New Prenylated Flavones from the Roots of Ficus Beecheyana

Two new prenylated flavanones, ficubee A and ficubee B, respectively, as 7,8‐(2,2‐dimethylpyrano)‐6‐prenyl‐5,3′,4′‐trihydroxyflavone and 6,7‐(2,2‐dimethylpyrano)‐8‐prenyl‐5,3′,4′‐trihydroxyflavone were isolated from the roots of Ficus beecheyana together with twelve known compounds: β‐sitosterol, 5‐stigmasten‐3β,7α‐diol, 5‐stigmasten‐3β,7β‐diol, 3β‐hydroxystigmast‐5‐en‐7‐one, 4‐hydroxybenzaldehyde, 4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzaldehyde, 1‐(4‐hydroxyphenyl)‐ethanone, 4‐hydroxy‐3‐methoxybenzoic acid, 4‐hydroxy‐cinnamic acid, seseline, xanthyletin, and psoralene. The structures of these secondary metabolites were determined by spectroscopic means and in comparison with published data.     

Synthesis and Qualitative Analysis of BACy and Its Self‐polymer

Many synthetic strategies of a reversible cross‐linker N,N′‐bis(acryloyl)cystamine (BACy) involve the typical condensation between the amino group of cystamine and the acyl group of acryloyl chloride in the mixed‐phase solvent system. In this study, the synthesis of BACy was performed in pure organic phase during the whole process. The yield and purity of synthesized BACy were comparable to those from aqueous/organic phase procedures. In addition, polymerization of BACy was also carried out by free radical reaction to prepare the self‐polymer and hydrogel which were characterized with FT‐IR, DSC and UV/VIS spectrophotometer. Notably, the BACy and its self‐polymer were both cleavable when exposed to the reducing agents, i.e. 1,4‐dithiothreitol (DTT) and 2‐mercaptoethanol (β‐ME). Interestingly, the reduced product of BACy contains vinyl and thiol groups, which could be further applied to the co‐polymerization with other monomeric units. On the other hand, carefully controlled reduction of BACy self‐polymer may be used to create the modified polymers with available thiol‐end groups for further chemistry. Together, our study provides modified procedure for BACy synthesis and characteristics of BACy self‐polymer and hydrogel. Further application of BACy and its self‐polymer in developing polymers with additional functionality is anticipated.     

Juncenolides H – K,New Briarane Diterpenoids from Junceella juncea

Chemical investigation of the Taiwanese gorgonian coral Junceella juncea resulted in the isolation of four new briarane‐type diterpenoids, juncenolides H, I, J, and K ( 1 – 4 ). Their structures were determined on the basis of spectroscopic analysis, especially 1‐ and 2D‐NMR. The inhibitory effects of compounds 1 – 4 on superoxide‐anion generation and elastase release by human neutrophils were evaluated.     

Fabrication of Mesoporous CoS2 Nanotube Arrays as the Counter Electrodes of Dye‐Sensitized Solar Cells

Mesoporous cobalt sulfide nanotube arrays on FTO‐coated glass were synthesized by combining three simple technologies: the selective etching of ZnO sacrificial templates, mesoporous Co₃O₄ formation from cobalt‐chelated chitosan, and ion‐exchange reaction (IER). The mesoporous Co₃O₄ nanotubes composed of the Co₃O₄ nanoparticles possess a high surface area and are taken advantage for further removal of templates and IER. The morphologies and crystal structures of the CoS₂ nanotube arrays were characterized by SEM, TEM, and XRD analyses. Their electrocatalytic properties were determined by electrochemical analyses including cyclic voltammetry measurements and Tafel polarization. The DSSCs assembled with a CoS₂ counter electrode achieved a power conversion efficiency of 6.13 %, which was comparable to that of the DSSC with the Pt counter electrode (6.04 %). This indicates that the mesoporous CoS₂ nanotube array can be a low‐cost and efficient alternative for the reduction of electrolytes in DSSCs.     

Two Novel 15(10→1)Abeomuurolane Sesquiterpenes from Cosmos sulphureus

Two novel 15(10→1)abeomuurolane sesquiterpenes, cosmosoic acid ( 1 ) and cosmosaldehyde ( 2 ), were isolated from the whole plant of Cosmos sulfurous. Their structures were established by a combination of 1D‐ and 2D‐NMR spectroscopic techniques. Additionally, a chemical correlation between 1 and 2 was also established.     

In situ X‐ray absorption spectroscopic studies of copper in a copper‐rich sludge during electrokinetic treatments

Speciation of copper in a copper‐rich chemical‐mechanical polishing sludge during electrokinetic treatment has been studied by in situ extended X‐ray absorption fine structure (EXAFS) and X‐ray absorption near‐edge structure (XANES) spectroscopy. The least‐squares‐fitted XANES spectra indicate that the main copper species in the sludge are Cu(OH)₂ (74%), nanosize CuO (20–60 nm) (13%) and CuO (>100 nm) (13%). The average bond distance and coordination number (CN) of Cu—O are 1.96 Å and 3.5, respectively. Under electrokinetic treatment (5 V cm^?1) for 120 min, about 85% of the copper is dissolved in the electrolyte, 13% of which is migrated and enriched on the cathode. Notably the copper nanoparticles in the sludge can also migrate to the cathode under the electric field. By in situ EXAFS, it is found that during the electrokinetic treatment the bond distance and CN of Cu—O are increased by 0.1 Å and 0.9, respectively.     

Observation of B+ --> Lambda c+ Lambda c- K+ and B0 --> Lambda c+ Lambda c- K0 decays

We report the first measurements of the doubly charmed baryonic B decays B --> Lambda c+ Lambda c- K. The B+ --> Lambda c+ Lambda c- K+ decay is observed with a branching fraction of (6.5(-0.9)(+1.0)+/-1.1+/-3.4)x10(-4) and a statistical significance of 15.4sigma. The B0 --> Lambda c+ Lambda c- K0 decay is observed with a branching fraction of (7.9(-2.3)(+2.9)+/-1.2+/-4.1)x10(-4) and a statistical significance of 6.6sigma. The branching fraction errors are statistical, systematic, and the error resulting from the uncertainty of the Lambda c+ --> pK- pi+ decay branching fraction. The analysis is based on 357 fb(-1) of data accumulated at the Upsilon(4S) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+ e- collider.     

Observation of a near-threshold D(0)D[over](0)pi(0) enhancement in B-->D(0)D[over](0)pi(0)Kappa decay

We report the first observation of a near-threshold enhancement in the D(0)D[over](0)pi(0) system from B-->D(0)D[over](0)pi(0)Kappa decays using a 414 fb(-1) data sample collected at the Upsilon(4S) resonance. The enhancement peaks at a mass M=3875.2+/-0.7(+0.3)/(-1.6) +/-0.8 MeV/c2 and the branching fraction for events in the peak is B(B-->D(0)D[over](0)pi(0)Kappa)=(1.22+/-0.31(+0.23)/(-0.30))x10(-4). The data were collected with the Belle detector at the KEKB energy-asymmetric e+ e- collider.     

Observation of new states decaying into Lambda(c)(+)Kappa(-)pi(+) and Lambda(c)(+)Kappa(0)/(s)pi(-)

We report the first observation of two charmed strange baryons that decay into Lambda(c)(+)Kappa(-)pi(+). The broader of the two states is measured to have a mass of 2978.5+/-2.1+/-2.0 MeV/c2 and a width of 43.5+/-7.5+/-7.0 MeV/c2. The mass and width of the narrow state are measured to be 3076.7+/-0.9+/-0.5 MeV/c;{2} and 6.2+/-1.2+/-0.8 MeV/c2, respectively. We also perform a search for the isospin partner states that decay into Lambda(c)(+)Kappa(0)/(s)pi(-) and observe a significant signal at the mass of 3082.8+/-1.8+/-1.5 MeV/c2. The data used for this analysis were accumulated at or near the Upsilon(4S) resonance, using the Belle detector at the e+ e- asymmetric-energy collider KEKB. The integrated luminosity of the data sample used is 461.5 fb(-1).     

Evidence for large direct CP violation in B+/- --> rho(770)0K+/- from analysis of three-body charmless B+/- --> K+/-pi+/-pi+/- decays

We report results on a Dalitz analysis of three-body charmless B+/- --> K+/-pi+/-pi+/- decay including searches for direct CP violation. We report the first observation of the decay B+/- --> f2(1270)K+/- with a statistical significance above 6sigma. We also observe first evidence for large direct CP violation in the B+/- --> rho(770)0K+/- channel. The results are obtained with a data sample that contains 386 10(6) BB pairs collected at the Y(4s) resonance with the Belle detector at the KEKB asymmetric-energy e+e- collider.