Enhancement of gamma-ray radiolysis of carbon dioxide with the assistance of solid materials

This work is devoted to enhance gamma-ray radiolysis of CO₂ with the assistance of coexisting metal materials. It is found that lower energy electrons which are generated through interactions of γ-photons with the coexisting metal materials and ejected to CO₂ gas actually enhance decomposition of CO₂ to produce CO. The increment of CO production agrees well with the increment of the deposited energy in CO₂, given by the lower energy electrons emitted from the materials, which is calculated by a numerical simulations code MCNP. It is also suggested that the volumetric decomposition of CO₂ dominates the decomposition at the material’s surface.     

Self-assembled arrays of silica particles on the patterns reflecting the phase-separated structures of mixed Langmuir–Blodgett films

In this study, we constructed self-assembled arrays of silica particles on the micro- and nanopatterns of functionalized templates fabricated from phase-separated mixed Langmuir–Blodgett (LB) films. Electrostatic interaction between the carboxylic groups of silica particles and amino groups on the functionalized templates results in the formation of the self-assembled arrays of silica particles. The patterns of the silica particle arrays can be designed by controlling the phase-separated structures of the original mixed LB films.     

Synthesis and structure revision of tyroscherin, and bioactivities of its stereoisomers against IGF-1-dependent tumor cells

Synthesis of the proposed structure of tyroscherin, a growth inhibitor of IGF-1-dependent cancer cells, was succeeded by one-pot Julia coupling. However, spectral data of the synthetic compound were not identical with those of natural tyroscherin. The stereochemistry of tyroscherin is revised to be 2S,3R,8R,10R by syntheses of stereoisomers. Synthetic tyroscherin showed more potent activity than its stereoisomers against IGF-1-dependent cancer cells.     

Minkowski’s Second Theorem over a Simple Algebra

We generalize the notion of successive minima, Minkowski’s second theorem and Siegel’s lemma to a free module over a simple algebra whose center is a global field. The author was partly supported by the Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C), Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.     

Imaging Analysis of Near-Field Recording Technique for Observation of Biological Specimens

We present an analysis of the properties of an imaging based on a near-field recording technique in comparison with simulation results. In the system, the optical field distributions localized near the specimens are recorded as the surface topographic distributions of a photosensitive film. It is possible to observe both soft and moving specimens, because the system does not require a scanning probe to obtain the observed image. The imaging properties are evaluated using fine structures of paramecium, and we demonstrate that it is possible to observe minute differences of refractive indices.     

Competing Roles of Two Kinds of Ligand during Nonclassical Crystallization of Pillared-Layer Metal-Organic Frameworks Elucidated Using Microfluidic Systems

To diversify metal-organic frameworks (MOFs), multi-component MOFs constructed from more than two kinds of bridging ligand have been actively investigated due to the high degree of design freedom afforded by the combination of multiple ligands. Predicting the synthesis conditions for such MOFs requires an understanding of the crystallization mechanism, which has so far remained elusive. In this context, microflow systems are efficient tools for capturing non-equilibrium states as they facilitate precise and efficient mixing with reaction times that correspond to the distance from the mixing point, thus enabling reliable control of non-equilibrium crystallization processes. Herein, we prepared coordination polymers with pillared-layer structures and observed the intermediates in the syntheses with an in-situ measurement system that combines microflow reaction with UV/Vis and X-ray absorption fine-structure spectroscopies, thereby enabling their rapid nucleation to be monitored. Based on the results, a three-step nonclassical nucleation mechanism involving two kinds of intermediate is proposed.     

The reducing rate of radiocesium 137Cs in the North Pacific surface water after the TEPCO fukushima Dai-ichi nuclear power plant accident

Journal of Radioanalytical and Nuclear Chemistry - We started monitoring the radiocesium released from Fukushima in the North Pacific surface water from May 2011 after the accident soon to June...