ε-optimality criteria for convex programming problems via exact penalty functions

In this paper, we present-optimality criteria for convex programming problems associated with exact penalty functions. Several authors have given various criteria under the assumption that such convex problems and the associated dual problems can be solved. We assume the solvability of neither the convex problem nor the dual problem. To derive our criteria, we estimate the size of the penalty parameter in terms of an-solution for the dual problem.     

ESR Study of a Nitroxide Radical in Sol-Gel Glasses

A spin probe TEMPOL (4-hydroxy-2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidinyl-1-oxy) was dissolved in a tetraethyl orthosilicate sol-gel reaction system and measured by electron spin resonance spectroscopy at 295 K. The nitrogen hyperfine coupling constant was from 1.64–1.66 mT in the sol-gel solutions. The values were sensitive to the ethanol-to-water ratio of the solutions. The hyperfine coupling constant in the xerogels was 1.70 mT, which was almost the same as that in water, indicating that the probe molecules were trapped in silica pores with water adsorbed on the silica surfaces. The motion of TEMPOL in the xerogels was considerably slower than in the sol-gel solutions. The local viscosity estimated was from 70–90 cP. The ESR spectra of TEMPOL were altered during the sol-gel process, indicating that adsorbed water on the silicas surfaces has an important role for trapping organic molecules in sol-gel glasses.     

Chirality exchange from sp3 central chirality to axial chirality: benzannulation of optically active diaryl-2,2-dichlorocyclopropylmethanols to axially chiral alpha-arylnaphthalenes

Chirality exchange benzannulation of optically active (1S)-aryl(aryl')-2,2-dichlorocyclopropylmethanols (>99% ee) using TiCl4 successfully proceeded to give axially chiral (M)-alpha-arylnaphthalenes with excellent levels of stereo induction (>99% ee). This unique transformation involves the single-step chirality exchange from sp3 central chirality to axial chirality, that is, a type of excellent memory effect.     

Geographical distribution of plutonium derived from the atomic bomb in the eastern area of Nagasaki

In order to know the distribution of plutonium derived from the Nagasaki atomic bomb, soil samples were measured to determine the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu isotope ratio of and concentrations of ^239+240Pu and ¹³⁷Cs. The ^239+240Pu concentrations in soils, except for Nishiyama area, were close to the average concentration of soil collected in Japan. In soils collected at the Nishiyama area and at the eastern area of Nagasaki Prefecture and at part of northern area in Kumamoto Prefecture, the ²⁴⁰Pu/²³⁹Pu ratios were lower than the global fallout values. This suggests that plutonium from the atomic bomb was deposited in the eastern area from the hypocenter reaching up to 100 km eastwards.     

The first total synthesis of concanamycin f (concanolide a)

A highly stereoselective total synthesis of the macrolide antibiotic concanamycin F (1), a specific and potent inhibitor of vacuolar H(+)-ATPase, has been achieved by a convergent route involving the synthesis and coupling of its 18-membered tetraenic lactone and beta-hydroxyl hemiacetal side chain subunits. The C1-C19 18-membered lactone aldehyde 4 was synthesized through the intermolecular Stille coupling of the C5-C13 vinyl iodide 24 and the C14-C19 vinyl stannane 25, followed by construction of the C1-C4 diene and macrolactonization. Synthesis of 4 via a second convergent route including the esterification of the C1-C13 vinyl iodide 45 and the C14-C19 vinyl stannane 47 followed by the intramolecular Stille coupling was also realized. The highly stereoselective aldol coupling of 4 and the C20-C28 ethyl ketone 5 followed by desilylation provided 1 which was identical with natural concanamycin F.     

Reduction of Cu2+ to Cu+ in Xerogels Prepared from (3-Aminopropyl)Trimethoxysilane

Silica gels doped with Cu²⁺ ions were prepared from the (3-aminopropyl) trimethoxysilane (APTMOS)/tetraethoxysilane (TEOS) systems. Sols showed a broad absorption peak at 640 nm, suggesting 3–5 coordination of the aminopropyl groups to Cu²⁺. For gels prepared from APTMOS and dried at room temperature, the 640 nm peak decreased and a red-shifted absorption appeared below 400 nm within a few months. The luminescence spectra of the xerogels showed emission bands at 430–470 and 510 nm. The former and latter bands are ascribed to Cu⁺ monomer and dimer emissions, respectively. These results indicate that Cu²⁺ ions are reduced to Cu⁺. When xerogels were prepared from APTMOS/TEOS = 1 (vol/vol), the color of xerogels was blue with an absorption peak at around 670 nm, indicating no reduction of Cu²⁺ ions.     

Chip-based nLC-TOF-MS is a highly stable technology for large-scale high-throughput analyses

Many studies focused on the discovery of novel biomarkers for the diagnosis and treatment of disease states are facilitated by mass spectrometry-based technology. HPLC coupled to mass spectrometry is widely used; miniaturization of this technique using nano-liquid chromatography (LC)-mass spectrometry (MS) usually results in better sensitivity, but is associated with limited repeatability. The recent introduction of chip-based technology has significantly improved the stability of nano-LC-MS, but no substantial studies to verify this have been performed. To evaluate the temporal repeatability of chip-based nano-LC-MS analyses, N-glycans released from a serum sample were repeatedly analyzed using nLC-PGC-chip-TOF-MS on three non-consecutive days. With an average inter-day coefficient of variation of 4 %, determined on log₁₀-transformed integrals, the repeatability of the system is very high. Overall, chip-based nano-LC-MS appears to be a highly stable technology, which is suitable for the profiling of large numbers of clinical samples for biomarker discovery.     

Vacuum birefringence in strong magnetic fields: (I) Photon polarization tensor with all the Landau levels

Photons propagating in strong magnetic fields are subject to a phenomenon called the “vacuum birefringence” where refractive indices of two physical modes both deviate from unity and are different from each other. We compute the vacuum polarization tensor of a photon in a static and homogeneous magnetic field by utilizing Schwinger’s proper-time method, and obtain a series representation as a result of double integrals analytically performed with respect to proper-time variables. The outcome is expressed in terms of an infinite sum of known functions which is plausibly interpreted as summation over all the Landau levels of fermions. Each contribution from infinitely many Landau levels yields a kinematical condition above which the contribution has an imaginary part. This indicates decay of a sufficiently energetic photon into a fermion–antifermion pair with corresponding Landau level indices. Since we do not resort to any approximation, our result is applicable to the calculation of refractive indices in the whole kinematical region of a photon momentum and in any magnitude of the external magnetic field.