Spatiotemporal Control of Polymorphic Phase Transition of Glycine Crystals by Three-Dimensional Femtosecond Laser Ablation Processing.

Spatiotemporal control of the polymorphic phase transition of glycine crystals was demonstrated by three-dimensional (3D) processing with a focused femtosecond laser pulse as an external stimulus. We found that the transition from a metastable form (β-form) to more stable ones (α- or γ-form) could be triggered from the irradiated area of not only the surface but also inside of glycine crystals. This 3D processing with a focused femtosecond laser pulse enabled us to precisely monitor the transition dynamics from a targeted position to the entire part of crystals.

x- and y-type thioredoxins maintain redox homeostasis on photosystem I acceptor side under fluctuating light.

Plants cope with sudden increases in light intensity through various photoprotective mechanisms. Redox regulation by thioredoxin (Trx) systems also contributes to this process. Whereas the functions of f- and m-type Trxs in response to such fluctuating light conditions have been extensively investigated, those of x- and y-type Trxs are largely unknown.

Evaluation of CBSX Proteins as Regulators of the Chloroplast Thioredoxin System.

The chloroplast-localized cystathionine β-synthase X (CBSX) proteins CBSX1 and CBSX2 have been proposed as modulators of thioredoxins (Trxs). In this study, the contribution of CBSX proteins to the redox regulation of thiol enzymes in the chloroplast Trx system was evaluated both and . The biochemical studies evaluated whether CBSX proteins alter the specificities of classical chloroplastic Trx and Trx for their target proteins.

High surface laser-induced damage threshold of SrBO single crystals under 266-nm (DUV) laser irradiation.

Under 266-nm (deep ultraviolet, DUV) laser irradiation, an SrBO (SBO) single crystal has been found to exhibit a surface laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of ∼ 16.4 J/cm, which is higher than those of a synthetic silica glass (4.8 J/cm) and a calcium fluoride (CaF) crystal (11.

Laser ablation for protein crystal nucleation and seeding.

With the recent development in pulsed lasers with ultrashort pulse widths or wavelengths, spatially precise, low-damage processing by femtosecond or deep-UV laser ablation has shown promise for the production of protein single crystals suitable for X-ray crystallography. Femtosecond laser processing of supersaturated solutions can shorten the protein nucleation period or can induce nucleation at low supersaturation, which improves the crystal quality of various proteins including membrane proteins and supra-complexes. In addition to nucleation, processing of protein crystals by femtosecond or deep-UV laser ablation can produce single crystalline micro- or macro-seeds without deterioration of crystal quality.

Approach for growth of high-quality and large protein crystals.

Three crystallization methods for growing large high-quality protein crystals, i.e. crystallization in the presence of a semi-solid agarose gel, top-seeded solution growth (TSSG) and a large-scale hanging-drop method, have previously been presented.

Biomagnification profiles of tributyltin (TBT) and triphenyltin (TPT) in Japanese coastal food webs elucidated by stable nitrogen isotope ratios.

The measurement of organotins in the various biotas of coastal food webs with stable nitrogen isotope ratios (delta(15)N), which increase 3.4 per thousand per trophic level, can provide a biomagnification profile of organotins through food web. In this study, various biological samples were collected from three localities in Western Japan between 2002 and 2003 for analyses.

Status of butyltin pollution along the coasts of western Japan in 2001, 11 years after partial restrictions on the usage of tributyltin.

Restrictions on the use of tributyltin (TBT) in aquaculture and on boats in coastal regions, except for ocean-going vessels, have been in place in Japan since 1990 due to the strong toxic effects of TBT on marine organisms. However, TBT pollution along the Japanese coasts has been reported after this legislation was enacted. In order to elucidate the present status of contamination by butyltin (BT) compounds, we measured the levels of BTs [monobutyltin (MBT), dibutyltin (DBT) and TBT] in seawater and Caprella spp.