Simultaneous quantitative analyses of indole and oxindole alkaloids of Uncaria Hook in rat plasma and brain after oral administration of the traditional Japanese medicine Yokukansan using high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry

Uncaria Hook (UH) alkaloids are involved in the beneficial effects of Yokukansan. However, the pharmacokinetics of UH alkaloids after oral administration of Yokukansan has not yet been sufficiently investigated. Therefore, we developed and validated a sensitive and specific high‐performance liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry (LC/MS/MS) method for the simultaneous quantitation of seven UH alkaloids (corynoxeine, isocorynoxeine, rhynchophylline, isorhynchophylline, hirsutine, hirsuteine and geissoschizine methyl ether) in rat plasma and brain. After protein precipitation with acetonitrile, chromatographic separation was performed using an Ascentis Express RP‐amide column, with gradient elution with 0.2% formic acid and acetonitrile at 0.3 mL/min. All analytes in the plasma and brain showed good linearity over a wide concentration range (r > 0.995). Intra‐day and inter‐day variations of each constituent were 8.6 and 8.0% or less in the plasma, and 14.9 and 15.0% or less in the brain, respectively. The validated LC/MS/MS method was applied in the pharmacokinetic studies of UH alkaloids after oral administration of Yokukansan to rats. In the plasma, rhynchophylline, hirsutine, hirsuteine and geissoschizine methyl ether were detected, but only geissoschizine methyl ether was detected in the brain. These results suggest that geissoschizine methyl ether is an important constituent of the pharmacological effects of Yokukansan. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Hierarchical CaCO3 Chromatography: A Stationary Phase Based on Biominerals

In biomineralization, acidic macromolecules play important roles for the growth control of crystals through a specific interaction. Inspired by this interaction, we report on an application of the hierarchical structures in CaCO₃ biominerals to a stationary phase of chromatography. The separation and purification of acidic small organic molecules are achieved by thin‐layer chromatography and flash chromatography using the powder of biominerals as the stationary phase. The unit nanocrystals and their oriented assembly, the hierarchical structure, are suitable for the adsorption site of the target organic molecules and the flow path of the elution solvents, respectively. The separation mode is ascribed to the specific adsorption of the acidic molecules on the crystal face and the coordination of the functional groups to the calcium ions. The results imply that a new family of stationary phase of chromatography can be developed by the fine tuning of hierarchical structures in CaCO₃ materials.     

On the generalized derivations of bimodules

Recently, we introduced the notion of a generalized derivation from a bimodule to a bimodule. In this paper, we give a more general notion based on commutators which covers generalized derivations as a special case. Using it, we show that the separability of an algebra extension is characterized by generalized derivations.     

On Samelson products in p-localized unitary groups

The unitary group U(n) has elements εi∈π2i+1(U(n)) (0?i?n−1) of its homotopy groups in the stable range. In this paper we show that certain multi Samelson products of type 〈εi,〈εj,εk〉〉 are non-trivial. This leads us to the result that the nilpotency class of the group of the self homotopy set [SU(n),SU(n)] is no less than 3, if 4?n. Also by the power of generalized Samelson products, we can see the further result that, for a prime p and an integer n=pk, nil[SU(n),SU(n)]_(p)?3, if (1) p?7 or (2) p=5 and n≡0 or 1mod4.     

Lepton number violation at the LHC with leptoquark and diquark

We investigate a model in which tiny neutrino masses are generated at the two-loop level by using scalar leptoquark and diquark multiplets. The diquark can be singly produced at the LHC, and it can decay into a pair of leptoquarks through the lepton number violating interaction. Subsequent decays of the two leptoquarks can provide a clear signature of the lepton number violation, namely two QCD jets and a pair of same-signed charged leptons without missing energy. We show that the signal process is not suppressed while neutrino masses are appropriately suppressed.     

Determination of aerosol extinction coefficient and mass extinction efficiency by DOAS with a flashlight source

With the method of differential optical absorption spectroscopy （DOAS）, average concentrations of aerosol particles along light path were measured with a flashlight source in Chiba area during the period of one month. The optical thickness at 550 nm is compared with the concentration of ground-measured suspended particulate matter （SPM）. Good correlations are found between the DOAS and SPM data, leading to the determination of the aerosol mass extinction efficiency （MEE） to be possible in the lower troposphere. The average MEE value is about 7.6m^2.g^-1 , and the parameter exhibits a good correlation with the particle size as determined from the wavelength dependence of the DOAS signal intensity.     

Charge transport near pressure-induced antiferromagnetic quantum critical point in Magnéli-phase vanadium oxides

Resistivity (ρ) measurements on Magnéli phases V₇O₁₃ and V₈O₁₅ were performed under high pressures up to 3.5GPa. We have achieved a pressure-induced transition from an antiferromagnetic metal to a paramagnetic metal (PM) at critical pressures P_c≈3.4 and 3.3 GPa for V₇O₁₃ and V₈O₁₅, respectively. The critical behavior of ρ(T) near P_c turned out to be quite unusual in that no noticeable precursor effect was observed. This strongly contrasts with the canonical quantum critical point behavior observed in chemically modified systems such as Ni(S,Se)₂ and V₂O₃. We propose that the presence of two distinct Fermi surface segments is responsible for the observed unusual behaviors.