Determination of the refractive index profile of polymer optical fiber preform by the transverse ray tracing method

In graded-index polymer optical fiber (GI-POF), the refractive index profile is an important parameter in defining its bandwidth. However, direct determination of the refractive index profile of GI-POF is difficult due to its extreme thinness. In this study, the refractive index distribution of the GI-POF is indirectly determined by measuring the refractive index distribution of the GI-POF perform by applying the transverse ray tracing method to a simplified measurement system that we developed.In this system, a parallel tabular ray is irradiated transversely to a GI-POF preform. The transverse ray from the preform is then projected on a screen, and its digital image is processed to calculate the refractive index distribution. The calculation is based on a transverse ray simulation, a computer program that we developed in which the refractive index distribution of the preform is determined by comparing the displacement of the transverse ray projected on the screen with the actual measurement.The accuracy of this new measurement method is validated by comparing the refractive index distribution of a GI-POF preform with the refractive index distribution measured by the conventional method using an interferometer. We find that the refractive index distribution measured by this novel method agrees well with that measured by the conventional method.     

Hydroxamic Acid‐Piperidine Conjugate is an Activated Catalyst for Lysine Acetylation under Physiological Conditions

Lysine acylation of proteins is an essential chemical reaction for posttranslational modification and as a means of protein modification in various applications. N,N‐Dimethyl‐4‐aminopyridine (DMAP) derivatives are widely‐used catalysts for lysine acylation of proteins; however, the DMAP moiety mostly exists in a protonated, and thus deactivated, form under physiological conditions due to its basicity. An alternative catalytic motif furnishing higher acylation activity would further broaden the possible applications of chemical lysine acylation. We herein report that the hydroxamic acid‐piperidine conjugate Ph‐HXA is a more active catalytic motif for lysine acetylation than DMAP under physiological conditions. In contrast to DMAP, the hydroxamic acid moiety is mostly deprotonated under aqueous neutral pH, resulting in a higher concentration of the activated form. The Ph‐HXA catalyst is also more tolerant of deactivation by a high concentration of glutathione than DMAP. Therefore, Ph‐HXA might be a suitable catalytic motif for target protein‐selective and site‐selective acetylation in cells.     

Exciton energy transfer between optically forbidden states of molecular aggregates

3-ethyl-2-[3-(3-ethyl-2(3H)-benzoxazolylidene)-1-propenyl]benzoxazolium iodide (dye I) and pseudoisocyanine bromide are employed to form H aggregates as donors and J aggregates as acceptors. The energy of an H band of the H aggregates is higher than that of a J band of the J aggregates. It was confirmed that excitation of the H band does not emit fluorescence by comparison of excitation spectra of dye I H aggregates with that of dye I monomer. Absorption, fluorescence, and excitation spectra of spin-coated films of H aggregates mixed with various quantities of J aggregates have been observed. Excitation spectra probed at the J band are found to have a component of the H band. Fluorescence spectra originated from excitation of the H band are extracted and qualitatively analyzed. It is confirmed that excitation of the H band causes to emit fluorescence of a J band of the J aggregates. These phenomena show that exciton energy can transfer from the lowest energy in electronic states of the H aggregate, which state is optically forbidden, to electronic state of the J aggregate.