Snowdonia earthquake confirmed by British Geological Survey  Daily Post

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UK sees notable reduction in seismic noise caused by human activity – experts  Aberdeen Evening Express

Ancient underwater landslides help predict tsunami risk  Aberdeen Evening Express

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Research Centre Finance Administrator job with UNIVERSITY OF LEEDS | 206139  Times Higher Education (THE)

Fossil believed to show squid-like creature attacking fish 200 million years ago  Aberdeen Evening Express

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The bacterial type VI secretion system (T6SS) secretes many toxic effectors to gain advantage in interbacterial competition and for eukaryotic host infection. The cognate immunity proteins of these effectors protect bacteria from their own effectors. PldB is a T6SS trans-kingdom effector in Pseudomonas aeruginosa that can infect both prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Three proteins, PA5086, PA5087 and PA5088, are employed to suppress the toxicity of PldB-family proteins. The structures of PA5087 and PA5088 have previously been reported, but the identification of further distinctions between these immunity proteins is needed. Here, the crystal structure of PA5086 is reported at 1.90 Å resolution. A structural comparison of the three PldB immunity proteins showed vast divergences in their electrostatic potential surfaces. This interesting phenomenon provides an explanation of the stockpiling mechanism of T6SS immunity proteins.

Factor for inversion stimulation (Fis) is a versatile bacterial nucleoid-associated protein that can directly bind and bend DNA to influence DNA topology. It also plays crucial roles in regulating bacterial virulence factors and in optimizing bacterial adaptation to various environments. Fis from Pseudomonas aeruginosa (PA4853, referred to as PaFis) has recently been found to be required for virulence by regulating the expression of type III secretion system (T3SS) genes. PaFis can specifically bind to the promoter region of exsA, which functions as a T3SS master regulator, to regulate its expression and plays an essential role in transcription elongation from exsB to exsA. Here, the crystal structure of PaFis, which is composed of a four-helix bundle and forms a homodimer, is reported. PaFis shows remarkable structural similarities to the well studied Escherichia coli Fis (EcFis), including an N-terminal flexible loop and a C-terminal helix–turn–helix (HTH) motif. However, the critical residues for Hin-catalyzed DNA inversion in the N-terminal loop of EcFis are not conserved in PaFis and further studies are required to investigate its exact role. A gel-electrophoresis mobility-shift assay showed that PaFis can efficiently bind to the promoter region of exsA. Structure-based mutagenesis revealed that several conserved basic residues in the HTH motif play essential roles in DNA binding. These structural and biochemical studies may help in understanding the role of PaFis in the regulation of T3SS expression and in virulence.

Solution structure of β-amylase 2 from Arabidopsis thaliana shows the role of the conserved N-terminus in enzyme tetramer formation.

A novel monoclinic phase of human insulin co-crystallized with m-cresol was structurally characterized by means of powder and single-crystal X-ray diffraction.

The concept of statistical signal detection by controlling the false-discovery rate (FDR) to aid the atomic model interpretation of cryo-EM density maps is reviewed. The recommended usage of the FDR software tool is presented together with its successful integration into the CCP-EM suite.

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.

This article presents an overview of the development of two basic software libraries for image manipulation and data visualization in cryo-EM: emcore and emvis.

Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) was found to form a complex with purpurin and the crystal structure of the complex was determined. Purpurin may be a good lead compound for for the discovery of inhibitors of DAPK1.

The paper reports the structure of a Δ1-pyrroline-2-carboxylate reductase from the archaeon Thermococcus litoralis, a key enzyme involved in the second step of trans-4-Hydroxy-L-proline metabolism, conserved in archaea, bacteria and humans.

The asymmetric unit of the title MOF, [Zn5(C14H5NO10S2)2(OH)2(H2O)10]n comprises three ZnII atoms, one of which is located on a centre of inversion, a tetra-negative carboxyl­ate ligand, one μ3-hydroxide and five water mol­ecules, each of which is coordinated. The ZnII atom, lying on a centre of inversion, is coordinated by trans sulfoxide-O atoms and four water mol­ecules in an octa­hedral geometry. Another ZnII atom is coordinated by two carboxyl­ate-O atoms, one hy­droxy-O, one sulfoxide-O and a water-O atom to define a distorted trigonal–bipyramidal geometry; a close Zn⋯O(carboxyl­ate) inter­action derived from an asymmetrically coordinating ligand (Zn—O = 1.95 and 3.07 Å) suggests a 5 + 1 coordination geometry. The third ZnII atom is coordinated in an octa­hedral fashion by two hy­droxy-O atoms, one carboxyl­ate-O, one sulfoxide-O and two water-O atoms, the latter being mutually cis. In all, the carboxyl­ate ligand binds six ZnII ions leading to a three-dimensional architecture. In the crystal, all acidic donors form hydrogen bonds to oxygen acceptors to contribute to the stability of the three-dimensional architecture.

The structure of the title compound, C24H26S2, an example of a pincer ligand with an SCS-chelation motif, illustrates the steric effects of the methyl groups in the thio­phenyl rings at the 2- and 6-positions, forcing a dissimilar spatial orientation of the thio­phenyl rings relative to the central aryl group [dihedral angles = 33.58 (7) and 40.49 (7)°]. In the crystal, weak S⋯S contacts [3.4009 (7) Å] link the mol­ecules into inversion dimers.

In the complex cation of title compound, [Fe(C56H52N4)(C5H8N2)2]ClO4·1.5C6H5Cl, the ironIII atom is coordinated in a distorted octa­hedral manner by four pyrrole N atoms of the porphyrin ring system in the equatorial plane, and by two N atoms of the 1-ethyl­imidazole ligands in the axial sites. A disordered perchlorate anion and one and a half chloro­benzene solvent mol­ecules are also present. The cationic complex exhibits a highly ruffled porphyrin core. The average Fe—Np (Np is a porphyrin N atom) bond length is 1.988 (5), and the axial Fe—NIm (NIm is an imidazole N atom) bond lengths are 1.962 (3) and 1.976 (3) Å. The two 1-ethyl­imidazole ligands are inclined to each other by a dihedral angle of 68.62 (16)°. The dihedral angles between the 1-ethyl­imidazole planes and the planes of the closest Fe—Np vector are 28.52 (18) and 43.57 (13)°. Inter­molecular C—H⋯Cl inter­actions are observed.

In the crystal structure of the title compound, [Sn(C42H26N6)(C7H5O2)2], the SnIV ion is located on a crystallographic inversion centre and is octa­hedrally coordinated with an N4O2 set. Four N atoms of the porphyrin ring form the equatorial plane while the axial positions are occupied by two O atoms from benzoate anions. The molecular packing of the title complex involves non-classical hydrogen bonds of the types C—H⋯O and C—H⋯N, leading to a three-dimensional network structure.

The title compound, [Co(NCS)2(C15H22N2O2)2] or C32H44CoN6O4S2, was prepared from cobalt(II) nitrate, benzyl carbazate and ammonium thio­cyanate in the presence of 4-hepta­none. The compound crystallizes with two centrosymmetric complexes in which the cobalt(II) atoms have a trans-CoO2N4 octa­hedral coordination geometry. In the crystal, N—H⋯S, C—H⋯S and C—H⋯.π contacts stack the complex mol­ecules along the b-axis direction.

In the title compound, [Ba(C10H20O5)2][Zn(NCS)4], the 15-crown-5 mol­ecules are disordered over two positions with site occupancies of 0.706 (4) and 0.294 (4). The Ba2+ ions are sandwiched between the 15-crown-5 rings and Zn2+ ions are surrounded by four N atoms from the thio­cyanate ligands in a distorted tetra­hedral geometry. The crystal studied was refined as an inversion twin.

The asymmetric unit of the title compound (systematic name: 3,3,8,8-tetra­methyl-1,4,6,9-tetra­oxa-λ4-bora­spiro­[4.4]nonane-2,7-dione tetra­hydrate), C8H12BO6·4H2O, consists of half a bis­(2-methyl­lactato)borate mol­ecule and two water mol­ecules of solvation. In the crystal, O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds link the components into a three-dimensional network.

The title compound, [Ag2(C2H3O2)2(C19H20N2)2] (2), was readily synthesized by treatment of 3-benzyl-1-(2,4,6-tri­methyl­phen­yl)imidazolium chloride with silver acetate. The solution structure of the complex was analyzed by NMR spectroscopy, while the solid-state structure was confirmed by single-crystal X-ray diffraction studies. Compound 2 crystallizes in the triclinic space group Poverline{1}, with a silver-to-carbene bond length (Ag—CNHC) of 2.084 (3) Å. The mol­ecule resides on an inversion center, so that only half of the mol­ecule is crystallographically unique. The planes defined by the two imidazole rings are parallel to each other, but not coplanar [inter­planar distance is 0.662 (19) Å]. The dihedral angles between the imidazole ring and the benzyl and mesityl rings are 77.87 (12) and 72.86 (11)°, respectively. The crystal structure features π–π stacking inter­actions between the benzylic groups of inversion-related (−x + 1, −y + 1, −z + 1) mol­ecules and C—H⋯π inter­actions.

Single crystals of the title complex, [Zn(C7H5N2O4)2(C2H6OS)2] or [Zn(NBZH)2(DMSO)2], were isolated from a dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) solution containing [Zn(NBZH)2]·2H2O (NBZH = 3-nitro­benzo­hydroxamate anion). The asymmetric unit comprises of one O,O'-chelating NBZH anion, one O-bound DMSO ligand and one zinc(II) cation localized on an inversion centre. The three-dimensional crystal packing includes N—H⋯O and C—H⋯O hydrogen bonding, as well as O⋯H and H⋯H contacts identified by Hirshfeld isosurface analysis.

The complete mol­ecule of the title compound, C32H22F12N4O2, is generated by a crystallographic twofold axis aligned parallel to [010]. The F atoms of one of the CF3 groups are disordered over three orientations in a 0.6: 0.2: 0.2 ratio. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by N—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, forming zigzag chains propagating along the a-axis direction. In addition, weak C—H⋯O and C—H⋯F bonds are observed. The contribution of the disordered solvent to the scattering was removed using the SQUEEZE routine [Spek (2015). Acta Cryst. C71, 9–18] of PLATON. The solvent contribution is not included in the reported mol­ecular weight and density.

The title compound, C31H30O6, was obtained by protecting the six hy­droxy groups of apogossypol by acetalization with di­chloro­methane. The mol­ecule has a bridging dioxepine unit which hinders the rotation around the 2,2'-inter­naphthyl bond. The dihedral angle between the naphthyl units is 55.73 (3)°. In the crystal, very weak C—H⋯O inter­actions may help to consolidate the packing.

The title tetra­nuclear stannoxane, [Sn4(C6H5)8(C6H4NO3)4O2]·1.5CHCl3·solvent, crystallized with two independent complex mol­ecules, A and B, in the asymmetric unit together with 1.5 mol­ecules of chloro­form. There is also a region of disordered electron density, which was corrected for using the SQUEEZE routine [Spek (2015). Acta Cryst. C71, 9–18]. The oxo-tin core of each complex is in a planar `ladder' arrangement and each Sn atom is fivefold SnO3C2 coordinated, with one tin centre having an almost perfect square-pyramidal coordination geometry, while the other three Sn centres have distorted shapes. In the crystal, the complex mol­ecules are arranged in layers, composed of A or B complexes, lying parallel to the bc plane. The complex mol­ecules are linked by a number of C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds within the layers and between the layers, forming a supra­molecular three-dimensional structure.

Trinuclear copper–pyrazolate entities are present in various Cu-based enzymes and nanojar supra­molecular arrangements. The reaction of copper(II) chloride with pyrazole (pzH) and sodium benzoate (benzNa) assisted by microwave radiation afforded a neutral centrosymmetric hexa­nuclear copper(II) complex, [Cu6(C7H5O2)4(OH)2(C3H3N2)6(C2H5OH)2]·2C2H5OH. Half a mol­ecule is present in the asymmetric unit that comprises a [Cu3(μ3-OH)(pz)3]2+ core with the copper(II) atoms arranged in an irregular triangle. The three copper(II) atoms are bridged by an O atom of the central hydroxyl group and by three bridging pyrazolate ligands on each of the sides. The carboxyl­ate groups show a chelating mode to one and a bridging syn,syn mode to the other two CuII atoms. The coordination environment of one CuII atom is square-planar while it is distorted square-pyramidal for the other two. Two ethanol mol­ecules are present in the asymmetric unit, one binding to one of the CuII atoms, one as a solvent mol­ecule. In the crystal, stabilization arises from inter­molecular O—H⋯O hydrogen-bonding inter­actions.

The title compound, (C9H8N)2[MnBr4], consists of two quinolinium cations and a [MnBr4]2− anion. The manganese(II) atom, which lies on a twofold rotation axis, is coordinated by four bromide ligands and exhibits a tetra­hedral coordination geometry. The [MnBr4]2− anion and the quinolinium cations are linked by N—H⋯Br hydrogen bonds. π–π stacking inter­actions are observed between the quinolinium cations.

Reduction of the heteroleptic metal carbonyl complex Mo(CO)3(η5-Cp)H with the metallic salt Cs5Bi4 in the presence of [2.2.2]crypt (= 4,7,13,16,21,24-hexa­oxa-1,10-di­aza­bicyclo­[8.8.8]hexa­cosa­ne) in liquid ammonia led to single crystals of bis­[(4,7,13,16,21,24-hexa­oxa-1,10-di­aza­bicyclo­[8.8.8]hexa­cosa­ne)caesium] penta­carbonyl­molybdate, [Cs(C18H36N2O6)]2[Mo(CO)5] or [Cs([2.2.2]crypt)]2[Mo(CO)5]. The twofold negatively charged anionic complex corresponds to the 18 valence electron rule. It consists of an Mo atom coordinated by five carbonyl ligands in a shape inter­mediate between trigonal–bipyramidal and square-pyramidal. The Mo—C distances range from 1.961 (3) to 2.017 (3) Å, and the C≡O distances from 1.164 (3) to 1.180 (4) Å.

The solid-state structural analysis of the title compound [systematic name: 5,11-disulfanylidene-4,6,10,12-tetrakis(2,4,6-trimethylphenyl)-4,6,10,12-tetraazatricyclo[7.3.0.03,7]dodeca-1(9),3(7)-diene-2,8-dione], C44H44N4O2S2 [+solvent], reveals that the mol­ecule crystallizes in a highly symmetric cubic space group so that one quarter of the mol­ecule is crystallographically unique, the mol­ecule lying on special positions (two mirror planes, two twofold axes and a center of inversion). The crystal structure exhibits large cavities of 193 Å3 accounting for 7.3% of the total unit-cell volume. These cavities contain residual density peaks but it was not possible to unambiguously identify the solvent therein. The contribution of the disordered solvent mol­ecules to the scattering was removed using a solvent mask and is not included in the reported mol­ecular weight. No classical hydrogen bonds are observed between the main mol­ecules.

The title compound, C16H16N2O6, lies about an inversion centre at the mid-point of the N—N bond. The mol­ecule features two intra­molecular O—H⋯N and two C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds, each of which forms an S(6) ring motif. In the crystal, mol­ecules are linked by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds into infinite zigzag chains propagating along the c-axis direction. π–π stacking inter­actions between the pyrone rings [centroid–centroid distances = 3.975 (2) Å] stack the mol­ecules along b.

The title compound, C16H20N4, was synthesized by cyanation of brom­hexine. The compound crystallizes with two unique mol­ecules in the asymmetric unit. The substituted aniline and cyclo­hexane rings are inclined to one another by 37.26 (6)° in one mol­ecule and by 22.84 (7)° in the other. In the crystal packing, intra- and inter­molecular N—H⋯N hydrogen bonds and an inter­molecular C—H⋯N contact were observed.

The title com­pound, C34H24O4S·0.5CH2Cl2, crystallizes with two independent mol­ecules and one di­chloro­methane solvent mol­ecule in the asymmetric unit. The crystal packing is consolidated by C—H⋯O hydrogen bonds.

The molecular salt, C23H26N2O2+·Cl−, was obtained from 1-isobutyl-8,9-dimeth­oxy-3-phenyl-5,6-di­hydro­imidazo[5,1-a]iso­quinoline, which was synthesized by cyclo­condensation of α-benzoyl­amino-γ-methyl-N-[2-(3,4-di­meth­oxy­phen­yl)eth­yl]valeramide in the presence of phosphoryl chloride. The tetra­hydro­pyridine ring adopts a twist–boat conformation. In the crystal structure, centrosymmetric dimers are formed by N—H⋯Cl and C—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds.

In the title compound, C22H25NO5·H2O, the ten-membered ring displays an approximate chair–chair conformation, whereas the five-membered furan ring has an envelope conformation, with the C atom of the methine group adjacent to the spiro C atom as the flap. The isoxazole ring is almost planar and its plane is slightly inclined to the plane of the attached phenyl ring. The mean plane of the furan ring is nearly perpendicular to that of the isoxazole ring, as indicated by the dihedral angle between them of 89.39 (12)°. In the crystal, the organic mol­ecules are linked into [010] chains by O—H⋯O hydrogen bonds. The water mol­ecule forms O—H⋯O and O—H⋯N hydrogen bonds and a weak C—H⋯O inter­action is also observed. Together, these lead to a three-dimensional network.

The title magnesium complex, [Mg(C21H20NO2)2(C4H8O)]n, exhibits two N,O-bidentate 2-(di­methyl­amino)-α,α-di­phenyl­benzene­methano­late ligands, form­ing two six-membered chelate rings. The distorted square-pyramidal coordination sphere of the MgII atom is completed by the O atom of a tetra­hydro­furan ligand, with its O atom in the apical position. The O and N atoms are in a mutual trans arrangement. Except for two C—H⋯π inter­actions, no significant inter­molecular inter­actions are observed in the crystal.

The title compound, C18H20N4O4, was synthesized via the base-assisted reaction of piperazine and 2-nitro­benyl bromide in toluene: the complete mol­ecule is generated by a crystallographic inversion centre in the solid state.