{N,N-Bis[bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethoxy)phosphanyl]methylamine- κ2 P,P′}bis(η5-cyclopentadienyl) titanium(II)

The title compound, [Ti(C5H5)2(C 9H11F12NO4P2)], is a four-membered titanacycle obtained from the reaction of Cp2Ti(η 2-Me3SiC2SiMe3) and CH 3N[P(OCH2CF3)2]2 {N,N-bis[bis(trifluoroethoxy)phosphanyl]methylamine, tfepma}. The Ti II atom is coordinated by two cyclopentadienyl (Cp) ligands and the chelating tfepma ligand in a strongly distorted tetrahedral geometry. The molecule is located on a mirror plane

Di-μ-sulfido-bis{[rac-1,2-bis(η5-4,5,6, 7-tetrahydroinden-1-yl)ethane]zirconium(IV)} toluene monosolvate

The title dimeric zirconium complex, [Zr3(C20H 24)2S2]·C7H8, was obtained from the reaction of (ebthi)Zr(η2-Me3Si-C2-SiMe3) [ebthi is rac-1,2-bis(η5-4,5,6,7-tetrahydroinden-1-yl)ethane] and S=C=N-ada (ada = adamantan-1-yl) along with the formation of the isonitrile C N-ada. Each ZrIV atom is coordinated by the sterically hindered ebthi ligand and two μ-sulfide ligands in a strongly distorted tetrahedral geometry. The [ZrS]2 unit is almost planar (mean deviation from the best plane of the four atoms = 0.025Å). A -CH2-CH2- group in one ebthi ligand was disordered over two sites, with refined occupancy factors of 0.551(6) and 0.449(6). The asymmetric unit also contains a toluene solvent molecule

On the electronic properties of a single dislocation

A detailed knowledge of the electronic properties of individual dislocations is necessary for next generation nanodevices. Dislocations are fundamental crystal defects controlling the growth of different nanostructures (nanowires) or appear during device processing. We present a method to record electric properties of single dislocations in thin silicon layers. Results of measurements on single screw dislocations are shown for the first time. Assuming a cross-section area of the dislocation core of about 1 nm2, the current density through a single dislocation is J = 3.8 × 1012 A/cm2 corresponding to a resistivity of ρ ≅ 1 × 10-8 Ω cm. This is about eight orders of magnitude lower than the surrounding silicon matrix. The reason of the supermetallic behavior is the high strain in the cores of the dissociated dislocations modifying the local band structure resulting in high conductive carrier channels along defect cores

Antibody expressing pea seeds as fodder for prevention of gastrointestinal parasitic infections in chickens

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Coccidiosis caused by protozoans of genus <it>Eimeria </it>is a chicken parasitic disease of great economical importance. Conventional disease control strategies depend on vaccination and prophylactic use of anticoccidial drugs. Alternative solution to prevent and treat coccidiosis could be provided by passive immunization using orally delivered neutralizing antibodies. We investigated the possibility to mitigate the parasitic infection by feeding poultry with antibody expressing transgenic crop seeds.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Using the phage display antibody library, we generated a panel of anti-<it>Eimeria </it>scFv antibody fragments with high sporozoite-neutralizing activity. These antibodies were expressed either transiently in agrobacteria-infiltrated tobacco leaves or stably in seeds of transgenic pea plants. Comparison of the scFv antibodies purified either from tobacco leaves or from the pea seeds demonstrated no difference in their antigen-binding activity and molecular form compositions. Force-feeding experiments demonstrated that oral delivery of flour prepared from the transgenic pea seeds had higher parasite neutralizing activity <it>in vivo </it>than the purified antibody fragments isolated from tobacco. The pea seed content was found to protect antibodies against degradation by gastrointestinal proteases (>100-fold gain in stability). <it>Ad libitum </it>feeding of chickens demonstrated that the transgenic seeds were well consumed and not shunned. Furthermore, feeding poultry with shred prepared from the antibody expressing pea seeds led to significant mitigation of infection caused both by high and low challenge doses of <it>Eimeria </it>oocysts.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results suggest that our strategy offers a general approach to control parasitic infections in production animals using cost-effective antibody expression in crop seeds affordable for the animal health market.</p

Taming the beast : fluoromesityl groups induce a dramatic stability enhancement in boroles

The electron-deficient pentaarylborole 1-(2′,4′,6′-tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-2,3,4,5-tetraphenylborole (1) has been synthesised with the long-term aim of developing borole-based optoelectronic materials. The bulky 2,4,6-tris(trifluoromethyl)phenyl (FMes) group on the boron atom of 1 significantly improves (>600 times) its air stability relative to its mesityl analogue. Moreover, 1 shows good thermal stability without undergoing the dimerisation or isomerisation reactions reported for some other boroles. A triarylborole analogue (2), belonging to a new class of borole with the 3- and 4-positions of the BC4 ring linked by a -(CH2)3- group, has also been synthesised to elucidate the influence of carbon-bonded substituents on the stability of boroles. Both boroles were prepared through the reaction of Li[FMesBF3] and divinyldilithium reagents, a new and general method for borole syntheses. Compound 2 was found to isomerise through a [1,3]-H shift and double-bond rearrangement to an s-trans-butadienylborane species under highly basic (NaOH) conditions. The increased steric crowding at the boron centre through incorporation of the FMes group does not preclude binding of Lewis bases to either 1 or 2, as demonstrated by their fully reversible binding of pyridine. Interestingly, 1 exhibits a blue-shifted absorption spectrum, as compared with its mesityl analogue, a result contrary to previous understanding of the influence of substituent electronics on the absorption spectra of boroles. Most importantly, these boroles exhibit much greater air-stability than previously reported analogues without sacrificing the strong electron-accepting ability that makes boroles so attractive; indeed, 1 and 2 have very low reduction potentials of -1.52 and -1.69 eV vs. Fc/Fc+, respectively

Deficiency of Antioxidative Paraoxonase 2 (Pon2) Leads to Increased Number of Phenotypic LT-HSCs and Disturbed Erythropoiesis

Background. Long-term hematopoietic stem cells (LT-HSCs) reside in bone marrow niches with tightly controlled reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels. ROS increase results into LT-HSC differentiation and stem cell exhaustion. Paraoxonase 2 (PON2) has been shown to be important for ROS control. Objectives. We investigate the effects of inactivation of the PON2 gene on hematopoietic cell differentiation and activity. Methods and Results. In young mice with inactivated Pon2 gene (Pon2-/-, -/- BM outcompeted WT BM at early time points. ROS levels were significantly increased in Pon2-/- whole BM, but not in Pon2-/- LT-HSCs. In more differentiated stages of hematopoiesis, Pon2 deficiency led to a misbalanced erythropoiesis both in physiologic and stress conditions. In older mice (>9 months), Pon2 depletion caused an increase in LT-HSCs as well as increased levels of granulocyte/macrophage progenitors (GMPs) and myeloid skewing, indicating a premature aging phenotype. No significant changes in ROS levels in old Pon2-/- LT- and short-term (ST-) HSCs were observed, but a significant reduction of spontaneous apoptotic cell death was measured. RNA-seq analysis in Pon2-/- LT-HSCs identified overrepresentation of genes involved in the C-X-C chemokine receptor type 4 (Cxcr4) signaling, suggesting compensatory mechanisms to overcome ROS-mediated accelerated aging in hematopoietic progenitor cells. Conclusions. In summary, our current data indicate that PON2 is involved in the regulation of HSC functions

The interactions of cyanobacterial cytochrome c(6) and cytochrome f, characterized by NMR

Metallo-eiwitte