The preparation, crystal structures, and electric and magnetic properties of (BETS)2MX4 molecular conductors (BETS = bis(ethylenedithio)tetraselenafulvalene; M = Mn2+, Fe3+, Co2+, Ni2+, Cu2+; X = Cl, Br, CN) are reported. Resistivity measurements down to 2 K reveal the coexistence of the BETS π conduction electrons and the localized magnetic moments of the anions in the κ-(BETS)2FeCl4 and κ-(BETS)4(CoCl4)(C2H3Cl3) salts. Another FeCl4 phase, λ-(BETS)2FeCl4, undergoes a sharp metal-insulator (MI) transition around 8 K. At the same temperature, a magnetic transition of the FeCl4-anions takes place cooperatively. A superconducting transition is observed at 4.6 K in λ-(BETS)2(FeCl4)0.5(GaCl4)0.5, where half of the anion sites are occupied by magnetic ions. The crystals prepared from 1,1,2-trichloroethane solutions with the NiCl4 2- and MnCl4 2- anions exhibit the behavior of a semimetal down to ≈100 K. The (BETS)4(Cu2Cl6) salt remains metallic down to 4.2 K. ESR studies show that the Fe3+ ions in κ- and λ-(BETS)2FeCl4 are in a high-spin state. The temperature dependencies of the spin susceptibilities of κ- and λ-(BETS)2FeCl4 indicate antiferromagnetic interactions between the Fe3+ ions. The crystal structure analyses of κ- and λ-(BETS)2FeCl4 have been carried out at 298 and 10 K. Closer BETS···FeCl4 contacts in λ-(BETS)2FeCl4 are observed, which is consistent with the larger Weiss temperature of this compound.

Transport and specific heat measurements on hydrothermally grown single crystals reveal the formation of a heavy-mass Fermi liquid in the LiV2O4 spinel, below a coherence temperature of T* = 20-30 K. A few observations which illustrate the uniqueness of this spinel are discussed in connection with the origin of the heavy mass, such as the anomalous absence of resistivity saturation above T* and the close proximity to a spin glass phase where the influence of the magnetic frustration is evident.

The quasiparticle density of states (DOS) in the vortex state has been probed by specific heat measurements under magnetic fields (H) for clean and dirty s-wave superconductors, Y(Ni1−xPtx)2B2C and Nb1−xTaxSe2. We find that the quasiparticle DOS per vortex is appreciably H-dependent in the clean-limit superconductors, while it is H-independent in the dirty superconductors as expected from a conventional rigid normal electron core picture. We discuss possible origins for our observations in terms of the shrinking of the vortex core radius with increasing H.

Streptococcus pneumoniae is an important commensal and pathogen responsible for almost a million deaths annually in children under five. The formation of biofilms by S. pneumoniae is important in nasopharyngeal colonization, pneumonia, and otitis media. Pneumolysin (Ply) is a toxin that contributes significantly to the virulence of S. pneumoniae and is an important candidate as a serotype-independent vaccine target. Having previously demonstrated that a luxS knockout mutant was unable to form early biofilms and expressed less ply mRNA than the wild type, we conducted a study to investigate the role of Ply in biofilm formation. We found that Ply was expressed in early phases of biofilm development and localized to cellular aggregates as early as 4 h postinoculation. S. pneumoniae ply knockout mutants in D39 and TIGR4 backgrounds produced significantly less biofilm biomass than wild-type strains at early time points, both on polystyrene and on human respiratory epithelial cells, cultured under static or continuous-flow conditions. Ply’s role in biofilm formation appears to be independent of its hemolytic activity, as S. pneumoniae serotype 1 strains, which produce a nonhemolytic variant of Ply, were still able to form biofilms. Transmission electron microscopy of biofilms grown on A549 lung cells using immunogold demonstrated that Ply was located both on the surfaces of pneumococcal cells and in the extracellular biofilm matrix. Altogether, our studies demonstrate a novel role for pneumolysin in the assembly of S. pneumoniae biofilms that is likely important during both carriage and disease and therefore significant for pneumolysin-targeting vaccines under development.