Carbon monoxide-induced dynamic metal-surface nanostructuring.

Carbon monoxide is a ubiquitous molecule in surface science, materials chemistry, catalysis and nanotechnology. Its interaction with a number of metal surfaces is at the heart of major processes, such as Fischer-Tropsch synthesis or fuel-cell optimization. Recent works, coupling structural and nanoscale in situ analytic tools have highlighted the ability of metal surfaces and nanoparticles to undergo restructuring after exposure to CO under fairly mild conditions, generating nanostructures.

Heat shock factor 2 is a stress-responsive mediator of neuronal migration defects in models of fetal alcohol syndrome.

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD) is a frequent cause of mental retardation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying brain development defects induced by maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy are unclear. We used normal and Hsf2-deficient mice and cell systems to uncover a pivotal role for heat shock factor 2 (HSF2) in radial neuronal migration defects in the cortex, a hallmark of fetal alcohol exposure.

Non-associative potentiation of perisomatic inhibition alters the temporal coding of neocortical layer 5 pyramidal neurons.

In the neocortex, the coexistence of temporally locked excitation and inhibition governs complex network activity underlying cognitive functions, and is believed to be altered in several brain diseases. Here we show that this equilibrium can be unlocked by increased activity of layer 5 pyramidal neurons of the mouse neocortex. Somatic depolarization or short bursts of action potentials of layer 5 pyramidal neurons induced a selective long-term potentiation of GABAergic synapses (LTPi) without affecting glutamatergic inputs.

Equation of state of liquid mercury to 520 K and 7 GPa from acoustic velocity measurements.

Ultrafast acoustics measurements on liquid mercury have been performed at high pressure and temperature in a diamond anvil cell using picosecond acoustic interferometry. We extract the density of mercury from adiabatic sound velocities using a numerical iterative procedure. We also report the pressure and temperature dependence of the thermal expansion, isothermal and adiabatic compressibility, bulk modulus, and pressure derivative of the latter up to 7 GPa and 520 K.

Experimenters' guide to colocalization studies: finding a way through indicators and quantifiers, in practice.

Multicolor fluorescence microscopy helps to define the local interplay of subcellular components in cell biological experiments. The analysis of spatial coincidence of two or more markers is a first step in investigating the potential interactions of molecular actors. Colocalization studies rely on image preprocessing and further analysis; however, they are limited by optical resolution.

Influence of the side-chain length on the cellular uptake and the cytotoxicity of rhenium triscarbonyl derivatives: a bimodal infrared and luminescence quantitative study.

Rhenium triscarbonyl complexes fac-[Re(CO)3 (N^N)] with appropriate ancillary N^N ligands are relevant for fluorescent bio-imaging. Recently, we have shown that [Re(CO)3 ] cores can also be efficiently mapped inside cells using their IR signature and that they can thus be used in a bimodal approach. To describe them we have coined the term SCoMPIs for single-core multimodal probes for imaging.

Friction and solid-solid adhesion on complex metallic alloys.

The discovery in 1987 of stable quasicrystals in the Al-Cu-Fe system was soon exploited to patent specific coatings that showed reduced friction in ambient air against hard antagonists. Henceforth, it was possible to develop a number of applications, potential or commercially exploited to date, that will be alluded to in this topical review. A deeper understanding of the characteristics of complex metallic alloys (CMAs) may explain why material made of metals like Al, Cu and Fe offers reduced friction; low solid-solid adhesion came later.

Fast Computation of Solvation Free Energies with Molecular Density Functional Theory: Thermodynamic-Ensemble Partial Molar Volume Corrections.

Molecular density functional theory (MDFT) offers an efficient implicit-solvent method to estimate molecule solvation free-energies, whereas conserving a fully molecular representation of the solvent. Even within a second-order approximation for the free-energy functional, the so-called homogeneous reference fluid approximation, we show that the hydration free-energies computed for a data set of 500 organic compounds are of similar quality as those obtained from molecular dynamics free-energy perturbation simulations, with a computer cost reduced by 2-3 orders of magnitude. This requires to introduce the proper partial volume correction to transform the results from the grand canonical to the isobaric-isotherm ensemble that is pertinent to experiments.

Hybrid materials science: a promised land for the integrative design of multifunctional materials.

For more than 5000 years, organic-inorganic composite materials created by men via skill and serendipity have been part of human culture and customs. The concept of "hybrid organic-inorganic" nanocomposites exploded in the second half of the 20th century with the expansion of the so-called "chimie douce" which led to many collaborations between a large set of chemists, physicists and biologists. Consequently, the scientific melting pot of these very different scientific communities created a new pluridisciplinary school of thought.

Crystal structures of Li6B4O9 and Li3B11O18 and application of the dimensional reduction formalism to lithium borates.

The crystal structures of two members of the Li2O-B2O3 phase diagram, Li6B4O9 and Li3B11O18, have been solved from single-crystal X-ray diffraction, and their structure has been further confirmed by Rietveld refinement on powder samples. Li6B4O9 crystallizes in the P2(1)/n space group with a = 3.31913(15) Å, b = 23.

How lipidomics provides new insight into drug discovery.

Introduction: Automated lipidomic methods based on mass spectrometry (MS) are now proposed to screen a large variety of candidate drugs available that inhibit de novo lipid synthesis and replace tedious methods based on radiotracer incorporation. A major new interest in inhibitors of de novo lipogenesis is their proapoptotic effect observed in cancerous cells.

Areas Covered: In this review, the authors focus on the screening methods of antilipogenic inhibitors targeting the synthesis of malonylCoA (carbonic anhydrase, acetylCoA carboxylase), palmitylCoA (fatty acid synthase condensing and thioesterase subunits) and monounsaturated fatty acids (Δ9-desaturase).

Soloist evaluations of six Old Italian and six new violins.

Many researchers have sought explanations for the purported tonal superiority of Old Italian violins by investigating varnish and wood properties, plate tuning systems, and the spectral balance of the radiated sound. Nevertheless, the fundamental premise of tonal superiority has been investigated scientifically only once very recently, and results showed a general preference for new violins and that players were unable to reliably distinguish new violins from old. The study was, however, relatively small in terms of the number of violins tested (six), the time allotted to each player (an hour), and the size of the test space (a hotel room).

Nitrite reduction by biogenic hydroxycarbonate green rusts: evidence for hydroxy-nitrite green rust formation as an intermediate reaction product.

The present study investigates for the first time the reduction of nitrite by biogenic hydroxycarbonate green rusts, bio-GR(CO3), produced from the bioreduction of ferric oxyhydroxycarbonate (Fohc), a poorly crystalline solid phase, and of lepidocrocite, a well-crystallized Fe(III)-oxyhydroxide mineral. Results show a fast Fe(II) production from Fohc, which leads to the precipitation of bio-GR(CO3) particles that were roughly 2-fold smaller (2.3 ± 0.