Recent Progress in Hypernuclear Physics

Hypernuclear physics has become very exciting owing to new epoch-making experimental data. The recent progress in theoretical and experimental studies of hypernuclei and discussion about the future development in this field are presented.     

Single-Molecule Study of a Plasmon-Induced Reaction for a Strongly Chemisorbed Molecule

Chemical reactions induced by plasmons achieve effective solar-to-chemical energy conversion. However, the mechanism of these reactions, which generate a strong electric field, hot carriers, and heat through the excitation and decay processes, is still controversial. In addition, it is not fully understood which factor governs the mechanism. To obtain mechanistic knowledge, we investigated the plasmon-induced dissociation of a single-molecule strongly chemisorbed on a metal surface, two O₂ species chemisorbed on Ag(110) with different orientations and electronic structures, using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) combined with light irradiation at 5 K. A combination of quantitative analysis by the STM and density functional theory calculations revealed that the hot carriers are transferred to the antibonding (π*) orbitals of O₂ strongly hybridized with the metal states and that the dominant pathway and reaction yield are determined by the electronic structures formed by the molecule–metal chemical interaction.     

Single‐Molecule Study of a Plasmon‐Induced Reaction for a Strongly Chemisorbed Molecule

Chemical reactions induced by plasmons achieve effective solar‐to‐chemical energy conversion. However, the mechanism of these reactions, which generate a strong electric field, hot carriers, and heat through the excitation and decay processes, is still controversial. In addition, it is not fully understood which factor governs the mechanism. To obtain mechanistic knowledge, we investigated the plasmon‐induced dissociation of a single‐molecule strongly chemisorbed on a metal surface, two O₂ species chemisorbed on Ag(110) with different orientations and electronic structures, using a scanning tunneling microscope (STM) combined with light irradiation at 5 K. A combination of quantitative analysis by the STM and density functional theory calculations revealed that the hot carriers are transferred to the antibonding (π*) orbitals of O₂ strongly hybridized with the metal states and that the dominant pathway and reaction yield are determined by the electronic structures formed by the molecule–metal chemical interaction.     

On the global attractivity for a logistic equation with piecewise constant arguments

In this paper, we consider the following logistic equation with piecewise constant arguments:

     

STM-based molecular detection of "catch-and-release" of protons for bipyridine bound to phenylene-ethynylene thiol

The protonation/deprotonation response of a novel bipyridine containing (phenylene-ethynylene) thiol adsorbed to a Au surface was investigated with scanning tunneling microscopy (STM), showing reversible changes in the average heights (approximately 50 spots) and the height distribution arising from protonation/deprotonation.     

Studies on the constituents of Gardenia species. III. New iridoid glycosides from the leaves of Gardenia jasminoides cv. fortuneana Hara

Two new iridoid glycosides, 7 beta,8 beta-epoxy-8 alpha-dihydrogeniposide (1) and 8-epiapodantheroside (2), were isolated, together with six known (3-8) and three artifact (9-11) iridoids, from the leaves of Gardenia jasminoides cv. fortuneana Hara. Their structures were established based on chemical and spectral data.     

Swelling behavior of chemically crosslinked PVA gels in mixed solvents

We report the swelling behavior of chemically crosslinked polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) gels with different degrees of hydrolysis in water, several organic solvents, and their mixed solvents. The gels were dried after gelation and were put into their respective solvents. The gel volume in pure water decreased with increasing temperatures, and the total changes increased with decreasing degrees of hydrolysis. The swelling ratio depends on the solvent and its concentration. In the cases of mixed solvents of methanol–water, ethanol–water, and acetone–water, the gels shrank continuously with increasing concentrations of solvents and reached the collapsed state in the pure organic solvent. In the case of dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), on the other hand, the gels shrunk, swelled, and finally reached the swollen state in pure DMSO. Results of measurements using Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X‐ray diffraction (XRD) suggested that crosslinks and microcrystallites were formed due to hydrogen bonds during the drying process after gelation. The hydrogen bonds were partly destroyed in a rich solvent, but the residual hydrogen bonds had an essential role in determining the swelling behavior in a poor solvent. The swelling behavior and the possible phase transition of the present system are discussed in terms of the solubility of polymers with different degrees of hydrolysis in given mixed solvents and in terms of the formation and destruction of physical crosslinks in the chemical PVA gels. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 48: 1978–1986, 2010     

Ultraviolet-A irradiation to the eye modulates intestinal mucosal functions and properties of mast cells in the mouse

We previously reported that topical irradiation of the eye by ultraviolet-B (UVB) activated hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA-A) of the mouse to increase 3, 4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA)-positive melanocytes in the skin by an inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS)-dependent mechanism. This work demonstrates that irradiation of the eye by ultraviolet-A (UVA) specifically increased DOPA-positive cells in the mucosa of the jejunum and colon of C57BL/6J mice by some HPA- and iNOS-independent mechanism. UVA-induced increase in DOPA-positive cells in the intestine was inhibited by the administration of hexamethonium or prazosin plus propranolol, blockers for the sympathetic nervous system. UVA irradiation of the eye increased DOPA- and histidine decarboxylase (HDC)-positive cells in the intestinal mucosa of both C57BL/6J and WBB6F1/J mice but not in the mutant strain W/Wv of the latter that lack mast cells. UVA irradiation of the eye suppressed the intestinal peristalsis of control, hypophysectomized or iNOS(-/-) C57BL/6J mice by the mechanism that was inhibited by hexamethonium or prazosin plus propranolol. These observations suggest that UVA irradiation of the eye stimulated the sympathetic nervous system to increase the mucosal DOPA- and HDC-positive mast cells and suppressed the peristalsis of the small intestine of the mouse.     

Cyanide-bridged [Fe8M6] clusters displaying single-molecule magnetism (M=Ni) and electron-transfer-coupled spin transitions (M=Co)

Cyanide‐bridged metal complexes of [Fe₈M₆(μ‐CN)₁₄(CN)₁₀ (tp)₈(HL)₁₀(CH₃CN)₂][PF₆]₄?n CH₃CN?m H₂O (HL=3‐(2‐pyridyl)‐5‐[4‐(diphenylamino)phenyl]‐1H‐pyrazole), tp^?=hydrotris(pyrazolylborate), 1 : M=Ni with n=11 and m=7, and 2 : M=Co with n=14 and m=5) were prepared. Complexes 1 and 2 are isomorphous, and crystallized in the monoclinic space group P2₁/n. They have tetradecanuclear cores composed of eight low‐spin (LS) Fe^III and six high‐spin (HS) M^II ions (M=Ni and Co), all of which are bridged by cyanide ions, to form a crown‐like core structure. Magnetic susceptibility measurements revealed that intramolecular ferro‐ and antiferromagnetic interactions are operative in 1 and in a fresh sample of 2 , respectively. Ac magnetic susceptibility measurements of 1 showed frequency‐dependent in‐ and out‐of‐phase signals, characteristic of single‐molecule magnetism (SMM), while desolvated samples of 2 showed thermal‐ and photoinduced intramolecular electron‐transfer‐coupled spin transition (ETCST) between the [(LS‐Fe^II)₃(LS‐Fe^III)₅(HS‐Co^II)₃(LS‐Co^III)₃] and the [(LS‐Fe^III)₈(HS‐Co^II)₆] states.