Linear optical switching in a FLC/waveguide composite device

A fast electrooptic modulation in a polymer waveguide using a ferroelectric liquid crystal has been proposed. In this device, the surface stabilized ferroelectric liquid crystal and the soft mode ferroelectric liquid crystal are used as an active material on the passive polymer waveguide, and electrooptic switching is realized by controlling the total reflection at the polymer waveguide-liquid crystal interface. The response time is of the order of several microseconds. The analogue electrooptic modulation in the waveguide is realized using the field induced linear molecular tilt of the electroclinic effect in the soft mode ferroelectric liquid crystal.     

Formation constants of zinc(II) complexes with Semi-Xylenol Orange

A potentiometric and spectrophotometric investigation on the formation of zinc(II) complexes with Semi-Xylenol Orange (SXO or H(4)L) is reported. In an aqueous solution (mu = 0.1), three 1:1 complex species, MH(2)L, MHL(-), ML(2-), and a 1:2 complex, ML(6-)(2), seem to exist. In a strongly alkaline medium (above pH 12.5) the complexes may dissociate to give zinc hydroxide and L(4-). The formation of a hydroxy complex is not observed. The absorption maxima are at 445 nm (MH(2)L), 466 nm (MHL(-)) and 561 nm (ML(2-)), the molar absorptivities being 2.34 x 10(4), 2.42 x 10(4) and 3.14 x 10(4) 1.mole(-1) .cm(-1) respectively. The formation constants are (at 25 +/- 0.1 degrees ) log K(M)(ML) = 11.84, log K(M)(MHL) = 7.13, log K(M)(MH(2)L) = 2.70, log K(M)(ML(2)) = 16.60.     

Design and preparation of pulsatile release tablet as a new oral drug delivery system.

To achieve time-controlled or site specific delivery of a drug in the gastrointestinal tract, an orally applicable pulsatile drug release system with the dry-coated tablet form was developed. The system consisted of a less water permeable outer shell and a swellable core tablet; from such a system, the drug was expected to be rapidly released after a certain period of time on the basis of time-controlled disintegration mechanism. Various model disks of outer shell, consisting of hydrogenated castor oil and polyethyleneglycol 6000, were tested for their water penetration rate. The experimental results showed that water penetration proceeded obeying the boundary retreating mechanism, so that the lag time of the system could be controlled by changing either the thickness or the composition of the outer shell. The swelling force of various commercially available disintegrants was quantitatively compared, and it was found that carboxymethylcellulose calcium was the preferable disintegrant to be used for the core tablet. On the basis of the results of a series of fundamental studies, various pulsatile release tablets of isoniazide with different lag times were designed. In the in vitro dissolution test, typical pulsatile release was achieved for all the tablets prepared, and a good correlation was found between the observed lag time and the estimated lag time calculated from an empirical equation deduced from the thickness and polyethyleneglycol 6000 content of the outer shell.     

Umbelliferose Isolated from Cuminum cyminum L. Seeds Inhibits Antigen-Induced Degranulation in Rat Basophilic Leukemia RBL-2H3 Cells

Cuminum cyminum L. (cumin) is an annual plant of the Umbelliferae family native to Egypt. We previously showed that the aqueous extract of cumin seeds suppresses degranulation by downregulating the activation of antigen-induced intracellular signaling molecules in rat basophilic leukemia RBL-2H3 cells. However, the active substances in the extract have not yet been identified. Accordingly, herein, we aimed to ascertain the water-soluble substances present in cumin seeds that inhibit degranulation, which led to the identification of umbelliferose, a characteristic trisaccharide present in plants of the Umbelliferae family. Our study is the first to reveal the degranulation-suppressing activity of umbelliferose, and quantification studies suggest that cumin seed powder contains 1.6% umbelliferose. Raffinose, an isomer of umbelliferose, was also found to significantly suppress antigen-induced degranulation, but less so than umbelliferose. Both umbelliferose and raffinose contain sucrose subunits in their structures, with galactose moieties bound at different sites. These differences in structure suggest that the binding of galactose to the sucrose subunit at the α1-2 bond contributes to its strong degranulation-inhibiting properties.     

Numerical study of localization in Anderson model for disordered systems

The localization properties in the Anderson model of two dimensional square lattices are investigated numerically. Pretty large lattices composed of 10⁴ (= 100 × 100) sites are dealt with, and the overall behaviors of the eigenvectors near the band center are directly examined. Fairly sharp transition and the exponentially decaying localized states are visualized.     

Electrical transport in electron beam irradiated polyacetylene

Electrical conductivity of non-doped (CH)_x decreases a little and its activation energy increases a little by the electron beam irradiation. The increase of the electrical conductivity of the irradiated (CH)_x by I₂ doping is not so remarkable compared with that of non-irradiated (CH)_x. The conductivity of heavily irradiated (CH)_x is very low even after halogen dopings.On the other hand, the effect of the electron beam irradiation on the conductivity of previously I₂ doped (CH)_x is much less compared with that doped after the electron beam irradiation. These results are explained tentatively by the role of I₂ molecules in the initial stage of radiolysis and the suppression of the cross-linking.     

Gaussian-weighted parton quasi-distribution(Lattice Parton Physics Project(LP~3))

正Recent years have witnessed rapid progress in calculating parton distribution functions (PDFs), rather than just their moments, from lattice QCD [1-9]. The most remarkable aspect of such calculations is that one can connect appropriately chosen Euclidean correlation functions calculable on the lattice to PDFs through a perturbative matching relation. This can be understood in the framework of the large-momentum     

Aging of the zero-field-cooled magnetization in Ising spin glasses: experiment and numerical simulation

Growth of the zero-field-cooled magnetization (ZFCM) under continuous heating with and without an intermittent stop(s) is studied on Ising spin glasses both experimentally and numerically. Despite the large difference between time scales of the experiment and the simulation, the ZFCM behavior observed in the two systems can be quantitatively interpreted by means of a common set of the scaling expressions based on the droplet picture. The results strongly suggest that the spin-glass coherence length reached by the laboratory time scales is about a hundred lattice spacings or less. Within this length scale no signature of the chaos effect (rejuvenation) has been found in the ZFCM measured.     

High resolution absorption cross-section measurements of the Schumann-Runge bands of O2 by VUV Fourier transform spectroscopy

The photoabsorption spectrum of the O₂ Schumann-Runge bands was measured with resolution comparable to the Doppler widths by using the VUV Fourier transform spectrometer from Imperial College, London, combined with synchrotron radiation as a continuum light source at the Photon Factory, KEK, Japan. The analysis of the (12,0)-(17,0) bands of the Schumann-Runge system provides accurate rotational line positions as well as the line intensities from 185 to 175 nm. Molecular constants of the levels of the state have been determined. The (v^′,0) band oscillator strengths were determined as 2.38, 2.62, 2.70, 2.66, 2.40, and 2.12×10⁻⁵ for the bands from v^′=12 to 17, respectively.