Computational dynamics method for evaluating the mobility of charged biomolecules passing through the electrical potential field within the ion selective channel on an excitable membrane

A mathematical method is introduced to characterize the electrokinetic behavior (electrophoresis) of a biomolecular particle which passes through a specific channel pore on an excitable biological membrane. The basic approach was first proposed by Booth (1950). The system was described by an equation of continuity and an equation of motion in which the driving force involves the diffusion effect, the hydrostatic pressure, and the electrostatic potential. By assuming linear relations between the velocity and the applied electrical field, solutions for the potential, pressure, and velocity were given by a series expansion of the charges on the particle. To examine the influence of ions surrounding the particle and forming an ionic cloud, the Debye–Huckel parameter was introduced. As the thickness of the double layer around the particle increased, the potential, velocity, pressure, and viscosity were changed significantly. The maximum influence was obtained when the radius of the particle became equal to the thickness of the double layer. Although this theory is valid for a charged, spherical, nonconducting particle only, the method is available for evaluating the kinetic behavior of a biomolecule that passes through a channel pore on a cellular membrane.This work was presented, in part, at the 8th International Symposium on Artificial Life and Robotics, Oita, Japan, January 24–26, 2003     

A novel spectroelectrochemical cell for in situ surface X-ray scattering measurements of single crystal disk electrodes

A newly designed spectroelectrochemical cell was constructed for surface X-ray scattering (SXS) to study single crystal electrodes. Electrochemical characteristics of a specific face of a single crystal electrode can be investigated in the meniscus mode, and SXS measurement can be easily carried out using the spectroelectrochemical cell. The usefulness of the present cell was demonstrated by studying the electrochemical deposition of thin Pd layers on Au(111) and Au(100) that require precise amounts of Pd deposits.     

Polymerization of organic compounds in an electrodeless glow discharge. XI. Pressure in glow discharge

The pressure of a steady-state flow of monomer, p₀, changes to a new steady-state flow pressure, p_g, in glow discharge. The value of p_g is dependent on the flow rate of monomer, the pumping-out rate of the vacuum system for the product gas (which is hydrogen in many cases of plasma polymerization of hydrocarbons), and the characteristic hydrogen yield of a monomer associated with plasma polymerization. The relationships between these factors were established and examined for plasma polymerizations of acetylene, ethylene, and acrylonitrile.     

Determination of captafol,cyhexatin, 1-naphthylacetic acid and quintozene in apple,Japanese pear and melon by simultaneous extraction

A simple and rapid method is described for the determination of the non-registered pesticides, captafol, quintozene (PCNB), cyhexatin and 1-naphthylacetic acid (NAA), in fruits. These pesticides were extracted with acidified acetone, then captafol and PCNB were purified with a Florisil mini column and analyzed by GC-ECD. Cyhexatin was ethylated with ethylmagnesium bromide, and the ethyl derivative was analyzed by GC-FPD (Sn filter). NAA was purified with liquid-liquid extraction and determined by HPLC equipped with a fluorescence detector. These analytes were identified with GC/MS or LC/MS. The minimum identified concentration of the pesticides was below 0.2 ng per injection, which corresponds to a detection limit of below 0.02 microgram/g in the original samples. Recoveries of the pesticides spiked at 0.1 microgram/g into apple, Japanese pear and melon were greater than 61%.     

Analysis and evaluations of logical instructions called in parallel digital optical operations based on optical array logic

The authors have analysed and evaluated a two-dimensional instruction set of parallel operation based on optical array logic (OAL), which is a digital optical computing paradigm, to clarify efficient composition of an optical computing system based on OAL. To evaluate parallel operation based on OAL, the author have introduced new indices and evaluated a logical instruction set of various parallel operations with the indices, so that a guideline for composing a simple and efficient OAL computing system is clarified. Also, the authors have proposed the reduced operation kernel set correlation technique to perform parallel operations more efficiently by a simple OAL computing system. It has been clarified that the technique can reduce the required hardware necessary for an OAL computing system for efficient general-purpose processing.     

Surface wetting phenomena of plasma polymer-coated sheets of poly(l-lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate)

Water-repellent surfaces were fabricated on blend sheets of poly(l-lactic acid)/poly(butylene succinate) with various blending ratios by the successive processing; (1) plasma etching, followed by (2) the hydrophobic plasma polymer coating. Rough morphology was formed effectively on the mosaic structured surface of blend sheets via the oxidative etching, and advanced water repellency was achieved after the thin membrane coating was synthesized with a hydrophobic plasma polymer coating by use of hexamethyldisiloxane or hexamethyldisilazane. High water repellency is expressed through the columnar hair-like structured model, where the air-water surface interaction in the voids is taken into account.     

Hypomagnesemia as a predictor of mortality in hemodialysis patients and the role of proton pump inhibitors: A cross‐sectional, 1‐year,retrospective cohort study

Introduction This study aimed to evaluate the association between proton pump inhibitor (PPI) use and serum magnesium levels, and the role of hypomagnesemia and PPI use as a risk factor for mortality in hemodialysis patients. Methods An observational study, including a cross‐sectional and 1‐year retrospective cohort study. The study comprised 399 hemodialysis patients at a single center, and was conducted from January to September 2014. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to investigate the independent relationship between serum magnesium levels and baseline demographic and clinical variables, including PPI and histamine‐2 receptor antagonist use. Cox regression model was used to identify lower serum magnesium level and PPI as a predictor of 1‐year mortality. Findings Serum magnesium levels were lower with PPI use than non‐PPI use (2.39 ± 0.36 vs. 2.56 ± 0.39 mg/dL, P < 0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that PPI use, low serum albumin levels, and low serum potassium and high‐sensitivity C‐reactive protein (hs‐CRP) levels were significantly associated with low serum magnesium levels. A total of 29 deaths occurred during the follow‐up period. According to Cox regression analysis stratified by hs‐CRP, only high serum hs‐CRP levels (>4.04 mg/L) in association with low serum magnesium levels was an independent risk factor for 1‐year mortality (hazard ratio: 2.92; 95% CI: 1.53–6.40, P < 0.001). Discussion Serum magnesium levels are lower in PPI use. In the inflammatory state, a low serum magnesium level is a significant predictor of mortality in hemodialysis patients.     

Organometallic Bonding in an Ullmann‐Type On‐Surface Chemical Reaction Studied by High‐Resolution Atomic Force Microscopy

The on‐surface Ullmann‐type chemical reaction synthesizes polymers by linking carbons of adjacent molecules on solid surfaces. Although an organometallic compound is recently identified as the reaction intermediate, little is known about the detailed structure of the bonded organometallic species and its influence on the molecule and the reaction. Herein atomic force microscopy at low temperature is used to study the reaction with 3,9‐diiododinaphtho[2,3‐b:2′,3′‐d]thiophene (I‐DNT‐VW), which is polymerized on Ag(111) in vacuum. Thermally sublimated I‐DNT‐VW picks up a Ag surface atom, forming a C? Ag bond at one end after removing an iodine. The C? Ag bond is usually short‐lived, and a C? Ag? C organometallic bond immediately forms with an adjacent molecule. The existence of the bonded Ag atoms strongly affects the bending angle and adsorption height of the molecular unit. Density functional theory calculations reveal the bending mechanism, which reveals that charge from the terminus of the molecule is transferred via the Ag atom into the organometallic bond and strengths the local adsorption to the substrate. Such deformations vanish when the Ag atoms are removed by annealing and C? C bonds are established.     

Passive piezoelectric single-side MEMS DC current sensor with five parallel PZT plates applicable to two-wire DC electric appliances without using cord separator

A passive (power-less), non-contact macro-scale piezoelectric bimorph DC current sensor to satisfy the increasing needs of DC power supply for monitoring the electricity consumption by either one-wire or two-wire appliance cord was proposed at our laboratory previously. In present study however, a MEMS-scale piezoelectric single-side DC current sensor, comprised of five parallel PZT plates, was further proposed and micro-fabricated for preliminarily examination. A micro magnet was fixed by manipulator onto the PZT cantilever tip to the theoretically pinpointed position of the center plate. Different from the results of the macro-scale piezoelectric bimorph DC current sensor, impulsive piezoelectric output voltages accompanying with a gradual decrease in decay were detected when the applied DC electric current was varied from 0.5 to 2.5 A. A linear relationship between the detected peak value of the impulse output voltage and the applied DC electric current was also obtained but with a higher slope compared to the result of the macro-scale piezoelectric bimorph DC current sensor.