Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

About: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences is a government organization based out in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Catalysis & Coupling constant. The organization has 17989 authors who have published 36276 publications receiving 642820 citations. The organization is also known as: Bulgarian Academy of Sciences，簡稱：BAS & Balgarska Akademiya na Naukite.

The Neuron-Astrocyte-Microglia Triad in Normal Brain Ageing and in a Model of Neuroinflammation in the Rat Hippocampus

Abstract: Ageing is accompanied by a decline in cognitive functions; along with a variety of neurobiological changes. The association between inflammation and ageing is based on complex molecular and cellular changes that we are only just beginning to understand. The hippocampus is one of the structures more closely related to electrophysiological, structural and morphological changes during ageing. In the present study we examined the effect of normal ageing and LPS-induced inflammation on astroglia-neuron interaction in the rat hippocampus of adult, normal aged and LPS-treated adult rats. Astrocytes were smaller, with thicker and shorter branches and less numerous in CA1 Str. radiatum of aged rats in comparison to adult and LPS-treated rats. Astrocyte branches infiltrated apoptotic neurons of aged and LPS-treated rats. Cellular debris, which were more numerous in CA1 of aged and LPS-treated rats, could be found apposed to astrocytes processes and were phagocytated by reactive microglia. Reactive microglia were present in the CA1 Str. Radiatum, often in association with apoptotic cells. Significant differences were found in the fraction of reactive microglia which was 40% of total in adult, 33% in aged and 50% in LPS-treated rats. Fractalkine (CX3CL1) increased significantly in hippocampus homogenates of aged and LPS-treated rats. The number of CA1 neurons decreased in aged rats. In the hippocampus of aged and LPS-treated rats astrocytes and microglia may help clearing apoptotic cellular debris possibly through CX3CL1 signalling. Our results indicate that astrocytes and microglia in the hippocampus of aged and LPS-infused rats possibly participate in the clearance of cellular debris associated with programmed cell death. The actions of astrocytes may represent either protective mechanisms to control inflammatory processes and the spread of further cellular damage to neighboring tissue, or they may contribute to neuronal damage in pathological conditions.

Different extraction methods of biologically active components from propolis: a preliminary study

Abstract: Propolis is widely used in apitherapy, preparations, and food and beverage additives. Various extraction techniques were applied in the extraction of the biologically active constituents of poplar type propolis in order to compare their efficiency. The methods employed were: traditional maceration extraction, ultrasound extraction (UE), and microwave assisted extraction (MAE). The total amounts of extracted phenolics and flavonoids were determined, and the effectiveness of the methods compared. MAE was very rapid but led to the extraction of a large amount of non-phenolic and non-flavonoid material. UE gave the highest percentage of extracted phenolics. Compared to the maceration extraction, MAE and UE methods provided high extraction yield, requiring short timeframes and less labour. UE was shown to be the most efficient method based on yield, extraction time and selectivity.

A linear cobalt(II) complex with maximal orbital angular momentum from a non-Aufbau ground state

Abstract: INTRODUCTION The magnetic properties of a single metal center are determined by a combination of its total spin S and orbital angular momentum L . Orbital angular momentum gives rise to magnetic anisotropy, an essential property for applications such as information storage and high-coercivity magnets. Unquenched L arises from an odd number of electrons in degenerate orbitals and is typically observed only for free ions, as well as for complexes of the f elements. For the majority of transition metal ions, however, orbital angular momentum is quenched by the ligand field, which removes the requisite orbital degeneracies. Maximal L for a transition metal ( L = 3) would require an odd number of electrons in two sets of degenerate orbitals. Such a species would entail a non-Aufbau configuration, wherein the electrons do not fill the d orbitals in the usual order of lowest to highest in energy, and likely exhibit a large magnetic anisotropy. RATIONALE Previous efforts have identified the utility of linear coordination environments for isolating iron complexes with unquenched orbital angular momentum and large magnetic anisotropies. Crucially, transition metals in this environment are unaffected by Jahn-Teller distortions that would otherwise remove orbital degeneracies in the case of partially filled d orbitals. Separately, cobalt atoms deposited on a MgO surface—for which one-coordination of the metal is achieved, provided a vacuum is maintained—were shown to have L = 3, giving rise to near-maximal magnetic anisotropy. Calculations on the hypothetical linear molecule Co(C(SiMe 3 ) 3 ) 2 (where Me is methyl) also predicted that this system would possess a ground state with L = 3. Empirically, maximal L in a transition metal complex thus requires both a linear coordination environment and a sufficiently weak ligand field strength to allow for non-Aufbau electron filling. RESULTS The strongly reducing nature of the carbanion ligand hinders isolation of dialkyl cobalt(II) complexes. However, reducing the basicity of the central carbanion through the use of electron-withdrawing aryloxide groups allowed for the synthesis of the dialkyl cobalt(II) complex Co(C(SiMe 2 ONaph) 3 ) 2 , where Naph is a naphthyl group. Ab initio calculations on this complex predict a ground state with S = 3 / 2 , L = 3, and J = 9 / 2 arising from the non-Aufbau electron configuration (d x 2 –y 2 , d xy ) 3 (d xz , d yz ) 3 (d z 2 ) 1 . Much as for lanthanide complexes, the ligand field is sufficiently weak that interelectron repulsion and spin-orbit coupling play the key roles in determining the electronic ground state. dc magnetic susceptibility measurements reveal a well-isolated M J = ± 9 / 2 ground state, and simulations of the magnetic data from the calculations are in good agreement with the experimental data. Variable-field far-infrared (FIR) spectroscopy shows a magnetically active excited state at 450 cm −1 that, in combination with calculations and variable-temperature ac magnetic susceptibility experiments, is assigned to the M J = ± 7 / 2 state. Modeling of experimental charge density maps also suggests a d-orbital filling with equally occupied (d x 2 –y 2 , d xy ), and (d xz , d yz ) orbital sets. As a consequence of its large orbital angular momentum, the molecule exhibits slow magnetic relaxation and, in a magnetically dilute sample, a coercive field of 600 Oe at 1.8 K. CONCLUSION Isolation of Co(C(SiMe 2 ONaph) 3 ) 2 illustrates how an extreme coordination environment can confer an f-element–like electronic structure on a transition metal complex. The non-Aufbau ground state enables realization of maximal orbital angular momentum and magnetic anisotropy near the physical limit for a 3d metal. In this respect, the linear L–Co–L motif may prove useful in the design of new materials with high magnetic coercivity.