Microwave assisted synthesis of heterometallic 3d-4f M4Ln complexes

In this paper we describe the synthesis and magnetic properties of a series of 3d-4f complexes of general formula [M4Ln(OH)2(chp)4(SALOH)5(H2O)(MeCN)(Solv)] (Solv = MeOH, MeCN, H2O; chp stands for deprotonated 6-chloro-2-hydroxypyridine (C5H3ClNO), SALOH stands for monodeprotonated 3,5-ditert-butylsalicylic acid (C15H21O3)) obtained by a solvent-free microwave assisted synthesis method. The Ni(II) complexes (Ni4Gd, Solv = MeOH; Ni4Dy, Solv = MeCN) are not SMMs in the absence of an applied dc field. The replacement of Ni(II) by Co(II) (Co4La, Solv = MeOH; Co4Gd, Solv = H2O; Co4Gd-MeCN, Solv = MeCN; Co4Tb, Solv = MeOH; Co4Dy, Solv = H2O) results in improved SMM properties

Estimates of genomic heritability and genome-wide association study for fatty acids profile in Santa Inês sheep

Background: Despite the health concerns and nutritional importance of fatty acids, there is a relative paucity of studies in the literature that report genetic or genomic parameters, especially in the case of sheep populations. To investigate the genetic architecture of fatty acid composition of sheep, we conducted genome-wide association studies (GWAS) and estimated genomic heritabilities for fatty acid profile in Longissimus dorsi muscle of 216 male sheep. Results: Genomic heritability estimates for fatty acid content ranged from 0.25 to 0.46, indicating that substantial genetic variation exists for the evaluated traits. Therefore, it is possible to alter fatty acid profiles through selection. Twenty-seven genomic regions of 10 adjacent SNPs associated with fatty acids composition were identified on chromosomes 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 12, 14, 15, 16, 17, and 18, each explaining ≥0.30% of the additive genetic variance. Twenty-three genes supporting the understanding of genetic mechanisms of fat composition in sheep were identified in these regions, such as DGAT2, TRHDE, TPH2, ME1, C6, C7, UBE3D, PARP14, and MRPS30. Conclusions: Estimates of genomic heritabilities and elucidating important genomic regions can contribute to a better understanding of the genetic control of fatty acid deposition and improve the selection strategies to enhance meat quality and health attributes

Alma Mater: 2015/Pavasaris

Proceedings of the 2nd AtMol European Workshop.Quantum coherence and entanglement give resources to enhance the capabilities of computers well beyond those achievable by present-day or even future classical devices. Quantum information processing can be carried out via a combination of two elementary logic operations: unitary rotations of individual qubits and quantum-gate operations that involve at least two coupled qubits. An outstanding challenge for science and technology is to find suitable realizations of these basic elements. In recent years, magnetic molecular clusters have become candidates to implement the quantum computer hardware. Here, we summarize some of the strategies that have been followed to design and synthesize molecular spin qubits and quantum gates. In particular, we show that molecular clusters containing two Tb3+ ions meet all ingredients required to implement a CNOT quantum logic gate. The definition of control and target qubits is based on the strong magnetic anisotropy and the magnetic inequivalence of the two ions, which can be achieved by chemically engineering dissimilar coordination spheres. The magnetic asymmetry also provides a method to realize a SWAP gate in the same cluster. The synthesis of related molecular structures enables a vast choice of quantum-gate designs. Chemically engineered molecular quantum gates can therefore open promising avenues for the realization of scalable quantum computing architectures.This work was partly funded by grants MAT2009–13977-C03 (MOLCHIP), CTQ2009–06959, FIS2008–01240 and FIS2009–13364-C02, from the Spanish MICINN and the Consolider-Ingenio project on molecular nanoscience. Funding from the European Research Council Starting Grant FuncMolQIP (to GA) is also acknowledged. G. A. acknowledges Generalitat de Catalunya for the ICREA Academia prize 2008Peer reviewe

Assessment of the meat quality of lamb M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum and M. triceps brachii following three different Halal slaughter procedures

A total of fifteen male and fifteen female lambs were allocated to three groups of ten animals and subjected to: traditional Halal slaughter without stunning (TNS); slaughter following electric head-only stunning (EHOS) or; post-cut electric head-only stun (PCEHOS) and their meat quality was determined. Instrumental and sensory analyses were carried out on two muscles; M. longissimus thoracis et lumborum (LTL) and M. triceps brachii (TB). Additionally, the effects of sex and muscle type were also assessed. No differences were found among slaughter methods for pH, drip loss and shear force.TB had a higher pHu and was more tender than LTL. Muscles from EHOS and PCEHOS lambs discoloured more quickly than TNS muscles. There were no differences in the measured sensory attributes, with the exception of EHOS meat being tougher than PCEHOS and TNS meat. This study showed that the three slaughter methods had no substantial effect on lamb meat quality