Challenge to ultra-trace analytical techniques of nuclear materials in environmental samples for safeguards at JAERI: methodologies for physical and chemical form estimation

From a viewpoint of physical and chemical form estimation, ultra-trace analytical techniques of nuclear materials in environmental samples for safeguards have been investigated at Japan Atomic Energy Research Institute. This article deals with (1) an outline of the developed techniques for bulk and particle analyses of uranium and plutonium in the safeguards environmental samples; (2) current R&D on techniques relating to estimation of the physical and chemical form, such as SEM images and EDX spectra for fine particles of nuclear materials and fission track observation applicable to fissile materials; and (3) possible analytical methodologies, as future works, applicable to ultra-trace amounts of nuclear materials in environmental samples.     

Bifurcation analysis of a diffusive predator–prey system with a herd behavior and quadratic mortality

In this paper, a diffusive predator–prey system, in which the prey species exhibits herd behavior and the predator species with quadratic mortality, has been studied. The stability of positive constant equilibrium, Hopf bifurcations, and diffusion‐driven Turing instability are investigated under the Neumann boundary condition. The explicit condition for the occurrence of the diffusion‐driven Turing instability is derived, which is determined by the relationship of the diffusion rates of two species. The formulas determining the direction and the stability of Hopf bifurcations depending on the parameters of the system are derived. Finally, numerical simulations are carried out to verify and extend the theoretical results and show the existence of spatially homogeneous periodic solutions and nonconstant steady states. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Transition-metal-free synthesis of (Z)-3-ylidenephthalides from 2-acyl-benzoic acids

We report a highly efficient method for the synthesis of (Z)-3-ylidenephthalides via intramolecular cyclization of readily available 2-acyl-benzoic acids mediated by TSTU at room temperature. Using this method, diversely substituted (Z)-3-ylidenephthalides have been generated in good to excellent yields. The application of the method is highlighted by gram-scale preparation of the antiplatelet drug n-butylphthalide.     

Rhenium complex-catalyzed coupling reaction of enol acetates with alcohols

The reaction of enol acetates with alcohols in the presence of a catalytic amount of a rhenium complex, such as ReBr(CO)₅, produced the corresponding ketones and aldehydes in moderate to good yields. It was suggested that the preparation of an ether, an intermolecular dehydrated product, was the first step of the reaction.     

A Novel Solid Nanocrystals Self-Stabilized Pickering Emulsion Prepared by Spray-Drying with Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin as Carriers

A drug nanocrystals self-stabilized Pickering emulsion (NSSPE) with a unique composition and microstructure has been proven to significantly increase the bioavailability of poorly soluble drugs. This study aimed to develop a new solid NSSPE of puerarin preserving the original microstructure of NSSPE by spray-drying. A series of water-soluble solid carriers were compared and then Box-Behnken design was used to optimize the parameters of spray-drying. The drug release and stability of the optimized solid NSSPE in vitro were also investigated. The results showed that hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD), rather than solid carriers commonly used in solidification of traditional Pickering emulsions, was suitable for the solid NSSPE to retain the original appearance and size of emulsion droplets after reconstitution. The amount of HP-β-CD had more influences on the solid NSSPE than the feed rate and the inlet air temperature. Fluorescence microscopy, confocal laser scanning microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed that the reconstituted emulsion of the solid NSSPE prepared with HP-β-CD had the same core-shell structure with a core of oil and a shell of puerarin nanocrystals as the liquid NSSPE. The particle size of puerarin nanocrystal sand interfacial adsorption rate also did not change significantly. The cumulative amount of released puerarin from the solid NSSPE had no significant difference compared with the liquid NSSPE, which were both significantly higher than that of puerarin crude material. The solid NSSPE was stable for 3 months under the accelerated condition of 75% relative humidity and 40 °C. Thus, it is possible todevelop the solid NSSPE preserving the unique microstructure and the superior properties in vitro of the liquid NSSPE for poorly soluble drugs.     

初中化学教科书表格呈现方式及其教学功能价值的研究

以现行4个版本的义务教育化学教科书为研究对象,根据教科书中表格功能的不同,将其分为实验记录型表格、归纳总结型表格、习题型表格、资料卡片型表格等4类,对4类不同表格的教学功能价值进行了分析说明。并以沪教版为例,对当前初中化学教师使用教科书表格进行教学的情况进行了抽样调查与分析,由此提出3点教学建议。     

Antibacterial Activity of Pharmaceutical-Grade Rose Bengal: An Application of a Synthetic Dye in Antibacterial Therapies

Rose bengal has been used in the diagnosis of ophthalmic disorders and liver function, and has been studied for the treatment of solid tumor cancers. To date, the antibacterial activity of rose bengal has been sporadically reported; however, these data have been generated with a commercial grade of rose bengal, which contains major uncontrolled impurities generated by the manufacturing process (80–95% dye content). A high-purity form of rose bengal formulation (HP-RBf, >99.5% dye content) kills a battery of Gram-positive bacteria, including drug-resistant strains at low concentrations (0.01–3.13 μg/mL) under fluorescent, LED, and natural light in a few minutes. Significantly, HP-RBf effectively eradicates Gram-positive bacterial biofilms. The frequency that Gram-positive bacteria spontaneously developed resistance to HP-RB is extremely low (less than 1 × 10⁻¹³). Toxicity data obtained through our research programs indicate that HP-RB is feasible as an anti-infective drug for the treatment of skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) involving multidrug-resistant (MDR) microbial invasion of the skin, and for eradicating biofilms. This article summarizes the antibacterial activity of pharmaceutical-grade rose bengal, HP-RB, against Gram-positive bacteria, its cytotoxicity against skin cells under illumination conditions, and mechanistic insights into rose bengal’s bactericidal activity under dark conditions.     

Study of semileptonic decay of ${\bar{B}}_{s}^{0} \rightarrow \phi {l}^{+}{l}^{-}$ in QCD sum rule

In this work we study the semileptonic decay of ${\bar{B}}_{s}^{0}\to \phi {l}^{+}{l}^{-}$ (l=e, μ, τ) with the QCD sum rule method. We calculate the ${\bar{B}}_{s}^{0}\to \phi $ translation form factors relevant to this semileptonic decay, then the branching ratios of ${\bar{B}}_{s}^{0}\to \phi {l}^{+}{l}^{-}$ (l=e, μ, τ) decays are calculated with the form factors obtained here. Our result for the branching ratio of ${\bar{B}}_{s}^{0}\to \phi {\mu }^{+}{\mu }^{-}$ agree very well with the recent experimental data. For the unmeasured decay modes such as ${\bar{B}}_{s}^{0}\to \phi {e}^{+}{e}^{-}$ and ${\bar{B}}_{s}^{0}\to \phi {\tau }^{+}{\tau }^{-}$, we give theoretical predictions.     

Revisiting radiative leptonic B decay

In this paper, we summarize the existing methods of solving the evolution equation of the leading-twist \begin{document}$B$\end{document}-meson LCDA. Then, in the Mellin space, we derive a factorization formula with next-to-leading-logarithmic (NLL) resummation for the form factors \begin{document}$F_{A,V}$\end{document} in the \begin{document}$B \to \gamma \ell\nu$\end{document} decay at leading power in \begin{document}$\Lambda/m_b$\end{document}. Furthermore, we investigate the power suppressed local contributions, factorizable non-local contributions (which are suppressed by \begin{document}$1/E_\gamma$\end{document} and \begin{document}$1/m_b$\end{document}), and soft contributions to the form factors. In the numerical analysis, which employs the two-loop-level hard function and the jet function, we find that both the resummation effect and the power corrections can sizably decrease the form factors. Finally, the integrated branching ratios are also calculated for comparison with future experimental data.     

微粉型四钼酸铵热容的测定

Single phase of ammonium tetramolybdate in the micro power form was prepared from polyphase ammonium paramolybdate. Its heat capacity from 14.25℃ to 120.12 ℃ was measured by drop method and the result is
Cp=0.3936+7.4047×10-4T+6.3543×10-3T-2(J•K-1•g-1)