Tantalum Clusters in Oxidic Matrices — Synthesis,Crystal Structure and Magnetic Properties of Eu1.83Ta15O32

The mixed‐valent oxotantalate Eu_1.83Ta₁₅O₃₂ was prepared from a compressed mixture of Ta₂O₅ and the metals in a sealed Ta ampoule at 1400 °C. The crystal structure was determined by means of single crystal X‐ray diffraction: space group R3¯, a = 777.2(6) pm and c = 3523.5(3) pm, Z = 3, 984 symmetrically independent reflections, 83 variables, R_F = 0.027 for I > 2σ (I). The structure is isotypic to Ba₂Nb₁₅O₃₂. The salient feature is a [Ta(+8/3)₆O₁₂ⁱO₆^a] cluster consisting of an octahedral Ta₆ core bonded to 12 edge‐bridging inner and six outer oxygen atoms. The clusters are arranged to slabs which are sandwiched by layers of [Ta(+5)₃O₁₃] triple octahedra. Additional Ta(+5) and Eu(+2) atoms provide the cohesion of these structural units. Twelve‐fold coordinated Eu(+2) atoms are situated on a triply degenerate position 33 pm displaced from the threefold axis of symmetry. A depletion of the Eu(+2) site from 6 to 5.5 atoms per unit cell reduces the number of electrons available for Ta‐Ta bonding from 15 to 14.67 electrons per cluster. Between 125 and 320 K Eu_1.83Ta₁₅O₃₂ is semi‐conducting with a band gap of 0.23 eV. The course of the magnetization is consistently described with the Brillouin function in terms of a M_mol/(N_Aμ_B) versus B/T plot in the temperature range 5 K — 320 K and at magnetic flux densities 0.1 T — 5 T. At moderate flux densities (< 1 T) the magnetic moment agrees fairly well with the expected value of 7.94 μ_B for free Eu (2+) ions with 4f⁷ configuration in ⁸S_7/2 ground state. Below 5 K, anisotropic magnetization measurements at flux densities B < 1 T point to an onset of an antiferromagnetic ordering of Eu spins within the layers and an incipient ferromagnetic ordering perpendicular to the layers.     

A fully automated mass spectrometer for the analysis of organic solids

Automation of a mass spectrometer—computer system makes it possible to process up to 30 samples without attention after sample loading. An automatic sample changer introduces the samples successively into the ion source by means of a direct inlet probe. A process control unit determines the operation sequence. Computer programs are available for the hardware support, system supervision and evaluation of the spectrometer signals. The most essential precondition for automation — automatic evaporation of the sample material by electronic control of the total ion current — is confirmed to be satisfactory. The system operates routinely overnight in an industrial laboratory, so that day work can be devoted to difficult analytical problems. The cost of routine analyses is halved.     

A study of a fullyc-axis oriented dc-sputtered thin film of YBa2(Cu0.98 57Fe0.02)3O6.8 by means of CEMS,XRD and SEM

A fullyc-axis oriented thin film of YBa₂(Cu_0.98 ⁵⁷Fe_0.02)₃O_6.8 prepared by planar dcsputtering has been investigated by means of Mössbauer spectroscopy. Room temperature⁵⁷Fe conversion electron Mössbauer spectra taken at different angles between the -ray direction and the normal (=c-axis) of the film show four subspectra: A (quadrupole splitting E _Q1.9 mm/s), B (E _Q1 mm/s), C (E _Q0.5 m/s) and D (E _Q1.6 mm/s). For subspectra A, B and C, we found the same hyperfine parameters as already published on other samples. The hyperfine parameters for subspectrum D are determined for the first time using a fully oriented sample. For D, we found the asymmetry parameter 0.6 andV _zz (the main component of the electric field gradient) lying in the a-b-plane.     

Spectral properties of operators of the theory of harmonic potential

We classify the points of the spectrum of the operatorsB andB ^* of the theory of harmonic potential on a smooth closed surfaceS ³. These operators give the direct value onS of the normal derivative of the simple layer potential and the double layer potential. We show that zero can belong to the point spectrum of both operators inL ₂ (S). We prove that the half-interval [–2, 2) is densely filled by spectrum points of the operators for a varying surface; this is a generalization of the classical result of Plemelj. We obtain a series of new spectral properties of the operatorsB andB ^* on ellipsoidal surfaces.Translated fromMatematicheskie Zametki, Vol. 59, No. 1, pp. 3–11, January, 1996.This research was partially supported by the Russian Foundation for Basic Research.     

Carbohydrate-Based Antibiotics: A New Approach to Tackling the Problem of Resistance

Recent interest in the problem of antibiotic resistance has led to the identification of new targets and strategies for antibiotic discovery. Among these efforts, the development of small molecules as antibiotics to target carbohydrate receptors or carbohydrate-modifying enzymes represents a new direction. This review covers recent work in this regard and discusses the impact of each strategy on the development of drug resistance. Particularly interesting targets include unique cell-surface carbohydrates, the transglycosylase involved in peptidoglycan biosynthesis, and bacterial RNA. With a greater understanding of the genome of different bacteria as well as advances in functional genomics and proteomics, we can expect the discovery of a variety of targets for the development of novel antibiotics.     

The frattini subgroup of the absolute Galois group of a local field

LetK be a local field,T the maximal tamely ramified extension ofK, F the fixed field inK _sof the Frattini subgroup ofG(K), andJ the compositum of all minimal Galois extensions ofK containingT. The main result of the paper is thatF=J. IfK is a global field andK _solv is the maximal prosolvable extension ofK, then the Frattini group of % MathType!End!2!1!(K _solv/K) is trivial. Partially supported by a grant from the G.I.F., the German-Israeli Foundation for Scientific Research and Development.     

Upper limit for thermal direct photon production in heavy-ion collisions at 60 and 200A·GeV

The production of direct photons has been investigated in reactions ofp and¹⁶O projectiles at 60 and 200A·GeV with C and Au nuclei. Photon and ⁰ spectra have been measured in the pseudorapidity range 1.52.1 for the transverse momentum region 0.4 GeV/cp _T 2.8 GeV/c employing the lead-glass spectrometer SAPHIR. An upper limit of 15% at the 90% confidence level for the direct photon signal relative to the neutral pion production is obtained from the comparison of measured photon spectra with Monte Carlo simulations of the hadronic background based on the reconstructed yield of ⁰ and mesons. Consequences for a possible phase transition to a quark-gluon plasma are discussed.