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Takao Itoh

Publications and source records attributed to Takao Itoh.

14 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Intensification of the emission signals using the reflection mirrors mounted to the sample holder of a fluorimeter.

Effects of the reflection mirrors mounted to the sample holder of a fluorimeter have been investigated. Analytical expressions are given for the emission intensity measured as a function of the concentration or optical density of the sample, in case one or two reflection mirrors are attached beside the sample holder to intensify the emission signals. The emission intensity calculated as a function of the sample concentration agreed well with the experimental data. By mounting two reflection mirrors, the emission signal was intensified by a factor of near 3.5. However, the degree of intensification depended strongly on the sample concentration and the linearity between the sample concentration and the emission intensity deviated significantly with increasing the sample concentration.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2006

Emission spectra and electronic energy levels of the rotational isomers of pyridinecarboxaldehyde vapors.

Emission and excitation spectra of 2-, 3- and 4-pyridinecarboxaldehyde (2-, 3- and 4-PCA, respectively) vapors have been measured at different temperatures and compared to one another. The emission spectra of these vapors are shown to consist of the T(1)(n, pi) --> S(0) phosphorescence accompanied by the weak thermally activated S(1)(n, pi) --> S(0) delayed fluorescence. Two peaks originating from the two rotamers (syn and anti) have been identified in the fluorescence, phosphorescence and excitation spectra of 3-PCA vapor. Analyses of the temperature dependence and vibrational structure of the spectra of 3-PCA vapor provide the syn-anti energy difference of 190 +/- 30 cm(-1) in the T(1) (n, pi) state, 200 +/- 30 cm(-1) in the S(1)(n, pi) state, and 290 +/- 35 cm(-1) in the ground state. The ground-state energy difference is in agreement with the result of density functional theory (DFT) calculation for 3-PCA vapor. DFT calculation demonstrated also that the syn rotamer exists as a less stable isomer in the ground state for 2- and 3-PCA vapors.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2005

Franck-Condon analysis of the absorption and fluorescence spectra of all trans alpha,omega-diphenylpolyenes with one to seven polyene double bonds.

Fluorescence and absorption spectra have been measured for all-trans alpha,omega-diphenylpolyenes with one to seven polyene double bonds in room-temperature solution, along with the fluorescence spectra of those with one to six polyene double bonds in n-alkane matrices at 77 K. All the spectral data were fitted by sums of Gaussians to treat the Franck-Condon envelopes of the measured spectra quantitatively. The Franck-Condon analyses of the spectra in the harmonic limit revealed that the displacements of the C=C and C-C stretching vibrational modes in the 2 Ag state relative to those in the ground state, 1 1Ag(S0), increase, while those in the 1 1Bu state show a slight decrease with the increase of the polyene chain length. It is also shown that the bandwidths of the absorption and fluorescence spectra exhibit a monotonic decrease with the increase of the chain length.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Evidence for the coexistence of two different mechanisms for the occurrence of anti-Kasha S2 (1 (1)Bu) fluorescence from alpha,omega-diphenylpolyenes.

Fluorescence, fluorescence excitation, and absorption spectra have been measured for diphenylpolyenes with the polyene double bond number (n) from three to seven in solvents with different polarizabilities at room temperature. These polyenes exhibit anti-Kasha S(2) (1 (1)B(u)) fluorescence beside conventional S(1) (2 (1)A(g)) fluorescence in room temperature solution. It is shown that there are two different mechanisms for occurrence of the S(2) (1 (1)B(u)) fluorescence of diphenylpolyenes. S(2) fluorescence occurs through the thermal population of the S(1) state for the shorter diphenylpolyenes (n=3 and 4), while it occurs as prompt S(2) fluorescence due to inefficient S(2)-->S(1) internal conversion for the longer diphenylpolyenes (n=6 and 7). With diphenyldecapentaene (n=5), S(2) fluorescence based on both mechanisms is observed depending on the polarizability of the solvent used. The present results provide deeper insight into the mechanism for the occurrence of anti-Kasha S(2) fluorescence of polyenes.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2004

Geographical distribution of two haplotypes of chloroplast DNA in four oak species (Quercus) in Japan.

Chloroplast DNA polymorphism in four oak species (Quercus serrata, Q. mongolica var. crispula, Q. dentata and Q. aliena) was studied using collections from a total of 127 localities in Japan and South Korea on the basis of five intergenic spacers (trnD-trnT, trnT-trnL, rps14-psaB, trnS-trnT and trnQ-trnS). Although no variation existed in sequences among the four species, a single nucleotide (T/C) substitution in the trnQ-trnS intergenic spacer was found in all the four species, resulting in two haplotypes (T- and C-type). Phylogenetic analyses of the four species and related species showed that the C-type is derived and even likely of monophyletic origin, while the T-type is ancestral. Geographically, the T-type is widespread from South Korea to Japan, whereas the C-type is restricted to eastern Japan with rare exceptions. "Eastern Japan" approximately coincides with the distribution range of the boreal conifer forest during the last glacial maximum. Overall evidence suggests that the mutation from T- to C-type occurred in an individual of one of the four oak species and then was transferred to all the species by hybridization in eastern Japan, and that the Kanto District provided individuals with the C-type with a refugium during the last glacial maximum.

Base Sequence↗
PubMed2003

The lowest excited triplet (T1) energies of p-methoxybenzaldehyde and p-cyanobenzaldehyde vapors estimated from the temperature dependence of the T2(n, pi*) phosphorescence and the S1(n, pi*) fluorescence spectra.

Invisible energy levels of the T1(pi, pi*) state of p-methoxybenzaldehyde (anisaldehyde) and p-cyanobenzaldehyde vapors have been estimated through the temperature dependence of the T2(n, pi*) --> S0 phosphorescence and the S1(n, pi*) --> S0 delayed fluorescence spectra. It is shown that the T1(pi, pi*) levels are located at 900 +/- 100 and 300 +/- 100 cm(-1) below the T2(n, pi*) levels, respectively, for p-methoxybenzaldehyde and p-cyanobenzaldehyde vapors. The estimated T1 energy levels are in good agreement with the phosphorescence origins in rigid glass at 77 K.

Benzaldehydes↗
PubMed2003

Photophysical processes in quinoxaline vapor at low pressure.

Excitation and pressure dependence of fluorescence and phosphorescence quantum yields has been reinvestigated in detail for quinoxaline in the static vapor phase at pressure range from 10(-3) to 10(-1) Torr. It is shown that the ratio of the nonradiative rate from T(1)(pi, pi*) to the rate of the S(1)(n, pi*) approximately -->T(1)(pi, pi*) intersystem crossing decreases with increasing the excitation energy in the S(0)-->S(1) excitation region. The phosphorescence quantum yield measured as a function of the excitation energy at low pressure shows an abrupt decrease on going the excitation from S(0)-->S(1) to S(0)-->S(2), indicating the slow vibrational energy redistribution between the S(1) levels optically populated and those populated through the internal conversion from S(2) to S(1).

Luminescence↗
PubMed2003

Novel plasmodesmata association of dehydrin-like proteins in cold- acclimated Red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea).

Dehydrins are proteins associated with conditions affecting the water status of plant cells, such as drought, salinity, freezing and seed maturation. Although the function of dehydrins remains unknown, it is hypothesized that they stabilize membranes and macromolecules during cellular dehydration. Red-osier dogwood (Cornus sericea L.), an extremely freeze-tolerant woody plant, accumulates dehydrin-like proteins during cold acclimation and the presence of these proteins is correlated with increased freeze tolerance (Karlson 2001, Sarnighausen et al. 2002, Karlson et al. 2003). Our objective was to determine the location of dehydrins in cold-acclimated C. sericea stems in an effort to provide insight into their potential role in the freeze tolerance of this extremely cold hardy species. Abundant labeling was observed in the nucleus and cytoplasm of cold-acclimated C. sericea stem cells. In addition, labeling was observed in association with plasmodesmata of cold-acclimated vascular cambium cells. The unique association of dehydrin-like proteins with plasmodesmata has not been reported previously.

Cornus↗
PubMed2002

Excited-state dynamical behavior of 1,4-anthraquinone in a fluid solution.

The excited triplet-state transient time profiles of 1,4-anthraquinone (1,4-AQ) have been measured in a degassed CCl4 fluid solution at different temperatures near room temperature, together with the steady-state emission spectra, which consist of the S1(n, pi*) and weak S2(pi, pi*) fluorescence at room temperature, and of the T1(pi, pi*) phosphorescence at 77 K. Quantitative analysis of the T1 triplet decay profiles measured as a function of temperature provides estimates for the energy and rates that characterize the excited-state dynamical behavior of 1,4-AQ.

Anthraquinones↗
PubMed2002

Immunohistochemical localization of hemicelluloses and pectins varies during tissue development in the bamboo culm.

The distribution of hemicelluloses and pectins in bamboo internodes was studied immunocytochemistrically at various stages of development. The ultra-structures of bamboo cell walls have been reported previously at various stages. The internodes were identically classified into three developmental phases: primary wall stage (phase I), unlignified secondary wall stage (phase II) and lignified wall stage (phase III), using the same bamboo culm. (1-->3, 1-->4)-Beta-glucans were distributed in nearly all tissues in an actively elongating stage. Limited amounts of beta-glucans were deposited in primary walls and the middle lamellae, but were limited to the phloem in secondary walls. This suggests that the function of beta-glucans might be different in phloem vis-à-vis other tissues. Highly-substituted xylans were located in nearly all tissues of early phase I, but had disappeared in all tissues immediately prior to lignification. In contrast, low-branched xylan epitopes were present only in the protoxylem in phase I, but were present in all tissues immediately prior to lignification in phase II. In phase III, the epitopes were densely localized in lignified walls, suggesting that the substitution of xylans is closely related to maturation. Methyl-esterified (but not unesterified) pectins were present in all tissues of early phase I. Just before and after lignification, both types of pectins were concentrated in the phloem and protoxylem. Xyloglucans were largely distributed in the phloem and in lignified tissues, suggesting that they might be closely correlated with maturation. This represents the first account of the distribution of hemicelluloses and pectins at the tissue and ultrastructural level in bamboo internodes at various stages of development.

Bambusa↗
PubMed2002

Photochemical properties of the triplet pi,pi* state, anion and ketyl radicals of 5,12-naphthacenequinone in solution studied by laser flash photolysis: electron transfer and phenolic H-atom transfer.

Photochemical properties of the lowest triplet pi,pi* state of 5,12-naphthacenequinone (5,12-NQ) have been investigated in solution by means of nanosecond laser flash photolysis at 295 K. The transient absorption spectrum of triplet 5,12-NQ was measured in CCl4 and the molar absorption coefficient was determined. In CCl4, triplet 5,12-NQ is shown to be quenched by the ground-state 5,12-NQ. In acetonitrile, triplet 5,12-NQ is quenched by 1,2,4,5-tetramethoxybenzene (TMB) via electron transfer to produce the TMB cation and 5,12-NQ anion radicals. The absorption spectrum and the molar absorption coefficient of the 5,12-NQ anion radical were determined based on those of the TMB cation radical. Although triplet 5,12-NQ does not abstract H-atom of ethanol or cyclohexane, H-atom transfer occurs from phenol and p-phenylphenol to triplet 5,12-NQ, producing the 5,12-NQ ketyl radical. The absorption spectrum and the molar absorption coefficient of the 5,12-NQ ketyl radical were determined based on those of the p-phenylphenoxyl radical. It is shown that the quenching rate constants by phenol for triplet 5,12-NQ and other triplet paraquinones previously reported obey a Rehm-Weller relationship. The mechanism for the phenolic H-atom transfer to triplet paraquinones is interpreted in terms of coupled electron and proton transfer.

Anions↗
PubMed2002

Toward understanding the different function of two types of parenchyma cells in bamboo culms.

The bamboo, woody monocot, has two types of parenchyma cells in the ground tissues of its culm, in contrast to a single type of parenchyma cell in rice, maize and other major crop species. The distribution of cell wall components, including lignin, (1-->3), (1-->4)-beta-D-glucans (MGs), the highly-substituted glucuronoarabinoxylans (hsGAXs) and low-branched xylans (lbXs) in ground parenchyma tissue of Phyllostachys heterocycla var. pubescens culms was studied at various developmental stages using light microscopy (LM), UV-microscopy, transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and immunolabeling techniques. The short parenchyma cell walls were lignified in 2-month-old bamboo culms just as the long parenchyma cell walls were. The lignified regions were confined to the portions in contact with the long parenchyma cell walls, while the walls at the cell corner region never lignified, even in 7-year-old culms. Significant differences were also found in the hemicellulose distribution between the short and long parenchyma cell walls. In bamboo parenchyma tissue, MGs were localized in short parenchyma cell walls and few were found in long parenchyma cell walls in both young and 7-year-old culms. The distribution of hsGAXs was similar to that of MGs in young culms, but they only appeared in the cell corner region of short parenchyma cells in old culms. Low-branched xylans were distributed in the lignified, but not in unlignified parenchyma cell walls. Based on this evidence, the differences of function in both short and long parenchyma cells in a bamboo culm are discussed.

Cell Wall↗
PubMedDate not supplied

X-ray microbeam and electron diffraction experiments on developing xylem cell walls.

This paper describes the first successful application of the novel technique of X-ray microbeam diffraction to the study of wood cell walls in developing xylem tissue. The method enabled us to obtain quantitative diffraction diagrams from single cell walls. It was further combined with selected area electron diffraction. We find that the crystal size of cellulose is increasing from the primary wall (P, <19 A) over the outer layer (S(1), 19 A) to the middle layer of the secondary wall (S(2), 24 A). In particular, the cellulose crystals formed in the primary wall consist of an extremely low-crystalline state of cellulose I. We suggest the more applicable concept of microfibrils with increasing lateral disorder, similar to cellulose IV(I).

Cell Wall↗