186 research outputs found
Modeling Magnetic Anisotropy of Single Chain Magnets in Regime
Single molecule magnets (SMMs) with single-ion anisotropies ,
comparable to exchange interactions J, between spins have recently been
synthesized. In this paper, we provide theoretical insights into the magnetism
of such systems. We study spin chains with site spins, s=1, 3/2 and 2 and
on-site anisotropy comparable to the exchange constants between the
spins. We find that large leads to crossing of the states with
different values in the same spin manifold of the limit.
For very large 's we also find that the states of the higher
energy spin states descend below the states of the ground state spin
manifold. Total spin in this limit is no longer conserved and describing the
molecular anisotropy by the constants and is not possible. However,
the total spin of the low-lying large states is very nearly an integer
and using this spin value it is possible to construct an effective spin
Hamiltonian and compute the molecular magnetic anisotropy constants and
. We report effect of finite sizes, rotations of site anisotropies and
chain dimerization on the effective anisotropy of the spin chains
Modeling Molecular Magnets with Large Exchange and On-Site Anisotropies
Spins in molecular magnets can experience both anisotropic exchange
interactions and on-site magnetic anisotropy. In this paper we study the effect
of exchange anisotropy on the molecular magnetic anisotropy both with and
without on-site anisotropy. When both the anisotropies are small, we find that
the axial anisotropy parameter in the effective spin Hamiltonian is the
sum of the individual contributions due to exchange and on-site anisotropies.
We find that even for axial anisotropy of about , the low energy spectrum
does not correspond to a single parent spin manifold but has intruders states
arising from other parent spin. In this case, the low energy spectrum can not
be described by an effective Hamiltonian spanning the parent spin space. We
study the magnetic susceptibility, specific heat as a function of temperature
and magnetization as a function of applied field to characterize the system in
this limit. We find that there is synergy between the two anisotropies,
particularly for large systems with higher site spins.Comment: 30 pages, 11 figures and 3 tables. Supporting information included
after the main articl
From ZIF-8@Al2O3Composites to Self-Supported ZIF-8 One-Dimensional Superstructures
Efficient preparation of composite materials consisting of ZIF-8 nanocrystals embedded inside the channels of macroporous anodic aluminum oxide membranes is reported. 1-D self-supported ZIF-8 superstructures are recovered through matrix dissolution
Microscopic Model for High-spin vs. Low-spin ground state in () magnetic clusters
Conventional superexchange rules predict ferromagnetic exchange interaction
between Ni(II) and M (M=Mo(V), W(V), Nb(IV)). Recent experiments show that in
some systems this superexchange is antiferromagnetic. To understand this
feature, in this paper we develop a microscopic model for Ni(II)-M systems and
solve it exactly using a valence bond approach. We identify the direct exchange
coupling, the splitting of the magnetic orbitals and the inter-orbital electron
repulsions, on the M site as the parameters which control the ground state spin
of various clusters of the Ni(II)-M system. We present quantum phase diagrams
which delineate the high-spin and low-spin ground states in the parameter
space. We fit the spin gap to a spin Hamiltonian and extract the effective
exchange constant within the experimentally observed range, for reasonable
parameter values. We also find a region in the parameter space where an
intermediate spin state is the ground state. These results indicate that the
spin spectrum of the microscopic model cannot be reproduced by a simple
Heisenberg exchange Hamiltonian.Comment: 8 pages including 7 figure
Synthesis, Crystal Structure, Magnetic, and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Properties of a Spiroconjugated Biradical. Evidence for Spiroconjugation Exchange Pathway
A spiroconjugated nitronyl nitroxide biradical, 6,6‘-(4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazolidine-3-oxide-1-oxyl)-3,3,3‘,3‘-tetramethyl-1,1‘-spirobisindane (1), has been prepared by functionalization of a 3,3,3‘,3‘-tetramethyl-1,1‘-spirobisindane framework followed by Ullman condensation and subsequent oxidation. The biradical crystallizes in the monoclinic space group C2/c with four molecules in the unit cell of dimensions a = 24.861(10) Å, b = 12.129(3) Å, and c = 12.258(6) Å. X-ray analysis of a blue-plate single crystal has revealed dihedral angles of 28° between the nitronyl nitroxide moiety and aromatic ring with intramolecular through space radical−radical distances of 8.25 and 10.11 Å. In the solid state, the temperature dependence of the molar magnetic susceptibility reveals antiferromagnetic interactions. These interactions are best fit using a pair model, affording the value J = −4.0 cm^(-1) where J is the interaction parameter appearing in the spin Hamiltonian H = −JS_1·S_2. The field dependence of the magnetization measured at 2 K is consistent with a pair model. Frozen matrix EPR spectra of biradical 1 in CH_2Cl_2 at 100 K shows a half field transition at 1700 G. Temperature dependence of the half field transition intensity has been found to be consistent with a ground singlet state and thermally accessible triplet state. The magnetic interaction observed in the solid state is also observed in solution. Thus, room-temperature solution spectra display a nine-line pattern, with hyperfine coupling to four “equivalent” nitrogen atoms and a hyperfine coupling constant a_N = 3.8 G. Temperature dependence of the solution EPR spectra of biradical 1 displays alternating line width effects caused by conformational dynamics in solution. This behavior has been attributed to modulation of exchange and hyperfine interactions most likely caused by rotational motion about the nitronyl nitroxide−phenyl bond. Biradical 1 therefore exists as a ground-state singlet with a thermally accessible triplet at ca. 4 cm^(-1) higher in energy with a conformational dependence of intramolecular exchange in solution. This coupling may present evidence for spiroconjugation as an exchange pathway. Density functional calculations (B3/6-311G(D)) have been performed to investigate this possibility
Identification of a BRCA2-Specific modifier locus at 6p24 related to breast cancer risk
Common genetic variants contribute to the observed variation in breast cancer risk for BRCA2 mutation carriers; those known to date have all been found through population-based genome-wide association studies (GWAS). To comprehensively identify breast cancer risk modifying loci for BRCA2 mutation carriers, we conducted a deep replication of an ongoing GWAS discovery study. Using the ranked P-values of the breast cancer associations with the imputed genotype of 1.4 M SNPs, 19,029 SNPs were selected and designed for inclusion on a custom Illumina array that included a total of 211,155 SNPs as part of a multi-consortial project. DNA samples from 3,881 breast cancer affected and 4,330 unaffected BRCA2 mutation carriers from 47 studies belonging to the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 were genotyped and available for analysis. We replicated previously reported breast cancer susceptibility alleles in these BRCA2 mutation carriers and for several regions (including FGFR2, MAP3K1, CDKN2A/B, and PTHLH) identified SNPs that have stronger evidence of association than those previously published. We also identified a novel susceptibility allele at 6p24 that was inversely associated with risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers (rs9348512; per allele HR = 0.85, 95% CI 0.80-0.90, P = 3.9×10−8). This SNP was not associated with breast cancer risk either in the general population or in BRCA1 mutation carriers. The locus lies within a region containing TFAP2A, which encodes a transcriptional activation protein that interacts with several tumor suppressor genes. This report identifies the first breast cancer risk locus specific to a BRCA2 mutation background. This comprehensive update of novel and previously reported breast cancer susceptibility loci contributes to the establishment of a panel of SNPs that modify breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers. This panel may have clinical utility for women with BRCA2 mutations weighing options for medical prevention of breast cancer
Functional mechanisms underlying pleiotropic risk alleles at the 19p13.1 breast-ovarian cancer susceptibility locus
A locus at 19p13 is associated with breast cancer (BC) and ovarian cancer (OC) risk. Here we analyse 438 SNPs in this region in 46,451 BC and 15,438 OC cases, 15,252 BRCA1 mutation carriers and 73,444 controls and identify 13 candidate causal SNPs associated with serous OC (P=9.2 × 10-20), ER-negative BC (P=1.1 × 10-13), BRCA1-associated BC (P=7.7 × 10-16) and triple negative BC (P-diff=2 × 10-5). Genotype-gene expression associations are identified for candidate target genes ANKLE1 (P=2 × 10-3) and ABHD8 (P<2 × 10-3). Chromosome conformation capture identifies interactions between four candidate SNPs and ABHD8, and luciferase assays indicate six risk alleles increased transactivation of the ADHD8 promoter. Targeted deletion of a region containing risk SNP rs56069439 in a putative enhancer induces ANKLE1 downregulation; and mRNA stability assays indicate functional effects for an ANKLE1 3′-UTR SNP. Altogether, these data suggest that multiple SNPs at 19p13 regulate ABHD8 and perhaps ANKLE1 expression, and indicate common mechanisms underlying breast and ovarian cancer risk
An original phylogenetic approach identified mitochondrial haplogroup T1a1 as inversely associated with breast cancer risk in BRCA2 mutation carriers
Introduction: Individuals carrying pathogenic mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes have a high lifetime risk of breast cancer. BRCA1 and BRCA2 are involved in DNA double-strand break repair, DNA alterations that can be caused by exposure to reactive oxygen species, a main source of which are mitochondria. Mitochondrial genome variations affect electron transport chain efficiency and reactive oxygen species production. Individuals with different mitochondrial haplogroups differ in their metabolism and sensitivity to oxidative stress. Variability in mitochondrial genetic background can alter reactive oxygen species production, leading to cancer risk. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that mitochondrial haplogroups modify breast cancer risk in BRCA1/2 mutation carriers. Methods: We genotyped 22,214 (11,421 affected, 10,793 unaffected) mutation carriers belonging to the Consortium of Investigators of Modifiers of BRCA1/2 for 129 mitochondrial polymorphisms using the iCOGS array. Haplogroup inference and association detection were performed using a phylogenetic approach. ALTree was applied to explore the reference mitochondrial evolutionary tree and detect subclades enriched in affected or unaffected individuals. Results: We discovered that subclade T1a1 was depleted in affected BRCA2 mutation carriers compared with the rest of clade T (hazard ratio (HR) = 0.55; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.34 to 0.88; P = 0.01). Compared with the most frequent haplogroup in the general population (that is, H and T clades), the T1a1 haplogroup has a HR of 0.62 (95% CI, 0.40 to 0.95; P = 0.03). We also identified three potential susceptibility loci, including G13708A/rs28359178, which has demonstrated an inverse association with familial breast cancer risk. Conclusions: This study illustrates how original approaches such as the phylogeny-based method we used can empower classical molecular epidemiological studies aimed at identifying association or risk modification effects.Peer reviewe
Genome-Wide Association Study in BRCA1 Mutation Carriers Identifies Novel Loci Associated with Breast and Ovarian Cancer Risk
BRCA1-associated breast and ovarian cancer risks can be modified by common genetic variants. To identify further cancer risk-modifying loci, we performed a multi-stage GWAS of 11,705 BRCA1 carriers (of whom 5,920 were diagnosed with breast and 1,839 were diagnosed with ovarian cancer), with a further replication in an additional sample of 2,646 BRCA1 carriers. We identified a novel breast cancer risk modifier locus at 1q32 for BRCA1 carriers (rs2290854, P = 2.7×10-8, HR = 1.14, 95% CI: 1.09-1.20). In addition, we identified two novel ovarian cancer risk modifier loci: 17q21.31 (rs17631303, P = 1.4×10-8, HR = 1.27, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38) and 4q32.3 (rs4691139, P = 3.4×10-8, HR = 1.20, 95% CI: 1.17-1.38). The 4q32.3 locus was not associated with ovarian cancer risk in the general population or BRCA2 carriers, suggesting a BRCA1-specific associat
- …