Anomalous PL brightening caused by partial Auger recombination of a (D, X) complex during an impact ionization avalanche in n-GaAs

Partial Auger recombination of the (D⁰, X) bound-exciton in n-GaAs at 4.2 K during an impact ionization avalanche under an applied pulse voltage has been investigated. The bright photoluminescence (PL)-pattern observed by applying the pulse voltage, characterizes well the formation of a current density filament. The observation of the bright PL spectra inside the current density filament gives a quite new result concerning the partial Auger recombination process of the (D⁰, X) complex, leaving the neutral donor in the excited states.     

A SAXS study of the nanometer scale hybrid structure of Si---Ti---C---O amorphous fibers

A small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) study was performed to reveal the nanometer scale hybrid structure of Si---Ti---C---O fibers prepared by the pyrolysis of polytitanocarbosilane. The SAXS profile for Si---Ti---C---O fibers is attributed to two different types of scattering entities: an anisotropic contribution from long filaments with diameters hundreds to thousands of Ångströms and an isotropic contribution from β-SiC fine clusters of about a nanometer in diameter. A drastic degradation in the tensile strength of the fibers is correlated to the characteristic variations in their long-and medium-range structure.     

Factors affecting polyhydroxybutyrate biosynthesis in the marine photosynthetic bacteriumRhodopseudomonas sp. strain W-1S

Applied Biochemistry and Biotechnology - A marine photosynthetic bacterium,Rhodopseudomonas sp. strain W-1S, accumulated polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB) to 56% of the dry cell weight under microaerobic...     

Asymmetric cyclization of 2-alkenylphenols. A comparative study on the use of palladium(II) and titanium(IV) complexes

The oxidative cyclization of 2-(3-pentenyl)phenol catalyzed by [(η³-pinene)PdOAc]₂ gives optically active (+)-2-vinylchroman (25% e.e.), while (−)-2-(1-hydroxyethyl)chroman (56% e.e.) is formed as a single diastereomer upon treatment with t-BuOOH in the presence of Ti(OⁱPr)₄ and -(+)-diethyl tartrate. 2-(2-Butenyl)phenol also undergoes the Ti-promoted asymmetric cyclization to give (2S,1′R)-(−)-2-(1-hydroxyethyl)-2,3-dihydrobenzofuran (29% e.e.).     

Cloning and sequence analysis of the poly(3-hydroxyalkanoic acid)-synthesis genes ofPseudomonas acidophila

Pseudomonas acidophila can grow with CO₂ as a sole carbon source by the possession of a recombinant plasmid that clones genes that confer chemolithoautotrophic growth ability derived from the H₂-oxidizing bacteriumAlcaligenes hydrogenophilus. H₂-oxidizing bacteria produce poly(3-hydroxybutyric acid) (PHB) from CO₂, but recombinant P.acidophila can produce the more useful biopolymer poly(3-hydroxyalkanoic acid) (PHA). In this study, thepha genes ofP. acidophila were cloned and a sequence analysis was carried out. A gene library was constructed using the cosmid vector pVK102. A recombinant cosmid carrying thepha genes was selected by the complementation of a PHB-negative mutant ofAlcaligenes eutrophus H16. The resulting recombinant cosmid pIK7 contained a 14.8-kb DNA insert. Subcloning was done, and the recombinant plasmid pEH74 was selected by hybridization with theA. eutrophus H16pha genes.Escherichia coli possessing pEH74 produced PHB, indicating that pEH74 contained thepha genes ofP. acidophila. The nucleotide sequences of the PHA-synthesis genesphaA (3-ketothiolase),phaB (acetoacetyl-CoA reductase), andphaC (PHA synthase) in pEH74 were determined. The homologies ofphaA, phaB, andphaC betweenP. acidophila andA. eutrophus H16 were 64.7, 76.1, and 56.6%, respectively.

     

Stimulatory effect of red light on starch accumulation in a marine green alga,chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161

A marine green alga,Chlamydomonas sp. strain MGA161 was cultivated under illumination of red and white lights. The growth rate under red light illumination was almost the same as that in the basic conditions under white light illumination, but red light-grown cells accumulated almost twice as much starch as white light-grown cells. Although there was a slight decrease in carbonic anhydrase activity, red light-illuminated cells had almost 2.3 times the fructose-l,6-diphos-phatase activity of white light-illuminated cells. Red light might stimulate starch accumulation by increasing the amounts of enzymes related to carbon fixation through the phytochrome system. Cells grown under red light degraded 1.6 times as much starch and produced 1.7 times as much hydrogen and 1.6 times as much ethanol compared with cells grown under white light during 12 h of dark anaerobic fermentation.     

Improvement of latex piezoelectric immunoassay: Detection of rheumatoid factor

Latex piezoelectric immunoassay is a method for detection of agglutination of antibody- or antigen-bearing latex by immunoreaction using a piezoelectric quartz crystal; the agglutination decreases the oscillation frequency of the crystal. This is advantageous in that coating the surface of the crystal followed by fixation of antibody or antigen is unnecessary. There is, however, a drawback, and to improve this, we designed a micro-cell in which only one side of the crystal is exposed to the solution. A method for regenerating the crystal was also devised. Measurement was carried out using a calibration curve of the frequency change against rheumatoid factor activity. The improvement made it possible to use one crystal repeatedly and reproducibility was satisfactory. The calibration curve became almost independent of the crystal used.