On the normalizing groupoids and the commensurability groupoids for inclusions of factors associated to ergodic equivalence relations–subrelations

It is shown that for the inclusion of factors corresponding to an inclusion of ergodic discrete measured equivalence relations , is normal in in the sense of Feldman–Sutherland–Zimmer [J. Feldman, C.E. Sutherland, R.J. Zimmer, Subrelations of ergodic equivalence relations, Ergodic Theory Dynam. Systems 9 (1989) 239–269] if and only if A is generated by the normalizing groupoid of B. Moreover, we show that there exists the largest intermediate equivalence subrelation which contains as a normal subrelation. We further give a definition of “commensurability groupoid” as a generalization of normality. We show that the commensurability groupoid of B in A generates A if and only if the inclusion BA is discrete in the sense of Izumi–Longo–Popa [M. Izumi, R. Longo, S. Popa, A Galois correspondence for compact groups of automorphisms of von Neumann algebras with a generalization to Kac algebras, J. Funct. Anal. 155 (1998) 25–63]. We also show that there exists the largest equivalence subrelation such that the inclusion is discrete. It turns out that the intermediate equivalence subrelations and thus defined can be viewed as groupoid-theoretic counterparts of a normalizer subgroup and a commensurability subgroup in group theory.     

Coherent molecular vibrational dynamics of CH2 stretching modes in polyethylene studied by femtosecond‐CARS

We have studied the coherent molecular vibrational dynamics of CH₂ stretching modes in polyethylene by time‐resolved femtosecond coherent anti‐Stokes Raman spectroscopy. We observed that the coherent vibrational relaxation of symmetric CH₂ stretching modes in polyethylene at room temperature is much faster than that previously measured in polyvinyl alcohol. In addition, it was detected that, at low temperature, the coherent vibrational relaxation of the symmetric stretching modes evidently becomes slower compared with that at room temperature. These temperature‐dependent measurements enable us to discriminate the contribution of pure dephasing mechanism, due to phonons and two‐level systems in polymer, from the contribution of lifetime of the vibrational excited state to the coherent vibrational relaxation of CH₂ stretching modes. We conclude that the coherent vibrational relaxation of symmetric CH₂ stretching modes at room temperature consists of the contribution of lifetime and approximately 1.5 times larger contribution of pure dephasing. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Rational design of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY)-based photobleaching-resistant fluorophores applicable to a protein dynamics study

We studied the photobleaching of a library of boron dipyrromethene (BODIPY) derivatives with a range of electron densities, and found that the photobleaching rate is influenced by the electron-withdrawing capacity of the substituents. Electron-deficient BODIPYs generated less singlet oxygen, were less reactive to singlet oxygen, and were highly resistant to photobleaching. We confirmed the utility of one of these fluorophores, 2,6-diCO(2)R-BDP, for visualizing EGF receptor dynamics in cells expressing an SNAP-tagged EGF receptor.     

Development and application of a method to investigate drug-metabolizing enzyme inhibitors using sparteine for probe of cytochrome P450 2D6 and tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II)-electrogenerated chemiluminescence detection

We studied the detection of drug-metabolizing enzyme inhibitiors using column-switching high performance liquid chromatography with tris(2,2'-bipyridine)ruthenium(II) (Ru(bpy)(3)(2+))-electrogenerated chemiluminescence detection. This can be applied to evaluate the genetic diversity concerning the ability of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 2D6 to metabolize drug in vitro. We demonstrated the ability of CYP2D6 to enable us to examine drugs metabolizing enzyme inhibition with high performance and sensitivity. This method can be applied to investigate metabolite inhibitors of CYP2D6 in vitro and in vivo. Thus, Metixene was found to be a potential CYP2D6 inhibitor.     

Preparation of long-afterglow colloidal solution of Sr2MgSi2O7: Eu, Dy by laser ablation in liquid

We have successfully prepared a novel nanoparticle solution of Sr₂MgSi₂O₇: Eu²⁺, Dy³⁺ with afterglow properties by means of laser ablation in liquid. This process also produced by-products of different kinds, depending on the liquid used. The amount of by-product and the size of the nanoparticles were controlled by the energy density of laser ablation. The amount of by-product was reduced by a decrease in the energy density, which also decreased the particle size of the nanoparticles. The PL spectrum of the nanoparticles was the same as that of the target materials used for laser ablation. The afterglow properties deteriorated with a decrease in particle size. We concluded that an increase in specific surface area caused by a decrease in particle size resulted in the decrease of luminescent intensity.     

Yrast spectroscopy in 49-51Ti via fusion-evaporation reaction induced by a radioactive beam

In-beam $ \gamma$ -ray spectroscopy of high-spin states in ^49-51Ti was performed via the fusion-evaporation reaction using a radioactive beam. By excitation function and $ \gamma$ - $ \gamma$ coincidence analysis, yrast high-spin levels up to I = (21/2^-),(11⁺),(17/2^-) in ^49-51Ti were determined. The levels were compared with full-pf -shell model calculation. The level structure indicates the persistency of the N = 28 shell gap at yrast states in ^49-51Ti .     

Observation/confirmation of hindered E2 strength in 18C/16C

We have measured the lifetime of the first excited 2⁺ state in ¹⁸C using an upgraded recoil shadow method to determine the electric quadrupole transition. The measured mean lifetime is 18.9±0.9 (stat)±4.4 (syst) ps, corresponding to B(E2;2₁ ⁺ $ \rightarrow$ 0⁺ _gs) = 4.3±0.2±1.0e ² fm^4, or about 1.5 Weisskopf units. The mean lifetime of the first 2⁺ state in ¹⁶C was remeasured to be 18.3±1.4±4.8 ps, about four times shorter than the value reported previously. The discrepancy is explained by incorporating the $ \gamma$ -ray angular distribution obtained in this work into the previous measurement. The observed transition strengths in ^{16, 18}C are hindered compared to the empirical values, indicating that the anomalous E2 strength observed in ¹⁶C persists in ¹⁸C .     

Concentration determination of oxygen nanobubbles in electrolyzed water

Water electrolysis is well known to produce solutions supersaturated with oxygen. The oxygen in electrolyzed solutions was analyzed with a dissolved oxygen meter and the Winkler method of chemical analysis. The concentration of oxygen measured with the dissolved oxygen meter agreed with that obtained using the Winkler method. However, measurements using a 10-fold dilution method showed a larger concentration of dissolved oxygen compared to the above methods. We developed a modified Winkler method to measure total oxygen concentration more accurately, which agreed with the results obtained from the 10-fold dilution experiment. The difference in measurements is due to the existence of oxygen nanobubbles, as confirmed by the observation of dynamic light scattering using a laser. Further analysis of the oxygen nanobubbles demonstrated that the stability of the nanobubbles was sufficient for chemical reaction and solvation to bulk solution.     

Measurement of excited states in (40)Si and evidence for weakening of the N=28 shell gap

Excited states in (40)Si have been established by detecting gamma rays coincident with inelastic scattering and nucleon removal reactions on a liquid hydrogen target. The low excitation energy, 986(5) keV, of the 2(1)(+) state provides evidence of a weakening in the N=28 shell closure in a neutron-rich nucleus devoid of deformation-driving proton collectivity.     

Magnetization behavior of nanomagnets for patterned media application

Bit patterned media (BPM) which utilize each magnetic nanostructured dot as one recorded bit has attracted much interest as a promising candidate for future high-density magnetic recording. In this study, the magnetization reversal behaviors of nanostructured L1₀-FePt, Co/Pt multilayer (ML), and CoPt/Ru dots are investigated. For Co/Pt and CoPt/Ru nanodots, the bi-stable state is maintained in a very wide size range up to several hundred nm, and the magnetization reversal is dominated by the nucleation of a small reversed nucleus with the dimension of domain wall width. On the other hand, the critical size for the bi-stability of L1₀-FePt is about 60 nm, and its magnetization reversal proceeds via domain wall displacement even for such a small dot size. These reversal behaviors, depending on the magnetic materials, might be attributed to the difference in structural inhomogeneity, such as defects. In addition to the magnetic properties, the structural uniformity of the material could be crucial for the BPM application.