Isolation,Diversity and Characterization of Ulvan-Degrading Bacteria Isolated from Marine Environments

In this study, we aimed to isolate bacteria capable of degrading the polysaccharide ulvan from the green algae Ulva sp. (Chlorophyta, Ulvales, Ulvaceae) in marine environments. We isolated 13 ulvan-degrading bacteria and observed high diversity at the genus level. Further, the genera Paraglaciecola, Vibrio, Echinicola, and Algibacter, which can degrade ulvan, were successfully isolated for the first time from marine environments. Among the 13 isolates, only one isolate (Echinicola sp.) showed the ability not only to produce externally expressed ulvan lyase, but also to be periplasmic or on the cell surface. From the results of the full-genome analysis, lyase was presumed to be a member of the PL25 (BNR4) family of ulvan lyases, and the bacterium also contained the sequence for glycoside hydrolase (GH43, GH78 and GH88), which is characteristic of other ulvan-degrading bacteria. Notably, this bacterium has a unique ulvan lyase gene not previously reported.     

Triplet Diradical-Cation Salts Consisting of the Phenothiazine Radical Cation and a Nitronyl Nitroxide

The spin–spin and magnetic properties of two (nitronyl nitroxide)-(di-p-anisylamine-phenothiazine) diradical cation salts, ( DAA-PTZ ) ⁺ -NN⋅ MBr₄⁻ (M=Ga, Fe), have been investigated. These diradical-cation species were prepared by the cross-coupling of iodophenothiazine DAA-PTZ-I with NN-AuPPh₃ followed by oxidation with the thianthrenium radical cation ( TA⁺⋅ MBr₄⁻). These salts were found to be highly stable under aerobic conditions. For the GaBr₄ salt, large ferromagnetic intramolecular and small antiferromagnetic intermolecular interactions (J₁/k_B=+320 K and J₂/k_B=−2 K, respectively) were observed. The magnetic property of the Fe³⁺ salt was analyzed by using a six-spin model assuming identical intramolecular exchange interaction (J₃/k_B=+320 K) and the other exchange interactions (J₄/k_B=−7 K and J₅/k_B=−4 K). A significant color change was observed in the UV/Vis/NIR absorption spectra upon electrochemical oxidation of the doublet DAA-PTZ-NN to the triplet ( DAA-PTZ ) ⁺ -NN .     

Noise Analysis of Duplicated Data on Microarrays Using Mixture Distribution Modeling

We propose a technique for estimating gene expression values for duplicated data on cDNA microarrays. In the scatter plots, the distribution is constructed from a mixture of normal two-dimensional distributions, which represent fluctuations in gene expression values due to noise. An expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm is used for estimating the modeling parameters. The probability that duplicated data is shifted by noise is calculated using Bayesian estimation. Six data sets of rice cDNA microarray assays were used to test the proposed technique. Genes in the data sets were subjected to clustering based on probability of true value. Clustering successfully identified candidate genes regulated by circadian rhythms in rice.     

A Cell‐Targeted Non‐Cytotoxic Fluorescent Nanogel Thermometer Created with an Imidazolium‐Containing Cationic Radical Initiator

A cationic fluorescent nanogel thermometer based on thermo‐responsive N‐isopropylacrylamide and environment‐sensitive benzothiadiazole was developed with a new azo compound bearing imidazolium rings as the first cationic radical initiator. This cationic fluorescent nanogel thermometer showed an excellent ability to enter live mammalian cells in a short incubation period (10 min), a high sensitivity to temperature variations in live cells (temperature resolution of 0.02–0.84 °C in the range 20–40 °C), and remarkable non‐cytotoxicity, which permitted ordinary cell proliferation and even differentiation of primary cultured cells.     

Magnetic moments of proton drip-line nuclei13O and9C

The magnetic moments of the proton drip-line nuclei¹³O(I = 3/2^–,T _1/2 = 8.6 ms) and 9C(I = 3/2^–,T _1/2 = 126 ms) have been determined for the first time through the combined techniques of polarized radioactive nuclear beams and-NMR detection. The observed magnetic moments are ¦(¹³O)¦ = 1.3891 ±0.0003 _N and ¦(⁹C)¦ = 1.3914 ±0.0005 _N. Spin expectation values are deduced to be 0.76 and 1.44 for¹³O and⁹C, respectively. While the of¹³O is consistent with the systematics from isospinT= 1/2 mirror pairs, the of⁹C is unusually large, even far larger than the single particle value, = 1.