New sesquiterpene lactones from water extract of the root of Lindera strychnifolia with cytotoxicity against the human small cell lung cancer cell, SBC-3

In the present study, new sesquiterpene lactones (1) and (2) were isolated from the EtOAc soluble fraction of the water extract of Linderae Radix through bioassay-guided fractionation and isolation methods. The structure of these compounds was elucidated by spectroscopic analysis of their 2D NMR spectra, including COSY, HMBC, and HMQC techniques. Two isolates showed significant cytotoxicity against the human small cell lung cancer cell SBC-3, and lesser cytotoxicity against mouse fibroblast cell 3T3-L1.     

Solute dependence of mobility of solvent molecules in solvophobic solute solutions: Dielectric relaxation of nonpolar solute/alcohol mixtures

The dielectric relaxation spectra of alcohol/nonpolar solute mixtures are measured at several temperatures (-15 degrees C < or = T < or = 25 degrees C) and for several molar fractions of solute (0 < or = X(s) < or = 0.114) in the frequency range of 200 MHz < or = nu < or = 20 GHz. The double-Debye-type function is used for fitting of the spectra of mixtures, and the mean dielectric relaxation times (tau(mean)) of alcohol molecules are determined. In the systems having strong interaction between alcohol and nonpolar solutes, tau(mean) becomes shorter with an increase in the concentration of the solutes. On the other hand, tau(mean) becomes longer in the system having weak interaction between alcohol and nonpolar solutes. These results contradict with our intuitive predictions, do not correspond to mixing enthalpy, and are not explained by the hydrodynamic theory. They are attributed to the mechanism of the coupling between long-range electrostatic interactions and concentration fluctuation caused by the addition of solutes, which is suggested by Yamaguchi et al. based on the mode-coupling theory (Yamaguchi, T.; Matsuoka, T.; Koda, S. J. Chem. Phys. 2004, 120, 7590).     

Surface hardening of titanium by pulsed Nd:YAG laser irradiation at 1064- and 532-nm wavelengths in nitrogen atmosphere

The surface hardness of titanium modified by laser irradiation at different wavelengths in nitrogen atmosphere was investigated. Further, surface characteristics such as morphology, chemical state, and chemical composition in the depth direction were also studied. The size and depth of the craters observed in the laser-irradiated spots increased monotonically with an increase in the laser power. Furthermore, the crater formed by the 532-nm laser was deeper than that formed by the 1064-nm laser for the same laser power. Laser power beyond a certain threshold value was required to obtain a titanium nitride layer. When the laser power exceeds the threshold value, a titanium nitride layer of a few tens of nanometers in thickness was formed on the substrate, whereas a titanium oxide layer containing small amounts of nitrogen was formed when the laser power is below the threshold value. Thus, it was shown that laser irradiation using appropriate laser parameters can successfully harden a titanium substrate, and the actual hardness of the titanium nitride layer, measured by nanoindentation, was approximately five times that of an untreated titanium surface.     

Molecular dynamics study of solubilization of cyclohexane,benzene, and phenol into mixed micelles composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate and octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether

Molecular dynamics calculations of a mixed micelle composed of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) and octaethylene glycol monododecyl ether (C₁₂E₈) were performed for six compositions (SDS/C₁₂E₈ = 100/0, 80/20, 60/40, 40/60, 20/80, and 0/100) to investigate the composition dependence of the mixed micelle structure and solubilization of cyclohexane, benzene, and phenol molecules by the micelle. The radial density distribution of the hydrophilic polyoxyethylene (POE) group of C₁₂E₈ as a function of distance from the micelle center is very sharp for micelles with high SDS content because the POE group captures a Na⁺ ion in solution and wraps around it to form a compact crown-ether-like complex. The hydrophobic dodecyl groups of SDS and C₁₂E₈ were separately distributed in the mixed micelle core. ΔG(r) evaluated for each solute showed that despite the structural changes of the micelle the binding strength of the solute molecules to the micelle did not change significantly. © 2019 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

On the performance of truss panels with Kagomé cores

The performance characteristics of a truss core sandwich panel design based on the 3D Kagomé has been measured and compared with earlier simulations. Panels have been fabricated by investment casting and tested in compression, shear and bending. The isotropic nature of this core design has been confirmed. The superior performance relative to truss designs based on the tetrahedron has been demonstrated and attributed to the greater resistance to plastic buckling at the equivalent core density.     

Propagation behavior of threading dislocations during physical vapor transport growth of silicon carbide (SiC) single crystals

The dislocation formation and propagation processes in physical vapor transport (PVT) grown 4H silicon carbide (4H–SiC) single crystals have been investigated using defect selective etching and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). It was found that while the growth initiation process generally increased the density of threading dislocations in the grown crystal, for certain areas of the crystal, threading dislocations were terminated at the growth initiation. Foreign polytype inclusions also introduced a high density of dislocations at the polytype boundary. In the polytype-transformed areas of the crystal, almost no medium size hexagonal etch pits due to threading screw dislocations were observed, indicating that the foreign polytype inclusions had ceased the propagation of threading screw dislocations. Based on these results, we argued the formation and propagation of the threading dislocations in PVT grown SiC crystals, and proposed the dislocation conversion process as a plausible cause of the density reduction of threading dislocations during the PVT growth of SiC single crystals.     

Simultaneous Measurement of Individual ATPase and Mechanical Reactions by a Single Myosin Molecule at Work

Based on techniques for single molecule imaging and nanomanipulation by optical tweezers, we have developed a new technique that allows simultaneous measurement of individual ATPase and mechanical reactions from a single myosin molecule during force generation. We show how the ATPase reaction couples to the mechanical reaction directly at the single molecule level. The results show that the myosin head can produce force even after releasing the bound nucleotide, probably ADP, suggesting that the chemical energy driven by ATP hydrolysis can be hysteretically stored in the myosin molecule. This view does not support a widely accepted hypothesis in which the force generation is tightly coupled to ligand dissociation.This paper was originally presented as an invited paper at the seventh Meeting on Near Field Optics, which was held on July 1, 1998 at Nagoya University, Nagoya, organized by the Research Group on Near Field Optics of the Optical Society of Japan, an affiliate of the Japan Society of Applied Physics.