Infrared microspectroscopy station at BL43IR of SPring-8

BL43IR of SPring-8 has been constructed for the infrared materials researches, and it covers a wide spectral range from 100 to 20,000 cm⁻¹. The microspectroscopy station of this BL has a spatial resolution smaller than 10 μm in diameter in the mid-infrared region without apertures. This station had been mainly used within mid-infrared region, and its performance in the far-infrared region had not been tested. In this paper, we examined the capability of the microscope in the far-infrared region and the spatial resolution is found to be almost at the diffraction limit. The microspectroscopy station has been revealed to have a good performance for doing materials researches in all the spectral range available.     

Comparative evaluation of new Cookson‐type reagents for LC/ESI‐MS/MS assay of 25‐hydroxyvitamin D3 in neonatal blood samples

The screening of vitamin D deficiency in neonatal infants, which is based on the blood 25‐hydroxyvitamin D₃ [25(OH)D₃] quantification, is important for the early detection, diagnosis and health risk assessment of several diseases. In this study, two new Cookson‐type reagents, 4‐(4‐diethylaminophenyl)‐1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione (DEAPTAD) and 4‐(6‐quinolyl)‐1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione, were designed and synthesized, then compared with the previous reagents, 4‐phenyl‐1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione (PTAD) and 4‐(4‐dimethylaminophenyl)‐1,2,4‐triazoline‐3,5‐dione (DAPTAD), in terms of sensitivity and specificity in the assay of 25(OH)D₃ in neonatal blood samples by liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization–tandem mass spectrometry. Among the reagents, DEAPTAD was found to be the most promising. The limit of detection (0.38 fmol on the column) of the DEAPTAD‐derivatized 25(OH)D₃ was 60 and 2 times lower than those of the intact 25(OH)D₃ and the PTAD derivative, respectively. 25(OH)D₃ was more clearly detected in the plasma sample as the DEAPTAD derivative than the DAPTAD derivative owing to the lower background noise. DEAPTAD derivatization was also useful for the separation of 25(OH)D₃ from a potent interfering metabolite, 3‐epi‐25‐hydroxyvitamin D₃. By using DEAPTAD, a trace amount of 25(OH)D₃ in dried blood spots was reproducibly determined without interference from coexisting compounds. Thus, DEAPTAD was proved useful in the measurement of 25(OH)D₃ in neonatal blood samples. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Thermal polymerizations of alkali 4-(2-bromoethyl)benzoates in bulk

Thermal polymerizations of alkali 4-(2-bromoethyl)benzoates (2-BEBAs) were investigated. The polymerization of the lithium salt at 220°C for 2 h under reduced pressure in bulk, followed by esterification, produced poly(methyl 4-vinylbenzoate), having a number-average molecular weight (M̄_n) of 9500 in a 54% yield. Thus, elimination of hydrogen bromide to form a double bond occurred, followed by vinyl polymerization. In contrast, polymerization of the potassium salt at 200°C for 2 h afforded poly(oxycarbonyl-1,4-phenylene-ethylene) (polyester 1), having an inherent viscosity of 0.19 dL g⁻¹ in a 95% yield: i.e., polycondensation proceeded to afford the polyester. Reaction of the sodium salt at 220°C for 2 h produced polyester 1 having M̄_n of 4000 in a 28% yield as well as 4-vinylbenzoic acid in a 9% yield. In the reaction of the sodium salt, both polycondensation and double bond formation occurred. Thus, these polymerizations depended on the counter cations of 2-BEBAs. © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Inc. J Polym Sci A: Polym Chem 37: 2055–2060, 1999     

Twin-image elimination in optical scanning holography

We propose a novel multiplexing technique to solve the twin image problem in optical scanning holography without the use of a spatial carrier, as commonly used in conventional off-axis holography. The technique involves simultaneously acquiring sine and cosine Fresnel zone-lens plate coded images by optical scanning. A complex addition of the two coded images will then be performed and decoded to give a twin-image rejection reconstruction. Computer simulations will be presented to demonstrate the validity of the idea.     

Exploring the utility of coarse-grained water models for computational studies of interfacial systems

Molecular dynamics simulations have become a standard tool for the investigation of biological and soft matter systems. Water models serve as the basis of force fields used in molecular dynamics simulations of these systems. This article reports on an examination of the utility of a set of coarse-grained (CG) water models, with different resolutions, interaction potentials (Lennard–Jones, Morse), and cut-off distances. The relationships between the parameters under specific choices of the above options and the thermodynamic properties, such as density, surface tension, and compressibility, were found to fit simple mathematical equations. The limits of applicability of these CG water models were explored by checking the melting temperature. If a CG site is mapped to one or two real water molecules, a simple model with appropriate combinations of cut-off distances, functional forms, and parameters can be found to simultaneously match the experimental values of density, surface tension, and compressibility under ambient conditions. If more water molecules are included in a CG site, either the melting temperature approaches or surpasses room temperature, or the surface tension and compressibility cannot both be matched simultaneously. In striving for computational efficiency, it is still possible to find a simple CG water model with three water molecules contained in a CG bead that generates a liquid state of water with realistic values of density, surface tension and compressibility at ambient condition, but coarser models are not recommended.     

Walls Surrounding a Space Work More Efficiently Construct a Recognized Visual Space of Illumination than Do Scattered Objects

The apparent color of an object depends on how we recognize the space where it is placed in terms of illumination. We call this the recognized visual space of illumination (RVSI). What we see in the space first, namely, the initial visual information (IVI) determines properties of the RVSI, and we will show in this paper that the walls surrounding this space are the most important IVI for the construction of the RVSI. A normal room was illuminated by a ceiling light at 60 lx and its central area was also lit by a hidden illumination of 400 lx. Two halves of a miniature room with walls on three sides and a floor were inserted from left and right sides into the hidden illumination to gradually create one miniature room, and the apparent lightness of a test patch was judged as a function of the amount of the inserted portions to measure construction of RVSI for the hidden illumination. The apparent lightness was around 55 in L∗ when no IVI was in the hidden illumination, it gradually went down with more IVI to around 40 L∗ to return toward its nominal lightness of 24 L∗ in the case of test patch N2. The drop was large with the present condition of IVI where, in the end, the space of the hidden illumination was surrounded by walls, compared to the previous results where the space was filled only by objects; this indicated the importance and efficiency of walls for constructing RVSI.     

Simulation of Differential Phase Detection Method Combined with Astigmatic Method using a Half Mirror in an Optical Pick-up

In an error detection optical system for optical pick-ups using a parallel plane type half mirror, influence on the differential phase detection (DPD) signal by a coma aberration was simulated. The coma aberration deforms the spot profile on the photodetector and influences the DPD signal level characteristics and the offset characteristics with respect to the objective lens shift. In the 4-segment-type DPD, the coma aberration caused by a half mirror 2.75 mm thick hardly affects the DPD signal if the photodetector is not misaligned. On the other hand, the 2-segment-type DPD has a small offset variation with respect to the objective lens shift and a large variation of the DPD signal level against the misalignment of the photodetector in comparison with the 4-segment-type DPD when there is no coma aberration. In the presence of a coma aberration, however, these variations of the 2-segment-type DPD are suppressed by choosing a pair of elements without the coma apex part of the spot.