Effect of shift in refractive index of dispersive elements in waveband-shift-free optical-phase conjugator based on DFG

Optical Review - In this study, the effect of the shift in the refractive index between two dispersive elements on the output phase-conjugated (PC) wave power of waveband-shift-free optical-phase...     

Polymeric quasicrystal: mesoscopic quasicrystalline tiling in ABC star polymers

A mesoscopic tiling pattern with 12-fold symmetry has been observed in a three-component polymer system composed of polyisoprene, polystyrene, and poly(2-vinylpyridine) which forms a star-shaped terpolymer, and a polystyrene homopolymer blend. Transmission electron microscopy images reveal a nonperiodic tiling pattern covered with equilateral triangles and squares, their triangle/square number ratio of 2.3 (approximately equal to 4/sqrt[3]), and a microbeam x-ray diffraction pattern shows dodecagonal symmetry. The same kind of quasicrystalline structures have been found for metal alloys (approximately 0.5 nm), chalcogenides (approximately 2 nm), and liquid crystals (approximately 10 nm). The present result (approximately 50 nm) confirms the universal nature of dodecagonal quasicrystals over several hierarchical length scales.     

Evidence of subsurface oxygen vacancy ordering on reduced CeO2(111)

Surface and subsurface oxygen vacancies on the slightly reduced CeO(2)(111) surface have been studied by atomic resolution dynamic force microscopy at 80 K. Both types of defect are clearly identified by the comparison of the observed topographic features with the corresponding structures predicted from recent first-principles calculations. By combining two simultaneously acquired signals (the topography and the energy dissipated from the cantilever oscillation), we are able to unambiguously locate subsurface oxygen vacancies buried at the third surface atomic layer. We report evidence of local ordering of these subsurface defects that suggests the existence of a delicate balance between subtle interactions among adjacent subsurface oxygen vacancy structures.     

Mesoporous Zirconium Phenylenesiliconate‐phosphonate Hybrids with Ordered Lamellar Nanostructures

Novel ordered lamellar mesostructure pZrPS‐2 was hydrothermally prepared by using zirconium propoxide and 4‐(EtO)₂OPC₆H₄Si(OEt)₃ (pPPS‐E), which was hydrolyzed to organic building units substituted with both siliconate and phosphonate groups, in the presence of C_nTAB and TMAOH. The pZrPS‐2 materials were obtained at a Zr/PPS ratio of 2 or higher and the basal spacing was increased by using a longer‐chain surfactant (n=12–18). Removal of the occluded surfactants at 300 °C resulted in retention of the lamellar structure with negligible shrinkage of the interlayer distance. Nitrogen adsorption studies revealed the ordered mesoporous nature of pZrPS‐2 with a pore diameter of approximately 2 to 3 nm. The lamellar structure is assumed to be composed of layers that include zirconia‐based crystalline nanodomains and interlayer pillars mainly based on PPS units. Although lamellar structures with the same crystalline phase also formed when no surfactant was added or when the meta isomer of PPS was used, no mesoporous materials were obtained except pZrPS‐2. A possible schematic model to elucidate these results is also proposed.     

MODIFYING FACTORS OF THE CELLULAR CONCENTRATION OF PHOTOLYASE MOLECULES IN Saccharomyces cerevisiae CELLS–I. EFFECTS OF TEMPERATURE AND LIGHT

Abstract— The effects of temperature and light on the cellular concentration of photoreactivating enzyme (PRE) molecules in haploid Saccharomyces cerevisiae cells were investigated. (1) Temperature effect: The number of active PRE molecules per cell (N_PRE) in cells grown at 37°C was about 13% of that grown at 23°C, although the amount of proteins per cell remained the same. (2) Light effect: N_PRE in cells grown in light was about 2.8 times larger than that grown in the dark. The value of N_PRE in cells grown in the light decreased more rapidly during holding in buffer in the dark than in the light. The N_PRE decrease during holding in buffer in the dark was more rapid in cells grown in the light than grown in the dark. A comparable decrease was observed after holding in buffer in the presence of cycloheximide. (3) In cells harboring a plasmid containing the gene PHR1, N_PRE was larger in cells grown at 23 than at 30°C.     

ENHANCEMENT OF PORPHYRIN-PHOTOSENSITIZATION OF YEAST CELLS BY ETHANOL

Abstract In porphyrin photosensitization, the localization of porphyrin in the cell and the sensitizing activity have been of recent concern. Hydrophobic porphyrins are usually in a highly aggregated state in aqueous systems. This study was designed to see whether the change in the polarity of the environment by adding ethanol could modify the sensitizing effects of porphyrins using a fermentable (alcohol tolerant) yeast ( Saccharomyces cerevisiae ) cells. The results showed that (1) the addition of ethanol (˜15%) to the aqueous suspension remarkably increased inactivation and cell membrane damage both in the hematoporphyrin (HP) and protoporphyrin (PP) photosensitizations, and (2) a sharp induction of genetic changes occurred concomitantly both in HP and PP sensitized cells in the presence of ethanol. In view of the fact that the addition of ethanol modified the absorption spectra and fluorescence intensity of porphyrins in favor of deaggregation, these results may be interpreted to mean that deaggregation of porphyrins promoted by ethanol enhanced their solubility in the lipophilic environment of the cell membrane and even further inside, thereby increasing the sensitizing activities.     

Application of intercalated compound of montmorillonite and N,N′-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine to antioxidant for rubber materials

To extend the lifetime of rubber materials, the intercalated compound consisting of N, N-diphenyl-p-phenylenediamine (DPD) as guest molecule and montmorillonite as host layer was added to chloroprene rubber (CR) and acrylonitrile-butadiene rubber (NBR). These rubber samples were either immersed in a mixture of isooctane and toluene or kept at 140°C in air, and subjected to ozone aging tests. The residual DPD in CR was analysed by high pressure liquid chromatography. Their results were compared with the rubbers of a standard composition, including DPD alone. The solvent-immersed CR containing the intercalated compounds showed more improved ozone-cracking resistance than solvent immersed CR of the standard composition. The residual DPD in CR containing the intercalated compound was more than that in CR of standard composition. However, no significant difference between the specimens containing intercalated compound and those of the standard composition was observed for the solvent-immersed NBR, heat-treated NBR and heat-treated CR.