Convenient green preparation of dipeptides using unprotected α-amino acids

Dipeptides and amides were obtained in high yields from N-carbobenzyloxy α-amino acids and 3-phenylpropanoic acid with unprotected α-amino acids via the corresponding mixed carbonic carboxylic anhydrides using ethyl chloroformate and triethylamine by an ecological and convenient method in which the protection of C-terminals is not needed.     

Novel synthesis of L-ribose from D-mannono-1,4-lactone

[reaction: see text] D-Mannono-1,4-lactone was efficiently converted into L-ribose in eight steps. A key step of this synthesis is the cyclization of a gamma-hydroxyalkoxamate under Mitsunobu conditions. It is noteworthy that the O-alkylation product was obtained in 94% yield and that none of the N-alkylation product was detected in this cyclization.     

Multiple reflections of Lamb waves at a delamination

Wave propagation in laminated plates with delaminations was calculated using the semi-analytical finite element method. The visualization results and deeper numerical analyses revealed the following phenomena on the fundamental Lamb modes at delamination regions of laminated plates. First, Lamb wave propagates toward the delamination, and then splits into two independent waves at the "Entrance" of the delamination with no significant reflections. These two waves reach the "Exit" of the delamination with the different phases and arrival time. Thus reflected and transmitted waves are excited at the Exit. The repetition of such reflections at the Exit causes the multiple reflections at regular intervals corresponding to the delamination size.     

Flow characteristics of pressure reducing valve with radial slit structure for low noise

Pressure reducing valves are widely used to maintain the pressure of gas reservoirs to specific values. In a normal valve, supply pressure is decompressed with an orifice structure. When compressed air passes through the orifice structure, considerable noise occurs at the downstream side. In this paper, we have developed a radial slit structure that can reduce pressure without noise. The noise is reduced by changing the orifice structure into the radial slit structure. The radial slit structure valve reduces pressure without noise by suppressing the generation of turbulence and shock wave at the downstream. The analysis of the flow in radial slit structure was achieved by CFD2000 software. The flow rate and pressure distribution were simulated and compared with the experimental result. To confirm the generation of shock wave, the flow of orifice and radial slit structure at the downstream was visualized by Schlieren photography method. A shock wave was generated in the orifice structure, but no shock wave was generated in the radial slit structure. Noise reduction efficiency was investigated by the experiment. The experiment apparatus was set up to JIS standards. The experimental results indicated that the noise level decreased by approximately 40 dB in the slit structure. It is confirmed that the radial slit structure has effectiveness for low noise in the pressure reducing flow. And, it is expected that it can be applied to various kinds of industrial fields.     

207Pb chemical shift thermometer at high temperature for magic angle spinning experiments

The temperature dependence of 207Pb chemical shift in magic angle spinning (MAS) NMR spectrum of Pb(NO3)2 provides a sensitive method to calibrate sample temperatures in MAS NMR. The temperature dependence is uniform in the temperature range between 30 degrees C and 400 degrees C. The NMR sensitivity and the line width are also favorable.     

Photodynamic Therapy for Cancer Cells Using a Flash Wave Light Xenon Lamp

We determined photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy using a flash wave (FW) and a continuous wave (CW) light, of which the fluence rate was 70 W/cm², for murine thymic lymphoma cells (EL-4) cultivated in vitro. The irradiation frequency and the pulse width of the FW light were in the range of 1–32 Hz and less than one millisecond, respectively. 5-Aminolevulinic acid-induced protoporphyrin IX (ALA-PpIX) was used as a photosensitizer. When EL-4 with ALA administration was irradiated by the light for 4 h (irradiation fluence: 1.0J/cm²), the survival rate of EL-4 by the FW light was lower than that by the CW light, except for the FW light with irradiation frequency of 32 Hz, and decreased gradually with decreasing irradiation frequency. Moreover, the FW light, especially at lower irradiation frequency, was superior to the CW light for the generation of singlet oxygen in an aqueous PpIX solution. Therefore, thehigher PDT efficacy for EL-4 of the FW light would be caused by the greater generation of singlet oxygen in the cells.     

Observation of nonlinear coupling between small-poloidal wave-number potential fluctuations and turbulent potential fluctuations in Ohmically heated plasmas in the JFT-2M tokamak

Two types of electrostatic modes with small-poloidal wave numbers (approximately 1 and 10-15 kHz) are observed in the edge region of Ohmically heated plasmas in the JFT-2M tokamak. The envelope of the higher frequency coherent mode is modulated at the frequency of the lower frequency mode. A bispectral analysis revealed that a significant nonlinear coupling among the two types of fluctuations and the broadband background turbulent potential fluctuations occurs inside the last closed magnetic flux surface, suggesting that a nonlinear process such as the parametric-modulational instability is involved.     

The effect of the presence of foreign salts on the formation of gaseous ions for electrospray and laser spray

The effect of the presence of foreign salts (NaCl, aerosol OT, tetra-n-hexylammonium bromide, and CH3COONH4) on the formation of gaseous ions for electrospray (ES) and laser spray (LS) was studied in the positive and negative modes of operations. The ion signals for amino acids show sudden decrease with the concentration of foreign salts greater than 10(-5) M for both ES and LS. When the surface-active counter ions were added, the signal intensities showed a marked decrease for both ES and LS. This may be due to the enrichment of the surface-active counter ions on the surface of the charged droplets. When CH3COONH4 was added to an aqueous solution of 10(-6) M lysozyme chloride, an increase of the signal intensities for (lysozyme+nH)n+ and a decrease in the values of n were observed. The decrease in n may be due to the salt formation of (lysozyme+nH)n+ with the negative acetate ion leading to the reduction of positive charges.     

Clove oil prevents glycyrrhizin gel formation in aqueous solution

One persistent problem with using therapeutic concentrations of glycyrrhizin (GZ) is that, at these high concentrations, it forms a gel in an aqueous solution. We previously solved this problem by dissolving GZ in a highly concentrated phosphate buffer. Unfortunately, the resulting GZ solution has a hyperosmotic pressure that renders it unsuitable for use in patients. The aim of this study was to prepare a highly concentrated GZ solution having an osmotic pressure ratio of 1 and a pH of 7.4. By adding small amounts of oil and using a 100 mM phosphate buffer, we achieved an emulsified GZ solution that is stable at room temperature and has a physiological osmotic pressure and pH. When clove oil was used as an emulsifier, the gel formation temperature of GZ solution decreased appreciably compared to that of GZ solution without clove oil. Using scanning electron microscopy (SEM), we examined the detailed characteristics of GZ gels prepared from solutions with or without clove oil. SEM of cross sections of GZ gels revealed an irregular structure in gels prepared with clove oil, indicating that clove oil prevented the formation of the intermolecular GZ networks typically characterized by gels derived from pure GZ solutions.     

Application of nilvadipine solid dispersion to tablet formulation and manufacturing using crospovidone and methylcellulose as dispersion carriers

Nilvadipine (NIL) solid dispersion using crospovidone (Cross-linked-N-vinyl-2-pyrolidone, cl-PVP) and methylcellulose (MC) as carriers was applied to tablet formulation. Several grades of cl-PVP and MC were used, and their influence on tablet properties such as hardness, disintegration, dissolution and chemical stability were investigated. The agitation granulation method was used for preparation of solid dispersion granules, and the granules were compressed using a rotary tableting machine, and finally the obtained tablets were coated with film. As the particle size of cl-PVP decreased, hardness and apparent solubility were increased, while dissolution rate was lowered. When a higher viscosity grade of MC was used, hardness and dissolution rate were increased, and apparent solubility did not change. All batches of tablets were chemically stable at 40 degrees C, 75% relative humidity (R.H.) for six months. Finally, tablets with enhanced dissolution properties were obtained by using Polyplasdone XL-10 and Metolose SM-25 as the grades of cl-PVP and MC, respectively. These formulation tablets showed higher solubility and dissolution rate during storage as well as initial indicating good physical stability.