Binding position of azathioprine with bovine serum albumin determined by measuring nuclear magnetic resonance relaxation time.

The interaction between azathioprine (AZ) and bovine serum albumin (BSA) is mainly due to hydrophobic binding according to the dependence of the binding constant on the ionic strength obtained by equilibrium dialysis. The binding constant and partition coefficient of AZ were smaller than those of warfarin, phenylbutazone and ibuprofen. Little variation in the proton chemical shift of AZ was observed whether there was an absence or presence of BSA (7.25 x 10(-5) M). The spin-lattice relaxation time (T1) of AZ decreased in the presence of BSA to 6-22%. The spin-spin relaxation rate (1/T2) of AZ increased 16-24 times for the methyl group and the imidazole ring and 8-13 times for the purine ring in the presence of BSA. The ratio of the spin-spin relaxation rate of the free AZ to the bound AZ ((1/T2)b/(1/T2)f) of the methyl group and the imidazole ring was 2-3 times larger than that of the purine ring. The binding of AZ to BSA was concluded to be mainly at the methyl group on the imidazole ring of AZ.     

Bifurcation phenomena associated to a class of p-Laplacian like operators

 Global bifurcation of positive solutions for some degenerate quasilinear elliptic problems is considered. The uniform estimate of the gradient of weak solutions is given. This estimate is crucial in our arguments. Received: 10 August 2001 Supported in part by Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 11640207), Ministry of Education, Science, Sports and Culture, Japan. Mathematics Subject Classification (2000): 35B32, 35J25, 35J70     

Acoustic characteristics of Ni–Nb–Zr–H glassy alloys by ultrasonic shear waves

The propagation characteristics of shear horizontally polarized (SH) waves passing through (Ni₄₂Nb₂₈Zr₃₀)_100–x H_x (x = 0–15.2) glassy alloys were investigated as a function of hydrogen content. With an increase in hydrogen content, the propagation time and main frequency of the receiving waves show increase and decrease, respectively, indicating expan‐ sion in average atomic distance which comes from solution of hydrogen. In sharp contrast to crystalline alloys, the decrease in damping ratio and the delay in phase with increasing hydrogen suggest a strong settlement of hydrogen into four‐coordination sites surrounded tetrahedrally by four Zr atoms and the resulting increase in dynamic elasticity, respectively. (© 2007 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

T-violation neutron experiment and polarized3He

An experimental scheme of the spin detailed balance in polarized neutron transmission through a polarized nuclear target is discussed for the T-violation test. The value of the spin detailed balance is estimated by using the data of the scattering amplitudes. The nuclear polarizations of proton,³He and¹³⁹La are discussed for the T-violation experiment.     

Self-cooling effect on the kinetics of nonisothermal dehydration of lithium sulfate monohydrate

The effects of self cooling on the apparent kinetics of the nonisothermal dehydration of crushed crystals of lithium sulfate monohydrate were investigated using TG accompanied by DTA and power-compensation type DSC. Linearity of the sample heating rate on the TG-DSC system is much better than that on the TG-DTA. Kinetic obedience and Arrhenius parameters obtained from the TG-DTA deviate considerably from those obtained from the TG-DSC; the latter are the more accurate due to the better linearity of the sample heating rate.

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Zusammenfassung Mittels TG, ergänzt durch DTA und DSC mit Leistungskompensation wurde der Einfluß des Self-cooling-Effektes auf die scheinbare Kinetik der nichtisothermen Dehydratation von zerkleinerten Kristallen aus Lithiumsulfat-Monohydrat geschätzt. Die mittels TG-DTA erhaltene Kinetik und die Arrheniusschen Parameter weichen erheblich von denen ab, die mittels TG-DSC ermittelt wurden. DSC mit Leistungskompensation und TG-DSC haben gegenüber TG oder TG-DTA den großen Vorteil, das nichtisotherme kinetische Verhalten von Feststoffzersetzungen zu charakterisieren. Mittels Thermoanalyse nichtisotherm ermittelte kinetische Parameter sind ohne Anwendung von DSC eher unreell, besonders wenn sie bei größeren Aufheizgeschwindigkeiten und Probengrößen bestimmt wurden.

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We thank Dr. A. K. Galwey for reading the text and for valuable comments.     

Stereoselective ring-opening polymerization of racemic lactide using aluminum-achiral ligand complexes: exploration of a chain-end control mechanism

Stereoselective polymerization of racemic lactide (rac-LA) was examined using Al-achiral ligand complexes. By introduction of substituents in aromatic rings of Schiff base ligands, a higher selectivity was obtained without any chiral auxiliaries in the catalyst via a chain-end control mechanism. The T(m) values (T(m) 170-192 degrees C) were comparable to or higher than that of homochiral polymer, poly(L-LA) (T(m) 162 degrees C), and a thermally more stable polylactide than poly(L-LA) was prepared from rac-LA.     

Synthesis of diazepinoquinoxalines and imidazolobenzopteridines

Diazepinoquinoxalines 3, 4 and imidazolobenzopteridines 5, 6a-d, 7a-d, 8, 9 were synthesized from 3-allylamino-6,7-dimethyl-2-quinoxalinecarboxamide ( 1 ) and 2-allylamino-6,7-dimethyl-3,4-dihydrobenzo[g]pteridin-4-one ( 2 ) by the intramolecular cyclization using phenylselenenyl chloride.     

Pressure effects on the phase transition of urea adducts withn-paraffins and polyethylene

The decomposition of urea adducts with hydrocarbons is treated as a first-order phase transition and the pressure dependence is studied up to 0.7 GPa for several kinds of adducts. The thermodynamic quantities at the decomposition of the adduct can be analysed as a sum of those quantities of the component materials. The transition from the orthorhombic to the hexagonal form of the adduct with polyethylene is also investigated by X-ray diffraction and the pressure dependence of the lattice parameters is measured for the adducts. The results are compared with the phase transition in the pure paraffin.