Anisotropic carbon nanotube–polyester composites have been realized by polymerization of the nanotube–monomer dispersion in a constant magnetic field (see Figure for method). Magnetic susceptibilities, electrical conductivities, and mechanical properties of the composite show clear anisotropy, indicating magnetic field‐induced alignment of carbon nanotubes in the polymer matrix.

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Gastric H؉ ,K ؉ -ATPase consists of ␣ and ␤-subunits. The ␣-subunit is the catalytic subunit, and the ␤-subunit is a glycoprotein stabilizing the ␣/␤ complex in the membrane as a functional enzyme. There are seven putative N-glycosylation sites on the ␤-subunit. In this study, we examined the roles of the carbohydrate chains of the ␤-subunit by expressing the ␣-subunit together with the ␤-subunit in which one, several, or all of the asparagine residues in the N-glycosylation sites were replaced by glutamine. Removing any one of seven carbohydrate chains from the ␤-subunit retained the H ؉

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During the curing process of a liquid-crystalline epoxy resin, a relatively strong magnetic field was applied, and the thermomechanical properties of the cured resin were investigated. The network orientation and mechanical properties of the cured system were evaluated with wide-angle X-ray diffraction, dynamic mechanical analysis, and fracture toughness testing. The cured system was found to have an anisotropic network structure, which arranged along the applied field, and the anisotropy was reflected in the thermomechanical properties. In particular, the fracture toughness of the system dramatically increased when the network chains were arranged across the direction of the crack propagation. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part B: Polym Phys 42: 758 -765, 2004