Synthesis of Chiral Sulfoxides and Application in Enantioselective Allylation of Aldehydes with Allyltrichlorosilane

1 Results The enantioselective addition of allylic organometallic reagents to aldehydes is a fundamental tool in organic synthesis.The high degree of both diastereo-and enantioselectivity gives the possibility to obtain a wide series of homoallylic alcohols,versatile intermediates in a great number of synthesis[1]. One of the most successful approaches is related to the discovery that organocatalytic activation of the nucleophilic allyltrichlorosilanes by means of neutral Lewis bases,such as formamides,...     

Myeloid leukaemia inhibitory factor maintains the developmental potential of embryonic stem cells

Embryonic stem (ES) cells, the totipotent outgrowths of blastocysts, can be cultured and manipulated in vitro and then returned to the embryonic environment where they develop normally and can contribute to all cell lineages. Maintenance of the stem-cell phenotype in vitro requires the presence of a feeder layer of fibroblasts or of a soluble factor, differentiation inhibitory activity (DIA) produced by a number of sources; in the absence of DIA the ES cells differentiate into a wide variety of cell types. We recently noted several similarities between partially purified DIA and a haemopoietic regulator, myeloid leukaemia inhibitory factor (LIF), a molecule which induces differentiation in M1 myeloid leukaemic cells and which we have recently purified, cloned and characterized. We demonstrate here that purified, recombinant LIF can substitute for DIA in the maintenance of totipotent ES cell lines that retain the potential to form chimaeric mice.     

Transgenic anopheline mosquitoes impaired in transmission of a malaria parasite

Malaria is estimated to cause 0.7 to 2.7 million deaths per year, but the actual figures could be substantially higher owing to under-reporting and difficulties in diagnosis. If no new control measures are developed, the malaria death toll is projected to double in the next 20 years. Efforts to control the disease are hampered by drug resistance in the Plasmodium parasites, insecticide resistance in mosquitoes, and the lack of an effective vaccine. Because mosquitoes are obligatory vectors for malaria transmission, the spread of malaria could be curtailed by rendering them incapable of transmitting parasites. Many of the tools required for the genetic manipulation of mosquito competence for malaria transmission have been developed. Foreign genes can now be introduced into the germ line of both culicine and anopheline mosquitoes, and these transgenes can be expressed in a tissue-specific manner. Here we report on the use of such tools to generate transgenic mosquitoes that express antiparasitic genes in their midgut epithelium, thus rendering them inefficient vectors for the disease. These findings have significant implications for the development of new strategies for malaria control.     

Climate-driven trends in contemporary ocean productivity

Contributing roughly half of the biosphere's net primary production (NPP), photosynthesis by oceanic phytoplankton is a vital link in the cycling of carbon between living and inorganic stocks. Each day, more than a hundred million tons of carbon in the form of CO2 are fixed into organic material by these ubiquitous, microscopic plants of the upper ocean, and each day a similar amount of organic carbon is transferred into marine ecosystems by sinking and grazing. The distribution of phytoplankton biomass and NPP is defined by the availability of light and nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate, iron). These growth-limiting factors are in turn regulated by physical processes of ocean circulation, mixed-layer dynamics, upwelling, atmospheric dust deposition, and the solar cycle. Satellite measurements of ocean colour provide a means of quantifying ocean productivity on a global scale and linking its variability to environmental factors. Here we describe global ocean NPP changes detected from space over the past decade. The period is dominated by an initial increase in NPP of 1,930 teragrams of carbon a year (Tg C yr(-1)), followed by a prolonged decrease averaging 190 Tg C yr(-1). These trends are driven by changes occurring in the expansive stratified low-latitude oceans and are tightly coupled to coincident climate variability. This link between the physical environment and ocean biology functions through changes in upper-ocean temperature and stratification, which influence the availability of nutrients for phytoplankton growth. The observed reductions in ocean productivity during the recent post-1999 warming period provide insight on how future climate change can alter marine food webs.     

钢筋受压黏结滑移模型

为研究钢筋的受压黏结滑移关系,采用分辨率较高的激光位移计,对一批短锚长试件进行系列推出试验研究,得到精确度较高的黏结滑移值及完整的试验黏结滑移关系曲线,描述钢筋在混凝土中的受压黏结滑移破坏全过程:弹性阶段、局部滑移阶段、滑移上升段、滑移下降段和残余段.在对试验得到的较短锚长试件推出试验结果分析的基础上,经统计回归和分析,提出钢筋的受压黏结滑移曲线模型,并与试验结果进行对比.     

Segregation of a missense mutation in the amyloid precursor protein gene with familial Alzheimer's disease.

A locus segregating with familial Alzheimer's disease (AD) has been mapped to chromosome 21, close to the amyloid precursor protein (APP) gene. Recombinants between the APP gene and the AD locus have been reported which seemed to exclude it as the site of the mutation causing familial AD. But recent genetic analysis of a large number of AD families has demonstrated that the disease is heterogeneous. Families with late-onset AD do not show linkage to chromosome 21 markers. Some families with early-onset AD show linkage to chromosome 21 markers, but some do not. This has led to the suggestion that there is non-allelic genetic heterogeneity even within early onset familial AD. To avoid the problems that heterogeneity poses for genetic analysis, we have examined the cosegregation of AD and markers along the long arm of chromosome 21 in a single family with AD confirmed by autopsy. Here we demonstrate that in this kindred, which shows linkage to chromosome 21 markers, there is a point mutation in the APP gene. This mutation causes an amino-acid substitution (Val----Ile) close to the carboxy terminus of the beta-amyloid peptide. Screening other cases of familial AD revealed a second unrelated family in which this variant occurs. This suggests that some cases of AD could be caused by mutations in the APP gene.     

Observation of rare-earth segregation in silicon nitride ceramics at subnanometre dimensions

Silicon nitride (Si3N4) ceramics are used in numerous applications because of their superior mechanical properties. Their intrinsically brittle nature is a critical issue, but can be overcome by introducing whisker-like microstructural features. However, the formation of such anisotropic grains is very sensitive to the type of cations used as the sintering additives. Understanding the origin of dopant effects, central to the design of high-performance Si3N4 ceramics, has been sought for many years. Here we show direct images of dopant atoms (La) within the nanometre-scale intergranular amorphous films typically found at grain boundaries, using aberration corrected Z-contrast scanning transmission electron microscopy. It is clearly shown that the La atoms preferentially segregate to the amorphous/crystal interfaces. First-principles calculations confirm the strong preference of La for the crystalline surfaces, which is essential for forming elongated grains and a toughened microstructure. Whereas principles of micrometre-scale structural design are currently used to improve the mechanical properties of ceramics, this work represents a step towards the atomic-level structural engineering required for the next generation of ceramics.     

Amplification of a gene coding for human T-cell differentiation antigen

Using previously isolated mouse L-cell transferents for the human T-cell differentiation antigen Leu-2, we now report the first example of spontaneous gene amplification for membrane antigens. The Leu-2 (or T8) antigen is normally expressed on T lymphocytes that have cytotoxic or suppressor functions. Cells of a Leu-2 transfected clone were stained with fluorescein-tagged monoclonal anti-Leu-2, and the brightest 0.1-0.3% of cells were viably separated using a fluorescence activated cell sorter (FACS). After growth of these selected cells, sorting and regrowth was repeated six times, resulting in a population of cells that, compared with the starting population, stains 40 times brighter for Leu-2 and whose DNA transforms 20 times more efficiently for Leu-2. In addition, these cells have 10- to 50-fold amplified human DNA sequences and numerous double minute chromosome fragments, a common indicator of gene amplication in mouse cells.     

Sub-laser-cycle electron pulses for probing molecular dynamics

Experience shows that the ability to make measurements in any new time regime opens new areas of science. Currently, experimental probes for the attosecond time regime (10(-18) 10(-15) s) are being established. The leading approach is the generation of attosecond optical pulses by ionizing atoms with intense laser pulses. This nonlinear process leads to the production of high harmonics during collisions between electrons and the ionized atoms. The underlying mechanism implies control of energetic electrons with attosecond precision. We propose that the electrons themselves can be exploited for ultrafast measurements. We use a 'molecular clock', based on a vibrational wave packet in H(2)(+) to show that distinct bunches of electrons appear during electron ion collisions with high current densities, and durations of about 1 femtosecond (10(-15) s). Furthermore, we use the molecular clock to study the dynamics of non-sequential double ionization.