K Sivanesan, 47, and his colleague Rajkumar worked for a herbal medicine company and tested their treatment - a mix of nitric oxide and sodium nitrate - at a home in southern Chennai city.

Kings Of Leon, Rudimental and Little Mix headline the Liverpool festival in Sefton Park. Franz Ferdinand, Dizzee Rascal and Anne-Marie provide support. Fri-Sun

Mixed response to State Govt move on labour reforms

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.

Reaction of 2-(anthracen-9-yl)phenol (HOPhAn, 1) with divalent Yb[N(SiMe3)2]2·2THF in THF–toluene mixtures affords the mixed-valence YbII–YbIII dimer {[2-(anthracen-9-yl)phenolato-κO]bis­(tetra­hydro­furan)­ytterbium(III)}-tris­[μ-2-(anthracen-9-yl)phenolato]-κ4O:O;κO:1,2-η,κO-{[2-(anthracen-9-yl)phenolato-κO]ytterbium(II)} toluene tris­olvate, [Yb2(C20H13O)5(C4H8O)2]·3C7H7 or [YbIII(THF)2(OPhAn)](μ-OPhAn)3[YbII(OPhAn)]·3C7H7 (2), as the major product. It crystallized as a toluene tris­olvate. The Yb—O bond lengths in the crystal structure of this dimer clearly identify the YbII and YbIII centres. Inter­estingly, the formally four-coordinate YbII centre shows a close contact with one anthracene C—C bond of a bridging OPhAn ligand, bringing the formal coordination number to five.

A 1:1 epimeric mixture of 3-[(4-nitro­benzyl­idene)amino]-2(R,S)-(4-nitro­phen­yl)-5(S)-(propan-2-yl)imidazolidin-4-one, C19H19N5O5, was isolated from a reaction mixture of 2(S)-amino-3-methyl-1-oxo­butane­hydrazine and 4-nitro­benz­alde­hyde in ethanol. The product was derived from an initial reaction of 2(S)-amino-3-methyl-1-oxo­butane­hydrazine at its hydrazine group to provide a 4-nitro­benzyl­idene derivative, followed by a cyclization reaction with another mol­ecule of 4-nitro­benzaldehyde to form the chiral five-membered imidazolidin-4-one ring. The formation of the five-membered imidazolidin-4-one ring occurred with retention of the configuration at the 5-position, but with racemization at the 2-position. In the crystal, N—H⋯O(nitro) hydrogen bonds, weak C—H⋯O(carbon­yl) and C—H⋯O(nitro) hydrogen bonds, as well as C—H⋯π, N—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions, are present. These combine to generate a three-dimensional array. Hirshfeld surface analysis and PIXEL calculations are also reported.

A reaction of copper(II) carbonate and potassium 4-sulfo­benzoic acid in water acidified with hydro­chloric acid yielded two crystalline products. Tetra­aqua­bis­(4-carb­oxy­benzene­sulfonato)­copper(II) dihydrate, [Cu(O3SC6H4CO2H)2(H2O)4]·2H2O, (I), crystallizes in the triclinic space group Poverline{1} with the Cu2+ ions located on centers of inversion. Each copper ion is coordinated to four water mol­ecules in a square plane with two sulfonate O atoms in the apical positions of a Jahn–Teller-distorted octa­hedron. The carboxyl­ate group is protonated and not involved in coordination to the metal ions. The complexes pack so as to create a layered structure with alternating inorganic and organic domains. The packing is reinforced by several O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds involving coordinated and non-coordinated water mol­ecules, the carb­oxy­lic acid group and the sulfonate group. Hexa­aqua­copper(II) 4-carb­oxy­benzene­sulfonate, [Cu(H2O)6](O3SC6H4CO2H)2, (II), also crystallizes in the triclinic space group Poverline{1} with Jahn–Teller-distorted octa­hedral copper(II) aqua complexes on the centers of inversion. As in (I), the carboxyl­ate group on the anion is protonated and the structure consists of alternating layers of inorganic cations and organic anions linked by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. A reaction of silver nitrate and potassium 4-sulfo­benzoic acid in water also resulted in two distinct products that have been structurally characterized. An anhydrous silver potassium 4-carb­oxy­benzene­sulfonate salt, [Ag0.69K0.31](O3SC6H4CO2H), (III), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c. There are two independent metal sites, one fully occupied by silver ions and the other showing a 62% K+/38% Ag+ (fixed) ratio, refined in two slightly different positions. The coordination environments of the metal ions are composed primarily of sulfonate O atoms, with some participation by the non-protonated carboxyl­ate O atoms in the disordered site. As in the copper compounds, the cations and anions cleanly segregate into alternating layers. A hydrated mixed silver potassium 4-carb­oxy­benzene­sulfonate salt dihydrate, [Ag0.20K0.80](O3SC6H4CO2H)·2H2O, (IV), crystallizes in the monoclinic space group P21/c with the Ag+ and K+ ions sharing one unique metal site coordinated by two water mol­ecules and six sulfonate O atoms. The packing in (IV) follows the dominant motif of alternating inorganic and organic layers. The protonated carboxyl­ate groups do not inter­act with the cations directly, but do participate in hydrogen bonds with the coordinated water mol­ecules. (IV) is isostructural with pure potassium 4-sulfo­benzoic acid dihydrate.

The complete mol­ecule of the binuclear title complex, bis­[μ-1H-1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thione-κ2S:S]bis­{(thio­cyanato-κS)[1H-1,2,4-triazole-5(4H)-thione-κS]silver(I)}, [Ag2(SCN)2(C2H3N3S)4], is generated by crystallographic inversion symmetry. The independent triazole-3-thione ligands employ the exocyclic-S atoms exclusively in coordination. One acts as a terminal S-ligand and the other in a bidentate (μ2) bridging mode to provide a link between two AgI centres. Each AgI atom is also coordinated by a terminal S-bound thio­cyanate ligand, resulting in a distorted AgS4 tetra­hedral coordination geometry. An intra­molecular N—H⋯S(thio­cyanate) hydrogen bond is noted. In the crystal, amine-N—H⋯S(thione), N—H⋯N(triazol­yl) and N—H⋯N(thio­cyanate) hydrogen bonds give rise to a three-dimensional architecture. The packing is consolidated by triazolyl-C—H⋯S(thio­cyanate), triazolyl-C—H⋯N(thiocyanate) and S⋯S [3.2463 (9) Å] inter­actions as well as face-to-face π–π stacking between the independent triazolyl rings [inter-centroid separation = 3.4444 (15) Å]. An analysis of the calculated Hirshfeld surfaces shows the three major contributors are due to N⋯H/H⋯N, S⋯H/H⋯S and C⋯H/H⋯C contacts, at 35.8, 19.4 and 12.7%, respectively; H⋯H contacts contribute only 7.6% to the overall surface.

The equimolar reaction between a racemic mixture of (R)- and (S)-camphorquinone with thio­semicarbazide yielded the title compound, C11H17N3OS [common name: (R)- and (S)-camphor thio­semicarbazone], which maintains the chirality of the methyl­ated chiral carbon atoms and crystallizes in the centrosymmetric space group C2/c. There are two mol­ecules in general positions in the asymmetric unit, one of them being the (1R)-camphor thio­semicarbazone isomer and the second the (1S)- isomer. In the crystal, the mol­ecular units are linked by C—H⋯S, N—H⋯O and N—H⋯S inter­actions, building a tape-like structure parallel to the (overline{1}01) plane, generating R21(7) and R22(8) graph-set motifs for the H⋯S inter­actions. The Hirshfeld surface analysis indicates that the major contributions for crystal cohesion are from H⋯H (55.00%), H⋯S (22.00%), H⋯N (8.90%) and H⋯O (8.40%) inter­actions.

A mixed alkaline-earth powellite, Ca0.84Sr0.16MoO4 (calcium strontium molybdate), was synthesized by a flux method and its crystal structure was solved using single-crystal X-ray diffraction (SC-XRD) data. The compound crystallized in the I41/a space group as with a typical CaMoO4 powellite, but with larger unit-cell parameters and unit-cell volume as a result of the partial incorporation of larger Sr cations into the Ca sites within the crystal. The unit cell and volume were well fitted with the trendline calculated from literature values, and the powder X-ray diffraction (P-XRD) pattern of the ground crystal is in good agreement with the calculated pattern from the solved structure.

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.

A one-dimensional nickel(II) coordination polymer with the mixed ligands 6-fluoro­nicotinate (6-Fnic) and 4,4'-bi­pyridine (4,4'-bpy), namely, catena-poly[[di­aqua­bis­(6-fluoro­pyridine-3-carboxyl­ato-κO)nickel(II)]-μ-4,4'-bi­pyri­dine-κ2N:N'] trihydrate], {[Ni(6-Fnic)2(4,4'-bpy)(H2O)2]·3H2O}n, (1), was prepared by the reaction of nickel(II) sulfate hepta­hydrate, 6-fluoro­nicotinic acid (C6H4FNO2) and 4,4'-bi­pyridine (C10H8N2) in a mixture of water and ethanol. The nickel(II) ion in 1 is octa­hedrally coordinated by the O atoms of two water mol­ecules, two O atoms from O-monodentate 6-fluoro­nicotinate ligands and two N atoms from bridging 4,4'-bi­pyridine ligands, forming a trans isomer. The bridging 4,4'-bi­pyridine ligands connect symmetry-related nickel(II) ions into infinite one-dimensional polymeric chains running in the [1overline{1}0] direction. In the extended structure of 1, the polymeric chains and lattice water mol­ecules are connected into a three-dimensional hydrogen-bonded network via strong O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds, leading to the formation of distinct hydrogen-bond ring motifs: octa­meric R88(24) and hexa­meric R86(16) loops.

Serial crystallography has enabled the study of complex biological questions through the determination of biomolecular structures at room temperature using low X-ray doses. Furthermore, it has enabled the study of protein dynamics by the capture of atomically resolved and time-resolved molecular movies. However, the study of many biologically relevant targets is still severely hindered by high sample consumption and lengthy data-collection times. By combining serial synchrotron crystallography (SSX) with 3D printing, a new experimental platform has been created that tackles these challenges. An affordable 3D-printed, X-ray-compatible microfluidic device (3D-MiXD) is reported that allows data to be collected from protein microcrystals in a 3D flow with very high hit and indexing rates, while keeping the sample consumption low. The miniaturized 3D-MiXD can be rapidly installed into virtually any synchrotron beamline with only minimal adjustments. This efficient collection scheme in combination with its mixing geometry paves the way for recording molecular movies at synchrotrons by mixing-triggered millisecond time-resolved SSX.

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.

The laser annealing process for AuNi nanoparticles has been visualized using coherent X-ray diffraction imaging (CXDI). AuNi bimetallic alloy nanoparticles, originally phase separated due to the miscibility gap, transform to metastable mixed alloy particles with rounded surface as they are irradiated by laser pulses. A three-dimensional CXDI shows that the internal part of the AuNi particles is in the mixed phase with preferred compositions at ∼29 at% of Au and ∼90 at% of Au.

Structural investigations of amorphous and nanocrystalline phases forming in solution are historically challenging. Few methods are capable of in situ atomic structural analysis and rigorous control of the system. A mixed-flow reactor (MFR) is used for total X-ray scattering experiments to examine the short- and long-range structure of phases in situ with pair distribution function (PDF) analysis. The adaptable experimental setup enables data collection for a range of different system chemistries, initial supersaturations and residence times. The age of the sample during analysis is controlled by adjusting the flow rate. Faster rates allow for younger samples to be examined, but if flow is too fast not enough data are acquired to average out excess signal noise. Slower flow rates form older samples, but at very slow speeds particles settle and block flow, clogging the system. Proper background collection and subtraction is critical for data optimization. Overall, this MFR method is an ideal scheme for analyzing the in situ structures of phases that form during crystal growth in solution. As a proof of concept, high-resolution total X-ray scattering data of amorphous and crystalline calcium phosphates and amorphous calcium carbonate were collected for PDF analysis.

Now that we have a deal between Time Warner Cable and CBS, we can turn our Hollywood focus back on the movie industry.

Steve Julian: Business analyst Mark Lacter, would you agree it's been an up and down summer at the box office?

Mark Lacter: It's been a flaky summer for Hollywood, Steve.  On the plus side, ticket revenue was up more than 10 percent, and attendance increased around six-and-a-half percent compared with last year (this covers the first week of May through Labor Day weekend).  The problem is that the studios and their investors spent huge amounts of money to make a lot of these movies, and they had to compete in a very crowded market - 23 big-budget films came out this summer, which is way higher than normal, and some of them never had a chance.

Julian: Some examples?

Lacter: Probably the biggest clunker was "The Lone Ranger," which could end up losing close to $200 million for Disney.  Another big disappointment was "White House Down," which was distributed by Sony and brought in only $140 million, which for a big-budget action film is really bad.  Even a film like "Pacific Rim," which did well at the box office, might still end up in the red because the production and marketing costs were so high.

Julian: And summer, of course, is the time when studios want to bring out these monster releases -

Lacter: - right, what they call "tent poles" - and in that category, the biggest winner was Disney's "Iron Man," which took in $1.2 billion.  Also having a great summer was "Monsters University" from Pixar, with $700 million.  You also had "Despicable Me 2" and "Fast and Furious 6," which might not be our cup of tea (speak for yourself, it takes me back to my police car days!), but did very well for Universal.  Eight of the top 12 films this summer were sequels - and yet, sequels were no guarantee of success (a number of them really struggled).  And, some non-blockbuster films found considerable success: "Now You See Me" from Lionsgate only cost $75 million to make.

Julian: So, in some ways, Hollywood was its usual unpredictable self.

Lacter: That's right - and don't expect any big changes in strategy when it comes to big-budget films.  The prospect of having huge success with one of these blockbusters is just too great, but perhaps more important is the fact that many of these films are financed by multiple groups of investors, and so the risk is spread around.  It's not like the old days when a studio bankrolled the whole thing.

Julian: Though, sounds like it's bad news for the city of Los Angeles: the "Man of Steel" sequel is going to be shot in Michigan?

Lacter: Mayor Garcetti has actually declared a state of emergency because the city keeps losing business to other states that offer big tax incentives to films - what's known as runaway production.  The truth is that business has been lost over the years, but L.A. is hardly in any danger of losing its spot as the center of entertainment.  And, you can see that with the L.A. County Board of Supervisors signing off on Disney's plan for a TV and movie production facility near Santa Clarita that will add more than a half-million square feet of studio space.

Julian: And, Universal's expanding, too.

Lacter: Earlier this year, Universal was given the approval to build more production facilities, and Paramount is planning an expansion, as well.  Now, these are all very ambitious projects - not the sort of investments that would be made if these studios were looking elsewhere to make movies and TV shows.  And, of course, they mean jobs - actually, employment levels in the entertainment industry have remained fairly steady going back the last decade.

Julian: Are there states that are pulling back their incentives?

Lacter: Yes, the state of North Carolina, which has been especially aggressive in using tax incentives to draw in movies and television going back to the 80s, is phasing out the giveaways because legislators have decided that the economic benefits aren't worth the tax revenues being lost.  And, other states with tax incentive programs are pulling back as well - they're finding that the payback is very difficult to measure.

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.

Combining sodium hydride with some solvents can be a bad idea, as a group of researchers from Corteva Agriscience and Dow Chemical remind the chemistry community in Organic Process Research & Development ,(2019, DOI: 10.1021/acs.oprd.9b00276). Reports of explosions from combining NaH with a polar aprotic solvent such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), N,N-dimethylformamide (DMF), and N,N-dimethylacetamide […]

The post Don’t mix sodium hydride with polar aprotic solvents appeared first on CENtral Science.

The views of organisations and industries affected by marine protected areas (MPAs) have been gathered by a new survey. 36 organisations from the UK and France responded to the survey, which asked about the perceived socio-economic and environmental impacts of multiple-use MPAs. Environmental NGOs, managing agencies and research centres gave a largely positive response, while fishers’, shipping, and other industrial organisations perceived an overall negative impact on them. Gathering stakeholders’ views on MPAs may help improve socioeconomic outcomes through informing the planning and management of these marine areas, the researchers say.

A recent study has revealed that grassland plots planted with a mixture of several agricultural plant species produced a greater yield than plots planted with a single species. The findings provide valuable evidence for scientists, farmers and policymakers who strive to increase the productivity of grassland, while reducing input of nitrogen fertilisers.

The Large Scale Grazing Systems (LSGS) of the EU are governed by legislation at regional, national and European levels. New research investigates an LSGS in Spain and suggests that the area’s traditional mix of sheep and cereal farming needs improved, better co-ordinated regulatory support to survive.

A recent study has revealed that grassland plots planted with a mixture of several agricultural plant species produced a greater yield than plots planted with a single species. The findings provide valuable evidence for scientists, farmers and policymakers who strive to increase the productivity of grassland, while reducing input of nitrogen fertilisers.

A study has evaluated three types of media campaign conducted by a large UK supermarket to encourage shoppers to reduce their food waste. These used social media, an e-newsletter and a print/digital magazine, respectively. Although they all appeared to lead to reductions in food waste to some extent, similar behavioural changes were also seen for customers who had not participated in any of the campaigns.

However, policies designed to improve ecosystem resilience have met with less success, potentially due to the longer timescales required to see progress in this area. The report concludes that Europe needs new policies and objectives that recognise the links between resource efficiency and ecosystem resilience if it is to move to a sustainable green economy.

If you want to mix drinks for a living, don't expect to have a typical family life.

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Researchers have developed the first biology-based model to predict the sub-lethal effects of chemical mixtures on organisms. Sub-lethal effects do not cause death but can damage processes such as growth and reproduction. The model provided accurate predictions of the sub-lethal impacts of a chemical mixture on water fleas.

New research has supported a more thorough integration of toxic mixture assessments into two major pieces of EU legislation: REACH and the Water Framework Directive. It recommended constructing a database of harmful chemicals in the environment which, among other uses, could assess mixture toxicity using a 'Concentration Addition' method.

A new tool that predicts the effects of complex mixtures in water has shown promising results. It correctly predicted the impacts of toxic mixtures on the model species Daphnia magna, or water fleas, in over 90 per cent of cases.

Ecological risk maps showing 'hotspots' of risk to wildlife from single or combined soil pollutants have been developed. These maps can be used to improve risk analysis and stakeholder communications.

Planting trees in urban areas has been recognised as a cost-effective means of reducing air pollution for several major cities worldwide. In a new study, the impact of tree species diversity on levels of ozone pollution in Rome was assessed. The results suggest that different species of tree complement each other in providing this important ecosystem service.

In the biggest city in America's smallest state, comes a micro-apartment complex that aims to revive a struggling 19th-century indoor shopping center.

If Food Day’s message is that it’s time for all America to eat real, an invitation-only feast in Times Square that the public could view but not attend migh

A diet of mixed greens is good for the body, and a diet of mixed green Twitter users is good for the mind.

A new feature added to Project Sunroof, a free solar mapping tool from Google, makes keeping up with Joneses even easier.

Industry and environmentalists find themselves on opposite ends of coal ash options.

Do you have friends who are always throwing parties? We've got the tools to make them happy.

An all-natural mix that’s wheat-free, gluten-free and made with organic ingredients.

I loved hot cocoa packets when camping, but didn’t like the cheap ingredients used to make them. Problem solved.

Who needs calendars of yoga cats when you could have bearded mermen from the Newfoundland & Labrador Beard and Mustache Club on your walls?

Forget the big plastic jug of cloying pre-made mix. Fresh sour mix is easy to make and it's versatile, too.

When copper from a mug mixes with the acids in a cocktail like a Moscow mule, copper poisoning can occur.

The Right Mix of Fats for Optimal Energy and a Healthy Coat