Dioxidomolybdenum(VI) and -tungsten(VI) complexes with tetradentate amino bisphenolates as catalysts for epoxidation

Sixteen molybdenum and tungsten complexes with tripodal or linear tetradentate amino bisphenol ligands were studied as catalysts for the epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene, 1-octene, styrene, limonene and alpha-terpineol. These complexes can be divided into different categories upon key features, i.e. central metal (Mo versus W), side-arm donor (O versus N), hybridization of the N-donor (pyridine versus amine), ligand geometry (tripodal versus linear diamine) and sterical hindrance (Me versus tert-Bu substituents in the phenol part). All complexes can catalyse selectively the epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene by tert-butylhydroperoxide whereas the activities and selectivities towards other olefins (1-octene, styrene, limonene and cc-terpineol) show large differences. When H2O2 was used as an oxidant in the epoxidation of cis-cyclooctene, only two of eight Mo complexes and four of eight W complexes showed any activity. This study revealed no clear correlations between the Mo and W catalyst structures and their activities. (c) 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Osteological and Soft-Tissue Evidence for Pneumatization in the Cervical Column of the Ostrich (Struthio camelus) and Observations on the Vertebral Columns of Non-Volant, Semi-Volant and Semi-Aquatic Birds

© 2015 Apostolaki et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License [4.0], which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. The attached file is the published version of the article

The Sail-Backed Reptile Ctenosauriscus from the Latest Early Triassic of Germany and the Timing and Biogeography of the Early Archosaur Radiation

Background Archosaurs (birds, crocodilians and their extinct relatives including dinosaurs) dominated Mesozoic continental ecosystems from the Late Triassic onwards, and still form a major component of modern ecosystems (>10,000 species). The earliest diverse archosaur faunal assemblages are known from the Middle Triassic (c. 244 Ma), implying that the archosaur radiation began in the Early Triassic (252.3–247.2 Ma). Understanding of this radiation is currently limited by the poor early fossil record of the group in terms of skeletal remains. Methodology/Principal Findings We redescribe the anatomy and stratigraphic position of the type specimen of Ctenosauriscus koeneni (Huene), a sail-backed reptile from the Early Triassic (late Olenekian) Solling Formation of northern Germany that potentially represents the oldest known archosaur. We critically discuss previous biomechanical work on the ‘sail’ of Ctenosauriscus, which is formed by a series of elongated neural spines. In addition, we describe Ctenosauriscus-like postcranial material from the earliest Middle Triassic (early Anisian) Röt Formation of Waldhaus, southwestern Germany. Finally, we review the spatial and temporal distribution of the earliest archosaur fossils and their implications for understanding the dynamics of the archosaur radiation. Conclusions/Significance Comprehensive numerical phylogenetic analyses demonstrate that both Ctenosauriscus and the Waldhaus taxon are members of a monophyletic grouping of poposauroid archosaurs, Ctenosauriscidae, characterised by greatly elongated neural spines in the posterior cervical to anterior caudal vertebrae. The earliest archosaurs, including Ctenosauriscus, appear in the body fossil record just prior to the Olenekian/Anisian boundary (c. 248 Ma), less than 5 million years after the Permian–Triassic mass extinction. These earliest archosaur assemblages are dominated by ctenosauriscids, which were broadly distributed across northern Pangea and which appear to have been the first global radiation of archosaurs

Early Warning Signals of Social Transformation: A Case Study from the US Southwest

abstract: Recent research in ecology suggests that generic indicators, referred to as early warning signals (EWS), may occur before significant transformations, both critical and non-critical, in complex systems. Up to this point, research on EWS has largely focused on simple models and controlled experiments in ecology and climate science. When humans are considered in these arenas they are invariably seen as external sources of disturbance or management. In this article we explore ways to include societal components of socio-ecological systems directly in EWS analysis. Given the growing archaeological literature on ‘collapses,’ or transformations, in social systems, we investigate whether any early warning signals are apparent in the archaeological records of the build-up to two contemporaneous cases of social transformation in the prehistoric US Southwest, Mesa Verde and Zuni. The social transformations in these two cases differ in scope and severity, thus allowing us to explore the contexts under which warning signals may (or may not) emerge. In both cases our results show increasing variance in settlement size before the transformation, but increasing variance in social institutions only before the critical transformation in Mesa Verde. In the Zuni case, social institutions appear to have managed the process of significant social change. We conclude that variance is of broad relevance in anticipating social change, and the capacity of social institutions to mitigate transformation is critical to consider in EWS research on socio-ecological systems.The article is published at http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.016368

Homoconjugation in poly(phenylene methylene)s: A case study of non-π-conjugated polymers with unexpected fluorescent properties

Poly(phenylene methylene) (PPM) exhibits pronounced blue fluorescence in solutions as well as in the solid state despite its non-π-conjugated nature. Optical spectroscopy was used to explore the characteristics and the physical origin of its unexpected optical properties, namely absorption in the 350–450 nm and photoluminescence in the 400–600 nm spectral regions. It is shown that PPM possesses two discrete optically active species, and a relatively long photoluminescence lifetime (>8 ns) in the solid-state. Given the evidence reported herein, π-stacking and aggregation/crystallization, as well as the formation of anthracene-related impurities, are excluded as the probable origins of the optical properties. Instead there is sufficient evidence that PPM supports homoconjugation, that is: π-orbital overlap across adjacent repeat units enabled by particular chain conformation(s), which is confirmed by DFT calculations. Furthermore, poly(2-methylphenylene methylene) and poly(2,4,6-trimethylphenylene methylene) – two derivatives of PPM – were synthesized and found to exhibit comparable spectroscopic properties, confirming the generality of the findings reported for PPM. Cyclic voltammetry measurements revealed the HOMO–LUMO gap to be 3.2–3.3 eV for all three polymers. This study illustrates a new approach to the design of light-emitting polymers possessing hitherto unknown optical properties