Tetra­kis(N,N-diethyl­carbamato)titanium(IV)

The mononuclear title compound, [Ti(C5H10NO2)4], is a rare example of an eight-coordinate TiIV compound in which all donor atoms are O atoms. The coordination geometry around TiIV is pseudo-dodeca­hedral and the O—C—O angles of the carbamate ligands are slightly compressed [range 115.3 (2)–116.7 (2)°], apparently on account of the high coordination number. One ethyl group is disordered over two positions; the site occupancy factors are 0.64 and 0.36

Effects of mu- and kappa-2 opioid receptor agonists on pain and rearing behaviors

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Management of pain involves a balance between inhibition of pain and minimization of side effects; therefore, in developing new analgesic compounds, one must consider the effects of treatment on both pain processing and behavior. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of the mu and kappa-2 opioid receptor agonists on general and pain behavioral outcomes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>As a general behavioral assessment, we modified the cylinder rearing assay and recorded the number and duration of rearing events. Thermal sensitivity was evaluated using either a reflexive measure of hindpaw withdrawal latency to a radiant heat source or using an orofacial operant thermal assay. Acetic acid-induced visceral pain and capsaicin-induced neurogenic inflammatory pain were used as painful stimuli. The mu-opioid receptor agonist, morphine or the kappa-2 receptor agonist GR89696 was administered 30 min prior to testing. A general linear model repeated measures analysis was completed for baseline session comparisons and an analysis of variance was used to evaluate the effects of treatment on each outcome measure (SPSS Inc). When significant differences were found, post-hoc comparisons were made using the Tukey honestly significant difference test. *P < 0.05 was considered significant in all instances.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that morphine and GR89,696 dose-dependently decreased the number of reaching events and rearing duration. Rearing behavior was not affected at 0.5 mg/kg for morphine, 1.25 × 10^-4mg/kg for GR89,696. Hindpaw thermal sensitivity was significantly increased only at the highest doses for each drug. At the highest dose that did not significantly influence rearing behavior, we found that visceral and neurogenic inflammatory pain was not affected following GR89,696 administration and morphine was only partially effective for blocking visceral pain.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>This study demonstrated that high levels of the opioids produced significant untoward effects and made distinguishing an analgesic versus a more general effect more difficult. Quantification of rearing behavior in conjunction with standard analgesic assays can help in gaining a better appreciation of true analgesic efficacy of experimental drugs.</p

High-energy X-ray diffraction studies of i-Sc12Zn88

Although quasicrystals form in a wide variety of ternary and quaternary metallic alloys, examples of stable binary icosahedral quasicrystals are quite rare. Indeed, it has been a decade since the discovery of icosahedral phases in Yb–Cd and Ca–Cd. We have discovered millimeter-sized facetted grains of i-Sc12Zn88 with icosahedral (pentagonal dodecahedral and rhombic triacontahedral) morphologies in solution-grown samples. Structural characterization of the bulk icosahedral phase was accomplished through single-grain high-energy X-ray diffraction. For both growth morphologies, all diffraction peaks could be indexed by a primitive (P-type) icosahedral phase. The two types of morphology do, however, present interesting differences in their respective degrees of quasicrystalline order

Texas STATEMAP Program Summary, FY19 (2019–2020)

Five geologic maps have been completed at a 1:24,000 scale in four project areas with support from STATEMAP and the Bureau of Economic Geology's State of Texas Advanced Resource Recovery program (STARR). Three of these maps were on the Texas Coastal Plain, including one (the Lake Stephenson quadrangle) on the upper Texas Coastal Plain in the Galveston Bay area and two (the Bloomington and Olivia quadrangles) on the middle Texas Coastal Plain in the Matagorda Bay area. These maps continue efforts to: 1. Better understand the evolution of the coastal plain in response to sea-level changes associated with numerous Quaternary glacial and interglacial cycles. 2. Develop more effective methods to map low-relief coastal deposits using high-resolution topographic maps produced from airborne lidar data and near-surface geophysical methods. High-resolution topography and geophysical methods both aid in the identification of stratal units and their distribution in areas where exposures are poor or nonexistent. Mineral-resource mapping produced one map (the Katemcy quadrangle) to extend recent mapping of an industrial sand resource area in central Texas. This map facilitates the development of mineral resources of the state, emphasizing those that will help meet the demand for industrial sand for hydraulic fracturing and construction. The detailed map can be used to evaluate and explore the mineral-resource potential of the area. Mapping in the central Texas urban growth corridor northeast of Austin produced one map (the Taylor quadrangle) that extends previous mapping in this critical urban growth and transportation corridor. This map addresses the ongoing need for planning and managing groundwater, surface water, land use, and construction projects where rapid population growth and suburban development have caused an increased demand for water and earth resources.Bureau of Economic Geolog

Di-μ-chlorido-bis­[dichlorido(N,N-diethyl­acetamidinato)(N,N-diethyl­acetamidine)titanium(IV)] acetonitrile disolvate

In the centrosymmetric title compound [Ti2Cl6(C6H13N2)2(C6H14N2)2]·2C2H3N, an inversion center relates the two Ti atoms which display a distorted octa­hedral coordination geometry. There are two uncoordinated acetonitrile solvent mol­ecules per mol­ecule of title compound in the crystal structure

Discovery of a binary icosahedral quasicrystal in Sc12_12Zn88_88

We report the discovery of a new binary icosahedral phase in a Sc-Zn alloy obtained through solution-growth, producing millimeter-sized, facetted, single grain, quasicrystals that exhibit different growth morphologies, pentagonal dodecahedra and rhombic triacontahedra, under only marginally different growth conditions. These two morphologies manifest different degrees of quasicrystalline order, or phason strain. The discovery of i-Sc$_12$Zn$_88$ suggests that a reexamination of binary phase diagrams at compositions close to crystalline approximant structures may reveal other, new binary quasicrystalline phases.Comment: Incorrect spelling in author list resolve

Clinical pharmacogenetics implementation consortium guidelines for CYP2C9 and HLA-B genotypes and phenytoin dosing.

Phenytoin is a widely used antiepileptic drug with a narrow therapeutic index and large interpatient variability, partly due to genetic variations in the gene encoding cytochrome P450 (CYP)2C9 (CYP2C9). Furthermore, the variant allele HLA-B*15:02, encoding human leukocyte antigen, is associated with an increased risk of Stevens-Johnson syndrome and toxic epidermal necrolysis in response to phenytoin treatment. We summarize evidence from the published literature supporting these associations and provide recommendations for the use of phenytoin based on CYP2C9 and/or HLA-B genotype (also available on PharmGKB: http://www.pharmgkb.org). The purpose of this guideline is to provide information for the interpretation of HLA-B and/or CYP2C9 genotype tests so that the results can guide dosing and/or use of phenytoin. Detailed guidelines for the use of phenytoin as well as analyses of cost-effectiveness are out of scope. Clinical Pharmacogenetics Implementation Consortium (CPIC) guidelines are periodically updated at http://www.pharmgkb.org

Characterization of mouse orofacial pain and the effects of lesioning TRPV1-expressing neurons on operant behavior

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Rodent models of orofacial pain typically use methods adapted from manipulations to hind paw; however, limitations of these models include animal restraint and subjective assessments of behavior by the experimenter. In contrast to these methods, assessment of operant responses to painful stimuli has been shown to overcome these limitations and expand the breadth of interpretation of the behavioral responses. In the current study, we used an operant model based on a reward-conflict paradigm to assess nociceptive responses in three strains of mice (SKH1-Hr^hr, C57BL/6J, TRPV1 knockout). We previously validated this operant model in rats and hypothesized in this study that wild-type mice would demonstrate a similar thermal stimulus-dependent response and similar operant pain behaviors. Additionally, we evaluated the effects on operant behaviors of mice manipulated genetically (e.g., TRPV1 k.o.) or pharmacologically with resiniferatoxin (RTX), a lesioning agent for TRPV1-expressing neurons. During the reward-conflict task, mice accessed a sweetened milk reward solution by voluntarily position their face against a neutral or heated thermode (37–55°C).</p> <p>Results</p> <p>As the temperature of the thermal stimulus became noxiously hot, reward licking events in SKH1-Hr^hrand C57BL/6J mice declined while licking events in TRPV1 k.o. mice were insensitive to noxious heat within the activation range of TRPV1 (37–52°C). All three strains displayed nocifensive behaviors at 55°C, as indicated by a significant decrease in reward licking events. Induction of neurogenic inflammation by topical application of capsaicin reduced licking events in SKH1-Hr^hrmice, and morphine rescued this response. Again, these results parallel what we previously documented using rats in this operant system. Following intracisternal treatment with RTX, C57BL/6J mice demonstrated a block of noxious heat at both 48 and 55°C. RTX-treated TRPV1 k.o. mice and all vehicle-treated mice displayed similar reward licking events as compared to the pre-treatment baseline levels. Both TRPV1 k.o. and RTX-treated C57BL/6J had complete abolishment of eye-wipe responses following corneal application of capsaicin.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Taken together, these results indicate the benefits of using the operant test system to investigate pain sensitivity in mice. This ability provides an essential step in the development of new treatments for patients suffering from orofacial pain disorders.</p