Mid-infrared spectroscopic measurement of ionic dissociative materials in the metabolic pathway

We determine the pH dependency of the mid-infrared spectra in aqueous solution of the organic dissociative materials in the metabolic pathway: saccharide phosphates (G6P, F6P), adenosine, and its phosphates (ATP, ADP, AMP). The series of molar absorbance spectra for these reagents were obtained in a pH range of about 2 to 11 with a Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectrometer equipped with a horizontal diamond attenuated total reflection (ATR) sampling accessory. We also provide a method of infrared spectral extraction of ionic dissociative materials by performing a linear least-square fitting utilizing the formulas of ionic dissociation equilibrium shift, and we obtain the infrared spectrum of each ionic species of the dissociative materials: G6P-, G6P2-; F6P-, F6P2-; ATP2-, ATP3-, ATP4-; ADP-, ADP2-, ADP3-; AMP, AMP-, AMP2-; and adenosine+, adenosine0. The infrared spectral structure of each ionic species of the dissociative materials in the metabolic pathway are discussed. Additionally, the possibility for a quantification system of the concentrations of the organic dissociative materials in varying pH is suggested.     

Electrochemical protein chip with arrayed immunosensors with antibodies immobilized in a plasma-polymerized film

An electrochemical protein chip was microfabricated. A thin-film three-electrode system, including an array of 36 platinum working electrodes, a set of thin-film Ag/AgCl electrodes, and platinum auxiliary electrodes, was integrated on a glass substrate. Capture antibodies were immobilized in a 4.5-nm-thick double layer of a hexamethyldisiloxane plasma-polymerized film. Because of their highly cross-linked network structure, the capture antibodies could be firmly immobilized. No nonspecific adsorption was observed during a series of procedures to detect target proteins, and electrochemical cross talk between neighboring sites was negligible. The sandwich immunoassay was conducted on a single chip using model proteins, alpha-1-fetoprotein and beta2-microglobulin. A distinct current increase following the oxidation of hydrogen peroxide produced by the enzymatic reaction of glucose oxidase was observed, which indicates that the capture proteins could actually bind the target proteins. Two kinds of protein were detected independently on multiple sites with respective capture antibodies.     

Measurement of air turbulence for on-machine interferometry

There is increasing demand for in situ shape measurements performed on ultraprecision processing machines. One major source of error during interferometric measurements performed on machines is fringe displacement due to external disturbances. We have developed an interferometer equipped with an electro-optic phase modulator that measures the phase of interference fringes before they are displaced by air turbulence. The frequency characteristics of air turbulence induced by a heat source are derived from successive measurements of a test surface. Experimental results show that the phase of the interference fringes can be accurately measured in the presence of air turbulence when the intensity of the fringes is sampled at a speed of several hundred hertz.     

Gene expression within cell-sized lipid vesicles

Functional protein synthesis was observed in cell-sized lipid vesicles following encapsulation of a gene-expression system. Expression of rsGFP (red-shifted green fluorescent protein) within individual vesicles was observed by fluorescence microscopy. Interestingly, at the early stage of the reaction, the expression efficiency inside the vesicle was remarkably higher than that in the solution outside. The synthesized rsGFP in individual vesicles is safe from attack by proteinase K added to the external aqueous solution. Studies on cell-sized vesicles expressing protein should contribute to a fundamental understanding of certain aspects of living systems and will be useful for practical applications, such as the construction of microreactors.     

Ultrashort X-ray pulse generation using subpicosecond electron linac

As a promising tool for ultrafast material analyses, we propose to utilize the X-ray pulse which may be generated in a quite simple manner using subpicosecond electron linacs. The properties of the X-ray were numerically studied with the EGS4 code. Verification of the X-ray generation was also conducted at the Nuclear Engineering Research Laboratory (NERL) linac and clear diffraction patterns of characteristic X-ray were obtained for typical single crystals.     

Vortex Generation in Cyclically Coupled Superfluids and the Kibble-Zurek Mechanism

We study theoretically the generation of cyclic supercurrent among three superfluids coupled by the Josephson Junctions. Depending on the initial relative phases between superfluids, Josephson current flows cyclically through the superfluids to create a quantized vortex. Reducing the coupling strength changes the motion from periodic to chaotic, thus suppressing the cyclic current. Applying this result to the Kibble-Zurek mechanism, the probability of the vortex generation via this mechanism is modified from the simple estimate given by the geodesic rule. We compare our results with the Lancaster, Grenoble and Helsinki experiments.     

Macroscopic Quantum Tunneling of Two-Component Bose-Einstein Condensates

We show theoretically the existence of the metastable state and study the decay through the macroscopic quantum tunneling in two-component Bose-Einstein condensates. The numerical analysis of the coupled Gross-Pitaevskii equations clarifies the metastable states whose configuration preserves or breaks the symmetry of the trapping potential, depending on the interspecies interaction and the particle number. We calculate the tunneling decay rate of the metastable state by using the collective coordinate approximation and the bounce technique. It is found that the macroscopic quantum tunneling is observable in a wide range of the particle number.     

Interactive multiple objective linear programming system implemented on a microcomputer

Linear programming is one of the most widely used Operations Research/Management Science techniques. Recently, multiple objective decision making has been well established as a practical approach to seek a satisfactory solution to a decision making problem. Much attention has been focused on a microcomputer as an economical management tool.

In this paper we propose an interactive goal attainment method using the eigenvector algorithm for solving a multiple objective linear programming problem interactively on microcomputers. In the software package Micro-LPS based on the method proposed, we design a conversational and user-friendly system in which the user commands are involved.     

Chiral alkylated poly(m-phenylene)s: Optical activity and thermal stability of helical structures

Chiral poly[4,6-bis(alkylthio)-1,3-phenylene-alt-2-methyl-1,3-phenylene] was synthesized from 1,3-dibromo-2,6-bis(3-dodecyl-2-methylthio)benzene and 2-methyl-1,3-phenylenebis(pinacol borate) as a precursor of chiral poly(thiaheterohelicene). Circular dichroism (CD) spectra that arise from the poly(1,3-phenylene) backbone inverted according to the chirality of the side chains, which indicated that a helical conformation of the polymer was induced by the interaction between the side chains. The CD intensity of the polymer increased in non-polar solvents such as hexane. The decrease in the molar CD intensity and the broadening of a fluorescence band at higher concentrations suggested that the aggregation of the polymer suppressed the formation of the helical structure. The conformational changes were monitored by the CD and the ¹H NMR spectra at different temperatures. In a good solvent such as dichloromethane, the CD intensity increased, and the ¹H NMR signal of benzene protons shifted to lower fields at low temperatures. In hexane, the CD spectra and the ¹H NMR signals were less dependent on temperatures, as a result of the strong interaction between the chiral alkyl chains in the polymer to freeze the helical conformation.     

Enzymatic enrichment of arachidonic acid from Mortierella single-cell oil

An attempt was made to enrich arachidonic acid (AA) from Mortierella single-cell oil, which had an AA content of 25%. The first step involved the hydrolysis of the oil with Pseudomonas sp. lipase. A mixture of 2.5 g oil, 2.5 g water, and 4000 units (U) Pseudomonas lipase was incubated at 40°C for 40 h with stirring at 500 rpm. The hydrolysis was 90% complete after 40 h, and the resulting free fatty acids (FFA) were extracted with n-hexane (AA content, 25%; recovery of AA, 91%). The second step involved the selective esterification of the fatty acids with lauryl alcohol and Candida rugosa lipase. A mixture of 3.5 g fatty acids/lauryl alcohol (1:1, mol/mol), 1.5 g water, and 1000 U Candida lipase was incubated at 30°C for 16 h with stirring at 500 rpm. Under these conditions, 55% of the fatty acids were esterified, and the AA content in the FFA fraction was raised to 51% with a 92% yield. The long-chain saturated fatty acids in the FFA fraction were eliminated as urea adducts. This procedure raised the AA content to 63%. To further elevate the AA content, the fatty acids were esterified again in the same manner with Candida lipase. The repeated esterification raised the AA content to 75% with a recovery of 71% of its initial content.