Google surprised many with the launch of a $199 Chromebook this week. So what's the Acer C7 like? Overall the quality and performance is better than I expected for the price and it even has a 320 GB hard drive for those who want local storage.

I've been using a Chromebook Pixel for the past two days and a single phrase comes to mind: blown away. Is it worth $1,299 or more? Take a look to see and then stack it up against your mobile computing needs.

Google's Chromebook Pixel is quite versatile after all. I can run Chrome OS and Linux at the same time, and switch between the two, allowing me to use Skype and other third party apps!

While the Chrome browser takes full advantage of the Chromebook Pixel's hardware, I thought it would interesting to see how video gaming works on the device. Quite well, with just a few small issues, it turns out.

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, adding that the state is working with the CDC to investigate the syndrome. Jillian Kitchener has more.

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, a development that may augur a pandemic risk for the very young.

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, a development that may augur a pandemic risk for the very young.

The Secretary-General of the OECD, Mr. Angel Gurría, will be in Rome on Friday 31 January 2020 to present the OECD Review of Italian Capital Markets “Creating Growth Opportunities for Italian Companies and Savers”.

The capital is the cleanest, most orderly and safest bet for spending time in a global city

1. Rare inflammatory syndrome linked to Covid-19 kills 3 kids in New York, says governor Andrew Cuomo  Hindustan Times
2. Children infected with COVID-19 are developing new symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease  WION
3. COVID-19: Cases surpass 4 million worldwide, New York children die from related inflammation  CGTN
4. New York looking further into emerging COVID-19 issue affecting children  The Daily News Online
5. 'Every parent's nightmare': New York is investigating the death of a 5-year-old child from an illness linked t  Business Insider India
6. View Full coverage on Google News

Three children in New York have died and 73 more cases have been reported of a rare inflammatory syndrome exhibiting symptoms similar to Kawasaki disease or toxic shock-like syndrome.

The Ferrari 250 spend six years in service chasing criminals through the streets of Rome, making it the most stylish paddy wagon to have patrolled roads.

The brilliant choreographer's contemporary take on the tragic love story finally arrives in London.

There has been a needless focus on the Right to Education Act's provision of aspirational seats in private schools. Only a small fraction of public schools students can benefit from this, writes E S Ramamurthy.

ಮಗು ಡೌನ್‌ ಸಿಂಡ್ರೋಮ್‌ನಿಂದ(ವಿಶೇಷ ಚೇತನವಾಗಿ) ಹುಟ್ಟಲು ಕಾರಣವೇನೆಂದು ವೈದ್ಯರು ಹೇಳಿದರೂ ಹಾಗೇಕೆ ಹುಟ್ಟುತ್ತಾರೆ ಎಂಬುವುದು ಇನ್ನೂ ತಿಳಿದು ಬಂದಿಲ್ಲ. ಆದ್ದರಿಂದ ಮಗು ಡೌನ್‌ ಸಿಂಡ್ರೋಮ್‌ನಿಂದ ಹುಟ್ಟುವ ಸಾಧ್ಯತೆ ಇದೆಯೇ ಎಂದು ಹೇಳಲು ಸಾಧ್ಯವಾಗುವುದಿಲ್ಲ. ಡೌನ್ ಸಿಂಡ್ರೋಮ್‌ನಿಂದ ಮಕ್ಕಳು ಹುಟ್ಟುವ ಸಮಸ್ಯೆ ವಿಶ್ವದ ಎಲ್ಲಾ ಕಡೆ ಕಂಡು ಬರುತ್ತದೆ. ವಿಶ್ವದಲ್ಲಿ ಹುಟ್ಟುವ ಮಕ್ಕಳಲ್ಲಿ ಶ. 3ರಿಂದ

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, a development that may augur a pandemic risk for the very young.

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, a development that may augur a pandemic risk for the very young.

Three children in New York have died from a rare inflammatory syndrome believed to be linked to the novel coronavirus, Governor Andrew Cuomo said on Saturday, a development that may augur a pandemic risk for the very young.

Update your Google Chrome browser immediately: CERT-In

To investigate the effect of high-energy X-rays on site-specific radiation-damage, low-dose diffraction data were collected from radiation-sensitive crystals of the metal enzyme cytochrome c oxidase. Data were collected at the Structural Biology I beamline (BL41XU) at SPring-8, using 30 keV X-rays and a highly sensitive pixel array detector equipped with a cadmium telluride sensor. The experimental setup of continuous sample translation using multiple crystals allowed the average diffraction weighted dose per data set to be reduced to 58 kGy, and the resulting data revealed a ligand structure featuring an identical bond length to that in the damage-free structure determined using an X-ray free-electron laser. However, precise analysis of the residual density around the ligand structure refined with the synchrotron data showed the possibility of a small level of specific damage, which might have resulted from the accumulated dose of 58 kGy per data set. Further investigation of the photon-energy dependence of specific damage, as assessed by variations in UV-vis absorption spectra, was conducted using an on-line spectrometer at various energies ranging from 10 to 30 keV. No evidence was found for specific radiation damage being energy dependent.

An X-ray amplitude-splitting interferometer based on compound refractive lenses, which operates in the reflection mode, is proposed and realized. The idea of a reflecto-interferometer is to use a very simplified experimental setup where a focused X-ray beam reflected from parallel flat surfaces creates an interference pattern in a wide angular range. The functional capabilities of the interferometer were experimentally tested at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) ID06 beamline in the X-ray energy range from 10 keV to 15 keV. The main features of the proposed approach, high spatial and temporal resolution, were demonstrated experimentally. The reflections from free-standing Si3N4 membranes, gold and resist layers were studied. Experimentally recorded interferograms are in good agreement with our simulations. The main advantages and future possible applications of the reflecto-interferometer are discussed.

The design and performance of the high-resolution wavelength-dispersive multi-crystal von Hamos-type spectrometer at PETRA III beamline P64 are described. Extended analyzer crystal collection available at the beamline allows coverage of a broad energy range from 5 keV to 20 keV with an energy resolution of 0.35–1 eV. Particular attention was paid to enabling two-color measurements by a combination of two types of analyzer crystals and two two-dimensional detectors. The performance of the spectrometer is demonstrated by elastic-line and emission-line measurements on various compounds.

The performance of the recently commissioned spectrometer PEAXIS for resonant inelastic soft X-ray scattering (RIXS) and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and its hosting beamline U41-PEAXIS at the BESSY II synchrotron are characterized. The beamline provides linearly polarized light from 180 eV to 1600 eV allowing for RIXS measurements in the range 200–1200 eV. The monochromator optics can be operated in different configurations to provide either high flux with up to 1012 photons s−1 within the focal spot at the sample or high energy resolution with a full width at half maximum of <40 meV at an incident photon energy of ∼400 eV. The measured total energy resolution of the RIXS spectrometer is in very good agreement with theoretically predicted values obtained by ray-tracing simulations. PEAXIS features a 5 m-long RIXS spectrometer arm that can be continuously rotated about the sample position by 106° within the horizontal photon scattering plane, thus enabling the study of momentum-transfer-dependent excitations. Selected scientific examples are presented to demonstrate the instrument capabilities, including measurements of excitations in single-crystalline NiO and in liquid acetone employing a fluid cell sample manipulator. Planned upgrades of the beamline and the RIXS spectrometer to further increase the energy resolution to ∼100 meV at 1000 eV incident photon energy are discussed.

A simple two-spindle based lathe system for the preparation of cylindrical samples intended for X-ray tomography is presented. The setup can operate at room temperature as well as under cryogenic conditions, allowing the preparation of samples down to 20 and 50 µm in diameter, respectively, within minutes. Case studies are presented involving the preparation of a brittle biomineral brachiopod shell and cryogenically fixed soft brain tissue, and their examination by means of ptychographic X-ray computed tomography reveals the preparation method to be mainly free from causing artefacts. Since this lathe system easily yields near-cylindrical samples ideal for tomography, a usage for a wide variety of otherwise challenging specimens is anticipated, in addition to potential use as a time- and cost-saving tool prior to focused ion-beam milling. Fast sample preparation becomes especially important in relation to shorter measurement times expected in next-generation synchrotron sources.

The crystal structure of the c-type cytochrome NirC from Pseudomonas aeruginosa has been determined and reveals the simultaneous presence of monomers and 3D domain-swapped dimers in the same asymmetric unit.

In the title compound, C19H13IO2, the dihedral angle between the naphthyl ring system and the pendant iodo­phenyl ring is 72.48 (11)°. In the crystal, C—H⋯π inter­actions and I⋯O [3.293 (2) Å] halogen bonds are observed, which combine to generate a herringbone packing motif.

In the title compound, C16H19N3O2Si, the dihedral angle between the coumarin ring system (r.m.s. deviation = 0.031 Å) and the triazole ring is 73.81 (8)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into [010] chains by weak C—H⋯O inter­actions.

The title compound, C11H8O5·(CH3)2SO, is a new coumarin derivative. The asymmetric unit contains two coumarin mol­ecules (A and B) and two di­methyl­sulfoxide solvent mol­ecules (A and B). The dihedral angle between the pyran and benzene rings in the chromene moiety is 3.56 (2)° for mol­ecule A and 1.83 (2)° for mol­ecule B. In mol­ecule A, the dimethyl sulfoxide sulfur atom is disordered over two positions with a refined occupancy ratio of 0.782 (5):0.218 (5). In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming chains running along the c-axis direction. The chains are linked by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming layers parallel to the ac plane. In addition, there are also C—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions present within the layers. The inter­molecular contacts in the crystal have been analysed using Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots, which indicate that the most important contributions to the packing are from H⋯H (33.9%) and O⋯H/H⋯O (41.2%) contacts.

The title compounds, 8-amino-6-methyl-3,4-diphenyl-1H-isochromen-1-one, C22H17NO2, (I), and 8-amino-3,4-diethyl-6-methyl-1H-isochromen-1-one, C14H17NO2, (II), are new isocoumarin derivatives in which the isochromene ring systems are planar. Compound II crystallizes with two independent mol­ecules (A and B) in the asymmetric unit. In I, the two phenyl rings are inclined to each other by 56.41 (7)° and to the mean plane of the 1H-isochromene ring system by 67.64 (6) and 44.92 (6)°. In both compounds, there is an intra­molecular N—H⋯O hydrogen bond present forming an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal of I, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯π inter­actions, forming chains along the b-axis direction. A C—H⋯π inter­action links the chains to form layers parallel to (100). The layers are then linked by a second C—H⋯π inter­action, forming a three-dimensional structure. In the crystal of II, the two independent mol­ecules (A and B) are linked by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming –A–B–A–B– chains along the [101] direction. The chains are linked into ribbons by C—H⋯π inter­actions involving inversion-related A mol­ecules. The latter are linked by offset π–π inter­actions [inter­centroid distances vary from 3.506 (1) to 3.870 (2) Å], forming a three-dimensional structure.

The crystal structures of the disordered hemi-DMSO solvate of (E)-2-oxo-N'-(3,4,5-tri­meth­oxy­benzyl­idene)-2H-chromene-3-carbohydrazide, C20H18N2O6·0.5C2H6OS, and (E)-N'-benzyl­idene-2-oxo-2H-chromene-3-carbohydrazide, C17H12N2O3 (4: R = C6H5), are discussed. The non-hydrogen atoms in compound [4: R = (3,4,5-MeO)3C6H2)] exhibit a distinct curvature, while those in compound, (4: R = C6H5), are essential coplanar. In (4: R = C6H5), C—H⋯O and π–π intra­molecular inter­actions combine to form a three-dimensional array. A three-dimensional array is also found for the hemi-DMSO solvate of [4: R = (3,4,5-MeO)3C6H2], in which the mol­ecules of coumarin are linked by C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π inter­actions, and form tubes into which the DMSO mol­ecules are cocooned. Hirshfeld surface analyses of both compounds are reported, as are the lattice energy and inter­molecular inter­action energy calculations of compound (4: R = C6H5).

The title compounds, 6-(naphthalen-1-yl)-6a-nitro-6,6a,6 b,7,9,11a-hexa­hydro­spiro­[chromeno[3',4':3,4]pyrrolo­[1,2-c]thia­zole-11,11'-indeno­[1,2-b]quinoxaline], C37H26N4O3S, (I), and 6'-(naphthalen-1-yl)-6a'-nitro-6',6a',6b',7',8',9',10',12a'-octa­hydro-2H-spiro­[ace­naphthyl­ene-1,12'-chromeno[3,4-a]indolizin]-2-one, C36H28N2O4, (II), are new spiro derivatives, in which both the pyrrolidine rings adopt twisted conformations. In (I), the five-membered thia­zole ring adopts an envelope conformation, while the eight-membered pyrrolidine-thia­zole ring adopts a boat conformation. An intra­molecular C—H⋯N hydrogen bond occurs, involving a C atom of the pyran ring and an N atom of the pyrazine ring. In (II), the six-membered piperidine ring adopts a chair conformation. An intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond occurs, involving a C atom of the pyrrolidine ring and the keto O atom. For both compounds, the crystal structure is stabilized by inter­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. In (I), the C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link adjacent mol­ecules, forming R22(16) loops propagating along the b-axis direction, while in (II) they form zigzag chains along the b-axis direction. In both compounds, C—H⋯π inter­actions help to consolidate the structure, but no significant π–π inter­actions with centroid–centroid distances of less than 4 Å are observed.

In the title compounds, C16H9Cl2N2O2·C4H8O2 and C16H9Cl2N2O2, the bicyclic 4H-chromene cores are nearly planar with maximum deviations of 0.081 (2) and 0.087 (2) Å. In both structures, the chromene derivative mol­ecules are linked into centrosymmetric dimers by pairs of N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming R22(16) motifs. These dimers are further linked in the 3,4-di­chloro­phenyl derivative by N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds into double layers parallel to (100) and in the 2,6-di­chloro­phenyl derivative by O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds into ribbons along the [1overline{1}0] direction. In the 3,4-di­chloro­phenyl derivative, the 1,4-dioxane solvent mol­ecules are connected to the chromene mol­ecules via O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

Two thio­chromene com­pounds containing Br and F atoms, namely 2-(2-bromo-5-fluoro­phen­yl)-8-eth­oxy-3-nitro-2H-thio­chromene (C17H13BrFNO3S, A) and 2-(2-bromo-5-fluoro­phen­yl)-7-meth­oxy-3-nitro-2H-thio­chromene (C16H11BrFNO3S, B), were prepared via the condensation reaction between 2-mer­capto­benzaldehyde and nitro­styrene derivatives. In both com­pounds, the thio­chromene plane is almost perpendicular to the phenyl ring. In the structure of A, mol­ecules are assembled via π–π stacking and C—H⋯O and C—F⋯π inter­actions. In the crystal packing of B, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯F, C—H⋯O, C—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions.

In the paper by Gomes et al. [Acta Cryst. (2019), E75, 1403–1410], there was an error and omission in the author and affiliation list.

A new polymorphic form of the title compound, C12H10O4, is described in the ortho­rhom­bic space group Pbca and Z = 8, as compared to polymorph I, which crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c and Z = 8 [Li et al. (2012). Chin. J. Struct. Chem. 31, 1003–1007.]. In polymorph II, the coumarin ring system is almost planar (r.m.s. deviation = 0.00129 Å). In the crystal, mol­ecules are connected by Csp3—H⋯O and Car—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming mol­ecular sheets linked into zigzag shaped layers along the b-axis direction. The three-dimensional lattice is assembled through stacking of the zigzag layers by π–π inter­actions with a centroid-to-centroid distance of 3.600 (9) Å and anti­parallel C=O⋯C=O inter­actions with a distance of 3.1986 (17) Å, which give rise to a helical supra­molecular architecture.

Protein-engineering methods have been exploited to produce a surrogate system for the extracellular neurotransmitter-binding site of a heteromeric human ligand-gated ion channel, the glycine receptor. This approach circumvents two major issues: the inherent experimental difficulties in working with a membrane-bound ion channel and the complication that a heteromeric assembly is necessary to create a key, physiologically relevant binding site. Residues that form the orthosteric site in a highly stable ortholog, acetylcholine-binding protein, were selected for substitution. Recombinant proteins were prepared and characterized in stepwise fashion exploiting a range of biophysical techniques, including X-ray crystallography, married to the use of selected chemical probes. The decision making and development of the surrogate, which is termed a glycine-binding protein, are described, and comparisons are provided with wild-type and homomeric systems that establish features of molecular recognition in the binding site and the confidence that the system is suited for use in early-stage drug discovery targeting a heteromeric α/β glycine receptor.

Monoheme c-type cytochromes are important electron transporters in all domains of life. They possess a common fold hallmarked by three α-helices that surround a covalently attached heme. An intriguing feature of many monoheme c-type cytochromes is their capacity to form oligomers by exchanging at least one of their α-helices, which is often referred to as 3D domain swapping. Here, the crystal structure of NirC, a c-type cytochrome co-encoded with other proteins involved in nitrite reduction by the opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa, has been determined. The crystals diffracted anisotropically to a maximum resolution of 2.12 Å (spherical resolution of 2.83 Å) and initial phases were obtained by Fe-SAD phasing, revealing the presence of 11 NirC chains in the asymmetric unit. Surprisingly, these protomers arrange into one monomer and two different types of 3D domain-swapped dimers, one of which shows pronounced asymmetry. While the simultaneous observation of monomers and dimers probably reflects the interplay between the high protein concentration required for crystallization and the structural plasticity of monoheme c-type cytochromes, the identification of conserved structural motifs in the monomer together with a comparison with similar proteins may offer new leads to unravel the unknown function of NirC.

Inelastic X-ray scattering is a powerful and versatile technique for studying lattice dynamics in materials of scientific and technological importance. In this article, the design and capabilities of the momentum-resolved high-energy-resolution inelastic X-ray spectrometer (HERIX) at beamline 30-ID of the Advanced Photon Source are reported. The instrument operates at 23.724 keV and has an energy resolution of 1.3–1.7 meV. It can accommodate momentum transfers of up to 72  nm−1, at a typical X-ray flux of 4.5 × 109 photons s−1 meV−1 at the sample. A suite of in situ sample environments are provided, including high pressure, static magnetic fields and uniaxial strains, all at high or cryogenic temperatures.

The design and first results of a large-solid-angle X-ray emission spectrometer that is optimized for energies between 1.5 keV and 5.5 keV are presented. The spectrometer is based on an array of 11 cylindrically bent Johansson crystal analyzers arranged in a non-dispersive Rowland circle geometry. The smallest achievable energy bandwidth is smaller than the core hole lifetime broadening of the absorption edges in this energy range. Energy scanning is achieved using an innovative design, maintaining the Rowland circle conditions for all crystals with only four motor motions. The entire spectrometer is encased in a high-vacuum chamber that allocates a liquid helium cryostat and provides sufficient space for in situ cells and operando catalysis reactors.

The optical design of a Hettrick–Underwood-style soft X-ray spectrometer with Wolter type 1 mirrors is presented. The spectrometer with a nominal length of 3.1 m can achieve a high resolving power (resolving power higher than 10000) in the soft X-ray regime when a small source beam (<3 µm in the grating dispersion direction) and small pixel detector (5 µm effective pixel size) are used. Adding Wolter mirrors to the spectrometer before its dispersive elements can realize the spatial imaging capability, which finds applications in the spectroscopic studies of spatially dependent electronic structures in tandem catalysts, heterostructures, etc. In the pump–probe experiments where the pump beam perturbs the materials followed by the time-delayed probe beam to reveal the transient evolution of electronic structures, the imaging capability of the Wolter mirrors can offer the pixel-equivalent femtosecond time delay between the pump and probe beams when their wavefronts are not collinear. In combination with some special sample handing systems, such as liquid jets and droplets, the imaging capability can also be used to study the time-dependent electronic structure of chemical transformation spanning multiple time domains from microseconds to nanoseconds. The proposed Wolter mirrors can also be adopted to the existing soft X-ray spectrometers that use the Hettrick–Underwood optical scheme, expanding their capabilities in materials research.

The unique diagnostic possibilities of X-ray diffraction, small X-ray scattering and phase-contrast imaging techniques applied with high-intensity coherent X-ray synchrotron and X-ray free-electron laser radiation can only be fully realized if a sufficient dynamic range and/or spatial resolution of the detector is available. In this work, it is demonstrated that the use of lithium fluoride (LiF) as a photoluminescence (PL) imaging detector allows measuring of an X-ray diffraction image with a dynamic range of ∼107 within the sub-micrometre spatial resolution. At the PETRA III facility, the diffraction pattern created behind a circular aperture with a diameter of 5 µm irradiated by a beam with a photon energy of 500 eV was recorded on a LiF crystal. In the diffraction pattern, the accumulated dose was varied from 1.7 × 105 J cm−3 in the central maximum to 2 × 10−2 J cm−3 in the 16th maximum of diffraction fringes. The period of the last fringe was measured with 0.8 µm width. The PL response of the LiF crystal being used as a detector on the irradiation dose of 500 eV photons was evaluated. For the particular model of laser-scanning confocal microscope Carl Zeiss LSM700, used for the readout of the PL signal, the calibration dependencies on the intensity of photopumping (excitation) radiation (λ = 488 nm) and the gain have been obtained.

Eleven bats remain in the National Zoo’s colony. The initial challenge the team faced was how to feed the animals. Virginia big-eared bats, which are a subspecies of the Townsend’s big-eared bat (Corynorhinuss townsendii), eat while flying.

The post Captive colony of Virginia big-eared bats providing valuable lessons in battle against deadly white-nose syndrome appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Recent work has added dozens of new measurements to star-forming regions in the Milky Way. These measurements have changed the map of the Milky Way, indicating our galaxy has four spiral arms, not two, as previously thought.

The post Very Large Baseline Array telescope is helping Smithsonian astronomers remap Milky Way and Andromeda galaxies appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

The post Samuel P. Langley, Secretary of the Smithsonian, and his development of the ill-fated Aerodrome A appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Power App is a Google Chrome extension that has a description of "This extension configures your Default Search to Power App (searchpowerapp.com)".

This article was published first at Remove the Power App Chrome Extension

Flash App+ is a Google Chrome extension that has a description of "This extension configures your Default Search to Flash App+ (searchpowerapp.com)".

This article was published first at Remove the Flash App+ Chrome Extension

Wisip is a Google Chrome extension that has a description of "This extension configures your Default Search to Smash Search (srchus.xyz)".

This article was published first at Remove the Wisip Chrome Extension

Botanists Gerhard Zotz of the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute and Stefan Wester of the University of Oldenburg in Germany decided to take a closer look at these high-wire bromeliads. They were interested to find out how the growth and survival rates of these plants on electrical cables compared to the growth and survival of plants of the same species growing in trees--their natural environment.

The post Study reveals hazards of the high-wire life for bromeliads appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.