A Triangular Frustrated Eu(II)-Organic Framework for Sub-Kelvin Magnetic Refrigeration.

Attaining sub-Kelvin temperatures remains technologically challenging and often relies on the scarce resource He, unless employing adiabatic demagnetization refrigeration. Herein, the active coolant typically consists of weakly coupled paramagnetic ions, whose magnetic interaction strengths are comparable in energy to the relevant temperature regime of cooling. Such interactions depend strongly on inter-ion distances, fundamentally hindering the realization of dense coolants for sub-Kelvin refrigeration.

Binding of ligands to the aryl hydrocarbon receptor: An overview of methods.

The aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor, which plays numerous and pivotal roles in human physiology and pathophysiology. Therefore, pharmacotherapeutic targeting of the AhR is a highly pertinent issue. The identification of new AhR ligands and the characterization of the interactions between the AhR ligands and AhR protein requires appropriate methodology.

Laser Flash Melting Cryo-EM Samples to Overcome Preferred Orientation.

Sample preparation remains a bottleneck for protein structure determination by cryo-electron microscopy. A frequently encountered issue is that proteins adsorb to the air-water interface of the sample in a limited number of orientations. This makes it challenging to obtain high-resolution reconstructions or may even cause projects to fail altogether.

Spin-Phonon Coupling in Iron-Doped Ultrathin Bismuth Halide Perovskite Derivatives.

Spin in semiconductors facilitates magnetically controlled optoelectronic and spintronic devices. In metal halide perovskites (MHPs), doping magnetic ions is proven to be a simple and efficient approach to introducing a spin magnetic momentum. In this work, we present a facile metal ion doping protocol through the vapor-phase metal halide insertion reaction to the chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown ultrathin CsBiBr perovskites.

Identification of an X-Band Clock Transition in Cp'Pr Enabled by a 4f5d Configuration.

Molecular qubits offer an attractive basis for quantum information processing, but challenges remain with regard to sustained coherence. Qubits based on clock transitions offer a method to improve the coherence times. We propose a general strategy for identifying molecules with high-frequency clock transitions in systems where a d electron is coupled to a crystal-field singlet state of an f configuration, resulting in an = ±1/2 ground state with strong hyperfine coupling.

Tetracoordinate Co(II) complexes with semi-coordination as stable single-ion magnets for deposition on graphene.

We present a theoretical and experimental study of two tetracoordinate Co(II)-based complexes with semi-coordination interactions, , non-covalent interactions involving the central atom. We argue that such interactions enhance the thermal and structural stability of the compounds, making them appropriate for deposition on substrates, as demonstrated by their successful deposition on graphene. DC magnetometry and high-frequency electron spin resonance (HF-ESR) experiments revealed an axial magnetic anisotropy and weak intermolecular antiferromagnetic coupling in both compounds, supported by theoretical predictions from complete active space self-consistent field calculations complemented by N-electron valence state second-order perturbation theory (CASSCF-NEVPT2), and broken-symmetry density functional theory (BS-DFT).

Homogeneous water nucleation in argon, nitrogen, and nitrous oxide as carrier gases.

Experimental results for homogeneous nucleation of water droplets in the presence of argon, nitrogen, and, for the first time, nitrous oxide as carrier gases are reported. The main objective of the study was to investigate the effects of different carrier gases on the nucleation rate. These gases differ in the number of atoms comprising the molecule, which affects the expansion ratio required to reach the target nucleation temperature.

Time- and dose-dependent seeding tendency of exogenous tau R2 and R3 aggregates in cells.

Tauopathies are a group of neurodegenerative diseases categorised into three types, 3R, 4R, or 3R+4R (mixed) tauopathies, based on the tau isoforms that make up the aberrant filaments. It is supposed that all six tau isoforms share functional characteristics. However, differences in the neuropathological features associated with different tauopathies offer the possibility that disease progression and tau accumulation may vary depending on the isoform composition.

Cryopreservation of Giraffe Epidydimal Spermatozoa Using Different Extenders and Cryoprotectants.

Giraffe numbers have plummeted over the last 30 years by 30-40%. Thus, their conservation status has been raised from least concern to vulnerable. Efforts to manage in situ and ex situ populations are increasing.

Monitoring Behaviour in African Elephants during Introduction into a New Group: Differences between Related and Unrelated Animals.

The introduction of elephants into new groups is necessary for breeding programmes. However, behavioural studies on the reactions of these animals at first encounters are missing. In the present study, female African elephants living in zoos were observed during unifications with unfamiliar elephants (introduction of two to one females and one to two females; = 6) and reunifications with related elephants (two mother-daughter-pairs; = 4) that were separated for 2 and 12 years, respectively.

Room-temperature control and electrical readout of individual nitrogen-vacancy nuclear spins.

Nuclear spins in semiconductors are leading candidates for future quantum technologies, including quantum computation, communication, and sensing. Nuclear spins in diamond are particularly attractive due to their long coherence time. With the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centre, such nuclear qubits benefit from an auxiliary electronic qubit, which, at cryogenic temperatures, enables probabilistic entanglement mediated optically by photonic links.

Homogeneous water nucleation in carbon dioxide-nitrogen mixtures: Experimental study on pressure and carrier gas effects.

New homogeneous nucleation experiments are presented at 240 K for water in carrier gas mixtures of nitrogen with carbon dioxide molar fractions of 5%, 15%, and 25%. The pulse expansion wave tube is used to test three different pressure conditions, namely, 0.1, 1, and 2 MPa.

A Label-Free Diamond Microfluidic DNA Sensor Based on Active Nitrogen-Vacancy Center Charge State Control.

We propose a label-free biosensor concept based on the charge state manipulation of nitrogen-vacancy (NV) quantum color centers in diamond, combined with an electrochemical microfluidic flow cell sensor, constructed on boron-doped diamond. This device can be set at a defined electrochemical potential, locking onto the particular chemical reaction, whilst the NV center provides the sensing function. The NV charge state occupation is initially prepared by applying a bias voltage on a gate electrode and then subsequently altered by exposure to detected charged molecules.

Insight into the formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine in metformin products.

An effective analytical method for the quantification of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) using a liquid chromatography coupled with tandem mass spectrometry was developed and applied to a process optimization study of the production of metformin film coated tablets in order to identify the key factors behind the NDMA formation in metformin products. The method uses a linear gradient elution with mobile phases 0.1 % formic acid in water for chromatography and methanol for chromatography and a column Acquity UPLC HSS T3 1.

Homogeneous water nucleation: Experimental study on pressure and carrier gas effects.

Homogeneous nucleation of water is investigated in argon and in nitrogen at about 240 K and 0.1 MPa, 1 MPa, and 2 MPa by means of a pulse expansion wave tube. The surface tension reduction at high pressure qualitatively explains the observed enhancement of the nucleation rate of water in argon as well as in nitrogen.

Deposition of Tetracoordinate Co(II) Complex with Chalcone Ligands on Graphene.

Studying the properties of complex molecules on surfaces is still mostly an unexplored research area because the deposition of the metal complexes has many pitfalls. Herein, we probed the possibility to produce surface hybrids by depositing a Co(II)-based complex with chalcone ligands on chemical vapor deposition (CVD)-grown graphene by a wet-chemistry approach and by thermal sublimation under high vacuum Samples were characterized by high-frequency electron spin resonance (HF-ESR), XPS, Raman spectroscopy, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and optical microscopy, supported with density functional theory (DFT) and complete active space self-consistent field (CASSCF)/N-electron valence second-order perturbation theory (NEVPT2) calculations. This compound's rationale is its structure, with several aromatic rings for weak binding and possible favorable - stacking onto graphene.

Co(II)-Based single-ion magnets with 1,1'-ferrocenediyl-bis(diphenylphosphine) metalloligands.

Herein, we report on investigations of magnetic and spectroscopic properties of three heterobimetallic Fe(ii)-Co(ii) coordination compounds based on the tetracoordinate {CoP2X2} core encapsulated by dppf metalloligand, where X = Cl (1), Br (2), I (3), dppf = 1,1'-ferrocenediyl -bis(diphenylphosphine). The analysis of static magnetic data has revealed the presence of axial magnetic anisotropy in compounds (1) and (2) and this was further confirmed by high-frequency electron spin resonance (HF-ESR) spectroscopy. Dynamic magnetic data confirmed that (1) and (2) behave as field-induced Single-Ion Magnets (SIMs).

Possible Anomaly in the Surface Tension of Supercooled Water: New Experiments at Extreme Supercooling down to -31.4 °C.

The surface tension of water is suspected to show a substantial increase at low temperatures, which is considered to be one of the many anomalies of water. The second inflection point (SIP) anomaly, originally claimed to be at around -8 °C, was experimentally refuted down to -25 °C by Hrubý et al. ( , 5, 425-428).

Influence of the new standardized clinical cryopreservation/slow thawing protocol on immunogenicity of arterial allografts in rats.

Objectives And Design: At the present time there are two waiting list for patients with vascular prosthetic infection indicated for arterial transplantation in the Czech Republic. The inclusion of each patient for cold-stored or cryopreserved arterial transplantation is the preference of indicating surgeon. In this experimental work we studied the immunogenicity of rat aortal allografts treated by our new clinical cryopreservation/slow thawing protocol.

Comparison of Different Thawing Protocols in Human Cryopreserved Venous Grafts.

Background: The aim of our study was to assess the impact of different thawing protocols on morphological changes arising in cryopreserved human saphenous vein grafts.

Methods: The study was performed in 12 saphenous vein grafts harvested in brain death donors. Storage in the vapor phase of liquid nitrogen for 3 or 5 years followed.

A graphene-based hybrid material with quantum bits prepared by the double Langmuir-Schaefer method.

The scalability and stability of molecular qubits deposited on surfaces is a crucial step for incorporating them into upcoming electronic devices. Herein, we report on the preparation and characterisation of a molecular quantum bit, copper(ii)dibenzoylmethane [Cu(dbm)], deposited by a modified Langmuir-Schaefer (LS) technique onto a graphene-based substrate. A double LS deposition was used for the preparation of a few-layer-graphene (FLG) on a Si/SiO substrate with subsequent deposition of the molecules.

Relative density and isobaric expansivity of cold and supercooled heavy water from 254 to 298 K and up to 100 MPa.

A dual-capillary apparatus was developed for highly accurate measurements of density of liquids, including the supercooled liquid region. The device was used to determine the density of supercooled heavy water in the temperature range from 254 K to 298 K at pressures ranging from atmospheric to 100 MPa, relative to density at reference isotherm 298.15 K.

Surgical pleth index: prospective validation of the score to predict moderate-to-severe postoperative pain.

Background: Reported outcome benefits after surgical pleth index (SPI, GE Healthcare, Helsinki, Finland) guided anaesthesia are conflicting. One potential explanation may be the lack of evidence for the selection of meaningful SPI target values. A recently published trial found an SPI cut-off of 30 as a 'best-fit' to predict moderate-to-severe acute postoperative pain.

Photoelectrical imaging and coherent spin-state readout of single nitrogen-vacancy centers in diamond.

Nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond have become an important instrument for quantum sensing and quantum information science. However, the readout of NV spin state requires bulky optical setups, limiting fabrication of miniaturized compact devices for practical use. Here we realized photoelectrical detection of magnetic resonance as well as Rabi oscillations on a single-defect level.

The role of intraperitoneal ropivacaine in laparoscopic appendicectomy: a prospective, double-blinded randomized control Australian study.

Background: Currently, intraoperative use of local anaesthetic is not routinely given in all laparoscopic appendicectomies. Although its use has been widely studied in laparoscopic hernia repairs, gynaecological laparoscopy and laparoscopic cholecystectomies, there are no published trials of the use of intraperitoneal local anaesthetic during laparoscopic appendicectomy in the Australasian setting. The aim of this study was to determine whether the use of intraperitoneal ropivacaine during laparoscopic appendicectomy will reduce the amount of post-operative opiate analgesia used, abdominal pain, post-operative nausea or vomiting, shoulder tip pain and length of hospital stay.