Mannose‐Binding Geometry of Pradimicin A

Pradimicins (PRMs) and benanomicins are the only family of non‐peptidic natural products with lectin‐like properties, that is, they recognize D ‐mannopyranoside (Man) in the presence of Ca²⁺ ions. Coupled with their unique Man binding ability, they exhibit antifungal and anti‐HIV activities through binding to Man‐containing glycans of pathogens. Notwithstanding the great potential of PRMs as the lectin mimics and therapeutic leads, their molecular basis of Man recognition has yet to be established. Their aggregate‐forming propensity has impeded conventional interaction analysis in solution, and the analytical difficulty is exacerbated by the existence of two Man binding sites in PRMs. In this work, we investigated the geometry of the primary Man binding of PRM‐A, an original member of PRMs, by the recently developed analytical strategy using the solid aggregate composed of the 1:1 complex of PRM‐A and Man. Evaluation of intermolecular distances by solid‐state NMR spectroscopy revealed that the C2–C4 region of Man is in close contact with the primary binding site of PRM‐A, while the C1 and C6 positions of Man are relatively distant. The binding geometry was further validated by co‐precipitation experiments using deoxy‐Man derivatives, leading to the proposal that PRM‐A binds not only to terminal Man residues at the non‐reducing end of glycans, but also to internal 6‐substituted Man residues. The present study provides new insights into the molecular basis of Man recognition and glycan specificity of PRM‐A.     

Bit-rate Flexible Picosecond Pulse Width Conversion with All-optical Mono-stable Multivibrator Laser Diode

An optical mono-stable multivibrator laser diode (MM-LD) is realized by using a multi-electrode distributed feedback laser diode. All-optical pulse-width conversion of ultra-short pulses to non-return-to-zero (NRZ) is achieved using an MM-LD. The MM-LD is adopted for a wide range of bit-rates between 2-10 Gbit/s by tuning the DC bias. Data format transformation from 10-Gbit/s return-to-zero optical signals to NRZ optical-signals is achieved with error free operation. Converted optical signals, which have a narrower spectral bandwidth and lower peak power than when input, are transmitted using a 1.3-μm zero dispersion fiber (1.3Aλ₀-SMF).     

A highly efficient two-stage Er3+-doped optical fiberamplifier employing an optical gate to effectively reduce ASE

Highly efficient amplification of ultrashort optical pulses is demonstrated with a two-stage Er³⁺-doped optical fiber amplifier that includes an optical gate to efficiently reduce amplified spontaneous emission (ASE) generated from the first Er³⁺-doped fiber. A gain of 49 dB, an amplified peak power 0f 105 W, and 1.05 nJ pulse energy are achieved for 2-Mb/s, 10-ps pulses at a total pumping power of 90 mW from 1.48-μm LDs     

Ultrafast reflective optical Kerr demultiplexer using polarisation rotation mirror

A novel all-optical switching scheme in a reflective mode is proposed and its stable 60 Gbit/s operation at 1.307 mu m demonstrated. The scheme uses a 90 degrees polarisation rotation on reflection to compensate for birefringence phase turbulence in the Kerr media.<>     

Generalization of the second law for a transition between nonequilibrium states

The maximum work formulation of the second law of thermodynamics is generalized for a transition between nonequilibrium states. The relative entropy, the Kullback-Leibler divergence between the nonequilibrium states and the canonical distribution, determines the maximum ability to work. The difference between the final and the initial relative entropies with an effective temperature gives the maximum dissipative work for both adiabatic and isothermal processes. Our formulation reduces to both the Vaikuntanathan-Jarzynski relation and the nonequilibrium Clausius relation in certain situations. By applying our formulation to a heat engine the Carnot cycle is generalized to a circulation among nonequilibrium states.     

Spectrum-efficient and scalable elastic optical path network: architecture, benefits, and enabling technologies

The sustained growth of data traffic volume calls for an introduction of an efficient and scalable transport platform for links of 100 Gb/s and beyond in the future optical network. In this article, after briefly reviewing the existing major technology options, we propose a novel, spectrum- efficient, and scalable optical transport network architecture called SLICE. The SLICE architecture enables sub-wavelength, superwavelength, and multiple-rate data traffic accommodation in a highly spectrum-efficient manner, thereby providing a fractional bandwidth service. Dynamic bandwidth variation of elastic optical paths provides network operators with new business opportunities offering cost-effective and highly available connectivity services through time-dependent bandwidth sharing, energy-efficient network operation, and highly survivable restoration with bandwidth squeezing. We also discuss an optical orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing-based flexible-rate transponder and a bandwidth-variable wavelength cross-connect as the enabling technologies of SLICE concept. Finally, we present the performance evaluation and technical challenges that arise in this new network architecture.     

High-speed optical time-division-multiplexed signal generation

Recent progress in optical time-division-multiplexed (OTDM) signal generation technologies is reviewed. Optical pulse timing control, multiplexing using integrated lightwave circuits, and all-optical regularization are presented, and the possibility of over 100 Gbit/s OTDM signal generation is discussed.     

Over-1000-channel ultradense WDM transmission with supercontinuum multicarrier source

In this paper, ultradense wavelength-division multiplexing (WDM) transmission technologies are discussed, and a field demonstration of over-1000-channel ultradense WDM transmission is reported. The generation of an ultradense WDM signal using a supercontinuum multicarrier source that generates more than 1000 carriers and uniform precise channel spacing of 6.25 GHz is presented. The influence of four-wave-mixing generated in the transmission fiber and the requirements placed on the WDM multiplexer and demultiplexer is described. An over-1000-channel ultradense WDM transmission experiment is reported. A 1046 /spl times/ 2.67-Gbit/s 6.25-GHz-spaced ultradense WDM signal is successfully transmitted over 126 km of field-installed fibers in the test bed of JGN II.     

Synthesis and structural characterization of novel ruthenium(II) complexes featuring an N,N,O-scorpionate ligand: A versatile synthetic precursor for open-face scorpionatoruthenium(II) complexes

The syntheses and characterization of novel ruthenium(II) complexes containing bis(3,5-dimethylpyrazol-1-yl)acetato (bdmpza), a new class of scorpionate ligands, are reported herein. [RuCl(bdmpza)(η⁴-1,5-cyclooctadiene)] (1) was found to be a versatile precursor to synthesize a wide range of new ruthenium(II) complexes with the bdmpza ligand. The treatment of 1 with pyridine (py), diphenylphosphinoethane (dppe), 2,2′-bipyridyl (bpy), 1,10-phenanethroline (phen), or bispicolylamine (Hbpica) in refluxing N,N-dimethylformamide resulted in displacement of the 1,5-cyclooctadiene ligand to afford [RuCl(bdmpza)(py)₂] (2), [RuCl(bdmpza)(dppe)] (3), [RuCl(bdmpza)(bpy)] (4), [RuCl(bdmpza)(phen)] (5), and [Ru(bdmpza)(Hbpica)]Cl (6Cl) in good yields, respectively. The structures of 1–4, and 6 were determined by X-ray structure analyses.