Temporary stereocentres for the asymmetric synthesis of chiral aldehydes

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Coupling models of cattle and farms with models of badgers for predicting the dynamics of bovine tuberculosis (TB)

Bovine TB is a major problem for the agricultural industry in several countries. TB can be contracted and spread by species other than cattle and this can cause a problem for disease control. In the UK and Ireland, badgers are a recognised reservoir of infection and there has been substantial discussion about potential control strategies. We present a coupling of individual based models of bovine TB in badgers and cattle, which aims to capture the key details of the natural history of the disease and of both species at approximately county scale. The model is spatially explicit it follows a very large number of cattle and badgers on a different grid size for each species and includes also winter housing. We show that the model can replicate the reported dynamics of both cattle and badger populations as well as the increasing prevalence of the disease in cattle. Parameter space used as input in simulations was swept out using Latin hypercube sampling and sensitivity analysis to model outputs was conducted using mixed effect models. By exploring a large and computationally intensive parameter space we show that of the available control strategies it is the frequency of TB testing and whether or not winter housing is practised that have the most significant effects on the number of infected cattle, with the effect of winter housing becoming stronger as farm size increases. Whether badgers were culled or not explained about 5%, while the accuracy of the test employed to detect infected cattle explained less than 3% of the variance in the number of infected cattle

Tissue tolerance: an essential but elusive trait for salt-tolerant crops

For a plant to persist in saline soil, osmotic adjustment of all plant cells is essential. The more salt-tolerant species accumulate Na+ and Cl– to concentrations in leaves and roots that are similar to the external solution, thus allowing energy-efficient osmotic adjustment. Adverse effects of Na+ and Cl– on metabolism must be avoided, resulting in a situation known as ‘tissue tolerance’. The strategy of sequestering Na+ and Cl– in vacuoles and keeping concentrations low in the cytoplasm is an important contributor to tissue tolerance. Although there are clear differences between species in the ability to accommodate these ions in their leaves, it remains unknown whether there is genetic variation in this ability within a species. This viewpoint considers the concept of tissue tolerance, and how to measure it. Four conclusions are drawn: (1) osmotic adjustment is inseparable from the trait of tissue tolerance; (2) energy-efficient osmotic adjustment should involve ions and only minimal organic solutes; (3) screening methods should focus on measuring tolerance, not injury; and (4) high-throughput protocols that avoid the need for control plants and multiple Na+ or Cl- measurements should be developed. We present guidelines to identify useful genetic variation in tissue tolerance that can be harnessed for plant breeding of salt tolerance

Circadian-Related Sleep Disorders and Sleep Medication Use in the New Zealand Blind Population: An Observational Prevalence Survey

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of self-reported circadian-related sleep disorders, sleep medication and melatonin use in the New Zealand blind population. DESIGN: A telephone survey incorporating 62 questions on sleep habits and medication together with validated questionnaires on sleep quality, chronotype and seasonality. PARTICIPANTS: PARTICIPANTS WERE GROUPED INTO: (i) 157 with reduced conscious perception of light (RLP); (ii) 156 visually impaired with no reduction in light perception (LP) matched for age, sex and socioeconomic status, and (iii) 156 matched fully-sighted controls (FS). SLEEP HABITS AND DISTURBANCES: The incidence of sleep disorders, daytime somnolence, insomnia and sleep timing problems was significantly higher in RLP and LP compared to the FS controls (p<0.001). The RLP group had the highest incidence (55%) of sleep timing problems, and 26% showed drifting sleep patterns (vs. 4% FS). Odds ratios for unconventional sleep timing were 2.41 (RLP) and 1.63 (LP) compared to FS controls. For drifting sleep patterns, they were 7.3 (RLP) and 6.0 (LP). MEDICATION USE: Zopiclone was the most frequently prescribed sleep medication. Melatonin was used by only 4% in the RLP group and 2% in the LP group. CONCLUSIONS: Extrapolations from the current study suggest that 3,000 blind and visually impaired New Zealanders may suffer from circadian-related sleep problems, and that of these, fewer than 15% have been prescribed melatonin. This may represent a therapeutic gap in the treatment of circadian-related sleep disorders in New Zealand, findings that may generalize to other countries

N–N Bond-Forming Cyclization for the One-Pot Synthesis of <i>N</i>-Aryl[3,4-<i>d</i>]pyrazolopyrimidines

An efficient one-pot synthesis of <i>N</i>-aryl[3,4-<i>d</i>]pyrazolopyrimidines in good yield and under mild reaction conditions is described. By exploiting electron-deficient hydroxylamines, the substituted oxime products were formed with very high <i>E</i>-diastereoselectivity. The key step utilizes a cyclization reaction upon an oxime derived from hydroxylamine-<i>O</i>-sulfonic acid to form the N–N bond of the product

Dynamic light scattering analysis of apoptozole and VER-155008.

<p>Radius and intensity values are the arithmetic mean ± SEM from 3 independent experiments.</p><p>Dynamic light scattering analysis of apoptozole and VER-155008.</p

Chemical structure[26] and summary of physical properties and reported biochemical and cellular activity of apoptozole [25].

<p>Chemical structure[<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0140006#pone.0140006.ref026" target="_blank">26</a>] and summary of physical properties and reported biochemical and cellular activity of apoptozole [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0140006#pone.0140006.ref025" target="_blank">25</a>].</p

Competitive displacement curves for ATP-FAM and HSP72 with ATP, ADP, VER-155008 and apoptozole.

<p>IC₅₀ values are the geometric mean and <i>p</i>IC₅₀ values are the geometric mean ± SEM from 3 independent measurements.</p