Behaviors of sodium glycochenodeoxycholate and sodium glycoursodeoxycholate in binary mixed micelles of bile salt and nonionic surfactant

The behavior of sodium glycochenodeoxycholate (NaGCDC) and sodium glycoursodeoxycholate (NaGUDC) in binary mixed micelles consisting of bile salt and octaoxyethylene glycol mono n-decyl ether (C₁₀E₈) has been studied on the basis of micellar compositions, polarities of the interior of intramicelles, mean aggregation numbers and ¹H NMR measurements. Micellar compositions for both NaGCDC---C₁₀E₈ and NaGUDC---C₁₀E₈ systems showed a tendency to change from C₁₀E₈-rich micelles to bile-salt-rich micelles with an increase on the mole fraction of bile salts from the results of both theoretical calculations using the critical micelle concentration and the micellar polarity. The microenvironment of intramicelles for the NaGCDC---C₁₀E₈ system was found to be more hydrophobic than that for the NaGUDC---C₁₀E₈ system. Mean aggregation numbers of mixed micelles for both systems decreased abruptly with an increase in the mole fraction of bile salts in the range of low mole fraction, but those for NaGCDC were larger than those for NaGUDC. Furthermore, from the results of ¹H NMR measurements, the motions of the methyl group protons in the 18 position of the molecular structure of NaGCDC were slightly restricted with an increase in the mole fraction of NaGCDC. In contrast, the methyl group protons in the 18 and 19 positions of the molecular structure of NaGUDC became freer with an increase in the mole fraction of NaGUDC.     

Effect of hyperfine interaction on the luminiscence of Pb2+ and Bi3+ centers in alkaline-earth chalcogenides

Emission spectra of MgS, CaO, CaS, CaSe and SrS phosphors activated with a Pb²⁺ or a Bi³⁺ ion are measured at 4.2 K. By the analysis of the phonon structure of the ³A_1u → ¹A₁g emission band, it is found that the hyperfine interaction provokes the zero-phonon line on the emission band for the alkaline-earth chalcogenide phosphors activated with a Pb²⁺ or a Bi³⁺ ion.     

Behavior of semiconductive tin oxide electrodes in molten lithium chloride+potassium chloride eutectic

In molten LiCl+KCl eutectic at 450°C, current and differential capacity were measured with the potentiodynamic method at Sb-doped polycrystalline tin oxide films prepared on Pyrex glass substrates. SnO₂ electrodes usable in high temperature melts were constructed with special care to keep a definite working area. The melt-stable and semiconductive oxide shows a stable polarizable potential region with a span of about 1 V from chlorine evolution to cathodic decomposition of the oxide. Small residual current in the polarizable region indicates a possibility to use the oxide as an indicator electrode in the melt. The interfacial capacity is assigned to the space charge capacity of the electrode side and its potential dependence is explained using the Mott-Schottky equation. A linear Mott-Schottky plot was obtained after several potential scans and the flat band potential was estimated as ?1.29 V vs. 1 M Pt-(II)/Pt. The oxide surface in contact with the melt is subject to change during scanning in order to establish a stable melt-oxide interface where the specific adsorption of Cl^? ions plays an important role for the stabilization.     

A new experimental limit for the decay K+ → π+γγ

A search for K⁺ → π⁺γ, π⁺γγ, π⁺γγγ was made detecting pions from stopped kaons in the kinetic energy region between 117 MeV and 127 MeV. New Limits of 1.4 ×10^?6, 8.4 × 10^?6 and 1.0 × 10^?4 for the branching ratio were obtained assuming a phase-space spectrum on the pion energy. The first limit also aplies to another process K⁺ → π⁺ + a, where a is a light meson with mass smaller than 100 MeV/c² and decays into nγ's with lifetime less than 10^?9 s.     

Laser spectroscopic study of multiple Eu3+ sites and their crystal fields in YAlG crystals

Resonance fluorescence spectra are excited from a single crystal of curopium doped yttrium aluminum garnet. An analysis from the energy spectrum shows that the spectra are due to trivalent europuim ions occupying two different sites in the unit cell and a crystal field analysis reveals that these ions at these sites experience fields of orthorhombic and axial symmetry. The former is that expected if Eu³⁺ replaces the Y³⁺ at the orthorhombic d sites, the latter if the lanthanide ion replaces the Al³⁺ ions at the a sites (with a distorted C_3i symmetry), there are indications that Eu³⁺ prefers the a over the d sites.     

Effect of the vortices on the nuclear spin relaxation rate in the unconventional pairing states of the organic superconductor (TMTSF)2PF6

This Letter theoretically discusses quasiparticle states and nuclear spin relaxation rates T1-1 in the quasi-one-dimensional superconductor (TMTSF)2PF6 under a magnetic field applied parallel to the conduction chains. We study the effects of Josephson-type vortices on T1(-1) by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equation for p-, d- or f-wave pairing interactions. In the presence of line nodes in pairing functions, T1(-1) is proportional to T in sufficiently low temperatures because quasiparticles induced by vortices at the Fermi energy relax spins. We also try to identify the pairing symmetry of (TMTSF)2PF6.     

SSD1, which encodes a plant-specific novel protein,controls plant elongation by regulating cell division in rice

Plant height is one of the most important traits in crop improvement. Therefore revealing the mechanism of plant elongation and controlling plant height in accordance with breeding object is important. In this study we analyzed a novel dwarf mutant, ssd1, of which phenotype is different from typical GA- or BR-related dwarf phenotype. ssd1 exhibits pleiotropic defects in elongation of various organs such as stems, roots, leaves, and flowers. ssd1 also shows abnormal cell files and shapes, which suggests defects of normal cell division in the mutant. Map-based cloning and complementation test demonstrated that the dwarf phenotype in ssd1 mutant was caused by insertion of retrotransposon in a gene, which encodes plant-specific protein with unknown biochemical function. A BLAST search revealed that SSD1-like genes exist in diverse plant species, including monocots and dicots, but not fern and moss. Our results demonstrate that SSD1 controls plant elongation by controlling cell division in higher plants.