Some Aspects of Continuity and Change Among Anthropologists in Australia or‘He‐Who‐Eats‐From‐One‐Dish‐With‐Us‐With‐One‐Spoon’

Since the future of anthropology in Australia is clouded, the address takes a look at where it has been coming from. Rather than a distinctive regional school, the discipline in Australia has been part of anthropology in the UK and the USA. In common with anthropology elsewhere, it lacks a distinctive theoretical stance, but draws on the theory current in the other social sciences. Recognising that what makes anthropology ‘special’ is the field work experience, the address reflects on the history and nature of this practice.     

Synthesis of enantiomers of exo‐2‐norbornyl‐N‐n‐butylcarbamate and endo‐2‐norbornyl‐N‐n‐butylcarbamate for stereoselective inhibition of acetylcholinesterase

The acetylcholinesterase inhibition by enantiomers of exo‐ and endo‐2‐norbornyl‐N‐n‐butylcarbamates shows high stereoselelectivity. For the acetylcholinesterase inhibitions by (R)‐(+)‐ and (S)‐(?)‐exo‐2‐norbornyl‐N‐n‐butylcarbamates, the R‐enantiomer is more potent than the S‐enantiomer. But, for the acetylcholinesterase inhibitions by (R)‐(+)‐ and (S)‐(?)‐endo‐2‐norbornyl‐N‐n‐butylcarbamates, the S‐enantiomer is more potent than the R‐enantiomer. Optically pure (R)‐(+)‐exo‐, (S)‐(?)‐exo‐, (R)‐(+)‐endo‐, and (S)‐(?)‐endo‐2‐norbornyl‐N‐n‐butylcarbamates are synthesized from condensations of optically pure (R)‐(+)‐exo‐, (S)‐(?)‐exo‐, (R)‐(+)‐endo‐, and (S)‐(?)‐endo‐2‐norborneols with n‐butyl isocyanate, respectively. Optically pure norborneols are obtained from kinetic resolutions of their racemic esters by lipase catalysis in organic solvent. Chirality 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Blood‐Capillary‐Inspired,Free‐Standing,Flexible, and Low‐Cost Super‐Hydrophobic N‐CNTs@SS Cathodes for High‐Capacity,High‐Rate,and Stable Li‐Air Batteries

With the rising demand for flexible and wearable electronic devices, flexible power sources with high energy densities are required to provide a sustainable energy supply. Theoretically, rechargeable, flexible Li‐O₂/air batteries can provide extremely high specific energy densities; however, the high costs, complex synthetic methods, and inferior mechanical properties of the available flexible cathodes severely limit their practical applications. Herein, inspired by the structure of human blood capillary tissue, this study demonstrates for the first time the in situ growth of interpenetrative hierarchical N‐doped carbon nanotubes on the surface of stainless‐steel mesh (N‐CNTs@SS) for the fabrication of a self‐supporting, flexible electrode with excellent physicochemical properties via a facile and scalable one‐step strategy. Benefitting from the synergistic effects of the high electronic conductivity and stable 3D interconnected conductive network structure, the Li‐O₂ batteries obtained with the N‐CNTs@SS cathode exhibit superior electrochemical performance, including a high specific capacity (9299 mA h g^?1 at 500 mA g^?1), an excellent rate capability, and an exceptional cycle stability (up to 232 cycles). Furthermore, as‐fabricated flexible Li‐air batteries containing the as‐prepared flexible super‐hydrophobic cathode show excellent mechanical properties, stable electrochemical performance, and superior H₂O resistibility, which enhance their potential to power flexible and wearable electronic devices.     

Synthesis of New exo‐ and endo‐3,8‐Dihydro‐β‐santalols and Other Norbornyl‐Derived Alcohols

Several new and differently functionalized cis‐2,3‐dimethylnorbornane derivatives presenting diverse side‐chain lengths were prepared, the structures of which are related to the natural fragrance β‐santalol. In particular, exo‐ and endo‐3,8‐dihydro‐β‐santalols, with either (E) or (Z) C?C‐bond configuration on the side chain, were synthesized in seven steps and 21–24% overall yields. Several other exo‐ and endo‐norbornyl alcohols with shorter side chains were also prepared in high yields. The olfactory evaluation indicated woody, sandalwood, as well as fruity notes for some of the derivatives.     

Anticonvulsant Activity of Enantiomeric N‐trans‐Cinnamoyl Derivatives of 2‐Aminopropan‐1‐ols and 2‐Aminobutan‐1‐ols

Epilepsy, one of the most frequent neurological disorders, is still insufficiently treated in about 30% of patients. As a consequence, identification of novel anticonvulsant agents is an important issue in medicinal chemistry. In the present article we report synthesis, physicochemical, and pharmacological evaluation of N‐trans‐cinnamoyl derivatives of R and S‐2‐aminopropan‐1‐ol, as well as R and S‐2‐aminobutan‐1‐ol. The structures were confirmed by spectroscopy and for derivatives of 2‐aminopropan‐1‐ols the configuration was evaluated by means of crystallography. The investigated compounds were tested in rodent models of seizures: maximal electroshock (MES) and subcutaneous pentetrazol test (scPTZ), and also in a rodent model of epileptogenesis: pilocarpine‐induced status prevention. Additionally, derivatives of 2‐aminopropan‐1‐ols were tested in benzodiazepine‐resistant electrographic status epilepticus rat model as well as in vitro for inhibition of isoenzymes of cytochrome P450. All of the tested compounds showed promising anticonvulsant activity in MES. For R(–)‐(2E)‐N‐(1‐hydroxypropan‐2‐yl)‐3‐phenylprop‐2‐enamide pharmacological parameters were found as follows: ED₅₀ = 76.7 (68.2–81.3) mg/kg (MES, mice i.p., time = 0.5 h), ED₅₀ = 127.2 (102.1–157.9) mg/kg (scPTZ, mice i.p., time = 0.25 h), TD₅₀ = 208.3 (151.4–230.6) mg/kg (rotarod, mice i.p., time = 0.25 h). Evaluation in pilocarpine status prevention proved that all of the reported compounds reduced spontaneous seizure activity and act as antiepileptogenic agents. Both enantiomers of 2‐aminopropan‐1‐ols did not influence cytochrome P450 isoenzymes activity in vitro and are likely not to interact with CYP substrates in vivo. Chirality 28:482–488, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Plasma and liver proteomic analysis of 3Z‐3‐[(1H‐pyrrol‐2‐yl)‐methylidene]‐1‐(1‐piperidinylmethyl)‐1,3‐2H‐indol‐2‐one‐induced hepatotoxicity in Wistar rats

3Z‐3‐[(1H‐pyrrol‐2‐yl)‐methylidene]‐1‐(1‐piperidinylmethyl)‐1,3‐2H‐indol‐2‐one (Z24), a synthetic anti‐angiogenic compound, inhibits the growth and metastasis of certain tumors. Previous works have shown that Z24 induces hepatotoxicity in rodents. We examined the hepatotoxic mechanism of Z24 at the protein level and looked for potential biomarkers. We used 2‐DE and MALDI‐TOF/TOF MS to analyze alternatively expressed proteins in rat liver and plasma after Z24 administration. We also examined apoptosis in rat liver and measured levels of intramitochondrial ROS and NAD(P)H redox in liver cells. We found that 22 nonredundant proteins in the liver and 11 in the plasma were differentially expressed. These proteins were involved in several important metabolic pathways, including carbohydrate, lipid, amino acid, and energy metabolism, biotransformation, apoptosis, etc. Apoptosis in rat liver was confirmed with the terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP‐nick end labeling assay. In mitochondria, Z24 increased the ROS and decreased the NAD(P)H levels. Thus, inhibition of carbohydrate aerobic oxidation, fatty acid β‐oxidation, and oxidative phosphorylation is a potential mechanism of Z24‐induced hepatotoxicity, resulting in mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis‐mediated cell death. In addition, fetub protein and argininosuccinate synthase in plasma may be potential biomarkers of Z24‐induced hepatotoxicity.     

Asymmetric catalysis of homo‐coupling of 3‐substituted naphthylamine and hetero‐coupling with 3‐substituted naphthol leading to 3,3′‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐diaminobinaphthyl and ‐2‐amino‐2′‐hydroxybinaphthyl

Optically active 3,3′‐dimethyl‐2,2′‐diamino‐1,1′‐binaphthyl (DM‐DABN) and 3,3′‐dimethyl‐2‐amino‐2′‐hydroxybinaphthyl (DM‐NOBIN) derivatives were synthesized by Cu‐(?)‐sparteine complex‐catalyzed enantioselective homo‐ and hetero‐coupling of 2‐naphthylamine, respectively. The difference in enantioselectivity was observed by changing the concentration of oxygen. Chirality, 2010. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Synthesis and Olfactory Characterization of Silicon‐Containing Derivatives of the Acyclic Lily‐of‐the‐Valley Odorant 5,7,7‐Trimethyl‐4‐methylideneoctanal

5‐Methyl‐4‐methylidene‐6‐(trimethylsilyl)hexanal ( 1b ), a sila analog of the acyclic lily‐of‐the‐valley odorant 5,7,7‐trimethyl‐4‐methylideneoctanal ( 1a ), and the Si‐containing derivatives 2 – 6 were prepared in multistep syntheses, starting from Cl₃SiH and Cl₂SiMe₂, respectively. Compounds 1b, 2 – 6 , and their new precursors were characterized by elemental analyses (C, H, N) and NMR spectroscopic studies (¹H, ¹³C, ¹⁵N, and ²⁹Si). To gain more information about the structure? odor correlation in the family of lily‐of‐the‐valley or ‘muguet’ odorants, C/Si analogs 1a / 1b and derivatives 2 – 6 were evaluated for their olfactory properties.     

Synthesis and Evaluation of Anticonvulsant Activity of Some Schiff Bases of 7‐Amino‐1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one

A variety of 1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one azomethines and 1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one benzamide were prepared, characterized and evaluated for the anticonvulsant activity in the rat using picrotoxin‐induced seizure model. The prepared 1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one azomethine derivatives emerged potentially anticonvulsant molecular scaffolds exemplified by compounds, 7‐{(E)‐[(4‐nitrophenyl)methylidene]amino}‐5‐phenyl‐1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one, 7‐[(E)‐{[4‐(dimethylamino)phenyl]methylidene}amino]‐5‐phenyl‐1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one, 7‐{(E)‐[(4‐bromo‐2,6‐difluorophenyl)methylidene]amino}‐5‐phenyl‐1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one and 7‐[(E)‐{[3‐(4‐fluorophenyl)‐1‐phenyl‐1H‐pyrazol‐4‐yl]methylidene}amino]‐5‐phenyl‐1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one. All these four compounds have shown substantial decrease in the wet dog shake numbers and grade of convulsions with respect to the standard drug diazepam. The most active compound, 7‐[(E)‐{[4‐(dimethylamino)phenyl]methylidene}amino]‐5‐phenyl‐1,3‐dihydro‐2H‐1,4‐benzodiazepin‐2‐one, exhibited 74 % protection against convulsion which was higher than the standard drug diazepam. Furthermore, to identify the binding mode of the interaction amongst the target analogs and binding site of the benzodiazepine receptor, molecular docking study and molecular dynamic simulation were carried out. Additionally, in silico pharmacokinetic and toxicity predictions of target compounds were carried out using AdmetSAR tool. Results of ADMET studies suggest that the pharmacokinetic parameters of all the target compounds were within the acceptable range to become a potential drug candidate as antiepileptic agents.     

The crystal structure of Z‐Gly‐Aib‐Gly‐Aib‐OtBu

The synthetic peptide Z‐Gly‐Aib‐Gly‐Aib‐OtBu was dissolved in methanol and crystallized in a mixture of ethyl acetate and petroleum ether. The crystals belong to the centrosymmetric space group P4/n that is observed less than 0.3% in the Cambridge Structural Database. The first Gly residue assumes a semi‐extended conformation (φ ±62°, ψ ?131°). The right‐handed peptide folds in two consecutive β‐turns of type II' and type I or an incipient 3₁₀‐helix, and the left‐handed counterpart folds accordingly in the opposite configuration. In the crystal lattice, one molecule is linked to four neighbors in the ab‐plane via hydrogen bonds. These bonds form a continuous network of left‐ and right‐handed molecules. The successive ab‐planes stack via apolar contacts in the c‐direction. An ethyl acetate molecule is situated on and close to the fourfold axis. Copyright © 2015 European Peptide Society and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Synthesis and optical resolution of 1‐[(3‐carboxy‐1,1′‐biphenyl)‐2‐yl]‐1H‐pyrrole‐2‐carboxylic acid

Site selective mono‐ and dimetalation methods have been developed for the functionalization of 1‐[(1,1′‐biphenyl)‐2‐yl]‐1H‐pyrrole. Optical resolution of the prepared 1‐[(3‐carboxy‐1,1′‐biphenyl)‐2‐yl]pyrrole‐2‐carboxylic acid provided new atropisomeric 1‐arylpyrrole derivatives. The absolute configuration of the pure dicarboxylic acid enantiomers was determined by single crystal X‐ray diffraction and CD spectroscopy. Chirality 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Species‐time‐area and phylogenetic‐time‐area relationships in tropical tree communities

The species‐area relationship (SAR) has proven to be one of the few strong generalities in ecology. The temporal analog of the SAR, the species‐time relationship (STR), has received considerably less attention. Recent work primarily from the temperate zone has aimed to merge the SAR and the STR into a synthetic and unified species‐time‐area relationship (STAR) as originally envisioned by Preston (1960). Here we test this framework using two tropical tree communities and extend it by deriving a phylogenetic‐time‐area relationship (PTAR). The work finds some support for Preston's prediction that diversity‐time relationships, both species and phylogenetic, are sensitive to the spatial scale of the sampling. Contrary to the Preston's predictions we find a decoupling of diversity‐area and diversity‐time relationships in both forests as the time period used to quantify the diversity‐area relationship changes. In particular, diversity‐area and diversity‐time relationships are positively correlated using the initial census to quantify the diversity‐area relationship, but weakly or even negatively correlated when using the most recent census. Thus, diversity‐area relationships could forecast the temporal accumulation of biodiversity of the forests, but they failed to “back‐cast” the temporal accumulation of biodiversity suggesting a decoupling of space and time.     

Myosin‐X facilitates Shigella‐induced membrane protrusions and cell‐to‐cell spread

The intracellular pathogen Shigella flexneri forms membrane protrusions to spread from cell to cell. As protrusions form, myosin‐X (Myo10) localizes to Shigella. Electron micrographs of immunogold‐labelled Shigella‐infected HeLa cells reveal that Myo10 concentrates at the bases and along the sides of bacteria within membrane protrusions. Time‐lapse video microscopy shows that a full‐length Myo10 GFP‐construct cycles along the sides of Shigella within the membrane protrusions as these structures progressively lengthen. RNAi knock‐down of Myo10 is associated with shorter protrusions with thicker stalks, and causes a >80% decrease in confluent cell plaque formation. Myo10 also concentrates in membrane protrusions formed by another intracellular bacteria, Listeria, and knock‐down of Myo10 also impairs Listeria plaque formation. In Cos7 cells (contain low concentrations of Myo10), the expression of full‐length Myo10 nearly doubles Shigella‐induced protrusion length, and lengthening requires the head domain, as well as the tail‐PH domain, but not the FERM domain. The GFP‐Myo10‐HMM domain localizes to the sides of Shigella within membrane protrusions and the GFP‐Myo10‐PH domain localizes to host cell membranes. We conclude thatMyo10 generates the force to enhance bacterial‐induced protrusions by binding its head region to actin filaments and its PH tail domain to the peripheral membrane.     

Application of NMR spectroscopy for assignment of the absolute configuration of 8‐tert‐butyl‐2‐hydroxy‐7‐methoxy‐8‐methyl‐9‐oxa‐6‐azaspiro[4.5]dec‐6‐en‐10‐one

In order to assign the absolute configurations of 8‐tert‐butyl‐2‐hydroxy‐7‐methoxy‐8‐methyl‐9‐oxa‐6‐azaspiro[4.5]dec‐6‐en‐10‐one ( 2a , 2b ), their esters ( 5a , 5b , 5c , 5d ) with (R)‐ or (S)‐2‐methoxyphenylacetic acid ( 4a , 4b ) have been synthesized. The absolute configurations of these compounds have been determined on the basis of NOESY correlations between the protons of the tert‐butyl group and the cyclopentane fragment of the molecules. The crucial part of this analysis was assignment of the absolute configuration at C‐5. Additionally, by calculation of the chemical shift anisotropy, δ^RS, for the relevant protons, it was also possible to confirm the absolute configurations at the C‐2 centres of compounds 2a , 2b and 5a , 5b , 5c , 5d . Chirality, 25:422–426, 2013.© 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Synthesis,photoluminescence properties and theoretical insights on 1,3‐diphenyl‐5‐(9‐anthryl)‐2‐pyrazoline and ‐1H‐pyrazole

1,3‐Diphenyl‐5‐(9‐anthryl)‐2‐pyrazoline and 1,3‐diphenyl‐5‐(9‐anthryl)‐1H‐pyrazole with an anthryl chromophore were synthesized and characterized using ¹H NMR, ¹³C NMR, FT‐IR, mass spectrometry and elemental analysis. Their optical properties were characterized by UV–vis absorption and fluorescence spectroscopy. It was observed that the absorption and fluorescence spectra of the two compounds showed a red shift with respect to that of anthracene. Pyrazole exhibited high fluorescent quantum yields (Φ_f = 0.90 in toluene) while pyrazoline showed nearly no fluorescence in solution. The significant fluorescence divergence of the two similar compounds was investigated theoretically through density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The energetically lowest‐lying state S₁ in the pyrazoline exhibited both characteristics of locally excited and electron‐transfer states that resulted in the fluorescence quenching of anthryl chromophore whereas the S₁ state in the pyrazole corresponded to an optically allowed state that led to high fluorescence quantum yields in solutions. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.