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The nonlinear dynamical response of Mn12 single-molecule magnets is experimentally found to be very large, quite insensitive to the spin-lattice coupling constant, and displaying peaks reversed with respect to classical superparamagnets. It is shown that these features are caused by the strong field dependence of the relaxation rate due to the detuning of energy levels between which tunneling takes place. The nonlinear susceptibility technique, previously overlooked, is thus proposed as a privileged probe to ascertain the occurrence of quantum effects in mesoscopic magnetic systems.

We report the first example of a transition to long-range magnetic order in a purely dipolarly interacting molecular magnet. For the magnetic cluster compound Mn6O4Br4(Et2dbm)6, the anisotropy experienced by the total spin S = 12 of each cluster is so small that spin-lattice relaxation remains fast down to the lowest temperatures, thus enabling dipolar order to occur within experimental times at T(c) = 0.16 K. In high magnetic fields, the relaxation rate becomes drastically reduced and the interplay between nuclear- and electron-spin lattice relaxation is revealed.

The clinical and epidemiological features, as well as complications presented by 39 patients with Bothrops, Porthidium and Bothriechis snakebites, are described. Patients were admitted during 1 year in 25 hospitals of Antioquia and Chocó and then, they were transferred to the Hospital Universitario San Vicente de Paúl in Medellín, 30 of them because of the presence of complications, eight because of lack of antivenoms and another one because of the desire of his relatives. Thirty--one (79.5%) of the patients were male, 13 (33.3%) children, 59% of them were bitten at the lower extremities, the majority (74.4%) by Bothrops asper. Twenty-one (53.8%) of the patients were initially attended by traditional healers and sought medical attention at the local hospitals after 2h in 87.2% of the cases. Edema (100%), hemorrhage (74.4%), blistering (38.5%) and necrosis (38.5%), were the local signs of envenomation, while blood coagulation alteration (79.5%), hematuria (74.4%), gingival bleeding (43.6%), hypovolemic shock (23.1%) and oliguria (23.1%), were the systemic signs of envenomation. The final grade of envenomation was severe in 29 patients (74.4%). Thirty patients (76.9%) had one or more complications of the envenomation: acute renal failure (ARF), 15 (38.5%); soft-tissue infection, 12 (30.8%); central nervous system (CNS) hemorrhage, 5 (12.8%); compartment syndrome, 3 (7.7%); soft--tissue hematomas, 6 (15.4%); and Abruptio placentae, one (2.6%). There were four deaths (10.3%), two from ARF and two from cerebral hemorrhage. Fourteen other patients (35.9%) had sequelae. The onset of serotherapy after 2h of the bite was associated with the occurrence of ARF and CNS hemorrhage (p=0.02), as well as the risk of death and sequelae (RR=2.5).

The influence that dipole-dipole interactions exert on the dynamics of the magnetization of nanometer-sized Co clusters has been studied by means of ac and dc susceptibility experiments. These clusters grow in a quasiordered layered structure, where all relevant parameters can be tailored and measured independently. Our data show without ambiguity that the magnetic relaxation becomes slower as the degree of interaction increases. The effective activation energy increases linearly with the number of nearest neighbor clusters, evolving from the value for a 2D layer to the fully 3D behavior, which is nearly reached for five layers. The experimental results agree quantitatively with the predictions of a simple model.

The oligomerization of the plasma membrane calcium pump (PMCA) in phospholipid/detergent micelles was evaluated using a combined spectroscopic and kinetic approach and related to the enzyme stability. Energy transfer between fluorescein-5'-isothiocyanate and eosin-5'-isothiocyanate attached to different PMCA molecules was used to determine the dissociation constant of dimeric PMCA (140 +/- 50 nM at 25 degrees C) and characterize the time course of dimerization. The enzyme thermal stability at different dimer/monomer ratios was evaluated, quantifying the kinetic coefficient of thermal inactivation. This coefficient decreases with PMCA concentration, becoming approximately constant beyond 300 nM. Thermal treatment leads to the formation of inactive monomers that associate only with native monomers. These mixed dimers are formed with a kinetic coefficient that is half that determined for the native dimers. We proposed a model for PMCA thermal inactivation that considers the equilibria among dimers, monomers, and mixed dimers, and the inactivation of the last two species through irreversible steps. The numerical resolution of the differential equations describing this model fitted to the experimental data allowed the determination of the model coefficients. This analysis shows that thermal inactivation occurs through the denaturation of the monomer, which lifetime is 25 min at 44 degrees C. The obtained results suggest that PMCA dimerization constitutes a mechanism of self protection against spontaneous denaturation.

Iron and titanium oxide nanoparticles have been synthesized in parallel mesopores of alumina by a novel organometallic "chimie douce" approach that uses bis(toluene)iron(0) (1) and bis(toluene)titanium(0) (2) as precursors. These complexes are molecular sources of iron and titanium in a zerovalent atomic state. In the case of 1, core shell iron/iron oxide particles with a strong magnetic coupling between both components, as revealed by magnetic measurements, are formed. Mössbauer data reveal superparamagnetic particle behavior with a distinct particle size distribution that confirms the magnetic measurements. The dependence of the Mössbauer spectra on temperature and particle size is explained by the influence of superparamagnetic relaxation effects. The coexistence of a paramagnetic doublet and a magnetically split component in the spectra is further explained by a distribution in particle size. From Mössbauer parameters the oxide phase can be identified as low-crystallinity ferrihydrite oxide. In agreement with quantum size effects observed in UV-visible studies, TEM measurements determine the size of the particles in the range 5-8 nm. The particles are mainly arranged alongside the pore walls of the alumina template. TiO2 nanoparticles are formed by depositing 2 in mesoporous alumina template. This produces metallic Ti, which is subsequently oxidized to TiO2 (anatase) within the alumina pores. UV-visible studies show a strong quantum confinement effect for these particles. From UV-visible investigations the particle size is determined to be around 2 nm. XPS analysis of the iron- and titania- embedded nanoparticles reveal the presence of Fe2O3 and TiO2 according to experimental binding energies and the experimental line shapes. Ti4+ and Fe3+ are the only oxidation states of the particles which can be determined by this technique. Hydrogen reduction of the iron/iron-oxide nanoparticles at 500 degrees C under flowing H2/N2 produces a catalyst, which is active towards formation of carbon nanotubes by a CVD process. Depending on the reaction conditions, the formation of smaller carbon nanotubes inside the interior of larger carbon nanotubes within the alumina pores can be achieved. This behavior can be understood by means of selectively turning on and off the iron catalyst by adjusting the flow rate of the gaseous carbon precursor in the CVD process.

By applying a transverse magnetic field B( perpendicular) of sufficient strength to the uniaxial molecular magnets Fe8 and Mn12, the tunneling splitting Delta(t) of their S = +/-10 magnetic ground states can be made large compared to perturbations such as hyperfine and dipolar interactions. We present evidence for such a Delta(t) from magnetic specific heat data below 1 K that is consistent with coherent quantum mechanical tunneling in a "mesoscopic" system under such conditions.

This is the report of a patient with a 4-day history of a non-specific febrile syndrome, characterized by abdominal pain in the abscense of previous trauma. The abdominal ultrasound and Computerized Tomography showed marked hepatosplenomegaly and blood in the peritoneal cavity. An emergency splenectomy was performed, and the hospital course was complicated by and acute pancreatitis with a low-output fistula. The pathology specimen revealed the presence of a histologic picture compatible with Infectious Mononucleosis (IM), previously confirmed with serologic tests. The patient received antibiotics and had a favorable clinical course.