Precise synthesis of porphyrin array scaffolding polyisocyanides

Aryl isocyanides bearing free‐base and metallo‐porphyrins were prepared and polymerized with a Pd–Pt μ‐ethynediyl complex as the initiator to give polymers with narrow polydispersity indices. The molecular weights of the resulting polymers were precisely controlled by the initial feed ratio of the porphyrin monomer to the initiator. The UV–VIS spectra suggested that the porphyrin pendants are regularly arranged to form stacked columns. Metallo‐porphyrin polymers were also prepared by reacting free‐base porphyrin polymers with metal salts. The successive reactions of free‐base and zinc‐porphyrin monomers resulted in the formation of diblock polymers. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 585–595, 2006     

Improving the properties of the proton exchange membranes by introducing α-methylstyrene in the pre-irradiation induced graft polymerization

New proton exchange membranes (PEMs) were prepared by pre-irradiation induced grafting of α-methylstyrene (AMS)/styrene (STY)/divinylbenzene (DVB) into the crosslinked polytetrafluoroethylene (RX-PTFE) films and successively sulfonated. The new PEMs showed the improved glass transition temperature and chemical stability as compared with the PEMs prepared by pre-irradiation induced grafting of STY/DVB. The balance of the cost, grafting kinetic, thermal properties and the properties of the resulted proton exchange membrane is the key point of this work.     

Wild ginseng grows in Myanmar

Ginseng, the underground parts of plants of Panax species, has been used in oriental traditional medicine for centuries. Unfortunately, because of extensive exploitation over thousands of years, the natural source of these species has been almost exhausted. Recently, we have found a wild ginseng growing in Myanmar. Here, by a combination of chemical composition study and gene sequence analysis, we unambiguously demonstrate that the wild ginseng is actually P. zingiberensis, commonly known as ginger ginseng. This ginseng was an indigenous to the southwestern China. However, now it is seriously threatened to brink of extinction and is put on the highest level of protection in China. Therefore, an appropriate protection measure is highly recommended to preserve this valuable resource, since this Myanmar ginseng might turn out to be the last P. zingiberensis, which could ever be seen in the planet.     

Cross-chiral examinations of molecular enantioselective recognition by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry: Host–guest complexations between chiral crown ethers and chiral organic ammonium ions

Using fast atom bombardment (FAB) mass spectrometry (MS), cross-chiral relationships were confirmed for the first time for the diasteromeric host-guest complexations between the chiral crown ether host (1) and the chiral organic ammonium ion guest (2) on the basis of the relative peak intensities (RPI). Both host–guest combinations (R, R, R, R) – 1, (R) – 2 and (S, S, S, S) – 1, (S) – 2 obviously provided larger RPI values than the combination of both (R, R, R, R) – 1, (S) – 2 and (S, S, S, S) – 1, (R) – 2 by a factor of 1.6 as an averaged value: 1.87 (n = 4)/1.16 (n = 4) = 1.6. These results are consistent with the expected stabilities of the host-guest complexations by CPK model examinations. Successfully observed cross-chiral examinations strongly suggest a potentially useful FABMS/RPI methodology for rapidly searching newly designed and synthesized crown ether-like host compounds with a higher degree of enantioselectivity.     

Production of highly specific anti-testosterone antiserum by an immunotolerance method

Anti-testosterone antisera were produced by pretreatment of rabbits with 15 alpha-carboxymethyl-5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone linked to a copolymer of D-glutamic acid and D-lysine (D-GL) before immunization with the bovine serum albumin conjugate of 15 alpha- and 15 beta-carboxymethyltestosterone. The specificity for 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone of the antitestosterone antisera was considerably improved.     

Highly-oxygenated isopimarane-type diterpenes from Orthosiphon stamineus of Indonesia and their nitric oxide inhibitory activity

From the methanolic extract of Indonesian Orthosiphon stamineus, nine new highly-oxygenated isopimarane-type diterpenes [7-O-deacetylorthosiphol B (1), 6-hydroxyorthosiphol B (2), 3-O-deacetylorthosiphol I (3), 2-O-deacetylorthosiphol J (4), siphonols A-E (5-9)] have been isolated together with nine known diterpenes [orthosiphols H (10), K (11), M (12) and N (13); staminols A (14) and B (15); neoorthosiphols A (16) and B (17); norstaminol A (18)]. Their structures were determined based on the spectroscopic data. The isolated diterpenes inhibited nitric oxide (NO) production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophage-like J774.1 cells. Compounds 4-7, 9, 10, 14, and 17 showed inhibitory activities more potent (IC(50), 10.8-25.5 microM) than a positive control N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA; IC(50), 26.0 microM).     

Random Ising model in the magnetic field at T = 0: I. The distribution of the effective fields

The integral equation for the distribution function of the effective fields in the random Ising model in the finite external field is solved exactly at zero temperature in the one-dimensional case for 1) dilute ferromagnet, 2) dilute antiferromagnet and 3) ±J model. The ground state characteristics of these systems are obtained. In particular the effective fields in the ±J model are shown to have a triangular distribution in the zero external field limit.     

The transition from the spin-glass to the ferromagnetic state in the bond-random Ising model in the face-centred cubic lattice

The boundary between the spin-glass state and the ferromagnetic state (p_F-G) of the bond-random (±J) Ising model in the face-centred cubic lattice at T = 0 is calculated by the method of tetrahedron approximation in the simple version. The obtained value is, p_F-G = 0.682, which is a little larger than the triple point p_t = 0.654, and the model shows the reentrant behavior.     

The energy of the spin-glass state of a binary mixture at T = 0 and its variational properties

In the random-bond model of Ising spins, the concept of a multiple-bond distribution of effective field was introduced in the pair approximation. The integral equation for a single-bond distribution was derived intuitively. The variational energy at T = 0 is expressed in terms of two parameters μ and η where μ is the probability of zero effective field in the single-bond distribution and η is the magnetization per spin. For η = 0, the energy of the spin-glass state corresponds to a local minimum as a function of μ, for an even z (number of the nearest neighbours) and to an inflection point for an odd z. It was shown that the spin-glass state corresponds to a local minimum with respect to μ and η for z = 4, to an inflection point with respect to μ and a local minimum with respect to η for z = 3. It is conjectured that the maximum of the energy of the spin-glass state of Sherrington and Kirkpatrick is attributed not to the replica method, but to the mean field approximation. Stationary properties of the energy as a function of both μ and η were examined in detail.     

Domain growth in systems with multiple-degenerate ground states

We develop a statistical theory of growing domain structures in quenched systems with multiple-degenerate ground states where the order parameter is not conserved. Exact formulas are derived for the non-equilibrium structure functions for growing domains. As concrete examples the theory is applied to the p-state Johnson-Mehl model and the p-state cell model where the structure functions of the growing domains and the volume fraction of the metastable domain are calculated explicitly.