Synthesis and characterization of a biphenyl-linked hemicryptophane and an endohedral cobalt(II) complex

Hemicryptophanes are covalent molecular cages, constructed from a cyclotriveratrylene-based host unit and a functional unit linked by covalent spacers, which have been designed to accommodate endohedral functionalities in the cavity. In this study, the synthesis and characterization of the rigid, biphenyl-linked hemicryptophane 1 were investigated by NMR, ESI-MS, and X-ray crystallography. The structure of the inclusion complex, in which a dichloromethane molecule was constructed encapsulated within 1, was characterized by X-ray crystallography. An endohedral, cobalt(II) hemicryptophane complex 2 was also synthesized and characterized ESI-MS and X-ray crystallography. The X-ray crystal structure of 2 showed that the biphenyl-linked hemicryptophane had three components—a molecule each of chloroform and acetonitrile, and a cobalt(II) ion—within its cavity.     

The N-soliton solution of a two-component modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation

The N-soliton solution is presented for a two-component modified nonlinear Schrödinger equation which describes the propagation of short pulses in birefringent optical fibers. The solution is found to be expressed in terms of determinants. The proof of the solution is carried out by means of an elementary theory of determinants. The generalization of the 2-component system to the multi-component system is discussed as well as a (2+1)-dimensional nonlocal equation arising from its continuum limit.     

Assessment of fluoroalkyltin compounds as fluorous Lewis acid catalysts

The synthesis of a variety of organotin compounds with 1H, 1H, 2H, 2H‐perfluorooctyl groups is reported, together with an improved method for the corresponding distannoxane. Unique properties of this compound are disclosed in terms of fluorophilicity and activity as a Lewis acid catalyst in comparison with other mono‐nuclear derivatives. A new criterion for obtaining high solubility in fluorocarbon solvents is presented. Copyright © 2003 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Adsorption of N2 and N2O on Ni(7 5 5) surface: ab initio periodic density functional study

Adsorption of N₂ and N₂O at various sites on Ni(7 5 5) has been investigated by density functional theory (DFT) method (periodic DMol³). Several possible adsorption structures (attaching the nitrogen atom to the surface, or lying parallel) are found for both molecules. There is a clear binding energy preference of N₂ and N₂O for step sites in contrast to the case of CO. It is revealed that the decomposition of N₂O occurs exclusively near the step, but not on the terrace. Two decomposition channels can be considered; dissociative adsorption and spontaneous decomposition during TPD ramp. Three possible candidates for the precursor of the spontaneous decomposition of N₂O during TPD ramp are discussed.     

Moment problem of Hamburger,hierarchies of integrable systems,and the positivity of tau-functions

A moment problem of Hamburger is studied to find a parametric Stieltjes measure from given moments. It is shown that if a deformation, or a dynamics, of moments is governed by a hierarchy of a Kac-van Moerbeke system, then the Stieltjes measure can be constructed explicitly by integrating a hierarchy of Moser's nonlinear dynamical system. The positivity of tau-functions is related to the existence of the Stieltjes measure at a deep level.     

Integrable Deformation of Gaussian Distribution and the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck Process

An integrable deformation of one-dimensional Gaussian distribution in terms of a continuous Moser hierarchy is described explicitly. Here the hierarchy governs the level dynamics of the semi-infinite Toda molecule. The action of the second-order flow is shown to be equivalent to that of the Ornstein–Uhlenbeck diffusion process.     

Regulation of cellular responses to macroporous inorganic films prepared by the inverse-opal method

Regenerative medicine for repairing damaged body tissues has recently become critically important. Cell culture scaffolds are required for the control of cell attachment, proliferation, and differentiation in in vitro cell cultures. A new strategy to control cell adhesion, morphology, and proliferation was developed by culturing mouse osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells on novel cell culture scaffolds fabricated using ordered nanometer-sized pores (100, 300, 500, and 1000 nm). Results of this study indicate that after 72 h of incubation, the number of cells cultured on a silica film with a pore size of 1000 nm was similar to or slightly lower than that cultured on a non-porous control silica film. Films with 100-500 nm pore sizes, however, resulted in the cell growth inhibition. Morphology of the cultured cells revealed increased elongation and the formation of actin stress fibers was virtually absent on macroporous silica films with 100-500 nm pore size. Vinculin molecules expressed in cells cultured on the non-porous silica films showed many clear focal adhesions, whereas focal contacts were insufficiently formed in cells cultured on macroporous films. The influence of hydroxyapatite (HAp) and alumina scaffolds on the behavior of MC3T3-E1 cells was also evaluated. The proliferation rate of MC3T3-E1 cells cultured on HAp films with 1000 nm pore size was increased to approximately 20% above than that obtained of cells cultured on non-porous HAp films. These results demonstrate that the pore size and constituents of films play a role in controlling the morphology and proliferation rate of MC3T3-E1 cells.     

Preparation of highly dispersible and tumor-accumulative, iron oxide nanoparticles Multi-point anchoring of PEG-b-poly(4-vinylbenzylphosphonate) improves performance significantly

This paper describes the preparation of iron oxide nanoparticles, surface of which was coated with extremely high immobilization stability and relatively higher density of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG), which are referred to as PEG protected iron oxide nanoparticles (PEG-PIONs). The PEG-PIONs were obtained through alkali coprecipitation of iron salts in the presence of the PEG-poly(4-vinylbenzylphosphonate) block copolymer (PEG-b-PVBP). In this system, PEG-b-PVBP served as a surface coating that was bound to the iron oxide surface via multipoint anchoring of the phosphonate groups in the PVBP segment of PEG-b-PVBP. The binding of PEG-b-PVBP onto the iron oxide nanoparticle surface and the subsequent formation of a PEG brush layer were proved by FT-IR, zeta potential, and thermogravimetric measurements. The surface PEG-chain density of the PEG-PIONs varied depending on the [PEG-b-PVBP]/[iron salts] feed-weight ratio in the coprecipitation reaction. PEG-PIONs prepared at an optimal feed-weight ratio in this study showed a high surface PEG-chain surface density (≈0.8 chainsnm(-2)) and small hydrodynamic diameter (<50 nm). Furthermore, these PEG-PIONs could be dispersed in phosphate-buffered saline (PBS) that contains 10% serum without any change in their hydrodynamic diameters over a period of one week, indicating that PEG-PIONs would provide high dispersion stability under in vivo physiological conditions as well as excellent anti-biofouling properties. In fact we have confirmed the prolong blood circulation time and facilitate tumor accumulation (more than 15% IDg(-1) tumor) of PEG-PIONs without the aid of any target ligand in mouse tumor models. The majority of the PEG-PIONs accumulated in the tumor by 96 h after administration, whereas those in normal tissues were smoothly eliminated by 96 h, proving the enhancement of tumor selectivity in the PEG-PION localization. The results obtained here strongly suggest that originally synthesized PEG-b-PVBP, having multipoint anchoring character by the phosphonate groups, is rational design for improvement in nanoparticle as in vivo application. Two major points, viz., extremely stable anchoring character and dense PEG chains tethered on the nanoparticle surface, worked simultaneously to become PEG-PIONs as an ideal biomedical devices intact for prolonged periods in harsh biological environments.