Distribution and dynamics of radionuclides and stable elements in the coastal waters off Rokkasho Village, Japan, prior to the opening of a nuclear reprocessing facility

A nuclear fuel reprocessing facility is currently under construction in Rokkasho Village, Aomori, Japan. After completion and start-up, this facility will discharge radionuclides into the Pacific Ocean through an outlet pipe set on the seafloor offshore. For future assessments of the stability of these radionuclides in the environment, a sufficient understanding of the behavior of radionuclides in this ocean ecosystem before the start-up of the facility is necessary. To understand the processes by which radionuclides and various other types of elements are eliminated from seawater, we measured the sedimentation flux of suspended particles in the coastal waters off Rokkasho Village where the sea emissions pipes will be placed. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Synthesis of poly (ether-sulfone-amide)s by palladium-catalyzed polycondensation of aromatic dibromides containing ether sulfone structure,aromatic diamines,and carbon monoxide

A general method for the preparation of aromatic poly (ether-sulfone-amide)s has been developed. Polymerization is based on the palladium-catalyzed polycondensation of aromatic dibromides containing ether sulfone structural units, aromatic diamines, and carbon monoxide. Reactions were carried out in N, N-dimethylacetamide (DMAc) in the presence of palladium catalyst, triphenylphosphine, and 1,8-diazabicyclo [5,4,0]–7–undecene (DBU), and gave a series of poly (ether-sulfone-amide)s with inherent viscosities up to 0.86 dL/g under mild conditions. The polymers were quite soluble in strong acids, dipolar aprotic solvents, and pyridine. Thermogravimetry of the polymers showed excellent thermal stability, indicating that 10% weight losses of the polymers were observed in the range above 470°C in air. The glass transition temperatures of the polymers were around 230°C, which are higher than those of poly (ether-sulfone) analogues. These polymers also showed the good tensile strengths and tensile modulus. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Randomly transitional phenomena in the system governed by Duffing's equation

This paper deals with turbulent or chaotic phenomena which occur in the system governed by Duffing's equation, a special type of two-dimensional periodic system. By using analog and digital computers, experiments are carried out with special reference to the change of attractors and of average power spectra of the random processes under the variation of the system parameters. On the basis of the experimental results, an outline of the random process is made clear. The results obtained in this paper will be applied to various physical problems and will also serve as material for the development of a proper mathematics of this phenomenon.     

Pattern dynamics in cellular perception

By using a giant amoeboid cell of the Physarum plasmodium, changes in the intracellular distribution of chemical components are studied in relation to information processing in cell behavior. Various kinds of metabolites oscillate, and so the protoplasm should be a collection of chemical oscillators. Spatially, characteristic chemical patterns are self-organized for different cell shapes, and hence cell behavior. New phase waves propagate throughout the cell upon local stimulation, their direction being opposite for attraction and repulsion. Locomotion is inhibited when the coherence of the oscillators breaks. Thus, pattern dynamics is correlated with information processing in the amoeboid cell.     

Assembly of ϵ-Keggin Polyoxometalate from Molecular Crystal to Zeolitic Octahedral Metal Oxide

Zeolitic octahedral metal oxides are inorganic crystalline microporous materials with adsorption and redox properties. New ϵ-Keggin nickel molybdate–based zeolitic octahedral metal oxides have been synthesized. ³¹P NMR spectroscopy shows that reduction of Mo^VI-based molybdates forms an ϵ-Keggin polyoxometalate that immediately transfers to the solid phase. Investigation of the formation process indicates that a low Ni concentration, insoluble reducing agent, and long synthesis time are the critical factors for obtaining the zeolite octahedral metal oxides rather than the ϵ-Keggin polyoxometalate molecule. The synthesized zeolitic nickel molybdate with Na⁺ is used as the adsorbent, which effectively separates C₂ hydrocarbon mixtures.     

X-ray structure analysis of trans-1,4-polybutadiene

The crystal structure of trans-1,4-polybutadiene has been reported by Natta et al. to be pseudo-hexagonal below its solid-phase transition temperature. In the present X-ray structure analysis, it is revealed that the crystal belongs to the monoclinic system with the space group P2¹/a. The unit cell, with the lattice constants a = 8.63 Å, b = 9.11 Å, c = 4.83 Å, and β = 114°, includes four molecular segments.     

Open-sandwich immunoassay for sensitive and broad-range detection of a shellfish toxin gonyautoxin

At present, the analytical method for paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins in shellfish is the mouse bioassay (MBA), which is an official method of the Association of Analytical Communities (AOAC [8]). However, the low sensitivity and concerns over the number of live animals required for testing have been cited as the major reason for seeking its replacement. In this report, we employed an open-sandwich immunoassay (OS-IA) to detect gonyautoxin (GTX2/3), a kind of PSP toxins. OS-IA, which utilizes the antigen-induced enhancement of antibody V_H/V_L interaction, can measure a small molecule antigen in a noncompetitive format. Hence it has a wider working range and shorter measurement time. We isolated anti-GTX2/3 antibody gene from a hybridoma GT-13A by screening a Fab-displaying phage library. Then the vectors for OS-IA were constructed, and examined for antigen concentration-dependency of the V_H/V_L interaction by OS-ELISA. As a result, in each case, signal intensity increases notably in a wide concentration range (0.1 to >1000 ng mL⁻¹) of free GTX2/3, which was enough to cover its regulation value (80 μg 100 g⁻¹) in many countries. So OS-IA will be widely applicable to detect PSP toxins in shellfish meats and in drinking water.