Pd.Et3B-catalyzed alkylation of amines with allylic alcohols

A combination of catalytic amounts of Pd (0.05 mmol) and Et3B (0.3 mmol) promotes allylic alkylation of primary and secondary aromatic and aliphatic amines (1.0 mmol) by the direct use of allylic alcohols, providing tertiary amines in excellent yields under mild conditions (room temperature approximately 50 degrees C).     

T lymphocyte migration to lymph nodes is maintained during homeostatic proliferation.

The immune system maintains appropriate cell numbers through regulation of cell proliferation and death. Normal tissue distribution of lymphocytes is maintained through expression of specific adhesion molecules and chemokine receptors such as L-selectin and CCR7, respectively. Lymphocyte insufficiency or lymphopenia induces homeostatic proliferation of existing lymphocytes to increase cell numbers. Interestingly, homeostatic proliferation of T lymphocytes induces a phenotypic change from na?ve- to memory-type cell. Na?ve T cells recirculate between blood and lymphoid tissues whereas memory T cells migrate to nonlymphoid sites such as skin and gut. To assess effects of homeostatic proliferation on migratory ability of T cells, a murine model of lymphopenia-induced homeostatic proliferation was used. Carboxyfluorescein diacetate, succinimidyl ester-labeled wild-type splenocytes were adoptively transferred into recombination activation gene-1-deficient mice and analyzed by flow cytometry, in vitro chemotactic and in vivo migration assays, and immunofluorescence microscopy. Homeostatically proliferated T cells acquired a mixed memory-type CD44high L-selectinhigh CCR7low phenotype. Consistent with this, chemotaxis to secondary lymphoid tissue chemokine in vitro was reduced by 22%-34%. By contrast, no differences were found for migration or entry into lymph nodes during in vivo migration assays. Therefore, T lymphocytes that have undergone homeostatic proliferation recirculate using mechanisms similar to na?ve T cells.     

Multifocus confocal Raman microspectroscopy for fast multimode vibrational imaging of living cells

We have developed a multifocus confocal Raman microspectroscopic system for the fast multimode vibrational imaging of living cells. It consists of an inverted microscope equipped with a microlens array, a pinhole array, a fiber bundle, and a multichannel Raman spectrometer. Forty-eight Raman spectra from 48 foci under the microscope are simultaneously obtained by using multifocus excitation and image-compression techniques. The multifocus confocal configuration suppresses the background generated from the cover glass and the cell culturing medium so that high-contrast images are obtainable with a short accumulation time. The system enables us to obtain multimode (10 different vibrational modes) vibrational images of living cells in tens of seconds with only 1 mW laser power at one focal point. This image acquisition time is more than 10 times faster than that in conventional single-focus Raman microspectroscopy.     

Nickel-catalyzed multicomponent connection of dimethylzinc, alkynes, 1,3-butadiene, aldehydes, and amines

A nickel(0) species catalyzes the five-component connection reaction of dimethylzinc, alkynes, 1,3-butadiene, aldehydes, and amines, furnishing either 1 or 2 selectively in good yields depending on the kinds of amines, aromatic or aliphatic amines, respectively.     

Optical Transmittance and Band Gap of Ferroelectric BaTi2O5 Bulk Glass

Optical transmittance and reflectance on ferroelectric BaTi₂O₅ glasses prepared recently by a containerless synthesis technique are measured at room temperature in the wavelength range 190-800nm. The fundamental absorption edge located around 340nm demonstrates the colourless and transparent character of the glass. The optical band gap of 3.32eV has been estimated. The tail of the optical absorption near the fundamental absorption edge is found to follow the Urbach rule. Our analysis of the experimental spectra supports an indirect allowed interband transition between the valence band formed by O-2p orbitals and the conduction band formed by Ti-3d orbitals.