Software Release Games

The software release game developed in Ref. 1 is reconsidered in the framework of a two-person nonzero-sum game of timing. More precisely, noisy-type software release strategies are derived in closed form under two different criteria as well as an alternative silent-type software release strategy. Our method overcomes the fatal problem in Ref. 1 and has an advantage on computational tractability. Also, the method can be extended directly to obtain noisy-type strategies.     

Optical properties of organic-inorganic hybrid films prepared by the two-step growth process

Thin films of microcrystalline (C₈H₁₇NH₃)₂PbBr₄ have been prepared by the two-step growth process as follows: (1) precipitation of nanometer-sized PbBr₂ particles on substrates by vapor deposition and then (2) growth of (C₈H₁₇NH₃)₂PbBr₄ films by exposing PbBr₂ particles to C₈H₁₇NH₃Br vapor. Atomic force microscope observations reveal that the substrate is fully covered with nanometer-sized rodlike precipitates. X-ray diffraction studies suggest that (C₈H₁₇NH₃)₂PbBr₄ films are found to be microcrystalline form, single phase and highly oriented with the c-axis perpendicular to the substrate surface. (C₈H₁₇NH₃)₂PbBr₄ films show a clear exciton absorption and free-exciton emission even at room temperature. At low temperatures below 40 K, the emission band separates into three bands at 3.07 (A-band), 3.14 (B-band) and 3.20 (C-band) eV, respectively. Both A- and C-bands correspond to the free-exciton emission with large binding energies. On the contrary, time-resolved PL spectra indicate that the B-band is attributed to phosphorescence formed by the intersystem crossing.     

Swallow-tailed perylene derivative: a new tool for fluorescent imaging of lipid hydroperoxides

A swallow-tailed perylene derivative including a triphenylphosphine moiety was synthesized and applied to the detection and the live-cell imaging of lipid hydroperoxides. The novel probe, named Spy-LHP, reacted rapidly and quantitatively with lipid hydroperoxides to form the corresponding oxide, Spy-LHPOx, which emits extremely strong fluorescence (Phi approximately 1) in the visible range (lambda(em) = 535 nm, 574 nm). Spy-LHP was highly selective for lipid hydroperoxides, and the addition of other reactive oxygen species (ROS) including hydrogen peroxides, hydroxyl radical, superoxide anion, nitric oxide, peroxynitrite, and alkylperoxyl radical, caused no significant increase in the fluorescence intensity. The probe exhibited good localization to cellular membranes and was successfully applied to the confocal laser scanning microscopy (CLSM) imaging of lipid hydroperoxides in live J774A.1 cells, in which lipid peroxidation was proceeded by the stimulation of 2,2-azobis(2-amidinopropane)dihydrochloride (AAPH). These findings establish Spy-LHP as a promising new tool for investigating the physiology of lipid hydroperoxides.     

Atomiclike ionization and fragmentation of a series of CH3-X (X: H, F, Cl, Br, I, and CN) by an intense femtosecond laser

Methane derivatives of CH(3)-X (X: H, F, Cl, Br, I, and CN) were ionized and fragmented by an intense femtosecond laser with a 40 fs pulse at 0.8 microm in intensities of 10(13)-10(15) W cm(-2). The curves of the ionization yields of CH(3)-X versus laser intensities have been found to be fitted with an atomic ionization theory (the theory of Perelomov, Popov, and Terent'ev) that has been established to reproduce experimental results well for rare gas atoms. The saturation intensities have been reproduced within a factor of 1.6 of the calculated ones. For molecules with low ionization potentials such as amines, another atomic ionization theory (the theory of Ammosov, Delone, and Krainov) reproduced the saturation intensities. The atomiclike ionization behavior of molecules indicates that the fragmentation occurs after the ionization. The fragmentation mechanisms after the ionization of some molecular ions are discussed.     

A characteristic CH band in VCD of methyl glycosidic carbohydrates

Novel vibrational circular dichroism (VCD) studies in the CH region of a series of methyl glycosidic carbohydrates were examined. The specific CH stretching VCD band predicts absolute stereochemistries of their anomeric positions. The C-1 chiral information was extracted to the methoxy substituent as a probe. The concept of the vibrational chirality probe from a single chiral center in the presence of numerous such centers might be useful in determining the absolute configuration, when a multiplicity of chiral centers is present in a molecule such as a carbohydrate.     

A practical synthesis of 4′-thioribonucleosides

A practical synthesis of 4′-thioribonucleosides starting from inexpensive l-arabinose is described. 1,4-Anhydro-2,3-O-isopropylidene-4-thioribitol, which was prepared by using a novel reductive ring-contraction reaction, was converted to the 5-O-silylated sulfoxides. The Pummerer-type thioglycosylation of the sulfoxides gave the 4′-thioribonucleosides stereoselectively.     

Analysis by partial reflection spectrometry of protonated tetraphenylporphyrin adsorbed at a liquid-liquid interface

Visible reflection spectra of diprotonated meso-tetraphenylporphyrin adsorbates spontaneously formed at a dodecane-aqueous sulfuric acid interface have been measured using a home-made device comprising a prism-cell and variable-angle optics. The tilt angle of the pyrrole ring plane was estimated to be 47 degrees from the interface normal by use of an experimentally evaluated molecular density (1.20x10(-10) mol cm(-2)) of the diprotonated molecule in a monolayer form at the liquid-liquid interface. Positive and negative bands have been observed in the p-polarized partial internal reflection (p-PIR) spectra, whose band locations correspond to those in p-polarized external reflection (p-ER) spectra. Nevertheless, the bands in the p-PIR exhibited reversed sign to those of p-ER spectra. These suggest that the surface selection rule of the p-PIR spectrometry has a reversal rule of p-ER and p-PIR can also be used for the analysis of molecular orientation.     

Preparation of new nitrogen-bridged heterocycles. 54.increased arene-arene interactions of 3-(bicyclic and tricyclic arylmethylthio)thieno[3,4-b]indolizine derivatives

Some thieno[3,4-b]indolizine derivatives having a 1-naphthylmethylthio, 2-methyl-1-naphthylmethylthio, 2-naphthylmethylthio, or 9-anthrylmethylthio group at the 3-position were prepared and their intramolecular arene-arene interactions were investigated. In comparison with 3-(methylthio)thieno[3,4-b]indolizines which have no such interactions, the (1)H-NMR spectra of title compounds showed large high-field shifts (delta 0.06-0.89 ppm) for the protons of the pyridine ring in the thieno[3,4-b]indolizine, and these values were considerably larger than those (delta <0.3 ppm) in 3-(benzylthio)thieno[3,4-b]indolizines. The UV spectra also exhibited a characteristic absorption band near 425 nm attributable to the arene-arene interaction. In the X-ray analyses of some compounds, however, the presence of both the gauche and the anti conformers at the sulfide spacer were confirmed.     

Mycosamine orientation of amphotericin B controlling interaction with ergosterol: sterol-dependent activity of conformation-restricted derivatives with an amino-carbonyl bridge

Amphotericin B (AmB 1) is known to assemble together and form an ion channel across biomembranes. The antibiotic consists of mycosamine and macrolactone moieties, whose relative geometry is speculated to be determinant for the drug's channel activity and sterol selectivity. To better understand the relationship between the amino-sugar orientation and drug's activity, we prepared conformation-restricted derivatives 2-4, in which the amino and carboxyl groups were bridged together with various lengths of alkyl chains. K+ influx assays across the lipid-bilayer membrane revealed that ergosterol selectivity was markedly different among derivatives; short-bridged derivative 2 almost lost the selectivity, while 3 showed higher ergosterol preference than AmB itself. Monte Carlo conformational analysis of 2-4 based on NOE-derived distances indicated that the amino-sugar moiety of 2 comes close to C41 because of the short bridge, whereas those of 3 and 4 are pointing outward. The mutual orientation of the amino-sugar moiety and macrolide ring is so rigid in derivatives 2 and 3 that these conformations should be unchanged upon complex formation in lipid membranes. These results strongly suggest that the large difference in sterol preference between derivatives 2 and 3 is ascribed to the different orientation of amino-sugar moieties. These findings allowed us to propose a simple model accounting for AmB-sterol interactions, in which hydrogen bonding between 2'-OH of AmB and 3beta-OH of ergosterol plays an important role.