Membrane proteins act as biocatalysts or ion/proton pumps to convert and store energy from ubiquitous environmental sources. Interfacing these proteins to electrodes allows utilizing the energy for enzymatic biofuel cells or other auspicious biotechnological applications. To optimize the efficiency of these devices, appropriate membrane models are required that ensure structural and functional integrity of the embedded enzymes and provide structural insight. We present a spectroelectrochemical surface-enhanced infrared absorption (SEIRA) and electrical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) study of the bacterial respiratory ubiquinol/cytochrome bo3 (cyt bo3) couple incorporated into a tethered bilayer lipid membrane (tBLM). Here, we employed a new lipid tether (WK3SH, dihydrocholesteryl (2-(2-(2-ethoxy)ethoxy)ethanethiol), which was synthesized using a three-step procedure with very good yield and allowed measuring IR spectra without significant spectral interference of the tBLM. The functional integrity of the incorporated cyt bo3 was demonstrated by monitoring the enzymatic O2 reduction current and the formation of the transmembrane proton gradient. Based on a SEIRA-spectroscopic redox titration, a shift of the pH-dependent redox potential of the ubiquinones under turnover conditions was correlated with an alkalinization of the submembrane reservoir by +0.8 pH units. This study demonstrates the high potential of tBLMs and the SEIRA spectroscopic approach to study bioenergetic processes.
Air- and water-stable phenyl complexes with nitridotechnetium(V) cores can be prepared by straightforward procedures. [TcNPh(2)(PPh(3))(2)] is formed by the reaction of [TcNCl(2)(PPh(3))(2)] with PhLi. The analogous N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC) compound [TcNPh(2)(HL(Ph))(2)], where HL(Ph) is 1,3,4-triphenyl-1,2,4-triazol-5-ylidene, is available from (NBu(4))[TcNCl(4)] and HL(Ph) or its methoxo-protected form. The latter compound allows the comparison of different Tc-C bonds within one compound. Surprisingly, the Tc chemistry with such NHCs does not resemble that of corresponding Re complexes, where CH activation and orthometalation dominate.
<p>In the framework of ERASMUS+ program Key Action &#8220;Cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices&#8221; with an Action Type &#8220;Strategic Partnerships for vocational education and training&#8221;, our project TRack Your ATmosphere (TRYAT) was approved in august 2017 and is co-funded by the European Union. The projects total duration is 35 months and the participants are teachers, researchers and students from three vocational schools and Research/University Institutes in France, Germany and Italy.</p><p>The project is going to end next August 2020. Here we present the final report on the achieved objectives.</p><p>The main research goal of TRYAT is a combination of processing and analysis of Global Navigation Satellite Systems (GNSS) data and monitoring of environmental parameters for vocational education and training (VET). Permanent high-precision GNSS stations currently operate for geodetic purposes, e.g. geodynamics, earthquake and volcano monitoring, etc. We want to capitalize and highly disseminate the fact that they also offer a reliable tool for remote sensing the atmospheric water vapour. Three professional GNSS stations and low-cost weather stations have been installed on the roof of the buildings of Lyc&#233;e Saint Cricq (Pau, France), Lise-Meitner-Schule (Berlin, Germany) and Istituto Leonardo da Vinci (Naples, Italy).</p><p>We show the achievements so far for each expected intellectual Output (O).</p><p>O1- Learning Plattform.</p><p>The Learning Web Platform is an interactive and versatile tool. It helps learners, teachers, researchers and other involved personnel to crosslink, enhance intercultural teambuilding and work on the related technological and environmental issues. The platform gives even access to online real-time and archived data, maps, evaluation and graphical visualization.</p><p>O2- Starter Kit.</p><p>We have been realizing a starter kit of a system to acquire and manage data from both GNSS and weather stations. The kit enables us testing not only the technology, but even the concept itself.</p><p>O3- OER Learning Material &#8216;Physical and Technical Foundations&#8217;.</p><p>It is an interactive physics course where students learn the foundations of three relevant main topics of the project: satellite technology, propagation of waves and physics of the atmosphere. The corresponding competences are elaborated for the use in different VET curricula.</p><p>O4- OER Learning Material 'Informatics and Electrical Engineering'.</p><p>We have developed an interactive learning unit (&#8220;learning environment&#8221;) with focus on informatics and electronics. The students are given just a problem, namely the collecting of environmental data. This problem is proposed to them in the form of an order from industry &#8220;Monitoring of renewable energy plant &#8211; measuring wind and sun strength as well as the electrical power&#8221;.</p><p>O5- Educational videos.</p><p>A series of 5-minute long videos have been realizing in all the official languages of the participating countries. The videos deal with the scientific subjects pertaining the project and report on the results themselves, and the way the student worked as teams to achieve them. Different subtopics will be presented in short videos, as a desirable way of dissemination.</p>
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