Direct observation of the formation of a cyclic poly(alkyl sorbate) via chain-growth polymerization by an N-heterocyclic carbene initiator and ring-closing without extreme dilution

1,3-Di-tert-butylimidazol-2-ylidene (NHCtBu), which is one of the typical N-heterocyclic carbene (NHC), was found to initiate the anionic chain-growth polymerization of methyl sorbate (MS) in toluene at −20°C. The polymerization was accelerated by an aluminum Lewis acid, that is, methylaluminum bis(2,6-di-tert-butyl-4-methylphenoxide) (MAD), to afford cyclic poly(MS)s. Subsequently, thiol-ene click reactions of poly(MS)s with two different alkanethiols were performed using a photoradical initiator to obtain graft-like polymers, which was for the microscopic observation of the chains directly by transmittance electron microscope (TEM). The contamination of linear polymers was hardly observed. This means that the polymers synthesized by our synthetic strategy were indeed cyclic polymers. We also compared the theoretical and experimental chain diameter and width for the graft-like cyclic polymers, where these values were dependent on the molecular weight of the cyclic polymers regulated by the feed monomer/initiator ratio and length of the alkanethiols, respectively.     

Relativistic segmented contraction basis sets with core-valence correlation effects for atoms 57La through 71Lu: Sapporo-DK-nZP sets (n?=?D, T, Q)

For the 15 lanthanide atoms ₅₇La through ₇₁Lu, we report Sapporo-DK-nZP sets (n?=?D, T, Q), which are natural extensions of the Sapporo-(DK)-nZP sets for lighter atoms and efficiently incorporate the correlation among electrons in the N through P shells as well as the relativistic effect. The present sets well describe the correlation among the 4s and 4p electrons, which are important in the excitation of 4f electrons. Atomic test calculations of ₅₇La, ₅₈Ce, ₅₉Pr, and ₆₀Nd at configuration interaction with the Davidson correction level of theory confirm high performance of the present basis sets. Molecular test calculations are carried out for ₅₇LaF and ₇₀YbF diatomics at the coupled-cluster level of theory. The calculated spectroscopic constants approach smoothly to the experimental values as the quality of the basis set increases.     

Effects of vibrations on particle motion near a wall: Existence of attraction force

The effects of small vibrations on a particle oscillating near a solid wall in a fluid cell, relevant to material processing such as crystal growth in space, have been investigated experimentally and theoretically. Assuming the boundary layer around the particle to be thin compared to the particle radius at high vibration frequencies, an inviscid fluid model was developed to predict the motion of a spherical particle placed near a wall of a rectangular liquid-filled cell subjected to a sinusoidal vibration. Under these conditions, a non-uniform pressure distribution around the particle results in an average pressure that gives rise to an attraction force. Theoretical expressions for the attraction force are derived for the particle vibrating normal to and parallel with the nearest cell wall. The magnitude of this attractive force has been verified experimentally by measuring the motion of a steel particle suspended in the fluid cell by a thin wire. Experiments performed at high frequencies showed that the mean particle position, when the particle is brought near a cell wall, shifts towards the same wall, and is dependent on the cell amplitude and frequency, particle and fluid densities.     

Momentum‐resolved resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering on a single crystal under high pressure

A single‐crystal momentum‐resolved resonant inelastic X‐ray scattering (RIXS) experiment under high pressure using an originally designed diamond anvil cell (DAC) is reported. The diamond‐in/diamond‐out geometry was adopted with both the incident and scattered beams passing through a 1 mm‐thick diamond. This enabled us to cover wide momentum space keeping the scattering angle condition near 90°. Elastic and inelastic scattering from the diamond was drastically reduced using a pinhole placed after the DAC. Measurement of the momentum‐resolved RIXS spectra of Sr_2.5Ca_11.5Cu₂₄O₄₁ at the Cu K‐edge was thus successful. Though the inelastic intensity becomes weaker by two orders than the ambient pressure, RIXS spectra both at the center and the edge of the Brillouin zone were obtained at 3 GPa and low‐energy electronic excitations of the cuprate were found to change with pressure.     

Mechanochromic Photoluminescent Liquid Crystals Containing 5,5′-Bis(2-phenylethynyl)-2,2′-bithiophene

5,5′-Bis(2-phenylethynyl)-2,2′-bithiophene derivative 1 containing dendritic moieties linked through amide groups was synthesized. Compound 1 exhibits a rectangular columnar phase on slow cooling from the isotropic liquid. In contrast, a cubic phase is formed as a metastable liquid-crystalline phase by rapid cooling of the isotropic melt. Mechanical shearing induces a cubic–columnar phase transition, accompanied by the change of a photoluminescent color from yellow-green to green. The infrared spectra of 1 suggest that the mechanical stimuli can induce the partial dissociation of the hydrogen bond. This may lead to more disordering of the π-stacks of chromophores.     

A Sufficient Condition for Rigidity in Extremality of Teichmller Equivalence Classes by Schwarzian Derivative

The Strebel point is a Teichm ¨uller equivalence class in the Teichm ¨uller space that has a certain rigidity in the extremality of the maximal dilatation. In this paper,we give a sufficient condition in terms of the Schwarzian derivative for a Teichm ¨uller equivalence class of the universal Teichm ¨uller space under which the class is a Strebel point. As an application, we construct a Teichm ¨uller equivalence class that is a Strebel point and that is not an asymptotically conformal class.     

Ribonuclease protection assay on microchip electrophoresis

We describe the potential of microchip electrophoresis with a Hitachi SV1210, which can be used to evaluate the integrity of total RNA, for the analysis of mRNA expression. The ribonuclease (RNase) protection assay was performed by using microchip electrophoresis with cyanine 5 (Cy5) labeled 248-base antisense RNA probe (riboprobe) encoding adipose-type fatty acid binding protein (A-FABP) as the riboprobe. The fluorescence intensity corresponding to the protected RNA fragment increased in a dose-dependent manner with respect to the complementary strand RNA. Results were obtained in 120 s, and the same amount of Cy5-labeled antisense riboprobe as used in the conventional method can be used. Furthermore, 8 times more sensitive detection of mRNA by microchip electrophoresis could be obtained. An obvious increase in the mRNA expression of A-FABP, which is known as a differentiation marker of adipocytes, occurred during the adipocyte differentiation of 3T3-L1 cells. These results clearly indicate the potential of microchip electrophoresis for the analysis of mRNA expression in cells.     

Novel cycloundecapeptides related to gramicidin S with both high antibiotic activity and low hemolytic activity

To find candidates with high antimicrobial and low hemolytic activities, many gramicidin S (GS) analogs of various ring sizes have been designed and synthesized. However, syntheses of antimicrobially active analogues of GS having a disordered symmetry structure from C(2) have almost never been reported, because the stable, amphiphilic β-sheet structure of GS with C(2) symmetry is considered essential for its strong antibacterial activity. In the present studies, novel thirteen cycloundecapeptides 1-13 related to GS were synthesized and examined. Among them, cyclo(-Va1(1)-Orn(2)-Leu(3)-D-Phe(4)-X(5)-Pro(6)-Val(7)-Orn(8)-Leu(9)-D-Phe(10)-Pro(11)-) (X=Lys (10), Orn (11), Arg (12) and Lys(Lys) (13)) resulted in high antibiotic activity against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative microorganisms tested. In addition, 11 showed low toxicity against sheep blood cells compared with that of GS. Further, circular dichroism (CD) spectra of 10-13 had a curve similar to each other, suggesting that the conformations of these analogues in methanol are similar to each other. However, CD spectra of 10-13 were different from that of GS in the 190-210 nm region. These results suggest that the presences of one added amino acid residue at position 5 of 10-13 might be partially effective through a structural change in the biological activity of 10-13. In addition, the structural modifications at position 5 lower the undesirable hemolytic activity and enhance the desirable antibiotic activity.