A. C. Mclaughlin

Valence Bond Glass on an fcc Lattice in the Double Perovskite Ba2YMoO6

We report on the unconventional magnetism in the cubic B-site ordered double perovskite Ba2YMoO6, using ac and dc magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity and muon spin rotation. No magnetic order is observed down to 2 K while the Weiss temperature is approximately -160 K. This is ascribed to the geometric frustration in the lattice of edge-sharing tetrahedra with orbitally degenerate Mo5+ s=1/2 spins. Our experimental results point to a gradual freezing of the spins into a disordered pattern of spin singlets, quenching the orbital degeneracy while leaving the global cubic symmetry unaffected, and providing a rare example of a valence bond glass.

Variable temperature study of the crystal and magnetic structures of the giant magnetoresistant materials LMnAsO (L =La, Nd)

A variable temperature neutron and synchrotron diffraction study have been performed on the giant magnetoresistant oxypnictides LnMnAsO (Ln = La, Nd). The low temperature magnetic structures have been studied and results show a spin reorientation of the Mn2+ spins below TN (Nd) for NdMnAsO. The Mn2+ spins rotate from alignment along c to alignment into the basal plane and the Mn2+ and Nd3+ moments refine to 3.54(4) \mu B and 1.93(4) \mu B respectively at 2 K. In contrast there is no change in magnetic structure with temperature for LaMnAsO. There is no evidence of a structural transition down to 2 K, however discontinuities in the cell volume, Ln-O and Mn-As bond lengths are detected at \sim 150 K for both materials. This temperature coincides with the electronic transition previously reported and suggests a coupling between electronic and lattice degrees of freedom.

Synthesis and characterisation of biologically compatible TiO2 nanoparticles

We describe for the first time the synthesis of biocompatible TiO2 nanoparticles containing a functional NH2 group which are easily dispersible in water. The synthesis of water dispersible TiO2 nanoparticles coated with mercaptosuccinic acid is also reported. We show that it is possible to exchange the stearic acid from pre-synthesised fatty acid-coated anatase 5-nm nanoparticles with a range of organic ligands with no change in the size or morphology. With further organic functionalisation, these nanoparticles could be used for medical imaging or to carry cytotoxic radionuclides for radioimmunotherapy where ultrasmall nanoparticles will be essential for rapid renal clearance.

Giant magnetoresistance in oxypnictides (La,Nd)OMnAs

A sizeable negative magnetoresistance (MR) has been observed for oxypnictides LnOMnAs (Ln = La,Nd). MR up to -24% is observed at 200 K for LaOMnAs which is unprecedented for divalent Mn(2+). Both materials are weak ferromagnets with transition temperatures above room temperature.

AM-6: a microporous one-dimensional ferromagnet

The vanadosilicate zeolite AM-6 is shown by a combination of spectroscopic techniques (UV-vis, Raman, XPS, XAS and EPR) to contain linear chains of alternating V=O and V-O bonds. The V(IV) ions in these chains are ferromagnetically coupled, and an excellent fit a to the susceptibility data with a one-dimensional Heisenberg model is obtained with J = 0.66(1) cm(-1). AM-6 is thus the first reported example of a microporous material incorporating one-dimensional ferromagnetic chains.

Changes in 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose incorporation, hexokinase activity and lactate production by breast cancer cells responding to treatment with the anti-HER-2 antibody trastuzumab

INTRODUCTION Changes in 2-[(18)F]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (FDG) incorporation by tumors, detected using positron emission tomography, during response to chemotherapy are utilized clinically in patient management. Here, the effect of treatment with growth-inhibitory doses of the anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 antibody trastuzumab (Herceptin) on the incorporation of FDG by breast tumor cells was measured along with hexokinase (HK) and glucose transport to determine the potential of FDG-positron emission tomography in predicting response to these biological anti-cancer therapies and their modulatory effects on the steps involved in FDG incorporation. METHODS The sensitivity to trastuzumab of three breast tumor cell lines, SKBr3, MDA-MB-453 and MDA-MB-468, expressing human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 at high, medium and low levels, respectively, was determined using MTT [3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide] assay over a 6-day period, and a clonogenic assay was carried out after 7- and 10-day exposures. FDG incorporation by cells treated with growth-inhibitory doses of trastuzumab was carried out after 4 h and 2, 4 and 6 days of treatment. Glucose transport (rate of uptake of the non-metabolizable analogue [(3)H]O-methyl-D-glucose), HK activity and lactate production were measured on cells treated with inhibitory doses of trastuzumab for 6 days. RESULTS The IC(50) doses for SKBr3 and MDA-MB-453 and the IC(20) dose for MDA-MB-468 after 6 days of treatment with trastuzumab were 0.25, 1 and 170 μg/ml, respectively. FDG incorporation by SKBr3 and MDA-MB-453 cells was found to be decreased using IC(50) doses of trastuzumab for 6 days. At the IC(50) doses, FDG incorporation was also decreased at 4 days and, in the case of MDA-MB-453, even after 4 h of treatment. Decreased FDG incorporation corresponded with decreased HK activity in these cells. Lactate production, previously suggested to be a potential measure of response, was found to be significantly decreased by SKBr3 and MDA-MB-453 cells responding to trastuzumab. CONCLUSION FDG incorporation at the tumor cell level is modulated by treatment with growth-inhibitory doses of trastuzumab due to modulation of HK activity. Changes in lactate production may also be a useful determinant of response to trastuzumab.

IrSr2Sm1.15Ce0.85Cu2.175O10: A reentrant spin-glass material

A new iridium-containing layered cuprate material, Ir0.825Sr2Sm1.15Ce0.85Cu2.175O10, has been synthesized by conventional ambient-pressure solid-state techniques. The material’s structure has been fully characterized by Rietveld refinement of high-resolution synchrotron x-ray diffraction data; tilts and rotations of the IrO6 octahedra are observed as a result of a bond mismatch between in-plane Ir–O and Cu–O bond lengths. DC-susceptibility measurements evidence a complex set of magnetic transitions upon cooling that are characteristic of a reentrant spin-glass ground-state. The glassy character of the lowest-temperature (Tg = 10 K) transition is further confirmed by AC-susceptibility measurements, showing a characteristic frequency dependence that can be well fitted by

The crystal structure and electrical properties of the oxide ion conductor Ba3WNbO8.5

\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{(\mathrm{Nd},\mathrm{Y},\mathrm{Ce})}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{10\ensuremath{-}\ensuremath{\delta}}

The Electronic and Magnetic Properties of Magnetoresistant Nd1-xSrxMnAsO Oxyarsenides

ruthenocuprates have been studied by neutron diffraction, and magnetotransport and magnetization measurements, and the electronic phase diagram is reported. Separate Ru and Cu spin ordering transitions are observed, with spontaneous Cu antiferromagnetic order for low hole-doping levels