Crystal structure of hexakis(dimethyl sulfoxide-κO)cobalt(II) bis[trichlorido(quinoline-κN)cobaltate(II)]

There are few reports that describe crystal structures of compounds containing cobalt complexed to either dimethyl sulfoxide (Me2SO) or quinoline (C9H7N). The title compound, [Co(C2H6OS)6][CoCl3(C9H7N)]2, is a cobalt salt in which the metal ion is complexed to both Me2SO and quinoline. In particular, we observed that anhydrous cobalt(II) chloride reacts with quinoline in Me2SO to form a salt that is to be formulated as [CoII(Me2SO)6]2+{[CoIICl3quinoline]2 ‾ }. The CoII atom in the cation portion of this molecule lies on a inversion center and is bound to the O atoms of six Me2SO moieties in an octahedral configuration, while the CoII atom in the anion is attached to three chloride ligands and one quinoline moiety in a tetrahedral arrangement

Earthquake science in resilient societies

Earthquake science is critical in reducing vulnerability to a broad range of seismic hazards. Evidenceâ based studies drawing from several branches of the Earth sciences and engineering can effectively mitigate losses experienced in earthquakes. Societies that invest in this research have lower fatality rates in earthquakes and can recover more rapidly. This commentary explores the scientific pathways through which earthquakeâ resilient societies are developed. We highlight recent case studies of evidenceâ based decision making and how modern research is improving the way societies respond to earthquakes.Key PointsThe level of seismic risk depends in part on societal investment in earthquake scienceMultidisciplinary investigations involving earthquake scientists and engineers greatly reduce casualties in earthquakesRecent examples highlight the utility of earthquake science in building resilient societies and the need for further research to reduce seismic riskPeer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137197/1/tect20552_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/137197/2/tect20552.pd

A flexible format for exchanging pulsar data

We describe a data format currently in use amongst European institutions for exchanging and archiving pulsar data. The format is designed to be as flexible as possible with regard to present and future compatibility with different operating systems. One application of the common format is simultaneous multi-frequency observations of single pulses. A data archive containing over 2500 pulse profiles stored in this format is now available via the Internet (see http://www.mpifr-bonn.mpg.de/pulsar/data), together with a small suite of computer programs that can read, write and display the data

Tuneable Singlet Exciton Fission and Triplet-Triplet Annihilation in an Orthogonal Pentacene Dimer

We report fast and highly efficient intramolecular singlet exciton fission in a pentacene dimer, consisting of two covalently attached, nearly orthogonal pentacene units. Fission to triplet excitons from this ground state geometry occurs within 1 ps in isolated molecules in solution and dispersed solid matrices. The process exhibits a sensitivity to environmental polarity and competes with geometric relaxation in the singlet state, while subsequent triplet decay is strongly dependent on conformational freedom. The near orthogonal arrangement of the pentacene units is unlike any structure currently proposed for efficient singlet exciton fission and may lead to new molecular design rules.JW acknowledges financial support from Singapore MOE Tier 3 grant (MOE2014-T3-1-004). SL thanks AGS Scholarship support from the A*STAR Singapore. The work was supported by the EPSRC (grant number EP/G060738/1). We acknowledge the use of the Darwin Supercomputer of the University of Cambridge High 18 Performance Computing Service (http://www.hpc.cam.ac.uk/) and the EPSRC UK National Service for Computational Chemistry Software (NSCCS) at Imperial College London in carrying out this work.This is the final version of the article. It first appeared from Wiley via http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/adfm.20150153

CoBiToM Project -- II: Evolution of contact binary systems close to the orbital period cut-off

Ultra-short orbital period contact binaries (Porb < 0.26 d) host some of the smallest and least massive stars. These systems are faint and rare, and it is believed that they have reached a contact configuration after several Gyrs of evolution via angular momentum loss, mass transfer and mass loss through stellar wind processes. This study is conducted in the frame of Contact Binaries Towards Merging (CoBiToM) Project and presents the results from light curve and orbital analysis of 30 ultra-short orbital period contact binaries, with the aim to investigate the possibility of them being red nova progenitors, eventually producing merger events. Approximately half of the systems exhibit orbital period modulations, as a result of mass transfer or mass loss processes. Although they are in contact, their fill-out factor is low (less than 30 per cent), while their mass ratio is larger than the one in longer period contact binaries. The present study investigates the orbital stability of these systems and examines their physical and orbital parameters in comparison to those of the entire sample of known and well-studied contact binaries, based on combined spectroscopic and photometric analysis. It is found that ultra-short orbital period contact binaries have very stable orbits, while very often additional components are gravitationally bound in wide orbits around the central binary system. We confirmed that the evolution of such systems is very slow, which explains why the components of ultra-short orbital period systems are still Main Sequence stars after several Gyrs of evolution

New Supernova Constraints on Sterile Neutrino Production

We consider the possibility that a light sterile-neutrino species $\nu_S$ can be produced by $\nu_e$ scattering during the cooling of a proto-neutron star. If we parameterize the sterile neutrino production cross-section by a parameter $A$ as $\sigma (\nu_e X\rightarrow \nu_S X) = A \sigma(\nu_e X\rightarrow \nu_e X)$, where $X$ is an electron, neutron or proton, we show that $A$ is constrained by limits to the conversion of $\nu_e$ to $\nu_S$ in the region between the sterile-neutrino trapping region and the electron-neutrino trapping region. This consideration excludes values of $A$ in the range between 10^{-4} \la A \la 10^{-1}.Comment: 12 pages; Late

MicroRNA-146a regulates ICOS–ICOSL signalling to limit accumulation of T follicular helper cells and germinal centres

Tight control of T follicular helper (Tfh) cells is required for optimal maturation of the germinal centre (GC) response. The molecular mechanisms controlling Tfh-cell differentiation remain incompletely understood. Here we show that microRNA-146a (miR-146a) is highly expressed in Tfh cells and peak miR-146a expression marks the decline of the Tfh response after immunization. Loss of miR-146a causes cell-intrinsic accumulation of Tfh and GC B cells. MiR-146a represses several Tfh-cell-expressed messenger RNAs, and of these, ICOS is the most strongly cell autonomously upregulated target in miR-146a-deficient T cells. In addition, miR-146a deficiency leads to increased ICOSL expression on GC B cells and antigen-presenting cells. Partial blockade of ICOS signalling, either by injections of low dose of ICOSL blocking antibody or by halving the gene dose of Icos in miR-146a-deficient T cells, prevents the Tfh and GC B-cell accumulation. Collectively, miR-146a emerges as a post-transcriptional brake to limit Tfh cells and GC responses.This work was funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) program and project grants and Elizabeth Blackburn Fellowship to C.G.V., International Postgraduate Research Scholarship to A.P., NHMRC/MSRA Betty Cuthbert Fellowship to M.A.J., National Research Service Award F30HL110691 and UCLA/Caltech Medical Scientist Training Program to J.L.Z

Longitudinal study on nerve ultrasound and corneal confocal microscopy in NF155 paranodopathy

We report the case of a 27-year-old patient with subacute anti-neurofascin-155 neuropathy with bifacial palsy, who showed excellent response to rituximab. We provide longitudinal data of established clinical scores, nerve conduction studies, antibody titers, and novel imaging methods (nerve ultrasonography and corneal confocal microscopy). Clinical and electrophysiological improvement followed the reduction of serum antibody titer and correlated with a reduction of corneal inflammatory cellular infiltrates whereas the increase in the cross-sectional area of the peripheral nerves remained 12 months after first manifestation. Our findings suggest that novel techniques provide useful follow-up parameters in paranodopathies

Genome-wide computational analysis reveals cardiomyocyte-specific transcriptional cis-regulatory motifs that enable efficient cardiac gene therapy

Gene therapy is a promising emerging therapeutic modality for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and hereditary diseases that afflict the heart. Hence, there is a need to develop robust cardiac-specific expression modules that allow for stable expression of the gene of interest in cardiomyocytes. We therefore explored a new approach based on a genome-wide bioinformatics strategy that revealed novel cardiac-specific cis-acting regulatory modules (CS-CRMs). These transcriptional modules contained evolutionary-conserved clusters of putative transcription factor binding sites that correspond to a "molecular signature" associated with robust gene expression in the heart. We then validated these CS-CRMs in vivo using an adeno-associated viral vector serotype 9 that drives a reporter gene from a quintessential cardiac-specific a-myosin heavy chain promoter. Most de novo designed CS-CRMs resulted in a > 10-fold increase in cardiac gene - expression. The most robust CRMs enhanced cardiac-specific transcription 70- to 100-fold. Expression was sustained and restricted to cardiomyocytes. We then combined the most potent CS-CRM4 with a synthetic heart and muscle-specific promoter (SPc5-12) and obtained a significant 20-fold increase in cardiac gene expression compared to the cytomegalovirus promoter. This study underscores the potential of rational vector design to improve the robustness of cardiac gene therapy