Magnetic pole pinning at rectangular defects on MnAs/GaAs(0 0 1)

Strong magnetic poles at characteristic rectangular defects have been observed using a magnetic force microscope on a MnAs(  1 0 0) thin film with the thickness of 30 nm. The MnAs thin film was epitaxially grown on a GaAs(0 0 1) substrate. The magnetic poles were in one-arranging direction, being independent of the magnetization direction of the film. The poles were pinned at the edges of the rectangular defects until just below the Curie temperature, and formed a stable magnetic-field loop on the MnAs surface. The stability of the magnetic pole pinning shows the distinctive feature of the magnetic domain structure on the surface with a strong anisotropy, which was built in the heterostructure of MnAs and GaAs.     

Saccharide-branched Cyclodextrins as Targeting Drug Carriers

A synthetic series of heptakis-galactose-branched cyclodextrins (termed CDs) having a longer spacer arm using two amino-caproic acids as an enlarging unit were prepared. Starting with heptakis-amino-β-CD or heptakis-amino-caproic-amide-β-CD, treated with galactosyl-glucono-amide-caproic acid, the new compounds heptakis (Gal-cap1)-CD (4) or heptakis (Gal-cap2)-CD (5) were obtained. The longer galactose spacer arm extremely favors the PNA association. The effect of branch length on K with PNA was enhanced up to 138-fold 3 as well as with DXR enhanced up to 81-fold. Hexakis (Gal-cap2)-CD (6) was prepared and the association constants with rat liver cells were observed to be 2.5 × 10¹⁰ M⁻¹. A multi-high mannose type oligosaccharide branched CD (7) showed a large association constant with DXR up to 1.1 × 10⁹ M⁻¹. The two-dimensional map for the association constants of newly synthesized oligosaccharide-branched CDs toward lectin or liver cells versus the association constants toward a drug (doxorubicin) suggested a method of finding a better targeting drug carrier. The structural effect of the oligosaccharide-CDs showed that the number and length of the branch were dominant factors in designing for enhanced dual recognition.     

Application of plug–plug technique to ACE experiments for discovery of peptides binding to a larger target protein: A model study of calmodulin‐binding fragments selected from a digested mixture of reduced BSA

To discover peptide ligands that bind to a target protein with a higher molecular mass, a concise screening methodology has been established, by applying a “plug–plug” technique to ACE experiments. Exploratory experiments using three mixed peptides, mastoparan‐X, β‐endorphin, and oxytocin, as candidates for calmodulin‐binding ligands, revealed that the technique not only reduces the consumption of the protein sample, but also increases the flexibility of the experimental conditions, by allowing the use of MS detection in the ACE experiments. With the plug–plug technique, the ACE–MS screening methodology successfully selected calmodulin‐binding peptides from a random library with diverse constituents, such as protease digests of BSA. Three peptides with K_d values between 8–147 μM for calmodulin were obtained from a Glu‐C endoprotease digest of reduced BSA, although the digest showed more than 70 peaks in its ACE–MS electropherogram. The method established here will be quite useful for the screening of peptide ligands, which have only low affinities due to their flexible chain structures but could potentially provide primary information for designing inhibitors against the target protein.     

An Improved Method for Purification of β-Copperphthalocyanine

A sublimation apparatus in which a high temperature slightly lower than the sublimation point of copperphthalocyanine remains constant over a long condensation region has been developed. A sufficiently pure material for electrophotographic measurements can be obtained only when this high temperature is maintained nearly constant over the long condensation region along the sublimation tube. After the thired sublimation, the value of copper contents in the sample is 11.03 · 0.02%, according to the chelatometric titrations, while the theoreitcal value of stoichimetric composition is 11.03%. Emission spectrochemical analysis shows that only traces of Si and Mg are found in the sample after the sixth sublimation. Single crystal srown in the sublimation tube are characterized and the growth mechanism is discussed.     

Photochemical processes induced by 157-nm light in H(2)-impregnated glassy SiO(2):OH

F(2) excimer-laser irradiation induces two major changes in SiO(2): OH glass impregnated with H(2) molecules. First, the vacuum-UV optical absorption edge is bleached, and the absorption at 157 nm decreases from 0.95 to 0.68 cm(-1) . Second, preexisting free SiOH groups and interstitial H(2) are photochemically converted to hydrogen-bonded hydroxyl groups. It is suggested that the bleaching of the UV-absorption edge is caused by a change of OH groups from a free to a hydrogen-bonded state and by photolysis of distorted Si-O bonds that are absorbing in the edge region.     

Modular synthesis of the ClickFerrophos ligand family and their use in rhodium- and ruthenium-catalyzed asymmetric hydrogenation

A series of diphosphine ClickFerrophos ligands (CF), based on a triazoleferrocene backbone, was synthesized in a four-step sequence via click chemistry methodology. In addition to the four previously synthesized ligands CF1, CF4, CF7 and CF10, six novel CF ligands CF2–3 and CF5–8 were prepared. Hydrogenation reactions of alkenes and ketones were significantly improved upon by using CF ligands as rhodium- or ruthenium-complexes in which the % ee values can be optimized by choosing the appropriate CF ligand depending on the substrate.