A novel route to poly(α-hydroxyacrylic acid) derivatives by the hydrolysis of polymers containing 1,3-dioxolan-4-one moiety

The alkali hydrolysis of poly(2,2-dimethyl-5-methylene-1,3-dioxolan-4-one) and poly(2,2-dimethyl-5-methylene-1,3-dioxolan-4-one-co-styrene) was carried out with a sodium hydroxide solution (40%) in tetrahydrofuran at room temperature to obtain poly(α-hydroxyacrylic acid) or poly(α-hydroxyacrylic acid-co-styrene) with number-average molecular weights of 39,000–73,000 in 41–86% yields. The styrene unit in the hydrolyzed copolymer hindered the formation of a lactone ring. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 39: 1629–1633, 2001     

Distributions of rectilinear deviation distance to visit a facility

This paper deals with the deviation distance to visit a facility from pre-planned routes. Facilities are approximated by both points and lines on a continuous plane. To see the relationship between the deviation distance and the availability of facilities, we derive the distributions of the rectilinear deviation distance for regular and random patterns of facilities. These distributions demonstrate how the shortest distance and the relative position of origin and destination affect the deviation distance. We also show that the deviation distance is a generalization of the nearest neighbour distance.     

Uracil as Nucleating Agent for Bacterial Poly[(3‐Hydroxybutyrate)‐co‐(3‐hydroxyhexanoate)] Copolymers

In this study, uracil has been introduced as the nucleating agent (NA) for bacterially synthesized poly[(3‐hydroxybutyrate)‐co‐(3‐hydroxyhexanoate)] (PHBHHx) copolymers with HHx content of 5, 10, 18 mol‐%, and poly(3‐hydroxybutyrate) (PHB) homopolymer for the first time. Its effect was compared with the conventional NA of PHB, that is, boron nitride (BN), and two other naturally occurring pyrimidine derivatives, i.e., thymine and cytosine. The effects of uracil on the crystallization kinetics, melting behavior, spherulite morphology, and crystalline structure of PHBHHx and PHB were investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), polarized optical microscopy (POM), and wide‐angle X‐ray diffraction (WAXD). Uracil and BN exhibit the comparable nucleation efficiency on the crystallization of PHB, whereas uracil shows much more effective nucleation ability than BN for PHBHHx copolymers. With incorporation of 1 wt.‐% uracil, PHBHHx with 0–10 mol‐% HHx units can finish crystallization upon cooling at 10 °C · min^?1. The crystallization half‐times (t_1/2) of all the PHB and PHBHHx samples decrease significantly with presence of uracil. The crystallization rate of polymers further enhances with increase in uracil concentration. With addition of 1 wt.‐% uracil, the t_1/2 value of PHBHHx with 10 mol‐% HHx units melt‐crystallizing at 80 °C decreases to ≈4.0% of the neat polymer, and the nucleation density increases by 3–4 orders of magnitude. The incorporation of uracil has no discernable effect on the crystalline structure of PHBHHx, as evidenced by WAXD results. It was proposed that the nucleation mechanism of the uracil/PHBHHx (or PHB) system might be the epitaxial nucleation.

     

Synthesis and properties of novel polysulfone bearing exomethylene structure

A novel polysulfone bearing exomethylene structure in the main chain was obtained by oxidation of polysulfide prepared by radical ring-opening polymerization of an eight-membered cyclic allyl sulfide, although the corresponding sulfone monomer was not polymerized at all. The thermal behaviors and the crystalline characters of the polysulfone and polysulfide are compared.     

Mechanism of superfluid-insulator transition in two-dimensional Bose Hubbard model

To understand the mechanism of Mott transitions in case of no magnetic influence, superfluid-insulator (Mott) transitions are studied for the S = 0 Bose Hubbard model on the square lattice, using a variational Monte Carlo approach. In trial many-body wave functions, we introduce various types of attractive correlation factors between a doubly-occupied site (doublon, D) and an empty site (holon, H), which play a central role for the transition. We propose an improved picture of D–H binding; a Mott transition occurs when the D–H pair length becomes equivalent to the minimum D–D distance, which lengths are appropriately estimated. We confirm this picture is valid for all the wave functions with attractive D–H factors we consider, and point out it can be universal for nonmagnetic Mott transitions.     

Doublon–holon-binding mechanism of Mott transition in 2D Hubbard model

The mechanism of nonmagnetic Mott transitions in the Hubbard model on the square lattice is studied, using a variational Monte Carlo method. A simple doublon (D)–holon (H) binding mechanism a previous study proposed [J. Phys. Soc. Jpn. 75 (2006) 114706] has to be modified, because even a wave function with completely bound D–H pairs brings about a Mott transition at a finite correlation strength. By introducing two characteristic lengths, D–H pair binding length, ξ_DH, and minimum inter-doublon distance, ξ_DD, we can properly describe the physics of Mott transitions, and determine the critical point by ξ_DD ～ ξ_DH. This concept seems universal, because it is valid not only for newly introduced wave functions with long-range D–H and D–D (H–H) correlation factors discussed here, but for a wide range of wave functions with D–H binding factors.     

A helical amplification system composed of artificial nucleic acids

Herein we report an amplification system of helical excess triggered by nucleic acid hybridization for the first time. It is usually impossible to prepare achiral nanostructures composed of nucleic acids because of their intrinsic chirality. We used serinol nucleic acid (SNA) oligomers for the preparation of achiral nanowires because SNA oligomers with symmetrical sequences are achiral. Nanowire formation was confirmed by atomic force microscopy and size exclusion chromatography. When a chiral nucleic acid with a sequence complementary to SNA was added to the nanostructure, helicity was induced and a strong circular dichroism signal was observed. The SNA nanowire could amplify the helicity of chiral nucleic acids through nucleobase stacks. The SNA nanostructures have potential for use as platforms to detect chiral biomolecules under aqueous conditions because SNA can be readily functionalized and is water-soluble.

Herein we report an amplification system of helical excess triggered by nucleic acid hybridization for the first time.     

Adsorption of immunogamma globulin onto various synthetic calcium hydroxyapatite particles

This paper presents data on adsorption of immunogamma globulin (IgG) onto synthetic rodlike calcium hydroxyapatite particles (CaHaps) with various particle lengths and calcium/phosphate (Ca/P) atomic ratios ranging from 1.54 to 1.65 and compares the obtained results to those of acidic (bovine serum albumin, BSA), neutral (myoglobin, MGB), and basic (lysozyme, LSZ) proteins reported before. The effect of electrolyte concentration on IgG adsorption was also examined. The initial rate of IgG adsorption was similar to that of BSA and was slower than that of MGB and LSZ. This fact was interpreted by the difference in the structural stability and molecular weight of these proteins. The isotherms of IgG adsorption onto the CaHap particles were of pseudo-Langmuir type. The saturated amount of adsorbed IgG values (nsIgG) for the particles with mean particle length less than 70 nm decreased with increasing Ca/P ratio. The adsorption behavior of IgG molecules was very similar to that of basic LSZ, though IgG has zero net charge. The nsIgG value was increased with increased mean particle length of CaHaps; the relationship was less significant than that for BSA but similar to those for MGB and LSZ. The similar adsorption behavior of IgG and LSZ suggested that the Fab parts of IgG molecules preferentially adsorb onto CaHap to provide the reversed Y-shaped conformation of IgG. The change of the adsorption mode of IgG molecules from the reversed Y-shaped conformation to side-on by "spreading" the Fc part of IgG molecules onto the particle surface over a longer adsorption time was suggested. The nsIgG value was increased with increasing electrolyte concentration by screening the intra- and intermolecular electrostatic interactions of proteins.     

Dual memory of enantiomeric helices in a polyacetylene induced by a single enantiomer

We report the dual memory of both the enantiomeric right- and left-handed helical conformations induced in a polyacetylene based on the temperature-stimulated helicity inversion of the polymer. The polyacetylene folds into a one-handed helix induced by noncovalent bonding interactions with a single enantiomeric amine. The induced helix underwent a reversible inversion of the helicity by temperature. The diastereomeric right- and left-handed helices obtained at different temperatures could be further memorized when the optically active amine was replaced by an achiral diamine, generating right- and left-handed helices of the mirror images of each other. Consequently, both enantiomeric helices can be produced with a high efficiency from dynamically diastereomeric helical polyacetylenes induced by a single enantiomer.     

First example of the Mislow-Braverman-Evans rearrangement retaining the sulfur atom on the original carbon

Treatment of 1-chloro-2-methylalkenyl p-tolyl sulfoxides with N-lithio 2-piperidone in THF at room temperature resulted in the formation of 1-chloro-2-(hydroxymethyl)alkenyl p-tolyl sulfides in good yields. This reaction is the first example of the Mislow-Braverman-Evans rearrangement retaining the sulfur atom on the original carbon.