President Biden called his predecessor — now, successor — a threat to democracy. Today he'll sit side by side with President-elect Trump as part of the ceremony around a smooth transfer of power.

A pair of ruby slippers worn by Judy Garland in “The Wizard of Oz” is on the auction block nearly two decades after a thief stole the iconic shoes, convinced they were adorned with real jewels.

Molson Coors says move will consolidate operations at company’s main Milwaukee Brewery in early 2025.

Fulani herdsmen killed six Christians on Friday and Saturday in Benue state, Nigeria, after slaughtering 15 Christians in a nearby village two days earlier, sources said.

Tongues-talking movie-mogul Tyler Perry, whose Christian values have been criticized by fans over the years, has come under scrutiny again after he was caught on video raining fake money on a stripper at R&B singer Usher’s Past Present Future Tour in Atlanta, Georgia, on Sunday.

The specter of drought is often raised in these early days of summer. And for good reason, though water levels have returned to normal around the New Hampshire, state officials are still warning residents to remain cautious after last summer drought. And while we often fret about the health of our lawns and our gardens, Dave (from the Forest Society) wanted to address drought resistance among his favorite species, trees. So, we all know that trees need water to survive. Basically the many leaves on a given tree have these pore-like holes called stomates that leak moisture into the surrounding air. As that vapor exits the tree through the leaves it draws more water up through the trunk and branches, like through a bundle of straws. Harnessing the power of the sun, trees break apart that water into its constituent hydrogen and oxygen molecules; forming glucose with the hydrogen and exhaling the oxygen into the atmosphere. The glucose is what fuels growth in the tree, from buds to bark to

Krista Tippett is probably best known as the host & creator of the public radio program On Being. But she's also the author of three books that pull from her decades of interviews with a broad variety of thinkers and seekers, exploring the intersections between spirituality, science, and living. The most recent is called Becoming Wise: An Inquiry into the Mystery & Art of Living. We spoke to her backstage at The Music Hall in Portsmouth, NH before a Writers on a New England Stage event. Music: Podington Bear - "Daydreamer" Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Upper Arlington native and Olympic diver Abby Johnston is aiming for gold in the Rio Olympics. When she’s not diving or studying medicine, she’s probably eating fast food and lounging with her fiancé .

An expanded meeting of the Board of the Ministry of Defenсe was held in Moscow on December 21. During the meeting, Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu delivered a keynote speech. President Vladimir Putin also spoke at the meeting. Below are key remarks that Shoigu and Putin made about the army, the special operation and priority tasks for 2023. Russian President Vladimir Putin: Of course, the hostilities and military operations are always associated with tragedy and loss of lives. We understand this very well, we are aware of this. But since this [conflict] is inevitable, better today than tomorrow. I think that everyone present in this auditorium perfectly understands what I am talking about. I still consider the Ukrainian people our brotherly nation. What is happening now is a tragedy, but it does not come as a result of our policy. We need to study NATO's experience and tactics in order to include that in the troops training programme and equipping the army. NATO weapons must be analyzed and used to build the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation. Russia will continue to develop the nuclear triad. This is the main guarantee of maintaining the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the country. As many as 150,000 of the 300,000 mobilised are now undergoing training at training grounds. The other half is in the zone of hostilities. This is enough for the special operation. The past mobilisation has revealed certain problems. To eliminate them, we need to modernise the system of military commissariats. The hostilities have identified issues that need to be worked on, including communication issues. The Ministry of Defence should be attentive to criticism. The ministry should respond to it in a timely manner. Everything a fighter needs must be modern and reliable. Officers and sergeants who have gained experience in the special operation should be assigned to new positions as a matter of priority. It is necessary to develop and use drones in the army — they must be everywhere. We need to expand the arsenal of modern attack weapons. Sarmat intercontinental missiles will be put on combat duty in the near future. The Admiral Gorshkov frigate with state-of-the-art Zirkon hypersonic missile systems will enter combat service in early 2023. We need to saturate the troops with everything necessary — from modern first-aid kits to sights. Everything is important on the battlefield. There are no restrictions to finance the Russian Armed Forces. The country gives the army everything they ask for. We've got everything. We look forward to constructive and meaningful negotiations with a visible end result that would ensure equal security for all, within a certain timeframe. We will not engage in the militarization of the country and economy. Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu:

Robert Fico became the first NATO leader to have given an interview to Russian media after the start of the special military operation and he made some very bold statements in it. The West fails to bring Russia to its knees Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico gave an interview to Russian journalist Olga Skabeeva on the state-run Rossiya-1 TV channel. He started his interview with a Slovak proverb that says that "no one on their knees can be considered defeated — perhaps they are just tying their shoelaces."

Russia's first musical marking appeared on a section of the M-11 Neva Highway (connects Moscow and St. Petersburg). When driving along the 653rd kilometer of the highway at the permitted speed, motorists can hear a fragment of the world-famous Kalinka Malinka song. Musical markings will prevent drivers from falling asleep at the wheel. They will encourage them to concentrate on the road when approaching an accident-prone section, for instance. The musical markings will serve an important purpose to reduce the number of car accidents. Such markings have not been used on Russian roads before, the press service of Avtodor (Russian Highways) said.

Designated Doctor Case-Based Webinar Series: Module 3 - Upper Extremity MMI and IR

Nornickel's plans to move copper plant production to China have raised questions both in the government and among experts. In April, Nornickel (Norilsk Nickel) announced plans to "create a joint venture with international partners and transfer part of the copper plant's capacities from Norilsk to China." The copper plant will continue to operate "modern copper concentrate preparation facilities and industrial 3D printers." "We are transferring our environmental problems, settlement problems, problems of market access and customization of our goods for the consumer market to where they can be solved most effectively — to China," Vladimir Potanin, co-owner of PJSC MMC Norilsk Nickel said in an interview with Interfax.

Nearly two-thirds of shoppers step into a store without a specific purchase in mind, looking to be inspired by retailers who can craft the ideal ambience through digital screens and interactive kiosks. 

The Ukrainian army will be able to hold out until the beginning of autumn at most. Most likely, though, everything will collapse in June-July, observers believe. France Presse wrote that Zelensky's office repeatedly used Western weapons to strike the Russian Federation. For the last time, Kyiv struck targets in the Krasnodar Territory (Southern Russia). The US has gauthorised Kyiv to use US-made weapons to strike deep into Russia too. Is further escalation with the West coming? "The real strategy of the West is logical and consistent. They understand it in the West very well that they will have to switch to strategic defense, because there are not enough troops and losses have been growing catastrophically. The Ukrainian army lacks weapons and military equipment. Therefore, they want the Armed Forces of Ukraine to hold out, and this is only possible by switching to strategic defense. In other words, they want Ukrainian to maintain relative stability at least for several months,” Director of the Center for Military-Political Studies of MGIMO Alexey Podberezkin told Ukraina.ru publication.

Virginia Tech communication professor Megan Duncan discusses why United States presidential candidates Donald Trump and Kamala Harris focused on podcasts in their voter outreach, and what benefits such media bring.

[Science] :
A "supermoon" will occur Thursday night for the first time in 14 months, making the full moon appear brighter and larger than usual. According to the National Gwacheon Science Museum on Monday, it will be the first supermoon since August 31, 2023, rising over Seoul at 5:38 p.m. Thursday and setting at ...

[more...]

Hot peppers are tasty and nutritious fruits (not vegetables!) that create a spicy sensation on your tastebuds. They have been a staple of spicy foods for thousands of years, but in the last half-century, scientists have developed advanced cross-breeding techniques to craft the hottest pepper in the world — hotter than nature would concoct on its own.

Explore Aquarius Season's unique energy, from innovation to social connection. Learn how this zodiac period influences creativity, relationships, and self-expression.

The use of acetic acid (HOAc) in a reaction between CuCl2·2H2O and secnid­azole, an active pharmaceutical ingredient useful in the treatment against a variety of anaerobic Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, affords the title complex, [CuCl2(C7H11N3O3)2]. This compound was previously synthesized using ethanol as solvent, although its crystal structure was not reported [Betanzos-Lara et al. (2013). Inorg. Chim. Acta, 397, 94–100]. In the mol­ecular complex, the Cu2+ cation is situated at an inversion centre and displays a square-planar coordination environment. There is a hydrogen-bonded framework based on inter­molecular O—H⋯Cl inter­actions, characterized by H⋯Cl separations of 2.28 (4) Å and O—H⋯Cl angles of 175 (3)°. The resulting supra­molecular network is based on R22(18) ring motifs, forming chains in the [010] direction.

The title complex, [Cu(C8H18NO5)Cl] or [Cu(H4bis-tris­)Cl], was obtained starting from the previously reported [Cu(H5bis-tris­)Cl]Cl compound. The deprotonation of the amino­polyol ligand H5bis-tris {[bis­(2-hy­droxy­eth­yl)amino]­tris­(hy­droxy­meth­yl)methane, C8H19NO5} promotes the formation of a very strong O—H⋯O inter­molecular hydrogen bond, characterized by an H⋯O separation of 1.553 (19) Å and an O—H⋯O angle of 178 (4)°. The remaining hy­droxy groups are also engaged in hydrogen bonds, forming R22(8), R44(16), R44(20) and R44(22) ring motifs, which stabilize the triperiodic supra­molecular network.

The title structure, {[Cu(C4H11NO)3][Cu4(CN)6]·[Cu(C4H10NO)2(H2O)]·H2O}n, is made up of diperiodic honeycomb CuICN networks built from [Cu4(CN)6]2− units, together with two independent CuII complexes: six-coord­inate [Cu(CH3CH2CH(NH2)CH2OH)3]2+ cations, and five-coordinate [Cu(CH3CH2CH(NH2)CH2O)2·H2O] neutral species. The two CuII complexes are not covalently bonded to the CuICN networks. Strong O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the CuII complexes into pairs and the pairs are hydrogen bonded into chains along the crystallographic b axis via the hydrate water mol­ecule. In addition, O—H⋯(CN) and N—H⋯(CN) hydrogen bonds link the cations to the CuCN network. In the honeycomb polymeric moiety, all bridging cyanido ligands are disordered over two orientations, head-to-tail and tail-to-head, with occupancies for C and N atoms varying for each CN group.

The crystal structures of three mixed-valence copper cyanide alkanolamine polymers are presented, together with thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and electron spin resonance (ESR) data. In all three structures, a CuII moiety on a crystallographic center of symmetry is coordinated by two alkanolamines and links two CuICN chains via cyanide bridging groups to form diperiodic sheets. The sheets are linked together by cuprophilic CuI–CuI inter­actions to form a three-dimensional network. In poly[bis­(μ-3-amino­propano­lato)tetra-μ-cyan­ido-dicopper(I)dicopper(II)], [Cu4(CN)4(C3H8NO)2]n, 1, propano­lamine bases have lost their hydroxyl H atoms and coordinate as chelates to two CuII atoms to form a dimeric CuII moiety bridged by the O atoms of the bases with CuII atoms in square-planar coordination. The ESR spectrum is very broad, indicating exchange between the two CuII centers. In poly[bis­(2-amino­pro­pan­ol)tetra-μ-cyanido-dicopper(I)copper(II)], [Cu3(CN)4(C3H9NO)2]n, 2, and poly[bis­(2-amino­ethanol)tetra-μ-cyanido-dicopper(I)copper(II)], [Cu3(CN)4(CH7NO)2]n, 3, a single CuII atom links the CuICN chains together via CN bridges. The chelating alkanolamines are not ionized, and the OH groups form rather long bonds in the axial positions of the octa­hedrally coordinated CuII atoms. The coordination geometries of CuII in 2 and 3 are almost identical, except that the Cu—O distances are longer in 2 than in 3, which may explain their somewhat different ESR spectra. Thermal decom­position in 2 and 3, but not in 1, begins with the loss of HCN(g), and this can be correlated with the presence of OH protons on the ligands in 2 and 3, which are not present in 1.

The well-known copper car­box­yl­ate dimer, with four car­box­yl­ate ligands ex­ten­ding outwards towards the corners of a square, has been employed to generate a series of crystalline com­pounds. In particular, this work centres on the use of the 4-hy­droxy­benzoate anion (Hhba−) and its deprotonated phe­nol­ate form 4-oxidobenzoate (hba2−) to obtain complexes with the general formula [Cu2(Hhba)4–x(hba)xL2–y]x−, where L is an axial coligand (including solvent mol­ecules), x = 0, 1 or 2, and y = 0 or 1. In some cases, short hy­dro­gen bonds result in complexes which may be represented as [Cu2(Hhba)2(H0.5hba)2L2]−. The main focus of the investigation is on the formation of a variety of extended networks through hy­dro­gen bonding and, in some crystals, coordinate bonds when bridging coligands (L) are employed. Crystals of [Cu2(Hhba)4(di­ox­ane)2]·4(di­ox­ane) consist of the expected Cu dimer with the Hhba− anions forming hy­dro­gen bonds to 1,4-di­ox­ane mol­ecules which block network formation. In the case of crystals of com­position [Et4N][Cu2(Hhba)2(H0.5hba)2(CH3OH)(H2O)]·2(di­ox­ane), Li[Cu2(Hhba)2(H0.5hba)2(H2O)2]·3(di­ox­ane)·4H2O and [Cu2(Hhba)2(H0.5hba)2(H0.5DABCO)2]·3CH3OH (DABCO is 1,4-di­aza­bicyclo­[2.2.2]octa­ne), square-grid hy­dro­gen-bonded networks are generated in which the complex serves as one type of 4-con­necting node, whilst a second 4-con­necting node is a hy­dro­gen-bonding motif assembled from four phenol/phenolate groups. Another two-dimensional (2D) network based upon a related square-grid structure is formed in the case of [Et4N]2[Cu2(Hhba)2(hba)2(di­ox­ane)2][Cu2(Hhba)4(di­ox­ane)(H2O)]·CH3OH. In [Cu2(Hhba)4(H2O)2]·2(Et4NNO3), a square-grid structure is again apparent, but, in this case, a pair of nitrate anions, along with four phenolic groups and a pair of water mol­ecules, combine to form a second type of 4-con­necting node. When 1,8-bis­(di­methyl­amino)­naphthalene (bdn, `proton sponge') is used as a base, another square-grid network is generated, i.e. [Hbdn]2[Cu2(Hhba)2(hba)2(H2O)2]·3(di­ox­ane)·H2O, but with only the copper dimer complex serving as a 4-con­necting node. Complex three-dimensional networks are formed in [Cu2(Hhba)4(O-bipy)]·H2O and [Cu2(Hhba)4(O-bipy)2]·2(di­ox­ane), where the potentially bridging 4,4'-bi­pyridine N,N'-dioxide (O-bipy) ligand is employed. Rare cases of mixed car­box­yl­ate copper dimer complexes were obtained in the cases of [Cu2(Hhba)3(OAc)(di­ox­ane)]·3.5(di­ox­ane) and [Cu2(Hhba)2(OAc)2(DABCO)2]·10(di­ox­ane), with each structure possessing a 2D network structure. The final com­pound re­por­ted is a simple hy­dro­gen-bonded chain of com­position (H0.5DABCO)(H1.5hba), formed from the reaction of H2hba and DABCO.

The crystal structures of two coordination com­pounds, (acetato-κO)(2,2'-bi­py­ri­dine-κ2N,N')(1,10-phenanthroline-κ2N,N')copper(II) acetate hexa­hydrate, [Cu(C2H3O2)(C10H8N2)(C12H8N2)](C2H3O2)·6H2O or [Cu(bipy)(phen)Ac]Ac·6H2O, and (acetato-κO)bis­(2,2'-bi­py­ri­dine-κ2N,N')copper(II) acetate–acetic acid–water (1/1/3), [Cu(C2H3O2)(C10H8N2)2](C2H3O2)·C2H4O2·3H2O or [Cu(bipy)2Ac]Ac·HAc·3H2O, are reported and com­pared with the previously published structure of [Cu(phen)2Ac]Ac·7H2O (phen is 1,10-phenanthroline, bipy for 2,2'-bi­py­ri­dine, ac is acetate and Hac is acetic acid). The geometry around the metal centre is penta­coordinated, but highly distorted in all three cases. The coordination number and the geometric distortion are both discussed in detail, and all com­plexes belong to the space group Poverline{1}. The analysis of the geometric parameters and the Hirshfeld surface properties dnorm and curvedness provide information about the metal–ligand inter­actions in these com­plexes and allow com­parison with similar systems.

Crystal polymorphism serves as a strategy to study the conformational flexibility of proteins. However, the relationship between protein crystal packing and protein conformation often remains elusive. In this study, two distinct crystal forms of a green fluorescent protein variant, NowGFP, are compared: a previously identified monoclinic form (space group C2) and a newly discovered ortho­rhombic form (space group P212121). Comparative analysis reveals that both crystal forms exhibit nearly identical linear assemblies of NowGFP molecules interconnected through similar crystal contacts. However, a notable difference lies in the stacking of these assemblies: parallel in the monoclinic form and perpendicular in the orthorhombic form. This distinct mode of stacking leads to different crystal contacts and induces structural alteration in one of the two molecules within the asymmetric unit of the orthorhombic crystal form. This new conformational state captured by orthorhombic crystal packing exhibits two unique features: a conformational shift of the β-barrel scaffold and a restriction of pH-dependent shifts of the key residue Lys61, which is crucial for the pH-dependent spectral shift of this protein. These findings demonstrate a clear connection between crystal packing and alternative conformational states of proteins, providing insights into how structural variations influence the function of fluorescent proteins.

An X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) electrochemical cell was used to collect high-quality XAS measurements of N-truncated Cu:amyloid-β (Cu:Aβ) samples under near-physiological conditions. N-truncated Cu:Aβ peptide complexes contribute to oxidative stress and neurotoxicity in Alzheimer's patients' brains. However, the redox properties of copper in different Aβ peptide sequences are inconsistent. Therefore, the geometry of binding sites for the copper binding in Aβ4–8/12/16 was determined using novel advanced extended X-ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) analysis. This enables these peptides to perform redox cycles in a manner that might produce toxicity in human brains. Fluorescence XAS measurements were corrected for systematic errors including defective-pixel data, monochromator glitches and dispersion of pixel spectra. Experimental uncertainties at each data point were measured explicitly from the point-wise variance of corrected pixel measurements. The copper-binding environments of Aβ4–8/12/16 were precisely determined by fitting XAS measurements with propagated experimental uncertainties, advanced analysis and hypothesis testing, providing a mechanism to pursue many similarly complex questions in bioscience. The low-temperature XAS measurements here determine that CuII is bound to the first amino acids in the high-affinity amino-terminal copper and nickel (ATCUN) binding motif with an oxygen in a tetragonal pyramid geometry in the Aβ4–8/12/16 peptides. Room-temperature XAS electrochemical-cell measurements observe metal reduction in the Aβ4–16 peptide. Robust investigations of XAS provide structural details of CuII binding with a very different bis-His motif and a water oxygen in a quasi-tetrahedral geometry. Oxidized XAS measurements of Aβ4–12/16 imply that both CuII and CuIII are accommodated in an ATCUN-like binding site. Hypotheses for these CuI, CuII and CuIII geometries were proven and disproven using the novel data and statistical analysis including F tests. Structural parameters were determined with an accuracy some tenfold better than literature claims of past work. A new protocol was also developed using EXAFS data analysis for monitoring radiation damage. This gives a template for advanced analysis of complex biosystems.

In the course of an investigation of the supramolecular behaviour of copper(II) complexes with the 5-phenyl­imidazole/perchlorate ligand system (`blend') remarkable solvatomorphism has been observed. By employing a variety of crystallization solvents (polar protic, polar/non-polar aprotic), a series of 12 crystalline solvatomorphs with the general formula [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4]·x(solvent) have been obtained [LH = 5-phenyl­imidazole, x(solvent) = 3.3(H2O) (1), 2(methanol) (2), 2(ethanol) (3), 2(1-propanol) (4), 2(2-propanol) (5), 2(2-butanol) (6), 2(di­methyl­formamide) (7), 2(acetone) (8), 2(tetra­hydro­furane) (9), 2(1,4-dioxane) (10), 2(ethyl acetate) (11) and 1(di­ethyl ether) (12)]. The structures have been solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction and the complexes were characterized by thermal analysis and infrared spectroscopy. The solvatomorphs are isostructural (triclinic, P1), with the exception of compound 9 (monoclinic, P21/n). The supramolecular structures and the role of the various solvents is discussed. All potential hydrogen-bond functionalities, both of the [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] units and of the solvents, are utilized in the course of the crystallization process. The supramolecular assembly in all structures is directed by strong recurring Nimidazole–H⋯Operchlorate motifs leading to robust scaffolds composed of the [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] host complexes. The solvents are located in channels and, with the exception of the disordered waters in 1 and the di­ethyl ether in 12, participate in hydrogen-bonding formation with the [Cu(ClO4)2(LH)4] complexes, serving as both hydrogen-bond acceptors and donors (for the polar protic solvents in 2–6), or solely as hydrogen-bond acceptors (for the polar/non-polar aprotic solvents in 7–11), linking the complexes and contributing to the stability of the crystalline compounds.

Two new copper dimers, namely, bis­(dimethyl sulfoxide)­tetra­kis­(μ-pyrene-1-carboxyl­ato)dicopper(Cu—Cu), [Cu2(C17H9O2)4(C2H6OS)2] or [Cu2(pyr-COO−)4(DMSO)2] (1), and bis­(di­methyl­formamide)­tetra­kis­(μ-pyrene-1-carboxyl­ato)dicopper(Cu—Cu), [Cu2(C17H9O2)4(C3H7NO)2] or [Cu2(pyr-COO−)4(DMF)2] (2) (pyr = pyrene), were synthesized from the reaction of pyrene-1-carb­oxy­lic acid, copper(II) nitrate and tri­ethyl­amine from solvents DMSO and DMF, respectively. While 1 crystallized in the space group Poverline{1}, the crystal structure of 2 is in space group P21/n. The Cu atoms have octa­hedral geometries, with four oxygen atoms from carboxyl­ate pyrene ligands occupying the equatorial positions, a solvent mol­ecule coordinating at one of the axial positions, and a Cu⋯Cu contact in the opposite position. The packing in the crystal structures exhibits π–π stacking inter­actions and short contacts through the solvent mol­ecules. The Hirshfeld surfaces and two-dimensional fingerprint plots were generated for both compounds to better understand the inter­molecular inter­actions and the contribution of heteroatoms from the solvent ligands to the crystal packing. In addition, a Cu2+/Cu1+ quasi-reversible redox process was identified for compound 2 using cyclic voltammetry that accounts for a diffusion-controlled electron-donation process to the Cu dimer.

The title compound, [Cu(HL)2(H2O)2] or [Cu(C4H4N3O2)2(H2O)2], is a mononuclear octa­hedral CuII complex based on 5-methyl-1H-1,2,4-triazole-3-carb­oxy­lic acid (H2L). [Cu(HL)2(H2O)2] was synthesized by reaction of H2L with copper(II) nitrate hexa­hydrate (2:1 stoichiometric ratio) in water under ambient conditions to produce clear light-blue crystals. The central Cu atom exhibits an N2O4 coordination environment in an elongated octa­hedral geometry provided by two bidentate HL− anions in the equatorial plane and two water mol­ecules in the axial positions. Hirshfeld surface analysis revealed that the most important contributions to the surface contacts are from H⋯O/O⋯H (33.1%), H⋯H (29.5%) and H⋯N/N⋯H (19.3%) inter­actions.

The reaction of the Schiff base 2-[1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl­idene­amino]­ethanol (HL), which is formed by reaction of 2-amino­ethanol and 2-acetyl­pyridine with CuBr2 in ethanol results in the isolation of the new polymeric complex poly[hexa-μ-bromido-bis­{2-[1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl­idene­amino]­ethano­lato}tetra­copper(II)], [Cu4Br6(C9H11N2O)2]n or [Cu4Br6L2]n. The asymmetric unit of the crystal structure of the polymeric [Cu4Br6L2]n complex is composed by four copper (II) cations, two monodeprotonated mol­ecules of the ligand, and six bromide anions, which act as bridges. The ligand mol­ecules act in a tridentate fashion through their azomethine nitro­gen atoms, their pyridine nitro­gen atoms, and their alcoholate O atoms. The crystal structure shows two types of geometries in the coordination polyhedrons around Cu2+ ions. Two copper cations are situated in a square-based pyramidal environment, while the two other copper cations adopt a tetra­hedral geometry. Bromides anions acting as bridges between two metal ions connect the units, resulting in a tetra­nuclear polymer compound.

A CuII coordination polymer, catena-poly[[[aqua­copper(II)]-bis­(μ-4-amino­benz­o­ato)-κ2N:O;κ2O:N] monohydrate], {[Cu(pABA)2(H2O)]·H2O}n (pABA = p-amino­benzoate, C7H4NO2−), was synthesized and characterized. It exhibits a one-dimensional chain structure extended into a three-dimensional supra­molecular assembly through hydrogen bonds and π–π inter­actions. While the twinned crystal shows a metrically ortho­rhom­bic lattice and an apparent space group Pbcm, the true symmetry is monoclinic (space group P2/c), with disordered Cu atoms and mixed roles of water mol­ecules (aqua ligand/crystallization water). The luminescence spectrum of the complex shows an emission at 345 nm, cf. 349 nm for pABAH.

Metal complexes of 3,5-diiso­propyl­salicylate are reported to have anti-inflammatory and anti-convulsant activities. The title binuclear copper complex, [Cu2(C13H17O3)4(C2H6OS)2] or [Cu(II)2(3,5-DIPS)4(DMSO)2], contains two five-coordinate copper atoms that are bridged by four 3,5-diiso­propyl­salicylate ligands and capped by two axial dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) moieties. Each copper atom is attached to four oxygen atoms in an almost square-planar fashion, with the addition of a DMSO ligand in an apical position leading to a square-pyramidal arrangement. The hy­droxy group of the diiso­propyl­salicylate ligands participates in intra­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions.

A novel cationic complex, bromido­tetra­kis­[5-(prop-2-en-1-ylsulfan­yl)-1,3,4-thia­diazol-2-amine-κN3]copper(II) bromide, [CuBr](C5H7N3S2)4Br, was synthesized. The complex crystallizes with fourfold mol­ecular symmetry in the tetra­gonal space group P4/n. The CuII atom exhibits a square-pyramidal coord­ination geometry. The Cu atom is located centrally within the complex, being coordinated by four nitro­gen atoms from four AAT mol­ecules, while a bromine anion is located at the apex of the pyramid. The amino H atoms of AAT inter­act with bromine from the inner and outer spheres, forming a two-dimensional network in the [100] and [010] directions. Hirshfeld surface analysis reveals that 33.7% of the inter­mol­ecular inter­actions are from H⋯H contacts, 21.2% are from S⋯H/H⋯S contacts, 13.4% are from S⋯S contacts and 11.0% are from C⋯H/H⋯C, while other contributions are from Br⋯H/H⋯Br and N⋯H/H⋯N contacts.

The title copper(II) complex, [Cu(C18H19N3O3)(C3H4N2)], consists of a tridentate ligand synthesized from l-leucine and azo­benzene-salicyl­aldehyde. One imidazole mol­ecule is additionally coordinated to the copper(II) ion in the equatorial plane. The crystal structure features N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions to the packing are from H⋯H (52.0%) and C⋯H/H⋯C (17.9%) contacts.

The reaction of copper(II) oxalate and hexa­methyl­ene­tetra­mine in a deep eutectic solvent made of urea and choline chloride produced crystals of penta­amine­copper(II) dichloride–urea (1/1), [Cu(NH3)5]Cl2·CO(NH2)2, which was characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The complex contains discrete penta­amine­copper(II) units in a square-based pyramidal geometry. The overall structure of the multi-component crystal is dictated by hydrogen bonding between urea mol­ecules and amine H atoms with chloride anions.

Single crystals of the mol­ecular compound, {Cu20Ir6Cl8(C21H24N2)6(C4H4N2)3]·3.18CH3OH or [({Cu10Ir3}Cl4(IMes)3(pyrazine))2(pyrazine)]·3.18CH3OH [where IMes is 1,3-bis­(2,4,6-trimethylphen­yl)imidazol-2-yl­idene], with a unique heterometallic cluster have been prepared and the structure revealed using single-crystal X-ray diffraction. The mol­ecule is centrosymmetric with two {Cu10Ir3} cores bridged by a pyrazine ligand. The polymetallic cluster contains three stabilizing N-heterocyclic carbenes, four Cl ligands, and a non-bridging pyrazine ligand. Notably, the Cu—Ir core is arranged in an unusual shape containing 13 vertices, 22 faces, and 32 sides. The atoms within the trideca­metallic cluster are arranged in four planes, with 2, 4, 4, 3 metals in each plane. Ir atoms are present in alternate planes with an Ir atom featuring in the peripheral bimetallic plane, and two Ir atoms featuring on opposite sides of the non-adjacent tetra­metallic plane. The crystal contains two disordered methanol solvent mol­ecules with an additional region of non-modelled electron density corrected for using the SQUEEZE routine in PLATON [Spek (2015). Acta Cryst. C71, 9–18]. The given chemical formula and other crystal data do not take into account the unmodelled methanol solvent mol­ecule(s).

The title compound, bis­[μ-2,2'-(4H-1,2,4-triazole-3,5-di­yl)di­acetato]­bis­[di­aqua­copper(II)] dihydrate, [Cu2(C6H5N3O4)2(H2O)4]·2H2O, is a dinuclear octa­hedral CuII triazole-based complex. The central copper atoms are hexa-coordinated by two nitro­gen atoms in the equatorial positions, two equatorial oxygen atoms of two carboxyl­ate substituents in position 3 and 5 of the 1,2,4-triazole ring, and two axial oxygen atoms of two water mol­ecules. Two additional solvent water mol­ecules are linked to the title mol­ecule by O—H⋯N and O⋯H—O hydrogen bonds. The crystal structure is built up from the parallel packing of discrete supra­molecular chains running along the a-axis direction. Hirshfeld surface analysis suggests that the most important contributions to the surface contacts are from H⋯O/O⋯H (53.5%), H⋯H (28.1%), O⋯O (6.3%) and H⋯C/C⋯H (6.2%) inter­actions. The crystal studied was twinned by a twofold rotation around [100].

The mol­ecular structure of the tripodal carbamoyl­methyl­phosphine oxide compound diethyl {[(5-[2-(di­eth­oxy­phosphor­yl)acetamido]-3-{2-[2-(di­eth­oxy­phos­phor­yl)acetamido]­eth­yl}pent­yl)carbamo­yl]meth­yl}phospho­nate, C25H52N3O12P3, features six intra­molecular hydrogen-bonding inter­actions. The phospho­nate groups have key bond lengths ranging from 1.4696 (12) to 1.4729 (12) Å (P=O), 1.5681 (11) to 1.5811 (12) Å (P—O) and 1.7881 (16) to 1.7936 (16) Å (P—C). Each amide group adopts a nearly perfect trans geometry, and the geometry around each phophorus atom resembles a slightly distorted tetra­hedron.

Reaction of copper(I)chloride with 2,3-di­methyl­pyrazine in ethanol leads to the formation of the title compound, poly[[μ-chlorido-μ-(2,3-di­methyl­pyrazine)-copper(I)] ethanol hemisolvate], {[CuCl(C6H8N2)]·0.5C2H5OH}n or CuCl(2,3-di­methyl­pyrazine) ethanol hemisolvate. Its asymmetric unit consists of two crystallographically independent copper cations, two chloride anions and two 2,3-di­methyl­pyrazine ligands as well as one ethanol solvate mol­ecule in general positions. The ethanol mol­ecule is disordered and was refined using a split model. The methyl H atoms of the 2,3-di­methyl­pyrazine ligands are also disordered and were refined in two orientations rotated by 60° relative to each other. In the crystal structure, each copper cation is tetra­hedrally coordinated by two N atoms of two bridging 2,3-di­methyl­pyrazine ligands and two μ-1,1-bridg­ing chloride anions. Each of the two copper cations are linked by pairs of bridging chloride anions into dinuclear units that are further linked into layers via bridging 2,3-di­methyl­pyrazine coligands. These layers are stacked in such a way that channels are formed in which the disordered solvent mol­ecules are located. The topology of this network is completely different from that observed in the two polymorphic modifications of CuCl(2,3-di­methyl­pyrazine) reported in the literature [Jess & Näther (2006). Inorg. Chem. 45, 7446–7454]. Powder X-ray diffraction measurements reveal that the title compound is unstable and transforms immediately into an unknown crystalline phase.

The title compound, (C9H8NO)[CuCl3(C7H5NO4)]·2H2O, was prepared by reacting CuII acetate dihydrate, solid 8-hy­droxy­quinoline (8-HQ), and solid pyridine-2,6-di­carb­oxy­lic acid (H2pydc), in a 1:1:1 molar ratio, in an aqueous solution of dilute hydro­chloric acid. The CuII atom exhibits a distorted CuO2NCl3 octa­hedral geometry, coordinating two oxygen atoms and one nitro­gen atom from the tridentate H2pydc ligand and three chloride atoms; the nitro­gen atom and one chloride atom occupy the axial positions with Cu—N and Cu—Cl bond lengths of 2.011 (2) Å and 2.2067 (9) Å, respectively. In the equatorial plane, the oxygen and chloride atoms are arranged in a cis configuration, with Cu—O bond lengths of 2.366 (2) and 2.424 (2) Å, and Cu—Cl bond lengths of 2.4190 (10) and 2.3688 (11) Å. The asymmetric unit contains 8-HQ+ as a counter-ion and two uncoordinated water mol­ecules. The crystal structure features strong O—H⋯O and O—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds as well as weak inter­actions including C—H⋯O, C—H⋯Cl, Cu—Cl⋯π, and π–π, which result in a three-dimensional network. A Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the most important contributions to the crystal packing involving the main residues are from H⋯Cl/Cl⋯H inter­actions, contributing 40.3% for the anion. Weak H⋯H contacts contribute 13.2% for the cation and 28.6% for the anion.

Polymer-derived ceramics (PDCs) remain at the forefront of research for a variety of applications including ultra-high-temperature ceramics, energy storage and functional coatings. Despite their wide use, questions remain about the complex structural transition from polymer to ceramic and how local structure influences the final microstructure and resulting properties. This is further complicated when nanofillers are introduced to tailor structural and functional properties, as nanoparticle surfaces can interact with the matrix and influence the resulting structure. The inclusion of crystalline nanofiller produces a mixed crystalline–amorphous composite, which poses characterization challenges. With this study, we aim to address these challenges with a local-scale structural study that probes changes in a polysiloxane matrix with incorporated copper nanofiller. Composites were processed at three unique temperatures to capture mixing, pyrolysis and initial crystallization stages for the pre-ceramic polymer. We observed the evolution of the nanofiller with electron microscopy and applied synchrotron X-ray diffraction with differential pair distribution function (d-PDF) analysis to monitor changes in the matrix's local structure and interactions with the nanofiller. The application of the d-PDF to PDC materials is novel and informs future studies to understand interfacial interactions between nanofiller and matrix throughout PDC processing.

"Dispersion" (detail). Acrylic ink and paint on canvas. (Courtesy of Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle); Credit:

Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle's "The Evanesced" was inspired by the #SayHerName movement against police violence, as well as Los Angeles's Grim Sleeper serial killer. Hinkle depicts black women in the nude, twisting and writhing, as though they're sinking back into the canvas. Or are they reemerging from it?

Deputy Director of the California African American Museum Naima Keith says Hinkle's exhibit looks at the "historical present," the way in which history still affects us today, harkening back to slavery and Jim Crow. Keith says the main issue Hinkle is addressing is the invisibility of black women, especially those who are abused or in danger. 

Hinkle was particularly inspired by the South LA serial killer "The Grim Sleeper." He is accused of murdering over one hundred women from the 1980's onward, until being captured in 2007. Many of his victims were women of color according to the Los Angeles Police Department.

"He had been killing prostitutes and runaways and drug addicted women," says Keith, noting that some saw these deaths as occupational hazards.

Most of Hinkle's subjects in the paintings and sketches in "The Evanesced" are clearly nude. This was a deliberate choice to showcase femininity, according to Keith. She says:

She’s talking about being women... There’s love, there’s joy, there’s pain. All things we experience as all women... But [nudity], I think, allows us to focus on the female form, not necessarily get caught up on what they are wearing or what they’re doing.

In the artwork, viewers can see that every face, body, and hair style is completely unique to each sketch or painting. Keith says this helps the viewer appreciate the diversity amongst women of color. She says:

You have women that are smiling. You have women that are looking at you- you know- lovingly, shyly. Not every one, not every image in the show is about negativity, disappearance, or sadness. There is a bit of celebration. There’s interaction between multiple women. That’s what makes the body of work so interesting: it’s not just seeing women of color through one lens. There’s the possibility of seeing them through, like I said, disappearance, and also the freedom to have a wide range of emotions.

There is one painting that continues to draw Naima Keith back to it. It is called "Uproot 2017" and it features a feminine figure with three exposed breasts. She says this painting speaks to her about motherhood and the connection women have with their changing bodies. Keith says:

I asked Kenyatta why she depicts women with multiple [extra] breasts and we had a conversation about being moms. Kenyatta and I are both mothers of young children... As moms, we just kinda talked about how things aren't what they used to be, in terms of where they used to be. Like I said, becoming mothers, you have this different relationship with your body in relation to someone else.

Kenyatta A.C. Hinkle's "The Evanesced" runs at the California African American Museum through June 25, 2017.

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Patrick Doherty volunteered for a new medical intervention of gene-editor infusions for the treatment of genetically-based diseases.; Credit: /Patrick Doherty

Patrick Doherty had always been very active. He trekked the Himalayas and hiked trails in Spain.

But about a year and a half ago, he noticed pins and needles in his fingers and toes. His feet got cold. And then he started getting out of breath any time he walked his dog up the hills of County Donegal in Ireland where he lives.

"I noticed on some of the larger hill climbs I was getting a bit breathless," says Doherty, 65. "So I realized something was wrong."

Doherty found out he had a rare, but devastating inherited disease — known as transthyretin amyloidosis — that had killed his father. A misshapen protein was building up in his body, destroying important tissues, such as nerves in his hands and feet and his heart.

Doherty had watched others get crippled and die difficult deaths from amyloidosis.

"It's terrible prognosis," Doherty says. "This is a condition that deteriorates very rapidly. It's just dreadful."

So Doherty was thrilled when he found out that doctors were testing a new way to try to treat amyloidosis. The approach used a revolutionary gene-editing technique called CRISPR, which allows scientists to make very precise changes in DNA.

"I thought: Fantastic. I jumped at the opportunity," Doherty says.

On Saturday, researchers reported the first data indicating that the experimental treatment worked, causing levels of the destructive protein to plummet in Doherty's body and the bodies of five other patients treated with the approach.

"I feel fantastic," Doherty says. "It's just phenomenal."

The advance is being hailed not just for amyloidosis patients but also as a proof-of-concept that CRISPR could be used to treat many other, much more common diseases. It's a new way of using the innovative technology.

"This is a major milestone for patients," says Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, who shared a Nobel Prize for her work helping develop CRISPR.

"While these are early data, they show us that we can overcome one of the biggest challenges with applying CRISPR clinically so far, which is being able to deliver it systemically and get it to the right place," Doudna says.

CRISPR has already been shown to help patients suffering from the devastating blood disorders sickle cell disease and beta thalassemia. And doctors are trying to use it to treat cancer and to restore vision to people blinded by a rare genetic disorder.

But those experiments involve taking cells out of the body, editing them in the lab, and infusing them back in or injecting CRISPR directly into cells that need fixing.

The study Doherty volunteered for is the first in which doctors are simply infusing the gene-editor directly into patients and letting it find its own way to the right gene in the right cells. In this case, it's cells in the liver making the destructive protein.

"This is the first example in which CRISPR-Cas9 is injected directly into the bloodstream — in other words systemic administration — where we use it as a way to reach a tissue that's far away from the site of injection and very specifically use it to edit disease-causing genes," says John Leonard, the CEO of Intellia Therapeutics, which is sponsoring the study.

Doctors infused billions of microscopic structures known as nanoparticles carrying genetic instructions for the CRISPR gene-editor into four patients in London and two in New Zealand. The nanoparticles were absorbed by their livers, where they unleashed armies of CRISPR gene-editors. The CRISPR editor honed in on the target gene in the liver and sliced it, disabling production of the destructive protein.

Within weeks, the levels of protein causing the disease plummeted. Researchers reported at the Peripheral Nerve Society Annual Meeting and in a paper published in The New England Journal of Medicine.

"It really is exciting," says Dr. Julian Gillmore, who is leading the study at the University College London, Royal Free Hospital.

"This has the potential to completely revolutionize the outcome for these patients who have lived with this disease in their family for many generations. It's decimated some families that I've been looking after. So this is amazing," Gillmore says.

The patients will have to be followed longer, and more patients will have to be treated, to make sure the treatment's safe, and determine how much it's helping, Gillmore stresses. But the approach could help those struck by amyloidosis that isn't inherited, which is a far more common version of the disease, he says.

Moreover, the promising results potentially open the door for using the same approach to treatment of many other, more common diseases for which taking cells out of the body or directly injecting CRISPR isn't realistic, including heart disease, muscular dystrophy and brain diseases such as Alzheimer's.

"This is really opening a new era as we think about gene-editing where we can begin to think about accessing all kinds of different tissue in the body via systemic administration," Leonard says.

Other scientists who are not involved in the research agree.

"This is a wonderful day for the future of gene-editing as a medicine,"
agree Fyodor Urnov, a professor of genetics at the University of California, Berkeley. "We as a species are watching this remarkable new show called: our gene-edited future."

Doherty says he started feeling better within weeks of the treatment and has continued to improve in the weeks since then.

"I definitely feel better," he told NPR. "I'm speaking to you from upstairs in our house. I climbed stairs to get up here. I would have been feeling breathless. I'm thrilled."

This content is from Southern California Public Radio. View the original story at SCPR.org.

Geologists from the Yellowstone Volcano Observatory are often asked to estimate how likely future eruptions are at Yellowstone, but it’s no walk in the national park.

Vancouver-based minerals explorer Prosper Gold Corp. (TSVX: PGF; OTCQB: PGXFF) is focused on its district-scale Cyprus copper-gold project in north-central British Columbia. One analyst says the results of a recent geophysical survey put the stock in an excellent position.

Giant Mining Corp. (CSE: BFG; OTC:BFGFF; FWB:YW5) announced the expansion of its surface exploration program at the Majuba Hill copper-silver deposit in Pershing County, Nevada. Read more to learn about the promising high-grade copper findings and the project's potential impact on the EV and renewable energy sectors.

Hercules Metals Corp. (BADEF:OTCMKTS; BIG:TSXV) has announced advancements in its exploration efforts at the western Idaho Leviathan porphyry copper system. Read more about the significant shallow mineralization discoveries and new target areas that could indicate further resource potential.

GoldMining Inc. (GOLD:TSX; GLDG:NYSE.American) released results from its ongoing 2024 auger drilling program at the Sao Jorge Project in the Tapajos gold district, Para State, Brazil. Read more about high-grade gold intercepts and new exploration targets at So Jorge as GoldMining extends its search in Tapajs.

“The technology services industry, at some level, is recession proof,” Premji said at the company’s 76th annual general meeting on Tuesday. “In good times, clients spend on new initiatives and business transformation and serving customers digitally. They focus on reducing costs when times are not so good,” he said addressing a question on inflation concerns.