Leptospirosis followed by Kawasaki-like disease: case report from an adult Swiss patient and review of the literature

Kawasaki disease (KD) is a vasculitis that mostly occurs in children, but rare cases in adults have been reported. We describe the case of a 43-year-old Swiss male who developed symptoms compatible with KD 7 weeks after leptospirosis, which was presumably acquired after swimming in a creek in the Swiss Alps. We performed a literature review and identified 10 other cases (all in children), in which Kawasaki-like disease was diagnosed in the context of leptospirosis. Outcome was favourable in most cases, including our patient. This exceptional case demonstrates both the possibility of autochthonous cases of leptospirosis in Switzerland as well as a possible association of leptospirosis with Kawasaki-like disease

Density of mechanisms within the flexibility window of zeolites

By treating idealized zeolite frameworks as periodic mechanical trusses, we show that the number of flexible folding mechanisms in zeolite frameworks is strongly peaked at the minimum density end of their flexibility window. 25 of the 197 known zeolite frameworks exhibit an extensive flexibility, where the number of unique mechanisms increases linearly with the volume when long wavelength mechanisms are included. Extensively flexible frameworks therefore have a maximum in configurational entropy, as large crystals, at their lowest density. Most real zeolites do not exhibit extensive flexibility, suggesting that surface and edge mechanisms are important, likely during the nucleation and growth stage. The prevalence of flexibility in real zeolites suggests that, in addition to low framework energy, it is an important criterion when searching large databases of hypothetical zeolites for potentially useful realizable structures.Comment: 11 pages, 3 figure

Location of Ge and extra-framework species in the zeolite ITQ-24

The germanosilicate ITQ-24 (IWR framework type) was synthesized in fluoride medium using 1,3,5-tris(1,2-dimethylimidazolium) benzene as the structure directing agent (SDA). A structure analysis of the as-synthesized ITQ-24 material using synchrotron powder diffraction data and difference electron density calculations have allowed the fluoride ions and the germanium atoms to be located and the conformation of the SDA to be determined. The benzyl ring is perpendicular to the b axis with the three imidazolium moieties forming a “T-shaped” arrangement. Ge atoms replace some of the Si in the double-4-ring (d4r) and in one of the single-4-rings (s4r). The other s4r contains only Si. Fluoride ions are in the d4r units. Initially, the space group Cmmm (highest possible symmetry) was assumed, but the framework geometry was strained. An independent evaluation of the symmetry using the powder charge flipping algorithm in Superflip led to a successful refinement with reasonable geometry and a refined composition of |[(C_6H_3)(C_7H_(10)N_2)_3]_2F_2|[Si_(40.2)Ge_(15.8)O_(112)] in the space group Pban

Shape-selective diffusion of olefins in 8-ring solid acid microporous zeolites

[EN] The diffusion of olefins through 8-ring solid acid microporous zeolites is investigated using molecular dynamics simulations techniques and using a newly developed flexible force field. Within the context of the methanol-to-olefin (MTO) process and the observed product distribution, knowledge of the diffusion paths is essential to obtain molecular level control over the process conditions. Eight-ring zeotype materials are favorably used for the MTO process as they give a selective product distribution toward low-carbon olefins. To investigate how composition, acidity, and flexibility influence the diffusion paths of ethene and propene, a series of isostructural aluminosilicates (zeolites) and silicoaluminophosphates (AlPOs and SAPOs) are investigated with and without randomly distributed acidic sites. Distinct variations in diffusion of ethene are observed in terms of temperature, composition, acidity, and topology (AEI, CHA, AFX). In general, diffusion of ethene is an activated process for which free energy barriers for individual rings may be determined. We observe ring-dependent diffusion behavior which cannot be described solely in terms of the composition and topology of the rings. A new descriptor had to be introduced, namely, the accessible window area (AWA), inspired by implicit solvation models of proteins and small molecules. The AWA may be determined throughout the molecular dynamics trajectories and correlates well with the number of ring crossings at the molecular level and the free energy barriers for ring crossings from one cage to the other. The overall observed diffusivity is determined by molecular characteristics of individual rings for which AWA is a proper descriptor. Temperature-induced changes in framework dynamics and diffusivity may be captured by following the new descriptor throughout the simulations.The computational resources and services used were provided by Ghent University (Stevin Supercomputer Infrastructure). Funding was received from the Research Board of Ghent University (BOF), the Foundation of Scientific Research-Flanders (FWO), and BEL-SPO in the frame of IAP/7/05. V.V.S acknowledges funding from the European Research Council under the European Community's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7(2007-2013) ERC Grant Agreement 240483), and from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (Consolidator ERC Grant Agreement 647755 - DYNPOR (2015-2020)). G.S. thanks the Spanish government for the provision of Severo Ochoa project (SEV 2012-0267) and SGAI-CSIC for computing time.Ghysels, A.; Moors, S.; Hemelsoet, K.; De Wispelaere, K.; Waroquier, M.; Sastre Navarro, GI.; Van Speybroeck, V. (2015). Shape-selective diffusion of olefins in 8-ring solid acid microporous zeolites. Journal of Physical Chemistry C. 119(41):23721-23734. https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.jpcc.5b06010S23721237341194

Formation of Hot Ice Caused by Carbon Nanobrushes

Confinement in nanoscaled porous materials changes properties of water significantly. We perform molecular dynamics simulations of water in a model of a nanobrush made of carbon nanotubes. Water crystallizes into a novel structure called dtc in the nanobrush when (6,6) nanotubes are located in a triangular arrangement, and there is a space that can accommodate two layers of water molecules between the tubes. The mechanism of the solidification is analogous to formation of gas hydrates: hydrophobic molecules promote crystallization when their arrangement matches ordered structures of water. This is supported by a statistical mechanical calculation, which bears resemblance to the theory on the clathrate hydrate stability

Rapid adaptation drives invasion of airway donor microbiota by Pseudomonas after lung transplantation.

In cystic fibrosis (CF) patients, chronic airway infection by Pseudomonas leads to progressive lung destruction ultimately requiring lung transplantation (LT). Following LT, CF-adapted Pseudomonas strains, potentially originating from the sinuses, may seed the allograft leading to infections and reduced allograft survival. We investigated whether CF-adapted Pseudomonas populations invade the donor microbiota and adapt to the non-CF allograft. We collected sequential Pseudomonas isolates and airway samples from a CF-lung transplant recipient during two years, and followed the dynamics of the microbiota and Pseudomonas populations. We show that Pseudomonas invaded the host microbiota within three days post-LT, in association with a reduction in richness and diversity. A dominant mucoid and hypermutator mutL lineage was replaced after 11 days by non-mucoid strains. Despite antibiotic therapy, Pseudomonas dominated the allograft microbiota until day 95. We observed positive selection of pre-LT variants and the appearance of novel mutations. Phenotypic adaptation resulted in increased biofilm formation and swimming motility capacities. Pseudomonas was replaced after 95 days by a microbiota dominated by Actinobacillus. In conclusion, mucoid Pseudomonas adapted to the CF-lung remained able to invade the allograft. Selection of both pre-existing non-mucoid subpopulations and of novel phenotypic traits suggests rapid adaptation of Pseudomonas to the non-CF allograft

Synthesis and structure of polymorph B of zeolite Beta

[EN] It was found that either polymorph B or polymorph C of zeolite beta can be obtained from the same structure directing agent: 4,4-dimethyl-4-azonia-tricyclo[5.2.2.0(2,6)] undec-8-ene hydroxide. The synthesis occurs through a consecutive process where polymorph B is first formed and then transformed into polymorph C. It is possible to produce a zeolite highly enriched in polymorph B, provided that the transformation of this phase into polymorph C is slowed down up to the point where polymorph C is only detected at trace levels. The structure of polymorph B was determined for the first time by electron crystallography with SAED and HRTEM from areas of unfaulted polymorph B crystals.Financial support from the Spanish Government (Project MAT2006-14274-C02–01) and the EU Commission (TOPCOMBI Project) is gratefully acknowledged. M.M. thanks CSIC for an I3P grant. J.S. is supported by a postdoctoral grant from the Carl Trygger Foundation. The Berzelii Centre EXSELENT is supported by the Swedish Research Council (VR) and the Swedish Governmental Agency for Innovation Systems (VINNOVA).Corma Canós, A.; Moliner Marin, M.; Cantin Sanz, A.; Díaz Cabañas, MJ.; Jorda Moret, JL.; Zhang, D.; Sun, J.... (2008). Synthesis and structure of polymorph B of zeolite Beta. Chemistry of Materials. 20(9):3218-3223. doi:10.1021/cm8002244S3218322320

Sub-nanomolar detection of Cesium with water-gated transistor

Caesium (Cs + ) cations are rare in nature but the β - active radioisotope 137 Cs can be released in nuclear incidents and find its way into the water supply, where it is harmful to humans and animals drinking it. We here report a water-gated thin film transistor (WGTFT) which allows the detection of Cs + in drinking water at very low concentrations. The transistor channel is formed from spray pyrolysed tin dioxide, SnO 2 which gives WGTFTs with near- zero initial threshold. When the WGTFT is sensitised with a plasticised PVC membrane containing the Cs + - selective zeolite ‘mordenite’, it displays a threshold shift when exposed to drinking water samples carrying traces of Cs + . The response characteristic is given by the Langmuir adsorption isotherm instead of the NikolskyEisenman law commonly found for ion- sensitive WGTFTs sensitised with organic ionophores. We find a complex stability constant K = (3.9 +/- 0.4) x 10 9 L / mole and a limit-of detection (LoD) of 33 pM. Our LoD is far lower than the Cs + potability limit of 7.5 nM, which cannot be met by organicsensitised membranes where LoD is typically in the order of 100 nM or more

Does the Constitution Provide More Ballot Access Protection for Presidential Elections Than for U.S. House Elections?

Both the U.S. Constitution and The Federalist Papers suggest that voters ought to have more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice for the U.S. House of Representatives than they do for the President or the U.S. Senate. Yet, strangely, for the last thirty-three years, the U.S. Supreme Court and lower courts have ruled that the Constitution gives voters more freedom to vote for the candidate of their choice in presidential elections than in congressional elections. Also, state legislatures, which have been writing ballot access laws since 1888, have passed laws that make it easier for minor-party and independent candidates to get on the ballot for President than for the U.S. House. As a result, voters in virtually every state invariably have far more choices on their general election ballots for the President than they do for the House. This Article argues that the right of a voter to vote for someone other than a Democrat or a Republican for the House is just as important as a voter’s right to do so for President, and that courts should grant more ballot access protection to minor-party and independent candidates for the House