Recent development of nanotechnology has reshaped the landscape of modern science and technology, while in the meantime raised concerns about the adverse effects of nanomaterials on biological systems and the environment. [1,2] Owing to their mutual interaction, carbon-based nanomaterials readily aggregate and are not considered potential contaminants in the liquid phase. [3] However, when discharged into the environment, the hydrophobicity of nanomaterials can be averted through their interaction with natural organic matter (NOM), [4] a heterogeneous mixture of decomposed animals and plants and a major pollutant carrier [5] in nature. Consequently, mobile NOM-modified nanomaterials may pose a threat to ecological terrestrial species through further physical, chemical, and biological processes.The impact of nanomaterials on high plants has scantly been examined in the current literature. Among the studies available, [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] none have used major food crops or carbon nanoparticles (a major class of nanomaterials) for their evaluations. Although both enhanced and inhibited growth have been reported for vegetations exposed to nanomaterials at various developmental stages, [6][7][8][9][10][11][12] including seed germina-tion, root growth, and photosynthesis, fundamental questions remain regarding the uptake, accumulation, translocation, and transmission of nanomaterials in plant cells and tissues, and the impact of these processes on plant reproduction. [13] Here, we provide the first evidence on the uptake, accumulation, and generational transmission of NOM-suspended carbon nanoparticles in rice plants, the staple food crops of over half the world's population. The data presented in this Communication suggest the potential impact of nanomaterial exposure on plant development and the food chain, and prompt further investigation into the genetic consequences through plantnanomaterial interactions.NOM in freshwater ecosystems ususally has a concentration between 1-100 mg L À1 . [14] To mimic the natural ecosystems we formed a NOM solution of 100 mg L À1 in Milli-Q water and suspended fullerene C 70 and multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) in the NOM. Using a Zetasizer (S90, Malvern Instruments) we identified three hydrodynamic diameters of 1.19 (major), 17.99, and 722.10 nm for C 70 -NOM and one major hydrodynamic diameter of 239.70 nm for MWNT-NOM (see Supporting Information, Sections 1C and 1D). The nonspecific assembly of NOM with C 70 or MWNTs is believed to be a dynamic equilibrium process [4] with the hydrophobic moieties of the NOM interacting and p-stacking with the hydrophobic carbon nanoparticle surfaces.Newly harvested rice seeds were incubated in Petri dishes that contained 15 mL of different concentrations of C 70 -NOM and MWNT-NOM in rice germination buffer. After germination at 25 AE 1 8C for 2 weeks the seedlings were transplanted to soil in big pots and grown in a green house to maturity without addition of nanoparticles. For each sample concentration, 5 pots of plants were maintained f...

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The unique spherical nanocapsules/Keplerates of the type {{(Mo)Mo5}12M'30} (M' = {Mo2}, VO(2+), Cr(3+), Fe(3+)) (more generally: (pentagon)12(spacer/ligand)30) allow-due to their exceptional structural features and easy variations/derivatizations-versatile chemistry and applications as well as the option to study new phenomena of interdisciplinary interest.[1a] In this poster we specially refer on the interesting neutral/charged species of [{(Mo)Mo5O21(L)6}12{Fe(H2O)L}30] (L = H2O/CH3COO-/Mo2O8/9) compound 1a/type[1b] not only because of their tremendous unusual magnetic properties which exhibit spherical networks based on corner-shared M'3 triangles causing geometrical frustration analogous to that of the planar Kagomé lattices but also for their behavior as unique weak polyprotic acids owing to the external water ligands attached to the M' metal centers. In the second part we refer to the fact that the capsule [{(Mo)Mo5O21(H2O)6}12{Mo2O4(CO3)}30](72-) compound 2a[2] containing 30 carbonate ligands is a potential starting reagent for the synthesis of novel capsules with weakly coordination ligands such as fluoride ions [{(Mo)Mo5O21(H2O)5F}12 {Mo2O4(F)(H2O)}30](69-) compound 3a.[3] Figure. Ball-and-stick representation for the structures of the nano-anions of compound 1a, 2a and 3a.

Mutations in the human ectodysplasin-A (EDA) are responsible for the most common form of the ectodermal dysplasia and the defective orthologous gene in mice produces the tabby phenotype, suggesting its vital role in the development of hair, sweat glands and teeth. Among several EDA splice isoforms, the most common and the longest EDA splice isoforms, EDA-A1 and EDA-A2, differing by only two amino acids, activate NF-κB-promoted transcription by binding to distinct receptors, EDAR and XEDAR. The extent to which any particular isoform is sufficient for the formation of hair, sweat glands or teeth has remained unclear. Here we report that transgenic expression of the mouse EDA-A1 isoform in tabby (EDA-less) males rescued development of several skin appendages. The transgenic tabby mice showed almost complete restoration of hair growth, dermal ridges, sweat glands and molars. The number of hair follicles in the transgenic mice is the same as in wildtype; though the development of follicles and associated glands varies from indistinguishable from wild-type to smaller and/or only partially formed. These results suggest that the other EDA isoforms may not be absolutely required for skin appendage formation, but consistent with distinctive temporal and spatial expression of the EDA-A2 isoform, are likely required for appropriate timing and completeness of development. Our data provide the first direct physiological evidence that EDA-A1 is a key regulator of hair follicle and sweat gland initiation; its soluble ligand form could aid in deriving therapeutic reagents for conditions affecting hair and sweat gland formation.

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