Optical Humidity Sensing Using Transparent Hybrid Film Composed of Cationic Magnesium Porphyrin and Clay Mineral.

A transparent hybrid film composed of cationic magnesium porphyrin and clay mineral was developed, and its chromic behavior depending on relative humidity (RH) was investigated. The hybrid film was obtained via intercalation of magnesium porphyrin into clay film; magnesium porphyrin was intercalated into the interlayer spaces of the clay mineral without aggregation. The absorption spectra of the hybrid film showed red shifts compared to the aqueous solution of magnesium porphyrin because of the π-conjugated system extension with coplanarization of the meso-substituted pyridinium group and porphyrin ring.

Ecological shifts due to anthropogenic activities in the coastal seas of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, since the 20th century.

Multiproxy analyses were conducted using sediment cores in a low-polluted coastal site (Hiuchi-nada) in the Seto Inland Sea (SIS), Japan. Heavy metal and organic pollution peaked in the 1960s and the bottom environments have ameliorated since the 1980s due to several environmental regulations. First ecological shifts in meiobenthic ostracodes and diatoms occurred in the 1960s due to the initiation of eutrophication.

Anodic and Cathodic Extracellular Electron Transfer by the Filamentous Bacterium 110S.

strain 110S is a filamentous bacterium isolated from an iron-rich coastal hydrothermal field, and it is a unique isolate capable of dissimilatory iron or nitrate reduction among the members of the bacterial phylum . Here, we report the ability of strain 110S to utilize electrodes as a sole electron acceptor and donor when coupled with the oxidation of organic compounds and nitrate reduction, respectively. In addition, multicellular filaments with hundreds of cells arranged end-to-end increased the extracellular electron transfer (EET) ability to electrodes by organizing filaments into bundled structures, with the aid of microbially reduced iron oxide minerals on the cell surface of strain 110S.

Preparation of Stable Silver Nanoparticles Having Wide Red-To-Near-Infrared Extinction.

The synthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) within the interlayer space of transparent layered titania nanosheet (TNS) films is investigated. A considerable number of silver ions (≈70% against the cation exchange capacity of the TNS) are intercalated in the TNS films using methyl-viologen-containing TNSs as a precursor. The silver ion (Ag)-containing TNS films are treated with aqueous sodium tetrahydroborate (NaBH), resulting in a gradual color change to bright blue.

Auditory Feedback Assists Error Correction of Temporal Reproduction, and Perception of Self-Produced Time Intervals in Subsecond Range.

We examined whether auditory feedback assists the error correction of temporal reproduction, and the perception of self-produced time intervals in the subsecond and suprasecond ranges. Here, we employed a temporal reproduction task with a single motor response at a point in time with and without auditory feedback. This task limits participants to reducing errors by employing auditory feedback in a manner.

WITHDRAWN: Auditory Surprise Model Based on Pattern Retrieval from the Past Observation.

This article has been withdrawn: please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal (http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy).

Basis of self-organized proportion regulation resulting from local contacts.

One of the fundamental problems in biology concerns the method by which a cluster of organisms can regulate the proportion of individuals that perform various roles or modes as if each individual is aware of the overall situation without a leader. In various species, a specific ratio exists at multiple levels, from the process of cell differentiation in multicellular organisms to the situation of social dilemma in a group of human beings. This study determines a common basis for regulating collective behavior that is realized by a series of local contacts between individuals.

Surface force analysis of glycine adsorption on different crystal surfaces of titanium dioxide (TiO).

Surface force analysis with atomic force microscope (AFM) in which a single amino acid residue was mounted on the tip apex of AFM probe was carried out for the first time at the molecular level on titanium dioxide (TiO) as a representative mineral surface for prebiotic chemical evolution reactions. The force analyses on surfaces with three different crystal orientations revealed that the TiO (110) surface has unique characteristics for adsorbing glycine molecules showing different features compared to those on TiO (001) and (100). To examine this difference, we investigated thermal desorption spectroscopy (TDS) and the interaction between the PEG cross-linker and the three TiO surfaces.

Silylative Kinetic Resolution of Racemic 1-Indanol Derivatives Catalyzed by Chiral Guanidine.

Efficient kinetic resolution of racemic 1-indanol derivatives was achieved using triphenylchlorosilane by asymmetric silylation in the presence of chiral guanidine catalysts. The chiral guanidine catalyst (R,R)-N-(1-(β-naphthyl)ethyl)benzoguanidine was found to be highly efficient as only 0.5 mol % catalyst loading was sufficient to catalyze the reaction of various substrates with appropriate conversion and high s-values (up to 89).

Cartilage Conduction Hearing Aids for Severe Conduction Hearing Loss.

Objective: To assess the benefits of a new type of hearing aid using cartilage conduction (CC) in patients with severe conduction hearing loss and evaluate its potential for practical use.

Study Design: Consecutive, prospective case series.

Patients: Forty-one subjects (21 with bilateral aural atresia; 15 with unilateral aural atresia; and 5 others) participated in this study.

Increase in salivary oxytocin and decrease in salivary cortisol after listening to relaxing slow-tempo and exciting fast-tempo music.

Relaxation and excitation are components of the effects of music listening. The tempo of music is often considered a critical factor when determining these effects: listening to slow-tempo and fast-tempo music elicits relaxation and excitation, respectively. However, the chemical bases that underlie these relaxation and excitation effects remain unclear.

Change in the Crystallite Orientation of Poly(ethylene oxide)/Cellulose Nanofiber Composite Films.

The crystallite orientation and crystallographic domain structure of poly(ethylene oxide) (PEO) in cellulose nanofiber-incorporated (CNF-incorporated) PEO films developed for packaging materials were observed using wide-angle X-ray diffraction for different CNF filling ratios. When a CNF filling ratio of <10 wt % was used, the molecular chains in the PEO crystallite region were oriented in a direction perpendicular to the surface of the film; however, when the ratio was >50 wt %, the PEO molecular chains were oriented in a direction parallel to the surface of the film. The fiber axis of the CNFs became parallel to the surface of the PEO/CNF composite film when the filling ratio was >25 wt %.

Photoluminescence by Intercalation of a Fluorescent β-Diketone Dye into a Layered Silicate.

A β-diketone dye was packed into the two-dimensional nanospace of a synthetic smectite (Sumecton SA), which is a cation-exchangeable layered silicate, to induce strong emission owing to molecular packing of the dye. An emissive dye, 1-(4-methoxyphenyl)-3-(4-pyridyl)-1,3-propandione, was prepared through a Claisen condensation reaction; the dye exhibited aggregation-induced emission, which is enhanced emission owing to clustering of molecules to form aggregates in poor solvents or in the solid state. The dye was nonemissive in solution.

Novel electrical and mechanical characteristics of composites composed of electrically conducting Ni-Cr alloy particles in non-conducting soda-lime glass.

The bulk resistivity of Ni-Cr alloys is inherently constant. Therefore, it is necessary to regulate the cross-section and length of Ni-Cr alloys to achieve the desired electrical resistance. Here, we describe a composite, comprising a soda-lime glass matrix and disk-like Ni-Cr alloy particles, that has variable bulk resistivity.

Shaping somatosensory responses in awake rats: cortical modulation of thalamic neurons.

Massive corticothalamic afferents originating from layer 6a of primary sensory cortical areas modulate sensory responsiveness of thalamocortical neurons and are pivotal for shifting neuronal firing between burst and tonic modes. The influence of the corticothalamic pathways on the firing mode and sensory gain of thalamic neurons has only been extensively examined in anesthetized animals, but has yet to be established in the awake state. We made lesions of the rat barrel cortex and on the following day recorded responses of single thalamocortical and thalamic reticular neurons to a single vibrissal deflection in the somatosensory system during wakefulness.

Estimating risk propagation between interacting firms on inter-firm complex network.

We derive a stochastic function of risk propagation empirically from comprehensive data of chain-reaction bankruptcy events in Japan from 2006 to 2015 over 5,000 pairs of firms. The probability is formulated by firm interaction between the pair of firms; it is proportional to the product of α-th power of the size of the first bankrupt firm and β-th power of that of the chain-reaction bankrupt firm. We confirm that α is positive and β is negative throughout the observing period, meaning that the probability of cascading failure is higher between a larger first bankrupt firm and smaller trading firm.

Photo- and Electrocatalytic Hydrogen Production Using Valence Isomers of NS-Type Nickel Complexes.

Three Schiff-base-type nickel(II) complexes (1a-3a) and the corresponding noninnocent-type complexes (1b-3b) were synthesized, and the equilibria between these valence isomers were observed in tetrahydrofuran (THF) at room temperature. The electronic state of the noninnocent-type nickel complex was also confirmed by isolation of the one-electron-reduced species. The catalytic ability for the photogeneration of hydrogen from water was examined about 1a-3a and 1b-3b in the presence of a photosensitizer and a sacrificial electron donor.

A MYB-type transcription factor, MYB2, represses light-harvesting protein genes in Cyanidioschyzon merolae.

While searching for transcriptional regulators that respond to changes in light regimes, we identified a MYB domain-containing protein, MYB2, that accumulates under dark and other conditions in the unicellular red alga Cyanidioschyzon merolae. The isolation and analysis of a MYB2 mutant revealed that MYB2 represses the expression of the nuclear-encoded chloroplast RNA polymerase sigma factor gene SIG2, which results in the repression of the chloroplast-encoded phycobilisome genes that are under its control. Since nuclear-encoded phycobilisome and other light-harvesting protein genes are also repressed by MYB2, we conclude that MYB2 has a role in repressing the expression of light-harvesting genes.

Photocatalytic hydrogenation of furan to tetrahydrofuran in alcoholic suspensions of metal-loaded titanium(iv) oxide without addition of hydrogen gas.

The use of metal co-catalysts broadens the application of photocatalytic reduction without the use of dihydrogen (H) gas. We examined photocatalytic hydrogenation of furan, a representative heterocyclic compound and a compound derived from biomass, in alcoholic suspensions of metal-loaded titanium(iv) oxide (TiO) under a H-free condition and we found that furan was almost quantitatively hydrogenated to tetrahydrofuran with a high apparent quantum efficiency of 37% at 360 nm when palladium was used as a co-catalyst. Effects of different metal co-catalysts, different amounts of the co-catalyst, the type of TiO, the type of alcohol, light wavelength and reusability for furan hydrogenation were investigated.

Serial DNA relay in DNA logic gates by electrical fusion and mechanical splitting of droplets.

DNA logic circuits utilizing DNA hybridization and/or enzymatic reactions have drawn increasing attention for their potential applications in the diagnosis and treatment of cellular diseases. The compartmentalization of such a system into a microdroplet considerably helps to precisely regulate local interactions and reactions between molecules. In this study, we introduced a relay approach for enabling the transfer of DNA from one droplet to another to implement multi-step sequential logic operations.

Appearance of Unstable Monopoly State Caused by Selective and Concentrative Mergers in Business Networks.

Recently, growth mechanism of firms in complex business networks became new targets of scientific study owing to increasing availability of high quality business firms' data. Here, we paid attention to comprehensive data of M&A events for 40 years and derived empirical laws by applying methods and concepts of aggregation dynamics of aerosol physics. It is found that the probability of merger between bigger firms is bigger than that between smaller ones, and such tendency is enhancing year by year.

Raman Imaging Analysis of Local Crystal Structures in LiCoO Thin Films Calcined at Different Temperatures.

Local crystalline structures of LiCoO nanothin film cathodes in a lithium ion battery have been spectroscopically elucidated through confocal Raman imaging analysis at high spatial resolution of several hundred nanometers. A significant difference in the crystalline structure is found between the nanometric thin films and bulk powders. Thermally induced local decomposition of LiCoO into an impurity phase on the films has also been revealed along with the mechanism of the temperature-triggered decomposition process.

Visible and UV-curable chitosan derivatives for immobilization of biomolecules.

Chitosan, which has many biocompatible properties, is used widely in medical field like wound healing, drug delivery and so on. Chitosan could be used as a biomaterial to immobilize protein-drug. There are many methods to immobilize protein-drug, but they have some drawbacks such as low efficiency and denaturation of protein.

Synthesis of Ring-Fused Pyridinium Salts by Intramolecular Nucleophilic Aromatic Substitution Reaction and Their Optoelectronic Properties.

The synthesis of nitrogen cation-doped polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) having a variety of counteranions is reported via the trimethylsilyl (TMS)-promoted intramolecular aromatic nucleophilic substitution (SAr) reaction of fluoroarenes and pyridine groups. The electrochemical properties and optical properties of the obtained nitrogen cation-doped PAHs were studied in detail, clarifying that they have low-lying LUMO levels and good emission properties derived from the incorporation of planar N-arylpyridinium moieties.