The James Clerk Maxwell telescope Legacy Survey of the Gould Belt: a molecular line study of the Ophiuchus molecular cloud

CO, 13CO, and C18O J = 3-2 observations are presented of the Ophiuchus molecular cloud. The 13CO and C18O emission is dominated by the Oph A clump, and the Oph B1, B2, C, E, F, and J regions. The optically thin(ner) C18O line is used as a column density tracer, from which the gravitational binding energy is estimated to be 4.5 × 1039 J (2282 M⊙ km2 s-2). The turbulent kinetic energy is 6.3 × 1038 J (320 M⊙ km2 s-2), or seven times less than this, and therefore the Oph cloud as a whole is gravitationally bound. 30 protostars were searched for high-velocity gas, with 8 showing outflows, and 20 more having evidence of high-velocity gas along their lines of sight. The total outflow kinetic energy is 1.3 × 1038 J (67 M⊙ km2 s-2), corresponding to 21 per cent of the cloud's turbulent kinetic energy. Although turbulent injection by outflows is significant, but does not appear to be the dominant source of turbulence in the cloud. 105 dense molecular clumplets were identified, which had radii ˜0.01-0.05 pc, virial masses ˜0.1-12 M⊙, luminosities ˜0.001-0.1 K km s-1 pc-2, and excitation temperatures ˜10-50 K. These are consistent with the standard Giant Molecular Cloud (GMC) based size-linewidth relationships, showing that the scaling laws extend down to size scales of hundredths of a parsec, and to subsolar-mass condensations. There is however no compelling evidence that the majority of clumplets are undergoing free-fall collapse, nor that they are pressure confined

Grey wolf genomic history reveals a dual ancestry of dogs

The grey wolf (Canis lupus) was the first species to give rise to a domestic population, and they remained widespread throughout the last Ice Age when many other large mammal species went extinct. Little is known, however, about the history and possible extinction of past wolf populations or when and where the wolf progenitors of the present-day dog lineage (Canisfamiliaris) lived(1-8). Here we analysed 72 ancient wolf genomes spanning the last 100,000 years from Europe, Siberia and North America. We found that wolf populations were highly connected throughout the Late Pleistocene, with levels of differentiation an order of magnitude lower than they are today. This population connectivity allowed us to detect natural selection across the time series, including rapid fixation of mutations in the gene IFT8840,000-30,000 years ago. We show that dogs are overall more closely related to ancient wolves from eastern Eurasia than to those from western Eurasia, suggesting a domestication process in the east. However, we also found that dogs in the Near East and Africa derive up to half of their ancestry from a distinct population related to modern southwest Eurasian wolves, reflecting either an independent domestication process or admixture from local wolves. None of the analysed ancient wolf genomes is a direct match for either of these dog ancestries, meaning that the exact progenitor populations remain to be located.Peer reviewe

Common genetic variants in the CLDN2 and PRSS1-PRSS2 loci alter risk for alcohol-related and sporadic pancreatitis

Pancreatitis is a complex, progressively destructive inflammatory disorder. Alcohol was long thought to be the primary causative agent, but genetic contributions have been of interest since the discovery that rare PRSS1, CFTR, and SPINK1 variants were associated with pancreatitis risk. We now report two significant genome-wide associations identified and replicated at PRSS1-PRSS2 (1×10-12) and x-linked CLDN2 (p < 1×10-21) through a two-stage genome-wide study (Stage 1, 676 cases and 4507 controls; Stage 2, 910 cases and 4170 controls). The PRSS1 variant affects susceptibility by altering expression of the primary trypsinogen gene. The CLDN2 risk allele is associated with atypical localization of claudin-2 in pancreatic acinar cells. The homozygous (or hemizygous male) CLDN2 genotype confers the greatest risk, and its alleles interact with alcohol consumption to amplify risk. These results could partially explain the high frequency of alcohol-related pancreatitis in men – male hemizygous frequency is 0.26, female homozygote is 0.07

Mortality and pulmonary complications in patients undergoing surgery with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection: an international cohort study

Background: The impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on postoperative recovery needs to be understood to inform clinical decision making during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. This study reports 30-day mortality and pulmonary complication rates in patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: This international, multicentre, cohort study at 235 hospitals in 24 countries included all patients undergoing surgery who had SARS-CoV-2 infection confirmed within 7 days before or 30 days after surgery. The primary outcome measure was 30-day postoperative mortality and was assessed in all enrolled patients. The main secondary outcome measure was pulmonary complications, defined as pneumonia, acute respiratory distress syndrome, or unexpected postoperative ventilation. Findings: This analysis includes 1128 patients who had surgery between Jan 1 and March 31, 2020, of whom 835 (74·0%) had emergency surgery and 280 (24·8%) had elective surgery. SARS-CoV-2 infection was confirmed preoperatively in 294 (26·1%) patients. 30-day mortality was 23·8% (268 of 1128). Pulmonary complications occurred in 577 (51·2%) of 1128 patients; 30-day mortality in these patients was 38·0% (219 of 577), accounting for 81·7% (219 of 268) of all deaths. In adjusted analyses, 30-day mortality was associated with male sex (odds ratio 1·75 [95% CI 1·28–2·40], p\textless0·0001), age 70 years or older versus younger than 70 years (2·30 [1·65–3·22], p\textless0·0001), American Society of Anesthesiologists grades 3–5 versus grades 1–2 (2·35 [1·57–3·53], p\textless0·0001), malignant versus benign or obstetric diagnosis (1·55 [1·01–2·39], p=0·046), emergency versus elective surgery (1·67 [1·06–2·63], p=0·026), and major versus minor surgery (1·52 [1·01–2·31], p=0·047). Interpretation: Postoperative pulmonary complications occur in half of patients with perioperative SARS-CoV-2 infection and are associated with high mortality. Thresholds for surgery during the COVID-19 pandemic should be higher than during normal practice, particularly in men aged 70 years and older. Consideration should be given for postponing non-urgent procedures and promoting non-operative treatment to delay or avoid the need for surgery. Funding: National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Association of Coloproctology of Great Britain and Ireland, Bowel and Cancer Research, Bowel Disease Research Foundation, Association of Upper Gastrointestinal Surgeons, British Association of Surgical Oncology, British Gynaecological Cancer Society, European Society of Coloproctology, NIHR Academy, Sarcoma UK, Vascular Society for Great Britain and Ireland, and Yorkshire Cancer Research

Association of whole-genome and NETRIN1 signaling pathway-derived polygenic risk scores for Major Depressive Disorder and white matter microstructure in UK Biobank

Background: Major depressive disorder is a clinically heterogeneous psychiatric disorder with a polygenic architecture. Genome-wide association studies have identified a number of risk-associated variants across the genome and have reported growing evidence of NETRIN1 pathway involvement. Stratifying disease risk by genetic variation within the NETRIN1 pathway may provide important routes for identification of disease mechanisms by focusing on a specific process, excluding heterogeneous risk-associated variation in other pathways. Here, we sought to investigate whether major depressive disorder polygenic risk scores derived from the NETRIN1 signaling pathway (NETRIN1-PRSs) and the whole genome, excluding NETRIN1 pathway genes (genomic-PRSs), were associated with white matter microstructure. Methods: We used two diffusion tensor imaging measures, fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD), in the most up-to-date UK Biobank neuroimaging data release (FA: n = 6401; MD: n = 6390). Results: We found significantly lower FA in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (β = −.035, p =.029) and significantly higher MD in a global measure of thalamic radiations (β =.029, p =.021), as well as higher MD in the superior (β =.034, p =.039) and inferior (β =.029, p =.043) longitudinal fasciculus and in the anterior (β =.025, p =.046) and superior (β =.027, p =.043) thalamic radiation associated with NETRIN1-PRS. Genomic-PRS was also associated with lower FA and higher MD in several tracts. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that variation in the NETRIN1 signaling pathway may confer risk for major depressive disorder through effects on a number of white matter tracts

Data publication: Discovery, nuclear properties, synthesis and applications of technetium-101

This article is a review paper, it is not based in experimental dat

Probing the Presence of Multiple Metal–Metal Bonds in Technetium Chlorides by X‑ray Absorption Spectroscopy: Implications for Synthetic Chemistry

The cesium salts of [Tc₂X₈]^3– (X = Cl, Br), the reduction product of (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)­[TcOCl₄] with (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)­BH₄ in THF, and the product obtained from reaction of Tc₂(O₂CCH₃)₄Cl₂ with HCl­(g) at 300 °C have been characterized by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. For the [Tc₂X₈]^3– anions, the Tc–Tc separations found by EXAFS spectroscopy (2.12(2) Å for both X = Cl and Br) are in excellent agreement with those found by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) measurements (2.117[4] Å for X = Cl and 2.1265(1) Å for X = Br). The Tc–Tc separation found by EXAFS in these anions is slightly shorter than those found in the [Tc₂X₈]^2– anions (2.16(2) Å for X = Cl and Br). Spectroscopic and SCXRD characterization of the reduction product of (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)­[TcOCl₄] with (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)­BH₄ are consistent with the presence of dinuclear species that are related to the [Tc₂Cl₈]^<i>n</i>− (<i>n</i> = 2, 3) anions. From these results, a new preparation of (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)₂[Tc₂Cl₈] was developed. Finally, EXAFS characterization of the product obtained from reaction of Tc₂(O₂CCH₃)₄Cl₂ with HCl­(g) at 300 °C indicates the presence of amorphous α-TcCl₃. The Tc–Tc separation (i.e., 2.46(2) Å) measured in this compound is consistent with the presence of TcTc double bonds in the [Tc₃]⁹⁺ core

Probing the Presence of Multiple Metal–Metal Bonds in Technetium Chlorides by X‑ray Absorption Spectroscopy: Implications for Synthetic Chemistry

The cesium salts of [Tc₂X₈]^3– (X = Cl, Br), the reduction product of (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)­[TcOCl₄] with (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)­BH₄ in THF, and the product obtained from reaction of Tc₂(O₂CCH₃)₄Cl₂ with HCl­(g) at 300 °C have been characterized by extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) spectroscopy. For the [Tc₂X₈]^3– anions, the Tc–Tc separations found by EXAFS spectroscopy (2.12(2) Å for both X = Cl and Br) are in excellent agreement with those found by single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SCXRD) measurements (2.117[4] Å for X = Cl and 2.1265(1) Å for X = Br). The Tc–Tc separation found by EXAFS in these anions is slightly shorter than those found in the [Tc₂X₈]^2– anions (2.16(2) Å for X = Cl and Br). Spectroscopic and SCXRD characterization of the reduction product of (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)­[TcOCl₄] with (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)­BH₄ are consistent with the presence of dinuclear species that are related to the [Tc₂Cl₈]^<i>n</i>− (<i>n</i> = 2, 3) anions. From these results, a new preparation of (<i>n</i>-Bu₄N)₂[Tc₂Cl₈] was developed. Finally, EXAFS characterization of the product obtained from reaction of Tc₂(O₂CCH₃)₄Cl₂ with HCl­(g) at 300 °C indicates the presence of amorphous α-TcCl₃. The Tc–Tc separation (i.e., 2.46(2) Å) measured in this compound is consistent with the presence of TcTc double bonds in the [Tc₃]⁹⁺ core