The synthesis and crystal structure of the title compound, C30H29NO, are described. This compound is a member of the chiral di­hydro­iso­quinoline-derived family, used as building blocks for functional materials and as source of chirality in asymmetric synthesis, and was isolated as one of two diastereomeric β-amino alcohols, the title mol­ecule being found to be the (S,R) diastereoisomer. In the crystal, mol­ecules are packed in a herringbone manner parallel to (103) and (10overline{3}) via weak C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π(ring) inter­actions. Hirshfeld surface analysis showed that the surface contacts are predominantly H⋯H inter­actions (ca 75%). The crystal studied was refined as a two-component inversion twin.

The PtII atom in the title complex, [Pt(C15H18N4O4S)(C2H6OS)], exists within a square-planar NS2O donor set provided by the N, S, O atoms of the di-anionic tridentate thio­semicarbazo ligand and a dimethyl sulfoxide S atom. The two chelate rings are coplanar, subtending a dihedral angle of 1.51 (7)°. The maximum deviation from an ideal square-planar geometry is seen in the five-membered chelate ring with an S—Pt—S bite angle of 96.45 (2)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked via N—H⋯O, C—H⋯O, C—H⋯N and C—H⋯π inter­actions into two-dimensional networks lying parallel to the ab plane. The conformations of related cyclo­hexyl­hydrazine-1-carbo­thio­amide ligands are compared to that of the title compound.

The title compound, [Fe(CF3SO3)2(C4H8O)4], is octa­hedral with two tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate ligands in trans positions and four tetra­hydro­furane mol­ecules in the equatorial plane. By the conformation of the ligands the complex is chiral in the crystal packing. The compound crystallizes in the Sohncke space group P212121 and is enanti­omerically pure. The packing of the mol­ecules is determined by weak C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The crystal studied was refined as a two-component inversion twin.

Two novel crystal forms of bis­(oxonium) ethane-1,2-di­sulfonate, 2H3O−·C2H4O6S22−, are reported. Polymorph II has monoclinic (P21/n) symmetry, while the symmetry of form III is triclinic (Poverline{1}). Both structures display extensive networks of O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. While this network in Form II is similar to that observed for the previously reported Form I [Mootz & Wunderlich (1970). Acta Cryst. B26, 1820–1825; Sartori et al. (1994). Z. Naturforsch. 49, 1467–1472] and extends in all directions, in Form III it differs significantly, forming layers parallel to the ab plane. The sulfonate mol­ecule in all three forms adopts a nearly identical geometry. The other observed differences between the forms, apart from the hydrogen-bonding network, are observed in the crystal density and packing index.

In the title com­plex, [Cu(C18H12F6N2O4)]·0.5C6H6O2, the CuII ion has a square-planar coordination geometry, being ligated by two N and two O atoms of the tetra­dentate open-chain Schiff base ligand 6,6'-{(1E,1'E)-[ethane-1,2-diylbis(aza­nylyl­idene)]bis­(methanylyl­idene)}bis­[2-(tri­fluoro­meth­oxy)phenol]. The crystal packing is stabilized by intra­molecular O—H⋯O and inter­molecular C—H⋯F, C—H⋯O and C—H⋯π hydrogen bonds. In addition, weak π–π inter­actions form a three-dimensional structure. Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots were performed and created to analyze the inter­molecular inter­actions present in the crystal, indicating that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from F⋯H/H⋯F (25.7%), H⋯H (23.5%) and C⋯H/H⋯C (12.6%) inter­actions.

The mononuclear title complex, [Eu(C24H34O4P)3(CH4O)5]·CH4O, (1), has been obtained as a minor product in the reaction between EuCl3(H2O)6 and lithium bis­(2,6-diiso­propyl­phen­yl) phosphate in a 1:3 molar ratio in a methanol medium. Its structure exhibits monoclinic (P21/c) symmetry at 120 K and is isostructural with the La, Ce and Nd analogs reported previously [Minyaev et al. (2018a). Acta Cryst. C74, 590–598]. In (1), all three bis­(2,6-diiso­propyl­phen­yl) phosphate ligands display the terminal κ1O-coordination mode. All of the hy­droxy H atoms are involved in O—H⋯O hydrogen bonding, exhibiting four intra­molecular and two inter­molecular hydrogen bonds. Photophysical studies have demonstrated luminescence of (1) with a low quantum yield.

In the title hydrated hybrid compound C14H14N2OS2·H2O, the planar imidazo[1,2-a]pyridine ring system is linked to the 1,3-di­thiol­ane moiety by an enone bridge. The atoms of the C—C bond in the 1,3-di­thiol­ane ring are disordered over two positions with occupancies of 0.579 (14) and 0.421 (14) and both disordered rings adopt a half-chair conformation. The oxygen atom of the enone bridge is involved in a weak intra­molecular C—H⋯O hydrogen bond, which generates an S(6) graph-set motif. In the crystal, the hybrid mol­ecules are associated in R22(14) dimeric units by weak C—H⋯O inter­actions. O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the water mol­ecules, forming infinite self-assembled chains along the b-axis direction to which the dimers are connected via O—H⋯N hydrogen bonding. Analysis of inter­molecular contacts using Hirshfeld surface analysis and contact enrichment ratio descriptors indicate that hydrogen bonds induced by water mol­ecules are the main driving force in the crystal packing formation.

The mol­ecular structure of the title bis-pyridyl substituted di­amide hydrate, C14H14N4O2·H2O, features a central C2N2O2 residue (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0205 Å) linked at each end to 3-pyridyl rings through methyl­ene groups. The pyridyl rings lie to the same side of the plane, i.e. have a syn-periplanar relationship, and form dihedral angles of 59.71 (6) and 68.42 (6)° with the central plane. An almost orthogonal relationship between the pyridyl rings is indicated by the dihedral angle between them [87.86 (5)°]. Owing to an anti disposition between the carbonyl-O atoms in the core, two intra­molecular amide-N—H⋯O(carbon­yl) hydrogen bonds are formed, each closing an S(5) loop. Supra­molecular tapes are formed in the crystal via amide-N—H⋯O(carbon­yl) hydrogen bonds and ten-membered {⋯HNC2O}2 synthons. Two symmetry-related tapes are linked by a helical chain of hydrogen-bonded water mol­ecules via water-O—H⋯N(pyrid­yl) hydrogen bonds. The resulting aggregate is parallel to the b-axis direction. Links between these, via methyl­ene-C—H⋯O(water) and methyl­ene-C—H⋯π(pyrid­yl) inter­actions, give rise to a layer parallel to (10overline{1}); the layers stack without directional inter­actions between them. The analysis of the Hirshfeld surfaces point to the importance of the specified hydrogen-bonding inter­actions, and to the significant influence of the water mol­ecule of crystallization upon the mol­ecular packing. The analysis also indicates the contribution of methyl­ene-C—H⋯O(carbon­yl) and pyridyl-C—H⋯C(carbon­yl) contacts to the stability of the inter-layer region. The calculated inter­action energies are consistent with importance of significant electrostatic attractions in the crystal.

The solvated title salt, [Ir(C9H7N2)2(C8H6N2)]PF6·CH2Cl2, was obtained from the reaction between 1,8-naphthyridine (NAP) and an orthometalated iridium(III) precursor containing a 1-phenyl­pyrazole (ppz) ligand. The asymmetric unit comprises one [Ir(ppz)2(NAP)]+ cation, one PF6− counter-ion and one CH2Cl2 solvent mol­ecule. The central IrIII atom of the [Ir(ppz)2(NAP)]+ cation is distorted-octa­hedrally coordinated by four N atoms and two C atoms, whereby two N atoms stem from the NAP ligand while the ppz ligands ligate through one N and one C atom each. In the crystal, the [Ir(ppz)2(NAP)]+ cations and PF6− counter-ions are connected with each other through weak inter­molecular C—H⋯F hydrogen bonds. Together with an additional C—H⋯F inter­action involving the solvent mol­ecule, a three-dimensional network structure is formed.

The crystal and mol­ecular structures of the title 1:2 co-crystal, C14H14N4O2·2C7H6O2, are described. The oxalamide mol­ecule has a (+)-anti­periplanar conformation with the 4-pyridyl residues lying to either side of the central, almost planar C2N2O2 chromophore (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0555 Å). The benzoic acid mol­ecules have equivalent, close to planar conformations [C6/CO2 dihedral angle = 6.33 (14) and 3.43 (10)°]. The formation of hy­droxy-O—H⋯N(pyrid­yl) hydrogen bonds between the benzoic acid mol­ecules and the pyridyl residues of the di­amide leads to a three-mol­ecule aggregate. Centrosymmetrically related aggregates assemble into a six-mol­ecule aggregate via amide-N—H⋯O(amide) hydrogen bonds through a 10-membered {⋯HNC2O}2 synthon. These are linked into a supra­molecular tape via amide-N—H⋯O(carbon­yl) hydrogen bonds and 22-membered {⋯HOCO⋯NC4NH}2 synthons. The contacts between tapes to consolidate the three-dimensional architecture are of the type methyl­ene-C—H⋯O(amide) and pyridyl-C—H⋯O(carbon­yl). These inter­actions are largely electrostatic in nature. Additional non-covalent contacts are identified from an analysis of the calculated Hirshfeld surfaces.

Recrystallization of (E)-5-phenyl-1-(pyridin-2-yl)pent-2-en-4-yn-1-one at room temperature from ethyl­ene glycol in daylight afforded [3,4-bis­(phenyl­ethyn­yl)cyclo­butane-1,2-di­yl)bis­(pyridin-2-yl­methanone], C32H22N2O2 (3), while (E)-5-(4-methyl­phen­yl)-1-(pyridin-2-yl)pent-2-en-4-yn-1-one, C17H13NO (2), remained photoinert. This is the first experimental evidence that pentenynones can be photoreactive when fixed in nearly coplanar parallel positions. During the photoreaction, the bond lengths and angles along the pentenyne chain changed significantly, while the disposition of the pyridyl ring towards the keto group was almost unchanged. The cyclo­butane ring adopts an rctt conformation.

The title hydrazine carbodi­thio­ate, C13H18N2OS2, is constructed about a central and almost planar C2N2S2 chromophore (r.m.s. deviation = 0.0263 Å); the terminal meth­oxy­benzene group is close to coplanar with this plane [dihedral angle = 3.92 (11)°]. The n-butyl group has an extended all-trans conformation [torsion angles S—Cm—Cm—Cm = −173.2 (3)° and Cm—Cm—Cm—Cme = 180.0 (4)°; m = methyl­ene and me = meth­yl]. The most prominent feature of the mol­ecular packing is the formation of centrosymmetric eight-membered {⋯HNCS}2 synthons, as a result of thio­amide-N—H⋯S(thio­amide) hydrogen bonds; these are linked via meth­oxy-C–H⋯π(meth­oxy­benzene) inter­actions to form a linear supra­molecular chain propagating along the a-axis direction. An analysis of the calculated Hirshfeld surfaces and two-dimensional fingerprint plots point to the significance of H⋯H (58.4%), S⋯H/H⋯S (17.1%), C⋯H/H⋯C (8.2%) and O⋯H/H⋯O (4.9%) contacts in the packing. The energies of the most significant inter­actions, i.e. the N—H⋯S and C—H⋯π inter­actions have their most significant contributions from electrostatic and dispersive components, respectively. The energies of two other identified close contacts at close to van der Waals distances, i.e. a thione–sulfur and meth­oxy­benzene–hydrogen contact (occurring within the chains along the a axis) and between methyl­ene-H atoms (occurring between chains to consolidate the three-dimensional architecture), are largely dispersive in nature.

The asymmetric unit of the title 1:2 co-crystal, C14H14N4O2·2C7H5ClO2, comprises two half mol­ecules of oxalamide (4LH2), as each is disposed about a centre of inversion, and two mol­ecules of 4-chloro­benzoic acid (CBA), each in general positions. Each 4LH2 mol­ecule has a (+)anti­periplanar conformation with the pyridin-4-yl residues lying to either side of the central, planar C2N2O2 chromophore with the dihedral angles between the respective central core and the pyridyl rings being 68.65 (3) and 86.25 (3)°, respectively, representing the major difference between the independent 4LH2 mol­ecules. The anti conformation of the carbonyl groups enables the formation of intra­molecular amide-N—H⋯O(amide) hydrogen bonds, each completing an S(5) loop. The two independent CBA mol­ecules are similar and exhibit C6/CO2 dihedral angles of 8.06 (10) and 17.24 (8)°, indicating twisted conformations. In the crystal, two independent, three-mol­ecule aggregates are formed via carb­oxy­lic acid-O—H⋯N(pyrid­yl) hydrogen bonding. These are connected into a supra­molecular tape propagating parallel to [100] through amide-N—H⋯O(amide) hydrogen bonding between the independent aggregates and ten-membered {⋯HNC2O}2 synthons. The tapes assemble into a three-dimensional architecture through pyridyl- and methyl­ene-C—H⋯O(carbon­yl) and CBA-C—H⋯O(amide) inter­actions. As revealed by a more detailed analysis of the mol­ecular packing by calculating the Hirshfeld surfaces and computational chemistry, are the presence of attractive and dispersive Cl⋯C=O inter­actions which provide inter­action energies approximately one-quarter of those provided by the amide-N—H⋯O(amide) hydrogen bonding sustaining the supra­molecular tape.

The unit cell of the title compound, [Zn(C17H18N3O4)2]·CH4O·C2H6O, contains two complex mol­ecules related by an inversion centre, plus one methanol and one ethanol solvent molecule per complex molecule. In each complex, two deprotonated pyridine aroylhydrazone ligands {3,4,5-trimeth­oxy-N'-[1-(pyridin-2-yl)ethyl­idene]benzohydrazide} coordinate to the ZnII ion through the N atoms of the pyridine group and the ketamine, and, additionally, through the O atom of the enolate group. In the crystal, dimers are formed by π–π inter­actions between the planar ligand moieties, which are further connected by C⋯O and C⋯C inter­actions. The inter­molecular inter­actions were investigated using Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots, revealing that the most important contributions for the crystal packing are from H⋯H (44.8%), H⋯C/C⋯H (22.2%), H⋯O/O⋯H (18.7%) and C⋯C (3.9%) inter­actions.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Fe(NCS)2(C12H9NO)2(CH4O)2], the FeII cations are octa­hedrally coordinated by two N atoms of 4-benzoyl­pyridine ligands, two N atoms of two terminal iso­thio­cyanate anions and two methanol mol­ecules into discrete complexes that are located on centres of inversion. These complexes are linked via inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the methanol O—H H atoms and the carbonyl O atoms of the 4-benzoyl­pyridine ligands, forming layers parallel to (101). Powder X-ray diffraction proved that a pure sample was obtained but that this compound is unstable and transforms into an unknown crystalline phase within several weeks. However, the solvent mol­ecules can be removed by heating in a thermobalance, which for the aged sample as well as the title compound leads to the formation of a compound with the composition Fe(NCS)2(4-benzoyl­pyridine)2, which exhibits a powder pattern that is similar to that of Mn(NCS)2(4-benzoyl­pyridine)2.

The title compound, C20H36O2·CH3OH [systematic name: (3S)-4-[(S)-3-hy­droxy-3-methyl­pent-4-en-1-yl]-3,4a,8,8-tetra­methyl­deca­hydro­naphthalen-3-ol methanol monosolvate], is a methanol solvate of sclareol, a diterpene oil isolated from the medicinally important medicinal herb Salvia sclarea, commonly known as clary sage. It crystallizes in space group P1 (No. 1) with Z' = 2. The sclareol mol­ecule comprises two trans-fused cyclo­hexane rings, each having an equatorially oriented hydroxyl group, and a 3-methyl­pent-1-en-3-ol side chain. In the crystal, Os—H⋯Os, Os—H⋯Om, Om—H⋯Os and Om—H⋯Om (s = sclareol, m = methanol) hydrogen bonds connect neighboring mol­ecules into infinite [010] chains. The title compound exhibits weak anti-leishmanial activity (IC50 = 66.4 ± 1.0 µM ml−1) against standard miltefosine (IC50 = 25.8 ± 0.2 µM ml−1).

The title compound, C13H16ClNO, contains a methyl­piperidine ring in the stable chair conformation. The mean plane of the twisted piperidine ring subtends a dihedral angle of 39.89 (7)° with that of the benzene ring. In the crystal, weak C—H⋯O inter­actions link the mol­ecules along the a-axis direction to form infinite mol­ecular chains. H⋯H inter­atomic inter­actions, C—H⋯O inter­molecular inter­actions and weak dispersive forces stabilize mol­ecular packing and form a supra­molecular network, as established by Hirshfeld surface analysis.

In the title compound, C22H27NO, the piperidine ring adopts a chair conformation. The dihedral angles between the mean plane of the piperidine ring and the phenyl rings are 89.78 (7) and 48.30 (8)°. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked into chains along the b-axis direction by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The DFT/B3LYP/6–311 G(d,p) method was used to determine the HOMO–LUMO energy levels. The mol­ecular electrostatic potential surfaces were investigated by Hirshfeld surface analysis and two-dimensional fingerprint plots were used to analyse the inter­molecular inter­actions in the mol­ecule.

4-[(Morpholin-4-yl)carbothioyl]benzoic acid, C12H13NO3S, a novel phen­yl(morpholino)methane­thione derivative, crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/n. The morpholine ring adopts a chair conformation and the carb­oxy­lic acid group is bent out slightly from the benzene ring mean plane. The mol­ecular geometry of the carb­oxy­lic group is characterized by similar C—O bond lengths [1.266 (2) and 1.268 (2) Å] as the carboxyl­ate H atom is disordered over two positions. This mol­ecular arrangement leads to the formation of dimers through strong and centrosymmetric low barrier O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds between the carb­oxy­lic groups. In addition to these inter­molecular inter­actions, the crystal packing consists of two different mol­ecular sheets with an angle between their mean planes of 64.4 (2)°. The cohesion between the different layers is ensured by C—H⋯S and C—H⋯O inter­actions.

The sexa­dentate ligand 1,1,1-tris­[(salicyl­idene­amino)­meth­yl]ethane has been reported numerous times in its triply deprotonated form coordinated to transition metals and lanthanides, yet it has been rarely employed with main-group elements, including in substituted forms. Its structures with gallium and indium are reported as solvates, namely, ({[(2,2-bis­{[(2-oxido­benzyl­idene)amino-κ2N,O]meth­yl}prop­yl)imino]­meth­yl}phenololato-κ2N,O)gallium(III) pyridine monosolvate, [Ga(C26H24N3O3)]·C5H5N, the aceto­nitrile 0.75-solvate, [Ga(C26H24N3O3)]·0.75C2H3N, and ({[(2,2-bis­{[(2-oxido­benzyl­idene)amino-κ2N,O]meth­yl}prop­yl)imino]­meth­yl}phenololato-κ2N,O)indium(III) di­chloro­methane monosolvate, [In(C26H24N3O3)]·CH2Cl2. All three metal complexes are pseudo-octa­hedral and each structure contains multiple weak C—H⋯O and/or C—H⋯N inter­molecular hydrogen-bonding inter­actions. The syntheses and additional characterization in the forms of melting points, high-resolution mass spectra, infra-red (IR) spectra, and 1H and 13C NMR spectra are also reported.

The solid-state structure of bis­(1-mesityl-1H-imidazole-κN3)di­phenyl­boron tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate, C36H38BN4+·CF3SO3− or (Ph2B(MesIm)2OTf), is reported. Bis(1-mesityl-1H-imidazole-κN3)di­phenyl­boron (Ph2B(MesIm)2+) is a bulky ligand that crystallizes in the ortho­rhom­bic space group Pbcn. The asymmetric unit contains one Ph2B(MesIm)2+ cationic ligand and one tri­fluoro­methane­sulfonate anion that balances the positive charge of the ligand. The tetra­hedral geometry around the boron center is distorted as a result of the steric bulk of the phenyl groups. Weak inter­actions, such as π–π stacking are present in the crystal structure.

Insights were obtained into the structure of the 4-hydroxy-tetrahydrodipicolinate synthase from the thermoacidophilic methanotroph Methylacidiphilum fumariolicum SolV and the phylogeny of the aminotransferase pathway for the biosynthesis of lysine.

New measurements show that the Milky Way is bigger and more massive than previous data suggested, putting us on equal footing with our neighbor. Specifically, the Milky Way is 15 percent larger in size and contains 50 percent more mass. That is the cosmic equivalent of a 5-foot-5, 140-pound man suddenly bulking up to the size of a 6-foot-3, 210-pound NFL linebacker.

The post New research reveals our galaxy is much larger than we thought appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

While studying bats recently at the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia, Smithsonian mammalogist Kristofer Helgen discovered a new species of flying fox bat from […]

The post Smithsonian Scientist Discovers Two New Bat Species Hiding in Museum Collections for More Than 150 Years appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

A new Smithsonian study that examines 10 million years of the evolution of tiny coral-like organisms called cupuladriid bryzoans has revealed that some species of this organism lingered on earth for more than one million years after the event that ultimately caused their extinction: the rising of the Isthmus of Panama.

The post Fossils of tiny cupuladriid colonies reveal extinction can lag more than one million years after its cause appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New world megafauna such as mammoths, bison and camelids that were alive at the end of the Pleistocene epoch (some 13,000 years ago) would have produced massive amounts of methane-rich flatulence and belching, thanks to the cellulose-digesting microbes in their guts.

The post Killing of methane-producing megafauna may have caused cooling 13,000 years ago appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

But a new census of all dinosaur skeletons unearthed over a large area of Eastern Montana shows that Tyrannosaurus was too numerous to have subsisted solely on the dinosaurs it tracked and killed with its scythe-like teeth.

The post Tyrannosaurus rex more hyena than lion appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New observations by NASA's Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer, or WISE, show there are significantly fewer near-Earth asteroids in the mid-size range than previously thought.

The post Infrared survey reveals fewer near-Earth asteroids than previously thought appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Recent geologic mapping of the Medusae Fossae Formation on Mars—an intensely eroded deposit near the northern edge of the cratered highlands—has revealed a wider distribution of its western component than was previously recognized.

The post New mapping of Mars shows Medusae Fossae Formation older than once thought appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

New research by a team of astronomers found that planets smaller than Neptune are located around a wide variety of stars, including those with fewer heavy elements than the Sun.

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Unique among Earth’s creatures, turtles are the only animals to form a shell on the outside of their bodies through a fusion of modified ribs, […]

The post Discovery: Turtle shells appeared 40 million years earlier than previously believed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Microbes that live in rice paddies, northern peat bogs and other previously unexpected environments are among the bacteria that can generate highly toxic methylmercury, researchers […]

The post Toxic methylmercury-producing microbes more widespread than realized appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Millions of people across the United States will sit down Nov. 27 to a traditional Thanksgiving meal, including turkey, potatoes, squash, corn and cranberries. These […]

The post Where did your favorite Thanksgiving Day food originate? Anthropology has the answer appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Now here is something to ruminate on. About 85 percent of the methane produced by a cow comes out of its mouth as burps. The […]

The post Monitoring methane? Now there is a better way to measure appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Astronomers announced today that they have found the organic molecule methyl alcohol, or methanol, in the TW Hydrae protoplanetary disk. This is the first such […]

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In August astronomers announced that the nearby star Proxima Centauri hosts an Earth-sized planet (called Proxima b) in its habitable zone. At first glance, Proxima […]

The post Proxima Centauri Might Be More Sunlike Than We Thought appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Thanksgiving Menu, 1905 Smithsonian Snapshot celebrates the Thanksgiving season with this 1905 Thanksgiving menu by George Elbert Burr from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. In […]

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Washington, D.C. is a city of symbols. The rites, rituals, and places that define Washington capture the aspirations of our nation and its citizens. Just […]

The post Trusted Sources: Why Museums and Libraries Are More Relevant Than Ever appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Two separate teams of scientists have identified major challenges for the development of life in what has recently become one of the most famous exoplanet […]

The post There’s more to extraterrestrial life than planets in “habitable zone” orbits appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

“Probably no genus of birds in the American avifauna has received the amount of attention that has been bestowed upon the turkeys…there has been no […]

The post Happy Thanksgiving! Here are 25 fun turkey-related objects in Smithsonian collections! appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Marine mammologist Matthew Leslie aims his crossbow from the bow of a moving boat at the dolphins riding the breaking waves below. A dolphin will […]

The post Some dolphins cross the Pacific more easily than others. Why that matters for protecting them appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

In the early 20th century, Canada geese were considered endangered in the U.S. So in the 1950s and 1960s, birds from the Midwest were released […]

The post Study of bacteria inside guts of wild Canada geese shows greater danger than earlier studies exposed appeared first on Smithsonian Insider.

Victor J. F. Kitano, Yoko Ohyama, Chiyomi Hayashida, Junta Ito, Mari Okayasu, Takuya Sato, Toru Ogasawara, Maki Tsujita, Akemi Kakino, Jun Shimada, Tatsuya Sawamura, and Yoshiyuki Hakeda

Osteoporosis is associated with vessel diseases attributed to hyperlipidemia, and bone resorption by multinucleated osteoclasts is related to lipid metabolism. In this study, we generated low-density lipoprotein receptor (LDLR)/lectin-like oxidized LDL receptor-1 (LOX-1) double knockout (dKO) mice. We found that, like LDLR single KO (sKO), LDLR/LOX-1 dKO impaired cell-cell fusion of osteoclast-like cells (OCLs). LDLR/LOX-1 dKO and LDLR sKO preosteoclasts exhibited decreased uptake of LDL. The cell surface cholesterol levels of both LDLR/LOX-1 dKO and LDLR sKO osteoclasts were lower than the levels of wild-type OCLs. Additionally, the amount of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) on the cell surface was attenuated in LDLR/LOX-1 dKO and LDLR sKO pre-OCLs, while the PE distribution in wild-type OCLs was concentrated on the filopodia in contact with neighboring cells. Abrogation of the ATP binding cassette G1 (ABCG1) transporter, which transfers PE to the cell surface, caused decreased PE translocation to the cell surface and subsequent cell-cell fusion. The findings of this study indicate the involvement of a novel cascade (LDLR~ABCG1~PE translocation to cell surface~cell-cell fusion) in multinucleation of OCLs.

The geologic faults responsible for the rise of the eastern Andes mountains in Colombia became active 25 million years ago—18 million years before the previously accepted start date for the Andes’ rise.

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An interview with National Museum of the American Indian curator Paul Chaat Smith (Comanche).  From the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian exhibition “Americans.” The […]

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The state's online registration for Covered California has been up for a couple of weeks, and reaction has been mixed.

Steve Julian: Business analyst, Mark Lacter, what's your take on how well Californians are getting into the Affordable Care Act?

Mark Lacter: It's hard to get a good read, Steve, because it's hard to measure the success of what is really a new marketplace.  If you're basing it on the number of unique visitors coming to the Covered California website, well, then the program clearly has attracted lots of interest - they had almost a million visitors during the first week of eligibility.  But, maybe a better measure would be the number of people whose applications actually have been received by the insurance companies that are going to handle the claims.  If that's your measuring stick, then the numbers have been far smaller so far.  Now, it's worth pointing out that California - and particularly L.A. County - have a higher percentage of households without insurance than other parts of the nation, and so you'd expect there to be lots of interest.

Julian: So the question, then, is how many folks turn into actual policyholders paying actual premiums each month.

Lacter: The truth is nobody knows, which is why state officials want to sign up as many people as possible in the early going when the program is getting so much attention.  This is especially true for younger and healthier people who are needed to help offset the cost of caring for older and sicker people.

Julian: And, that's also why any computer glitch can be such a headache...

Lacter: That's right.  Covered California did run into problems in the early going, but everybody agrees that things are going much better than the federal website, which is the default site used by folks in states that don't have their own program to oversee the health care laws.  That federal site has been an utter disaster.  So, by comparison, California is ahead of the game.

Julian: It's a work in progress, even here.

Lacter: Very much so.  The California website still doesn't have a way for enrollees to find out which doctors and hospitals are included in each health plan.  And, that's a big deal because  insurance companies are limiting the options available as a way of keeping premiums low.  So, it's possible that the doctor you had been using for your individual insurance plan will not be on the list of doctors that can be used for one of the cheaper plans.  Of course, for someone who doesn't have any health coverage, none of that is likely to matter.

Julian: And then, there's the continued threat of a U.S. default...

Lacter: You know, Steve, this is like watching the beginning of a bad traffic accident in slow motion - and we're all pretty helpless to do anything about it.  And, so are the financial markets, which are moving back and forth not based on what's going on with the economy or with any industry, but on the latest press conference out of Washington.  One thing we do know is that if the nation does go into quote-unquote default - and we're not even sure what that might mean - but if Wall Street and somehow declares this a major crisis, it's going to be bad.

Julian: Who gets hit?

Lacter: It'll impact anyone who has a retirement account, any business wanting to borrow money, and potentially it's going to impact the budgeting of the state.  You know, one of the things we were reminded of during the Great Recession was how reliant California has been on higher-income individuals who make a lot of their money through the stock market and other investments.  So, when those folks do well - as they have been over the last year - the state coffers will do well.  And when they don't, as was the case in 2008 and 2009, the state takes a huge hit because there's not enough tax dollars coming in.  Gov. Brown and others have tried to lessen the reliance on those top tiers - so far without success.

Julian: And the state's budget situation is so much better than it was a year or two ago.

Lacter: That's the real pity.  And, even if the House and Senate reach a temporary agreement on the debt ceiling, it's just a matter of weeks or months before another deadline crops up - and more uncertainty for the financial markets.  I guess Chick Hearn would have called this nervous time.

Mark Lacter writes for Los Angeles Magazine and pens the business blog at LA Observed.com.

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

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