Open-access and multi-directional electroosmotic flow chip for positioning heterotypic cells

We propose a novel method of cell positioning using electroosmotic flow (EOF) to analyze cell-cell interactions. The EOF chip has an open-to-air configuration, is equipped with four electrodes to induce multi-directional EOF, and allows access of tools for liquid handling and of physical probes for cell measurements. Evaluation of the flow within this chip indicated that it controlled hydrodynamic transport of cells, in terms of both speed and direction. We also evaluated cell viability after EOF application and determined appropriate conditions for cell positioning. Two cells were successively positioned in pocket-like microstructures, one in each micropocket, by controlling the EOF direction. As an experimental demonstration, we observed contact interactions between two individual cells through gap junction channels. The EOF chip should provide ways to elucidate various cell-cell interactions between heterotypic cells.     

Synthesis and luminescence properties of dye-doped deoxyribonucleic acid films

Dye-doped deoxyribonucleic acids (DNA)–tetradecyltrimethylammonium (TTA) films have been prepared. Rhodamine 6G, known as laser dyes, can be spontaneously doped by immersing the DNA–TTA film in rhodamine 6G-acetonitrile solutions. It is surmised that rhodamine 6G monomers and dimers diffuse within the hydrophobic TTA sites, and then monomers presumably intercalate between adjacent base pairs of DNA. Optical absorption spectra reveal that rhodamine 6G molecules in the sample undergo an unusual transformation from the dimer state to the monomer state with the elapse of time. Rhidamine 6G molecules doped in DNA–TTA show enhanced photostability and concentration quenching than those in PMMA. The environment, conformation and chemical stability of rhodamine 6G are different between DNA–TTA and PMMA, and are presumably modified by the intercalation.     

Formation and disruption of current paths of anodic porous alumina films by conducting atomic force microscopy

Anodic porous alumina (APA) films have a honeycomb cell structure of pores and a voltage-induced bi-stable switching effect. We have applied conducting atomic force microscopy (CAFM) as a method to form and to disrupt current paths in the APA films. A bi-polar switching operation was confirmed. We have firstly observed terminals of current paths as spots or areas typically on the center of the triangle formed by three pores. In addition, though a part of the current path showed repetitive switching, most of them were not observed again at the same position after one cycle of switching operations in the present experiments. This suggests that a part of alumina structure and/or composition along the current paths is modified during the switching operations.     

Bound diquarks and their Bose–Einstein condensation in strongly coupled quark matter

We explore the formation of diquark bound states and their Bose–Einstein condensation (BEC) in the phase diagram of three-flavor quark matter at nonzero temperature, T, and quark chemical potential, μ  . Using a quark model with a four-fermion interaction, we identify diquark excitations as poles of the microscopically computed diquark propagator. The quark masses are obtained by solving a dynamical equation for the chiral condensate and are found to determine the stability of the diquark excitations. The stability of diquark excitations is investigated in the T–μ$T\text{–}\mu$ plane for different values of the diquark coupling strength. We find that diquark bound states appear at small quark chemical potentials and at intermediate coupling strengths. Bose–Einstein condensation of non-strange diquark states occurs when the attractive interaction between quarks is sufficiently strong.     

Tadpole resummations in string theory

While R–R tadpoles should be canceled for consistency, string models with broken supersymmetry generally have uncanceled NS–NS tadpoles. Their presence signals that the background does not solve the field equations, so that these models are in “wrong” vacua. In this Letter we investigate, with reference to some prototype examples, whether the true values of physical quantities can be recovered resumming the NS–NS tadpoles, hence by an approach that is related to the analysis based on String Field Theory by open–closed duality. We show that, indeed, the positive classical vacuum energy of a Dp-brane of the bosonic string is exactly canceled by the negative contribution arising from tree-level tadpole resummation, in complete agreement with Sen's conjecture on open-string tachyon condensation and with the consequent analysis based on String Field Theory. We also show that the vanishing classical vacuum energy of the SO(8192) unoriented bosonic open-string theory does not receive any tree-level corrections from the tadpole resummation. This result is consistent with the fact that this (unstable) configuration is free from tadpoles of massless closed-string modes, although there is a tadpole of the closed string tachyon. The application of this method to superstring models with broken supersymmetry is also discussed.     

Crystal Structures and Phase Sequences of Metallocenium Salts with Fluorinated Anions: Effects of Molecular Size and Symmetry on Phase Transitions to Ionic Plastic Crystals

Sandwich compounds often exhibit various phase transitions, including those to plastic phases. To elucidate the general features of the phase transitions in metallocenium salts, the thermal properties and crystal structures of [Fe(C₅Me₅)₂]X ([ 1 ]X), [Co(C₅Me₅)₂]X ([ 2 ]X), and [Fe(C₅Me₄H)₂]X ([ 3 ]X) have been investigated, where the counter anions (X) are Tf₂N (=(CF₃SO₂)₂N^?), OTf (=CF₃SO₃^?), PF₆, and BF₄. The Tf₂N salts commonly undergo phase transitions from an ordered phase at low temperatures to an anion‐disordered phase, followed by a plastic phase and finally melt at high temperatures. All these salts exhibit a phase transition to a plastic phase, and the transition temperature generally decreases with decreasing cation size and increasing anion size. The crystal structures of these salts comprise an alternating arrangement of cations and anions. About half of these salts exhibit phase transitions at low temperatures, which are mostly correlated with the order–disorder of the anion.     

Majorana neutrinos as the dark matters in the cold plus hot dark matter model

A simple model of the Majorana neutrino with the see-saw mechanism is studied, assuming that two light neutrinos are the hot dark matter each with a mass of 2.4 eV in the cold plus hot dark matter model of cosmology. We find that the heavy neutrino, which is the see-saw partner with the remaining one light neutrino, can be the cold dark matter, if the light neutrino is exactly massless. This cold dark matter neutrino is allowed to have a mass in the wide range from 5.9 × 10² eV to 2.2 × 10⁷ eV.     

NMR study of YP and YPO4 as 2-qubits quantum computers

The ³¹P-NMR experiments in YP and YPO₄ as 2-qubits quantum computers were performed at room temperature under magnetic fields of 6.3 and 11.75 T with a coherent type pulsed FT-NMR spectrometer. The full width at half of the maximum intensity of NMR spectrum for ³¹P is compared with the second moment caused by the dipolar field. The obtained spin–lattice relaxation times T₁ of 1.2 and 320 s for the P nuclei in YP and YPO₄, respectively, suggest both compounds have the advantage of increasing the numbers of quantum computing operations.     

Photochemical transformation leading to eupteleogenin—I: Introduction of epoxy-lactone system

Being interested in the photochemical reactions which are potentially applied in the biogenetic-type chemical derivations of natural products, the appropriate photochemical means have been sought to produce the 11α,12α-epoxy-13β,28-lactone moiety in the oleanane skeleton, which is one of the unique functions of eupteleogenin (2). Photooxidation of oleanolic acid (6a) in acidic medium has been undertaken and desired 11α,12α-epoxy-oleanolic lactone (12a) obtained. Erythrodiol (8a) has been submitted to photooxidation and the 11α,12α-epoxy-13β,28-oxide moiety (24a) introduced along with skeletal rearrangement affording the 11α,12α-epoxy-taraxerene derivative (25a). During photooxidation of 8a, it has been noticed that 11ξ-hydroxy-olean-12-ene derivatives (28, 42) are fairly labile, allowing the trans-formation of dihydropriverogenin A(10a) into the thermodynamically less favored isomer priverogenin B(9).     

The structure of the mineralomimetic cadmium cyanide-dimethyl carbonate clathrate

Cd(CN)₂·(CH₃O)₂CO (1) contains a mineralomimetic framework of Cd(CN)₂ analogous to the low temperature form of cristobalite. The host framework is isostructural to those of previously reported Cd(CN)₂·G compounds (G = CHCl₂CH₂Cl2, (CH₃)₂CHBr3). The dimethyl carbonate molecules in the adamantane-like cage display orientation disorder associated with the location of the carbonyl oxygen atom.Presented at the Sixth International Seminar on Inclusion Compounds, Istanbul, Turkey, 27–31 August, 1995.