Potassium-ion-selective sensing based on selective reflection of cholesteric liquid crystal membranes

It is well-known that cholesteric liquid crystals have an optical property, selective reflection, due to changes in the pitch of their helical structure. This unique property of cholesteric liquid crystals can be used to attain a visual sensing system showing color changes as the detection signal. In this paper, we report a visual sensing membrane comprising cholesteric liquid crystals, in which a 15-crown-5 derivative was incorporated as ion recognizing sites, for K⁺ in aqueous solution. The resulting CLC membrane showed a shift of the reflection peak sensitive to K⁺ in water. We have also designed polymer-dispersed liquid crystal membranes that showed ion-selective reflection peak shifts with improved response time.     

Temperature-dependent energy gap of the primary charge separation in photosystem I: study of delayed fluorescence at 77-268 K

The dynamics of fluorescence decay and charge recombination were studied in the ether-extracted photosystem I reaction center isolated from spinach with picosecond resolution over a wide time range up to 100 ns. At all temperatures from 268 to 77 K, a slow fluorescence decay component with a 30-40 ns lifetime was detected. This component was interpreted as a delayed fluorescence emitted from the singlet excited state of the primary donor P700*, which is repopulated through charge recombination that was increased by the lack of secondary acceptor phylloquinone in the sample. Analysis of the fluorescence kinetics allowed estimation of the standard free-energy difference -DeltaG between P700* and the primary radical pair (P700(+)A0(-)) state over a wide temperature range. The values of -DeltaG were estimated to be 160/36 meV at 268/77 K, indicating its high sensitivity to temperature. A temperature-dependent -DeltaG value was also estimated in the delayed fluorescence of the isolated photosystem I in which the secondary acceptor quinone was partially prereduced by preillumination in the presence of dithionite. The results revealed that the temperature-dependent -DeltaG is a universal phenomenon common with the purple bacterial reaction centers, photosystem II and photosystem I reaction centers.     

Experimental evidence to support a theory of lipid membrane fusion

Membrane fusion between two lipid membranes with different curvatures was measured by using a fluorescence fusion assay for lipid vesicle systems and was also obtained by measuring lipid monolayer surface tension upon the fusion of vesicles to monolayer membranes. For such membrane systems, it was found that when lysolipid was incorporated only in the membrane with a greater curvature, membrane fusion was more suppressed than those for the case where the same amount (molar ratio of lysolipid to non-lysolipids) of lysolipid was incorporated only in the membrane with a lower curvature. When lysolipid was incorporated only in a flat membrane (e.g., monolayer) and the fusion of small vesicles (SUV) to the monolayer was measured, suppression of membrane fusion by lysolipid was minimal. It is known that lysolipid lowers the surface energy of curved membranes, which stabilizes energetically such membrane surfaces, and thus suppresses membrane fusion. Our results support our theory of lipid membrane fusion where the membrane fusion occurs through the most curved membrane region at the contact area of two interacting membranes.     

Synthesis of caprazamycin analogues and their structure--activity relationship for antibacterial activity

Synthesis of palmitoyl caprazol 7, which possesses a simple fatty acyl side chain at the 3' '-position of the diazepanone moiety, was carried out and their antibacterial activity was evaluated. The key elements of our approach include the improved synthesis of the key 5'-beta-O-aminoribosyl-glycyluridine derivative, installation of the palmitoyl side chain to the cyclization precursor, and the construction of the diazepanone by an intramolecular reductive amination. The second generation synthesis of (+)-caprazol was also established. Palmitoyl caprazol 7 exhibited antibacterial activity against Mycobacterium smegmatis ATCC607 (MIC = 6.25 microg/mL) with potency similar to that of the caprazamycins (CPZs). Palmitoyl caprazol 7 and N6'-desmethyl palmitoyl caprazol 28 also exhibited antibacterial activity against drug-resistant bacteria including methyciline-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus (VRE) strains (MIC = 3.13-12.5 microg/mL).     

Development of polysilane-supported palladium/alumina hybrid catalysts and their application to hydrogenation

Novel immobilized Pd catalysts, polysilane-supported palladium/alumina hybrid catalysts, have been developed. The catalysts showed high catalytic activity for hydrogenation, and could be used in an organic solvent or under solvent-free conditions.     

Maedamide,a novel chymotrypsin inhibitor from a marine cyanobacterial assemblage of Lyngbya sp.

Maedamide, a novel chymotrypsin-inhibiting depsipeptide, was isolated from a cyanobacterial assemblage that mostly consisted of Lyngbya sp. Its structure was elucidated by spectroscopic analyses and chiral HPLC analyses of hydrolysis products. Maedamide selectively inhibited chymotrypsin but not elastase and trypsin. In addition, Maedamide strongly inhibited the growth of HeLa cells and HL60 cells.     

Bias-corrected AIC for selecting variables in multinomial logistic regression models

In this paper, we consider the bias correction of Akaike’s information criterion (AIC) for selecting variables in multinomial logistic regression models. For simplifying a formula of the bias-corrected AIC, we calculate the bias of the AIC to a risk function through the expectations of partial derivatives of the negative log-likelihood function. As a result, we can express the bias correction term of the bias-corrected AIC with only three matrices consisting of the second, third, and fourth derivatives of the negative log-likelihood function. By conducting numerical studies, we verify that the proposed bias-corrected AIC performs better than the crude AIC.     

Competitive Trapping of Nitric Oxide (NO) Between Fe(III)-dithiocarbamate Complex and Liposome-encapsulated Trimethylammonio-PTIO: Effects of Ligand Structure, Charge on Liposome Surface, and External Pressure on NO-trapping Rates

Using a competitive nitric oxide (NO)-trapping method between Fe–dithiocarbamate (DTC) complexes and liposome-encapsulated 2-[4-trimethylammonio]-4,4,5,5-tetramethyl-imidazoline-1-oxyl 3-oxide (TMAPTIO), NO-trapping rates of Fe–DTC complexes in the presence of phosphatidylcholine liposomes were quantified for five kinds of Fe–DTC complexes. We investigated how the DTC ligand structure influences the NO-trapping rates of Fe–DTC complexes. The negatively charged liposomes give a higher NO-trapping rate of Fe–DTC complexes than do the positively charged ones, suggesting that the presence of a charge on the liposome surface affects the NO-trapping rate processes of Fe–DTC complexes. In addition, on the basis of the pressure dependence experiments for the competitive reaction, we evaluated the difference in activation volumes between the NO-trapping reactions by Fe–DTC complexes and TMA-PTIO, which allowed us to consider possible reaction mechanisms for the NO-trapping processes.     

Asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-azaspirene,a novel angiogenesis inhibitor

The asymmetric total synthesis of (-)-azaspirene, an angiogenesis inhibitor, has been accomplished, establishing its absolute stereochemistry. The key steps are a MgBr2.OEt2-mediated, diastereoselective Mukaiyama aldol reaction, a NaH-promoted, intramolecular cyclization of an alkynylamide, and the aldol reaction of a ketone containing functionalized gamma-lactam moiety without protection of tert-alcohol and amide functionalities.