Luminescence of Ca-doped (Y1-x, Gdx)2O2S

Broad-band yellow luminescence peaking around 575–595 nm has been found in Ca-doped (Y_1-x, Gd_x)₂O₂S. The doping of Ca into Y₂O₂S with the concentration up to 1 mol% is possible. At the optimum concentration (about 0.2 mol%), the cathodoluminescence brightness of Ca-doped Y₂O₂S is 10% of that of yellow-emitting (Zn, Cd)S: Ag.The emission peak is 575 nm in Y₂O₂S: Ca and 595 nm in Gd₂O₂S: Ca. The phosphor exhibits strong thermoluminescence after UV excitation at 77 K. In (Y_1-x, Gd_x)₂O₂S, neither emission spectra nor the temperatures of thermal glow peak depend on x, indicating localized characters of the traps concerned. The photoluminescence is slow in buildup and persistent in decay. These results are explained by a model: the substitution of Y(Gd) by Ca creates acceptor levels in which holes are captured, giving rise to subsequent radiative recombination with excited electrons. Trapped electrons recombine with mobile holes nonradiatively, but exhibit thermoluminescence with high efficiency when they are thermally released.     

Convergence of the arithmetic-geometric mean procedure for the complex variables and the calculation of the complete elliptic integrals with complex modulus

The convergence of the arithmetic-geometric mean procedure is checked for complex variables. The procedure is shown to be useful for the evaluation of the complete elliptic integrals of the first and second kinds with complex modulus. It is suggested that the procedure will be useful also for the numerical calculation of the elliptic integrals and the Jacobian elliptic functions with complex modulus in general.     

Heats of pyridine intercalation with α- and γ-zirconium phosphates

Calorimetric measurements at 25°C were made to determine the thermodynamic quantities for the intercalation of pyridine with α- and γ-zirconium phosphates. These phosphates showed exothermic reactions with ΔH⁰ = ?59.3 and ?21.9 kJ mole^?1, respectively. The large difference between the depyridination temperatures for both intercalates is rediscussed with the aid of the ΔG⁰ data obtained.     

Multicanonical Monte Carlo simulations on intramolecular micelle formation in copolymers

The formation of intramolecular micelles in copolymers with periodic sequence, where hydrophobic units (stickers) are periodically placed along the chain, is studied by using multicanonical Monte Carlo computer simulations for an off-lattice bead-rod model in three dimensions. With decreasing the temperature, a transition from random-coil conformations to micelles occurs and flower-type micelles are formed via the transition. The number of stickers forming a micelle core is limited by the excluded-volume effect of loop chains around micelle cores. By this effect, two intramolecular micelles are formed for long polymer chains with 60 bonds via the coil-to-micelle transition. By further decreasing the temperature, we find that another transition, i.e., a micelle-to-micelle transition, takes place. At this transition point, the two intramolecular micelles merge into one micelle. Furthermore, we extend the multicanonical MC method to study elastic properties of single polymer chains with strong attractive interactions under external force fields, and study how the intramolecular micellization affects the elastic property of single polymer chains.     

Observation of electrostatically released DNA from gold electrodes with controlled threshold voltages

DNA oligo-nucleotides, localized at Au metal electrodes in aqueous solution, are found to be released when applying a negative bias voltage to the electrode. The release was confirmed by monitoring the intensity of the fluorescence of cyanine dyes (Cy3) linked to the 5' end of the DNA. The threshold voltage of the release changes depending on the kind of linker added to the DNA 3'-terminal. The amount of released DNA depends on the duration of the voltage pulse. Using this technique, we can retain DNA at Au electrodes or Au needles, and release the desired amount of DNA at a precise location in a target. The results suggest that DNA injection into living cells is possible with this method.