Simulation of collisions of two droplets containing two different liquids using incompressible smoothed particle hydrodynamics method

Theoretical and Computational Fluid Dynamics - The present study aims to simulate a collision of two droplets containing immiscible liquids by employing a three- dimensional incompressible smoothed...     

Notes on the Elliptic Ruijsenaars Operators

We construct the spaces that the elliptic Ruijsenaars operators act on. It is shown that they are extensible to nonnegative selfadjoint operators on a space of square integrable functions, or preserve a finite dimensional vector space of entire functions. These facts are shown in terms of the R-operators which satisfy the Yang–lBaxter equation. The elliptic Ruijsenaars operators are considered as the elliptic analogues of the Macdonald operators or the difference analogues of the Lamé operators.     

14C-labeling of bromobutide, 2-bromo-3,3-dimethyl-N-(alpha, alpha-dimethylbenzyl)butyramide

Bromobutide, a novel herbicide, was labeled with carbon-14 independently at the carbonyl group and the phenyl ring for use in metabolic studies. 14C-Carbonation of neopentylmagnesium chloride (3) gave 3,3-dimethyl[1-14C]butyric acid (4a) quantitatively. Chlorination of 4a with thionyl chloride followed by alpha-bromination with bromine yielded 2-bromo-3,3-dimethyl[1-14C]-butyryl halide (5a), which was subsequently condensed with alpha, alpha-dimethylbenzylamine (6a) to afford [carbonyl-14C]bromobutide (1a). The overall yield of 1a was 76% from barium [14C]-carbonate (2). Similarly, condensation of alpha, alpha-dimethyl[phenyl-14C]benzylamine (6b), which was prepared from alpha-methyl[phenyl-U-14C]styrene (7) in three steps, with 2-bromo-3,3-dimethylbutyryl halide (5b) gave [phenyl-14C]bromobutide (1b) in 67% yield after purification. The specific activities of 1a and 1b were 1.38 and 0.781 GBq/mmol (37.2 and 21.1 mCi/mmol), respectively.     

Transformation of arctiin to estrogenic and antiestrogenic substances by human intestinal bacteria

After anaerobic incubation of arctiin (1) from the seeds of Arctium lappa with a human fecal suspension, six metabolites were formed, and their structures were identified as (-)-arctigenin (2), (2R,3R)-2-(3',4'-dihydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (3), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dimethoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (4), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3"-hydroxy-4"-methoxybenzyl)butyrolactone (5), (2R,3R)-2-(3'-hydroxybenzyl)-3-(3",4"-dihydroxybenzyl)butyrolactone (6), and (-)-enterolactone (7) by various spectroscopic means including two dimensional (2D)-NMR, mass spectrometry, and circular dichroism. A possible metabolic pathway was proposed on the basis of their structures and the time course of the transformation. Enterolactones obtained from the biotransformation of arctiin and secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG, from the seeds of Linum usitatissium) by human intestinal bacteria were proved to be enantiomers, with the (-)-(2R,3R) and (+)-(2S,3S) configurations, respectively. Compound 6 showed the most potent proliferative effect on the growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells in culture among 1 and six metabolites, while it showed inhibitory activity on estradiol-mediated proliferation of MCF-7 cells at a concentration of 10 microM. These results indicate that the transformation of 1 by intestinal flora might be essential for the manifestation of the estrogenic and antiestrogenic activity of 1.     

Optical CO(2) sensor of the combination of colorimetric change of alpha-naphtholphthalein in poly(isobutyl methacrylate) and fluorescent porphyrin in polystyrene

An optical CO₂ sensor based on the overlay of the CO₂ induced absorbance change of pH indicator dye α-naphtholphthalein in poly(isobutyl methacrylate) (polyIBM) layer with the fluorescence of tetraphenylporphyrin (TPP) in polystyrene layer is developed. The observed luminescence intensity from TPP at 655 nm increased with increasing the CO₂ concentration. The ratio I₁₀₀/I₀ value of the sensing film consisting of α-naphtholphthalein in polyIBM and TPP in polystyrene layer, where I₀ and I₁₀₀ represent the detected luminescence intensities from a layer exposed to argon and CO₂ saturated conditions, respectively, that the sensitivity of the sensor, is estimated to be 192. The response and recovery times of the sensing film are less than 6.0 s for switching from argon to CO₂, and for switching from CO₂ to argon. The signal changes are fully reversible and no hysterisis is observed during the measurements. The highly sensitive optical CO₂ sensor based on fluorescence intensity changes of TPP due to the absorption change of α-naphtholphthalein in polyIBM layer with CO₂ is achieved.     

Inclusion of cut and as-grown single-walled carbon nanotubes in the helical superstructure of schizophyllan and curdlan (beta-1,3-glucans)

We have found that single-chain schizophyllan and curdlan (s-SPG and s-curdlan, respectively) can dissolve as-grown and cut single-walled carbon nanotubes (ag-SWNTs and c-SWNTs, respectively) in aqueous solution. The vis-NIR spectra of the composites suggest that c-SWNTs are dissolved as a bundle, whereas ag-SWNTs exist as one or only a few pieces in the tubular hollow constructed by the helical structure inherent to these beta-1,3-glucans. EDX and CLSM measurements and TEM observation established that the distribution map of these polysaccharides overlaps well with the image of SWNTs, indicating that these two components form a composite. Very interestingly, when c-SWNTs were dissolved with the aid of s-SPG or s-curdlan in water, a clear periodical structure with inclined stripes, as detected by AFM, appeared on the fibrous composite surface. Because this periodical structure has never been recognized for the composites with other water-soluble polymers, one can regard that s-SPG or s-curdlan wraps c-SWNTs constructing a helically twined structure. High-resolution TEM observation of an ag-SWNTs/s-SPG composite gave a clearer image in that two s-SPG chains twine one ag-SWNT and the helical motif is right-handed. When this sample was subjected to the AFM measurement, the composite showed the 2-3 nm height. This height implies that one piece of ag-SWNT is included in the s-SPGs helical structure. As a summary, it has been established that beta-1,3-glucans such as s-SPG and s-curdlan not only dissolve SWNTs but also create a novel superstructure on the surface.     

Studien Über die Saponine aus der Arznei-Ginseng-Wurzel: Massenspektren von Ginsenoside-Rg1-Decaacetat und Verwandten Verbindungen

Mass spectra of ginsenoside-Rg1 deca-acetate

1 Siehe Lit.2.

and the related dammaran-type triterpene saponin acetates have been studied and a comment is given on the structure of panaxoside A (=ginsenoside-Rg1) proposed by Elyakov, et al .     

Beta-1,3-glucan polysaccharides as novel one-dimensional hosts for DNA/RNA, conjugated polymers and nanoparticles

Beta-1,3-glucan polysaccharides have triple-stranded helical structures whose sense and pitch are comparable to those of polynucleotides. We recently revealed that the beta-1,3-glucans could interact with certain polynucleotides to form triple-stranded and helical macromolecular complexes consisting of two polysaccharide-strands and one polynucleotide-strand. This unique property of the beta-1,3-glucans has made it possible to utilize these polysaccharides as potential carriers for various functional polynucleotides. In particular, cell-uptake efficiency of the resultant polysaccharide/polynucleotide complexes was remarkably enhanced when functional groups recognized in a biological system were introduced as pendent groups. The beta-1,3-glucans can also interact with various one-dimensional architectures, such as single-walled carbon nanotubes, to produce unique nanocomposites, in which the single-walled carbon nanotubes are entrapped within the helical superstructure of beta-1,3-glucans. Various conductive polymers and gold nanoparticles are also entrapped within the helical superstructure in a similar manner. In addition, diacetylene monomers entrapped within the helical superstructure can be photo-polymerized to afford the corresponding poly(diacetylene)-nanofibers with a uniform diameter. These findings indicate that the beta-1,3-glucans are very attractive and useful materials not only in biotechnology but also in nanotechnology. These unique properties of the beta-1,3-glucans undoubtedly originate from their inherent, very strong helix-forming character which has never been observed for other polysaccharides.     

Synthesis and characterization of polystyrene‐b‐poly (1,2‐isoprene‐ran‐3,4‐isoprene) block copolymers with azobenzene side groups

Polystyrene‐b‐poly(1,2‐isoprene‐ran‐3,4‐isoprene) block copolymers with azobenzene side groups were synthesized by the esterification of azobenzene acid chloride with polystyrene‐b‐hydroxylated poly(1,2‐isoprene‐ran‐3,4‐isopenre) block copolymers for creating new photochromic materials. The resulting block copolymers with azobenzene side groups were characterized for structural, thermal, and morphological properties. IR and NMR spectroscopies confirmed that the polymers obtained had the expected structures. Differential scanning calorimetric measurements by heating runs clearly showed the glass transitions of polystyrene and polyisoprene main chains and two distinct first‐order transitions at temperatures of azobenzene side groups around 48 and 83 °C. The microstructure of these block copolymer films was investigated using both transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and near‐field optical microscopy (NOM). TEM images revealed typical microphase‐separated morphologies such as sphere, cylinder, and lamellar structures. The domain spacing of microphase‐separated cylindrical morphology in the NOM image agreed with that of the TEM results. © 2002 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 40: 2406–2414, 2002     

NMR and quantum chemical study on the OH...pi and CH...O interactions between trehalose and unsaturated fatty acids: implication for the mechanism of antioxidant function of trehalose

Trehalose is a disaccharide that attracts much attention as a stress protectant. In this study, we investigated the mechanism of the antioxidant function of trehalose. The spin-lattice relaxation times (T(1)) of (1)H and (13)C NMR spectra were measured to investigate the interaction between trehalose and unsaturated fatty acid (UFA). We selected several kinds of UFA that differ in the number of double bonds and in their configurations (cis or trans). Several other disaccharides (sucrose, maltose, neotrehalose, maltitol, and sorbitol) were also analyzed by NMR. The T(1) values for the (1)H and (13)C signals assigned to the olefin double bonds in UFA decrease with increasing concentration of trehalose and the changes reaches plateaus at integer ratios of trehalose to UFA. The characteristic T(1) change is observed only for the combination of trehalose and UFA with cis double bond(s). On the other hand, from the (13)C-T(1) measurements for trehalose, the T(1) values of the C-3 (C-3') and C-6' (C-6) are found to change remarkably by addition of UFA. (1)H[bond](1)H NOESY measurements provide direct evidence for complexation of trehalose with linoleic acid. These results indicate that one trehalose molecule stoichiometrically interacts with one cis-olefin double bond of UFA. Computer modeling study indicates that trehalose forms a stable complex with an olefin double bond through OH...pi and CH...O types of hydrogen bonding. Furthermore, a significant increase in the activation energy is found for hydrogen abstraction reaction from the methylene group located between the double bonds that are both interacting with the trehalose molecules. Therefore, trehalose has a significant depression effect on the oxidation of UFA through the weak interaction with the double bond(s). This is the first study to elucidate the antioxidant function of trehalose.