Microwave-assisted hydrothermal synthesis of monoclinic nitrogen-doped titania photocatalyst and its DeNO<Subscript>x</Subscript> ability under visible LED light irradiation

Nitrogen-doped titania (TiO_2−xN_y) nanoparticles with monoclinic phase were successfully prepared by a microwave-assisted hydrothermal process. The obtained TiO_2−xN_y powders showed high specific surface area, fine particle size, and excellent photocatalytic ability for the oxidative destruction of nitrogen monoxide under irradiation of monochromatic LED light with various wavelengths.     

Pre-fibrillation of pulps to manufacture cellulose nanofiber-reinforced high-density polyethylene using the dry pulp direct kneading method

The dry pulp direct kneading method is an industrially viable, low-energy process for manufacturing cellulose nanofiber (CNF)-reinforced polymer composites, where the chemically modified pulps are nanofibrillated and uniformly dispersed in the polymer matrix during melt compounding. In the present study, cellulose fibers of various sizes ranging from surface-fibrillated pulps (20 μm in width) to fine CNFs (20 nm in width) were prepared from softwood bleached kraft pulps using a refiner and a high-pressure homogenizer. These cellulose fibers were modified with alkenyl succinic anhydride and dried. The dried fibers were used as a feed material for melt compounding in the dry pulp direct kneading method to fabricate CNF-reinforced high-density polyethylene (HDPE). When surface-fibrillated pulps were employed as a feed material, the pulps were nanofibrillated and dispersed uniformly in the HDPE matrix during melt compounding. The resulting composites had much better properties—i.e., much higher tensile modulus and strength values, and much lower coefficient of thermal expansion values—than the composites produced using pulps without pre-fibrillation. However, when CNFs were used as a feed material, they were shortened and agglomerated during melt compounding, and the properties of the composites consequently deteriorated. The study concludes that surface-fibrillated pulp, which can be produced cost-effectively using a refiner on an industrial scale, is more suitable as a feed material than CNFs for melt compounding in the dry pulp direct kneading method. This finding enables the elimination of a preliminary step in the preparation of CNFs from pulps, which is a time-consuming and energy-intensive process.

Graphical abstract

     

Presence of β-Turn Structure in Recombinant Spider Silk Dissolved in Formic Acid Revealed with NMR

Spider dragline silk is a biopolymer with excellent mechanical properties. The development of recombinant spider silk protein (RSP)-based materials with these properties is desirable. Formic acid (FA) is a spinning solvent for regenerated Bombyx mori silk fiber with excellent mechanical properties. To use FA as a spinning solvent for RSP with the sequence of major ampullate spider silk protein from Araneus diadematus, we determined the conformation of RSP in FA using solution NMR to determine the role of FA as a spinning solvent. We assigned ¹H, ¹³C, and ¹⁵N chemical shifts to 32-residue repetitive sequences, including polyAla and Gly-rich regions of RSP. Chemical shift evaluation revealed that RSP is in mainly random coil conformation with partially type II β-turn structure in the Gly-Pro-Gly-X motifs of the Gly-rich region in FA, which was confirmed by the ¹⁵N NOE data. In addition, formylation at the Ser OH groups occurred in FA. Furthermore, we evaluated the conformation of the as-cast film of RSP dissolved in FA using solid-state NMR and found that β-sheet structure was predominantly formed.     

Effects of Roxadustat on Erythropoietin Production in the Rat Body

Anemia is a major complication of chronic renal failure. To treat this anemia, prolylhydroxylase domain enzyme (PHD) inhibitors as well as erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESAs) have been used. Although PHD inhibitors rapidly stimulate erythropoietin (Epo) production, the precise sites of Epo production following the administration of these drugs have not been identified. We developed a novel method for the detection of the Epo protein that employs deglycosylation-coupled Western blotting. With protein deglycosylation, tissue Epo contents can be quantified over an extremely wide range. Using this method, we examined the effects of the PHD inhibitor, Roxadustat (ROX), and severe hypoxia on Epo production in various tissues in rats. We observed that ROX increased Epo mRNA expression in both the kidneys and liver. However, Epo protein was detected in the kidneys but not in the liver. Epo protein was also detected in the salivary glands, spleen, epididymis and ovaries. However, both PHD inhibitors (ROX) and severe hypoxia increased the Epo protein abundance only in the kidneys. These data show that, while Epo is produced in many tissues, PHD inhibitors as well as severe hypoxia regulate Epo production only in the kidneys.     

Intermolecular Halogen Bond Detected in Racemic and Optically Pure N-C Axially Chiral 3-(2-Halophenyl)quinazoline-4-thione Derivatives

The halogen bond has been widely used as an important supramolecular tool in various research areas. However, there are relatively few studies on halogen bonding related to molecular chirality. 3-(2-Halophenyl)quinazoline-4-thione derivatives have stable atropisomeric structures due to the rotational restriction around an N-C single bond. In X-ray single crystal structures of the racemic and optically pure N-C axially chiral quinazoline-4-thiones, we found that different types of intermolecular halogen bonds (C=S⋯X) are formed. That is, in the racemic crystals, the intermolecular halogen bond between the ortho-halogen atom and sulfur atom was found to be oriented in a periplanar conformation toward the thiocarbonyl plane, leading to a syndiotactic zig-zag array. On the other hand, the halogen bond in the enantiomerically pure crystals was oriented orthogonally toward the thiocarbonyl plane, resulting in the formation of a homochiral dimer. These results indicate that the corresponding racemic and optically pure forms in chiral molecules are expected to display different halogen bonding properties, respectively, and should be separately studied as different chemical entities.     

Blood volume measurement of newborn using stable isotope 50Cr

A technique for the blood volume measurement of newborns was established in which nonradioactive 50Cr was used in patients for whom radioactive labels were not advisable. The red blood cells (RBC) in the newborn's blood withdrawn from umbilical cord after birth were tagged with enriched stable isotope 50Cr (96%, normal abundance 4.3%) and reinjected into the newborn. Blood samples (0.5 ml) were withdrawn at 30 min and thereafter at 6, 12, 24, 48, 72 and 120 hours old. Samples were centrifugalized and portion of RBC was then freeze-dried, weighed and sealed into polyethylene sheet bag together with 50Cr standard. Neutron irradiation was performed in the reactors of the JAERI with thermal neutron flux 5 X 10(13), 2 X 10(13), 8 X 10(13) cm-2s-1 at JRR-2, -3 and -4 respectively for 20 min and samples were left for about two weeks after irradiation. Induced radioactivity (51Cr, 59Fe) of the sample was measured with a Ge(Li) gamma-ray detector system and 4096 channels pulse height analyzer. Analysis of activity data was carried out by BOB-76 code. The RBC and total blood volume of the newborn was calculated using an isotopic dilution technique. We have investigated on tagging efficiency of 50Cr to RBC, washing effect and dilution rate by 50Cr content or 51Cr/59Fe ratio. Significant difference was observed in the total blood volume of newborns depending on the delivery style and in addition, it changed dynamically along the time elapsed after birth.     

Studies on palytoxins

The complete structure of palytoxin (1) was elucidated by us in 1982.¹ Our continuous interests in palytoxin led us to examine minor constituents of Okinawan Palythoa tuberculosa. In this paper, we describe successful isolation and structural elucidation of four minor toxins, which were named homopalytoxin (2), bishomopalytoxin (3), neopalytoxin (4) and deoxypalytoxin (5).     

A synthetic approach to (+)-aldosterone and its relatives (2)- a stereoselective synthesis of (+)-trans-4,5-(4-methoxybenzo)- 1β , 7aβ - ( 2α-methoxymethyl- 5 -oxofuro) hydrindane

A stereoselectivity in an intramolecular cycloaddition of the olefinic $\text{o}$-quinodimethanes 13 and 23 generated $\text{in}$$\text{situ}$ from the thermolysis of optically active 4β-[2-(4-methoxybenzocyclobutenyl)ethyl] -5α-methoxymethyl-3-phenyl-thio-methylenefuran-2-ones 12 and 22, respectively, is studied and a stereoselective synthesis of (+)-$\text{trans}$-4,5-( 4-methoxybenzo) -1β,7aβ-(2α-methoxymethyl-5-oxofuro)hydrindane 1 is also described.