The melting and crystallization behavior of poly(L‐lactic acid) (PLLA; weight‐average molecular weight = 3 × 105) was studied with differential scanning calorimetry (DSC). DSC curves for PLLA samples were obtained at various cooling rates (CRs) from the melt (210 °C). The peak crystallization temperature and the exothermic heat of crystallization determined from the DSC curve decreased almost linearly with increasing log(CR). DSC melting curves for the melt‐crystallized samples were obtained at various heating rates (HRs). The double‐melting behavior was confirmed by the double endothermic peaks, a high‐temperature peak (H) and a low‐temperature peak (L), that appeared in the DSC curves at slow HRs for the samples prepared with a slow CR. Peak L increased with increasing HR, whereas peak H decreased. The peak melting temperatures of L and H [Tm(L) and Tm(H)] decreased linearly with log(HR). The appearance region of the double‐melting peaks (L and H) was illustrated in a CR–HR map. Peak L decreased with increasing CR, whereas peak H increased. Tm(L) and Tm(H) decreased almost linearly with log(CR). The characteristics of the crystallization and double‐melting behavior were explained by the slow rates of crystallization and recrystallization, respectively. © 2003 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 25–32, 2004

Low-temperature fabrication of polycrystalline silicon (poly-Si) thin film has been performed by Al-induced crystallization (AIC), and the structural properties have been investigated. In our experiments, to prevent native oxidation of Al film, an amorphous silicon (a-Si)/Al bilayer was formed on the SiO2/Si substrate by electron beam evaporation without breaking the vacuum. The a-Si/Al/SiO2/Si structure was then heated at a low temperature of 400°C to induce AIC. It was confirmed that layer exchange of the a-Si/Al bilayer is induced even though there is no native oxidation of Al film, which was demonstrated by scanning transmission electron microscopy and energy dispersive X-ray analysis. The mechanism for layer exchange of the a-Si/Al bilayer has been discussed. Furthermore, it was verified by scanning electron microscopy and spectroscopic ellipsometry that the a-Si/Al thickness ratio of roughly 1:1 is suitable to achieve a flat surface morphology of poly-Si. In addition, it was found, by X-ray diffraction and orientation imaging microscopy, that the Si(111)-oriented grain becomes dominant with decreasing thickness of the a-Si/Al bilayer.

Inositol phosphorylceramide (IPC) synthase is a common and essential enzyme in fungi and plants, which catalyzes the transfer of phosphoinositol to the C-1 hydroxy of ceramide to produce IPC. This reaction is a key step in fungal sphingolipid biosynthesis, therefore the enzyme is a potential target for the development of nontoxic therapeutic antifungal agents. Natural products with a desired biological activity, aureobasidin A (AbA), khafrefungin, and galbonolide A, have been reported. AbA, a cyclic depsipeptide containing 8 amino acids and a hydroxyl acid, is a broad spectrum antifungal with strong activity against many pathogenic fungi such as Candida spp., Cryptococcus neoformans, and some Aspergillus spp. Khafrefungin, an aldonic acid ester with a C22 long alkyl chain, has antifungal activity against C. albicans, Cr. Neoformans, and Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Galbonolide A is a 14-membered macrolide with fungicidal activity against clinically important strains, and is especially potent against Cr. neoformans. These classes of natural products are potent and specific antifungal agents. We review current progress in the development of IPC synthase inhibitors with antifungal activities, and present structure-activity relationships (SAR), physicochemical and structural properties, and synthetic methodology for chemical modification.

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We succeeded in the first synthesis of [(11)C]Telmisartan for clinical research use by appropriate quality tests.

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Scandium(III) perfluorooctanesulfonate [scandium(III) perflate, Sc(OPf)3] was prepared from either scandium(III) chloride or oxide and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid. The perflate thus obtained acts as a novel Lewis acid catalyst for the intermolecular hetero Diels–Alder reaction of aldehydes with non-activated dienes under mild conditions. The characteristic features of the catalyst include (i) low hygroscopicity, (ii) ease of handling, and (iii) robustness for the recycling use.