Synthesis of 2-BMIDA 6,5-bicyclic heterocycles by Cu(I)/Pd(0)/Cu(II) cascade catalysis of 2-iodoaniline/phenols

A one-pot cascade reaction for the synthesis of 2-BMIDA 6,5-bicyclic heterocycles has been developed using Cu(I)/Pd(0)/Cu(II) catalysis. 2-Iodoanilines and phenols undergo a Cu(I)/Pd(0)-catalyzed Sonogashira reaction with ethynyl BMIDA followed by in situ Cu(II)-catalyzed 5-endo-dig cyclization to generate heterocyclic scaffolds with a BMIDA functional group in the 2-position. The method provides efficient access to borylated indoles, benzofurans, and aza-derivatives, which can be difficult to access through alternative methods

Evaluating SPIO-labelled cell MR efficiency by three-dimensional quantitativeT2* MRI

An in vitro MR-assay for superparamagnetic iron oxide (SPIO) particle cell labelling assessment via three-dimensional quantitative T [math image] MR microscopy was proposed. On high-resolution images, and due to the high susceptibility difference between the particles and the surrounding medium, SPIO internalized in cells induces signal loss which may be counted and measured on T [math image] maps. The increase in both labelled cell percentage and the average perturbation volume with an added amount of iron in the incubation medium proved that intracellular iron uptake is dependent upon the initial concentration of incubation iron. It also proved that the observed increases in total cellular iron uptake measured by inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy are due to both an increase in the iron mass per cell and also an increase in labelled cell concentration. MR results were compared with Prussian blue staining histology. The sensitivity of the MR methodology was then used to distinguish labelling differences for two different types of particle coating. The MRI-assay we proposed is a compulsory tool to optimize labelling efficiency in order to improve in vivo cell detection. Key parameters for detection, such as the percentage of cell labelling, the effect on the image for a given amount of internalized iron and labelling distribution among a cell population, are easily obtained. The comparison of different contrast agents for labelling one cell type, the assessment of one type of contrast agent for labelling different cell types and/or the evaluation of labelling strategies, are possible without having recourse to classical methods, and provide improved accuracy, since the principle is based on intracellular relaxivity

Mitigation of carbon using Atriplex nummularia revegetation

The use of abandoned or marginally productive land to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions may avoid competition with food and water production. Atriplex nummularia Lindl. is a perennial shrub commonly established for livestock forage on saline land, however, its potential for carbon mitigation has not been systematically evaluated. Similarly, although revegetation is an allowable activity to mitigate carbon within Article 3.4 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change's Kyoto Protocol, there is a paucity of information on rates of carbon mitigation in soils and biomass through this mechanism. For six sites where A. nummularia had been established across southern Australia four were used to assess changes in soil carbon storage and four were used to develop biomass carbon sequestration estimates. A generalised allometric equation for above and below ground biomass was developed, with a simple crown volume index explaining 81% of the variation in total biomass. There were no significant differences in soil organic carbon storage to 0.3 m or 2 m depth compared to existing agricultural land-use. Between 2.2 and 8.3 Mg C ha−1 or 0.2–0.6 Mg C ha−1 yr−1 was sequestered in above and below ground biomass and this translates to potential total sequestration of 1.1–3.6 Tg C yr−1 on saline land across Australia. Carbon income and forage grazing may thus provide a means to finance the stabilization of compromised land

Measuring And Modelling The Water Balance Of Low Rainfall Cropping Systems

In low-rainfall cropping systems, understanding the water balance, and in particular the storage of soil water in the rooting zone for use by crops, is considered critical for devising risk management strategies for grain-based farming. Crop-soil modeling remains a cost-effective option for understanding the interactions between rainfall, soil, and crop growth, from which management options can be derived. The objective of this study was to assess the error in the prediction of soil water content at key decision points in the season against continuous, multi-layer soil water measurements made with frequency domain reflectometry (FDR) probes in long-term experiments in the Mallee region of South Australia and New South Wales. Field estimates of the crop lower limit or drained upper limit were found to be more reliable than laboratory- based estimates, despite the fact that plant-available water capacity (PAWC) did not substantially differ between the methods. Using the Agricultural Production Systems sIMulator (APSIM) to simulate plant-available water over three-year rotations, predicted soil water was within 7 mm (PAWC 64 to 99 mm) of the measured data across all sowing events and rotations. Simulated (n = 46) wheat grain production resulted in a root mean square error (RMSE) of 492 kg ha-1, which is only marginally smaller than that of other field studies that derived soil water limits with less detailed methods. This study shows that using field-derived data of soil water limits and soil-specific settings for parameterization of other properties that determine soil evaporation and water redistribution enables APSIM to be widely applied for managing climate risk in low-rainfall environments

The JCMT Gould Belt Survey: A First Look at the Auriga–California Molecular Cloud with SCUBA-2

We present 850 and 450 μm observations of the dense regions within the Auriga–California molecular cloud using SCUBA-2 as part of the JCMT Gould Belt Legacy Survey to identify candidate protostellar objects, measure the masses of their circumstellar material (disk and envelope), and compare the star formation to that in the Orion A molecular cloud. We identify 59 candidate protostars based on the presence of compact submillimeter emission, complementing these observations with existing Herschel/SPIRE maps. Of our candidate protostars, 24 are associated with young stellar objects (YSOs) in the Spitzer and Herschel/PACS catalogs of 166 and 60 YSOs, respectively (177 unique), confirming their protostellar nature. The remaining 35 candidate protostars are in regions, particularly around LkHα 101, where the background cloud emission is too bright to verify or rule out the presence of the compact 70 μm emission that is expected for a protostellar source. We keep these candidate protostars in our sample but note that they may indeed be prestellar in nature. Our observations are sensitive to the high end of the mass distribution in Auriga–Cal. We find that the disparity between the richness of infrared star-forming objects in Orion A and the sparsity in Auriga–Cal extends to the submillimeter, suggesting that the relative star formation rates have not varied over the Class II lifetime and that Auriga–Cal will maintain a lower star formation efficiency

Comparative genomics of isolates of a pseudomonas aeruginosa epidemic strain associated with chronic lung infections of cystic fibrosis patients

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is the main cause of fatal chronic lung infections among individuals suffering from cystic fibrosis (CF). During the past 15 years, particularly aggressive strains transmitted among CF patients have been identified, initially in Europe and more recently in Canada. The aim of this study was to generate high-quality genome sequences for 7 isolates of the Liverpool epidemic strain (LES) from the United Kingdom and Canada representing different virulence characteristics in order to: (1) associate comparative genomics results with virulence factor variability and (2) identify genomic and/or phenotypic divergence between the two geographical locations. We performed phenotypic characterization of pyoverdine, pyocyanin, motility, biofilm formation, and proteolytic activity. We also assessed the degree of virulence using the Dictyostelium discoideum amoeba model. Comparative genomics analysis revealed at least one large deletion (40-50 kb) in 6 out of the 7 isolates compared to the reference genome of LESB58. These deletions correspond to prophages, which are known to increase the competitiveness of LESB58 in chronic lung infection. We also identified 308 non-synonymous polymorphisms, of which 28 were associated with virulence determinants and 52 with regulatory proteins. At the phenotypic level, isolates showed extensive variability in production of pyocyanin, pyoverdine, proteases and biofilm as well as in swimming motility, while being predominantly avirulent in the amoeba model. Isolates from the two continents were phylogenetically and phenotypically undistinguishable. Most regulatory mutations were isolate-specific and 29% of them were predicted to have high functional impact. Therefore, polymorphism in regulatory genes is likely to be an important basis for phenotypic diversity among LES isolates, which in turn might contribute to this strain's adaptability to varying conditions in the CF lung

An evaluation of metal removal during wastewater treatment: The potential to achieve more stringent final effluent standards

This is the author's accepted manuscript. The final published article is available from the link below. Copyright @ 2011 Taylor & Francis.Metals are of particular importance in relation to water quality, and concern regarding the impact of these contaminants on biodiversity is being encapsulated within the latest water-related legislation such as the Water Framework Directive in Europe and criteria revisions to the Clean Water Act in the United States. This review undertakes an evaluation of the potential of 2-stage wastewater treatment consisting of primary sedimentation and biological treatment in the form of activated sludge processes, to meet more stringent discharge consents that are likely to be introduced as a consequence. The legislation, sources of metals, and mechanisms responsible for their removal are discussed, to elucidate possible pathways by which the performance of conventional processes may be optimized or enhanced. Improvements in effluent quality, achievable by reducing concentrations of suspended solids or biochemical oxygen demand, may also reduce metal concentrations although meeting possible requirements for the removal of copper my be challenging

Von Hippel-Lindau protein in the RPE is essential for normal ocular growth and vascular development

Molecular oxygen is essential for the development, growth and survival of multicellular organisms. Hypoxic microenvironments and oxygen gradients are generated physiologically during embryogenesis and organogenesis. In the eye, oxygen plays a crucial role in both physiological vascular development and common blinding diseases. The retinal pigment epithelium (RPE) is a monolayer of cells essential for normal ocular development and in the mature retina provides support for overlying photoreceptors and their vascular supply. Hypoxia at the level of the RPE is closely implicated in pathogenesis of age-related macular degeneration. Adaptive tissue responses to hypoxia are orchestrated by sophisticated oxygen sensing mechanisms. In particular, the von Hippel-Lindau tumour suppressor protein (pVhl) controls hypoxia-inducible transcription factor (HIF)-mediated adaptation. However, the role of Vhl/Hif1a in the RPE in the development of the eye and its vasculature is unknown. In this study we explored the function of Vhl and Hif1a in the developing RPE using a tissue-specific conditional-knockout approach. We found that deletion of Vhl in the RPE results in RPE apoptosis, aniridia and microphthalmia. Increased levels of Hif1a, Hif2a, Epo and Vegf are associated with a highly disorganised retinal vasculature, chorioretinal anastomoses and the persistence of embryonic vascular structures into adulthood. Additional inactivation of Hif1a in the RPE rescues the RPE morphology, aniridia, microphthalmia and anterior vasoproliferation, but does not rescue retinal vasoproliferation. These data demonstrate that Vhl-dependent regulation of Hif1a in the RPE is essential for normal RPE and iris development, ocular growth and vascular development in the anterior chamber, whereas Vhl-dependent regulation of other downstream pathways is crucial for normal development and maintenance of the retinal vasculature