Helix-coil transformation and titration curve of poly-L-glutamic acid

The titration curve of poly-L-glutamic acid was studied in connection with the helix-coil transformation.

In aqueous solution the transformation has its origin in the ionization of the polar group COOH in the side chain. Conversely the ionization and the titration curve of this molecule are affected by the change of the electrostatic interaction produced by its transformation.

It is shown in this report that the experimental result, the titration curve and its modified plot, can be divided into three sections, that is, the ionization of the perfect helix, the region of the helix-coil transformation, and the ionization of the perfect coil.     

EUV and soft X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of isolated atoms and molecules using single-order laser high-harmonics at 42 eV and 91 eV

Photoelectron spectroscopy of isolated atoms and molecules using single-order high-harmonics of Ti:Sapphire laser pulses (800 nm, 12 fs/30 fs) is demonstrated. Dielectric multilayer mirrors, SiC/Mg and Mo/Si, are used to isolate the 27th (42 eV) and 59th (91 eV) order harmonics, respectively. The obtained harmonics are characterized by valence and inner-shell photoelectron spectroscopy of Xe. The applications to two-color two-photon ionization of He and pump-probe spectroscopy of ultrafast photodissociation of Br₂, Br₂(C¹Π_u) → Br(²P_3/2) + Br(²P_3/2), are presented.     

Numerical modeling of thermal force in a plasma for test-ion transport simulation based on Monte Carlo Binary Collision Model

We present a new numerical model of the thermal force in a plasma, based on the Monte Carlo Binary Collision Model (BCM) [T. Takizuka, H. Abe, J. Comput.Phys. 25 (1977) 205]. This model can be applied for the transport simulation of test ions. The model consists of two steps: (i) choosing a background plasma ion velocity from a distorted Maxwell distribution under the temperature gradient, and (ii) calculating a Coulomb collision between a test particle and the above chosen ion by using the BCM. For the step (i), we developed a velocity sampling method from a distorted Maxwellian, which enables the BCM to bring the thermal force on a test particle in the step (ii).A systematic series of simulations has been performed under various conditions to examine the model. The results of these simulations have been compared with the theoretical values, and it is shown that our model simulates the thermal force correctly for important characteristic features; dependences on the temperature gradient, the test particle velocity, and the background plasma density.     

The depth of a reflexive polytope

Given arbitrary integers d and r with $$d \ge 4$$ and $$1 \le r \le d + 1$$ , a reflexive polytope $${\mathscr {P}}\subset {\mathbb R}^d$$ of dimension d with $$\mathrm{depth}\,K[{\mathscr {P}}] = r$$ for which its dual polytope $${\mathscr {P}}^\vee $$ is normal will be constructed, where $$K[{\mathscr {P}}]$$ is the toric ring of $${\mathscr {P}}$$ .     

Amphiphilic polysaccharide nanogels as artificial chaperones in cell-free protein synthesis

Cell-free protein synthesis is a promising technique for the rapid production of proteins. However, the application of the cell-free systems requires the development of an artificial chaperone that prevents aggregation of the protein and supports its correct folding. Here, nanogel-based artificial chaperones are introduced that improve the folding efficiency of rhodanese produced in cell-free systems. Although rhodanese suffers from rapid aggregation, rhodanese was successfully expressed in the presence of the nanogel and folded to the enzymatically active form after addition of cyclodextrin. To validate the general applicability, the cell-free synthesis of ten water-soluble proteins was examined. It is concluded that the nanogel enables efficient expression of proteins with strong aggregation tendency.     

Soft contact lens biosensor for in situ monitoring of tear glucose as non-invasive blood sugar assessment

A contact lens (CL) biosensor for in situ monitoring of tear glucose was fabricated and tested. Biocompatible 2-methacryloyloxyethyl phosphorylcholine (MPC) polymer and polydimethyl siloxane (PDMS) were employed as the biosensor material. The biosensor consists of a flexible Pt working electrode and a Ag/AgCl reference/counter electrode, which were formed by micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technique. The electrode at the sensing region was modified with glucose oxidase (GOD). The CL biosensor showed a good relationship between the output current and glucose concentration in a range of 0.03-5.0 mM, with a correlation coefficient of 0.999. The calibration range covered the reported tear glucose concentrations in normal and diabetic patients. Also, the CL biosensor was applied to a rabbit for the purpose of tear glucose monitoring. The basal tear glucose was estimated to 0.11 mM. Also, the change of tear glucose induced by the change of blood sugar level was assessed by the oral glucose tolerance test. As a result, tear glucose level increased with a delay of 10 min from blood sugar level. The result showed that the CL biosensor is expected to provide further detailed information about the relationship between dynamics of blood glucose and tear glucose.     

Characteristics of Multi-Beam Module Using Waveguides for Laser Scanning Optical Systems

A multi-beam module using optical waveguides has been studied for a laser scanning optical system. Laser diodes with a wavelength of 780 nm are assembled on a silicon substrate. The beams emitted from the laser diodes are directly coupled into waveguides. This multi-beam module is assembled on a metal substrate with a photodiode. The photodiode controls the power of each laser diode on the silicon substrate. The multi-beam module is able to increase the output speed of high-density image printings, and the speed for high-speed color printings. We have developed the four-beam module with beam divergence angles of 11 degrees and spatial beam interval of 24 μm. Additional heat sink and optimizing tip-bonding between the laser diode and solder pad on the silicon substrate is useful to stabilize laser power against rising temperature.     

The MA-ordering max-flow algorithm is not strongly polynomial for directed networks

Quite recently, Fujishige (Oper. Res. Lett. 31 (2003) 176-178) developed a weakly polynomial-time algorithm for the maximum flow problem by applying the maximum adjacency (MA) ordering technique to directed networks. In this note, we show that the algorithm is not strongly polynomial by giving a real-valued instance for which the algorithm does not terminate.     

Visualizing recurrently migrating hydrogen in acetylene dication by intense ultrashort laser pulses

We demonstrate the visualization of ultrafast hydrogen migration in deuterated acetylene dication (C2D2{2+}) by employing the pump-probe Coulomb explosion imaging with sub-10-fs intense laser pulses (9 fs, 0.13 PW/cm{2}, 800 nm). It is shown, from the temporal evolution of the momenta of the fragment ions produced by the three-body explosion, C2D2{3+}-->D{+} + C{+} + CD{+}, that the migration proceeds in a recurrent manner: the deuterium atom first shifts from one carbon site to the other in a short time scale (approximately 90 fs) and then migrates back to the original carbon site by 280 fs, in competition with the molecular dissociation.