The intramolecular Pd(II)-catalysed carbonylation of aminoalkenitol was used as a key step in the short racemic syntheses of the ladybird beetle alkaloids calvine and epicalvine. The title compounds have been prepared in 26% overall yield over four steps starting from hexanal and pentenyl bromide. 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. (+)-Calvine 1 and (+)-2-epicalvine 2 are bicyclic piperidi...

The effects of feeding and fasting were examined on the deep-living short-spine thornyhead (Sebastolobus alascanus) and the confamilial shallow-living spotted scorpionfish (Scorpaena guttata) to determine whether the low metabolic rate of the deeper-living species was in part a consequence of food deprivation in its habitat. Laboratory acclimation for periods of 90–115 days under either ad libi...

AIMS To detect the presence of guttae by means of light microscopy during organ culture and to evaluate the influence of the presence of guttae in the donor tissue on transplantation outcome. METHODS Donor corneas were investigated for the presence of guttae by means of light microscopy at the end of organ culture. Recipient corneal buttons from patients with severe Fuchs' dystrophy and donor...

The 10 extant species of emydine turtles represent an array of morphological and ecological forms recognizable and popular among scientists and hobbyists. Nevertheless, the phylogenetic affinities of most emydines remain contentious. Here, we examine the evolutionary relationships of emydine turtles using 2092 bp of DNA encoding the mitochondrial genes cyt b, ND4, and adjacent tRNAs. These data...