Nanostructural effects and interface magnetism in Co/Pd multilayers

A series of Co/Pd multilayers were made by dc magnetron sputter deposition on Al foil substrates. For these multilayered samples, Co layer thicknesses were less than 4 Å and Pd layers were varied from 4 to 22 Å. Sputtering rates were controlled by either sputtering power (10–50 W) or Ar sputtering pressure (3–15 mTorr). In both cases, lower deposition rates yielded higher perpendicular coercivity up to 2.6 kOe. Structures of the samples were studied using conventional θ -2θ x-ray diffractometry (XRD). It has been found that magnetic properties such as coercivity and saturation magnetization are sensitive to interfacial structures. A nanostructural model including interfacial parameters such as alloy layer composition is discussed and compared with the magnetization data. Both XRD and magnetization measurements show that the interfaces become more diffuse at higher sputtering pressures. Journal of Applied Physics is copyrighted by The American Institute of Physics

Cyrhetrenylaniline and new organometallic phenylimines derived from 4- and 5-nitrothiophene: Synthesis, characterization, X-Ray structures, electrochemistry and in vitro anti-T. brucei activity

A novel series of cyrhetrenyl (3a-4a) and ferrocenyl (3b-4b) Schiff bases were synthesized through a condensation reaction, between the known 4-ferrocenylaniline (2b) or the unreported 4-cyhretrenylaniline (2a) with 4- or 5-nitrothiophenecarboxaldehyde. The structure of 2a and the new Schiff bases have been elucidated using conventional spectroscopic techniques (FT-IR, 1H and 13C NMR), mass spectrometry, and single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of compounds 2a, 4a and 3b. Cyclic voltammetry of organometallic phenylimines derived from 5-nitrothiophene showed NO2 group reduction potentials (E1/2z 0.575 V) that were more anodic than those registered for their 4-nitro analogues (E1/2z 0.981 V). All organometallic imines were tested against the bloodstream form of Trypanosoma brucei. Evaluation indicated that the most active complexes are the 5-nitrothiophene derivatives, 4a, which were remarkably more active than nifurtimox. In addition, complex 4b resulted in less toxicity to host L6 cells than nifurtimox. The results revealed that the electronic effects of cyrhetrene and ferrocene are not an influential factor in E1/2 and anti-Trypanosoma brucei activity for these new imines, which is probably due to the non-coplanarity of the [(h5-C5H4)-C6H4-N=CH-(C4H2S)] system

Isomeric and hybrid ferrocenyl/cyrhetrenylaldimines: a new family of multifunctional compounds

The synthesis and characterization of two novel and isomeric hybrid ferrocenyl/cyrhetrenyl aldimines [(η5-C5H5)Fe{(η5-C5H4)-CHvN-(η5-C5H4)}Re(CO)3] (1) and [(η5-C5H5)Fe{(η5-C5H4)-NvCH-(η5-C5H4)}Re (CO)3] (2) are reported. Their X-ray crystal structures reveal that both adopt the E form. However, molecules of 1 and 2 differ in the relative arrangement of the 'Fe(η5-C5H5)' and 'Re(CO)3' units (anti in 1 and syn in 2). This affects the type of intermolecular interactions, the assembly of the molecules and therefore their crystal architecture. Comparative studies of their electrochemical, spectroscopic and photo-physical properties have allowed us to clarify the effect produced by the location of the organometallic arrays (ferrocenyl or cyrhetrenyl) on electronic delocalization, the proclivity of the metals to undergo oxidation and their emissive properties. Theoretical studies based on Density Functional Theory (DFT) calculations on the two compounds have also been carried out in order to rationalize the experimental results and to assign the bands detected in their electronic spectra. The cytotoxic activities of compounds 1 and 2 against human adenocarcinoma cell lines [breast (MCF7 and MDA-MB-231) and colon (HCT-116)] reveal that imine 2 has a greater inhibitory growth effect than 1 and it is ca. 1.8 times more potent than cisplatin in the triple negative MDA-MB 231 and in the cisplatin resistant HCT-116 cell lines. A comparative study of their effect on the normal and non-tumour human skin fibroblast BJ cell lines is also reported

A novel type of organometallic 2-R-2,4-dihydro- 1H-3,1-benzoxazine with R = [M(η5-C5H4)(CO)3] (M = Re or Mn) units. Experimental and computational studies of the effect of substituent R on ring-chain tautomerism

The syntheses, characterization, X-ray crystal structures, electrochemical properties and anticancer and 35 antichagasic activities of the first examples of 2-substituted 2,4-dihydro-1H-3,1-benzoxazines with 36 halfsandwich organometallic arrays, [M(η5-C5H4)(CO)3] (M = Re or Mn), at position-2 are described. 37 Experimental and computational studies based on DFT calculations on the open forms [Schiff bases of 38 general formulae R-CHvN-C6H4-2-CH2OH] (5), with R = ferrocenyl (a), phenyl (b), cyrhetrenyl (c) or 39 cymantrenyl (d), and their tautomeric forms (2-substituted 2,4-dihydro-1H-3,1 benzoxazines) 40 haveallowed us to establish the influence of substituents a-d and solvents on: (a) the extent of 41 tautomeric equilibria (5a-5d) ↔ (6a-6d) and (b) their electrochemical properties and the electronic 42 distribution on the open and closed forms. Despite the formal similarity between 6c and 6d, their 43 anticancer and antiparasitic activities are markedly different. Compound 6d is inactive in the HCT116, 44 MDA-MB231 and MCF7 cancer cell lines, but 6c shows moderate activity in the latter cell line, while 45 the Mn(I) complex (6d) is a more potent anti-Trypanosoma cruzi agent than its Re(I) analogue (6c)

Exploring hybrid star matter at NICA and FAIR

We discuss constraints for the equation of state of hybrid star matter which can be obtained from heavy-ion collisions at FAIR and NICA. Particular emphasis is on the planned NICA facility at JINR Dubna which shall provide fixed-target and collider experiments just in the relevant energy ranges.Comment: 7 pages, 2 figures, 1 table, text and references added, version to be published in Phys. Part. Nucl. Let

Phase diagrams in nonlocal PNJL models constrained by Lattice QCD results

Based on lattice QCD-adjusted SU(2) nonlocal Polyakov--Nambu--Jona-Lasinio (PNJL) models, we investigate how the location of the critical endpoint in the QCD phase diagram depends on the strenght of the vector meson coupling, as well as the Polyakov-loop (PL) potential and the form factors of the covariant model. The latter are constrained by lattice QCD data for the quark propagator. The strength of the vector coupling is adjusted such as to reproduce the slope of the pseudocritical temperature for the chiral phase transition at low chemical potential extracted recently from lattice QCD simulations. Our study supports the existence of a critical endpoint in the QCD phase diagram albeit the constraint for the vector coupling shifts its location to lower temperatures and higher baryochemical potentials than in the case without it.Comment: 23 pages, 10 figures. Version accepted in Phys. Part. Nucl. Lett. (to appear), references adde

Mycobacterium tuberculosis Rv2419c, the missing glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate phosphatase for the second step in methylglucose lipopolysaccharide biosynthesis

Mycobacteria synthesize intracellular methylglucose lipopolysaccharides (MGLP) proposed to regulate fatty acid synthesis. Although their structures have been elucidated, the identity of most biosynthetic genes remains unknown. The first step in MGLP biosynthesis is catalyzed by a glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate synthase (GpgS, Rv1208 in Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv). However, a typical glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate phosphatase (GpgP, EC3.1.3.70) for dephosphorylation of glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate to glucosylglycerate, was absent from mycobacterial genomes. We purified the native GpgP from Mycobacterium vanbaalenii and identified the corresponding gene deduced from amino acid sequences by mass spectrometry. The M. tuberculosis ortholog (Rv2419c), annotated as a putative phosphoglycerate mutase (PGM, EC5.4.2.1), was expressed and functionally characterized as a new GpgP. Regardless of the high specificity for glucosyl-3-phosphoglycerate, the mycobacterial GpgP is not a sequence homolog of known isofunctional GpgPs. The assignment of a new function in M. tuberculosis genome expands our understanding of this organism's genetic repertoire and of the early events in MGLP biosynthesis

Pulsars as Astrophysical Laboratories for Nuclear and Particle Physics

A forefront area of research concerns the exploration of the properties of hadronic matter under extreme conditions of temperature and density, and the determination of the equation of state--the relation between pressure, temperature and density--of such matter. Experimentally, relativistic heavy-ion collision experiments enable physicists to cast a brief glance at hot and ultra-dense matter for times as little as about $10^{-22}$ seconds. Complementary to this, the matter that exists in the cores of neutron stars, observed as radio pulsars, X-ray pulsars, and magnetars, is at low temperatures but compressed permanently to ultra-high densities that may be more than an order of magnitude higher than the density of atomic nuclei. This makes pulsars superb astrophysical laboratories for medium and high-energy nuclear physics, as discussed in this paper.Comment: 10 pages, 13 figures; Paper presented at the International School Of Nuclear Physics, 28th Course: Radioactive Beams, Nuclear Dynamics and Astrophysics, Erice-Sicily, 16-24 September 2006; to be published in Prog. Part. Nucl. Phy