Development of ion transportation, extraction and neutralization systems for atomic beam resonance method

A device that produces a low-energy and largely spin polarized RI beam based on the atomic beam resonance method (RIABR) has been developed. We have performed measurements of stopping and drifting an incoming RI ion beam in a gas chamber, extraction of the ions into a vacuum region, and neutralization of the extracted low-energy ion beam. The drift efficiency of RI ions in a gas and the extraction efficiency at a Laval-type glass nozzle were found to be 0.72±0.04 and 0.033, respectively. The result of the experiment for the neutralization is also discussed.     

A microporous membrane-based continuous generation system for trace-level standard mixtures of atmospheric gases.

A reliable and convenient system to generate accurate and stable standard gas mixtures of various atmospheric compounds at parts-per-billion levels has been developed. The system is of simple design; the generator is a coil consisting of an inner tube of microporous polytetrafuluoroethylene (PTFE) membrane tubing and an outer tube of silicone tubing. An aqueous solution of the given compound continuously flows through the inner microporous tube and the purge gas flows through the annulus between the inner and outer tubes. In addition to the generation of gas mixtures based on Henry's law, the proposed flow-type system offers generation based on chemical reactions, leading to a distinct advantage of the availability of continuous sources of various compounds. The generation system was tested for preparing standard gas mixtures of HCHO and H2O2 on the basis of Henry's law, and those of HNO2, NO, and SO2 on the basis of chemical reactions. A stable generation of the desired low concentrations of various kinds of gas mixtures can be readily achieved by adjusting the concentration of the solution without the use of high-dilution flow.     

Enhanced conformational sampling method for proteins based on the TaBoo SeArch algorithm: Application to the folding of a mini‐protein,chignolin

The conformational samplings are indispensible for obtaining reliable canonical ensembles, which provide statistical averages of physical quantities such as free energies. However, the samplings of vast conformational space of biomacromolecules by conventional molecular dynamics (MD) simulations might be insufficient, due to their inadequate accessible time‐scales for investigating biological functions. Therefore, the development of methodologies for enhancing the conformational sampling of biomacromolecules still remains as a challenging issue in computational biology. To tackle this problem, we newly propose an efficient conformational search method, which is referred as TaBoo SeArch (TBSA) algorithm. In TBSA, an inverse energy histogram is used to select seeds for the conformational resampling so that states with high frequencies are inhibited, while states with low frequencies are efficiently sampled to explore the unvisited conformational space. As a demonstration, TBSA was applied to the folding of a mini‐protein, chignolin, and automatically sampled the native structure (C_α root mean square deviation < 1.0 Å) with nanosecond order computational costs started from a completely extended structure, although a long‐time 1‐µs normal MD simulation failed to sample the native structure. Furthermore, a multiscale free energy landscape method based on the conformational sampling of TBSA were quantitatively evaluated through free energy calculations with both implicit and explicit solvent models, which enable us to find several metastable states on the folding landscape. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Olefin Polymerization Catalyzed by Double‐Decker Dipalladium Complexes: Low Branched Poly(α‐Olefin)s by Selective Insertion of the Monomer Molecule

Dipalladium complexes of a cyclic bis(diimine) ligand with a double‐decker structure catalyze polymerization of ethylene and α‐olefins and copolymerization of ethylene with 1‐hexene. The polymerization of 1‐hexene yields a polymer that is mainly composed of the hexamethylene unit formed by 2,1‐insertion of the monomer into the palladium–carbon bond, followed by chain‐walking (6,1‐insertion). The polymerization of 4‐methyl‐1‐pentene proceeds by 2,1‐insertion with a selectivity of 92–97 %, and affords the polymer with methyl and 2‐methylhexyl branches. 2,1‐Insertion occurs selectively in all of the polymerization reactions of α‐olefins catalyzed by the dipalladium complexes. Ethylene polymerization with the catalyst at 100 °C lasts over 24 h, whereas the monopalladium–diimine catalyst loses its activity within 8 h at 60 °C. Polyethylene obtained by the dipalladium catalyst is less‐branched and has a higher molecular weight compared to that of the monopalladium catalyst under the same conditions. Copolymerization of ethylene with 1‐hexene affords solid products with melting points and molecular weights that vary depending on the polymerization time, suggesting formation of a block and/or gradient copolymer.     

Preparation of phthalocyanine-bound myristoyl celluloses for photocurrent generation system

The influences of two structural modifications on the photocurrent generation performance of the Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) film of the 6-O-phthalocyaninyl cellulose derivative were investigated. These structural modifications were the substituent groups at the O-2 and O-3 positions, and the central metal of the phthalocyanine moiety. Specifically, 6-O-Zn/phthalocyaninyl- (8a) and Pd/phthalocyaninyl (8b) -2,3-di-O-myristoylcelluloses were prepared instead of 6-O-Zn/phthalocyaninyl-2,3-di-O-myristylcellulose (2). The LB monolayer film of compound 8a on an indium thin oxide electrode showed higher photocurrent generation performance than that of compound 2. This suggested that myristoyl groups (C-14 acyl groups) were more beneficial to photocurrent generation than myristyl groups (C-14 alkyl groups), as the substituent at the O-2 and O-3 positions. The LB monolayer film of compound 8b showed photocurrent generation from 500 to 700 nm, although a blue-shift in the Q-band maximum was observed. The photocurrent generation performance of compound 8b was significantly higher than that of compound 8a. This indicated that Pd was more beneficial to photocurrent generation than Zn. The film of compound 8b prepared by the horizontal lifting method showed better photocurrent generation performance than that prepared by the vertical dipping method. Consequently, compound 8b is a complementary material to the porphyrin-appended cellulose derivative (1) for photocurrent generation system.     

Multi-period resource allocation for estimating project costs in competitive bidding

Central European Journal of Operations Research - In competitive bidding for project contracts, contractors estimate the cost of completing a project and then determine the bid price. Accordingly,...     

Phosphoproteome Profiling Using a Fluorescent Phosphosensor Dye in Two-Dimensional Polyacrylamide Gel Electrophoresis

We validated the novel PhosphoQUANTI SolidBlue Complex (PQSC) dye for the sensitive fluorescent detection of phosphorylated proteins in polyacrylamide- and two-dimensional gel electrophoresis (PAGE and 2DE, respectively). PQSC can detect as little as 15.6 ng of ß-casein, a pentaphosphorylated protein, and 61.3 ng of ovalbumin, a diphosphorylated protein. Fluorescence intensity correlates with the number of phosphorylated residues on the protein. To demonstrate the specificity of PQSC for phosphoproteins, enzymatically dephosphorylated lysates of Swiss 3T3 cells were separated in 2DE gels and stained by PQSC. The fluorescence signals in these gels were markedly reduced following dephosphorylation. When the phosphorylated proteins in Swiss 3T3 cell lysates were concentrated using a phosphoprotein enrichment column, the majority of phosphoproteins showed fluorescence signals in the pI 4–5 range. Finally, we performed phosphoproteome analysis to study differences in the protein phosphorylation profiles of proliferating and quiescent Swiss 3T3 cells. Over 135 discernible protein spots were detected, from which a selection of 15 spots were identified by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (MALDI TOF-MS). The PQSC staining procedure for phosphoprotein detection is simple, reversible, and fully compatible with MALDI TOF-MS.     

Portable formaldehyde monitoring device using porous glass sensor and its applications in indoor air quality studies

We have developed a portable device for formaldehyde monitoring with both high sensitivity and high temporal resolution, and carried out indoor air formaldehyde concentration analysis. The absorbance difference of the sensor element was measured in the monitoring device at regular intervals of, for example, one hour or 30 min, and the result was converted into the formaldehyde concentration. This was possible because we found that the lutidine derivative that was formed as a yellow product of the reaction between 1-phenyl-1,3-butandione and formaldehyde was stable in porous glass for at least six months. We estimated the reaction rate and to be 0.049 min⁻¹ and the reaction occurred quickly enough for us to monitor hourly changes in the formaldehyde concentration. The detection limit was 5 μg m⁻³ h. We achieved hourly formaldehyde monitoring using the developed device under several indoor conditions, and estimated the air exchange rate and formaldehyde adsorption rate, which we adopted as a new term in the mass balance equation for formaldehyde, in one office.     

Rapid determination of fumagillin residues in honey by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry using the QuEChERS method

A new, rapid, and efficient method for determining the fumagillin residues in honey was developed. The samples extracted were analyzed using LC/MS/MS. Chromatographic separation of fumagillin was performed in gradient mode on a C8 column (100 x 2.0 mm, 5 microm) at 40 degrees C. The mobile phase consisted of a mixture of 2 mM ammonium formate-0.01% formic acid solution and methanol; the flow rate was set to 0.2 mL/min. Under these conditions, it was possible to measure fumagillin and its isomers as a single peak. The sample preparation procedure used is based on the QuEChERS (quick, easy, cheap, effective, rugged, and safe) method, which is fast (approximately 30 min) and uses less organic solvent. The fumagillin was extracted with acetonitrile containing 0.1% formic acid, then purified using a solid-phase extraction method with an Oasis mixed-mode weak anion-exchange cartridge. The overall recovery of fumagillin ranged from 88.1 to 99.4%; the intra- and interassay CVs were <4.5% and <4.9%, respectively. The LOQ was 0.1 microg/kg. LC/MS/MS coupled with the QuEChERS method showed strong potential as a method for determining fumagillin residues in honey.