Imprinting modulates processing of visual information in the visual wulst of chicks

Background  

Imprinting behavior is one form of learning and memory in precocial birds. With the aim of elucidating of the neural basis for visual imprinting, we focused on visual information processing.     

Analysis of dislocation images in X-ray topography of protein crystals: tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme crystals

Dislocation images in X-ray topography of protein crystals such as tetragonal hen egg-white lysozyme crystals were analyzed. Not only extinction but also double contrast of dislocation images are clearly observed on the X-ray topographs. It should be noted that the observed image widths of the dislocation contrasts are much less than those calculated on the basis of the kinematical theory in X-ray topography, which has been successfully applied for inorganic crystals and organic crystals of small molecules so far. Moreover, in tetragonal HEW lysozyme crystals, the rocking curve widths of the perfect crystal related to the kinematical theory are less than the measured ones by two orders of magnitude. This discrepancy is consistent with that in the image width of the dislocation contrast. From this correlation, it is suggested that the larger rocking curve width, or higher mosaicity, is mainly responsible for the observed image width in the grown crystals.     

Highly dispersed clay-polyolefin nanocomposites free of compatibilizers, via the in situ polymerization of alpha-olefins by clay-supported catalysts

In situ polymerization by certain transition metal catalysts supported on and activated by acid-treated montmorillonite produces well-dispersed clay-polyolefin nanocomposites, without requiring either organic surfactants to be present in the clay phase or modification of the polyolefin structure.     

Density functional theory investigation of novel Eu(III) complexes with asymmetric bis(phosphine) oxides

Recently, we have developed novel Eu(III) complexes with three beta-diketonates and one asymmetric bis(phosphine) oxide whose light emission intensity is drastically increased. In this paper, one of these complexes is investigated by the density functional theory calculation. Sixteen isomers of this complex have been considered. The ratio of the existence for the most stable isomer (B1_1a) is found to be about 51%, and the sum of the ratio of the existence for the six most stable isomers (B1_1a, B1_3a, B1_8a, B1_2a, B1_1b, and B1_5a) is about 100%, assuming the Boltzmann distribution (T = 300 K). The coordination structures of the six most stable isomers in the ground states are similar, and we can expect asymmetric ligand fields for them, favorable for the efficient light emission. Vertical excitation energies and oscillator strengths for each isomer have been obtained by the time-dependent density functional theory. With the red-shift of the wavelength and the interpolation by Gaussian convolution, both the calculated absorption spectra for the most stable isomer B1_1a and the calculated absorption spectra for the ensemble average of the isomers are found to be similar to the experimental fluorescence excitation spectra. The efficiency of energy transfer from the triplet excited state to the Eu(III) ion is considered by calculating DeltaEET (difference between the adiabatic excitation energy of the complex for the lowest triplet state and the emission energy of the Eu(III) ion for 5D0 to 7F2). The characters for the lowest triplet states for the isomers are investigated by the spin density distributions of the triplet states.     

Synthesis of the entire carbon framework of the kedarcidin chromophore aglycon

In advanced studies directed toward the total synthesis of the kedarcidin chromophore, we have successfully achieved the late-stage installation of the nine-membered diyne ring in the presence of the highly functionalised ansamacrocyclic bridge.     

Methoxy- and fluorine-substituted analogs of O-1302: synthesis and in vitro binding affinity for the CB1 cannabinoid receptor

Methoxy and fluorine analogs substituted on the terminal carbon of the pentyl chain of N-(piperidinyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-5-(4-pentylphenyl)-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (O-1302) were synthesized in a multi-step process from 5-phenyl-1-pentanol, which was based on the 1,5-diarylpyrazole core template of N-(piperidinyl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (SR141716) through condensation of the respective amine with pyrazole carboxylic acid, in order to develop tracers for medical imaging. Their potency for inhibiting the binding of the CB1 antagonist [(3)H]SR141716 was evaluated with the aim of developing positron emission tomography (PET) ligands for the cerebral cannabinoid CB1 receptor. These analogs bearing a piperidinyl carboxamide at the C(3) of the pyrazole ring exhibited affinities comparable to those of the CB1 reference antagonist SR141716, which warrants further investigation using the radiolabeled form for biological imaging studies. A morpholine ring substituted at the C(3) of the pyrazole ring resulted in a reduction of the CB1 affinity.     

Simultaneous determination of amphoteric surfactants in detergents by capillary electrophoresis with indirect UV detection

A simple, rapid and simultaneous determination of four types of amphoteric surfactants, i.e., C8, C10, C12, C14, C16 and C18-homologues of alkyldimethylamine N-oxide (AO), alkylamidopropylamine N-oxide (APAO), alkylbetaine (Bt) and alkylamidopropylbetaine (APB), was performed by using capillary electrophoresis (CE) with indirect UV detection. To optimize the separation conditions, effects of pH of background solution (BGS), organic modifier and chromophore for indirect UV detection on the CE separation of the amphoteric compounds were investigated. Addition of 50% (v/v) acetonitrile to the BGS under a lower pH condition brought a good separation performance due to the suppression of micelle formation for the analytes and the adsorption onto the inner surface of the capillary. Under an optimal condition, the 24 amphoteric analytes were completely separated in a single run within 17min. The relative standard deviation of the migration time was ranging from 0.20 to 0.23% and the limit of detection values for AO, APAO, Bt and APB homologues were 10-20, 20, 20-50 and 50microg/mL, respectively. Furthermore, the developed method can provide a high resolution separation of the amphoteric surfactants in commercially available detergents and shampoo without any sample pretreatments.     

Throughput Measurement of a Multilayer-Coated Schwarzschild Objective Using Synchrotron Radiation

The throughput of a Schwarzschild objective using undulator synchrotron radiation was measured. Conventionally, the throughput was estimated from the squared reflectivity of one multilayer mirror and from the obstruction ratio. However, we evaluated the transmission ratio from the input and output photon flux using a precisely calibrated monochromatic beam from an undulator light source. It was found that the objective has a maximum throughput of 8.5% at a wavelength of 13.9 nm.     

Dynamic hyperpolarizabilities in Møller–Plesset perturbation theory

As a formulation for calculating the dynamic polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities, two different types of the time‐dependent Møller–Plesset perturbation theory (MPPT) are presented: the MPPT in the quasienergy derivative method (QED–MPPT) and the MPPT in the energylike derivative method (ELD–MPPT). The explicit expressions for the response properties in each of these MPPT up to the quadratic response [μ, α(−ω₁, ω₁), β(−ω_σ, ω₁, ω₂)] at an arbitrary correlated order are given. Calculations of the dynamic polarizabilities and hyperpolarizabilities dependent on one frequency at the second‐order MPPT (MP2), in the QED method (QED–MP2) and in the ELD method (ELD–MP2), are examined for 10‐electron systems: hydrogen fluoride and neon. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 71: 251–271, 1999     

Multiple cluster model (MCM) for surface reaction systems

Multiple cluster model (MCM) for investigating surface reactions is formulated. In this model the reaction center, where electron correlation effects often play a key role, is described by an accurate high‐level approximation, and bulk effects such as the lattice distortion energy are evaluated using a simple low‐level approximation. Therefore, the MCM can properly simulate the potential energy hypersurface of the surface reaction system with a feasible computational cost. Since there exists no fixed atom in the MCM, we can rigorously characterize the stationary point (the minimum energy point or the transition state) on the potential energy hypersurface by vibrational frequency analysis. The MCM can be applied not only to surface systems, but also to various large systems. A detailed comparison of the MCM with the integrated molecular orbital+molecular mechanics (IMOMM), the integrated molecular orbital+molecular orbital (IMOMO), and ONIOM developed by Morokuma and co‐workers is also presented. ©1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. Int J Quant Chem 71: 403–413, 1999