No Evidence for the Induction of Brown Algal Chemical Defense by the Phytohormones Jasmonic Acid and Methyl Jasmonate

Induced chemical defense reactions are widespread in marine brown algae. Despite the evidence that the biosynthesis of defense metabolites can be up-regulated upon herbivory, we do not know how this regulation of biosynthetic pathways to secondary metabolites is achieved in brown algae. In higher plants, the phytohormone jasmonic acid (JA) is crucial for the mediation of induced chemical defenses, and several findings of this metabolite from marine sources have been reported. We tested the hypothesis that JA or related metabolites play a role in induced brown algal defense. Quantification of oxylipins with a detection limit around 20 ng g⁻¹ algal tissue did not reveal the presence of JA in the seven examined brown algal species Dictyota dichotoma, Colpomenia peregrina, Ectocarpus fasciculatus, Fucus vesiculosus, Himanthalia elongata, Saccharina latissima (formerly Laminaria saccharina), and Sargassum muticum. Moreover, treatment with ecologically relevant concentrations of JA and methyl jasmonate did not lead to a significant change in the profile of medium- and non-polar metabolites of the tested algae. Only when high concentrations of ≥500 μg ml⁻¹ medium of the phytohormones were applied that a metabolic response which could be attributed to unspecific stress was observed. Bioassays with D. dichotoma that focused on medium- and non-polar compounds confirmed the lack of a biological role of JA and methyl jasmonate in the induction of algal induced chemical defenses. The phytohormone-treated samples did not exhibit any increased defense potential towards the amphipod Ampithoe longimana and the isopod Paracerceis caudata. JA and related phytohormones, known to be active in higher plants, thus appear to play no role in brown algae for induction of the defense chemicals studied here.     

Enders’ SAMP‐Hydrazone as Traceless Auxiliary in the Asymmetric 1,4‐Addition of Cuprates to Enones

Conjugate additions of Gilman cyanocuprates to (S)‐N‐amino‐2‐(methoxymethyl)pyrrolidine (SAMP)‐hydrazones 4 , 5 derived from cyclic and acyclic α,β‐unsaturated ketones were investigated. A protocol utilizing copper(II) sulfate/ammonium chloride was evolved, which allowed cleavage of SAMP (S)‐ 1 under the hydrolysis and work‐up conditions, followed by recovery of the auxiliary with ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid (EDTA). The enantioselectivity of cuprate additions was dominated for cyclic SAMP‐hydrazones 4 by the cuprate alkyl substituent and the ring size, in the case of acyclic arylidene SAMP‐hydrazones 5 , however, by the nature of the aryl substituent. Electron‐donating substituents gave poor enantiomeric excesses, whereas electron‐withdrawing groups provided excellent ee values of 98–99%. The configuration of the new stereocenter was determined to be (R). Moreover, a reaction sequence was developed which integrates a tandem 1,4‐addition/methylation and traceless hydrolytic cleavage of the auxiliary (S)‐ 1 in a one‐pot reaction, resulting in enantiomerically pure methyl ketones 11 – 13 , each of them with>99% ee.     

Measurement of a low-absorption sample of OH-reduced fused silica

Low-absorption optics made of OH-reduced fused silica are a key technology for future gravitational wave detectors such as the Advanced LIGO. We developed a sensitive method to measure the absorption inside the beam splitter of the GEO 600, taking advantage of the effect of thermal lensing. Using this method, we derived a bulk absorption of less than 0.25 ppm/cm for a piece of Suprasil 311 SV at a wavelength of 1064 nm. To the best of our knowledge, this is the lowest value of light absorption inside fused silica reported so far in the literature.     

Electron transfer dynamics of bistable single-molecule junctions

We present transport measurements of single-molecule junctions bridged by a molecule with three benzene rings connected by two double bonds and with thiol end-groups that allow chemical binding to gold electrodes. The I-V curves show switching behavior between two distinct states. By statistical analysis of the switching events, we show that a 300 meV mode mediates the transition between the two states. We propose that breaking and reformation of a S-H bond in the contact zone between molecule and electrode explains the observed bistability.     

Polymer Films Composed of Surface‐Bound Nanofilaments with a High Aspect Ratio,Molecularly Imprinted with Small Molecules and Proteins

Hierarchically nanostructured materials that combine two or more levels of structuring and that exhibit a combination of useful features have gained considerable interest over recent years. Here, the generation of surface‐bound nanofilaments with a high aspect ratio by nanomolding on a nanoporous template surface is described. The filaments, at the same time, carry molecularly imprinted binding sites. The dye fluorescein and the protein myoglobin are used as model templates for imprinting. The surfaces exhibit specific binding as revealed by fluorescence microscopy. The wetting properties of the surfaces depend on the dimensions of the nanofilaments and on the nature of the polymer. It is believed that these materials can potentially be useful for applications in biosensors and biochips.     

Specifying the dynamic behavior of management systems

Decision making in any complex system is a very difficult task. In Man, decisions are reached as a result of trying to satisfy both conscious and unconscious goals. To emulate this in a computer system we need to find a way of representing goals and modeling the decision making process. This paper describes a model for decision making in the context of the management of distributed computer systems, and discusses the implications for the representation of goals and other information used during the decision making process. The work described in this paper was performed in the ESPRIT II project DOMAINS. This project is concerned with developing an architecture for the integrated management of all resources in a networked system. The emphasis of this paper lies in modeling rather than implementation.     

A learning architecture based on reinforcement learning for adaptive control of the walking machine LAURON

The learning of complex control behaviour of autonomous mobile robots is one of the actual research topics. In this article an intelligent control architecture is presented which integrates learning methods and available domain knowledge. This control architecture is based on Reinforcement Learning and allows continuous input and output parameters, hierarchical learning, multiple goals, self-organized topology of the used networks and online learning. As a testbed this architecture is applied to the six-legged walking machine LAURON to learn leg control and leg coordination.     

Insufficient incentives for investment in electricity generations

In theory, competitive electricity markets provide incentives for efficient investment in generation capacity. We show that if consumers and investors are risk averse, investment is efficient only if investors in generation capacity can sign long-term contracts with consumers. Otherwise the uncovered price risk increases financing costs, reduces equilibrium investment levels, distorts technology choice towards less capital-intensive generation and reduces consumer utility. We observe insufficient levels of long-term contracts in existing markets, possibly because retail companies are not credible counter-parties if their final customers can switch easily between them. With a consumer franchise, retailers can sign long-term contracts, but this solution comes at the expense of retail competition. Alternative capacity mechanisms to stimulate investment are discussed.