Resonance Raman effect in thiourea

Raman spectra of thiourea have been observed in H₂O and D₂O solutions with the exciting laser beams of 514.5, 488.0, 457.9, 363.8, 325.0, and 257.3 nm. The resonance Raman excitation profile of the 729-cm^?1 line has been examined in the region of the 237-nm absorption band ($\text{π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>CS</mtext>}}{}^1\text{← π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>CS</mtext>}}$) by use of a solvent shift of the absorption band instead of by changing the wavelength of the exciting beam. The depolarization degree of this line was measured and its overtone Raman line was also observed. On the basis of the results of these experiments, it has been concluded that the 729-cm^?1 Raman line, assignable to the CS stretching vibration, derives its intensity solely from the 237-nm band when it is excited at 257.3 or 325.0 nm. On exciting in the region 363.8–514.5 nm, however, contributions of the higher-frequency bands are predominant rather than the contribution from the 237-nm band. The Raman line at 1520 cm^?1 of thiourea-d₄ is assignable to the NCN antisymmetric stretching vibration. From its excitation profile, its intensity has been considered to come from a vibronic coupling between the excited electronic states of the 220-nm ($\text{π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>CS</mtext>}}{}^1\text{← π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}\text{? π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}$) and the 197-nm ($\text{π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>CS</mtext>}}{}^1\text{← π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}\text{+ π}{}_{\mathrm{<mtext>N</mtext>}}$) bands.     

Formation of polyelectrolyte complexes

Interactions between polyelectrolytes carrying opposite charges in aqueous media may lead to either complex coacervation or the formation of interpolymer complexes, depending on the charge density and concentration of polymer components, ionic strength, temperature, and pH. The liquid-liquid phase separation referred to as complex coacervation was thought by Oparin to be an origin of prebiological systems. This article summarizes our recent results on the intermolecular interactions between charged polymer molecules, from the point of view of biological interests.     

First-Principles Calculation of Lattice Dynamics of bcc and hcp Iron Under High Pressures

Lattice dynamics and electron-phonon coupling are calculated for non-magnetic hcp iron at 100 GPa by a first-principles linear response full-potential LMTO method. Superconducting transition temperature is estimated to be less than 0.5 K. For ferromagnetic bcc iron lattice dynamical calculations are performed for 9.8 GPa as well as for ambient pressure. The results of calculation reproduce well the pressure dependence of phonon dispersion curves observed by neutron scattering measurements.     

Effects of pressure and temperature on the survival rate of adherent A-172 cells

Preservation of cells under high pressure is an important alternative to cryopreservation. We studied the effect of temperature (4, 25, 37°C) and pressure (0.1–350 MPa) on the survival rate of A-172 glioblastoma cells. The survival rate was not changed by brief (10 min) pressurization of up to 150 MPa, but the survival rate began to decrease from 150 MPa, and most of the A-172 cells died when treated with over 200 MPa. Lengthy pressurization (4 days) at lower pressure (upto 20.1 MPa) without medium exchange showed complex results. The survival rate of cells preserved at 25°C showed two maxima at 1.6 and 20.1 MPa. After preservation, cells adhered and proliferated in the same way as normal cells when cultured at 37°C in a CO₂ incubator. The other two temperatures, 4° and 37°C, showed no maximum survival rate. Therefore, a high survival rate can be maintained with high pressure treatment.     

Combined effects of high pressure and sodium hydrogen carbonate treatment on pork ham: improvement of texture and palatability

In this study, the combined effects of high pressure and sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO₃) treatment on the physical and chemical properties, and palatability of pork ham, a tough and under-utilized meat, were investigated. Assessment of meat properties with heat treatment, after exposure to NaHCO₃ and high pressure treatment, revealed an increase in water content, and decreased weight reduction and rupture stress. The free amino acid content of meat samples increased with NaHCO₃ and high pressure treatment. The effect of high pressure processing was especially notable at a pressure of 300 MPa. Sensory evaluation showed that meat subjected to high pressure processing after NaHCO₃ treatment was tender and juicy. In addition, the sample produced minimal residue in the mouth and was characterized by a good taste.     

Lattice wave emission from moving cracks

Antiplane shear cracks moving in square lattices have been studied in a molecular dynamics simulation. They become unstable when a critical stress intensity at the tip is reached. Within picoseconds they accelerate to steady state velocity, which can be supersonic or not, depending on the interatomic potential. If the surface energy is low, they become supersonic; if the surface energy is high, they reach only subsonic speeds before the crystal reaches the theoretical shear strength. A simple modification of the interatomic potential switches the crystal behaviour from brittle to ductile, substituting dislocations to daughter cracks. The steady state velocities are the same, whether the model crystal is brittle or ductile. The steady state velocity is a function of the applied stress, not the stress intensity.     

Time operators for quantum walks

Letters in Mathematical Physics - We study time operators for discrete-time quantum systems. Quantum walks are typical examples. We construct time operators for one-dimensional homogeneous quantum...