White dwarfs are compact stars, similar in size to Earth but approximately 200,000 times more massive. Isolated white dwarfs emit most of their power from ultraviolet to near-infrared wavelengths, but when in close orbits with less dense stars, white dwarfs can strip material from their companions and the resulting mass transfer can generate atomic line and X-ray emission, as well as near- and mid-infrared radiation if the white dwarf is magnetic. However, even in binaries, white dwarfs are rarely detected at far-infrared or radio frequencies. Here we report the discovery of a white dwarf/cool star binary that emits from X-ray to radio wavelengths. The star, AR Scorpii (henceforth AR Sco), was classified in the early 1970s as a δ-Scuti star, a common variety of periodic variable star. Our observations reveal instead a 3.56-hour period close binary, pulsing in brightness on a period of 1.97 minutes. The pulses are so intense that AR Sco's optical flux can increase by a factor of four within 30 seconds, and they are also detectable at radio frequencies. They reflect the spin of a magnetic white dwarf, which we find to be slowing down on a 10-year timescale. The spin-down power is an order of magnitude larger than that seen in electromagnetic radiation, which, together with an absence of obvious signs of accretion, suggests that AR Sco is primarily spin-powered. Although the pulsations are driven by the white dwarf's spin, they mainly originate from the cool star. AR Sco's broadband spectrum is characteristic of synchrotron radiation, requiring relativistic electrons. These must either originate from near the white dwarf or be generated in situ at the M star through direct interaction with the white dwarf's magnetosphere.

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We report on a series of N-pyrazole, N'-aryl ureas and their mode of binding to p38 mitogen activated protein kinase. Importantly, a key binding domain that is distinct from the adenosine 5'-triphoshate (ATP) binding site is exposed when the conserved activation loop, consisting in part of Asp168-Phe169-Gly170, adopts a conformation permitting lipophilic and hydrogen bonding interactions between this class of inhibitors and the protein. We describe the correlation of the structure-activity relationships and crystallographic structures of these inhibitors with p38. In addition, we incorporated another binding pharmacophore that forms a hydrogen bond at the ATP binding site. This modification affords significant improvements in binding, cellular, and in vivo potencies resulting in the selection of 45 (BIRB 796) as a clinical candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases.

The magnetic chemically peculiar (mCP) stars of the upper main sequence exhibit strong, globally organized magnetic fields that are inclined to the rotational axis and facilitate the development of surface abundance inhomogeneities resulting in photometric and spectroscopic variability. Therefore, mCP stars are perfectly suited for a direct measurement of the rotational period without the need for any additional calibrations. We have investigated the rotational properties of mCP stars based on an unprecedentedly large sample consisting of more than 500 objects with known rotational periods. Using precise parallaxes from the Hipparcos and Gaia satellite missions, wellestablished photometric calibrations and state-of-the-art evolutionary models, we have determined the location of our sample stars in the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram and derived astrophysical parameters such as stellar masses, effective temperature, radii, inclinations and critical rotational velocities. We have confirmed the conservation of angular momentum during the main sequence evolution; no signs of additional magnetic braking were found. The inclination angles of the rotational axes are randomly distributed, although an apparent excess of fast rotators with comparable inclination angles has been observed. We have found a rotation rate of υ/υ crit ≥ 0.5 for several stars, whose characteristics cannot be explained by current models. For the first time, we have derived the relationship between mass and rotation rate of mCP stars, and provide an analysis that links mass and rotation with magnetic field strength. Our sample is unique and offers crucial input for forthcoming evolutionary models that include the effects of magnetic fields for upper main sequence stars.