Imperative irradiation: A large enantiomeric excess in a liquid‐crystal phase can be induced by circularly polarized light (CPL) as an external stimulus, and an imbalance in the two chiral domains becomes remarkable in the BX phase (see pictures), which is similar to the B4 phase made up by classical bent‐core mesogens.

We have prepared a series of dimeric compounds, mOAM5AMOm, which comprise two Schiff's base mesogens. These compounds formed three types of fluid smectic liquid crystals. When the alkoxy tail length is short (m=4 and 6), the alkoxy tail groups mix randomly with the alkyl spacer groups, resulting in the SmCAs phase. The compounds with m longer than 14 form the SmCAb phase with a bilayer character, in which the spacer and tail groups segregate from each other and consequently two mesogenic layers (so-called bilayer) are included within a repeat unit. In such a bilayer association of twin dimers, spontaneous polarization appears in each bilayer. In this SmCAb phase, furthermore, the molecules are tilted to the layer so that chirality is spontaneously formed in addition to ferroelectricity. The structure was identified as SmCAPA type. The compounds with intermediate m of 8–12 formed the frustrated SmCAf phase with a density modulation (frustration) along the layer. On cooling from the smectic phases, crystallization takes place for mOAM5AMOm with m=4–8, while the chiral Crblue phase with the TGB-like helical structure was clearly identified with m=14–18. The structure and properties of these exotic phases in twin dimers are described in detail.

The mesomorphic behavior and phase structure were examined in the mixture of two kinds of dimeric compounds, alpha,omega-bis(4-alkoxyanilinebenzylidene-4'-carbonyloxy)pentane (mOAM5AMOm), by optical microscopy, X-ray diffraction, polarization switching, and second-harmonic generation measurements. One compound is 4OAM5AMO4 with a short terminal alkyl chain that forms a single-layer smectic phase (SmCAs) with a random mixing of spacer and tail groups. Another compound is 16OAM5AMO16 with a long terminal alkyl chain that forms a chiral, anticlinic, and antiferroelectric bilayer phase (SmCAb) with the bent molecules tilted to the bilayer. By mixing these two compounds, the SmCAs phase of 4OAM5AMO4 is easily destabilized, leading to the wide content region of the bilayer phases. In the bilayer regime, three other smectic phases are newly induced. Two of them are antiferroelectric and ferroelectric phases in which the molecules lie perpendicularly with respect to the layer. The other shows no polar response to an external electric field and behaves like a smectic A. The new appearance of these bilayer phases is discussed as a mixing effect of long and short tail groups.

The layer structures in bent-shaped liquid crystal dimers mOAM5AMOm (m=6-16) have been investigated by x-ray microbeam diffraction. These liquid crystal molecules have two rodlike mesogens connected with an odd-numbered alkylene spacer and form a bent shape. In these compounds it is found that the structure changes from the single (m=6) to frustrated-layer structures (m=8, 10, and 12) and switchable frustrated-layer structures (m=14 and 16) with increasing terminal chain length. An anticlinic antiferroelectric structure is suggested in the compound with m=16, based on the different electric-field-induced reorientation behavior from those in the other dimers.

Background: Reticular erythematous mucinosis (REM) syndrome is characterized by an accumulation of mucin in the dermis. Objective: To elucidate the mechanism of mucin deposition, the response of REM syndrome fibroblasts to various exogenous factors was studied. Method: REM and control fibroblasts were treated with potent modulators including tumor necrosis factor-α, basic fibroblast growth factor, interferon-γ, transforming growth factor-β1 and interleukin-1α (IL-1α) and -4. Results: IL-1β failed to stimulate glycosaminoglycan synthesis in REM fibroblasts whereas it stimulated glycosaminoglycan synthesis up to 6-fold in control fibroblasts. The stimulation of glycosaminoglycan was caused largely by a comparable increase in hyaluronic acid. Conclusion: These results suggest that the patient fibroblasts exhibit an abnormal response to stimulation by exogenous IL-1β and that IL-1β may be involved in the abnormal hyaluronic acid metabolism in REM syndrome.