Complexes heptacoordinés de Fe(II) chiraux de géométrie bipyramide pentagonale : vers des aimants moléculaires combinant propriétés magnétiques et optiques

L'étude décrite dans ce mémoire concerne la synthèse et la caractérisation de complexes chiraux de FeII de géométrie bipyramide pentagonale. La chiralité est introduite par un ligand macrocyclique azoté en interaction pentadente en position équatoriale de la sphère de coordination du FeII. Les propriétés magnétiques des deux énantiomères d'une série de complexes de formulations [Fe(LN5RR/SS)(MeOH)Cl]Cl et [Fe(LN5RR/SS)(MeCN)2] (PF6)2 ont été étudiées. Leur anisotropie magnétique est caractérisée par un paramètre de ZFS D de -6 et -8 cm-1 respectivement. Ces complexes de FeII ont été utilisés comme source d'anisotropie magnétique de polymères de coordination 1D hétéronucléaires par association avec des cyanométallates. Une chaine [FeNi] obtenue avec la brique diamagnétique [Ni(CN)4]2- nous a permis de sonder l'anisotropie magnétique locale du FeII ; elle est caractérisée par un paramètre axial de ZFS D = -10.2 cm-1. La chaine [FeCr], formée avec le métallo-ligand paramagnétique [Cr(LN3O2Ph)(CN)2]-, constitue le premier exemple de SCM chirale à base de complexes PBP. Elle est caractérisée par des interactions ferromagnétiques JFeCr = 2.82 cm-1 et une barrière énergétique de renversements de spins Ueff/kB = 22 K. Par ailleurs, ces chaines ont également montré que la chiralité locale est étendue au niveau supramoléculaire sous la forme d'une organisation hélicoïdale. Leur pureté énantiomérique a été validée par des mesures de dichroïsme circulaire. Une seconde partie est consacrée à un nouveau ligand pentadente de formulation H2LN3O2NMe2 et une série de complexes de géométrie bipyramide pentagonale, [M(H2LN3O2NMe2)XY]Zn avec M = CoII, NiII, MnII et FeII, X = H2O, MeOH et MeCN ; Y = H2O, Br, I et MeCN ; Z = ClO4, Br, I et PF6 ont été obtenus et caractérisés. Les propriétés magnétiques de ces composés ont été étudieés pour évaluer l'impact de ce nouveau ligand sur l'anisotropie magnétique. Ce ligand aussi été mis en œuvre pour l'élaboration d'un dérivé di-cyanido de CrIII, Cat[Cr(LN3O2NMe2)(CN)2] avec Cat = K+ et PNP+ (PNP = Bis(triphénylphosphine)iminium). Le groupements NMe2 conduisent à de meilleurs solubilités dans les solvants organiques, ce qui devrait permettre une plus grande versatilité dans l'utilisation de ces complexes.Synthesis and characterization of chiral FeII complexes with pentagonal bipyramid coordination sphere are described. The chirality is introduced in the complexes through a pentadentate nitrogen macrocyclic ligand complexed in the equatorial position of the FeII. The enantiomers of two derivatives, [Fe(LN5RR/SS)(MeOH)Cl]Cl and [Fe(LN5RR/SS)(MeCN)2](PF6)2, were studied. Their were found to exhibit magnetic anisotropy characterized by an axial ZFS D parameter of -6 and -8 cm-1 respectively. These FeII complexes were involved in the synthesis of heteronuclear 1D coordination polymers in association with cyanometallates. An [FeNi] chain, obtained with the diamagnetic [Ni(CN)4]2- allowed us to probe the local magnetic anisotropy of the FeII in such a surrounding; a ZFS parameter D = -10.2 cm-1 was obtained. A [FeCr] chain, formed with the paramagnetic metallo-ligand [Cr(LN3O2Ph)(CN)2]-, is the first example of chiral SCM composed of PBP complexes. It is characterized by ferromagnetic Fe-Cr interactions of JFeCr = 2.82 cm-1 and an energy barrier of spin reversal of Ueff/kB = 22 K. These chains have also shown that local chirality is extended to the supramolecular level in the form of a helical organization. The circular dichroism spectra confirmed their enantiomeric purity. A second part concerns a novel pentadente ligand of formulation H2LN3O2NMe2 and a series of pentagonal bipyramid geometry complexes, [M(H2LN3O2NMe2)XY]Zn with M = CoII, NiII, MnII and FeII, X = H2O, MeOH and MeCN, Y = H2O, Br, I and MeCN and Z = ClO4, Br, I and PF6. Magnetic properties of these compounds were studied to assess the impact of this new ligand on magnetic anisotropy. This ligand was then implemented for the synthesis of a dicyanido Cr complexe Cat[Cr(LN3O2NMe2)(CN)2]- with Cat = K and PNP (PNP = Bis(triphenylphosphine)iminium). The NMe2 groups of the ligand leads to overall better solubilities in organic solvents, which should allow greater versatility in the design of c polynuclear systems

Access to Isothiazolones from Simple Acrylamides by Pd-Catalyzed C–H Bond Activation

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Les cyclopropanes monofluorés (nouvelle architecture pour la conception de peptidomimétiques)

L intérêt des composés organiques fluorés est de nos jours de plus en plus important en raison de leur large domaine d application (agrochimie, nucléaire, matériaux, chimie médicinale ). Par exemple, en chimie médicinale, la présence d un ou plusieurs atomes de fluor au sein de biomolécules conduit très souvent à une amélioration de leur profil thérapeutique. Par ailleurs, le cyclopropane, le plus petit et le plus tendu des cycloalcanes, permet également de modifier les caractéristiques pharmacologiques de composés biologiques de par sa géométrie inhabituelle. En effet, la rigidification structurale apportée par ce motif influe sur la biodisponibilité d une biomolécule en améliorant sa sélectivité et son affinité pour un récepteur biologique. Dans ce contexte, nous avons choisi d associer les propriétés remarquables de l atome de fluor à la contrainte structurale du cyclopropane dans le but d élaborer deux nouvelles classes de fluoropeptidomimétiques.Tout d abord, nous nous sommes intéressés à la modification de la chaîne latérale d acides aminés naturels en développant la synthèse des analogues cyclopropaniques fluorés de la méthionine, de la leucine, de la lysine et de l arginine. Nous avons ensuite appliqué l un de nos acides aminés cyclopropaniques fluorés à la synthèse totale de l analogue fluoré d un inhibiteur de la sérineprotéase NS3/4A, le TMC 435.Enfin, dans le but de proposer une voie de synthèse générale permettant l accès aux pseudopeptides fluorés comportant un monofluorocyclopropane à la place du lien peptidique, nous avons développé une nouvelle stratégie basée sur une étape d addition nucléophile de réactifs organométalliques sur des N-(tert-butanesulfinyl)-a-fluoroimines chirales.Fluoroorganic compounds are increasingly popular owing to their wide range of applications. For instance, in the field of medicinal chemistry, fluorinated molecules often lead to an improvement of the therapeutic profile compared to non-fluorinated derivatives. Besides, with its unique bonding properties, the cyclopropane ring provides unusual physical and pharmacological properties to structures that incorporate it. Indeed, the structural constraint provided by the cyclopropane ring clearly alters the selectivity and the affinity for a binding site. In this context, we decided to combine the cyclopropane and the fluorine atom to develop two new classes of peptidomimetics. First, we focused on the modification of the side chain of natural aminoacids (methionine, leucine,lysine and arginine) and the synthesis of fluorinated cyclopropyl analogues was achieved. Then, we applied our strategy to the synthesis of the fluorinated analogue of the TMC 435, a NS3/4A serine protease inhibitor involved in the replication cycle of Hepatitis C virus. Finally, in our project aiming at proposing a general method to access pseudopeptides featuring a fluorinated cyclopropane moiety as the peptide bond isostere, we develop a new strategy based on the nucleophilic addition of organometallic reagents to N-(tert-butanesulfinyl)-a-fluoroimines. This methodology allows us to control the asymmetric center on the N-terminal side of the peptide.ROUEN-INSA Madrillet (765752301) / SudocSudocFranceF

Interface engineering of ultrathin Cu(In,Ga)Se-2 solar cells on reflective back contacts

Cu(In,Ga)Se-2-based (CIGS) solar cells with ultrathin (<= 500 nm) absorber layers suffer from the low reflectivity of conventional Mo back contacts. Here, we design and investigate ohmic and reflective back contacts (RBC) made of multilayer stacks that are compatible with the direct deposition of CIGS at 500 degrees C and above. Diffusion mechanisms and reactions at each interface and in the CIGS layer are carefully analyzed by energy dispersive X-ray (EDX)/scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). It shows that the highly reflective silver mirror is efficiently encapsulated in ZnO:Al layers. The detrimental reaction between CIGS and the top In2O3:Sn (ITO) layer used for ohmic contact can be mitigated by adding a 3 nm thick Al2O3 layer and by decreasing the CIGS coevaporation temperature from 550 degrees C to 500 degrees C. It also improves the compositional grading of Ga toward the CIGS back interface, leading to increased open- circuit voltage and fill factor. The best ultrathin CIGS solar cell on RBC exhibits an efficiency of 13.5% (+1.0% as compared to our Mo reference) with a short-circuit current density of 28.9 mA/cm(2) (+2.6 mA/cm(2)) enabled by double-pass absorption in the 510 nm thick CIGS absorber. RBC are easy to fabricate and could benefit other photovoltaic devices that require highly reflective and conductive contacts subject to high temperature processes

Regional Brain Stem Atrophy in Idiopathic Parkinson's Disease Detected by Anatomical MRI

Idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the dysfunction of dopaminergic dependent cortico-basal ganglia loops and diagnosed on the basis of motor symptoms (tremors and/or rigidity and bradykinesia). Post-mortem studies tend to show that the destruction of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra constitutes an intermediate step in a broader neurodegenerative process rather than a unique feature of Parkinson's disease, as a consistent pattern of progression would exist, originating from the medulla oblongata/pontine tegmentum. To date, neuroimaging techniques have been unable to characterize the pre-symptomatic stages of PD. However, if such a regular neurodegenerative pattern were to exist, consistent damages would be found in the brain stem, even at early stages of the disease. We recruited 23 PD patients at Hoenn and Yahr stages I to II of the disease and 18 healthy controls (HC) matched for age. T1-weighted anatomical scans were acquired (MPRAGE, 1 mm3 resolution) and analyzed using an optimized VBM protocol to detect white and grey matter volume reduction without spatial a priori. When the HC group was compared to the PD group, a single cluster exhibited statistical difference (p<0.05 corrected for false detection rate, 4287 mm3) in the brain stem, between the pons and the medulla oblongata. The present study provides in-vivo evidence that brain stem damage may be the first identifiable stage of PD neuropathology, and that the identification of this consistent damage along with other factors could help with earlier diagnosis in the future. This damage could also explain some non-motor symptoms in PD that often precede diagnosis, such as autonomic dysfunction and sleep disorders

Nuclear decommissioning: project management and leadership

Management and leadership for safety relate to managerial competencies necessary to develop, promote and sustain a safety culture and to set goals, lead others and manage knowledge and projects to enhance safety performance. The development of these competencies is needed to enrich and complement the predominant technical background and skills of engineers and/or managers involved in the nuclear sector and particularly in decommissioning and dismantling (D&D) projects. The recent recognition of the importance of managing for safety led the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to develop formal safety requirements that are now implemented by its member states. This includes the need to develop training and education for beginning- and mid-career managers with nuclear safety responsibilities and, considering the time frame of D&D projects, for future generations of managers. Training and education challenges are acute in all Instrument for Nuclear Safety Cooperation (INSC) and European countries, where managers need to develop knowledge and comprehensive safety-related competencies to run the D&D projects of nuclear facilities in a context where the generational change of managers in the nuclear field is happening fast. In 2016/2017 the IAEA and the European Commission (EC) developed a cooperative framework to jointly address a similar challenge related to operation and regulatory oversight of nuclear installations. The development of these projects was possible by funding from the European Union (EU) through its INSC instrument. The first project, led by the IAEA in 2017, was the development of a pilot school for safety leadership at the University Côte d\u27Azur (UCA), France. Encouraged by this success, the agency has since then developed the syllabus into a 2-week programme, still based on experiential learning, which is offered to IAEA member states who wish to organise sessions for their managers (regulatory bodies or industry). The second project, named ELSE, was operated by UCA and aimed to develop training to help managers acquire leadership for safety capabilities, which are key professional requirements in complex, high-risk and highly regulated sectors such as the nuclear sector. The originality of the ELSE project stemmed from its science-based approach, integrating the most recent findings of management and other social sciences. The dedicated ELSE training programme is composed of a massive online open course (MOOC), a 10 d of face-to-face training and an individually tutored project. Based on the success of these experiences, the EU decided to prolong these actions in the field of nuclear D&D, leading to the start-up, in 2023, of the Decommissioning Management and Leadership for Safety Education (DMaLSE) project. This project has also been entrusted to UCA, in partnership with SKEMA Business School, the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) and Jacques Repussard Conseil. DMaLSE has two main objectives, namely to develop a science-based training programme for future D&D project managers and to extend the impact of the project through bachelor-degree-level on-site training for operators involved in D&D projects

Cortical thickness, surface area and volume measures in Parkinson's disease, multiple system atrophy and progressive supranuclear palsy

OBJECTIVE Parkinson's disease (PD), Multiple System Atrophy (MSA) and Progressive Supranuclear Palsy (PSP) are neurodegenerative diseases that can be difficult to distinguish clinically. The objective of the current study was to use surface-based analysis techniques to assess cortical thickness, surface area and grey matter volume to identify unique morphological patterns of cortical atrophy in PD, MSA and PSP and to relate these patterns of change to disease duration and clinical features. METHODS High resolution 3D T1-weighted MRI volumes were acquired from 14 PD patients, 18 MSA, 14 PSP and 19 healthy control participants. Cortical thickness, surface area and volume analyses were carried out using the automated surface-based analysis package FreeSurfer (version 5.1.0). Measures of disease severity and duration were assessed for correlation with cortical morphometric changes in each clinical group. RESULTS Results show that in PSP, widespread cortical thinning and volume loss occurs within the frontal lobe, particularly the superior frontal gyrus. In addition, PSP patients also displayed increased surface area in the pericalcarine. In comparison, PD and MSA did not display significant changes in cortical morphology. CONCLUSION These results demonstrate that patients with clinically established PSP exhibit distinct patterns of cortical atrophy, particularly affecting the frontal lobe. These results could be used in the future to develop a useful clinical application of MRI to distinguish PSP patients from PD and MSA patients

Immunotherapy with Canarypox Vaccine and Interleukin-2 for HIV-1 Infection: Termination of a Randomized Trial

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether immunotherapy of chronic HIV-1 infection can prevent or attenuate viremia upon antiviral discontinuation. DESIGN: This was a Phase II randomized, partially double blinded, 2×2 factorial study of three steps of 12 wk/step. Step I involved four groups: (1) vaccine placebo, (2) vaccine (ALVAC, vCP1452), (3) placebo + interleukin 2 (IL-2), and (4) vaccine + IL-2. Step II involved a 12-wk diagnostic treatment interruption (DTI). Step III involved an extension of the DTI for an additional 12 wk. SETTING: The Weill-Cornell General Clinical Research Center. PARTICIPANTS: Chronically infected HIV-1 positive adults with undetectable HIV-1 levels and > 400 CD4(+) T cells/μl. INTERVENTIONS: An HIV canarypox vaccine (vCP1452) and vaccine placebo, administered every 4 wk for four doses, and low-dose IL-2 administered daily for 12–24 wk. OUTCOME MEASURES: Primary endpoints: (1) Proportion of participants with undetectable plasma HIV RNA during trial Step II, (2) mean log(10) HIV RNA copies/ml ([HIV]) from weeks 21–25, and (3) proportion of individuals eligible for trial Step III. RESULTS: 44 participants were randomized, but 16 withdrew or were withdrawn before completing Step II. As all participants underwent viral relapse in Step II, the study was terminated after 28 participants completed Step II. Among the four groups, there was no difference in mean [HIV] or the proportion of individuals with < log(10) 4.48 HIV; no difference between the mean [HIV] of the two groups that received ALVAC (n = 17) versus placebo (n = 11); and no significant difference between the mean [HIV] of the two groups that received IL-2 (n = 11) versus placebo (n = 17). CONCLUSIONS: Neither ALVAC (vCP1452) nor low-dose daily IL-2 nor their combination prevented the relapse of viremia upon discontinuation of antiviral therapy

Hypoxia response in Arabidopsis roots infected by Plasmodiophora brassicae supports the development of clubroot

BackgroundThe induction of alcohol fermentation in roots is a plant adaptive response to flooding stress and oxygen deprivation. Available transcriptomic data suggest that fermentation-related genes are also frequently induced in roots infected with gall forming pathogens, but the biological significance of this induction is unclear. In this study, we addressed the role of hypoxia responses in Arabidopsis roots during infection by the clubroot agent Plasmodiophora brassicae.ResultsThe hypoxia-related gene markers PYRUVATE DECARBOXYLASE 1 (PDC1), PYRUVATE DECARBOXYLASE 2 (PDC2) and ALCOHOL DEHYDROGENASE 1 (ADH1) were induced during secondary infection by two isolates of P. brassicae, eH and e2. PDC2 was highly induced as soon as 7 days post inoculation (dpi), i.e., before the development of gall symptoms, and GUS staining revealed that ADH1 induction was localised in infected cortical cells of root galls at 21 dpi. Clubroot symptoms were significantly milder in the pdc1 and pdc2 mutants compared with Col-0, but a null T-DNA insertional mutation of ADH1 did not affect clubroot susceptibility. The Arg/N-end rule pathway of ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis controls oxygen sensing in plants. Mutants of components of this pathway, ate1 ate2 and prt6, that both exhibit constitutive hypoxia responses, showed enhanced clubroot symptoms. In contrast, gall development was reduced in quintuple and sextuple mutants where the activity of all oxygen-sensing Group VII Ethylene Response Factor transcription factors (ERFVIIs) is absent (erfVII and prt6 erfVII).ConclusionsOur data demonstrate that the induction of PDC1 and PDC2 during the secondary infection of roots by P. brassicae contributes positively to clubroot development, and that this is controlled by oxygen-sensing through ERFVIIs. The absence of any major role of ADH1 in symptom development may also suggest that PDC activity could contribute to the formation of galls through the activation of a PDH bypass

Morphometry Based on Effective and Accurate Correspondences of Localized Patterns (MEACOLP)

Local features in volumetric images have been used to identify correspondences of localized anatomical structures for brain morphometry. However, the correspondences are often sparse thus ineffective in reflecting the underlying structures, making it unreliable to evaluate specific morphological differences. This paper presents a morphometry method (MEACOLP) based on correspondences with improved effectiveness and accuracy. A novel two-level scale-invariant feature transform is used to enhance the detection repeatability of local features and to recall the correspondences that might be missed in previous studies. Template patterns whose correspondences could be commonly identified in each group are constructed to serve as the basis for morphometric analysis. A matching algorithm is developed to reduce the identification errors by comparing neighboring local features and rejecting unreliable matches. The two-sample t-test is finally adopted to analyze specific properties of the template patterns. Experiments are performed on the public OASIS database to clinically analyze brain images of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and normal controls (NC). MEACOLP automatically identifies known morphological differences between AD and NC brains, and characterizes the differences well as the scaling and translation of underlying structures. Most of the significant differences are identified in only a single hemisphere, indicating that AD-related structures are characterized by strong anatomical asymmetry. In addition, classification trials to differentiate AD subjects from NC confirm that the morphological differences are reliably related to the groups of interest