Metal-ion complexation of imidazo[1,2-a]pyrazin-3(7H)-ones: continuous changes in absorption spectra of complexes depending on the Lewis acidity of the metal ion

The spectroscopic properties of metal-ion complexes of several imidazopyrazinone derivatives with Li⁺, Mg²⁺, Ca²⁺, Ba²⁺, Sc³⁺, and La³⁺ ions were studied. The spectral characteristics and the formation constants of the complexes changed continuously depending on the Lewis acidity of the metal ion, suggesting that the imidazopyrazinones can find application as indicators of Lewis acidity. In the case of bis-imidazopyrazinone derivatives, the complexation abilities were enhanced by chelate effects.     

Infinitely many solutions for non-cooperative elliptic systems

In this paper, we consider the existence of infinitely many solutions of noncooperative elliptic systems perturbed from odd cases.     

Safety Guide-Line and Requirements for Distributed Raman Amplification and its Applications to WDM Transmission Systems

This paper discusses optical safety issues in distributed Raman amplification systems. Given the extremely high pump powers, network service operators have critical issues for safety. This paper focuses on both “eye-hazard” and “fire-hazards”.     

Initiator‐fragment incorporation radical copolymerization of divinylbenzene and N‐isopropylacrylamide with dimethyl 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrate: Formation of soluble hyperbranched polymer nanoparticle

The copolymerization of divinylbenzene (DVB) and N‐isopropylacrylamide (NIPAm) with dimethyl 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrate of a concentration as high as 0.50 mol/L proceeded homogeneously without any gelation at 80 °C in N,N‐dimethylformamide, where the concentrations of DVB and NIPAm were 0.15 and 0.50 mol/L. The copolymer yield increased with time and leveled off over 50 min. Although DVB was consumed more rapidly than NIPAm, both comonomers were completely consumed in 50 min. The homogeneous polymerization system at 80 °C involved electron spin resonance‐observable propagating polymer radicals, the total concentration of which increased with time. The resulting copolymer was soluble in tetrahydrofuran, chloroform, acetone, ethyl acetate, acetonitrile, N,N‐dimethylformamide, dimethyl sulfoxide, and methanol, but insoluble in benzene, n‐hexane, and water. The copolymer showed an upper critical solution temperature (50 °C on cooling) in a methanol–water [11:3 (v/v)] mixture. Dimethyl 2,2′‐azobisisobutyrate fragments as high as 37–45 mol % were incorporated as terminal groups in the copolymers through initiation and primary radical termination. The contents of DVB and NIPAm were 10–30 mol % and 30–50 mol %, respectively. The intrinsic viscosity of the copolymer was very low (0.09 dL/g) at 30 °C in tetrahydrofuran despite high weight‐average molecular weight (1.2 × l0⁶ by multi‐angle laser light scattering). These results indicate that the copolymer was of hyperbranched structure. By transmission electron microscopy observation, the individual copolymer molecules were visualized as nanoparticle of 6–20 nm. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 42: 1609–1617, 2004     

Formation of LiNbO3 films by hydrolysis of metal alkoxides

Homogeneous, crack-free, thin films of crystalline LiNbO₃ were synthesized above 250°C on Si(100) substrates by the dip-coating method using a double alkoxide solution. The coating solution, which was prepared by the controlled partial hydrolysis of the double alkoxide, gave stoichiometric LiNbO₃ crystalline films at temperatures as low as 250°C. The concentration of the alkoxide solution influenced both of thickness and quality of films. Crystallinity of thin film top-coated directly on the substrate affected the crystallization state of films coated on the film remarkably. Films crystallized on -Al₂O₃(0001) showed preferred orientation along the c-axis, while the preferred orientation could not be observed on Si(100) substrates.     

The study on phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C from Bacillus thuringiensis: synthesis of homogeneous substrates, substrate specificity and other properties.

The properties of phosphatidylinositol-specific phospholipase C (PI-PLC) from Bacillus thuringiensis were studied in detail. The enzyme was extremely thermostable in 0.1% bovine serum albumin and retained 73% of its activity at 100 degrees C for 10 min, while it was labile in the absence of albumin. The enzymatic activity was inhibited by HgCl2 or p-chloromercuriphenylsulfonic acid and restored by dithiothreitol. The kinetic parameters (Km and Vmax) of PI-PLC were determined for the mixed micelle of yeast phosphatidylinositol (PI)/Triton X-100 or sodium deoxycholate. Four PIs having different acyl chains: dilauroylphosphatidylinositol (DLPI), dimyristoylphosphatidylinositol (DMPI), dipalmitoylphosphatidylinositol (DPPI) and dioleoylphosphatidylinositol (DOPI) were synthesized from yeast PI through the processes of deacylation and reacylation, identified by infrared (IR) and Fourier transform nuclear magnetic resonance (FT-NMR) spectra, and subjected to the action of PI-PLC. All the synthetic PIs were hydrolyzed by this enzyme, with DLPI and DMPI being the best substrates. PI-PLC did not catalyze the hydrolysis of the phosphatidylnucleosides 5'-phosphatidylcytidine, 5'-phosphatidyluridine, 5'-phosphatidylthymidine, 5'-phosphatidyladenosine and 5'-phosphatidyl-2'-deoxyadenosine.     

Generation of broadband squeezed states pumped by CW mode-locked pulses

Broadband high level squeezing was clearly observed from 100 kHz to 80 MHz using crystals Ba₂NaNb₅O₁₅ of 5 mm length, MgO:LiNbO₃ of 19 mm length and KNbO₃ of 5.8 mm length. Maximum noise reductions detected on a spectrum analyzer were –1.2 dB (–24%), –1.25 dB (–25%), and –1.8 dB (–34%) for the three crystals, respectively. The maximum squeezing is limited mostly by optical index damage of the parametric crystals. A detailed analysis of the beam parameters traced along the pump beam, squeezed vacuum, etc. is given. A detailed discussion on the evaluation of the initial squeezed level is given. A preliminary experiment with compressed laser pulses to avoid the optical damage is also described.     

Toward bioluminescence in the near-infrared region: Tuning the emission wavelength of firefly luciferin analogues by allyl substitution

The synthesis and bioluminescence of allyl-substituted luciferin derivatives as substrates for firefly luciferase are reported. The allylation of luciferins induced bathochromic shift (15–40?nm) of the bioluminescence emission. Upon combination with other chemical modifications for bioluminescence wavelength tuning, novel red emitting luciferin analogues were obtained with emission maxima at 685 and 690?nm.