Selective cell culture on UV transparent polymer by F2 laser surface modification

A microchip made of UV transparent polymer (CYTOP) that can perform selective cell culture has been fabricated by F₂ laser surface modification. The refractive index of CYTOP is almost the same as that of culture medium, which is essential for three-dimensional (3D) observation of cells. The F₂ laser modification of CYTOP achieves hydrophilicity only on the laser irradiated area with little deterioration of the optical properties and surface smoothness. After the laser modification, HeLa cells were successfully cultured and strongly adhered only on the modified area of CYTOP. The cells patterned on CYTOP were applied for clear 3D observation using an optical microscope in phase contrast mode.     

On an Integrable System of q-Difference Equations Satisfied by the Universal Characters: Its Lax Formalism and an Application to q-Painlevé Equations

The universal character is a generalization of the Schur function attached to a pair of partitions. We study an integrable system of q-difference equations satisfied by the universal characters, which is an extension of the q-KP hierarchy and is called the lattice q-UC hierarchy. We describe the lattice q-UC hierarchy as a compatibility condition of its associated linear system (Lax formalism) and explore an application to the q-Painlevé equations via similarity reduction. In particular a higher order analogue of the q-Painlevé VI equation is presented.     

Expression for the stationary distribution in nonequilibrium steady states

We study the nonequilibrium steady state realized in a general stochastic system attached to multiple heat baths. Starting from the detailed fluctuation theorem, we derive concise and suggestive expressions for the corresponding stationary distribution which are correct up to the second order in thermodynamic forces. The probability of a microstate eta is proportional to exp[Phi(eta)] where Phi(eta)=-[under summation operator]kbeta_{k}E_{k}(eta) is the excess entropy change. Here, E_{k}(eta) is the difference between two kinds of conditioned path ensemble averages of excess heat transfer from the kth heat bath whose inverse temperature is beta_{k}. This result can be easily extended to steady states maintained with other sources, e.g., particle current driven by an external force. Our expression may be verified experimentally in nonequilibrium states realized, for example, in mesoscopic systems.     

Preparation, testing and characterization of doped TiO2 active in the peroxidation of biomolecules under visible light

Doped TiO2 samples using different preparative procedures were synthesized using either urea or thiourea leading to N- or S-doped TiO2. Photocatalytic peroxidation and oxidation (mineralization) of phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) lipid with doped TiO2 were carried out under light irradiation lambda > 410 nm. The formation of conjugated double bonds in PE molecules was followed to detect the formation of peroxy radicals (peroxidation index) under light excitation (lambda > 410 nm) when doped TiO2 was used. The kinetics of CO2 production was monitored during the mineralization of PE. Colored TiO2 powders were studied in detail by different and complementary physicochemical techniques. The band gap energies of colored TiO2 were determined by diffuse reflectance spectroscopy (DRS). The visible absorption shoulder of TiO2 was observed to follow Urbach's law. The variation of the transient decay after 354 nm laser pulse excitation does not correlate with the different N- and S-TiO2 doping levels introduced by the addition of urea or thiourea. This suggests that the states (recombination centers or traps) introduced by the doping are not effective in varying the decay kinetics within the nanosecond and microsecond time scale. Elemental analysis shows comparable amounts of S- and N-doping of TiO2 when thiourea is used as dopant. X-ray diffraction reveals no rutile in S-TiO2 samples heated to 600 degrees C, suggesting that the addition of sulfur precludes rutilization during sample crystallization. X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) of the S-TiO2 samples confirms the preferential localization of S on the 20 topmost layers of S-TiO2 upon calcination at 500 degrees C for 2 h.     

Preparation of polystyrene/poly(methyl methacrylate) composite particles having a dent

Nonspherical polystyrene (PS)/poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) composite particles having a dent were prepared by releasing toluene from PS/PMMA/toluene droplets dispersed in a poly(vinyl alcohol) aqueous medium. An ex-centered PS-core/PMMA-shell morphology, in which a part of the PS core contacted with the aqueous medium and toluene partitioned more in the PS core than in the PMMA shell, was formed in the polymers/toluene droplet in the process of phase separation therein with releasing toluene. The volume of the dent became bigger with an increase in the PS content and in the toluene content partitioned in the PS core.Part CCLXI of the series Studies on Suspension and Emulsion.     

Universal Characters and <Emphasis Type="Italic">q</Emphasis>-Painlevé Systems

We propose an integrable system of q-difference equations satisfied by the universal characters and regard it as a q-analogue of the UC hierarchy; see [10]. Via a similarity reduction of this integrable system, rational solutions of the q-Painlevé systems are constructed in terms of the universal characters.     

Application of solid-phase extraction to quantitatively determine cyproconazole and tebuconazole in treated wood using liquid chromatography with UV detection

Solid-phase extraction (SPE) procedures were developed to avoid interference during the quantitative determination of cyproconazole and tebuconazole co-existing in wood extractives. Five species of wood were used, Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica), Japanese larch (Larix leptolepis), Yezo spruce (Picea jezoensis), Sakhalin fir (Abies sachalinensis), and western hemlock (Tsuga heterophylla). Methanol extractives from the heartwood of all wood samples, except western hemlock, interfered with the quantitative determination of cyproconazole and tebuconazole using liquid chromatography (LC) with UV detection (LC-UV). SPE with Oasis MCX was effective in avoiding this interference. This method also reduced the time and volume of mobile phase required for LC-UV, since wood extractives with long retention times were also removed.