Cationic liposomes enhanced firefly bioluminescent assay of bacterial ATP in the presence of an ATP extractant.

Cationic liposomes composed of two components, diethylaminoethyl-carbamoyl cholesterol and phosphatidylcholine, were applied to an enhancer for a firefly bioluminescent (BL) assay of bacterial ATP in the presence of an ATP extractant. Trichloroacetic acid (TCA), which inhibits the activity of luciferase, was used as an ATP extractant. Cationic liposomes enhanced the BL intensity as long as luciferase was active. The detection limits for cell numbers of Escherichia coli extracts in the presence of cationic liposomes and in water alone were 199 and 897 colony forming units ml(-1), respectively. The sensitivity for bacterial ATP in the presence of cationic liposomes was improved by a factor of 2.5 times compared to that in the presence of diethylaminoethyl-dextran.     

Observation of micropores in hard-carbon using Xe NMR porosimetry

The existence of micropores and the change of surface structure in pitch-based hard-carbon in xenon atmosphere were demonstrated using ¹²⁹Xe NMR. For high-pressure (4.0 MPa) ¹²⁹Xe NMR measurements, the hard-carbon samples in Xe gas showed three peaks at 27, 34 and 210 ppm. The last was attributed to the xenon in micropores (<1 nm) in hard-carbon particles. The NMR spectrum of a sample evacuated at 773 K and exposed to 0.1 MPa Xe gas at 773 K for 24 h showed two peaks at 29 and 128 ppm, which were attributed, respectively, to the xenon atoms adsorbed in the large pores (probably mesopores) and micropores of hard-carbon. With increasing annealing time in Xe gas at 773 K, both peaks shifted and merged into one peak at 50 ppm. The diffusion of adsorbed xenon atoms is very slow, probably because the transfer of molecules or atoms among micropores in hard-carbon does not occur readily. Many micropores are isolated from the outer surface. For that reason, xenon atoms are thought to be adsorbed only by micropores near the surface, which are easily accessible from the surrounding space.     

Selection of spectral lines and transition probability data in plasma temperature measurements by photoelectric scanning spectrometry

A strict, comparative investigation of published transition probabilities for thermometric lines and an experimental study of determinations of plasma temperatures were made for improving the accuracy in temperature measurements by the well-known slope method. Four sets of FeI lines which satisfy the requirements for the thermometric lines were selected in the wavelength region of 200–400 nm. A statistical method was used to evaluate degrees of agreement among different sets of transition probabilities. In the experimental study, excitation temperatures of a stabilized arc plasma were determined from relative line-intensities recorded by photoelectric scanning spectrometry. In conclusion, two recommended combinations of lines and transition probability data are presented for the slope temperature measurement. Line pairs used in combination of selected transition probabilities suitable for the two-line method are also given.     

Phase transition in dilute solution of poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) in dichloromethane at a low temperature

The dielectric constant of solutions of poly(γ-benzyl-L -glutamate) (PBLG) in dichloromethane shows a jump near 195°K, irrespective of frequency. Therefore, the discontinuity is not a dispersion phenomenon but a phase transition in the thermodynamic sense. The transition temperature is independent of the concentration in the range from 0.01 to 10% by weight, but it increases linearly with the logarithm of the molecular weight of PBLG. The height of the jump depends strongly on frequency, concentration, and molecular weight. The viscosity also changes abruptly at 195°K. These results suggest that the PBLG molecule forms a cluster like a liquid crystal or is in a random coil state below the transition point.     

Instability of the trivelpiece mode in a beam-plasma system

Spatial growth of an electrostatic wave is observed in a beam-plasma system, and can be explained consistently as an instability of the Trivelpiece mode.     

Stereospecific synthesis of chiral precursors of thienamycin from L-Threonine

L-Threonine was transformed, stereospecifically, to a versatile β-lactam (5a) in 3 steps. This β-lactam was further converted to a key intermediate (25) for the synthesis of thienamycin and its biologically active analogues. Furthermore, the compound 5a was changed to iodides (18 and 23), cyanides (19 and 24), chloromethylketone (26) and aldehydes (30 and 31) which appear to have a latent potential as precursors for the syntheses of the carbapenems.     

Dynamic mechanical properties of epoxy resin/epoxidized rubber blends: Effect of phase separated rubber

The dynamic mechanical properties of blends of diglycidyl ether of bisphenol-A-based epoxy resin and internally epoxidized polybutadiene rubber have been studied. It is shown that the influence of the composition of the continuous phase and of the dispersed phase can be studied not only from the variations of the glass transition temperature but also from the changes in the apparent enthalpy of activation associated with this transition. As the initial rubber content increases, the composition of the dispersed phase remains practically constant while more rubber is able to dissolve in the continuous phase. Analysis of the rubbery plateau region reveals that the shear modulus of the blends is not much affected by the presence of dissolved rubber in the continuous phase but strongly depends on the volume fraction of dispersed phase. This volume fraction can be obtained from the relative drop in shear modulus after modeling the results with the Kerner equation. The results compares well with independent measurements by scanning electron microscopy. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Molecular level study of the crystallization of a thermoplastic polyimide by infrared spectroscopy

The crystallization process of the thermoplastic polyimide derived from 3,3′,4,4′-benzophenonetetracarboxylic dianhydride (BTDA) and 2,2-dimethyl-1,3,-(4-aminophenoxy) propane (DMDA) is studied at the molecular level by utilizing infrared spectroscopy's sensitivity to local molecular environment. Assignments of the unique spectral features appearing upon crystallization are made with additional verification from crystalline model imide compounds. A direct comparison of an annealed polyimide film studied by both infrared spectroscopy and x-ray diffraction shows fairly close agreement in the amount of crystallinity obtained. The unique crystalline infrared spectral features provide insight into the molecular mechanism involved with the crystallization process. Spectral shifts occurring upon crystallization reflect intramolecular rotations toward increased coplanarity as well as intermolecular chain packing of certain molecular groups at specific sites of the chain backbone. The site specific information is then used to study the relative kinetic behavior of the intramolecular and intermolecular effects occurring during crystallization. © 1994 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.