The self-coupling of weak lepton currents in high energy neutrino and muon reactions

The transverse momentum distribution of the muons in the reaction $\text{ν + (z) → ν + μ +}\text{μ}\text{+ (z)}$ is discussed. The lower end of the energy spectrum of the muons in the previous study is also modified by using an improved interpolation formula.     

Quantitative determination of paclitaxel and its metabolites, 6α‐hydroxypaclitaxel and p‐3′‐hydroxypaclitaxel,in human plasma using column‐switching liquid chromatography/tandem mass spectrometry

A column‐switching liquid chromatography/electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry to determine paclitaxel and its metabolites, 6α‐hydroxypaclitaxel and p‐3′‐hydroxypaclitaxel, in human plasma was developed. The analytical system had a Shim‐Pack MAYI‐ODS (10 × 4.6 mm i.d.) trapping column with deproteinization ability that concentrates analytes and removes water‐soluble components. This method covered a linearity range of 5–5000 ng/mL of concentrations in plasma for paclitaxel, a range of 0.87–870 ng/mL for 6α‐hydroxypaclitaxel and a range of 0.87–435 ng/mL for p‐3′‐hydroxypaclitaxel. The intra‐day precision and inter‐day precision of analysis were less than 11.1%, and the accuracy was within ±14.4% at concentrations of 5, 50, 500 and 5000 ng/mL for paclitaxel, 0.87, 8.7, 87 and 870 ng/mL for 6α‐hydroxypaclitaxel, and 0.87, 8.7, 87 and 435 ng/mL for p‐3′‐hydroxypaclitaxel. The total run time was 30 min. Our method was successfully applied to clinical pharmacokinetic investigation. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

New limit on time-reversal violation in beta decay

We report the results of an improved determination of the triple correlation DP·(p(e)×p(v)) that can be used to limit possible time-reversal invariance in the beta decay of polarized neutrons and constrain extensions to the standard model. Our result is D=[-0.96±1.89(stat)±1.01(sys)]×10(-4). The corresponding phase between gA and gV is ?AV=180.013°±0.028° (68% confidence level). This result represents the most sensitive measurement of D in nuclear β decay.     

Fluorescence probe for lysophospholipase C/NPP6 activity and a potent NPP6 inhibitor

Nucleotide pyrophosphatases/phosphodiesterases (NPPs) are ubiquitous membrane-associated or secreted ectoenzymes that have a role in regulating extracellular nucleotide and phospholipid metabolism. Among the members of the NPP family, NPP1 and -3 act on nucleotides such as ATP, while NPP2, -6, and -7 act on phospholipids such as lysophosphatidylcholine and sphingomyelin. NPP6, a recently characterized NPP family member, is a choline-specific glycerophosphodiester phosphodiesterase, but its functions remain to be analyzed, partly due to the lack of highly sensitive activity assay systems and practical inhibitors. Here we report synthesis of novel NPP6 fluorescence probes, TG-mPC and its analogues TG-mPC(3)C, TG-mPC(5)C, TG-mPENE, TG-mPEA, TG-mPhos, TG-mPA, TG-mPMe, and TG-mPPr. Among the seven NPPs, only NPP6 hydrolyzed TG-mPC, TG-mPC(3)C, and TG-mPENE. TG-mPC was hydrolyzed in the cell lysate from NPP6-transfected cells, but not control cells, showing that it is suitable for use in cell-based NPP6 assays. We also examined the usefulness of TG-mPC as a fluorescence imaging probe. We further applied TG-mPC to carry out high-throughput NPP6 inhibitor screening and found several NPP6-selective inhibitors in a library of about 80,000 compounds. Through structure-activity relationship (SAR) analysis, we identified a potent and selective NPP6 inhibitor with an IC(50) value of 0.21 μM. Our NPP6-selective fluorescence probe, TG-mPC, and the inhibitor are expected to be useful to elucidate the biological function of NPP6.     

A Palladium‐Nanoparticle and Silicon‐Nanowire‐Array Hybrid: A Platform for Catalytic Heterogeneous Reactions

We report the development of a silicon nanowire array‐stabilized palladium nanoparticle catalyst, SiNA‐Pd. Its use in the palladium‐catalyzed Mizoroki‐Heck reaction, the hydrogenation of an alkene, the hydrogenolysis of nitrobenzene, the hydrosilylation of an α,β‐unsaturated ketone, and the C‐H bond functionalization reactions of thiophenes and indoles achieved a quantitative production with high reusability. The catalytic activity reached several hundred‐mol ppb of palladium, reaching a TON of 2 000 000.     

Stereoselective Isomerization of Unsymmetrical Diallyl Ethers to Allyl (E)-Vinyl Ethers by a Cationic Iridium Catalyst

The stereoselective isomerization of unsymmetrical diallyl ethers to allyl (E)-vinyl ethers was carried out in the presence of a cationic iridium(I) catalyst. The catalyst prepared in situ by treating [Ir(cod)(PPh₂Me)₂]PF₆ with hydrogen was found to be an excellent catalyst to selectively isomerize the less substituted allyl group to an (E)-vinyl ether.     

Structural transition of pentacene monolayer on Ga bilayer: From brick-wall structure to herringbone pattern of molecular dimers

Utilizing the substrate of Ga bilayer grown on Si(1 1 1)-√3 × √3-Ga, we have investigated the structural transition of pentacene monolayer induced by moderate annealing. Short-range ordering has been observed in the monolayer pentacene deposited at room temperature. Annealing the sample at ∼350 K produced ordered pentacene monolayer with the “brick-wall” adsorption pattern. The STM images with sub-molecular resolution revealed that the orbital symmetry of the HOMO is reduced from D_2h to C_2v, due to the substrate-molecule interaction, while the deeper HOMO-1 orbital remains intact. Further annealing at ∼400 K led to the formation of molecular dimers as well as the structural transition from “brick-wall” packing to “herringbone” pattern.     

Dynamical stability of the BRS supersymmetry and the Gribov problem

The stability of the Becchi-Rouet-Stora supersymmetry is studied on the basis of a simple non-gauge model invariant under BRS supersymmetry. The Nambu-Goldstone theorem is stated and the spontaneous breakdown of the BRS supersymmetry is illustrated by the above non-gauge model. This indicates that the dynamical stability of BRS supersymmetry in non-abelian gauge theories should also be carefully examined, if one takes the Faddeev-Popov lagrangian as a basis of the formal canonical treatment. We show that a better understanding of the Gribov problem is required to establish the stability of the BRS supersymmetry in non-abelian gauge theories to non-perturbative accuracy.