Synthetic hologram made by variable magnification imaging system

For the purpose of improving the utilization efficiency of the gain bandwidth of active media and generating stable ultrashort light pulses, a passive-active mode locking technique has been applied to a cw Rhodamine 6G dye laser. A sufficient ability of this technique for the elimination of the multiple-pulse operation of the mode locking at a higher pumping level and a longer resonator length has been proved. Observed pulse-width by the SHG autocorrelation technique is 1.4 ps with assuming a sech² pulse profile.     

Tocopheryl Phosphate Inhibits Rheumatoid Arthritis-Related Gene Expression In Vitro and Ameliorates Arthritic Symptoms in Mice

Anti-rheumatoid arthritis (RA) effects of α-tocopherol (α-T) have been shown in human patients in a double-blind trial. However, the effects of α-T and its derivatives on fibroblast-like synoviocytes (FLS) during the pathogenesis of RA remain unclear. In the present study, we compared the expression levels of genes related to RA progression in FLS treated with α-T, succinic ester of α-T (TS), and phosphate ester of α-T (TP), as determined via RT-PCR. The mRNA levels of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-3, and MMP-13 were reduced by treatment with TP without cytotoxicity, while α-T and TS did not show such effects. Furthermore, intraperitoneal injection of TP ameliorated the edema of the foot and joint and improved the arthritis score in laminarin-induced RA model mice. Therefore, TP exerted anti-RA effects through by inhibiting RA-related gene expression.     

Single-nanometer focusing of hard x-rays by Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors

We have constructed an extremely precise optical system for hard-x-ray nanofocusing in a synchrotron radiation beamline. Precision multilayer mirrors were fabricated, tested, and employed as Kirkpatrick-Baez mirrors with a novel phase error compensator. In the phase compensator, an at-wavelength wavefront error sensing method based on x-ray interferometry and an in situ phase compensator mirror, which adaptively deforms with nanometer precision, were developed to satisfy the Rayleigh criterion to achieve diffraction-limited focusing in a single-nanometer range. The performance of the optics was tested at BL29XUL of SPring-8 and was confirmed to realize a spot size of approximately 7 nm.     

Symmetries on almost symmetric numerical semigroups

The notion of an almost symmetric numerical semigroup was given by V. Barucci and R. Fröberg in J. Algebra, 188, 418–442 (1997). We characterize almost symmetric numerical semigroups by symmetry of pseudo-Frobenius numbers. We give a criterion for H ^? (the dual of M) to be an almost symmetric numerical semigroup. Using these results we give a formula for the multiplicity of an opened modular numerical semigroup. Finally, we show that if H ₁ or H ₂ is not symmetric, then the gluing of H ₁ and H ₂ is not almost symmetric.     

Synthesis of C-nor-4,6-secocamptothecin and related compounds

C-nor-4,6-Secocamptothecin 2 , 4-ethyl-4-hydroxy-6-(2-quinolinyl)-1H-pyrano[3,4-c]pyridine-3,8(4H,7H)-dione, lacking the C-ring of camptothecin 1 , and its related compounds 3 and 4 were prepared from ethyl quinoline-2-carboxylate 7 . By an analogous reaction sequences, synthesis of 6-(2-pyridinyl)-1H-pyrano[3,4-c]-pyridine-3,8(4H7H)-dione derivatives 5 and 6 , which contain the B, D, and E ring of 1 , were achieved.     

Families of Okamoto–Painlevé pairs and Painlevé equations

In [as reported by Saito et al. (J. Algebraic Geom. 11:311–362, 2002)], generalized Okamoto–Painlevé pairs are introduced as a generalization of Okamoto’s space of initial conditions of Painlevé equations (cf. [Okamoto (Jpn. J. Math. 5:1–79, 1979)]) and we established a way to derive differential equations from generalized rational Okamoto–Painlevé pairs through deformation theory of nonsingular pairs. In this article, we apply the method to concrete families of generalized rational Okamoto–Painlevé pairs with given affine coordinate systems and for all eight types of such Okamoto–Painlvé pairs we write down Painlevé equations in the coordinate systems explicitly. Moreover, except for a few cases, Hamitonians associated to these Painlevé equations are also given in all coordinate charts. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000) 34M55, 32G05, 14J26     

Electrochemical iodofluorination of electron-deficient olefins

Electron-deficient olefins like α,β-unsaturated ester, amide, and phosphonate reacted with iodonium cation species generated by the anodic oxidation of iodide anion in Et₃N-5HF/CH₃NO₂ to form corresponding iodofluorinated compounds in good to moderate yields. The reaction proceeds at room temperature under air atmosphere and constant current conditions. The iodofluorinated products were shown to be useful fluorine-containing building blocks.     

Measurement of solubility of organic solvents in polyisobutylene using the piezoelectric-quartz sorption method

The solubilites of five organic solvents (benzene, cyclohexane, n-hexane, toluene and ethylbenzene) in polyisobutylene have been measured using the piezoelectric-quartz sorption method at 25, 40 and 65°C and under low pressures. The consistency of the method is confirmed by a comparison of literature and experimental data. The effect of coating thickness was also investigated, and the results show that the experimental results are independent of thickness in the range ～ 0.2-1.6 μm. Two different polymers (weight-average molecular weights of 50000 and 100000) were tested to investigate the effect of polymer molecular weight. The results did not differ appreciably. The experimental data are compared with the predictions of the modified UNIFAC method due to Oishi and Prausnitz.     

Alignment control of a cyanine dye using a mesoporous silica film with uniaxially aligned mesochannels

The feasibility of alignment control of low-molecular-weight guest species by controlling the orientation of mesochannels in a mesoporous silica host has been shown for the first time; spectroscopically anisotropic absorption behaviour of a cyanine dye was observed upon its incorporation into the mesochannels of a mesoporous silica film with uniaxially aligned porous structure, proving that the preferred alignment of the dye molecules was achieved on a macroscopic scale.