Structure of thiocyanate adlayers on Rh(111): an in situ STM study

In situ scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) was used to examine the structure of thiocyanate adlayers specifically adsorbed on Rh(111) in solutions of potassium hydroxide and perchloric acid, both containing potassium thiocyanate (KSCN). An atomically flat terrace-step structure was consistently observed on Rh(111) surfaces prepared by the flame-annealing-quenching method. The Rh(111)-(1 × 1) atomic structure was discerned on the atomically flat terrace even in the alkaline solution. High-resolution STM images disclosed two different structures of the SCN⁻ adlayers, () and (2 × 2), in the alkaline and the acidic media, respectively. In each structure, an individual adsorbed SCN⁻ ion appeared as a single spot with a constant corrugation height in STM images, suggesting that SCN⁻ ions adsorbed predominantly with their S-ends at particular bonding sites on Rh(111). The difference in the adlayer structure in the two solutions can be attributed to the interaction between adsorbed SCN⁻ and coadsorbed K⁺ in the alkaline solution, and is different from that between adsorbed SCN⁻ and H⁺ in the acidic solution. Received: 26 February 1997 / Accepted: 3 March 1997     

Morphology and glass transition behavior of polycarbonate–phenoxy system: Effects of trans-reactions in domain interface regions

Effects of trans reactions on the morphology, glass transition, and phase behavior in a classical blend system of a poly(hydroxyl ether bisphenol-A) (phenoxy) with bisphenol-A polycarbonate (PC) were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) and optical microscopy. Although two T_gs were observed in the as-prepared PC/phenoxy blends, an apparently single, but broadened, T_g was found in the blends after heating at high temperatures, typically 200–250°C for short times. The optical microscopy results indicated that same scales of heterogeneity did exist in post-heated PC/phenoxy blends as well as unheated blends. Explanations were provided. After heating-induced interchange reactions ( OH and carbonate), randomly linked polymer chains might form at the numerous interfaces of the mutually occluded/included micro-domains. The majority of the chains in the micro-domains are forced to relax in coordinated motion modes after heating, thus showing a single T_g. A mechanism of trans reactions in interfacial regions was briefly discussed in supplement to earlier reports in the literature. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

A two-step stimulus-response cell-SELEX method to generate a DNA aptamer to recognize inflamed human aortic endothelial cells as a potential in vivo molecular probe for atherosclerosis plaque detection

Aptamers are single-stranded oligonucleotides that are capable of binding wide classes of targets with high affinity and specificity. Their unique three-dimensional structures present numerous possibilities for recognizing virtually any class of target molecules, making them a promising alternative to antibodies used as molecular probes in biomedical analysis and clinical diagnosis. In recent years, cell-systematic evolution of ligands by exponential enrichment (SELEX) has been used extensively to select aptamers for various cell targets. However, aptamers that have evolved from cell-SELEX to distinguish the “stimulus-response cell” have not previously been reported. Moreover, a number of cumbersome and time-consuming steps involved in conventional cell-SELEX reduce the efficiency and efficacy of the aptamer selection. Here, we report a “two-step” methodology of cell-SELEX that successfully selected DNA aptamers specifically against “inflamed” endothelial cells. This has been termed as stimulus-response cell-SELEX (SRC-SELEX). The SRC-SELEX enables the selection of aptamers to distinguish the cells activated by stimulus of healthy cells or cells isolated from diseased tissue. We report a promising aptamer, N55, selected by SRC-SELEX, which can bind specifically to inflamed endothelial cells both in cell culture and atherosclerotic plaque tissue. This aptamer probe was demonstrated as a potential molecular probe for magnetic resonance imaging to target inflamed endothelial cells and atherosclerotic plaque detection.

Positively charged liposomes consisting of the KTTKS pentapeptide conjugated with rhodamine increase rhodamine toxicity in E. coli and zebrafish embryo

Liposomes composed of cell‐penetrating peptide derivatives increased transport across the cell membrane. Conjugating rhodamine to a cell‐penetrating peptide increased the toxicity of rhodamine in E. coli and zebrafish embryos. A similar total protein inhibition pattern with different intensities, indicating that the interaction pathways of the rho‐KTTKS‐CONH₂ monomer and liposomes were the same. It suggests that the rho‐KTTKS‐CONH₂ liposomes showed higher toxicity because better transport across the cell membrane increased the effective concentration inside cells. The staining of zebrafish embryos using rho‐KTTKS‐CONH₂ liposomes showed a longer retention time, suggesting that it can penetrate deeper tissues or organs in zebrafish.     

Stereoconvergent,Redox‐Neutral Access to Tetrahydroquinoxalines through Relay Epoxide Opening/Amination of Alcohols

We present an economical catalytic procedure to convert readily available 1,2‐diaminobenzenes and terminal epoxides into valuable 1,2,3,4‐tetrahydroquinoxalines in a highly enantioselective fashion. This procedure operates through relay zinc and iridium catalysis, and achieves redox‐neutral and stereoconvergent production of valuable chiral heterocycles from racemic starting materials with water as the only side product. The use of commercially available reagents and catalysts and a convenient procedure also make this catalytic method attractive for practical application.     

Large Matrix Computations on Vector Computers

Preconditionings have proved to be a powerful technique for accelerating the rate of convergence of an iterative method. This paper, which is concerned with the conjugate gradient algorithm for large matrix computations, investigates an approximate polynomial preconditioning strategy. The method is particularly attractive for implementation on vector computers.     

Fundamentals of Computational Conformal Geometry

Computational conformal geometry is an inter-disciplinary field between mathematics and computer science. This work introduces the fundamentals of computational conformal geometry, including theoretic foundation, computational algorithms, and engineering applications. Two computational methodologies are emphasized, one is the holomorphic differentials based on Riemann surface theory and the other is surface Ricci flow from geometric analysis.