Notes on Amenability of Commutative Fusion Algebras

A commutative fusion algebra is proved to be amenable if and only if the associated regular representation is bounded.     

Crosscap numbers of pretzel knots

The crosscap number of a knot in the 3-sphere is defined as the minimal first Betti number of non-orientable surfaces bounded by the knot. In this paper, we determine the crosscap numbers of a large class of pretzel knots. The key ingredient to obtain the result is the algorithm of enumerating all essential surfaces for Montesinos knots developed by Hatcher and Oertel.     

Theoretical and experimental guideline of optimum design of defect-inspection apparatus for transparent material using phase-shift illumination approach

Optical Review - Machine vision system has great significance for the automatic inspection to enhance unclear defects. For the purpose of the improvement of the recognition accuracy in the...     

Chemical reactivities of the cation and anion of M@C82 (M = Y, La, and Ce)

The chemical reduction and oxidation of M@C82 (M = Y, La, and Ce) afford the corresponding anion and cation, respectively, which show unique and interesting chemical reactivities. It is found that the successful reversible gain or loss of electrons by ionization is useful for controlling the stability and reactivity of M@C82 toward both nucleophiles and electrophiles.     

Photocatalytic Organic Syntheses: Selective Cyclization of Amino Acids in Aqueous Suspensions

Photocatalytic reactions occurring at semiconductor particles/solution interfaces can be applied to organic syntheses. In this review article, examples of photocatalytic syntheses of cyclic amino acids by suspended semiconductor particles, e.g., titanium(IV) oxide or cadmium(II) sulfide are introduced and interpreted. Different from the photocatalytic decomposition of pollutants under aerobic conditions, selective conversion of organic compounds can be driven by the photocatalytic reactions under deaerated conditions.     

Induction of a remarkable conformational change in a human telomeric sequence by the binding of naphthyridine dimer: inhibition of the elongation of a telomeric repeat by telomerase

The binding of a dimeric form of the 2-amino-1,8-naphthyridine derivative (naphthyridine dimer) to a human telomeric sequence, TTAGGG, was investigated by UV melting, CD spectra, and CSI-MS measurements. Both the 9-mer d(TTAGGGTTA) and the 15-mer d(TTAGGGTTAGGGTTA) showed apparent melting temperatures (T(m)) of 45.6 and 63.6 degrees C, respectively, in the presence of naphthyridine dimer (30 microM) in sodium cacodylate buffer (50 mM, pH 7.0) containing 100 mM NaCl. The CD spectra at 235 and 255 nm of the 9-mer increased in intensity accompanied with strong induced CDs at 285 and 340 nm upon complex formation with naphthyridine dimer. UV titration of the binding of naphthyridine dimer to the 9-mer at 320 nm showed a hypochromism of the spectra. A Scatchard plot of the data showed the presence of multiple binding sites with different association constants. Cold spray ionization mass spectrometry of the complex between naphthyridine dimer and the 9-mer clearly showed that one to three molecules of the ligand bound to the dimer duplex of the 9-mer. Telomeric repeat elongation assay showed that the binding of naphthyridine dimer to the telomeric sequence inhibits the elongation of the sequence by telomerase.     

Sensitive and high-throughput analyses of purine metabolites by dynamic pH junction multiplexed capillary electrophoresis: a new tool for metabolomic studies.

On-line sample preconcentration by a dynamic pH junction in conjunction with multiplexed capillary electrophoresis (CE) and UV detection represents a sensitive and high-throughput format for future metabolomic research, such as purine analysis. The optimization of purine focusing can be rapidly assessed by systematically altering the sample matrix properties, such as the buffer co-ion, pH and ionic strength using a 96-capillary array format. This method permits focusing of large sample injection volumes, resulting in over a 50-fold improvement in the concentration sensitivity. The limit of detection (S/N = 3) for purine metabolites was less than 8.0 x 10(-8) M under optimum conditions when using UV absorbance. Dynamic pH junction multiplexed CE demonstrated excellent linearity over a hundred-fold concentration range, as well as low inter-capillary precision in terms of normalized migration times and peak areas. The potential for clinically relevant high-throughput analyses of micromolar amounts of purine metabolites in urine was also demonstrated.     

Size-selective photocatalytic reactions by titanium(IV) oxide coated with a hollow silica shell in aqueous solutions

A novel core-shell composite photocatalyst, commercially available titanium(IV) oxide (TiO(2)) particles directly incorporated into a hollow amorphous silica shell, was fabricated by successive coating of TiO(2) with a carbon layer and a silica layer followed by heat treatment to remove the carbon layer. The composite induced efficient photocatalytic reactions when relatively small substrates were used, such as methanol dehydration and decomposition of acetic acid, without any reduction in the intrinsic activity of original TiO(2), but did not exhibit efficient photocatalytic activity for decomposition of large substrates, methylene blue and polyvinyl alcohol. The unique size-selective properties of the composites are due to their structural characteristics, i.e., the presence of a pore system and a void space in the silica shell and between the shell and medial TiO(2) particles, respectively. The loading of alkylsilyl groups on the surface of the composite led to highly photostable floatability: the floated sample also induced efficient photocatalytic reaction for decomposition of acetic acid while retaining floatation at the gas/water interface.     

Dipolar double-quantum filtered rotational-echo double resonance

The homonuclear dipolar coupling of a directly bonded (13)C-(13)C pair has been used to create a dipolar double-quantum filter (D-DQF) to remove the natural-abundance (13)C background in (13)C[(2)H] rotational-echo double-resonance (REDOR) experiments. The most efficient version of this experiment has the D-DQF excitation and reconversion preceding the REDOR evolution period. Calculated and observed (13)C[(2)H]D-DQF-REDOR dephasings were in agreement for a test sample of mixed recrystallized labeled alanines.     

Synthesis and structure of 5,6,7,12-tetrahydrodibenz[c,f][1,5]azabismocines

Hypervalent organobismuth compounds, 6-tert-butyl-5,6,7,12-tetrahydrodibenz[c,f][1,5]azabismocines, with 13 different substituents on the bismuth atom including halogens, alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, or phenylthio groups have been synthesized. A key compound, 12-chloro-6-tert-butyl-5,6,7,12-tetrahydrodibenz[c,f][1,5]azabismocine, which is a precursor for other azabismocines, has been synthesized by two different procedures; one is based on Akiba’s method using 2-bromobenzylbromide as one of the starting materials and the other is a newly developed one using a cheaper starting material, 2-chlorobenzyl chloride. The structures of 12 new bismuth compounds were determined by X-ray diffraction. The eight-membered tetrahydroazabismocine ring has proved to be highly flexible and the hypervalent Bi-N bond distances vary ranging from 2.568(3) to 2.896(5) Å, depending on the electronic nature of the substituents on the bismuth atom. The Bi-N bond distances have good linear relationship against Hammett’s σ_m constants.