New interpolation technique for the CIP method on curvilinear coordinates

We propose a new interpolation technique for the CIP method applied to curvilinear coordinates. The CIP method can hardly maintain third-order accuracy on curvilinear coordinates. The reason for the degeneracy in accuracies has not been discussed in detail. This paper reveals the problems of the CIP method on curvilinear coordinates and presents an improved CIP method to solve the advection equation accurately. The features of the presented method are: (1) the metric computation on the upwind stencil is defined in the same manner as in the advection phase of the CIP method; and (2) gradient values in the physical domain in the computation on the curvilinear coordinates are used. Various test problems show that the improved CIP method has approximate third-order accuracy.     

Simultaneous detection of N-terminal fragment ions in a protein mixture using a ruthenium(II) complex

Use of a bis(terpyridine)ruthenium(II) derivative as an N-terminal labeling reagent resulted in the simultaneous detection and individual determination of all the N-terminal fragments of the proteins in a mixture without requiring any separation. All of the N-termini of the guanidinated proteins were labeled selectively by the ruthenium complex (-CO-labeling). After chymotryptic digestion, the fragments were analyzed by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOF-MS) and post-source decay (PSD). The -CO moiety exclusively enhanced N-terminal fragment ions in mass spectra and enabled easy N-terminal sequencing. In a mixture containing three different proteins (lysozyme, ubiquitin, and insulin), all of the N-terminal fragment ions labeled with the ruthenium complex were found to produce uniformly intense peaks without the detection of the other unlabeled fragments. The N-terminal sequences of these ions were determined individually by PSD analysis. Application to unknown proteins from Thermus thermophilus HB8 with two-dimensional electrophoretic separation resulted in the successful determination of the N-terminal sequence and easy identification of the target protein.     

Regioselectivity Control in Lipase‐Catalyzed Polymerization of Divinyl Sebacate and Triols

Lipase‐catalyzed regioselective polymerization of divinyl sebacate and triols has been performed in bulk. NMR analysis of the product obtained by the polymerization of divinyl sebacate and glycerol using Candida antarctica lipase at 60°C showed that 1,3‐diglyceride was a main unit and a small amount of the branching unit (triglyceride) was contained. The polymerization of divinyl sebacate with 1,2,4‐butanetriol or 1,2,6‐hexanetriol at 60°C produced a branched polymer. In polymerization at a lower temperature, the regioselectivity was perfectly controlled to give a linear polymer consisting of the α,ω‐disubstituted unit exclusively. The lipase origin and feed ratio of monomers greatly affected the microstructure of the polymer; under selected conditions, regiospecific polymerization was achieved.     

Fluorescence imaging of potassium ions in living cells using a fluorescent probe based on a thrombin binding aptamer-peptide conjugate

When a biotinylated FRET probe based on a peptide-thrombin binding aptamer conjugate was introduced together with streptavidin and biotinylated nuclear export signal peptide into HeLa cells, the resulting ternary complex enabled visualization of K(+) concentration changes in the cell.     

Thiophene-substituted fulleropyrrolidine derivatives as acceptor molecules in a thin film organic solar cell

A study of the design of thiophene-substituted fulleropyrrolidine derivatives as the acceptor in photovoltaic cells has been carried out using poly(3-hexylthiophene) (P3HT) as the model donor polymer. It was found that five types of thiophene-substituted fulleropyrrolidine worked as a good acceptor partner with P3HT, and the highest power conversion efficiency (PCE) was obtained for 1-(2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethyl)-2-(2-thiophen-2-yl)fulleropyrrolidine (2.99%); this is superior to that of the P3HT polymer including methyl [C60]-PCBM under the same experimental conditions.     

Rotational Spectra of XeH and Its Isotopic Species

Frequencies of rotational transitions of XeH⁺ and its isotopic species were measured in the 1–5 THz region with a highprecision far-infrared spectrometer using a tunable radiation source. Measured frequencies were analyzed together with previous microwave and infrared measurements to refine mass-independent Dunham parameters.     

Triflumizole as a Novel Lead Compound for Strigolactone Biosynthesis Inhibitor

Strigolactones (SLs) are carotenoid-derived plant hormones involved in the development of various plants. SLs also stimulate seed germination of the root parasitic plants, Striga spp. and Orobanche spp., which reduce crop yield. Therefore, regulating SL biosynthesis may lessen the damage of root parasitic plants. Biosynthetic inhibitors effectively control biological processes by targeted regulation of biologically active compounds. In addition, biosynthetic inhibitors regulate endogenous levels in developmental stage- and tissue-specific manners. To date, although some chemicals have been found as SL biosynthesis inhibitor, these are derived from only three lead chemicals. In this study, to find a novel lead chemical for SL biosynthesis inhibitor, 27 nitrogen-containing heterocyclic derivatives were screened for inhibition of SL biosynthesis. Triflumizole most effectively reduced the levels of rice SL, 4-deoxyorobanchol (4DO), in root exudates. In addition, triflumizole inhibited endogenous 4DO biosynthesis in rice roots by inhibiting the enzymatic activity of Os900, a rice enzyme that converts the SL intermediate carlactone to 4DO. A Striga germination assay revealed that triflumizole-treated rice displayed a reduced level of germination stimulation for Striga. These results identify triflumizole as a novel lead compound for inhibition of SL biosynthesis.     

Chemical Modification and some Aligned Composites of Chitosan in a Filament State

The mono‐filaments (> 10 m in length) of chitosan and the blends of chitosan‐collagen, chitin‐collagen and chitin‐silk fibroin were wet‐spun. The mono‐filaments were chemically N‐modified with each of n‐fatty acid anhydrides, intra‐molecular carboxylic anhydrides, fragrant aldehydes and transition metal ions. The mono‐filament was aligned on a straight line with the mono‐filament of silk fibroin or poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET), and a bundle of one to three mono‐filaments was coated with a medium of sericin (Se), chitosan or N‐acylchitosan to give rise to novel silk‐mimic filament composites. The filaments coated with a medium of sericin exhibited 26–27 denier for the titer, 2.46–3.36 gf · denier^?1 for the tenacity and 11.8–25.0% for the elongation. The apparent density (denier · μm^?1 in the filament diameter) of the filament composites was about 3–4 times higher than that of the mono‐filaments. Portion of fragrant aldehydes in Schiff's base was slowly hydrolyzed at room temperature by contacting with atmospheric moisture in the open air, and released from the fragrant filaments and composites. The filament composites coated with a chitosan medium were thrombogenic, and those coated with N‐acylchitosans were antithrombogenic.

An illustrated model for a silk‐mimic filament composite, N₀(N₂I‐FI).     

Targeted proteo-glycomics analysis of Sialyl Lewis X antigen expressing glycoproteins secreted by human hepatoma cell line.

Sialyl Lewis X (SLEX) antigen, Neu5Acalpha2-3Galbeta1-4 (Fucalpha1-3) GlcNAc-R, plays important roles in cell-to-cell interaction: for example, the E- and P-selectin-mediated influx of SLEX expressing leukocytes into inflamed areas. A human hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, HepG2 cells, was highly expressed SLEX on secreted glycoproteins and cell surface, in contrast with HuH-7 cells. We identified SLEX expressing glycoproteins in HepG2 cultured medium by two-dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis, followed by in gel digestion and peptide mass fingerprint using matrix-assisted laser desorption ionization-time of flight mass spectrometry (MALDI-TOFMS), including transferrin, alpha1-antitrypsin, alpha2-HS glycoprotein and beta-glycoprotein. We analyzed N-glycans of these glycoproteins by MALDI-TOFMS in combination with exoglycosidase digestion; our results indicate increases in poly-fucosylated and high-branched N-glycans. High alpha1,3-fucosylation in glycoproteins would be caused by increased expression of alpha1,3-fucosyltransferase activities in HepG2 cells.     

Evolution of fluorescein as a platform for finely tunable fluorescence probes

Fluorescence imaging is the most powerful technique currently available for continuous observation of dynamic intracellular processes in living cells. Suitable fluorescence probes are naturally of critical importance for fluorescence imaging, but only a very limited range of biomolecules can currently be visualized because of the lack of flexible design strategies for fluorescence probes. At present, design is largely empirical. Here we show that the carboxylic group of traditional fluorescein dyes, formerly considered indispensable, has been replaced with other substituents, affording various kinds of new fluoresceins. Further, by breaking out of the traditional structure of fluorescein, we developed the first and totally rational design strategy for novel fluorescence probes based on a strict photochemical basis. The value of this approach is exemplified by its application to develop a novel, highly sensitive, and membrane-permeable fluorescence probe for beta-galactosidase, which is the most widely used reporter enzyme.