Synthetic approach to grayanotoxins and asebotoxins: a new construction of the a-homograyanotoxane ring system

The tetracyclic compounds ～3 and ～4 corresponding to A-homograyanotoxane system were synthesised by a thermolysis of the benzocyclobutene ～8, followed by a Wagner-Meerwein rearrangement of the kaurane type of compounds ～15 and ～16.     

Relationship between reactivity and 13C chemical shifts of benzocyclobutenes

¹³C NMR spectra of benzocyclobutene derivatives have been investigated; substituent effects and the relationship between the chemical shifts and the reactivity of their cyclobutene ring are discussed.     

Optimal checkpointing intervals of three error detection schemes by a double modular redundancy

This paper considers three checkpointing schemes which combine a double modular redundancy and three types of checkpoints: compare-and-store-checkpoint (CSCP), store-checkpoint (SCP), and compare-checkpoint (CCP). An execution time of a task is divided equally into n intervals, and at the end of each interval, a CSCP is always placed. Further, each CSCP interval is also divided equally into m intervals, and at the end of each interval, either CCP or SCP is placed except the last one. Introducing the overheads of comparison, storage, and retry, the mean execution times to complete a task for three schemes are obtained, using the theory of probability. Optimal checkpointing intervals, which minimize the mean times, are analytically derived, and are numerically computed. Three schemes are compared as numerical examples and the best checkpointing scheme is chosen.     

Fabrication of silver patterns on polyimide films based on solid-phase electrochemical constructive lithography using ion-exchangeable precursor layers

We report a fully additive-based electrochemical approach to the site-selective deposition of silver on a polyimide substrate. Using a cathode coated with ion-doped precursor polyimide layers, patterns of metal masks used as anodes were successfully reproduced at the cathode-precursor interface through electrochemical and ion-exchange reactions, which resulted in the generation of silver patterns on the polyimide films after subsequent annealing and removal from the substrate. Excellent interfacial adhesion was achieved through metal nanostructures consisting of interconnecting silver nanoparticles at the metal-polymer interface, which are electrochemically grown "in" the precursor layer. This approach is a resist- and etch-free process and thus provides an effective methodology toward lower-cost and high-throughput microfabrication.     

Fabrication and Flexural Properties of Bagasse Fiber Reinforced Biodegradable Composites

Biodegradable composites made from bagasse fiber and biodegradable resin were fabricated and the flexural properties of the composites investigated in terms of the effects of fiber length, fiber volume fraction, and different alkali treatments of the bagasse fibers. The flexural properties of the composites increased with the increase in fiber length but decreased below the critical fiber length. The flexural properties increased with the increase in fiber volume fraction. The scanning electron microscope (SEM) micrographs showed that compression of the cellulose structure of bagasse fiber after preparation could have caused enhancement in the flexural properties. Furthermore, when comparing the effects of different alkali treatments of the bagasse fibers, maximum improvement in the flexural properties was observed for the 1% NaOH solution treated fiber composites. After alkali treatment, fibrillation occurred and the surface of the treated fibers became finer; this could contribute to improvement in the fiber‐matrix adhesion and result in enhancing the flexural properties.     

Short-wave stability of a helical vortex tube: the effect of torsion on the curvature instability

In this paper, we study the short-wave stability of a helical vortex tube. The base flow field inside the helical vortex tube is obtained by perturbation expansion assuming that ${\epsilon}$ , the ratio of the core to curvature radius of the helical tube, be small. After reviewing our recent results obtained by the short-wavelength stability analysis, the normal-mode stability analysis is carried out to confirm the results and pursue further details. It is shown that the helical vortex tube suffers from curvature instability found for vortex rings. The growth rate of the curvature instability is obtained both analytically and numerically. The effect of torsion and rotation on the stability appears at the second order of ${\epsilon}$ . It is shown that the effects of rotation on the growth rate found by normal-mode stability analysis converges to those found by short-wavelength stability analysis in the short-wave limit.     

Studies on the syntheses of heterocyclic compounds—DXLV : Regiospecific cycloaddition of a benzocyclobutene derivative with Schiff bases by thermolysis—a new method for isoquinoline synthesis

4-Cyano-3-phenylisoquinoline derivatives were prepared by the regiospecific intermolecular cycloaddition reaction between a 1-cyanobenzocyclobutene derivative and Schiff bases.     

Application of atomic stereomicroscope to surface science

A stereograph of atomic arrangement was displayed directly on the screen of display-type spherical-mirror analyzer without any computer-aided conversion process for the first time. This stereoscopic photograph enables viewing three-dimensional atomic arrangement. This technique was realized taking advantage of the phenomenon of circular dichroism in photoelectron angular distribution. The azimuthal shifts of forward focusing peaks in a photoelectron angular distribution taken with left and right helicity light in a special arrangement are the same as the parallaxes in a stereo view of atoms. Hence a stereoscopic recognition of three-dimensional atomic arrangement is possible, when the left eye and the right eye respectively view the two images obtained by left and right helicity light simultaneously.