The galla[1]ferrocenophane {[dimeth­yl(2-pyrid­yl)sil­yl]bis­(trimethyl­silyl)methyl-κ2 C,N}(ferrocene-1,1′-di­yl)gallium(III)

The title compound, [GaFe(C5H4)2(C14H28NSi3)] or [{(2-H4C5N)Me2Si}(Me3Si)2C]Ga(C5H4)2Fe, a galla[1]ferrocenophane, crystallizes with two independent mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit. In these strained sandwich compounds, the angles between the planes of the two π-ligands are 15.4 (2) and 16.4 (2)°, with gallium in a distorted tetrahedral coordination environment

Neural cell adhesion molecule-mediated fyn activation promotes GABAergic synapse maturation in postnatal mouse cortex

GABAergic basket interneurons form perisomatic synapses, which are essential for regulating neural networks, and their alterations are linked to various cognitive dysfunction. Maturation of basket synapses in postnatal cortex is activity dependent. In particular, activity-dependent downregulation of polysialiac acid carried by the neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM) regulates the timing of their maturation. Whether and how NCAM per se affects GABAergic synapse development is unknown. Using single-cell genetics to knock out NCAM in individual basket interneurons in mouse cortical slice cultures, at specific developmental time periods, we found that NCAM loss during perisomatic synapse formation impairs the process of basket cell axonal branching and bouton formation. However, loss of NCAM once the synapses are already formed did not show any effect. We further show that NCAM120 and NCAM140, but not the NCAM180 isoform, rescue the phenotype. Finally, we demonstrate that a dominant-negative form of Fyn kinase mimics, whereas a constitutively active form of Fyn kinase rescues, the effects of NCAM knockdown. Altogether, our data suggest that NCAM120/NCAM140-mediated Fyn activation promotes GABAergic synapse maturation in postnatal cortex

Contextual Conditions for Acculturation and Adjustment of Adolescent Immigrants – Integrating Theory and Findings

In this paper we review the literature on contextual conditions related to the school, the family, and ethnic or immigrant-group membership, and their association with adjustment outcomes of adolescent immigrants in Europe. Drawing on theories in the areas of acculturation and development, the first aim was to develop a conceptual framework, which integrates acculturative and developmental processes in early adolescence and can guide the literature review in this area. The second aim was to identify the most important conditions for adolescent immigrants’ acculturation and adjustment outcomes in school and the family, and related to immigrant-group membership

Characteristics of the Country of Origin and Immigrant Children’s Psychological and Sociocultural School Adjustment

In many Western countries, immigrant children lag behind their native peers in educational attainment, yet there appear to be systematic differences between immigrant groups. We set out to examine (1) if these differential outcomes can be linked to group specific acculturation patterns, following similar processes to those observed at individual level; and (2) to what extent characteristics of the country of origin could help to explain differences in the acculturation process and school adjustment of immigrant children in Germany. In particular, we investigated country-level relationships between children’s acculturation conditions (e.g., perceived parental acculturation expectations and cultural practices in the family), orientations (ethnic and mainstream), and school-related outcomes (psychological and sociocultural) as well as how these in turn are related to characteristics of the countries of origin (e.g. cultural values, level of development and religious composition). Country-level analyses were based on a diverse sample of 695 second- and third-generation immigrant children from more than 50 different countries in Germany. (1) Our results confirm that country-level relationships between different components of the acculturation process are very similar to what has been found at individual level. (2) We found some relationships between characteristics of the country of origin and acculturation conditions, yet, the relationships with children’s acculturation orientations and outcomes were much weaker. These findings suggest that (1) there appear to be immigrant group-specific acculturation patterns which can explain differences in school adjustment and (2) characteristics of the country of origin only play a minor role in immigrant children’s school adjustment

Who is Friends with Whom? Patterns of Inter- and Intraethnic Friendships of Mainstream and Immigrant Early Adolescents in Germany

Multiethnic schools provide opportunities for interethnic contact and the development of positive interethnic relations. Yet, some children develop such relations more easily than others. In the present study, we were interested in patterns of inter- and intraethnic friendships and the relative likeability of certain ethnic groups in ethnically heterogeneous schools. The sample comprised 842 early adolescents (Mage = 11.50 years, SDage = .71; 53% male) from 64 countries of origin who attend multiethnic schools in Southwest Germany. In line with our expectations, interethnic friendships are to a large extent formed on the basis of cultural distance, with more friendships occurring between groups that are culturally more similar. Further, the likeability of children from different ethnic groups follows the so-called ethnic hierarchy, a rank order of different ethnic groups, which is based on perceived similarity with the mainstream group. Interventions to improve early adolescents’ interethnic friendships should aim to reduce perceptions of cultural distance and ethnic hierarchies in intergroup settings

Toehold-enchanced lna probes for selective pull down and single-molecule analysis of native chromatin

Biological and Soft Matter Physic

Glycosylation of a CNS-specific extracellular matrix glycoprotein, tenascin-R, is dominated by O-linked sialylated glycans and "brain-type” neutral N-glycans

As a member of the tenascin family of extracellular matrix glycoproteins, tenascin-R is located exclusively in the CNS. It is believed to play a role in myelination and axonal stabilization and, through repulsive properties, may contribute to the lack of regeneration of CNS axons following damage. The contrary functions of the tenascins have been localized to the different structural domains of the protein. However, little is known concerning the influence of the carbohydrate conjugated to the many potential sites for N- and O-glycosylation (10-120% by weight). As a first analytical requirement, we show that >80% of the N-glycans in tenascin-R are neutral and dominated by complex biantennary structures. These display the "brain-type” characteristics of outer-arm- and core-fucosylation, a bisecting N-acetylglucosamine and, significantly, an abundance of antennae truncation. In some structures, truncation resulted in only a single mannose residue remaining on the 3-arm, a particularly unusual consequence of the N-glycan processing pathway. In contrast to brain tissue, hybrid and oligomannosidic N-glycans were either absent or in low abundance. A high relative abundance of O-linked sialylated glycans was found. This was associated with a significant potential for O-linked glycosylation sites and multivalent display of the sialic acid residues. These O-glycans were dominated by the disialylated structure, NeuAcα2-3Galβ1-3(NeuAcα2-6)GalNAc. The possibility that these O-glycans enable tenascin-R to interact in the CNS either with the myelin associated glycoprotein or with sialoadhesin on activated microglia is discusse