Microscopic study of the He2-SF6 trimers

The He2-SF6 trimers, in their different He isotopic combinations, are studied both in the framework of the correlated Jastrow approach and of the Correlated Hyperspherical Harmonics expansion method. The energetics and structure of the He-SF6 dimers are analyzed, and the existence of a characteristic rotational band in the excitation spectrum is discussed, as well as the isotopic differences. The binding energies and the spatial properties of the trimers, in their ground and lowest lying excited states, obtained by the Jastrow ansatz are in excellent agreement with the results of the converged CHH expansion. The introduction of the He-He correlation makes all trimers bound by largely suppressing the short range He-He repulsion. The structural properties of the trimers are qualitatively explained in terms of the shape of the interactions, Pauli principle and masses of the constituents.Comment: 17 pages, 5 figures. Submitted to PR

1-O-Octadecyl-2-O-benzyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phospho-GS-441524 (V2043). Evaluation of Oral V2043 in a Mouse Model of SARS-CoV-2 Infection and Synthesis and Antiviral Evaluation of Additional Phospholipid Esters with Enhanced Anti-SARS-CoV-2 Activity

Early antiviral treatments, including intravenous remdesivir (RDV), reduce hospitalization and severe disease caused by COVID-19. An orally bioavailable RDV analog may facilitate earlier treatment of non-hospitalized COVID-19 patients. Here we describe the synthesis and evaluation of alkyl glyceryl ether phosphodiesters of GS-441524 (RVn), lysophospholipid analogs which allow for oral bioavailability and stability in plasma. Oral treatment of SARS-CoV-2-infected BALB/c mice with 1-O-octadecyl-2-O-benzyl-sn-glyceryl-3-phospho-RVn (60 mg/kg orally, once daily for 5 days starting 12h after infection) reduced lung viral load by 1.5 log10 units versus vehicle at day 2 and to below the limit of detection at day 5. Structure/activity evaluation of additional analogs that have hydrophobic ethers at the sn-2 of glycerol revealed improved in vitro antiviral activity by introduction of a 3-fluoro-4-methoxy-substituted benzyl or a 3- or 4-cyano-substituted benzyl. Collectively, our data support the development of RVn phospholipid prodrugs as oral antiviral agents for prevention and treatment of SARS-CoV-2 infections

Dense Stellar Populations: Initial Conditions

This chapter is based on four lectures given at the Cambridge N-body school "Cambody". The material covered includes the IMF, the 6D structure of dense clusters, residual gas expulsion and the initial binary population. It is aimed at those needing to initialise stellar populations for a variety of purposes (N-body experiments, stellar population synthesis).Comment: 85 pages. To appear in The Cambridge N-body Lectures, Sverre Aarseth, Christopher Tout, Rosemary Mardling (eds), Lecture Notes in Physics Series, Springer Verla

Mineral investigations in the Northumberland trough : part 3, Ecclefechan-waterbeck area

Two of the most important criteria for the formation of major SEDEX Irish-style deposits, the presence of syn-depositional faulting in a Lower Dinantian basin and a geothermal system over a zone of high heat flow in the crust, are fulfilled along the northern margin of the Solway-Northumberland basin. Recognition of the broad similarities in the geological and tectonic history of the sedimentary basins of east-central Ireland and northern England/southern Scotland prompted Mineral Reconnaissance Programme (MRP) interest in the Solway-Northumberland basin in the 1970's soon after discovery of the world-class Navan Zn-Pb deposit in Ireland (Andrew, 1993)

Mineral investigations in the Northumberland trough : part 5, The Kirkbean area, south-west Scotland

Exploration for carbonate-hosted base-metal mineralisation on the North Solway coastal belt was undertaken in 1992-93 as part of a broader scale MRP investigation of a 70 km strike length of Lower Carboniferous rocks at the northern margin of the Solway-Northumberland Basin. The project area was selected partly on the basis of its similarities with the tectonosedimentary environment of the Lower Dinantian central Irish basin which hosts several major stratabound lead-zinc deposits, and the presence of geochemical base-metal anomalies coincident with basin margin structures. Two of the most important criteria for the formation of major SEDEX Irish-style deposits, the presence of major syn-depositional basin margin faults and_ a geothermal system over a zone of high heat flow in the crust (Andrew, 1993), are recognised in the north Solway area. The presence of mafic lavas and possible associated mineralising hydrothermal activity are considered to further increase the economic potential of the area