Temperature sensitivity of Ge-B-SiO(2) waveguide Bragg gratings on a crystallized glass substrate

Waveguide Bragg gratings were fabricated by plasma-enhanced chemical-vapor deposition followed by irradiation with KrF excimer laser light through a phase mask. The period of the Bragg grating was 0.53 mum, and the Bragg wavelength was ~1.53 mum . The temperature dependence of the Bragg wavelength was 11 pm/ degrees C for a 10GeO(2) -90SiO(2)(mol.%) core waveguide on a Si substrate, and the Bragg wavelength shift was successfully reduced to 5.0pm/ degrees C by use of a 14GeO(2)-12B(2)O(3)-74SiO(2) (mol.%) core and a crystallized glass substrate with a thermal-expansion coefficient of -2.0x10(-6)(/ degrees C) .     

A supplementary remark on finite temperature perturbation

The relativistic field equations of the axistationary vacuum are derived in Ernst coordinates in full detail. The derivation of the Kerr metric is given from the field equations.     

Low-frequency and high-frequency relaxations in dynamic electric birefringence of poly(γ-benzyl-L-glutamate) in m-cresol

The dc component Δn of the electric birefringence of poly(γ-benzyl-L -glutamate) in m-cresol is measured under an ac electric field at frequencies from 0.5 Hz to 200 kHz for solutions covering the dilute and semidilute regions. The dispersion curve indicates that at low frequencies Δn decreases with increasing frequency (low-frequency relaxation). For high-molecular-weight polymers at high concentration, Δn becomes negative at high frequency and its absolute value decreases with further increase in frequency (high-frequency relaxation). A unified theory for the two relaxations is developed on the basis of a model in which, in the semidilute regime, the rodlike polymer is confined in a cage formed by neighboring polymers and the lifetime of the cage lies between relaxation times of the two relaxations. The low-frequency relaxation is ascribed to end-over-end rotation of the polymer and the high-frequency relaxation to the rotation within a limited angle in the cage. The dependences of relaxation parameters on polymer concentration and molecular weight are reasonably explained by the theory.     

Analysis of anomalous vibrational and rotational distributions in the CN(B2Σ+) state produced in the reaction of Ar(3P0,2) metastables with BrCN

The CN(B²Σ⁺ - X²Σ⁺) tail band emission system for μ′ = 11–20 resulting from the energy transfer reaction Ar(³P_0,2) + BrCN in a flowing afterglow apparatus was measured. The vibrational and rotational distributions were determined as a function of argon pressure. Numerous perturbed rotational lines were observed; analysis of the dependences of these lines on argon pressure, with the aid of experimental information already published, led to the following assignments as to the origins of the perturbations: For μ′ = 11, N′ = 20 and μ′ = 13, N′ = 9, the perturbing state is a ⁴Σ⁺; for μ′ = 12, N′ = 10 and 14, μ′ = 14, N′ = 7 and 10, and μ′ = 17, N′ ≈ 17–19 the perturbing state is A ²Π_i. The perturbed rotational line, μ′ = 11, N′ = 20, is found to be the primary source of intensity in the μ′ =11 vibrational band, but in all other cases the perturbed rotational lines do not significantly aid in the populating of the vibrational state. The anomalously high vibrational populations found in the tail band emission system (μ′ = 12, 14, 17 and 18), as well as the significantly high rotational excitations observed in the μ′ = 12–20 vibrational bands, apparently arise directly from the reaction intermediate.     

Enzymatic transformation of bacterial polyhydroxyalkanoates into repolymerizable oligomers directed towards chemical recycling

The enzymatic transformation into an oligomer was carried out with the objective of developing the chemical recycling of bacterial polyesters. Poly(R-3-hydroxyalkanoate)s (PHAs), such as poly[(R-3-hydroxybutyrate)-co-12%(R-3-hydroxyhexanoate)] and poly[(R-3-hydroxybutyrate)-co-12%(R-3-hydroxyvalerate)], were degraded by granulated Candida antarctica lipase B immobilized on hydrophilic silica (lipase GCA) in a diluted organic solvent at 70 degrees C. The degradation products were cyclic oligomers having a molecular weight of a few hundreds. The obtained cyclic oligomer was readily repolymerized by the same lipase (lipase GCA) to produce the corresponding polyester in a concentrated solution. The cyclic oligomer was copolymerized with epsilon-caprolactone using lipase to produce the corresponding terpolymers having an Mw of 21,000. This is the first example of the enzymatic chemical recycling of bacterial PHAs using lipase. Poly(R-3-hydroxybutyrate) [P(3HB)] was also degraded into the linear-type R-3HB monomer to trimer by P(3HB)-depolymerase (PHBDP) in phosphate buffer at 37 degrees C. The degradation using PHBDP required a longer reaction time compared with the lipase-catalyzed degradation in organic solvent. The monomer composition of the oligomer depended on the origin of the PHBDP. The R-3HB monomer was predominately produced by PHBDP from Pseudomonas stutzeri, while the R-3HB dimer was produced by PHBDP from Alcaligenes faecalis T1. Repolymerization of these oligomers by lipase in concentrated organic solvent produced a relatively low-molecular-weight P(3HB) (e.g., Mw=2,000). Degradation of P(3HB) by lipase in organic solvent into repolymerizable cyclic oligomer and degradation of P(3HB) by PHBDP in buffer into hydroxy acid type R-3HB dimer.     

Intracellular transport of single-headed molecular motors KIF1A

Motivated by experiments on single-headed kinesin KIF1A, we develop a model of intracellular transport by interacting molecular motors. It captures explicitly not only the effects of adenosine triphosphate hydrolysis, but also the ratchet mechanism which drives individual motors. Our model accounts for the experimentally observed single-molecule properties in the low-density limit and also predicts a phase diagram that shows the influence of hydrolysis and Langmuir kinetics on the collective spatiotemporal organization of the motors. Finally, we provide experimental evidence for the existence of domain walls in our in vitro experiment with fluorescently labeled KIF1A.     

Diastereoselective photochromism of bisbenzothienylethenes with an oxycarbonyl-related functional group on the side chain

Nine 1-[2-(1-substituted)ethyl-3-benzothienyl]-2-(2-methyl-3-benzothienyl)hexafluorocyclopentenes (4-substituted benzoyloxy, N-arylcarbamoyloxy, and aryloxycarbonyloxy) were synthesized. They showed diastereoselective photochromic ring closure upon UV irradiation. Among them, 4-nitrophenoxycarbonyloxy-substituted compound recorded a remarkable 94% diastereomer excess with 91% conversion to the closed form.