Preparation and characterization of copper(II) tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine nanoparticles formed by laser ablation in poor solvents

Laser irradiation of copper(II) tetrasulfonated phthalocyanine (CuTsPc) microcrystals in poor organic solvents such as methanol, 2-methyl-2-propanol, ethanol, tetrahydrofuran, and acetone has produced CuTsPc nanoparticles with 15–112 nm in diameter. Field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM) images have shown the formation of CuTsPc nanoparticles in poor organic solvents used in this work. The mean diameters of CuTsPc nanoparticles obtained from transmission electron microscopy (TEM) images in methanol, 2-methyl-2-propanol, ethanol, tetrahydrofuran, and acetone were determined to be 26, 36, 35, 86, and 78 nm, respectively. A correlation between the size of CuTsPc nanoparticles and a solvent polarity could be found in this work.     

Spontaneous molecular orientation of polyimides induced by thermal imidization (4): Casting- and melt-induced in-plane orientation

Driving forces of in-plane chain orientation of polyimides (PIs) and their precursors were discussed and the mechanisms were proposed. A polyimide precursor, poly(amic acid) (PAA) derived from 3,3′,4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (s-BPDA) with p-phenylenediamine (PDA) showed a certain degree of in-plane orientation in its solution-casting process and clear molecular weight dependence. The results allowed us to propose the casting-induced in-plane orientation mechanism of the rigid PAA chains. The imidization-induced in-plane orientation mechanism was also discussed by investigating how residual solvent content influences the degree of in-plane orientation of resultant PI films. The results suggested that the magnitudes of the PI chain in-plane orientation are dominated by a combined effect of the initial PAA orientation, apparent stretching based on a great thickness decrease, and the molecular mobility during thermal imidization. In a system derived from s-BPDA with 2,2′-bis(trifluoromethyl)benzidine (TFMB), the effect of molecular mobility during thermal imidization was predominant when cured under usual thermal conditions owing to the presence of the trifluoromethyl groups contributing to weakened intermolecular interaction. In s-BPDA/TFMB and s-BPDA/m-TOL systems (m-TOL = m-tolidine), a melt-induced in-plane orientation phenomenon was observed at temperatures corresponding to their T_g’s when the extents of in-plane chain orientation (f values) were monitored as a function of temperature in the stepwise heating process. This behavior is very curious because there are no appreciable dimensional, morphological, and structural changes as some driving forces just above the T_g of s-BPDA/TFMB.     

On finite truncation of infinite shot noise series representation of tempered stable laws

Tempered stable processes are widely used in various fields of application as alternatives with finite second moment and long-range Gaussian behaviors to stable processes. Infinite shot noise series representation is the only exact simulation method for the tempered stable process and has recently attracted attention for simulation use with ever improved computational speed. In this paper, we derive series representations for the tempered stable laws of increasing practical interest through the thinning, rejection, and inverse Lévy measure methods. We make a rigorous comparison among those representations, including the existing one due to Imai and Kawai [29] and Rosiński (2007) [3], in terms of the tail mass of Lévy measures which can be simulated under a common finite truncation scheme. The tail mass are derived in closed form for some representations thanks to various structural properties of the tempered stable laws. We prove that the representation via the inverse Lévy measure method achieves a much faster convergence in truncation to the infinite sum than all the other representations. Numerical results are presented to support our theoretical analysis.     

Synthesis of monodispersed cubic magnetite particles through the addition of small amount of Fe into Fe(OH)2 suspension

Magnetite particles were synthesized through a process including dissolution of Fe(OH)₂ and precipitation of an oxidized phase in aqueous solution. The Fe³⁺ ion was added at the beginning of the synthesis to accelerate the formation of magnetite, control the particle size and improve the monodispersibility. It was found that the addition of Fe³⁺ ion affected the nucleation and the formation of magnetite particles significantly. Magnetite nanoparticles with small particle size and narrow size distribution were obtained. Furthermore, high magnetic properties were obtained in small particle size. The particle size and magnetic properties increased through the increase of Fe²⁺/Fe³⁺ ratio.     

Synthesis, characterization, and OLED application of oligo(p-phenylene ethynylene)s with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) as pendant groups

Two new classes of mono- and oligo(p-phenylene ethynylene)s grafted with polyhedral oligomeric silsesquioxanes (POSS) were synthesized via ‘click’ chemistry and palladium-catalyzed Sonogashira cross-coupling. These materials with cubic silsesquioxanes are very robust with excellent thermal stability in air (T_5%loss>330 °C) and exhibited T_g>80 °C. All the compounds showed high photoluminescence with a range of blue emission and quantum yield up to 80% in the solution. Extended π conjugation molecules of oligo-pPEs POSS maintain relatively high PL quantum efficiencies in the solid state, compared to mono-pPEs POSS. A preliminary report is made of some of the materials as multilayer OLED components with active dopants PVK and PBD.     

Scale factor effect of RGB monochromatic speckle grains on color speckle distribution

Optical Review - A measured color speckle distribution around a white point plotted in the xyYnorm color space was compared with the color speckle distribution calculated by the conventional...     

Construction of type II blow-up solutions for a semilinear parabolic system with higher dimension

This paper is concerned with blow-up solutions for a semilinear parabolic system with a power type nonlinearity. Non self-similar blow-up solution is constructed by the matched asymptotic expansions. One component of this solution converges to the singular steady state, and another component converges to zero in self-similar variables.     

Validated method using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry for the determination of contamination of the exterior surface of vials containing platinum anticancer drugs

Contamination of the exterior surface of vials of cytostatic drugs by the drugs themselves is a potential hazard to human health. This study developed a validated method using liquid chromatography-electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS) for the determination of contamination of the exteriors of vials of cisplatin and carboplatin. Large Alpha^® sampling swabs were employed to wipe the vial exterior. Cisplatin or carboplatin and gold(III) as an internal standard were derivatized by N,N-diethyldithiocarbamate (DDTC). Pt(DDTC)₃⁺ and Au(DDTC)₂⁺ were monitored by the respective transitions of m/z 639.3-490.9 and 493.0-345.0, respectively. Each separation was completed within 9 min using a 3 μm particle ODS-column. Calibration curves for cisplatin and carboplatin were linear over concentration ranges of 30-10,000 and 30-30,000 pg vial⁻¹, respectively. The accuracies and precisions were 96.1-102.5% and within 8.2% for intra-assay and 99.6-103.3% and within 7.6% for inter-assay, respectively. Their lower limit of quantification was 30 pg vial⁻¹. Amounts of 0.17-17.0 ng vial⁻¹ as cisplatin and 0.48-794 ng vial⁻¹ as carboplatin were detected from the exterior surface of the vials. This validated method using LC-ESI-MS/MS for the determination of platinum anticancer drugs is helpful for monitoring contamination of the exterior surface of drug vials.     

Interlaboratory study of DNA extraction from multiple ground samples, multiplex real-time PCR, and multiplex qualitative PCR for individual kernel detection system of genetically modified maize

In many countries, the labeling of grains, feed, and foodstuff is mandatory if the genetically modified (GM) organism content exceeds a certain level of approved GM varieties. We previously developed an individual kernel detection system consisting of grinding individual kernels, DNA extraction from the individually ground kernels, GM detection using multiplex real-time PCR, and GM event detection using multiplex qualitative PCR to analyze the precise commingling level and varieties of GM maize in real sample grains. We performed the interlaboratory study of the DNA extraction with multiple ground samples, multiplex real-time PCR detection, and multiplex qualitative PCR detection to evaluate its applicability, practicality, and ruggedness for the individual kernel detection system of GM maize. DNA extraction with multiple ground samples, multiplex real-time PCR, and multiplex qualitative PCR were evaluated by five laboratories in Japan, and all results from these laboratories were consistent with the expected results in terms of the commingling level and event analysis. Thus, the DNA extraction with multiple ground samples, multiplex real-time PCR, and multiplex qualitative PCR for the individual kernel detection system is applicable and practicable in a laboratory to regulate the commingling level of GM maize grain for GM samples, including stacked GM maize.     

Femtosecond Diffuse-Reflectance Spectroscopy of Various Commercially Available TiO2 Powders

The transient absorption properties of several commercially available TiO₂ photocatalysts were investigated by femtosecond diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy. Using femtosecond diffuse-reflectance spectroscopy, the quantities and rates of the initial trapping processes of holes and electrons generated by the photoexcitation of TiO₂ photocatalysts were investigated. It was found that the total amounts of trapped electrons for the pure-anatase and pure-rutile TiO₂ became smaller with increasing particle size, but increased again when the particles’ diameters were larger than 50 nm. The anatase–rutile mixed TiO₂ photocatalysts were found to have smaller amounts of trapped electrons compared with pure-anatase and pure-rutile TiO₂ photocatalysts. The lifetimes of trapped holes of various TiO₂ photocatalysts were also investigated, and it was found that the lifetimes were proportional to the anatase–rutile mixed ratios.