Energy-band schemes of highly stable organic electroluminescent devices

Host-guest systems in organic electroluminescent (EL) devices have been studied. Organic EL cells doped with blue to red guest emitters were prepared and their characteristics and the energy bands of the materials were measured. A green EL cell doped with 2,3-quinacridone showed a maximum efficiency of 18.1 lm/W. A yellow EL cell doped with 5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene (rubrene) showed a maximum efficiency of 14.4 lm/W and a half-decay time of 25000 h from 130 cd/m/sup 2/. The energy-band schemes of those cells were analyzed and requirements for the scheme and a guest emitter are discussed.     

Induction of donor-specific ACAID can prolong orthotopic corneal allograft survival in "high-risk" eyes

PURPOSE: To examine the effect of donor-specific anterior chamber-associated immune deviation (ACAID) induction on the survival of orthotopic corneal allografts in neovascularized graft beds. METHODS: To induce donor-specific ACAID in recipients, peritoneal exudate cells (PEC) from C57BL/6 mice were incubated overnight with transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta. Cultured PEC were injected intravenously (i.v.) into BALB/c mice, and, 1 week later, these animals received orthotopic corneal allografts from C57BL/6 donors into neovascularized graft beds. Control mice received i.v. injection of syngeneic (BALB/c) PEC, cultured overnight with TGF-beta, and then received orthotopic corneal allografts from C57BL/6 donors. RESULTS: All corneal allografts (15 out of 15) were rejected within 2 weeks after grafting in the neovascularized graft beds of control animals. However, only 6 out of 16 (37.5%) of corneal allografts were rejected in recipients in which donor-specific ACAID had been induced by injection of allogeneic PEC cultured with TGF-beta. CONCLUSION: Previous studies revealed that rejection of orthotopic corneal allografts in neovascularized graft beds in mice correlated with acquisition of donor-specific delayed hypersensitivity (DH). The results of this study suggest that induction of donor-specific ACAID, which selectively impairs DH responses to donor antigens, effectively prolongs corneal allograft survival in "high-risk" eyes.     

Estimating leaf carotenoid contents of shade-grown tea using hyperspectral indices and PROSPECT–D inversion

Quantifying carotenoid contents has many applications in agriculture, ecology, and health science. Hyperspectral reflectance has been one of the promising tools for this purpose. However, previous studies were based on measurements under relatively low light–stress conditions. Therefore, assessing its robustness by using measurements under various levels of stress is required. In this study, the measurements of reflectance and carotenoid contents were carried out with four shading treatments including open–0%, 35%, 75%, and 90% shading to generate various chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios. Then the performances of 15 published hyperspectral indices and PROSPECT–D inversion were evaluated based on our data set for estimating leaf carotenoid contents. According to the ratio of performance to deviation, R_NIR/R₅₁₀, R₇₂₀/R₅₂₁–1, and PROSPECT–D inversion were applicable for this purpose, although calibration of the absorption coefficients was required for PROSPECT–D. Using them, root mean square percentage errors of 4.53–5.46% were achieved. Given that total chlorophyll/carotenoid ratios could be a good indicator for evaluating environmental stress in plants, PROSPECT–D, which also estimates total chlorophyll and anthocyanin contents, could be a strong tool for controlling the qualities of shade-grown tea.     

Dynamic epistemic logic of belief change in legal judgments

This study realizes belief/reliability change of a judge in a legal judgment by dynamic epistemic logic (DEL). A key feature of DEL is that possibilities in an agent’s belief can be represented by a Kripke model. This study addresses two difficulties in applying DEL to a legal case. First, since there are several methods for constructing a Kripke model, our question is how we can construct the model from a legal case. Second, since this study employs several dynamic operators, our question is how we can decide which operators are to be applied for belief/reliability change of a judge. In order to solve these difficulties, we have implemented a computer system which provides two functions. First, the system can generate a Kripke model from a legal case. Second, the system provides an inconsistency solving algorithm which can automatically perform several operations in order to reduce the effort needed to decide which operators are to be applied. By our implementation, the above questions can be adequately solved. With our analysis method, six legal cases are analyzed to demonstrate our implementation.     

An approach to the deep hydrodesulfurization of light cycle oil

Deep HDS of LCO to be <10 ppm was achieved by fractionating HDS. An LCO fraction having boiling point lower than 340 °C was easily hydrodesulfurized to be <10 ppmS under conventional HDS conditions because the hydrodesulfurization of the reactive sulfur species contained in the fraction was hardly inhibited by the aromatic compounds. In contrast, the heavier fraction was very hard to be hydrodesulfurized since its refractory sulfur species were strongly inhibited by large content of aromatic components. Dilution of the heavier fraction with common solvents showed higher reactivity over NiMo/Al₂O₃ catalyst than itself alone. Decalin, which showed the highest dilution effect, was believed to strip the strongly adsorbed aromatics off from the catalyst surface.     

A New Fluorogenic Probe for the Detection of endo‐β‐N‐Acetylglucosaminidase

We developed a fluorescence‐quenching‐based assay system to determine the hydrolysis activity of endo‐β‐N‐acetylglucosaminidases (ENGases). The pentasaccharide derivative 1 was labeled with an N‐methylanthraniloyl group as a reporter dye at the non‐reducing end and with a 2,4‐dinitrophenyl group as a quencher molecule at the reducing end. This derivative is hydrolyzed by ENGase, resulting in an increase in fluorescence intensity. Thus, the fluorescence signal is directly proportional to the amount of the tetrasaccharide derivative, hence allowing ENGase activity to be evaluated easily and quantitatively. Using this system, we succeeded in measuring the hydrolysis activities of ENGases and thus the inhibitory activities of known inhibitors. We confirmed that this assay system is suitable for high‐throughput screening for potential inhibitors of human ENGase that might serve as therapeutic agents for the treatment of N‐glycanase 1 (NGLY1) deficiency.     

Experimental and simulation study of undesirable short-period deformation in piezoelectric deformable x-ray mirrors

To construct adaptive x-ray focusing optics whose optical parameters can be varied while performing wavefront correction, ultraprecise piezoelectric deformable mirrors have been developed. We computationally and experimentally investigated undesirable short-period deformation caused by piezoelectric actuators adhered to the substrate during mirror deformation. Based on the results of finite element method analysis, shape measurements, and the observation of x-ray reflection images, a guideline is developed for designing deformable mirrors that do not have short-period deformation errors.     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">In Situ</Emphasis> Study of Reduction Process of CuO Paste and Its Effect on Bondability of Cu-to-Cu Joints

A bonding method utilizing redox reactions of metallic oxide microparticles achieves metal-to-metal bonding in air, which can be alternative to lead-rich high-melting point solder. However, it is known that the degree of the reduction of metallic oxide microparticles have an influence on the joint strength using this bonding method. In this paper, the reduction behavior of CuO paste and its effect on Cu-to-Cu joints were investigated through simultaneous microstructure-related x-ray diffraction and differential scanning calorimetry measurements. The CuO microparticles in the paste were gradually reduced to submicron Cu₂O particles at 210–250°C. Subsequently, Cu nanoparticles were generated instantaneously at 300–315°C. There was a marked difference in the strengths of the joints formed at 300°C and 350°C. Thus, the Cu nanoparticles play a critical role in sintering-based bonding using CuO paste. Furthermore, once the Cu nanoparticles have formed, the joint strength increases with higher bonding temperature (from 350°C to 500°C) and pressure (5–15 MPa), which can exceed the strength of Pb-5Sn solder at higher temperature and pressure.     

In aqua structuralization of a three-dimensional configuration using biomolecules

Ferritin nanoparticles ornamented with a Ti-binding peptide are versatile nanoscaled building blocks. Their specific binding ability is strong enough to position them on nanopatterned Ti regions on a Pt substrate. Furthermore, the peptides mineralization activity enables the formation of titania on the outer side of the particle, and the particle's inner nanospaces can serve as a carrier for inorganic nanodots. Making use of all these properties, here we show controlled in aqua fabrication of three-dimensional nanoscale structures. The X-Y positioning obeyed the specific binding of the peptide, while fabrication in the Z-dimension entailed stepwise formation of titania and ferritin layers by alternately applying the binding and mineralization abilities of the Ti-binding peptide. This method paves the way for in aqua fabrication of nanodevices having complicated structures and functions.