A perspective on combining molecular nanomagnets and carbon nanotube electronics

We present the promising perspectives offered by the combination of carbon nanotube-based electronics and molecular nanomagnetism. The transport properties of carbon nanotubes are first described, with particular attention to the working principles of two devices that can be expected to play a major role in merging the two fields. We then detail the fabrication steps needed for nanotube-based devices that shall be considered when developing strategies for hybrid devices. Finally, we discuss the possible chemical routes to the creation of molecular nanomagnets/carbon-nanotube hybrid devices, highlighting the fundamental requirements for the creation of working systems and for the observation of spin effects on the transport properties of carbon nanotubes.     

Extremely low-frequency electromagnetic fields do not affect DNA damage and gene expression profiles of yeast and human lymphocytes

We studied the effects of extremely low-frequency (50 Hz) electromagnetic fields (EMFs) on peripheral human blood lymphocytes and DBY747 Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Graded exposure to 50 Hz magnetic flux density was obtained with a Helmholtz coil system set at 1, 10 or 100 microT for 18 h. The effects of EMFs on DNA damage were studied with the single-cell gel electrophoresis assay (comet assay) in lymphocytes. Gene expression profiles of EMF-exposed human and yeast cells were evaluated with DNA microarrays containing 13,971 and 6,212 oligonucleotides, respectively. After exposure to the EMF, we did not observe an increase in the amount of strand breaks or oxidated DNA bases relative to controls or a variation in gene expression profiles. The results suggest that extremely low-frequency EMFs do not induce DNA damage or affect gene expression in these two different eukaryotic cell systems.     

A dinuclear copper(II) complex with a Cu(O, N-O)Cu bridging core: structural and magnetic (experimental and density functional theory) studies

The molecular and electronic structure, along with the magnetic properties of a dinuclear complex in which two copper ions interact through a phenoxo oxygen atom and an oximato group are presented. The complex [CuL³Cu(O₂CCH₃)]3H₂O ·  0.5CH₃OH (3) crystallizes in the monoclinic space group Cc, with a=28.432(2) Å, b=12.305(1) Å, c=13.159(1) Å and β=99.580(9)°. The X-ray molecular structure shows that the core of the molecule comprising the two metal ions and the seven neighboring donors is nearly planar. The copper(II) ions were found to be antiferromagnetically coupled with a singlet-triplet splitting of 764(4) cm⁻¹. Density Functional Theory (DFT) showed that the magnetic orbitals are largely delocalized towards the bridging area, and an antiferromagnetic interaction in good agreement with the experimental data was computed using the Broken Symmetry (BS) formalism to obtain the energy of the singlet state.     

Temporal Distribution and Weather Correlates of Norway Rat (Rattus norvegicus) Infestations in the City of Madrid, Spain

Urban Norway rats are challenging pests, posing significant health and economic threats. Implementing ecologically based integrated rodent management (EBIRM) programmes relies primarily on the understanding of ecological relationships between rodents and their environments, with emphasis on the processes influencing rodent populations in the target ecosystem. We investigated the temporal distribution of urban Norway rat infestations in Madrid, Spain, and tested for the association of such infestations with temperature, relative humidity and precipitation by fitting a multivariate Poisson generalized linear model to a 3-year (2006–2008) daily time series of 4,689 Norway rat sightings. Norway rat infestations showed a marked seasonality, peaking in the summer. Most Norway rat sightings were reported on Mondays. Minimum temperature and relative humidity were positively associated with Norway rat infestation, whereas the association with precipitation was negative. The time series was adequately explained by the model. We identified previously unrecognized time periods that are more prone to Norway rat infestation than others and generated hypotheses about the association between weather, human outdoor activity, resource availability, rodent activity and population size. This provided local authorities engaged in preserving urban ecosystem health with basic research information to predict future rodent outbreaks and support the implementation of EBIRM programmes in urban areas.