A new monitoring system of cultured myocardial cell motion: effect of pilose antler extract and cardioactive agents on spontaneous beating of myocardial cell sheets

Effects of various cardioactive agents and a water extract of the pilose antler of Cervus nippon var. mantchuricus on periodic beating of cultured myocardial cell sheets were examined by using an image analyzing system. Norepinephrine increased the beating rate and the beating amplitude, whereas digoxin and forskolin enlarged only the beating amplitude. Verapamil and propranolol decreased both the beating rate and the beating amplitude. The water extract of the pilose antler showed no remarkable effects in a standard medium (2.1 mM Ca2+). However, it significantly increased the beating amplitude when the beating was suppressed by replacement with a low calcium medium (0.5 mM Ca2+). A similar effect was found for 70% ethanol-soluble and -insoluble fractions of the extract.     

Development of Non-Halogen Flame Retardant Optical Fiber and Optical Fiber Cord

A non-halogen highly flame-retardant 0.9mm optical fiber and 2.0mm simplex optical cord, which are harmonized with the ecosystem, have been developed. The characteristics of them are presented in this paper.     

Constructive and Destructive Two-Pulse Excitation Investigated with a White-Light Michelson Interferometer

Linear propagation of two pulses through methanol solution of aluminum phthalocyanine chloride is investigated using a modified white-light Michelson interferometer. The observed coherence time of the white light is 6 fs, and the separation between the two-excitation pulses is set to about 10 fs. The excitation is dependent on the phase-relation between the two pulses. We have observed an enhancement of the excitation when the two pulses are in-phase and strong suppression of the excitation when the two pulses are out of phase by π.     

Assessment of the capillary zone electrophoretic behavior of proteins in the presence of electroosmotic modifiers: protein-polyamine interaction studied using a polyacrylamide-coated capillary

The use of polyamines as electroosmotic modifiers has been shown to be effective in enhancing resolution of protein glycoforms in capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE) using a bare capillary tube. In this study, effectiveness was evaluated by using a polyacrylamide-coated capillary tube instead of a bare capillary tube. Electropherograms obtained in the presence of polyamines were inferior to those obtained in their absence with respect to resolution. Electrophoretic mobility of the proteins decreased and their peaks were broadened by polyamines bound to them. This unfavorable effect was dependent on both the species of polyamines and the pH values of the electrolyte buffer. The reduction of resolution caused by polyamines was in the following order: spermidine (SPD) approximately spermidine-tri-hydrochloride (SPD-HCI) > putrescine (PUT) > hexamethonium chloride (HMC). The observed effect can be ascribed to the formation of complexes between the proteins and the polyamines. In addition, for the bare capillary tube the complexes showed interaction with the inner surface, resulting in local suppression of electroosmosis and poor resolution. The high resolution obtained in the coated capillary tube was reduced in the presence of the polyamines. Thus, the use of the polyamines has a negative effect on the analysis of protein microheterogeneity as a result of protein-polyamine interaction.     

Diastereoselective inter- and intramolecular pinacol coupling of aldehydes promoted by monomeric titanocene(II) complex Cp(2)TiPh

A monomeric titanocene(III) derivative, Cp(2)TiPh, effectively promoted the pinacol coupling of both an aromatic aldehyde, benzaldehyde, and an aliphatic aldehyde, 3-phenylpropionaldehyde. The same reactive complex was successfully generated by a catalytic amount of a precursor, Cp(2)Ti(Ph)Cl, and its stoichiometric amount of Zn. The Cp(2)TiPh-catalyzed pinacol coupling of benzaldehyde derivatives and aliphatic aldehydes afforded the corresponding 1,2-diols in high yields with moderate to good threo-selectivity. On the other hand, Cp(2)TiPh-catalyzed pinacol cyclization of dials gave cyclic 1,2-diols with excellent diastereoselectivity. The extension of this protocol to chiral dials demonstrated that the phenyltitanium complex catalytically transmitted an axial chirality or a central chirality of the starting dials to the central chirality of the resultant 1,2-diols.