurements.

Identifying the location of Cu ions in nanostructured SAPO-5 molecular sieves and its impact on the redox properties.

Combining X-ray Absorption Fine Spectroscopy (XAFS) with Anomalous Small-Angle X-ray Scattering (ASAXS) determines the location of Cu ions in silicoaluminophosphate (SAPO-5) frameworks prepared by hydrothermal crystallization or impregnation. As expected, for the hydrothermally prepared sample, incorporation in the SAPO-5 framework was observed. For the first time preferential location of Cu ions at the inner and outer surfaces of the framework is determined.

Condition Assessment of Foundation Piles and Utility Poles Based on Guided Wave Propagation Using a Network of Tactile Transducers and Support Vector Machines.

This paper presents a novel non-destructive testing and health monitoring system using a network of tactile transducers and accelerometers for the condition assessment and damage classification of foundation piles and utility poles. While in traditional pile integrity testing an impact hammer with broadband frequency excitation is typically used, the proposed testing system utilizes an innovative excitation system based on a network of tactile transducers to induce controlled narrow-band frequency stress waves. Thereby, the simultaneous excitation of multiple stress wave types and modes is avoided (or at least reduced), and targeted wave forms can be generated.

Ancient symbiosis confers desiccation resistance to stored grain pest beetles.

Microbial symbionts of insects provide a range of ecological traits to their hosts that are beneficial in the context of biotic interactions. However, little is known about insect symbiont-mediated adaptation to the abiotic environment, for example, temperature and humidity. Here, we report on an ancient clade of intracellular, bacteriome-located Bacteroidetes symbionts that are associated with grain and wood pest beetles of the phylogenetically distant families Silvanidae and Bostrichidae.

Comparison of different methods for MP detection: What can we learn from them, and why asking the right question before measurements matters?

In recent years, an increasing trend towards investigating and monitoring the contamination of the environment by microplastics (MP) (plastic pieces < 5 mm) has been observed worldwide. Nonetheless, a reliable methodology that would facilitate and automate the monitoring of MP is still lacking. With the goal of selecting practical and standardized methods, and considering the challenges in microplastics detection, we present here a critical evaluation of two vibrational spectroscopies, Raman and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and two extraction methods: thermal extraction desorption gas chromatography mass spectrometry (TED-GC-MS) and liquid extraction with subsequent size exclusion chromatography (SEC) using a soil with known contents of PE, PP, PS and PET as reference material.

Assuring quality in microplastic monitoring: About the value of clean-air devices as essentials for verified data.

Avoiding aerial microfibre contamination of environmental samples is essential for reliable analyses when it comes to the detection of ubiquitous microplastics. Almost all laboratories have contamination problems which are largely unavoidable without investments in clean-air devices. Therefore, our study supplies an approach to assess background microfibre contamination of samples in the laboratory under particle-free air conditions.

Exploring the genomic diversity of black yeasts and relatives (, ).

The order (, ) harbours obligatorily melanised fungi and includes numerous etiologic agents of chromoblastomycosis, phaeohyphomycosis and other diseases of vertebrate hosts. Diseases range from mild cutaneous to fatal cerebral or disseminated infections and affect humans and cold-blooded animals globally. In addition, comprise species with aquatic, rock-inhabiting, ant-associated, and mycoparasitic life-styles, as well as species that tolerate toxic compounds, suggesting a high degree of versatile extremotolerance.

Force-distance curves on lubricant films: An approach to the characterization of the shape of the AFM tip.

Force-distance curves have been acquired with an atomic force microscope on perfluorpolyether films. It is shown that curves acquired on films of different thickness, at different rates and with different dwell times can be overlapped by rescaling the time or distance axis. When the time or distance axis is rescaled, the force depends only on the surface tension of perfluorpolyether and on geometrical properties of the tip (aperture and perimeter of the tip at a given distance from the apex).

Analysis of polyethylene microplastics in environmental samples, using a thermal decomposition method.

Small polymer particles with a diameter of less than 5 mm called microplastics find their way into the environment from polymer debris and industrial production. Therefore a method is needed to identify and quantify microplastics in various environmental samples to generate reliable concentration values. Such concentration values, i.

Glycerol-based contrast agents: a novel series of dendronized pentamethine dyes.

The synthesis of water-soluble dyes, which absorb and emit in the range between 650 and 950 nm and display high extinction coefficients (ε) as well as high fluorescence quantum yields (Φf), is still a demand for optical imaging. We now present a synthetic route for the preparation of a new group of glycerol-substituted cyanine dyes from dendronized indole precursors that have been functionalized as N-hydroxysuccinimide (NHS) esters. High Φf values of up to 0.