A note on the angular distribution of the characteristic surface loss intensity of electrons with non-normal incidence to the foils

By using a quantized theory of non-radiative surface plasmon in a semi-infinite electron gas, where retardation is taken into account, the differential surface loss intensity of electrons in a metal foil is calculated for the case of non-normal incidence of electron to the metal surface. The result shows that the differential surface loss intensity neither has a zero at θ = 0 for the case of normal incidence nor has a zero at a forward direction (θ ≠ 0, φ = 0) for the case of non-normal incidence, whose existences were predicted by electrostatic theories, but diverges as 1/θ at θ = 0 for both cases. It is also shown that, when the angle of incidence is greater than a certain critical value, there is a region of direction to which incident electrons can be scattered by exciting any one of surface plasmons with three different wave vectors.     

A new luciferase reporter gene assay for the detection of androgenic and antiandrogenic effects based on a human prostate specific antigen promoter and PC3/AR human prostate cancer cells.

We developed a new mammalian cell-based luciferase reporter gene assay for androgenic and antiandrogenic activities of chemicals and environmental samples. Environmental samples usually have a complex matrix that may contain the constituents acting as androgen receptor (AR) agonists, AR antagonists or aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) agonists. AhR agonists are known to elicit the antiandrogenic effect through cross-talk between AR and AhR signal transduction pathways. In this study, PC3/AR human prostate carcinoma cells were transiently transfected with a prostate-specific antigen (PSA) promoter-driven luciferase expression plasmid. The cells were treated with a test compound or an environmental sample for 24 h at 37 degrees C and then measured for luciferase activity. The luciferase activity was induced by dihydrotestosterone (DHT) in a concentration-dependent manner in a concentration range from 10 fM to 1 nM. R1881, a synthetic androgen receptor agonist, induced luciferase activity and its inductive effects was additive to that of DHT. The luciferase activity was not induced by cortisol, a glucocorticoid, progesterone, a progestin, and 17beta-estradiol, an estrogen in a concentration range of up to 1 microM. DHT-induced luciferase activity was reduced by bicalutamide and cyproterone acetate, AR antagonists, and also by benzo[a]pyrene, an aryl hydrocarbon receptor agonist, through AhR-mediated pathways. All of these findings indicate that the present assay system correctly responds to AR agonists, AR antagonists and AhR agonist and, therefore, it is a powerful tool for the sensitive and selective screening of chemicals and environmental samples for their androgenic and antiandrogenic activities. We developed the first assay system, in which the expression of luciferase was driven by the promoter of a prostate-specific antigen gene, a typical human androgen-regulated gene.     

Ion-pair formation of a copper(II)-ammine complex with an anionic surfactant and the recovery of copper(II) from ammonia medium by the surfactant-gel extraction method.

The extraction and separation of copper(II), zinc(II), cobalt(II), and cadmium(II) were investigated. Both copper(II) and zinc(II) formed ammine-complexes, while cadmium(II) and cobalt(II) formed hydroxide precipitates in an ammonia medium. By the addition of sodium dodecylsulfate (SDS), a copper(II) complex formed an ion-pair (copper-ammine-DS), which was extracted into the SDS phase. However, a zinc(II) complex did not form an ion-pair, and was soluble in water. Copper(II) ion was recovered by stripping (back-extraction) after the addition of hydrochloric acid. This method was applied to the separation of copper(II) in a brass alloy.     

Magnetic behavior of the bond random mixed compound FE(BR x I1−x )2(x = 0.9) with Mössbauer spectroscopy

The bond random mixed compound Fe(Br_0.9I_0.1)₂ has been studied by magnetization and Mössbauer measurements. Although the zero-field cooled and field-cooled magnetization variations are not like a typical spin glass one, the Mössbauer spectrum below Néel temperature shows a hyperfine field distribution. It implies that the 10% FeI₂ mixed in FeBr₂ can be induced by the bond random effect which causes the sample to exhibit a spin glass-like behavior.     

Microchannel-assisted thermal-lens spectrometry for microchip analysis

We present a new method for homocysteine quantitation in human plasma based on in-capillary reaction of homocysteine with 2,2′-dipyridyl disulfide. Homocysteine is in this so-called thiol-exchange reaction quantitatively transformed in mixed disulfide concomitantly with formation of an equimolar amount of 2-thiopyridone that is further separated by micellar electrokinetic chromatography and determined specifically at 343 nm. The concentration of homocysteine is thus estimated indirectly from the result of 2-thiopyridone determination. The linear detection range for concentration versus peak area for the assay was from 0.03–3 mM (correlation coefficient 0.994) with a detection limit of 6 μM and a limit of quantitation 20 μM. The inter-day reproducibility of the peak area and the migration time were 1.37% and 0.05%, respectively. The method is simple, relatively rapid and can be easily automated. Moreover the common capillary electrophoresis apparatus with a UV detector can be used to distinguish between normal and pathological hyperhomocysteinemia plasma samples.     

Synthesis of nitrogen-containing heterocycles 6. Formation and structures of imidazolinones and related compounds through cyclization of diaminomethylenehydrazones with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate

Diaminomethylenehydrazones 1 of aromatic and aliphatic carbonyl compounds react with dimethyl acetylenedicarboxylate (DMAD) at room temperature to give four types of heterocycles, (5-oxoimidazolin-4-ylidene) acetates 2, 3 and 6 , (2-imino-5-oxoimidazolidin-4-ylidene) acetate 4 and 6-oxo-1,6-dihydropyrimidine-4-carboxylates 5 according to the substitution patterns of 1 in moderate to high yields. Amino (N,N-dimethylamino)methylenehydrazones of ketones give exclusively (5-oxoimidazolin-4-yl-idene) acetates, both (Z)- and (E)-isomers 2 and 3 about the exocyclic alkenic linkage, with the (Z)-isomer 2 generally being predominant, while those of aldehydes give 5 . Diamino- and amino (N-methylamino)methylenehydrazones produce 5 and/or 6 and di (N-methylamino) methylenehydrazone gives (2-imino-5-oxoimidazolidin-4-ylidene) acetate 4 as the sole cyclized product.     

A systematic preparation of new contracted Gaussian-type orbital sets. VIII. MINI-1 and MIDI-1 sets for Ga through Cd

Minimal contracted Gaussian basis sets are presented for Ga through Cd. Characteristically these Gaussian-based minimal sets give far better d orbital energies than those by minimal STO basis sets. These new basis sets were tested on Br₂ for which a new benchmark calculation was also performed. The test result is satisfactory in that these basis sets produce good general agreement with the near Hartree–Fock calculation with respect to the molecular spectroscopic constants.     

Syntheses and antiulcer activities of 2-aminonorbornene derivatives.

2,2,-Disubstituted norbornenes (1, 2), 2,2-Disubstituted norbornane (3), 2,2,3-trisubstituted norbornenes (4, 5), oxanorbornenes (6) and azanorbornenes (7) were synthesized by the Diels-Alder reaction using alpha, beta-dehydroamino acids as a key step, and their antiulcer activities were examined. The oxazolidine derivative (1h) exhibited the most potent activities against several ulcer-models in rat.