Tokyo University of Science

About: Tokyo University of Science is a education organization based out in Tokyo, Japan. It is known for research contribution in the topics: Thin film & Enantioselective synthesis. The organization has 15800 authors who have published 24147 publications receiving 438081 citations. The organization is also known as: Tōkyō Rika Daigaku & Science University of Tokyo.

Polymerizable Complex Synthesis of Pure Sr2NbxTa2-xO7 Solid Solutions with High Photocatalytic Activities for Water Decomposition into H2 and O2

Abstract: Phase-pure solid solutions with the composition of Sr2NbxTa2-xO7 (SNT, x = 0−2) were prepared at 900 °C for 5 h by the Pechini-type polymerizable complex (PC) technique, based upon polymerization between citric acid and ethylene glycol. The two end compounds, Sr2Ta2O7 (x = 0) and Sr2Nb2O7 (x = 2), produced H2 and O2 in a stoichiometric ratio from pure water under UV light irradiation without a NiO cocatalyst. The photocatalytic activity of SNT for the water decomposition was greatly improved by loading NiO as a cocatalyst for a whole range of x. The photocatalytic activity was dramatically decreased approximately by 1 order of magnitude once Ta has been replaced by Nb, even when the amount of Nb was small. For all of the NiO-loaded SNT samples, water was stoichiometrically decomposed into H2 and O2. While samples prior to the complete crystallization showed very low activities despite their high surface area, the corresponding photocatalytic activities of well-crystallized samples depended primarily on th...

Interfacial property modulation of thermoresponsive polymer brush surfaces and their interaction with biomolecules

Abstract: Dense poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (PIPAAm) brushes were created on silica bead surfaces by surface-initiated atom transfer radical polymerization (ATRP). Interfacial properties of PIPAAm brushes were characterized by thermoresponisve interaction with biomolecules. The grafted amounts of PIPAAm on silica bead surfaces exceeded that from previously reported polymer-hydrogel-modified silica beads prepared by conventional radical polymerization by nearly 1 order of magnitude. Temperature-dependent chromatographic interactions with soluble analytes were modulated by changing the grafted PIPAAm chain lengths. Short PIPAAm-grafted silica beads produce insufficient dehydration and chain aggregation to separate steroids using weak hydrophobic interactions. In contrast, broad unresolved peaks were observed on silica beads column grafted with long PIPAAm chains due to steroid partitioning into thick, densely grafted PIPAAm brush layers. Thus, silica beads column grafted with PIPAAm chains of proper length can demons...

CARD9+ microglia promote antifungal immunity via IL-1β- and CXCL1-mediated neutrophil recruitment

Abstract: The C-type lectin receptor-Syk (spleen tyrosine kinase) adaptor CARD9 facilitates protective antifungal immunity within the central nervous system (CNS), as human deficiency in CARD9 causes susceptibility to fungus-specific, CNS-targeted infection. CARD9 promotes the recruitment of neutrophils to the fungus-infected CNS, which mediates fungal clearance. In the present study we investigated host and pathogen factors that promote protective neutrophil recruitment during invasion of the CNS by Candida albicans. The cytokine IL-1β served an essential function in CNS antifungal immunity by driving production of the chemokine CXCL1, which recruited neutrophils expressing the chemokine receptor CXCR2. Neutrophil-recruiting production of IL-1β and CXCL1 was induced in microglia by the fungus-secreted toxin Candidalysin, in a manner dependent on the kinase p38 and the transcription factor c-Fos. Notably, microglia relied on CARD9 for production of IL-1β, via both transcriptional regulation of Il1b and inflammasome activation, and of CXCL1 in the fungus-infected CNS. Microglia-specific Card9 deletion impaired the production of IL-1β and CXCL1 and neutrophil recruitment, and increased fungal proliferation in the CNS. Thus, an intricate network of host-pathogen interactions promotes antifungal immunity in the CNS; this is impaired in human deficiency in CARD9, which leads to fungal disease of the CNS.

HgII Ion Specifically Binds with T:T Mismatched Base Pair in Duplex DNA

Abstract: Metal-mediated base pair formation, resulting from the interaction between metal ions and artificial bases in oligonucleotides, has been developed for its potential application in nanotechnology. We have recently found that the T:T mismatched base pair binds with Hg(II) ions to generate a novel metal-mediated base pair in duplex DNA. The thermal stability of the duplex with the T-Hg-T base pair was comparable to that of the corresponding T:A or A:T. The novel T-Hg-T base pair involving the natural base thymine is more convenient than the metal-mediated base pairs involving artificial bases due to the lack of time-consuming synthesis. Here, we examine the specificity and thermodynamic properties of the binding between Hg(II) ions and the T:T mismatched base pair. Only the melting temperature of the duplex with T:T and not of the perfectly matched or other mismatched base pairs was found to specifically increase in the presence of Hg(II) ions. Hg(II) specifically bound with the T:T mismatched base pair at a molar ratio of 1:1 with a binding constant of 10(6) M(-1), which is significantly higher than that for nonspecific metal ion-DNA interactions. Furthermore, the higher-order structure of the duplex was not significantly distorted by the Hg(II) ion binding. Our results support the idea that the T-Hg-T base pair could eventually lead to progress in potential applications of metal-mediated base pairs in nanotechnology.

On the Generation of Hot-Spots by Microwave Electric and Magnetic Fields and Their Impact on a Microwave-Assisted Heterogeneous Reaction in the Presence of Metallic Pd Nanoparticles on an Activated Carbon Support

Abstract: This article examines the generation of hot-spots and their impact in the heterogeneous Suzuki–Miyaura coupling reaction for the synthesis of 4-methylbiphenyl in toluene solvent in the presence of Pd/AC. Hot-spots easily formed on the surface of the activated carbon (AC) catalyst support under high electric field conditions; they were recorded in real time using a high-speed camera. Chemical yields of 4-methylbiphenyl under the microwaves’ magnetic field (H-field) were 2-fold greater than those under electric field (E-field) conditions at identical temperatures and reaction times (120 min). Microwave E-field irradiation with a high accuracy device enhanced generation of hot-spots. Excessive formation of hot-spots impacted negatively on this coupling reaction.