Spectroscopic Studies of Polyethylenimine with Pyrimidine or Purine Grafts

Hypochromic effects of 2-(thymin-1-yl)propionyl graft polyethylenimine (P-T) and its related monomer (M-T) and dimer model (D-T), and 2-(adenin-9-yl)propionyl graft polyethylenimine (P-A) and its monomer (M-A) and dimer model (D-A) have been systematically investigated, and the base-stacked conformation in comparison with corresponding polynucleotides and dinucleotides has been discussed. The results suggest that the graft polymers and even their dimer models may have a particular preference for a stacked conformation compared with the corresponding poly- and dinucleotides. A study of solvent effect on the NMR spectra of the dimer model suggests the existence of a preferred base-stacked conformation. Base pairing effects between the complementary bases have also been studied for various combinations among the model systems. Only the combination P-T/P-A showed a considerable hypochromic effect.     

Room-temperature growth of carbon nanofibers induced by Ar+-ion bombardment

Glassy carbon plates, a Ni mesh coated with a carbon film and mechanically polished graphite plates were Ar⁺ ion-bombarded with and without a simultaneous Mo supply at room temperature. Conical protrusions were formed on the sputtered surfaces, and in some cases carbon nanofibers (CNFs) 0.2–10 μm in length and 10–50 nm in diameter grew on the tips. The growth of CNF-tipped-cones was optimized in terms of the ion-incidence angle and the rate-ratio of sputtering and seeding. Oblique sputtering was proved to be quite effective to grow the CNF-tipped-cones. Thus, the redeposited massive carbon atoms onto cones were thought to diffuse toward the cone tips, resulting in CNF formation. This growth mechanism was confirmed by transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation disclosing the boundary-less structure between conical bases and CNFs. TEM observation of CNF-tipped-cones also revealed no-hollow structure and an amorphous nature of CNFs. Since this sputtering method is a room-temperature process and quite straightforward, ion-induced CNFs promise to have myriad applications, such as field emission sources for flat panel displays.     

Direct Observation Method of Individual Single-Stranded DNA Molecules Using Fluorescent Replication Protein A

Direct observation studies of single molecules have revealed molecular behaviors usually hidden in the ensemble and time-averaging of bulk experiments. Direct single DNA molecule analysis of DNA metabolism reactions such as DNA replication, repair, and recombination is necessary to fully understand these essential processes. Intercalation of fluorescent dyes such as YOYO-1 and SYTOX Orange has been the standard method for observing single molecules of double-stranded DNA (dsDNA), but effective fluorescent dyes for observing single molecules of single-stranded DNA (ssDNA) have not been found. To facilitate direct single-molecule observations of DNA metabolism reactions, it is necessary to establish methods for discriminating ssDNA and dsDNA. To observe ssDNA directly, we prepared a fusion protein consisting of the 70 kDa DNA-binding domain of replication protein A and enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (RPA-YFP). This fusion protein had ssDNA-binding activity. In our experiments, dsDNA was stained by SYTOX Orange and ssDNA by RPA-YFP, and we succeeded in staining ssDNA and dsDNA by using RPA-YFP and SYTOX Orange simultaneously.     

Hologram recording in glass and direct reconstruction using visible-wavelength laser beam

We propose a method of hologram recording in a glass plate by corona charging. The holographic recording materials used in this study are conventional soda-lime glass and azobenzene polymer film. A Fourier transform hologram on an azobenzene polymer film coated on the glass plate is recorded in the glass plate by corona charging. After removing the polymer film, the hologram recorded in the plate can be reconstructed using a visible-wavelength laser beam. The first-order diffraction efficiency of the hologram at a wavelength of 532 nm is 0.03%; the efficiency depends on the depth of the surface relief structure on the azobenzene polymer film and the corona-charging time. The hologram recorded in the glass plate has high environmental resistance.     

Lebesgue piecewise affine approximation of nonlinear systems

This paper addresses a piecewise affine (PWA) approximation problem, i.e., a problem of finding a PWA system model which approximates a given nonlinear system. First, we propose a new class of PWA systems, called the Lebesgue PWA approximation systems, as a model to approximate nonlinear systems. Next, we derive an error bound of the PWA approximation model, and provide a technique for constructing the approximation model with specified accuracy. Finally, the proposed method is applied to a gene regulatory network with nonlinear dynamics, which shows that the method is a useful approximation tool.     

Optical second-harmonic generation in a thin-film waveguide without control of film thickness

An optical second-harmonic wave can be generated in a three-layered optical waveguide of arbitrary film thickness under phase-matching condition. Phase-matching is achieved by utilizing mode dispersion in an optical waveguide with a two-dimensional configuration. A numerical analysis of the matching condition is given and the results of the observation of the optical second-harmonic wave of a guided Nd : YAG laser in a Ti-indiffused LiNbO₃ nonlinear film are described.