Three-dimensional measurement of an inner surface profile using a supercontinuum beam.

We demonstrate an inner surface profile measurement that has a smooth spatial distribution. A supercontinuum beam suppresses the speckle contrast to 22% and the standard deviation of the point cloud to 40%, compared to equivalent values obtained by use of a conventional green He-Ne laser at a wavelength of 543.5 nm.

Numerical Large Deviation Analysis of the Eigenstate Thermalization Hypothesis.

A plausible mechanism of thermalization in isolated quantum systems is based on the strong version of the eigenstate thermalization hypothesis (ETH), which states that all the energy eigenstates in the microcanonical energy shell have thermal properties. We numerically investigate the ETH by focusing on the large deviation property, which directly evaluates the ratio of athermal energy eigenstates in the energy shell. As a consequence, we have systematically confirmed that the strong ETH is indeed true even for near-integrable systems.

The role of the non-covalent β-ionone-ring binding site in rhodopsin: historical and physiological perspective.

Bleached rhodopsin regenerates by way of the Schiff base formation between the 11-cis retinal and opsin. Recovery of human vision from light adapted states follows biphasic kinetics and each adaptive phase is assigned to two distinct classes of visual pigments in cones and rods, respectively, suggesting that the speed of Schiff base formation differs between iodopsin and rhodopsin. Matsumoto and Yoshizawa predicted the existence of a β-ionone ring-binding site in rhodopsin, which has been proven by structural studies.

Determination of the polarization states of an arbitrary polarized terahertz beam: vectorial vortex analysis.

Vectorial vortex analysis is used to determine the polarization states of an arbitrarily polarized terahertz (0.1-1.6 THz) beam using THz achromatic axially symmetric wave (TAS) plates, which have a phase retardance of Δ = 163° and are made of polytetrafluorethylene.

Generation of achromatic, uniform-phase, radially polarized beams.

Axially symmetric half-wave plates have been used to generate radially polarized beams that have constant phase in the plane transverse to propagation. However, since the retardance introduced by these waveplates depends on the wavelength, it is difficult to generate radially polarized beams achromatically. This paper describes a technique suitable for the generation of achromatic, radially polarized beams with uniform phase.

Achromatic axially symmetric wave plate.

An achromatic axially symmetric wave plate (AAS-WP) is proposed that is based on Fresnel reflections. The wave plate does not introduce spatial dispersion. It provides retardation in the wavelength domain with an axially symmetric azimuthal angle.

Rhodopsin regeneration is accelerated via noncovalent 11-cis retinal-opsin complex--a role of retinal binding pocket of opsin.

The regeneration of bovine rhodopsin from its apoprotein opsin and the prosthetic group 11-cis retinal involves the formation of a retinylidene Schiff base with the epsilon-amino group of the active lysine residue of opsin. The pH dependence of a Schiff base formation in solution follows a typical bell-shaped profile because of the pH dependence of the formation and the following dehydration of a 1-aminoethanol intermediate. Unexpectedly, however, we find that the formation of rhodopsin from 11-cis retinal and opsin does not depend on pH over a wide pH range.

pH- and temperature-sensitive release behaviors from polyelectrolyte complex films composed of chitosan and PAOMA copolymer.

This paper describes the pH and temperature effects on drug release from polyelectrolyte complex (PEC) films composed of a cationic polymer, chitosan, and an anionic polymer, polyalkyleneoxide-maleic acid copolymer (PAOMA). In this study, we prepared and investigated PEC films in terms of the drug release properties as pH- and temperature-sensitive drug carriers. Drug release rates were tested at pH 3.