Semiconductor laser output modulated in GHz frequency region observed by image tube streak camera

The image tube streak camera was applied to the observation of fast modulated continuous light signals. Intensity modulation of a semiconductor laser was observed up to 5 GHz.     

Chemical Analysis and Comparison of Acid Components of Anal Secretions of Idolothripine Thrips

Anal secretions of 17 species in nine genera of the subfamily Idolothripinae were analzyed by TLC, GC, and GC-MS. From all species, juglone and two or more carboxylic acids with carbon numbers ranging from 10 to 14 were detected; the exception was Gastrothrips sp., from which none was detected. Twelve carboxylic acids were found, of which decanoic acid, (E)-4-decenoic acid, and (Z)-5-tetradecenoic acid were widely found, and acid ingredients were fairly species-specific. The Gastrothrips sp. was the only exception, and it had no secretion components among the tubuliferan species so far analyzed. Juglone is thought to be a potent defensive allomone, and roles of the carboxylic acids are discussed.     

Heat transfer performance of a flexible looped heat pipe using R134a as a working fluid: Proposal for a method to predict the maximum heat transfer rate of FLHP

This paper presents the heat transfer performance of a Flexible Looped Heat Pipe (FLHP) using R134a as a working fluid. In our evaluation system, an evaporator and a condenser are connected by long flexible tubes with a diameter of 3 mm, and the total piping length of this looped heat pipe system is approximately 7500 mm. We selected porous Teflon with an effective pore diameter of 2r_cw = 1.2 µm to overcome high gravitational heads. Elevation of the evaporator above the condenser ΔH = H_e ? H_c) was changed in three conditions [ Top heat mode (ΔH = +1 m), Horizontal mode (ΔH = 0), Bottom heat mode (ΔH = ?1 m)] considering the terrestrial application and the influence of gravity on the FLHP performance was investigated. FLHP provided high thermal transport capacities over long distances through small cross‐sectional flexible tubes compared with conventional heat pipes. We also proposed an analysis method to predict the maximum heat transfer rate of FLHP. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Heat Trans Asian Res, 32(4): 306–318, 2003; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/htj.10093     

Effects of electric field stimulation timing on calcium dynamics of cultured cardiomyocytes

In this article, in order to propose the effective and low‐intensity stimulation method for cardiomyocyte, electric field stimulation was applied to cultured cardiomyocytes, and its responses were recorded and analyzed in term of applied timing by calcium imaging. As a result, we confirmed that electric field stimulation after peak of calcium transients (late‐phase stimulation) lengthened the full width at third maximum of calcium transient cycles temporarily. By optimizing the applied timing, electric field stimulation would be more effective method for controlling cardiomyocyte dynamics. © 2013 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Simultaneous four-color imaging of single molecule fluorophores using dichroic mirrors and four charge-coupled devices

We developed a total-internal-reflection (TIR) fluorescence microscopy using three dichroic mirrors and four charge-coupled devices (CCDs) to detect simultaneously four colors of single-molecule (SM) fluorophores. Four spectrally distinct species of fluorophores (Alexa 488, Cy3, Cy5, or Cy5.5) were each immobilized on a different fused silica slide. A species of fluorophores on the slide was irradiated simultaneously, by two excitation beams from an Ar ion laser (488 and 514.5 nm) and a diode laser (642 nm) through TIR on the slide surface. Fluorescence emitted from the fluorophores was spectrally resolved into four components by the dichroic mirrors, and four images were generated from them simultaneously and continuously, with the four CCDs at a rate of 10 Hz. A series of images was thus obtained with each CCD. Fluorescence spots for a species were observed mainly in the series of images recorded by its respective-color CCD. In the first image in the series, we picked out the spots as continuous pixel regions that had the values greater than a threshold. Then we selected only those spots that exhibited single-step photobleaching and regarded them as SM fluorescence spots. Pixel values of SM fluorescence spots widely differed. Some SM fluorophores had pixel values smaller than the threshold, and were left unpicked. Assuming the pixel values of SM fluorescence spots differed with a Gaussian profile, we estimated the ratios of unpicked fluorophores to be less than 20% for all the species. Because of the spectral overlaps between species, we also observed cross-talk spots into CCDs other than the respective-color CCDs. These cross-talk SM fluorescence spots can be mistaken for correct species. We thus introduced the classification method and classified SM fluorescence spots into correct species in accordance with two kinds of four-dimensional signal vectors. The error rates of fluorophore classification were estimated to be less than 3.2% for all the species. Our system is suitable for the biological studies that desire to simultaneously monitor the four colors of SM fluorophores.     

Adsorption and desorption properties of grafted polyethylene films modified with polyethylenimine chains

The chelating membranes for adsorption of metal ions were prepared by the bonding of linear and branched polyethylenimines (LPEI and BPEI) on the glycidyl methacrylate (GMA) photografted porous polyethylene (pPE) (pPE‐g‐PGMA) films. The adsorption and desorption properties of LPEI and BPEI‐bonded pPE‐g‐PGMA (LPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) and (BPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA)) films to Cu²⁺ ions were investigated as a function of the grafted amount, amount of bonded PEI, molecular mass of PEI, pH value, and temperature. The amounts of LPEI and BPEI bonded to the pPE‐g‐PGMA films increased over the reaction time, and the bonding of LPEI and BPEI offered the water‐absorptivity to the pPE‐g‐PGMA films. The amount of adsorbed Cu²⁺ ions at pH 5.0 had the maximum value at the grafted amount of 10 mmol/g for the (LDPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) and (BPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) films with a constant amount of bonded PEI. The amount of adsorbed Cu²⁺ ions for the LPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) films was higher than that for the BPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) films. The amount of Cu²⁺ ions desorbed from the LPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) and BPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) films increased with an increase in the HCl concentration. The quantities of Cu²⁺ ions of about 100% were desorbed in the aqueous HCl solutions of more than 0.1M for the LPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) films and more than 0.05M for the BPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) films. The amounts of adsorbed Cu²⁺ ions were almost the same in each adsorption process at pH 5.0. This indicates that the LPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) and BPEI‐(pPE‐g‐PGMA) films can be applied to a repeatedly generative chelating membrane for adsorption and desorption of metal ions. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 102: 5965–5976, 2006     

Synthesis and biological evaluation of boronic acid containing cis-stilbenes as apoptotic tubulin polymerization inhibitors

A series of boronic acid containing cis-stilbenes as potent inhibitors of tubulin polymerization was synthesized by the introduction of boronic acid as an acceptor-type functional group into the aromatic ring B of the combretastatin framework. High cell-growth inhibition was observed with boron compounds 13 c and 13 d, in which a hydroxy group on the aromatic ring B of combretastatin A-4 was replaced with boronic acid; IC50 values toward B-16 and 1-87 cell lines are 0.48-2.1 microM. Compounds 13 c and 13 d exhibited significant inhibitory activity toward tubulin polymerization (IC50=21-22 microM). The carboxylic acid derivative 17, which can be considered as a mimic of boronic acid 13 c, did not show significant inhibition of cell growth or tubulin polymerization. According to the FACScan analysis using Jurkat cells, apoptosis was induced after incubation for 8 h with 13 c at a concentration of >10(-8) M. Growth inhibitory experiments against a panel of 39 human cancer cell lines revealed 13 c to inhibit growth differently than combretastatin A-4; the correlation coefficient (r) between the two compounds was 0.553 in the COMPARE analysis.     

Mitigation technologies for damage induced by pressure waves in high-power mercury spallation neutron sources (IV) – measurement of pressure wave response and microbubble effect on mitigation in mercury target at J-PARC –

A mercury target system to produce neutron beams has been operated at the spallation neutron source in the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex (J-PARC). Pressure waves are generated in mercury by rapid heat generation due to bombardment by high-intensity short-pulse proton beams. The pressure waves not only cause cyclic stress but also induce the cavitation damage on the target vessel. Reduction of these pressure waves is important from the viewpoint of extending the lifetime of the target vessel in future power-up operations. The injection of microbubbles into mercury is effective for reducing pressure waves. Accordingly, a microbubble generator was installed in the mercury target vessel and an in situ diagnostic system that measures the displacement velocity of the target vessel induced by the pressure waves was also set up in J-PARC to investigate the effect of proton beam condition and the effect of the microbubbles. Consequently, we found that the peak displacement velocity of the target vessel decreased owing to microbubble injection. The ratios of the peaks obtained with bubble injection to that without bubble injection were 1/3 and 2/3 when the injected gas fractions were 0.4% and 0.1%, respectively.     

Quantification of the passive mechanical properties of the resting platelet

Sudden coronary artery occlusion is one of the leading causes of death. Several in vitro models have been used to study the relationship between hemodynamic forces and platelet function. However, very few in vivo studies exist that fully explore this relationship due to the lack of rheologic data for the platelet. For this purpose, micropipette aspiration techniques were used in the present study to determine the mechanical properties of platelets. The data were analyzed by two mathematical models: (1) an erythrocyte-type membrane model which yielded a platelet shear modulus of 0.03+/-0.01 dyn cm[-1] (mean+/-SD) and a viscous modulus of 0.12+/-0.04 dyn s cm[-1]. (2) An endothelial-type cell model which approximated the platelet Young's modulus to be 1.7+/-0.6 x 10(3) dyn cm(-2) with a viscous modulus of 1.0+/-0.5 x 10(4) dyn s cm(-2). The endothelial-type cell model more accurately describes the mechanics occurring at the micropipette tip and permits more appropriate assumptions to be made in quantifying the rheologic properties of a platelet. Results from this study can be integrated into numerical models of blood flow in stenosed coronary arteries to elucidate the impact of local hemodynamics on platelets and thrombus formation in coronary artery disease.     

Stress Relaxation of Polycrystalline Ceramics with Grain-Boundary Sliding and Grain Interlocking

The stress relaxation of two-phase polycrystalline ceramics has been examined. A two-dimensional array of elastic hexagonal grains embedded in a contiguous fluid has been used as a model for grain-boundary sliding and grain interlocking. The viscoelastic constitutive equation, in a phenomenological sense, is of a nonlinear Maxwell type; the model is composed of a strain-dependent dashpot and an elastic spring connected in series. The squeezing-in/out processes and mechanisms of grain-boundary fluid essentially result in the rheological nonlinearity. The experimental results in stress-relaxation tests of a β-spodumene glass-ceramic under simple shear are characterized from the standpoint of the nonlinear constitutive equation. It is emphasized that the stress-relaxation test is one of the important test techniques that enables one to study quantitatively the rheological behavior of polycrystalline ceramics with grain-boundary sliding and grain interlocking without any of the difficulties and ambiguities that are accompanied by stress-induced grain-boundary cavities, which so often appear in conventional creep tests.