Vibrational frequencies,infrared absorption intensities and energy differences between rotational isomers of propyl halides

Infrared absorption intensities of fundamental bands of propyl halides n-C₃ H₇ Cl, n-C₃H₇ Br and n-C₃H₇I were measured in the pure liquid state. In order to obtain L matrix data necessary for the intensity computation, normal frequencies of the rotational isomers were calculated, and LSFF force constants were determined by the least squares method so as to attain the best fit between the observed and calculated frequencies. By applying the absolute intensity method, energy differences between the rotational isomers were evaluated, which are in quite good agreement with values obtained by the temperature variation method.     

A geometric method in nonlinear programming

A differential geometric approach to the constrained function maximization problem is presented. The continuous analogue of the Newton-Raphson method due to Branin for solving a system of nonlinear equations is extended to the case where the system is under-determined. The method is combined with the continuous analogue of the gradient-projection method to obtain a constrained maximization method with enforced constraint restoration. Detailed analysis of the global behavior of both methods is provided. It is shown that the conjugate-gradient algorithm can take advantage of the sparse structure of the problem in the computation of a vector field, which constitutes the main computational task in the methods.This is part of a paper issued as Stanford University, Computer Science Department Report No. STAN-CS-77-643 (Ref. 45), which was presented at the Gatlinburg VII Conference, Asilomar, California, 1977. This work was supported in part by NSF Grant No. NAT BUR OF ECON RES/PO No. 4369 and by Department of Energy Contract No. EY-76-C-02-0016.The main part of this work was presented at the Japan-France Seminar on Functional Analysis and Numerical Analysis, Tokyo, Japan, 1976. The paper was prepared in part while the author was a visitor at the Department of Mathematics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1976–77, and was completed while he was a visitor at the Computer Science Department, Stanford University, Stanford, California, 1977. He acknowledges the hospitality and stimulating environment provided by Professor G. H. Golub, Stanford University, and Professors N. J. Rose and C. D. Meyer, North Carolina State University.     

(Studies on AI-77s,microbial products with pharmacological activity) structures and the chemical nature of AI-77s

The structures of a novel gastroprotective substance AI-77-B and its analogues AI-77-C, D, F and G, which are produced by Bacillus pumilus, are described. Five of the asymmetric centers of AI-77-B have S absolute stereochemistry confirmed by X-ray in combination with chemical studies.     

Polarization dependence of the optical absorption of single-walled carbon nanotubes

Anisotropic optical absorption properties of single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) are determined from a vertically aligned SWNT film for 0.5-6 eV. Absorption peaks at 4.5 and 5.25 eV are found to exhibit remarkable polarization dependence and have relevance to optical properties of graphite. A method for determining a nematic order parameter for an aligned SWNT film based on the collinear absorption peak at 4.5 eV is presented, followed by the determination of the optical absorption cross section.     

Evolution of the Hall coefficient and the peculiar electronic structure of the cuprate superconductors

Although the Hall coefficient R(H) is an informative transport property of metals and semiconductors, its meaning in the cuprate superconductors has been ambiguous because of its unusual characteristics. Here we show that a systematic study of R(H) in La2-xSrxCuO4 single crystals over a wide doping range establishes a qualitative understanding of its peculiar evolution, which turns out to reflect a two-component nature of the electronic structure caused by an unusual development of the Fermi surface recently uncovered by photoemission experiments.     

Schulzeines A-C, new alpha-glucosidase inhibitors from the marine sponge Penares schulzei

Three new alpha-glucosidase inhibitors, schulzeines A-C (1-3), were isolated from the marine sponge Penares schulzei. Their structures were elucidated by spectral analysis and chemical degradations to be the isoquinoline alkaloids, encompassing two amino acids, and C(28) fatty acid, the last of which was sulfated. Absolute stereochemistry of schulzeines was determined by application of the modified Mosher analysis to fragments obtained by chemical degradation. Schulzeines A-C inhibit alpha-glucosidase with IC(50) values of 48-170 nM.     

Tumor-infiltrating effector cells of alpha-galactosylceramide-induced antitumor immunity in metastatic liver tumor

BACKGROUND: alpha-Galactosylceramide (alpha-GalCer) can be presented by CD1d molecules of antigen-presenting cells, and is known to induce a potent NKT cell-dependent cytotoxic response against tumor cells. However, the main effector cells in alpha-GalCer-induced antitumor immunity are still controversial. METHODS: In order to elucidate the cell phenotype that plays the most important role in alpha-GalCer-induced antitumor immunity, we purified and analyzed tumor-infiltrating leukocytes (TILs) from liver metastatic nodules of a colon cancer cell line (Colon26), comparing alpha-GalCer- and control vehicle-treated mice. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze cell phenotype in TILs and IFN-gamma ELISA was performed to detect antigen-specific immune response. RESULTS: Flow cytometry analysis showed a significantly higher infiltration of NK cells (DX5+, T cell receptor alphabeta (TCR)-) into tumors in alpha-GalCer-treated mice compared to vehicle-treated mice. The DX5+TCR+ cell population was not significantly different between these two groups, indicating that these cells were not the main effector cells. Interestingly, the CD8+ T cell population was increased in TILs of alpha-GalCer-treated mice, and the activation level of these cells based on CD69 expression was higher than that in vehicle-treated mice. Moreover, the number of tumor-infiltrating dendritic cells (DCs) was increased in alpha-GalCer-treated mice. IFN-gamma ELISA showed stronger antigen-specific response in TILs from alpha-GalCer-treated mice compared to those from vehicle-treated mice, although the difference between these two groups was not significant. CONCLUSIONS: In alpha-GalCer-induced antitumor immunity, NK cells seem to be some of the main effector cells and both CD8+ T cells and DCs, which are related to acquired immunity, might also play important roles in this antitumor immune response. These results suggest that alpha-GalCer has a multifunctional role in modulation of the immune response.