Microchip-based cellular biochemical systems for practical applications and fundamental research: from microfluidics to nanofluidics

By combining cell technology and microchip technology, innovative cellular biochemical tools can be created from the microscale to the nanoscale for both practical applications and fundamental research. On the microscale level, novel practical applications taking advantage of the unique capabilities of microfluidics have been accelerated in clinical diagnosis, food safety, environmental monitoring, and drug discovery. On the other hand, one important trend of this field is further downscaling of feature size to the 10¹–10³ nm scale, which we call extended-nano space. Extended-nano space technology is leading to the creation of innovative nanofluidic cellular and biochemical tools for analysis of single cells at the single-molecule level. As a pioneering group in this field, we focus not only on the development of practical applications of cellular microchip devices but also on fundamental research to initiate new possibilities in the field. In this paper, we review our recent progress on tissue reconstruction, routine cell-based assays on microchip systems, and preliminary fundamental method for single-cell analysis at the single-molecule level with integration of the burgeoning technologies of extended-nano space.     

2α + t Cluster Structure in 11B

Structures of excited states in ¹¹B are investigated with a method of β – γ constraint antisymmetrized molecular dynamics in combination with the generator coordinate method. Various cluster structures are suggested in excited states. For negative-parity states, we suggest a band with a 2α + t cluster structure. This band starts from the ${3/2^{-}_{3}}$ state and can correspond to the experimental band observed recently. We find that the feature of the ${3/2^{-}_{3}}$ is quite similar to the ${0^{+}_{2}}$ state in ¹²C.     

A remark on normal forms and the “upside-down” I-method for periodic NLS: Growth of higher Sobolev norms

We study growth of higher Sobolev norms of solutions of the onedimensional periodic nonlinear Schr?dinger equation (NLS). By a combination of the normal form reduction and the upside-down I-method, we establish $${\left\| {u(t)} \right\|_{{H^s}}} \le {(1 + \left| t \right|)^{a(s - 1) + }}$$ with ?? = 1 for a general power nonlinearity. In the quintic case, we obtain the above estimate with ?? = 1/2 via the space-time estimate due to Bourgain [4, 5]. In the cubic case, we compute concretely the terms arising in the first few steps of the normal form reduction and prove the above estimate with ?? = 4/9. These results improve the previously known results (except for the quintic case). In the Appendix, we also show how Bourgain??s idea in [4] on the normal form reduction for the quintic nonlinearity can be applied to other powers.     

Calorimetric study of the cubic mesogen,ACBC(16)

The heat capacity of the cubic mesogen ACBC(16) was measured between 16 and 500?K by adiabatic calorimetry. As well as the known condensed phases, a new crystalline phase was found to undergo a glass transition at around 165?K. Phase transitions between crystal, SmC, cubic, and isotropic liquid phases took place at 399.16, 431.15, and 474.30?K, respectively. As in the case of ANBC, a broad hump was observed in the heat capacity of the isotropic liquid phase. The first order nature of the SmC–cubic phase transition was confirmed for the first time by the observation of supercooling of the cubic phase. The broad hump in the isotropic liquid phase was shown to extend to a low temperature side if the isotropic liquid was supercooled, suggesting that the event occurring at the hump is not directly related to the cubic–isotropic liquid phase transition.     

Time–temperature superposition of time-dependent birefringence for low-density polyethylene

The time-dependent birefringence has been measured simultaneously with the stress relaxation on quenched and annealed low-density polyethylene at various temperatures from 10 to 70°C. The strain-optical coefficient increases generally with increasing time, and approaches the equilibrium value, which depends upon the temperature. When the strain-optical coefficient at a fixed time is plotted against temperature, it first increases and then decreases after passing through a maximum at T_max with increasing temperature. The higher the degree of crystallinity, the higher are the equilibrium values of the strain-optical coefficient and T_max. The curves for strain-optical coefficient versus time and relaxation modulus versus time below T_max can be superposed well by a horizontal shift along the abscissa. The optical shift factor obeys the original WLF equation, while the mechanical shift factor is much larger than the optical one. The molecular mechanisms corresponding to this dispersion of the strain-optical coefficient and viscoelastic α_c absorption peak near T_max are discussed.     

Steric effects on excimer formation in isotactic and atactic polystyrene and poly(ar-methylstyrene)s in solution

Effects of tacticity and steric hindrance on excimer formation were investigated in isotactic and atactic polystyrene, poly(o-methylstyrene), poly(m-methylstyrene), and poly(p-methylstyrene) in the presence and absence of a quencher (CCl₄). The calculated rate constants for excimer formation in the isotactic polymers except for poly(o-methylstyrene) were almost the same and larger than those in the corresponding atactic polymers. These results indicate that excimer formation was due to not only rotational sampling but also energy migration to trapping sites. It was found that steric hindrance on excimer formation was intimately related to the excition diffusion length in the polymer chain.     

Photochemical isomerization of 1,2,5-trisilabicyclo[3.2.0]hepta-3,6-diene to 1,4,7-trisilabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene

Upon irradiation of a benzene-d6 solution of 1,2,2,5-tetrakis[di-tert-butyl(methyl)silyl]-4,7-diaryl- 1,2,5-trisilabicyclo-[3.2.0]hepta-3,6-diene [1a: aryl = phenyl, b: aryl = 3,5-bis-(trimethylsilyl)phenyl], 1,4,7,7-tetrakis[di-tert-butyl-(methyl)silyl]-2,5-diaryl-1,4,7- trisilabicyclo[2.2.1]hepta-2,5-diene (2a,b) was formed via skeletal rearrangement.     

Synthesis of new peptidic glycoclusters derived from beta-alanine. Part 2: optionally modulated distance between side-chain branched points

The synthesis of an asymmetric glycocluster 1 has been achieved using two glycocluster units 12 and 13, prepared by coupling the cluster chain unit 4 with each omega-amino acid (beta-alanine and 6-aminocapronic acid) trichloroethyl ester, and peptidic C-terminal block glycocluster 16, prepared by coupling the bifunctional linker 14 with sugar unit 9. This method facilitated the synthesis of the cluster optionally modulated the distance between the side-chain branched points by using various omega-amino acids. We also synthesized glycodendron 2 using the same intermediate.     

Flavonoids that mimic human ligands from the whole plants of Euphorbia lunulata

In our investigation of a cell proliferation-based screening assay using human ligand-dependent cell lines for medicinal herbal extracts, the acetone extract of the whole plants of Euphorbia lunulata (EL) was observed for its proliferation activity for insulin- and interleukin-10 (IL-10)-dependent cell lines. Fractionation of the active extract led to the isolation of one new flavonoid galactoside, quercetin 3-O-(2',3'-digalloyl)-beta-D-galactopyranoside (1), and four known ones, quercetin 3-O-(2'-galloyl)-beta-D-galactopyranoside (2), hyperin (3), quercetin (4), and gallic acid (5). Compounds 1 and 2 showed insulin-like activity. Compounds 4 and 5 showed IL-10-like activity. This is the first report of these activities of EL, and 1 and 2 will become the seed compounds for the development of a nonpeptidyl insulin substitutional medicine. Compounds 4 and 5 support the pharmacological use of EL, which has been employed as an herbal medicine for the treatment of bronchial asthma.