Polypyridylpropyne‐Pd and ‐Pt porphyrin coating for visualization of oxygen pressure

Poly[1‐trimethylsilyl‐1‐propyne‐co‐1‐(3‐pyridyl)propyne] 1 was prepared both as a polymer‐ligand of a palladium porphyrin (PdOEP) and of a platinum porphyrin (PtTFP) and as a highly gas‐permeable polymer matrix of the porphyrin. The porphyrin acted as a phosphorescence probe which could be quenched with oxygen and sense the oxygen partial pressure. 1 gave a smooth and tough coating with a thickness of ca. 2 µm which homogeneously involved the porphyrin. The porphyrin‐ 1 coatings displayed strong red‐colored phosphorescences (the emission maximum at 670 and 650 nm for PdOEP and PtTFP, respectively), and their intensity significantly decreased with an increase in the oxygen partial pressure on the coating. The high oxygen‐quenching efficiency or the high oxygen pressure sensitivity of the porphyrin's phosphorescence was observed even at cryogenic temperature. Aggregation of the porphyrin was suppressed in the coating by ligation of the porphyrin with the nitrogenous residue of 1 to significantly reduce spatial noise in the phosphorescence measurement or the oxygen‐pressure sensing. PtTFP‐ 1 was coated on the surface of a delta wing model. The oxygen‐pressure distribution on the coated model was successfully visualized in a cryogenic wind tunnel test. Copyright © 2008 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

On superstable generic structures

We construct an ab initio generic structure for a predimension function with a positive rational coefficient less than or equal to 1 which is unsaturated and has a superstable non-ω-stable theory.     

General Method for the 11C‐Labeling of 2‐Arylpropionic Acids and Their Esters: Construction of a PET Tracer Library for a Study of Biological Events Involved in COXs Expression

Cyclooxygenase (COX) is a critical enzyme in prostaglandin biosynthesis that modulates a wide range of biological functions, such as pain, fever, and so on. To perform in vivo COX imaging by positron emission tomography (PET), we developed a method to incorporate ¹¹C radionuclide into various 2‐arylpropionic acids that have a common methylated structure, particularly among nonsteroidal anti‐inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Thus, we developed a novel ¹¹C‐radiolabeling methodology based on rapid C‐[¹¹C]methylation by the reaction of [¹¹C]CH₃I with enolate intermediates generated from the corresponding esters under basic conditions. One‐pot hydrolysis of the above [¹¹C]methylation products also allows the synthesis of desired ¹¹C‐incorporated acids. We demonstrated the utility of this method in the syntheses of six PET tracers, [¹¹C]Ibuprofen, [¹¹C]Naproxen, [¹¹C]Flurbiprofen, [¹¹C]Fenoprofen, [¹¹C]Ketoprofen, and [¹¹C]Loxoprofen. Notably, we found that their methyl esters were particularly useful as proradiotracers for a study of neuroinflammation. The microPET studies of rats with lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced brain inflammation clearly showed that the radioactivity of PET tracers accumulated in the inflamed region. Among these PET tracers, the specificity of [¹¹C]Ketoprofen methyl ester was demonstrated by a blocking study. Metabolite analysis in the rat brain revealed that the methyl esters were initially taken up in the brain and then underwent hydrolysis to form pharmacologically active forms of the corresponding acids. Thus, we succeeded in general ¹¹C‐labeling of 2‐arylpropionic acids and their methyl esters as PET tracers of NSAIDs to construct a potentially useful PET tracer library for in vivo imaging of inflammation involved in COXs expression.     

Enthalpy of formation of crystalline surfactant molecular complexes

The standard enthalpy of formation of novel chemical species — crystalline cationic surfactant molecular complexes — was studied to elucidate the bonding nature, serially scanning over the different surfactant chain-length homologs and various additive species. The enthalpy was not large, but was obviously dependent on the surfactant chain length and the chemical nature of the additive species. The typical complexes comprising long alkyl chain surfactants were formed endothermally, while in short alkyl chain homologs the process was exothermic. By examining the thermal aspect, it was suggested that the typical complexes of long alkyl-chain surfactants were derived not from attractive energetic force factors, but rather from entropic factors associated with the occurrence of severe disorder caused by heavy thermal agitation in the complex crystalline state.     

Asymmetric epoxidation of conjugated olefins with dioxygen

A complex situation: Asymmetric epoxidation of conjugated olefins was achieved at room temperature using ruthenium complex 1 as the catalyst and air as the oxidant to give epoxides in up to 95?%?ee. When the product was acid sensitive, the reaction was carried out at 0?°C under oxygen.     

Synthesis of carbon nanofibers from poly(ethylene glycol) with controlled structure

Through fine tuning of synthesis conditions, we successfully synthesized three types of carbon nanofiber (CNF) (herring-bone carbon nanofiber, platelet carbon nanofiber, and cup-stacked carbon nanofiber) by the thermal decomposition of a mixture of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) and nickel chloride (NiCl₂). A series of experimental results demonstrated that the key factors for the selective synthesis of these CNFs were the (1) NiCl₂/PEG ratio, (2) drying time of the polymeric mixture, (3) state of PEG (liquid or solid) before temperature rising, and (4) temperature profile during the thermal decomposition. Changes in these conditions contributed to the formation of Ni catalyst particles from the catalyst NiCl₂ with different morphology, thereby resulting in the growth of different types of CNF or amorphous carbon products according to the catalyst particle’s shape. Also, we found that the mechanism of CNF growth in this synthesis method was fundamentally the same as that in chemical vapor deposition (CVD).     

Investigation of V-shaped extended defects in a 4H–SiC epitaxial film

Abstract

We investigated two types of V-shaped extended defects on the basal plane in epitaxial 4H-SiC by synchrotron X-ray topography, photoluminescence imaging/spectroscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). One is the (2, 5) stacking fault (in Zhdanov notation) bounded by two partial dislocations with the Burgers vector b ± 1/4[0?0?0?1]; the other is the (2, 3, 3, 5) stacking fault bounded by partial dislocations with b = ±1/4[0?0?0?1]. The core of the partial dislocations associated with the (2, 3, 3, 5) fault has an out-of-plane component (Frank component) and three in-plane components (Shockley components); the three Shockley components are cancelled out in total. The electronic structures of the (2, 5) and (2, 3, 3, 5) stacking faults were further examined by photoluminescence spectroscopy and first-principles calculations. It is suggested that the (2, 5) and (2, 3, 3, 5) stacking faults both have an interband state at a similar energy level, although they differ structurally.     

Does decalcification alter the tissue sound speed of rabbit supraspinatus tendon insertion? In vitro measurement using scanning acoustic microscopy

Failure of the tendon or ligament insertions is one of the most common injuries in the Orthopaedic field. To elucidate the pathogenesis of those injuries, the authors had attempted to measure the tissue sound speed that could be correlated to its elasticity using scanning acoustic microscopy (SAM). For the application of SAM to tendon or ligament insertions, it was necessary to determine the role of decalcification in SAM measurements since mineralized tissues including bone or mineralized fibrocartilage were present at the insertion site. To assess whether decalcification alters the tissue sound speed or not, supraspinatus tendon insertion of six Japanese white rabbits were measured with SAM operating in the frequency range of 50-150 MHz. Right supraspinatus tendons attached to the humeral head were cut into two pieces at the center of the tendon. Then, they were fixed with 10% neutralized formalin for 12 h. In each specimen, medial half was not decalcified, while lateral half was decalcified with ethylene-diamine-tetra-acetic acid (EDTA). After embedding in paraffin, 5 microm thick specimens were prepared for the measurement using SAM. The mean sound speed in each histologic zone was evaluated, and subsequently compared to that measured in the undecalcified and the decalcified specimens. Mean sound speed of non-mineralized fibrocartilage was 1544 m/s in the undecalcified specimens, while the value of 1541 m/s was determined in the decalcified ones. On the other hand, it decreased 2-3% after decalcification in the mineralized tissue including mineralized fibrocartilage and bone (mineralized fibrocartilage: undecalcified = 1648 m/s, decalcified = 1604 m/s; bone: undecalcified = 1716 m/s, decalcified = 1677 m/s). However, no significant differences were found between the undecalcified and the decalcified specimens (non-mineralized fibrocartilage: p = 0.84, mineralized fibrocartilage: p = 0.35, bone: p = 0.28). These results indicate that SAM could be applied to determine the properties of the tendon or the ligament insertions after decalcification with EDTA. Although SAM is applicable only for in vitro experimental study, it is expected that these data will contribute to better understanding concerning the biomechanics of tendon or ligament insertions as well as the pathogenesis of their failure at a microscopic level.     

Uronic acid determination by high performance liquid chromatography with postcolumn fluorescence derivatization

To develop a fluorimetric high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) technique for uronic acid microanalysis, a saline mobile phase and the postcolumn fluorimetric determination were combined. The detection limits of D-glucuronic, D-galacturonic and D-mannuronic acids were 7.19, 23.88 and 7.08 pmol, respectively. The proposed method was successfully applied to uronic acid microanalysis in a polysaccharide hydrolysate and a drink.