Controlled deposition of calcium carbonate particles on porous membranes by using alternating current system

The deposition of calcium carbonate particles in the absence of additives was performed through the application of an alternating current. Solutions of calcium chloride and sodium carbonate were filled in glass cells, and a porous polymer membrane was interposed between the glass cells. An alternating current with a sine waveform (frequency: 10 Hz) was applied by using a platinum electrode. In this process, the reciprocal migration of calcium and carbonate ions toward the interface of the pores on the membrane takes place. Moreover, ion mixing occurs to a small extent at the interface of the pores. An alternating current was applied for 30 min during which the ion mixing continued. When observed using a scanning electron microscope, a majority of the formed calcium carbonate particles was found to exhibit a spheroidal vaterite crystal structure. This crystal structure was confirmed to be vaterite after characterization by X-ray diffraction. In the absence of an alternating current, only calcite was formed on the porous polymer membrane. Taking this result into account, it was concluded that the alternating current could induce reciprocal ion migration through the pores of the membrane, and vaterite deposition can be achieved. This is one of the methods employed for the calcium carbonate formation on the porous membrane by using an alternating current system.     

A counterexample for boundedness of pseudo-differential operators on modulation spaces

We prove that pseudo-differential operators with symbols in the class ( ) are not always bounded on the modulation space ().

     

Fabrication of novel layer-by-layer assembly films composed of poly(lactic acid) and polylysine through cation-dipole interactions

Novel layer-by-layer (LbL) assembly films composed of poly( L-lysine) (PLL) and poly( D-lactic acid) (PDLA) were prepared by the alternate immersion of a gold substrate into an aqueous PLL solution and an acetonitrile solution of PDLA. The formation of the LbL assembly film was confirmed by quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) analysis, atomic force microscopy observation, and attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy measurement. The driving force responsible for the LbL assembly was determined by investigating the formation behavior of the LbL assembly under various conditions. The formation of the LbL assembly was not affected either by the stereochemistry of polylysine and poly(lactic acid) or by the addition of urea, which is known to inhibit hydrogen bonding interaction between polymers, into the aqueous PLL solution. The LbL assembly was also formed by the combination of PDLA and polycations other than polylysine, such as poly(diallyldimethylammonium chloride). On the other hand, the combination of PDLA and any polyanions such as poly(styrene sulfonate sodium salt) produced little corresponding LbL assembly. The increase in positive charge on the amino nitrogen atom of PLL enhanced the LbL assembly. These results suggest that the LbL assembly film composed of PLL and PDLA was fabricated by cation-dipole interactions between the positive charge on the amino nitrogen atom of PLL and the lone pairs of the carbonyl oxygen atom of PDLA.     

Water properties in the super-salt-resistive gel probed by NMR and DSC

The so-called "super-salt-resistive gel", or poly(4-vinylphenol) (P4VPh) hydrogel, of different water contents ( H = 97-51%) was prepared by cross-linking with different amounts of ethylene glycol diglycidyl ether. 1H NMR spectroscopy was used to investigate the dynamic properties of water in the gel samples in terms of the spin-spin relaxation. The T2 values in those hydrogels were analyzed by assuming a two-component system, namely, T 2(long) and T2(short), and their fractions were obtained. In the higher water content region (75% < or = H < or = 97%), T2(long) for P4VPh gel was almost constant or even slightly increased with decreasing temperature. On the other hand, T2(long) for poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) gel (80% < or = H < or = 96%) significantly decreased with decreasing temperature, showing a natural behavior for water mobility in common hydrogels. Water in P4VPh gels of lower water contents ( H = 70% and 51%) also showed intriguing behaviors: the T2 values are much larger than those of gels with higher water contents and decreased with decreasing temperature only in the lower temperature range (<10 degrees C). The fraction of T2(long) values of P4VPh gel showed another contrast to those of PVA gel; the latter decreased with decreasing water content (normal behavior), while in the former gel the highest fraction (ca. 60% at 20 degrees C) was observed for a sample with the lowest water content ( H = 51%). On the other hand, the results of DSC measurements for P4VPh gel were less specific than those of T2 and comparable to those of common hydrogels such as PVA; with decreasing water content, the total amounts of free water and freezable bound water per polymer mass (g/g) decreased, while the amount of nonfreezing water per polymer also decreased.     

Synthesis of 6-formylpterin nucleoside analogs and their ROS generation activities in the presence of NADH in the dark

We demonstrated previously that 3-position-modified 6-formylpterin (6FP) derivatives produce reactive oxygen species (ROS) such as hydrogen peroxide (H(2)O(2)) from oxygen in the presence of NADH in the dark. It has been shown that 6FP derivatives markedly generate ROS, which gives rise to their particular physiological activities, such as induction of apoptosis in cellular and living systems, suggesting that such compounds provide a hint for the design of a ROS controlling agent in vivo. However, it is not well understood why such unique activities appear on chemical modification. In the present study, in order to see the effect on ROS generation activity in the dark by the modification of the 1-position in 6FP, we have developed a new synthetic procedure for nucleoside analogs of 6FP and prepared 1-(beta-d-ribofuranosyl)-2-(N,N-diethylaminomethyleneamino)-6-formylpteridin-4-one (RDEF) and 1-(beta-d-ribofuranosyl)-2-(piperidine-1-ylmethyleneamino)-6-formylpteridin-4-one (RPIF) in which the 1-position of 6FP is glycosylated. At pH 7.4, NADH was spontaneously oxidized to NAD(+) in the presence of RDEF in the dark. Using electron paramagnetic resonance analysis coupled with the spin trapping technique, we show that O(2) was converted to H(2)O(2)via superoxide anion radical ( O(2)(-)) during this reaction. The modification of the 1-position of 6FP did not cancel ROS generation activities, which were demonstrated in 3-position-modified 6FPs. Since the 6FP derivatives developed in the present study have a ribose moiety, these compounds can be subjected to further derivatization, such as incorporation into oligonucleotides, oligosaccharides, proteins, or any other compounds that recognize and interact with specific biomolecules, and therefore would be useful in pharmaceutical investigations that need generation of appropriate and controllable amounts of ROS in vivo.     

Efficient preparation of amine-modified oligodeoxynucleotide using modified H-phosphonate chemistry for DNA microarray fabrication

Amine-modified oligodeoxynucleotides (AMO) are commonly used probe oligodeoxynucleotides for DNA microarray preparation. Two methods are currently used for AMO preparation—use of amine phosphoramidites protected by acid-labile monomethoxytrityl (MMT) groups or alkali-labile trifluoroacetyl (TFA) groups. Because conventional AMO preparation procedures have defects, for example stringent acidic conditions are required for deprotection of MMT and hydrophobic purification cannot be used for TFA-protected amino groups, conventional preparation of AMO is unlikely to result in the expected outcome. In this paper a method of AMO synthesis using modified H-phosphonate chemistry is suggested. An aliphatic diamine is coupled with a phosphonate group forming a phosphoramidate linkage to the last internucleotide phosphate of oligodeoxynucleotides. In this method dimethoxytrityl (DMT) purification steps are used and stringent acid deprotection is not required to obtain the AMO. Although the method could lead to formation of AMO diastereomers, melting-temperature and CD analysis showed for two AMO that DNA duplex formation was the same as when normal oligodeoxynucleotides were used. Also, when these AMO were used as probes for DNA microarrays the immobilization efficiency was similar to that for AMO probes prepared by conventional means using an amino-modifier unit. The hybridization performance of these AMO was better than for those prepared conventionally. The procedures suggested would be useful for preparation of efficient AMO for fabrication of DNA microarrays and DNA-based nanoparticle systems. Nagendra Kumar Kamisetty and Seung Pil Pack have equally contributed to this work.     

Dry and wet prolines for asymmetric organic solvent-free aldehyde-aldehyde and aldehyde-ketone aldol reactions

Dry and wet prolines were found to catalyze the direct aldol reactions of aldehyde-aldehyde and aldehyde-ketone, respectively, to afford aldols with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities, and an organic solvent-free reaction was realized in some cases.     

Small organic molecule in enantioselective, direct aldol reaction "in water"

A small organic molecule, Pro-NH(2), catalyzing the enantioselective aldol reaction "in water" not merely "in the presence of water" with good enantioselectivity has been discovered for the first time.     

Highly diastereo- and enantioselective direct aldol reactions of aldehydes and ketones catalyzed by siloxyproline in the presence of water

Proline-based organocatalysts have been developed for a highly enantioselective, direct aldol reaction of aldehydes and ketones in the presence of water. While several surfactant-proline combined catalysts have proved effective, proline derivatives with a hydrophobic moiety such as trans-siloxy-L-proline and cis-siloxy-D-proline, both of which are easily prepared from the same commercially available 4-hydroxy-L-proline, have been found to be the most effective organocatalysts examined in this study, affording the aldol product with excellent diastereo- and enantioselectivities, these two catalysts generating opposite enantiomers. Water affects the selectivity, and poor results are obtained under neat reaction conditions or in dry organic solvents. More than three equivalents of water are required for the best diastereo- and enantioselectivities, while three equivalents is the recommended amount from a synthetic point of view. The reaction proceeds in the organic phase, and also proceeds in the presence of a large amount of water. The large-scale preparation of aldols with the minimal use of an organic solvent, including in the purification step, is described.     

Quantum dot-insect neuropeptide conjugates for fluorescence imaging, transfection, and nucleus targeting of living cells

We identified an insect neuropeptide, namely, allatostatin 1 from Drosophila melanogaster, that transfects living NIH 3T3 and A431 human epidermoid carcinoma cells and transports quantum dots (QDs) inside the cytoplasm and even the nucleus of the cells. QD-conjugated biomolecules are valuable resources for visualizing the structures and functions of biological systems both in vivo and in vitro. Here, we selected allatostatin 1, Ala-Pro-Ser-Gly-Ala-Gln-Arg-Leu-Tyr-Gly-Phe-Gly-Leu-NH2, conjugated to streptavidin-coated CdSe-ZnS QDs. This was followed by investigating the transfection of live mammalian cells with QD-allatostatin conjugates, the transport of QDs by allatostatin inside the nucleus, and the proliferation of cells in the presence of allatostatin. Also, on the basis of dose-dependent proliferation of cells in the presence of allatostatin we identified that allatostatin is not cytotoxic when applied at nanomolar levels. Considering the sequence similarity between the receptors of allatostatin in D. melanogaster and somatostatin/galanin in mammalian cells, we expected interactions and localization of allatostatin to somatostatin/galanin receptors on the membranes of 3T3 and A431 cells. However, with QD conjugation we identified that the peptide was delivered inside the cells and localized mainly to the cytoplasm, microtubules, and nucleus. These results indicate that allatostatin is a promising candidate for high-efficiency cell transfection and nucleus-specific cell labeling. Also, the transport property of allatostatin is promising with respect to label/drug/gene delivery and high contrast imaging of live cells and cell organelles. Another promising application of allatostatin is that the transport of QDs inside the nucleus would lift the limit of general photodynamic therapy to nucleus-specific photodynamic therapy, which is expected to be more efficient than photosensitization at the cell membrane or in the cytoplasm as a result of the short lifetime of singlet oxygen.