Synthetic caged DAG-lactones for photochemically controlled activation of protein kinase C

Switching on kinases: Synthetic caged DAG-lactones have been developed and showed decreases of two orders of magnitude, relative to the corresponding parent compounds, in their binding affinities towards PKC. The caged compounds had no effect on the translocation of PKC until after photoactivation. This approach is a potentially powerful tool for probing the PKC signaling cascade.     

A background EEG removal method combining PCA with multivariate empirical mode decomposition for event‐related potential measurements

The event‐related potential (ERP) is a neural response to an internal or external event, and can be obtained by averaging time‐locked scalp potentials. The ERP measured in a single trial often has a low signal‐to‐noise ratio (SNR) because of the relatively large background due to the rhythmic electroencephalogram (EEG) noise. This paper proposes a novel method to enhance ERPs by combining principal component analysis (PCA) with multivariate empirical mode decomposition (M‐EMD). EMD is a data‐driven time–frequency analysis of nonlinear and nonstationary signals, and M‐EMD is its multivariate extension. In the proposed method, PCA reduces the data dimensions, while M‐EMD removes the relatively large background EEGs. The performance of the method is evaluated with simulated and measured P300 ERP components obtained from a visual oddball experiment. The results demonstrate that the proposed method can substantially reduce the background EEGs and improve the SNR of P300s. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Electrochemical performance of all-solid-state lithium secondary batteries with Li-Ni-Co-Mn oxide positive electrodes

LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ was applied as a promising material to the all-solid-state lithium cells using the 80Li₂S·19P₂S₅·1P₂O₅ (mol%) solid electrolyte. The cell showed the first discharge capacity of 115 mAh g⁻¹ at the current density of 0.064 mA cm⁻² and retained the reversible capacity of 110 mAh g⁻¹ after 10 cycles. The interfacial resistance was observed in the impedance spectrum of the all-solid-state cell charged to 4.4 V (vs. Li) and the transition metal elements were detected on the solid electrolyte in the vicinity of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ by the TEM observations with EDX analyses. The electrochemical performance was improved by the coating of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ particles with Li₄Ti₅O₁₂ film. The interfacial resistance was decreased and the discharge capacity was increased from 63 to 83 mAh g⁻¹ at 1.3 mA cm⁻² by the coating. The electrochemical performance of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ was compared with that of LiCoO₂, LiMn₂O₄ and LiNiO₂ in the all-solid-state cells. The rate capability of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ was lower than that of LiCoO₂. However, the reversible capacity of LiNi_1/3Co_1/3Mn_1/3O₂ at 0.064 mA cm⁻² was larger than that of LiCoO₂, LiMn₂O₄ and LiNiO₂.     

Simple atmospheric transmittance calculation based on a Fourier-transformed Voigt profile

A method of line-by-line transmission calculation for a homogeneous atmospheric layer that uses the Fourier-transformed Voigt profile is presented. The method is based on a pure Voigt function with no approximation and an interference term that takes into account the line-mixing effect. One can use the method to calculate transmittance, considering each line shape as it is affected by temperature and pressure, with a line database with an arbitrary wave-number range and resolution. To show that the method is feasible for practical model development, we compared the calculated transmittance with that obtained with a conventional model, and good consistency was observed.     

Synthesis of longitudinal coherence functions by spatial modulation of an extended light source: a new interpretation and experimental verifications

Giving a new physical interpretation to the principle of longitudinal coherence control, we propose an improved method for synthesizing a spatial coherence function along the longitudinal axis of light propagation. By controlling the irradiance of an extended quasi-monochromatic spatially incoherent source with a spatial light modulator, we generated a special optical field that exhibits high coherence selectively for a specific pair of points at specified locations along the axis of beam propagation. This function of longitudinal coherence control provides new possibilities for dispersion-free measurements in optical tomography and profilometry. A quantitative experimental proof of principle is presented.     

Compatibility of U-67590A Sterile Solution with Normal Saline, Dextrose Solution, and Solita-T No. 3 with or without Aminophylline Injectable

The compatibility of U-67590A sterile solution (SS) with three drip fluids (normal saline, 5% dextrose solution, and Solita-T No. 3) and Neophylline^R (an aminophylline injectable) was studied. The entire volume of U-67590A SS in an ampoule was transferred into each of the drip fluid containers (500 mL fill). The container was laid under fluorescent light (ca. 1,200 lux) at room temperature. The physical appearance (color and precipitates), pH, U-67590A concentration, and degradation impurity levels were examined for 24 hr. The chemical and physical stability of U-67590A in these drip fluids was adequate enough so that any one of the three can be used for U-67590A administration. However, the stability was reduced when aminophylline co-existed in the admixtures because of increased pH levels. In this case, the stability depended on the strength of U-67590A SS added and the drip fluid used. In terms of chemical stability, Solita-T No. 3 was most favorable when admixed with aminophylline injectable. The fastest degradation was observed in normal saline containing aminophylline. This instability was caused by the higher ionic strength. Dextrose did not seem to affect the stability of U-67590A significantly. The Solita-T No. 3 admixture had the lowest pH, thereby overcoming the negative effect of ionic strength and giving the highest stability among the three admixtures. The stability of U-67590A in direct admixture with Neophylline^R also depended on the strength of U-67590A; the stability increased with strength of U-67590A.