Cooperative behavior of various agents in dynamic environment

The multi-agent model is a model in which agents with limited ability cooperate each other to accomplish a goal. In this paper, we introduce a multi-agent model in which agents are created to imitate real ants. There are two different type of agents, each type of which has a particular task. We designed agents to communicate each other by using pheromone considering noise. On this model, we observed cooperative behavior of agents and evaluated conditions to make an order of behavior in the model.     

Late phase II trial of oral etoposide administered for 21 consecutive days in patients with cervical cancer. ETP 21 Study Group--Cervical Cancer Group

We conducted a multi-site late phase II trial of oral etoposide administered for 21 consecutive days in patients with cervical cancer in cooperation with 32 institutes. Fifty mg/body of oral etoposide was administered daily for 21 consecutive days. Treatment cycles were to be repeated at 4- to 5-week intervals. Eighty patients were enrolled and 70 patients were evaluated. The overall response rate (95% CI), including one complete response patient and 18 partial response patients, was 27.1% (19/70). The most commonly observed toxicity was myelosuppression such as leukopenia, neutropenia, hemoglobin decrease and thrombocytopenia. Other adverse effects were gastrointestinal toxicities such as anorexia, nausea, stomatitis and vomiting, as well as fatigue and alopecia. These adverse effects were well tolerated and controlled with medications. From these results we concluded oral etoposide administered for 21 consecutive days was an effective drug against cervical cancer.     

Redox properties of CeO2 and Pt-Rh/CeO2 studied by TAP method

Redox properties of CeO₂ and Pt-Rh/CeO₂ were studied by temporal analysis of products (TAP) method using alternative pulses of CO and O₂. A portion of pulsed CO was oxidized to CO₂ and a portion of CO was adsorbed on the surface. Pulsing ¹⁸O₂ onto the catalyst which has surface species derived from CO, evolved CO₂ contained no ¹⁸O suggesting that the surface species will be carbonate ions.     

Novel synthesis of branched polystyrenes by quasi‐living radical copolymerization using photofunctional inimer

Branched polystyrenes were prepared by quasi‐living radical copolymerization of N,N‐diethylaminodithiocarbamoylmethylstyrene (inimer: DTCS) with styrene under UV irradiation. DTCS monomers play an important role in this copolymerization system as an inimer capable of initiating living radical polymerization of the vinyl group. Two monomers (DTCS and styrene) showed equal reactivity toward both propagating species, and the copolymer composition was the same as the comonomer feed. This result means that both the branching and chain length of the hyperbranched molecules can be controlled statistically by the feed monomer ratios. The compact nature of the branched macromolecules is demonstrated by viscosity measurements compared to the linear analogues. © 2001 Society of Chemical Industry     

Liquid phase growth of graphene on silicon carbide

We developed a novel method to produce graphene on silicon carbide (SiC) at a temperature as low as 1000 °C. The method is based on liquid phase growth (LPG) of graphene mediated by liquid gallium, which acts not only as a flux to store carbon dissolved from a surface of SiC when heated, but also as a catalyst to promote the formation of graphene on SiC when cooled. Our experimental results revealed that gallium-treated SiC substrates are coated with uniform and continuous graphene films. The LPG method is able to supply graphene films consisting of one to several hundreds of layers, depending on heating temperatures. Our approach can not only provide an alternative way to form graphene natively on SiC, but will also bring a technological breakthrough in industrial applications of graphene, e.g. the realization of graphene-on-insulator substrates.     

Three-layer flow membrane system on a microchip for investigation of molecular transport

A stable three-layer flow system, water/organic solvent/water, has been successfully applied for the first time in a microchannel to get rapid transport through an organic liquid membrane. In the continuous laminar flow region, the analyte (methyl red) was rapidly extracted across the microchannel from the donor to the acceptor phase through the organic solvent phase (cyclohexane). Thermal lens microscopy was used to monitor the process. The thickness of the organic phase, sandwiched by the two aqueous phases, was approximately 64 microm, and it was considered as a thin liquid organic membrane. Permeability studies showed the effects of molecular diffusion, layer thickness, and organic solvent-water partition coefficient on the molecular transport. In the microchip, complete equilibration was achieved in several seconds, in contrast to a conventionally used apparatus, where it takes tens of minutes. The thickness of the organic and aqueous boundary layers was defined as equal to the microchannel dimensions, and the organic solvent-water partition coefficient was determined on a microchip using the liquid/liquid extraction system. Experimental data on molecular transport across the organic membrane were in agreement with the calculated permeability based on the three-compartment water/organic solvent/water model. This kind of experiment can be performed only in a microspace, and the system can be considered as a potential biological membrane for future in vitro study of drug transport.     

Chemicofunctional membrane for integrated chemical processes on a microchip

Here we report a design and synthesis of a chemically functional polymer membrane by an interfacial polycondensation reaction and multilayer flow inside a microchannel. Single and parallel dual-membrane structures are successfully prepared by using organic/aqueous two-layer flow and organic/aqueous/organic three-layer flow inside the microchannel followed by an interfacial polycondensation reaction. By using the inner-channel membrane, permeation of ammonia species through the inner-channel membrane is successfully achieved. Furthermore, horseradish peroxidase is immobilized on one side of the membrane surface to integrate the chemical transform function onto the inner-channel membrane. Here substrate permeation through the membrane and subsequent chemical transformation at the membrane surface are realized. The polymer membrane prepared inside the microchannel has an important role in ensuring stable contact of different phases such as gas/liquid or liquid/ liquid and the permeation of chemical species through the membrane. Furthermore, membrane surface modification chemistry allows chemical transformation of permeated chemical species. These methods are expected to lead to development of complicated and sophisticated chemical systems involving membrane permeation and chemical reactions.     

Theoretical investigation to thermal equilibrium concentration of point defect through first-principles calculation

First-principles calculations based on density functional theory enable us to quantify the thermal equilibrium concentration of a point defect through calculating the formation energy of the defect. In order to know the formation energy, we need three parameters: the energy difference between defective and perfect systems, chemical potential of constitutive atoms and Fermi level. The energy difference is obtained from calculations based on “supercell method”. The energy of a supercell with a charged defect should be corrected by an appropriate way such as alignment of electrostatic potential. The chemical potential and Fermi level can be fixed from conditions of phase equilibrium and charge neutrality.     

Persistence and partitioning of eight selected pharmaceuticals in the aquatic environment: Laboratory photolysis, biodegradation, and sorption experiments

We selected eight pharmaceuticals with relatively high potential ecological risk and high consumption—namely, acetaminophen, atenolol, carbamazepine, ibuprofen, ifenprodil, indomethacin, mefenamic acid, and propranolol—and conducted laboratory experiments to examine the persistence and partitioning of these compounds in the aquatic environment. In the results of batch sunlight photolysis experiments, three out of eight pharmaceuticals—propranolol, indomethacin, and ifenprodil—were relatively easily photodegraded (i.e., half-life < 24 h), whereas the other five pharmaceuticals were relatively stable against sunlight. The results of batch biodegradation experiments using river water suggested relatively slow biodegradation (i.e., half-life > 24 h) for all eight pharmaceuticals, but the rate constant was dependent on sampling site and time. Batch sorption experiments were also conducted to determine the sorption coefficients to river sediments and a model soil sample. The determined coefficients (K_d values) were much higher for three amines (atenolol, ifenprodil, and propranolol) than for neutral compounds or carboxylic acids; the K_d values of the amines were comparable to those of a four-ring polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) pyrene. The coefficients were also higher for sediment/soil with higher organic content, and the organic carbon-based sorption coefficient (log K_oc) showed a poor linear correlation with the octanol-water distribution coefficient (log D_ow) at neutral pH. These results suggest other sorption mechanisms—such as electrochemical affinity, in addition to hydrophobic interaction—play an important role in sorption to sediment/soil at neutral pH.