Near-infrared photorefractivity in Cr-doped potassium sodium strontium barium niobate single crystal

We report on the photorefractive properties of a Cr-doped (K_1–x Na _x )_2A–2 (Sr _y Ba_1–y )_2–A Nb₁₀O₃₀ (x=0.586, y=0.659, A=1.12) single crystal in the near-infrared spectrum. The sample exhibits photorefractivity for wavelengths up to at least 840 nm where the steady-state two-beam coupling gain is found to be larger than 2 cm^–1. Photorefractive gain and decay rate are measured as a function of wavelength, grating spacing and intensity. The wavelength dependence of gain fluctuations in two-beam coupling are also measured.     

THE ROLE OF DIOXYGEN SPECIES IN THE BASE- AND COBALT-CATALYZED OXYGENATION OF HINDERED PHENOLS

Abstract— The mechanisms by which 4-substituted 2,6-di- t -butylphenols are oxygenated by base- and Co(II) Schiff base complex-catalysis into o - or p -peroxyquinols and their Co(III) complexes, respectively, have been investigated. For the base-catalyzed oxygenation, a one-step ionic mechanism involving no radical species is suggested to be the most probable one. For the formation of the peroxycobalt(III) complexes, the following stoichiometry is concluded: ArOH + Co(II) + 5/4 O₂→ peroxycobalt(III) complex + 1/2 H₂O. A mechanism involving an electron transfer between the phenols and the Co(II)-O₂ complex followed by further electron transfer between the formed phenoxy radicals and the Co(II) complex to give the corresponding phenolate anions is proposed.     

Structure-activity relationship (SAR) studies on oxazolidinone antibacterial agents. 2. Relationship between lipophilicity and antibacterial activity in 5-thiocarbonyl oxazolidinones

5-Thiourea and 5-dithiocarbamate oxazolidinones were synthesized as a continuation of research on 5-thiocarbonyl oxazolidinone antibacterial agents considering the hydrophobic parameters of the molecule. The structure-activity relationship (SAR) study revealed that the antibacterial activity on 5-thiocarbonyl oxazolidinones was significantly affected by the lipophilicity, especially the calculated log P value and the balance between 5-hydrophilic (or hydrophobic) substituent and hydrophobic (or hydrophilic) substituents on the benzene ring. Some of 5-thiocarbonyl oxazolidinones were found to have good in vitro antibacterial activity against gram-positive bacteria including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE).     

Nonideal mixing of 16-(9-anthroyloxy) palmitic acid and fatty acid in monolayer

The surface pressure-molecular area curve of the mixed monolayer of 16-(9-anthroyloxy) palmitic acid (16AP) and fatty acid (palmitic or stearic acids) showed various kink points which indicated the phase transitions of the monolayer. On the basis of the surface phase rule, the phase diagrams of the mixed monolayer were elucidated. The bifunctional molecule, 16AP, takes two orientations in a monolayer state, that is, horizontal and vertical ones. Horizontally oriented 16AP and vertically oriented fatty acid form a mixed monolayer but this exhibits deviation from the ideal mixing, which was interpreted in terms of the surface regular solution theory. On the other hand, the 16AP molecule in the vertical state was found to be immiscible with the fatty acid molecule in a monolayer de spite both molecules being vertical to the surface and parallel to each other. This was caused by the participation of the 9-anthroyloxy moiety of 16AP in the interaction of 16AP and fatty acid in the hydrophobic region of the monolayer.     

The molecular structure and chemical reactivities of the condensation products of o-substituted benzylidenacetylacetone with hydrazine dihydrochloride

Reaction of o-nitrobenzylideneacetylacetone ( 1a ) with hydrazine dihydrochloride in methanol gave 4-(α-methoxy-o-nitrobenzyl)-3,5-dimethylpyrazole hydrochloride ( 4a ), whose structure was unambigously confirmed by an X-ray crystallographic analysis, via 4-(o-nitrobenzylidene)-3,5-dimethylisopyrazole ( 2a ). Compound 2a was synthesized by condensation of 1a with hydrazine dihydrochloride in acetonitrile. Analogously the corresponding o-chloro derivatives ( 2b, 4b ) were obtained. These were converted to N-methyl ( 6b ) and N-acetyl ( 7a,b ) derivatives and the behaviors on bromination and pyrolysis were investigated.     

Phospholipases Induce Melanogenesis in Organ-Cultured Skin

Guinea pig skin becomes more pigmented following exposure to UV rays. This melanization was accompanied by enhanced intensity of tyrosinase-staining and increased number of tyrosinase-positive melanocytes (MEL^ty+), with resultant enhancement of melanin synthesis. To clarify the regulatory mechanism for melanization following UV irradiation, organ-cultured guinea pig skins have been used to examine their melanogenic responses to exogenous stimulation. This organ culture system responded well to UV irradiation, by increasing melanogenic activity. Also, in this system, phospholipases (PL), arachidonic acid, interleukin-1α and melanocytestimulating hormone, but not endothelin-1 or phosphatidylinositol-specific PLC (PI-PLC), stimulated melanogenesis to various extents as indicated by the number of MEL^ty+ and morphological changes. Among them, the PLA₂ and PLD were found to have a potent stimulatory property for melanocytes. They might affect melanocytes directly or indirectly through an effect on keratinocytes. These results suggest that PLA₂ and PLD play a key role in epidermal hyperpigmentation after UV irradiation or inflammation.     

Chimeric (alpha/beta + alpha)-peptide ligands for the BH3-recognition cleft of Bcl-XL: critical role of the molecular scaffold in protein surface recognition

Molecules that bind to specific surface sites on proteins are of great interest from both fundamental and practical perspectives. We are exploring a ligand development strategy that is based on oligomers with discrete folding propensities ("foldamers"); we target a specific cleft on the cancer-associated protein Bcl-xL because this system is well characterized structurally. In vivo, this cleft binds to alpha-helical segments (BH3 domains) of other proteins. We evaluated several types of helical foldamer, built entirely from beta-amino acid residues or from mixtures of alpha- and beta-amino acid residues, and ultimately identified foldamers in the latter class that bind very tightly to Bcl-xL. Our results suggest that combining different types of foldamer backbones will be an effective and general strategy for creating high-affinity and specific ligands for protein surface sites.     

Enantioselective addition of ketene silyl acetals to nitrones catalyzed by chiral titanium complexes. Synthesis of optically active beta-amino acids

A chiral titanium complex, Ti(O-i-Pr)(4)/BINOL/tert-butylcatechol, catalyzes enantioselective addition reaction of ketene silyl acetals to nitrones to give optically active beta-amino acid derivatives which are biologically active compounds and useful synthetic intermediates of natural products and pharmaceuticals such as beta-lactam antibiotics. The combined process of catalytic oxidation of secondary amines and enantioselective carbon-carbon bond formation of nitrones thus obtained with ketene silyl acetals provides a useful two-step method for the synthesis of optically active beta-amino acid derivatives and related nitrogen compounds.