Neural networks applied to pharmaceutical problems. I. Method and application to decision making

Neural networks, which are also called perceptrons or multi-layer networks, were found to be useful tools in decision making. The model study showed that the predictions by the neural network were better than those by the linear learning machine and cluster analysis.     

New methods and reagents in organic synthesis, 40. Amination of aromatic and heteroaromatic organometallics using diphenyl phosphorazidate (DPPA)

Amination of aromatic and heteroaromatic organometallics is efficiently achieved by sequential treatment with diphenyl phosphorazidate (DPPA) and sodium bis(2-methoxyethoxy)aluminum hydride in a one-pot process.     

TheB-C system in the Beltrami parametrization and the Slavnov-Taylor identity

TheB-C system with an arbitrary conformal weight by Friedan, Martinec and Shenker is formulated by using the Beltrami parametrization. The holomorphic factorization will be manifest. We quantize the system in the BRST formalism. It will be shown by an explicit calculation that the Slavnov-Taylor identity is afflicted by the holomorphic anomaly.     

Microdroplet evolution induced by a laser pulse

Interaction between high-power ultrashort laser pulse and giant clusters (microdroplets) consisting of 10⁹ to 10¹⁰ atoms is considered. The microdroplet size is comparable to the laser wavelength. A model of the evolution of a microdroplet plasma induced by a high-power laser pulse is developed, and the processes taking place after interaction with the pulse are analyzed. It is shown theoretically that the plasma is superheated: its temperature is approximately equal to the ionization potential of an ion having a typical charge. The microdroplet plasma parameters are independent of the pulse shape and duration. The theoretical conclusions are supported by experimental studies of x-ray spectra conducted at JAERI, where a 100-terawatt Ti-sapphire laser system was used to irradiate krypton and xenon microdroplets by laser pulses with pulse widths of 30 to 500 fs and intensities of 6×10¹⁶ to 2×10¹⁹W/cm².     

Solid–liquid equilibrium and hydrogen solubility of trans-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene and cis-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene for a new hydrogen storage medium in fuel cell system

Solid–liquid equilibrium was measured for benzene + cyclohexane, trans-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene and cis-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene under the atmospheric pressure in the temperature range from 226.69 to 353.14 K. The apparatus was specially designed in this study, and it was based on a cooling method. The phase diagram with the complete immiscible solids was observed for the three systems, and the eutectic point was found at x₂ = 0.2709 and T_eu = 232.11 K for benzene + cyclohexane, x₂ = 0.9816 and T_eu = 241.98 K for trans-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene, and x₃ = 0.9822 and T_eu = 225.74 K for cis-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene, respectively. Hydrogen solubility was also measured for the two pure substances, trans-decahydronaphthalene and cis-decahydronaphthalene, and the three mixtures, trans-decahydronaphthalene + cis-decahydronaphthalene, trans-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene, and cis-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene, in the pressure range from 1.702 to 4.473 MPa at 303.15 K. Considering the solid–liquid equilibrium data, mole ratio of trans-decahydronaphthalene:cis-decahydronaphthalene was set to 50:50, and those of trans-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene, and cis-decahydronaphthalene + naphthalene to 85:15. The hydrogen solubility increased linearly with the pressure following the Henry's law for all systems. The experimental solubility data were correlated or predicted with the Peng–Robinson equation of state [D.Y. Peng, D.B. Robinson, Ind. Eng. Chem. Fundam. 15 (1976) 59–64; R. Stryjek, J.H. Vera, Can. J. Chem. Eng. 64 (1986) 323–333].     

Molecular simulation study on adsorption of methanol/water mixtures in mesoporous silicas modified pore surface silylation

Two types of molecular simulation techniques have been utilized to investigate adsorption of methanol/water mixtures in a mesoporous silica with a hydrophobic pore surface: the NVT-ensemble Molecular Dynamics method with the melt-quench algorithm for modeling a fully-silylated mesoporous silica and the μVT-ensemble Orientaional-Biased Monte Carlo method for calculating adsorption isotherms. Adsorption isotherms of methanol and water at 333 K are calculated for an equi-relative-pressure mixture (each component has the same relative pressure which is defined as the ratio of the partial pressure to the saturation pressure of the pure gas) together with pure gases. In the case of the pure gas, water hardly adsorb even at elevated pressures, while the adsorption isotherm for methanol shows the condensable adsorption. On the other hand, in the case of the mixture, water molecules are substantially adsorbed along with methanol molecules, showing an isotherm representing the condensation mechanism. In addition, it is found that the separation factor of methanol to water is the highest in the case of monolayer adsorption from a liquid mixture.     

Deposition of90Sr and plutonium isotopes derived from the Chernobyl accident in Japan

To clarify environmental effects of the Chemobyl radionuclides, long-lived Chernobyl radioactivity (^239,240Pu,²³⁸Pu,²⁴¹Pu and⁹⁰Sr) in deposition samples in May 1986 was measured at 11 stations in Japan. Temporal variation of weekly deposition of⁹⁰Sr differed from that of volatile radionuclides such as¹³¹I and¹³⁷Cs, which may reflect the released process at Chernobyl. On the other hand, the geographical distributions of the monthly deposition of long-lived radionuclides were similar to those of volatile radionuclides, in which maximum deposits of⁹⁰Sr and plutonium were observed in Akita, a northwestern Japan Sea coast site of Honshu Island. Higher²⁴¹Pu deposition in most of the stations, as well as high²³⁸Pu/^239,240Pu activity ratios were observed. The²⁴¹Pu/²³⁸Pu activity ratios in deposition samples were nearly equal to that in the total release, which is clear evidence that Chernobyl-derived plutonium was transported to Japan in May 1986 together with volatile radionuclides although the contribution of Chernobyl Pu was about three orders of magnitude lower than¹³⁷Cs.     

Asymmetric Kumada-Corriu cross-coupling reaction with Pd2(dba)3 and an N-Ar axially chiral mimetic-type ligand catalyst

A catalyst comprised of Pd₂(dba)₃·CHCl₃ and an N-Ar axially chiral mimetic-type ligand, (S)-N-[2-(diphenylphosphanyl)naphthalene-1-yl]-2-(piperidinylmethyl)piperidine, provides good enantioselectivities for the asymmetric Kumada-Corriu cross-coupling reaction of 1-phenylethylmagnesium chloride and E-β-bromostyrene derivatives with which it is more difficult to achieve high enantioselectivity. Furthermore, in the case of styrene derivatives bearing both vinyl and aryl bromide groups, the chemoselective asymmetric cross-coupling reaction of the vinyl bromide group is observed. This N-Ar axially chiral mimetic-type ligand allows easy synthesis of a wide variety of analogues, and starting from the initial ligand, the enantioselectivity of coupling products is improved by modifying the structure in the ligand.     

Dynamic analyses on induced-fit gaseous guest binding to organic crystals with a quartz-crystal microbalance

The inclusion behavior of gaseous guest molecules in a solid apohost, an orthogonal anthracene-bis(resorcinol)tetraol (1), was investigated with a quartz-crystal microbalance (QCM). Compound 1 forms crystals composed of molecular sheets bound together by an extensive hydrogen-bonded network. An apohost of 1 was cast onto a QCM and the binding of gaseous guest molecules was followed as a function of time by observing the decrease in the oscillation frequency, which is directly related to the increase in mass. Ethyl acetate and methyl ethyl ketone were significantly included into the apohost, whereas benzene and cyclohexane were simply adsorbed onto the surface of the solid; all these guests have similar vapor pressures at 25 degrees C. On the other hand, a host analogue 2, a tetramethoxy derivative of 1, barely included these guest molecules. The inclusion amount and the rate of inclusion of ethyl acetate or methyl ethyl ketone showed a drastic increase above a threshold concentration of guests in the gas phase. Thus, the structure of the apohost changed cooperatively in order to bind guest molecules above the threshold guest concentration. This cooperativity of the binding behavior was kinetically analyzed.     

Application of thin-layer chromatography with flame ionization detection to the characterization of organic extracts from diesel exhaust particulates

Thin-layer chromatography with flame ionization detection has been applied to the analysis of organic extracts of diesel exhaust particulates. Non-volatile organics whose boiling points are higher than ca. 300 degrees C can be analyzed, with a detection limit of ca. 0.03 micrograms and a relative standard deviation of ca. 10%. The organic extracts are separated into aliphatics , aromatics and polars by the development procedure with n-hexane, and the polars can be separated further by using toluene as the solvent. Some examples of application are presented.