4,16-Androstadien-3β-ol

4,16-Androstadien-3β-ol (developmental code name PH94B; tentative commercial name Aloradine or Aloradine IN) is a pherine which is under development by Pherin Pharmaceuticals, Inc. in a nasal spray formulation for the acute (p.r.n.) treatment of social anxiety disorder in women. It is also being investigated by Pherin Pharmaceuticals for the treatment of generalized anxiety disorder in women. As of 2015, it is in phase III clinical trials.

The compound lacks affinity for steroid hormone receptors and has instead been found to directly activate isolated human vomeronasal receptor cells at nanomolar concentrations (EC₅₀ = 200 nM).

The pheromone androstenol has been found to act as a potent positive allosteric modulator of the GABA_A receptor, and it has been proposed that this action may mediate its pheromone effects. It produces anxiolytic-like effects in animals.Androstadienol, androstadienone, and androstenone, all of which are also pheromones, have been found to be converted into androstenol, and as such, it may be responsible for their pheromone effects. As 4,16-androstadien-3β-ol is very closely related structurally to androstadienol (which is 5,16-androstadien-3β-ol), being a positional isomer of the steroid, the mechanism of action of 4,16-androstadien-3β-ol could similarly be potentiation of the GABA_A receptor.

PH1b

PH1b (standing for "Planet Hunters 1"), or by its NASA designation Kepler-64b, is an extrasolar planet found in a circumbinary orbit in the quadruple star system Kepler-64. The planet was discovered by two amateur astronomers from the Planet Hunters project of amateur astronomers using data from the Kepler space telescope with assistance of a Yale University team of international astronomers. The discovery was announced on 15 October 2012. It is the first known transiting planet in a quadruple star system, first known circumbinary planet in a quadruple star system, and the first planet in a quadruple star system found. It was the first confirmed planet discovered by PlanetHunters.org.

Star system

The giant planet is Neptune-sized, about 20-55 Earth-masses (M_⊕). It has a radius 6.2 times that of Earth's. The star system is 5000 light years from Earth. The planet orbits a close binary, with a more distant binary orbiting at a distance, forming the quadruple star system. The star system has the Kepler Input Catalogue name KIC 4862625 as well as the designation Kepler-64. The close binary (Aa+Ab) that the planet circles has an orbital period of 20 days. They form an eclipsing binary pair. The two stars are (Aa) 1.5 solar mass (M_☉) F-type main-sequence star and (Ab) 0.41 M_☉red dwarf. The planet orbits this binary pair in a 138.3-day orbit. The binary pairs have a separation of 1000 AUs. A photometric-dynamical model was used to model the planetary system of the close binary pair. The distant binary (Ba+Bb) have a pair separation of 60 AU. The two stars are (Ba) 0.99 M_☉G-type main-sequence star and (Bb) 0.51 M_☉ red dwarf. The quadruple star system has an estimated age of 2 gigayears. The system is located at right ascension 19^h 52^m 51.624^sdeclination +39° 57′ 18.36″, so also has a 2MASS catalogue entry of 2MASS 19525162+3957183

Kepler-86

Kepler-86, PH2 or KIC 12735740 (2MASS 19190326+5157453), is a G-type star1,205.9 ly (369.7 pc) distant within the constellation Cygnus. Roughly the size and temperature of the Sun, PH2 gained prominence when it was known to be the host of one of 42 planet candidates detected by the Planet Hunters citizen science project in its second data release. The candidate orbiting around PH2, known as PH2 b, had been determined to have a spurious detection probability of only 0.08%, thus effectively confirming its existence as a planet.

Located in its parent star's habitable zone, PH2 b (or Kepler-86b) is a "Jupiter-size" gas giant which may have a natural satellite suitable for hosting life. The report of the confirmed detection of PH2 b was submitted on January 3, 2013. It was discovered by amateur Pole Rafał Herszkowicz using his laptop and access to the Internet project with data from the Kepler space observatory.

History of detection

PH2 b was detected, along with 42 other planet candidates, in archival data from Kepler by the Planet Hunters project, in which human volunteers analyze the light curves of Kepler target stars, searching for planetary transit signals which may be missed by computer programs. Previous work by Planet Hunters helped to confirm the existence of PH1 b, a Neptune-mass planet within a four-star system.