The absence of proximal strain in the truncated hemoglobins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis

HbN and HbO are two truncated hemoglobins from Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Resonance Raman spectra of the deoxy derivatives of these two homodimeric hemoglobins indicate that there is no proximal strain imposed by intersubunit interactions on the proximal iron-histidine bond as that observed in the tetrameric human hemoglobin. In addition, with nanosecond laser flash photolysis, it was concluded that movement along the Fe-His bond following the dissociation of CO does not trigger a quaternary structural transition in these two hemoglobins.     

Bose quantization of a new spin-1/2 equation

We second quantize a relativistic Schrödinger equation involving a HamiltonianH that describes free spin-1/2 particles and that depends on a parameterG. We require a positive definite metric and a positive definite energy in the Fock space in which the field ψ(x,t) and its adjoint operate. IfG=±i, one obtains the usual second-quantized Dirac theory, but for real values ofG one has Bose statistics. Whereas the anticommutator [ψ(x,t), ψ * (x′,t′)]₊ vanishes for a Dirac field when the interval between (x,t) and (x′,t′) lies outside the light cone, whenG is real the commutator [ψ (x,t), ψ * (x′,t′)_? vanishes for such points.     

High spin spectroscopy of 139Pr

The high spin states in N=80 ¹³⁹Pr have been investigated by in-beam γ-spectroscopic techniques following the reaction ¹³⁰Te (¹⁴N, 5n) reaction at E=75 MeV, using a gamma detector array, consisting of seven 23% compton-suppressed high purity germanium detectors and a multiplicity ball of fourteen bismuth germanate elements. Based on γ-γ coincidence data, the level scheme of ¹³⁹Pr has been considerably extended up to 7.2 MeV excitation. Tentative spin-parity assignments are done for the newly proposed levels on the basis of the DCO ratios corresponding to strong gates and the available information from the earlier light ion experiments.     

Pressure dependence of magnetic ordering temperatures of rare earth - Sn3 compounds

Measurements of the hydrostatic pressure dependence of the Neél temperatures, T_N, are reported for PrSn₃, GdSn₃, GdSn₃ and CeIn₃. T_N is found to increase with applied pressure for PrSn₃ and NdSn₃, whereas T_N is pressure independent within experimental error for GdSn₃ and CeIn₃. Slightly Sn-deficient RESn₃ (RE=rare earth) compounds are found consistently to be weakly ferromagnetic. The physical properties of the RESn₃ compounds exhibit analogies with the corresponding properties of dilute superconducting ($\text{La}$RE)Sn₃ alloys. The high pressure data for PrSn₃ and CeIn₃ are qualitatively consistent with a “Kondo necklace” model for magnetically ordered RE compounds with unstable 4f shells.     

Effect of pressure on induced ferromagnetism in Pr3Se4

The pressure dependence to 9.4 kbar of the magnetization of the induced ferromagnet, Pr₃Se₄, is presented. Two ferromagnetic transitions near 15 K are identified. The magnetic component associated with one decreases rapidly with increasing pressure and the high field moment increases. The results are compared to recent work on Pr₃Tl.     

Relativistic hamiltonian equations for any spin

We discuss 2(2J + 1)-component Poincaré-invariant Hamiltonian theories that describe free particles of definite mass and spin and that are subject to the conditions (a) every observable $\text{O}$ is either Hermitian or pseudo-Hermitian (i.e., O = ?₃O⁺?₃) and (b) the theory is invariant under the discrete symmetries. Our treatment is based on the Heisenberg equations of motion and on the Lie algebra of the Poincaré group. Explicit formulas are found for the generators of this algebra, including the Hamiltonian H, and all relations between the operators Γ and H that are both necessary and sufficient for $\text{K =}\text{1}\text{2}\text{[x}\text{, H]}{}_{\mathrm{+}}\text{+ Γ}$ to generate Lorentz boosts are found. To illustrate the utility of our results, we apply them to obtain explicit generalizations of the Dirac equation to any spin, by requiring that Γ = 0, and of the Sakata-Taketani spin-0 and spin-1 equations to any spin, by requiring that $\text{Γ = ??}{}_3\text{(}\text{1}\text{2m}\text{)}\text{S × p}$.     

Foldy-Wouthuysen transformations for any spin

We give the generalized Foldy-Wouthuysen transformation for any 2(2J + 1)-component Poincaré-invariant Hamiltonian theory that describes free massive spin-J particles and that is subject to the conditions: (a) every observable $\text{O}$ is either Hermitian ($\text{O}$ = $\text{O}$⁺) or pseudo-Hermitian ($\text{O}$ = ?₃$\text{O}$⁺?₃) and (b) the theory is invariant under the discrete symmetries. The requirement that the Hamiltonian be defined in the rest frame specifies one and only one boost generator that is also defined at p = 0.     

Magnetic field alignment of high-T c superconductorsRBa2Cu3O7–δ (R=rare earth)

Finely ground powders ofRBa₂Cu₃O_{7 –} (R=Y, Nd, Sm, Eu, Dy, Ho, Er, Tm, Yb) have been mixed at dilute 3%-by-volume concentrations into epoxy matrices which were then allowed to harden in applied magnetic fieldsH _A=18 kOe. X-ray diffractometry studies and 4.3 K measurements of supercurrent-induced magnetization hysteresisM are interpreted as indicating at least partial alignment of single-crystal-grain c-axes (1) parallel toH _A forR=Y, Nd, Sm, Dy, Ho (as earlier found by Farrell et al. forR=Y), and (2) perpendicular toH _A forR=Eu, Er, Tm, Yb. With a few exceptions (Y, Sm, Eu) the alignment direction correlates with the sign of the second-order Stevens factor _J of the crystalline electric field Hamiltonian in the manner suggested by Livingston et al. For the best aligned specimens (Ho, Dy) critical current densitiesJ _c (4.3 K, 5 kOe) for individual grains are estimated fromM and the Bean model to be of order 10⁷ A/cm² for the measuring fieldH parallel to the original alignment fieldH _A, and of order 10⁶ A/cm² forH perpendicular toH _A.     

Syntheses, structure, magnetism, and optical properties of the partially ordered quaternary interlanthanide sulfides PrLnYb2S6 (Ln=Tb, Dy)

Dark red single crystals of PrLnYb₂S₆ (Ln=Pr/Yb, Tb, Dy) have been synthesized through the reactions of elemental rare earth metals and S using a Sb₂S₃ flux at 1000 °C. These isotypic compounds adopt the F-Ln₂S₃ three-dimensional open-channel structure type. Eight-coordinate Pr³⁺ ions sit in the channels that are constructed from three different edge-shared double chains running down the b-axis that contain Yb(1)S₆ octahedra, Yb(2)S₆ octahedra, and LnS₇ monocapped trigonal prisms. Each double chain connects to four other neighbors by sharing vertices and edges. Considerable disordering in Ln positions was observed in single X-ray diffraction experiments only in the case of Pr/Yb. Least-squares refinements gave rise to the formulas of Pr_1.34Yb_2.66S₆, of PrTbYb₂S₆, and PrDyYb₂S₆, which are confirmed by the elemental analysis and magnetic susceptibility measurements. Pr_1.34Yb_2.66S₆, PrTbYb₂S₆, and PrDyYb₂S₆ are paramagnetic down to 2 K, without any indications of long-range magnetic ordering. The optical transitions for Pr_1.34Yb_2.66S₆, PrTbYb₂S₆, and PrDyYb₂S₆ are at approximately 1.6 eV. Crystallographic data are listed as an example for PrTbYb₂S₆: monoclinic, space group P2₁/m, a=10.9496(10) Å, b=3.9429(4) Å, c=11.2206(10) Å, β=108.525(2)°, V=459.33(7) Å³, Z=2.