Analytical investigations of the behavior of silole-core dendrimers with peripheral globotriaose in water and acetone/water mixed solvent

A new compound having a 2,3,4,5-tetraphenylsilole derivative on the center silicon of Dumbbell(1)6Gb3; Silole-Dumbbell(1)6Gb3 (1) was previously reported. It was found that 1 exhibited strongly increased fluorescence both in water and in a 96% acetone/water mixed solvent. The physical behavior of 1 in water and in the 96% acetone/water mixed solvent was investigated, and analyses including fluorescence quantum yields, dynamic-light-scattering (DLS), atomic-force-microscopy (AFM), and fluorescence microscopy were carried out. It was clarified that 1 dynamically formed different types of aggregates in water and in higher acetone concentrations to yield high aggregation-induced emission (AIE) effects due to the formation of micelle-like particles in water and inversion-type micelles in the acetone/water mixed solvent, respectively.     

Dynamical properties of ethylene glycol and glucose studied by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry and Brillouin scattering

The fragility of ethylene glycol and glucose aqueous solution systems has been investigated by temperature-modulated differential scanning calorimetry (TMDSC). The frequency and temperature dependences of complex specific heat have been observed in the vicinity of a glass-transition temperature T _g . It is shown that the value of the fragility index m can be determined from the temperature dependence of the α-relaxation times observed by TMDSC. We have also studied the elastic properties of these aqueous solutions by micro-Brillouin scattering, and determined these relaxation times of elastic properties in the gigahertz range.     

Electrochemical detection of endotoxin using recombinant factor C zymogen

We have developed a zymogen-based electrochemical sensor. Zymogen is an inactive enzyme precursor (proenzyme) and it is necessary to transform it biochemically (e.g., by hydrolysis and conformational change) to make it an active enzyme. In this study, we demonstrated the detection of endotoxin by using recombinant Factor C (rFC), which is a protease zymogen activated by endotoxin binding. The activated rFC hydrolyzes a synthetic substrate of Boc-Val-Pro-Arg-p-nitroanilnide to generate an electrochemical active compound, p-nitroaniline (pNA). The liberated pNA was detected by differential pulse voltammetry at –0.75 V. By using this electrochemical process, 5000 endotoxin units (EU) L^?1 and 1000 EU L^?1 were detected in a Tris-Ac buffer with a pH of 7.5 at 37 °C for reaction times of 1 h and 3 h, respectively. The concept of zymogen-based electrochemical sensors is expected to lead to the development of new biosensors.     

A new biisoflavonoid from the roots of Erythrina variegata

A new biisoflavonoid, biseryvarin A (1a), together with two known compounds were isolated from the roots of Erythrina variegata. The structure of biseryvarin A was established on the basis of spectroscopic evidence. Biseryvarin A is the first dimeric isoflavonoid possessing isoprenoid groups from the genus Erythrina. Biseryvarin A showed low activity against methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).     

A Symbolic-Numeric Approach to Multi-Objective Optimization in Manufacturing Design

Some important classes of optimization problems originating from the optimal design of semiconductor memories such as SRAM, aiming at boosting the yield rate, are studied. New optimization methods for the classes based on a symbolic algorithm called quantifier elimination, combined with numerical computation, are proposed. The total efficiency of the design process is improved by reducing the number of numerical yield-rate evaluations. In addition, useful information such as the explicit relations among design variables, objective functions, and the yield rate, is provided.     

Gas by-products of CF3I under AC partial discharge

This paper presents the decomposition by-products of trifluro-iodo-methane and their relative proportions in the gas phase under the occurrence of partial discharge. The experiment was performed in the presence of water vapor from 250 to 400 ppm under a non-uniform electric field configuration. The experimental results reveal that the by-products of C₂F₆, C₂F₄, C₂F₅I with the amount of 1300, 200, and 55 (CH₃I) ppm, respectively, were produced for a cumulative charge of 161 mC. Other by-products, such as C₃F₈, CHF₃, C₃F₆ CH₃I were obtained at less than 30 ppm C₂F₆ was the dominant gas by-product of trifluro-iodo-methane suffering partial discharge.     

Communication: Synthetic Studies on Sialoglycoconjugates 25: Reactivity of Glycosyl Promoters in α-Glycosylation of N-Acetyl-Neuraminic Acid with the Primary and Secondary Hydroxyl Groups in the Suitably Protected Galactose and Lactose Derivatives

Development of an efficient α-glycoside synthesis of sialic acids is critically significant for the syntheses of sialoglycoconjugates, especially gangliosides which carry important biological functions¹ in biological systems. Previously, we demonstrated² a new α-glycosylation of sialic acids by use of dimethyl(methylthio)sulfonium triflate (DMTST)³ as the glycosyl promoter, the suitably protected glycosyl acceptors and the methyl 2-thioglycoside 1 of N-acetylneuraminic acid (Neu5Ac) as the donor in acetonitrile under kinetically controlled conditions, and accomplished⁴ the syntheses of a variety of gangliosides and their analogs.     

Highly efficient formation of metal and metal alloy particles from methyl metal compounds by a single pulse laser irradiation

Highly efficient processes for fine particle formation of metal alloys and metal oxides were developed using a high-power laser. In these processes, laser light was used only for the ignition of a thermal chain reaction. This reaction was suppressed by adding inert gases, and the suppression effect was in the order C₃H₈ > C₂H₆ > CH₄ > He > Ar > Xe. Oxygen accelerated the reaction because of the large exothermicity of the reaction of oxygen with methyl metal compounds.