33 research outputs found
EFFECT OF SALINITY ON THE PHYSIOLOGICAL BEHAVIOR OF THE OLIVE TREE (VARIETY SIGOISE
Salinity is a major problem directly affecting the ecological balance and the development of agriculture in the Mediterranean basin, particularly North Africa. This phenomenon is considered as the most important abiotic factor limiting crops growth and productivity, degrading and polluting soils in arid and semi-arid. In order to study the influence of salinity, on the physiological parameters and to assess the potential of adaptation of the olive tree in a saline environment, three parcels containing the Sigoise variety and subject to different degrees of salinity were selected: Parcel 1 (non-saline); Parcel 2 (saline); Parcel 3 (very saline). Under a saline constraint, the results showed two contrasting tendencies, an intense increase in the content of proline, sodium (Na+) and chlorophyll (b), while water content, potassium and chlorophyll (a) decreased strongly with increasing salinity
Rh-POP Pincer Xantphos Complexes for C-S and C-H Activation. Implications for Carbothiolation Catalysis
The neutral Rh(I)–Xantphos
complex [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)Cl]<sub><i>n</i></sub>, <b>4</b>, and cationic Rh(III) [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(H)<sub>2</sub>][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>2a</b>, and [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos-3,5-C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>(CF<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>)(H)<sub>2</sub>][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>2b</b>, are described [Ar<sup>F</sup> = 3,5-(CF<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>; Xantphos
= 4,5-bis(diphenylphosphino)-9,9-dimethylxanthene; Xantphos-3,5-C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>(CF<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub> = 9,9-dimethylxanthene-4,5-bis(bis(3,5-bis(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)phosphine].
A solid-state structure of <b>2b</b> isolated from C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>Cl solution shows a κ<sup>1</sup>-chlorobenzene
adduct, [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos-3,5-C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>(CF<sub>3</sub>)<sub>2</sub>)(H)<sub>2</sub>(κ<sup>1</sup>-ClC<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>3</b>. Addition of H<sub>2</sub> to <b>4</b> affords,
crystallographically characterized, [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(H)<sub>2</sub>Cl], <b>5</b>. Addition of diphenyl
acetylene to <b>2a</b> results in the formation of the C–H
activated metallacyclopentadiene [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(ClCH<sub>2</sub>Cl)(σ,σ-(C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>)C(H)CPh)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>7</b>, a rare example of a crystallographically characterized Rh–dichloromethane
complex, alongside the Rh(I) complex <i>mer</i>-[Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(η<sup>2</sup>-PhCCPh)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>6</b>. Halide abstraction from [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)Cl]<sub><i>n</i></sub> in the presence of diphenylacetylene affords <b>6</b> as the
only product, which in the solid state shows that the alkyne binds
perpendicular to the κ<sup>3</sup>-POP Xantphos ligand plane.
This complex acts as a latent source of the [Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)]<sup>+</sup> fragment and facilitates
<i>ortho</i>-directed C–S activation in a number
of 2-arylsulfides to give <i>mer</i>-[Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(σ,κ<sup>1</sup>-Ar)(SMe)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>] (Ar = C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>COMe, <b>8</b>; C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>(CO)OMe, <b>9</b>; C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>NO<sub>2</sub>, <b>10</b>; C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>CNCH<sub>2</sub>CH<sub>2</sub>O, <b>11</b>; C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>C<sub>5</sub>H<sub>4</sub>N, <b>12</b>).
Similar C–S bond cleavage is observed with allyl sulfide,
to give <i>fac</i>-[Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(η<sup>3</sup>-C<sub>3</sub>H<sub>5</sub>)(SPh)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>13</b>. These products of C–S
activation have been crystallographically characterized. For <b>8</b> in situ monitoring of the reaction by NMR spectroscopy reveals
the initial formation of <i>fac</i>-κ<sup>3</sup>-<b>8</b>, which then proceeds to isomerize to the <i>mer</i>-isomer. With the <i>para</i>-ketone aryl sulfide, 4-SMeC <sub>6</sub>H<sub>4</sub>COMe, C–H activation <i>ortho</i> to the ketone occurs to give <i>mer</i>-[Rh(κ<sup>3</sup>-<sub>P,O,P</sub>-Xantphos)(σ,κ<sup>1</sup>-4-(COMe)C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>3</sub>SMe)(H)][BAr<sup>F</sup><sub>4</sub>], <b>14</b>. The temporal evolution of carbothiolation catalysis using <i>mer</i>-κ<sup>3</sup>-<b>8</b>, and phenyl acetylene
and 2-(methylthio)acetophenone substrates shows initial fast catalysis
and then a considerably slower evolution of the product. We suggest
that the initially formed <i>fac</i>-isomer of the C–S
activation product is considerably more active than the <i>mer</i>-isomer (i.e., <i>mer</i>-<b>8</b>), the latter of
which is formed rapidly by isomerization, and this accounts for the
observed difference in rates. A likely mechanism is proposed based
upon these data
Ge nanocrystals formation on SiO
Ge nanocrystals (NCs) are produced by a dewetting process
during annealing of an amorphous Ge layer deposited on an ultra thin
SiO2 layer. We have investigated the characteristics of the resulting
NCs as a function of the nominal Ge layer thickness. Thanks to transmission
electron microscopy images, we have extracted both the wetting angle and the
NCs aspect ratio. We found that these characteristics remain constant
whatever is the nominal thickness in the range of 1.5 to 10 nm. These
results suggest that NCs have reached their equilibrium shape. We also
experimentally determined the evolution of the NCs with the nominal
thickness of the amorphous layer and found a linear relation. These results
are in agreement with mass conservation and energetical considerations.
Moreover a memory effect was evidenced in all the samples by C − V measurements.
At last, we demonstrate that the use of a patterned SiO2 surface
improves considerably the ordering of NCs and reduces their size
distribution. Such a process is promising for future integration of NCs in
memory devices
Size-quantization in extremely small CdS clusters formed in calixarene LB films
CdS nanoparticles have been formed within Y-type Langmuir-Blodgett (LB) films of cadmium salts of calix(8)- and calix(4)-arene by reaction with H2S. UV-vis absorption spectra of the LB films, measured at room temperature, show well-resolved transitions between size-quantization levels in CdS clusters. The size of the CdS particles, obtained by Gaussian fitting of the experimental spectra, is 1.5 +/- 0.3 nm, which is much less than those reported for fatty acid LB films. The particle size does net depend either on the type of calixarene or the number of LB layers. LB films were also characterised by X-ray diffraction and ellipsometry which show the film thickness do not change substantially after treatment with H2S. The mechanism of CdS nanoparticles formation is discussed. (C) 1998 Published by Elsevier Science S.A. All rights reserved
Receptor-defined subtypes of breast cancer in indigenous populations in Africa: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common female cancer in Africa. Receptor-defined subtypes are a major determinant of treatment options and disease outcomes but there is considerable uncertainty regarding the frequency of poor prognosis estrogen receptor (ER) negative subtypes in Africa. We systematically reviewed publications reporting on the frequency of breast cancer receptor-defined subtypes in indigenous populations in Africa. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Medline, Embase, and Global Health were searched for studies published between 1st January 1980 and 15th April 2014. Reported proportions of ER positive (ER+), progesterone receptor positive (PR+), and human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 positive (HER2+) disease were extracted and 95% CI calculated. Random effects meta-analyses were used to pool estimates. Fifty-four studies from North Africa (n=12,284 women with breast cancer) and 26 from sub-Saharan Africa (n=4,737) were eligible. There was marked between-study heterogeneity in the ER+ estimates in both regions (I2>90%), with the majority reporting proportions between 0.40 and 0.80 in North Africa and between 0.20 and 0.70 in sub-Saharan Africa. Similarly, large between-study heterogeneity was observed for PR+ and HER2+ estimates (I2>80%, in all instances). Meta-regression analyses showed that the proportion of ER+ disease was 10% (4%-17%) lower for studies based on archived tumor blocks rather than prospectively collected specimens, and 9% (2%-17%) lower for those with ≥ 40% versus those with <40% grade 3 tumors. For prospectively collected samples, the pooled proportions for ER+ and triple negative tumors were 0.59 (0.56-0.62) and 0.21 (0.17-0.25), respectively, regardless of region. Limitations of the study include the lack of standardized procedures across the various studies; the low methodological quality of many studies in terms of the representativeness of their case series and the quality of the procedures for collection, fixation, and receptor testing; and the possibility that women with breast cancer may have contributed to more than one study. CONCLUSIONS: The published data from the more appropriate prospectively measured specimens are consistent with the majority of breast cancers in Africa being ER+. As no single subtype dominates in the continent availability of receptor testing should be a priority, especially for young women with early stage disease where appropriate receptor-specific treatment modalities offer the greatest potential for reducing years of life lost. Please see later in the article for the Editors' Summary