Novel functional polymers: Poly(dimethylsiloxane)–polyamide multiblock copolymer. III. Synthesis and surface properties of disiloxane–aromatic polyamide multiblock copolymer

Disiloxane–aromatic polyamide(aramid) multiblock copolymers(2SiPASs) were synthesized using 1,3-bis(3-aminopropyl)-1,1,3,3-tetramethyldisiloxane(BATS) as an analog of aramidsilicone resin consisting of aromatic polyamide and poly(dimethylsiloxane) (PDMS). 2SiPASs afford a transparent and toughened plastic film. The surface properties of 2SiPAS were investigated by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (xps) and static contact angle measurement. The results of surface analysis suggested that BATS content of the 2SiPAS surface increased with increasing BATS content in bulk. The interaction between the platelets and the 2SiPAS surface was found to be very weak when the BATS content reached 26 wt % in bulk. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation of microporous polypropylene sheets containing CaCO3 filler: Effect of draft ratio

Microporous polypropylene sheets were prepared as follows. First, polypropylene pellet-containing CaCO₃ filler was extruded to prepare base sheets, which were then biaxially stretched. The draft effect at the extrusion process was studied in relation to some properties of the resultant microporous polypropylene sheets. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Superabsorbent poly(acrylic acid) complex

Acrylic acid and crosslinking agent [poly(ethylene glycol)-diacrylate or divinylbenzene] were copolymerized in benzene in the presence of layered sodium silicate (δ-Na₂Si₂O₅) powder. The resultant poly(acrylic acid) complex shows large water absorbability, for which dependency on crosslinking degree was investigated. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Microporous polypropylene fibers containing poly(methylsilsesquioxane) filler

Microporous polypropylene fibers were prepared by stretching polypropylene fibers containing poly(methylsilsesquioxane) filler. The properties of the resultant fibers are controllable by adjusting the filler content and stretching degree. The resultant fibers have a fine texture of polypropylene fibrils, in which the filler particles are dispersed. Some properties were investigated: tensile strength, elongation, Young's modulus, porosity, pore size, and specific surface area. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Nucleotide sequences of alcohol acetyltransferase genes from lager brewing yeast,Saccharomyces carlsbergensis

The nucleotide sequences of alcohol acetyltransferase genes isolated from lager brewing yeast, Saccharomyces carlsbergensis have been determined. S. carlsbergensis has one ATF1 gene and another homologous gene, the Lg-ATF1 gene. There was a high degree of homology between the amino acid sequences deduced for the ATF1 protein and the Lg-ATF1 protein (75·7%), but the N-terminal region has a relatively low degree of homology. Southern analysis and contour-clamped homogeneous electric field analysis of Saccharomyces strains suggest that the ATF1 gene is located on chromosome XV in S. cerevisiae and that the Lg-ATF1 gene might originate from the ‘non-S. cerevisiae’ genome of S. carlsbergensis, which is similar to that of S. bayanus and S. pastorianus. The nucleotide sequence data reported in this paper will appear in the DDBJ, EMBL and GenBank data banks with the Accession Numbers D63449 (ATF1) and D63450 (Lg-ATF1).     

单层网壳结构等效静风荷载分布估计

单层网壳对外荷载分布极为敏感,且稳定问题是其结构设计中的主要问题,因此风荷载分布的估计对其结构静力抗风分析非常重要。但目前常采用的等效静风荷载分布并不能有效反映其脉动分量对结构稳定性的可能不利影响。首先简单回顾了目前单层网壳抗风分析的方法,并介绍了一种基于风洞试验的有效风荷载分布估计方案。随后从稳定分析角度提出了一种新方法,可用来简单高效地估计单层网壳的有效风荷载分布,同时还可就风荷载的影响进行保守分析。最后,分别采用单层球面和柱面网壳作为算例,基于风洞试验结果,比较了不同估计方法在分析这类结构极限承载能力及稳定性问题时的效率,表明了所提出方法在单层网壳稳定分析中估计有效风荷载分布时的优点。     

Solvent- and Light-Sensitive AIEE-Active Azo Dye: From Spherical to 1D and 2D Assemblies

Fluorescent molecular assembly systems provide an exciting platform for creating stimuli-responsive nano- and microstructured materials with optical, electronic, and sensing functions. To understand the relationship between (i) the plausible molecular structures preferentially adopted depending on the solvent polarity (such as N,N-dimethylformamide [DMF], tetrahydrofuran [THF], and toluene), (ii) the resulting spectroscopic features, and (iii) self-assembled nano-, micro-, and macrostructures, we chose a sterically crowded triangular azo dye (3Bu) composed of a polar molecular core and three peripheral biphenyl wings. The chromophore changed the solution color from yellow to pink-red depending on the solvent polarity. In a yellow DMF solution, a considerable amount of the twisted azo form could be kept stable with the help of favorable intermolecular interactions with the solvent molecules. By varying the concentration of the DMF solution, the morphology of self-assembled structures was transformed from nanoparticles to micrometer-sized one-dimensional (1D) structures such as sticks and fibers. In a pink-red toluene solution, the periphery of the central ring became more planar. The resulting significant amount of the keto-hydrazone tautomer grew into micro- and millimeter-sized 1D structures. Interestingly, when THF-H₂O (1:1) mixtures were stored at a low temperature, elongated fibers were stacked sideways and eventually developed into anisotropic two-dimensional (2D) sheets. Notably, subsequent exposure of visible-light-irradiated sphere samples to solvent vapor resulted in reversible fluorescence off↔on switching accompanied by morphological restoration. These findings suggest that rational selection of organic dyes, solvents, and light is important for developing reusable fluorescent materials.     

加速器质谱测量129I方法的改进

在筑波大学的12UD串列加速器上开发了一套改进的129I加速器质谱(AMS)测量方法,包括在120°磁铁后安装了一副自行设计制作有静电偏转板,有效改善了对127I束流和129I计数的测量;采用97MoO2分子导航束稳定加速器端电压,加速器的端电压能稳定在几天内不超过0.1%,结合二次剥离,取得了满意的测量效果.用该方法测得AgI试剂样品的本底水平为7.83×10-13.对129I/127I比值范围为(4.92～0.28)×10-10的一系列样品的测量不确定度在7%以下,准确度较前有所提高.     

Direct Reprogramming and Induction of Human Dermal Fibroblasts to Differentiate into iPS-Derived Nucleus Pulposus-like Cells in 3D Culture

Intervertebral disc (IVD) diseases are common spinal disorders that cause neck or back pain in the presence or absence of an underlying neurological disorder. IVD diseases develop on the basis of degeneration, and there are no established treatments for degeneration. IVD diseases may therefore represent a candidate for the application of regenerative medicine, potentially employing normal human dermal fibroblasts (NHDFs) induced to differentiate into nucleus pulposus (NP) cells. Here, we used a three-dimensional culture system to demonstrate that ectopic expression of MYC, KLF4, NOTO, SOX5, SOX6, and SOX9 in NHDFs generated NP-like cells, detected using Safranin-O staining. Quantitative PCR, microarray analysis, and fluorescence-activated cell sorting revealed that the induced NP cells exhibited a fully differentiated phenotype. These findings may significantly contribute to the development of effective strategies for treating IVD diseases.     

Inhibitory effect of zinc on beta-hexosaminidase release from RBL-2H3 cells by synthetic chemicals

The effects of foods and chemicals related to food hygiene on degranulation were evaluated using a method for assaying the enzyme activity of beta-hexosaminidase as an index of chemical mediator release from RBL-2H3 cells in vitro. Using a previously developed assay system, we had found a large number of inhibitors and promoters of degranulation of RBL-2H3 cells. In the present study, we examined the inhibitory effect of zinc chloride on the degranulation (beta-hexosaminidase release) from RBL-2H3 cells with or without antigen in the presence of the degranulation-promotive chemicals, namely, 4 food additives, 7 pesticides and 2 veterinary drugs. These promotive chemicals were classified into two types on the basis of inhibitory profile by zinc chloride: 1) those which showed marked degranulation-inhibitory action when the cells were stimulated with antigen, such as butylhydroxyanisole, dibutylhydroxytoluene, EPN, cis- and trans-permethrin, prothiofos, pyridaben, terbufos, 2) those which showed marked degranulation-inhibitory action whether the cells were stimulated with antigen or not, such as butyl p-hydroxybenzoate, o-phenylphenol, bitertanol, salinomycin. In conclusion, zinc had a dramatic inhibitory effect on enhanced degranulation induced by synthetic chemicals in vitro.