Alpha-gamma decay studies of $$^{247}$$ Md

The European Physical Journal A - The goal of the present paper is twofold. First, a novel expansion many-body method applicable to superfluid open-shell nuclei, the so-called Bogoliubov in-medium...     

Application of Suzuki-Miyaura Reaction in the Chemistry of Oxolan-2-ones

Russian Journal of Organic Chemistry - The reactions of 2-(2-chloroprop-2-en-1-yl)-5,5-dimethyloxolan-2-one with arylboronic acids in the presence of Pd(PPh3)4 and K2CO3 was used to synthesize...     

Rational Design and Application of a Redox‐Active,Photoresponsive, Discrete Metallogelator

A photoresponsive discrete metallogelator was rationally designed by incorporating a photochromic azobenzene subunit in the structure of a redox‐active ferrocene–peptide conjugate. The target molecule was purposefully equipped with a dipeptide unit capable of self‐assembly in response to sonication. The designed molecule was shown to undergo supramolecular self‐assembly and achieve organogelation in response to ultrasound, light, heat, and redox signals. The sol–gel phase transition of the designed gelator was found to be sensitive to a plethora of input stimuli, allowing the application of the sol–gel transition behavior in basic logic gate operations. A gel‐based NOT logic gate operation was realized when the redox‐active property of the organogel was examined by using different oxidizing agents. The smart response of the gelator was further exploited in designing XOR operations under oxidizing or non‐oxidizing conditions.     

Spin Dynamics of Negatively Charged Excitons in InP/(In,Ga)P Quantum Dots in a Magnetic Field

Physics of the Solid State - The dynamics of the photoluminescence negative circular polarization of an ensemble of InP/(In,Ga)P quantum dots is studied. It was found that, the time-resolved...     

Triphilic pentablock copolymers with perfluoroalkyl segment in central position

Adding perfluoroalkyl (PF) segments to amphiphilic copolymers yields triphilic copolymers with new application profiles. Usually, PF segments are attached as terminal blocks via Cu(I) catalyzed azide-alkyne cycloaddition (CuAAC). The purpose of the current study is to design new triphilic architectures with a PF segment in central position. The PF segment bearing bifunctional atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP) initiator is employed for the fabrication of triphilic poly(propylene oxide)-b-poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)-b-PF-b-poly(glycerol monomethacrylate)-b-poly(propylene oxide) PPO-b-PGMA-b-PF-b-PGMA-b-PPO pentablock copolymers by a combined ATRP and CuAAC reaction approach. Differential scanning calorimetry indicates the PF-initiator to undergo a solid–solid phase transition at 63°C before the final crystal melting at 95°C. This is further corroborated by polarized optical microscopy and X-ray diffraction studies. The PF-initiator could successfully polymerize solketal methacrylate (SMA) under typical ATRP conditions producing well-defined Br-PSMA-b-PF-b-PSMA-Br triblock copolymers that are then converted into PPO-b-PSMA-b-PF-b-PSMA-b-PPO pentablock copolymer via CuAAC reaction. Subsequently, acid hydrolysis of the PSMA blocks afforded water soluble well-defined triphilic pentablock copolymers PPO-b-PGMA-b-PF-b-PGMA-b-PPO with fluorophilic central segment, hydrophilic middle blocks, and lipophilic outer blocks. The triphilic block copolymers could self-assemble, depending upon the preparatory protocol, into spherical and filament-like phase-separated nanostructures as revealed by transmission electron microscopy.     

Alkaline-Earth Metal Mediated Benzene-to-Biphenyl Coupling

Complex [(^DIPePBDI)Ca]₂(C₆H₆), with a C₆H₆²⁻ dianion bridging two Ca²⁺ ions, reacts with benzene to yield [(^DIPePBDI)Ca]₂(biphenyl) with a bridging biphenyl²⁻ dianion (^DIPePBDI=HC[C(Me)N-DIPeP]₂; DIPeP=2,6-CH(Et)₂-phenyl). The biphenyl complex was also prepared by reacting [(^DIPePBDI)Ca]₂(C₆H₆) with biphenyl or by reduction of [(^DIPePBDI)CaI]₂ with KC₈ in presence of biphenyl. Benzene-benzene coupling was also observed when the deep purple product of ball-milling [(^DIPPBDI)CaI(THF)]₂ with K/KI was extracted with benzene (DIPP=2,6-CH(Me)₂-phenyl) giving crystalline [(^DIPPBDI)Ca(THF)]₂(biphenyl) (52 % yield). Reduction of [(^DIPePBDI)SrI]₂ with KC₈ gave highly labile [(^DIPePBDI)Sr]₂(C₆H₆) as a black powder (61 % yield) which reacts rapidly and selectively with benzene to [(^DIPePBDI)Sr]₂(biphenyl). DFT calculations show that the most likely route for biphenyl formation is a pathway in which the C₆H₆²⁻ dianion attacks neutral benzene. This is facilitated by metal-benzene coordination.     

Selective Aptamer‐Based Control of Intraneuronal Signaling

Cellular behavior is orchestrated by the complex interactions of a myriad of intracellular signal transduction pathways. To understand and investigate the role of individual components in such signaling networks, the availability of specific inhibitors is of paramount importance. We report the generation and validation of a novel variant of an RNA aptamer that selectively inhibits the mitogen‐activated kinase pathway in neurons. We demonstrate that the aptamer retains function under intracellular conditions and that application of the aptamer through the patch‐clamp pipette efficiently inhibits mitogen‐activated kinase‐dependent synaptic plasticity. This approach introduces synthetic aptamers as generic tools, readily applicable to inhibit different components of intraneuronal signaling networks with utmost specificity.