The magnetic and thermal properties of the spinel oxides CoB2O4 have been studied for B = Rh, Co and Al. The compounds consist of magnetic Co2+ (S = 3/2) in the A site and non-magnetic B3+ in the B site, which form diamond and pyrochlore sublattices, respectively. We found that the ratio of the Curie–Weiss temperature to the magnetic ordering temperature, |ΘCW|/TN, depends strongly on B3+ cations. CoRh2O4 was a typical antiferromagnet with |ΘCW|/TN = 31 K/25 K = 1.2. The ratio was enhanced up to |ΘCW|/TN = 110 K/30 K = 3.7 for Co3O4 (B = Co) and |ΘCW|/T* = 89 K/9 K = 10 for CoAl2O4, indicating the evolution of magnetic frustration. The specific heat for CoAl2O4 exhibited a broad peak at T* = 9 K and T2.5 behaviour at low temperatures, suggesting the most frustrated magnet CoAl2O4 is in the critical vicinity of a quantum melting point of the antiferromagnetically ordered state.

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Spectroscopic properties of amino-analogs of luciferin and oxyluciferin were investigated to confirm the color modulation mechanism of firefly (beetle) bioluminescence. Fluorescence solvatochromic character of aminooxyluciferin analogs indicates that the bioluminescence of aminoluciferin is useful for evaluating the polarity of a luciferase active site.

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Yos9p is involved in ER-associated degradation (ERAD) of misfolded glycoproteins. This study shows that Yos9p is required for ER retention of ERAD substrates by targeting them to the Hrd1p E3 ligase. This ER retention is independent of the glycan degradation signal on substrates and is separable from the later degradation step.