Deposition of Ag and Ag-Au nanocrystalline films with tunable conductivity at the water-toluene interface.

Thin films of Au, Ag and Ag-Au alloy nanocrystals extending to areas of several square centimetres are obtained by deposition at the interface of water and toluene. Toluene containing chlorotris(triphenylphosphine)silver(i) and/or chlorotriphenylphosphine gold(i) is reacted with aqueous tetrakishydroxymethylphosphonium chloride to obtain nanocrystalline films adhered to the interfacial region. Alloying was induced by varying the composition of the toluene layer.

Recent Progress in Decarboxylative Oxidative Cross-Coupling for Biaryl Synthesis.

The beginning of the 21st century has seen tremendous growth in the field of decarboxylative activation. Benzoic acid derivatives are now recognised as atom-economic alternatives to traditional cross-coupling partners, and they also benefit from being inexpensive, readily available and shelf-stable reagents. In this microreview we discuss recent developments in the coupling of benzoic acid derivatives either with an arene or with a second benzoic acid derivative, a process often termed decarboxylative oxidative cross-coupling.

Three-dimensional honeycomb-like porous carbon derived from corncob for the removal of heavy metals from water by capacitive deionization.

In this study, porous carbon (3DHPC) with a 3D honeycomb-like structure was synthesized from waste biomass corncob hydrothermal carbonization coupled with KOH activation and investigated as a capacitive deionization (CDI) electrode material. The obtained 3DHPC possesses a hierarchal macroporous and mesoporous structure, and a large accessible specific surface area (952 m g). Electrochemical tests showed that the 3DHPC electrode exhibited a specific capacitance of 452 F g and good electric conductivity.

Mediators of hypoxia in a rat model of sterile-induced acute liver injury.

Background: The liver plays a key role in iron homeostasis during injury and hypoxia.

Methods: For induction of liver injury, thioacetamide (TAA) was administered intraperitoneally to male Sprague Dawley rats. Animals were sacrificed at 0, 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 96 h.

Use of -methyliminodiacetic acid boronate esters in suzuki-miyaura cross-coupling polymerizations of triarylamine and fluorene monomers.

Polytriarylamine copolymers can be prepared by Suzuki-Miyaura cross-coupling reactions of bis -methyliminodiacetic acid (MIDA) boronate ester substituted arylamines with dibromo arenes. The roles of solvent composition, temperature, reaction time, and co-monomer structure were examined and (co)polymers prepared containing 9, 9-dioctylfluorene (F8), 4-sec-butyl or 4-octylphenyl diphenyl amine (TFB), and , '-bis(4-octylphenyl)-, '-diphenyl phenylenediamine (PTB) units, using a Pd(OAc)/2-dicyclohexylphosphino-2',6'-dimethoxybiphenyl (SPhos) catalyst system. The performance of a di-functionalized MIDA boronate ester monomer was compared with that of an equivalent pinacol boronate ester.

Electrochemical Investigation of Adsorption of Single-Wall Carbon Nanotubes at a Liquid/Liquid Interface.

There is much interest in understanding the interfacial properties of carbon nanotubes, particularly at water/oil interfaces. Here, the adsorption of single-wall carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) at the water/1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) interface, and the subsequent investigation of the influence of the adsorbed nanotube layer on interfacial ion transfer, is studied by using the voltammetric transfer of tetramethylammonium (TMA) and hexafluorophosphate (PF) as probe ions. The presence of the interfacial SWCNT layer significantly suppresses the transfer of both ions across the interface, with a greater degree of selectivity towards the PF ion.

Large-scale neuromorphic computing systems.

Neuromorphic computing covers a diverse range of approaches to information processing all of which demonstrate some degree of neurobiological inspiration that differentiates them from mainstream conventional computing systems. The philosophy behind neuromorphic computing has its origins in the seminal work carried out by Carver Mead at Caltech in the late 1980s. This early work influenced others to carry developments forward, and advances in VLSI technology supported steady growth in the scale and capability of neuromorphic devices.

Fossilization of melanosomes via sulfurization.

Fossil melanin granules (melanosomes) are an important resource for inferring the evolutionary history of colour and its functions in animals. The taphonomy of melanin and melanosomes, however, is incompletely understood. In particular, the chemical processes responsible for melanosome preservation have not been investigated.

Petrography, stable isotope compositions, microRaman spectroscopy, and presolar components of Roberts Massif 04133: A reduced CV3 carbonaceous chondrite.

Here, we report the mineralogy, petrography, C-N-O-stable isotope compositions, degree of disorder of organic matter, and abundances of presolar components of the chondrite Roberts Massif (RBT) 04133 using a coordinated, multitechnique approach. The results of this study are inconsistent with its initial classification as a Renazzo-like carbonaceous chondrite, and strongly support RBT 04133 being a brecciated, reduced petrologic type >3.3 Vigarano-like carbonaceous (CV) chondrite.

Identifying Causal Risk Factors for Violence among Discharged Patients.

Background: Structured Professional Judgement (SPJ) is routinely administered in mental health and criminal justice settings but cannot identify violence risk above moderate accuracy. There is no current evidence that violence can be prevented using SPJ. This may be explained by routine application of predictive instead of causal statistical models when standardising SPJ instruments.

Fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy as tools for monitoring redox transformations of uranium in biological systems.

We report a study of redox reactions of uranium in model conditions using luminescence spectroscopy, which with its ease and wide availability has the potential to offer new insights into a bioremediation strategy of particular interest - the enzymatic reduction of UO by bacteria such as . The inherent luminescent properties of UO have been combined with confocal fluorescence microscopy techniques and lifetime image mapping to report directly on uranium concentration, localisation and oxidation state in cellular systems during uranium bioreduction, suggesting that localisation of uranyl species on the cell membrane surface plays an important role and that extracellular biogenic features form alongside uranyl sorbed cellular species during early stages of the bioreduction. The use of confocal microscopy in tandem with lifetime image mapping offers both improved temporal and spatial resolution (nanoseconds to microseconds and sub-micron respectively) than more conventional X-ray based techniques and offers the potential to image redox reactions occurring .

Challenging the paradigm of nitrogen cycling: no evidence of in situ resource partitioning by coexisting plant species in grasslands of contrasting fertility.

In monoculture, certain plant species are able to preferentially utilize different nitrogen (N) forms, both inorganic and organic, including amino acids and peptides, thus forming fundamental niches based on the chemical form of N. Results from field studies, however, are inconsistent: Some showing that coexisting plant species predominantly utilize inorganic N, while others reveal distinct interspecies preferences for different N forms. As a result, the extent to which hypothetical niches are realized in nature remains unclear.

Mapping present and future potential distribution patterns for a meso-grazer guild in the Baltic Sea.

Aim: The Baltic Sea is one of the world's largest semi-enclosed brackish water bodies characterized by many special features, including endemic species that may be particularly threatened by climate change. We mapped potential distribution patterns under present and future conditions for a community with three trophic levels. We analysed climate-induced changes in the species' distribution patterns and examined possible consequences for the chosen food web.

An Approach to the Synthesis of Functionalized Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons.

The application of a new benzannulation reaction for the regiocontrolled synthesis of functionalized chrysenes is reported. The initial benzannulation and the subsequent halogen displacement reactions are both highly regiospecific, which thereby enables the regiocontrolled synthesis of a variety of 4,10-disubstituted chrysenes from commercially available 1,5-dihydroxynaphthalene.

Solidarity, children and research.

While research on children is supported by many professional guidelines, international declarations and domestic legislation, when it is undertaken on children with no possibility of direct benefit it rests on shaky moral foundations. A number of authors have suggested that research enrolment is in the child's best interests, or that they have a moral duty or societal obligation to participate. However, these arguments are unpersuasive.

Permeation of a fully ionized species across a polarized supported liquid membrane.

An analytical technique for the detection of permeation of a fully ionized analyte across a lipophilic membrane is reported. The system, which is comprised of two aqueous compartments (donor and acceptor) separated by a supported liquid membrane, is based on the parallel artificial membrane permeation assay (PAMPA), widely used in the drug discovery process to estimate permeability in vivo. The in situ spectroelectrochemical method developed here employs mechanical stirring of the solution phases on either side of the membrane, external polarization of the membrane, and in situ detection of the analyte via UV-vis spectrophotometry.

Dynamic interaction between WT1 and BASP1 in transcriptional regulation during differentiation.

The Wilms' tumour suppressor protein WT1 plays a central role in the development of the kidney and also other organs. WT1 can act as a transcription factor with highly context-specific activator and repressor functions. We previously identified Brain Acid Soluble Protein 1 (BASP1) as a transcriptional cosuppressor that can block the transcriptional activation function of WT1.

The synthesis of inorganic materials at the water-toluene interface.

The synthesis of thin films and nanocrystalline matter at the interface of two liquids is emerging as an important area in synthesis of inorganic materials. The advances in this area are reviewed to highlight potential uses of this method. The current understanding of the deposition process is discussed.

Quinone bioreductive prodrugs as delivery agents.

Quinone bioreductive prodrugs were developed to target the hypoxic or the reductase- rich population of solid tumours. The mechanism of their selective activation is based on their ability to convert the quinone sub-structure to their activated semiquinone or hydroquinone species affording the active species. Recent studies on their biochemical activation process have resulted in their development as delivery agents that can effectively release a potent (but not necessarily a cytotoxic) agent under hypoxic/reductive conditions.

Synthesis of cytidine ribonucleotides by stepwise assembly of the heterocycle on a sugar phosphate.

Although various syntheses of the nucleic acid bases exist and ribose is a product of the formose reaction, no prebiotically plausible methods for attaching pyrimidine bases to ribose to give nucleosides have been described. Kinetic and thermodynamic factors are thought to mitigate against such condensation reactions in aqueous solution. This inability to produce pyrimidine nucleosides and hence nucleotides is a major stumbling block of the "RNA World" hypothesis and has led to suggestions of alternative nucleic acids as evolutionary precursors to RNA.

Polymetallic Cobalt and Manganese Cages with Phosphinate and Phosphonate Ligands.

Addition of a coligand in reactions of phosphonates with salts of late 3d metals can lead to more soluble and tractable materials, such as the {Co } cage shown (Co: green; P: purple). The structure contains two central PhPO ligands, surrounded by a hexanuclear cobalt helix, capped by seven further cobalt sites.