Synthesis of Phosphine Chalcogenides Using Tetrabutylammonium Chalcogenocyanates.

The new chalcogenylation of phosphines using BuN‧XCN (X = S, Se) is described. The reaction in 1,2-dichloroethane at 120 °C provided the corresponding phosphine sulfides in good to high yields. The protocol could be extended to the synthesis of phosphinic acid derivatives as well as sulfurization of poly(styrene-co-4-styryldiphenylphosphine).

Relationship between Mortality and Oral Function of Older People Requiring Long-Term Care in Rural Areas of Japan: A Four-Year Prospective Cohort Study.

Oral ingestion influences the life sustenance, quality of life, and dignity of older adults. Thus, it is an important issue in medical care and the welfare of older adults. The purpose of this four-year prospective cohort study was to investigate the relationship between mortality and oral function among older adults who required long-term care and were living in different settings in a rural area of Japan.

Optimizing the Interdomain Spacing in Alicyclic Polythiourea toward High-Energy-Storable Dielectric Material.

Organic dielectric materials have been widely developed and investigated for energy storage capacitors. However, challenges remain in terms of the relatively low dielectric constant and energy density. Enhancing the dipolar polarization to increase the dielectric constant is considered to be an effective way to improve the energy density of polymer dielectrics.

How to Install TEMPO in Dielectric Polymers-Their Rational Design toward Energy-Storable Materials.

Polar groups and the charge-transport capability play significant roles in the dielectric properties of organic polymers, and thus influence the electric energy density upon application as a capacitor material. Here, the dielectric properties and electric conductivity of a series of polymers containing 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-1-oxyl (TEMPO) radicals are investigated. The neat radical polymer poly(TEMPO methacrylate) (PTMA) has a high dielectric constant but poor breakdown strength.

Ambient-Light-Promoted Three-Component Annulation: Synthesis of Perfluoroalkylated Pyrimidines.

An ambient-light-promoted and metal-free three-component reaction of active methylene compounds, perfluoroalkyl iodides, and guanidines/amidines is reported. This constitutes a powerful method to prepare perfluoroalkylated pyrimidines with mild reaction conditions, broad substrate scope, excellent functional group tolerance, and simple operation. A radical/polar mechanism involving the formation of a halogen-bond adduct and radical cross-coupling is proposed.

Quantifying TEMPO Redox Polymer Charge Transport toward the Organic Radical Battery.

To design new and better organic active battery materials in a rational fashion, fundamental parameters of the charge transport must be studied. Herein we report on the electronic conductivity by electron diffusion in a TEMPO-containing redox polymer, and the reorganization energy of the TEMPO self-exchange in an organic solvent is determined for the first time. The electronic conductivity was 8.

MyoD is regulated by the miR-29a-Tet1 pathway in C2C12 myoblast cells.

Skeletal myogenesis is regulated by a considerable number of microRNAs (miRNAs). miRNA regulatory networks are complicated, and details of how they operate remain unclear. In this study, MTT assays confirmed that miR-29a is the most effective miR-29 paralog.

Macromol. Rapid Commun. 1/2016.

Back Cover: RAFT polymerization yields reactive block copolymers bearing the pentafluorophenyl ester (PFPA) group, and subsequent Click amidation using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl- (TEMPO-) and imidazolium-functionalized primary amines produces the corresponding functional block copolymers, leading to installation of statistical radical and ionic- sites into the PFPA segment. The monolayered thin film devices fabricated using the obtained block copolymers exhibit repeatable switching (memory) characteristic of electric conductivity (on/off ratio > 103) under a bias voltage. Further details can be found in the article by T.

Unraveling Inter- and Intrachain Electronics in Polythiophene Assemblies Mediated by Coordination Nanospaces.

Strong interchain interactions render unsubstituted polythiophene un-fusible, non-melting, and insoluble. Therefore, control of the packing structure, which has a profound effect on the optical and electronic properties of the polymer, has never been achieved. Unsubstituted polythiophene was prepared in the one-dimensional channels of [La(1,3,5-benzenetrisbenzoate)]n, where polymer chains form unprecedented assembly structures mediated by the host framework.

"Click" Incorporation of Radical/Ionic Sites into a Reactive Block Copolymer: A Facile and On-Demand Domain Functionalization Approach toward Organic Resistive Memory.

Reversible addition-fragmentation chain transfer polymerization yields reactive block copolymers bearing the pentafluorophenyl ester (PFPA) group, and subsequent Click amidation using 2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine-N-oxyl- and imidazolium-functionalized primary amines produces the corresponding functional block copolymers, leading to installation of statistical radical- and ionic sites into the PFPA segment. The monolayered thin film devices fabricated using the obtained block copolymers exhibit repeatable switching of electric conductivity (on/off ratio > 10 ) under a bias voltage, which reveals that the coexistence of radicals and ions in the same spherical domain of the copolymer layer is a prerequisite for repeatable switching memory.

Ionic Liquid-Triggered Redox Molecule Placement in Block Copolymer Nanotemplates toward an Organic Resistive Memory.

The integration of functional components such as metal nanoparticles, metal salts, or ionic liquids with well-defined block copolymer (BCP) nanotemplates via noncovalent bond interactions has afforded hybrid functional materials. Here, we designed an ionic liquid (IL)-functionalized redox-active TEMPO (2,2,6,6-tetramethylpiperidine--oxy) radical (), investigated phase-selective incorporation/placement into BCP nanostructured matrices, and established a rational approach to functionalize BCP templates. On-demand domain functionalization of poly(styrene--ethylene oxide) (PS--PEO) was triggered by ion-ionophore interaction, as verified by the suppression of PEO melting transition in DSC, and the swelling behavior of the PEO spherical domain in AFM, TEM, and X-ray scattering characterizations.

Factors associated with older adults' need for oral hygiene management by dental professionals.

Aim: The aim of the present study was to assess the need for oral hygiene management by dental professionals among older adults requiring long-term care, and to collect basic data for building a dental treatment framework on a regional level. Although healthcare providers are aware of the importance of oral care for older adults requiring long-term care, reports claim that the provision of oral care is insufficient, and a framework is being built for the provision of oral hygiene management by dental professionals.

Methods: A survey on lifestyle and oral health was carried out on 372 older adults requiring long-term care in one town in Japan.

Synthesis of Pendant Radical- and Ion-Containing Block Copolymers via Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization for Organic Resistive Memory.

Ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) using Grubbs third-generation catalyst directly yielded a norbornene-based polymer bearing robust redox-active radicals without any protection. Successive addition of imidazolium-containing norbornene in a one-pot reaction during ROMP produced pendant radical- and ion-containing block copolymers. The diode-structured thin-film devices fabricated with the obtained block polymers that had morphologies of spheres, lamellae, and inverse spheres exhibited conductive switching (write-once read-many-times, WORM) under a bias voltage, which revealed the dominant effect of the location of radicals and ions in the microphase-segregated domains on memory characteristics.

Age-related changes in rat genioglossus, geniohyoid and masseter muscles.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to elucidate age-related changes from adult to middle age in the contractile properties of the masseter, genioglossus and geniohyoid muscles of the rat.

Materials And Methods: We analysed the expressions of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) mRNAs and proteins as indicators of the contractile properties in these muscles obtained from rats at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months of age using real-time PCR and SDS-PAGE.

Results: We found no marked age-related changes in the expressions of MyHC mRNAs and proteins in rat masseter and geniohyoid muscles, suggesting that the biological ageing process does not affect contractile properties in these muscles.

IGF and myostatin pathways are respectively induced during the earlier and the later stages of skeletal muscle hypertrophy induced by clenbuterol, a β₂-adrenergic agonist.

Clenbuterol, a β₂-adrenergic agonist, increases the hypertrophy of skeletal muscle. Insulin-like growth factor (IGF) is reported to work as a potent positive regulator in the clenbuterol-induced hypertrophy of skeletal muscles. However, the precise regulatory mechanism for the hypertrophy of skeletal muscle induced by clenbuterol is unknown.

Morphology-driven modulation of charge transport in radical/ion-containing, self-assembled block copolymer platform.

A TEMPO-substituted ionic liquid was selectively incorporated into well-defined, self-assembled block copolymer templates, which served as an active layer for organic nonvolatile memory. Phase structures (sphere, cylinder, and lamellae) and their orientation modulated the resistive switching behavior, which demonstrated the unprecedented, morphology-driven charge transport in the organic electronic devices.

Changes in triacylglycerol-accumulated fiber type, fiber type composition, and biogenesis in the mitochondria of the soleus muscle in obese rats.

Little is known about the effects of obesity on skeletal muscle consisting of approximately 80% type I (slow) fibers, such as that in the soleus muscle, although type I fibers have an enhanced capacity for mitochondrial respiration and fatty acid oxidation. We investigated the effects of obesity on the soleus muscle in the rat. Rats were fed a high-fat diet (protein:fat:carbohydrate = 20:57:23; 508 kcal/100 g) or a control diet (protein:fat:carbohydrate = 20:10:70; 366 kcal/100 g) for 10 weeks.

Bone morphogenetic protein-2 functions as a negative regulator in the differentiation of myoblasts, but not as an inducer for the formations of cartilage and bone in mouse embryonic tongue.

Background: In vitro studies using the myogenic cell line C2C12 demonstrate that bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) converts the developmental pathway of C2C12 from a myogenic cell lineage to an osteoblastic cell lineage. Further, in vivo studies using null mutation mice demonstrate that BMPs inhibit the specification of the developmental fate of myogenic progenitor cells. However, the roles of BMPs in the phases of differentiation and maturation in skeletal muscles have yet to be determined.

Autophagic-lysosomal pathway functions in the masseter and tongue muscles in the klotho mouse, a mouse model for aging.

Klotho mutant (kl/kl) mice, a type of short-lived mouse models, display several aging-related phenotypes. To investigate whether the atrophy of skeletal muscles is induced in these mice via activation of the ubiquitin-proteasomal pathway and/or the autophagic-lysosomal pathway through an alteration of insulin/IGF-I signaling, we analyzed the activity of the two pathways for protein degradation and components of the insulin/IGF signaling pathway in their skeletal muscles. The masseter, tongue, and gastrocnemius muscles in kl/kl showed marked reductions in muscle weight and in myofiber diameter compared with +/+.

BMP-2 regulates the formation of oral sulcus in mouse tongue by altering the balance between TIMP-1 and MMP-13.

The aim of this study is to investigate whether BMP-2 regulates the oral sulcus formation of mouse embryonic tongue by modifying the expression of TIMP and MMP. The BMP-2 siRNA induced a 180% increase in the depth of oral sulcus cavity (P < 0.01) by stimulating the invagination of oral sulcus into the mesenchymal tissues consisting of tongue floor, whereas the recombinant BMP-2 suppressed the process in the organ culture system of mouse embryonic tongue.

TGFbeta3 is expressed in differentiating muscle of the embryonic mouse tongue.

The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the involvement of transforming growth factor betas (TGFbetas) in the differentiation of tongue striated muscles by analyzing the expression of TGFbetas, their receptors and factors of TGFbeta signal transduction in the mouse tongue between embryonic days 11 (E11) and E15. The expression levels of TGFbeta3 mRNA and protein were much higher than those of TGFbeta1 and TGFbeta2, and the immunolocalization of TGFbeta3 was more consistent with the differentiating muscle cells in comparison with those of TGFbeta1 and 2 between E12 and E15. TGFbetaRI and II were localized to the differentiating muscle cells between E11 and E15.

Photocrosslinked nitroxide polymer cathode-active materials for application in an organic-based paper battery.

A nitroxide radical functional polymer was photocrosslinked for the first time without significant side reactions, producing a cathode-active thin film, leading to an organic-based paper battery.

BMP2, BMP4, and their receptors are expressed in the differentiating muscle tissues of mouse embryonic tongue.

To investigate the role of bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs) in the differentiation process of skeletal muscle, we analyzed the in vivo expression of BMP2 and BMP4, of BMP receptors (BMPR) IA, IB, and II, and of activin receptors (ActR) IA, II, and IIB in mouse tongue muscle between embryonic day 11 (E11) and E17. The mRNA expression levels for BMP2 were 5-fold to 11-fold greater than those for BMP4 between E13 and E17 (P < 0.05-0.