RELATION BETWEEN THE METASTABILITY OF EL2 AND THE PHOTOSENSITIVITY OF LOCAL VIBRATIONAL-MODES IN SEMIINSULATING GAAS

Recent infrared spectroscpic observations of local vibrational mode absorptions have revealed a number of photosensitive centers in semi-insulating GaAs. They include (OVAs) center which has three modes at 730 cm(-1) (A), 715 cm(-1) (B), and 714 cm(-1) (C), respectively, a suggested NH center related to a line at 983 cm(-1) (X(1)), and centers related to hydrogen, such as (H-O) or (H-N) bonds, corresponding to a group of peaks in the region of 2900-3500 cm(-1). The photosensitivity of various local vibration centers was observed to have similar time dependence under near-infrared illumination and was suggested to be due to their charge-state interconversion. Mainly described in this work is the effect of the 1.25-eV illumination. It is confirmed that this photoinduced kinetic process results from both electron capture and hole capture, which are closely related to the photoionization behavior and metastability of the EL2 center.

Hydrogen Bonding and Crystallization in Biodegradable Multiblock Poly(ester urethane) Copolymer

The hydrogen bonding and crystallization of a biodegradable poly(ester urethane) copolymer based on poly(L-lactide) (PLLA) as the soft segment were investigated by FTIR. On slow cooling from melt, the onset and the progress of the crystallization of the urethane hard segments were correlated to the position, width, and relative intensity of the hydrogen-bonded N-H stretching band. The interconversion between the "free" and hydrogen-bonded N-H and C=O groups in the urethane units in the process was also revealed by 2D correlation analysis of the FTIR data. The crystallization of the PLLA soft segments was monitored by the ester C=O stretching and the skeletal vibrations. It was revealed that the PLLA crystallization was restricted by the phase separation and the urethane crystallization, and at cooling rates of 10 degrees C/min or higher, the crystallization of the PLLA soft segments was prohibited.

CLONING AND QUANTITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE CARBONIC ANHYDRASE GENE FROM PORPHYRA YEZOENSIS

Carbonic anhydrase (CA), an enzyme that catalyzes the interconversion of CO2 and HCO3-, has a critical role in inorganic carbon acquisition in many kingdoms, including animals, plants, and bacteria. In this study, the full-length cDNA of the CA gene from Porphyra yezoensis Ueda (denoted as PyCA) was cloned by using an expressed sequence tag (EST) and rapid amplification of cDNA ends (RACE). The nucleotide sequence of PyCA consists of 1,153 bp, including a 5' untranslated region (UTR) of 177 bp, a 3' UTR of 151 bp, and an open reading frame (ORF) of 825 bp that can be translated into a 274-amino-acid putative peptide with a molecular mass (M) of 29.8 kDa and putative isoelectric point (pI) of 8.51. The predicted polypeptide has significant homology to the beta-CA from bacteria and unicellular algae, such as Porphyridium purpureum. The mRNA in filamentous thalli, leafy thalli, and conchospores was examined, respectively, by real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR (qPCR), and the levels of PyCA are different at different stages of the life cycle. The lowest level of mRNA was observed in leafy thalli, and the level in filamentous thalli and in the conchospores was 4-fold higher and 10-fold higher, respectively.