Analysis of air pollution and prevalence rate of allergic diseases among elementary school children in Kawaguchi and Hatogaya city

Kawaguchi and Hatogaya City are located on the northern edge of Tokyo. We analysed between air pollution and prevalence rate of allergic diseases among elementary school children in this area. A prevalence rate of allergic diseases in 1996 May and June was as follows; bronchial asthma 13.5%, atopic dermatitis 24.5%, allergic rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis 22.8%, urticaria 12.4%, food allergy 7.8% and drug allergy 2.2%, respectively. Air pollution of this area was analysed to check the levels of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), sulfur dioxide (SO2) and suspended particulate matters (SPM). NO2 pollution was relatively high in urban area, and SPM pollution was especially high around the highways. SO2 pollution was lower than the environmental standard. No relationship was found between the prevalence rate of bronchial asthma, atopic dermatitis, allergic rhinitis and/or conjunctivitis and air pollution, but it was found that these diseases are slightly related to population density (p < 0.1, p < 0.01, p < 0.1, respectively).     

An improved kernel function computation in subsonic unsteady lifting surface theory

A new and efficient scheme is presented for evaluating the kernel function K, which occurs in the linearized theory of oscillatory airloads on a planar lifting surface in subsonic flow. Among many previous efforts of this sort, the present paper was inspired by Ueda's method [10] for computing the integral function B(X, r, k) appearing in the kernel.Firstly we point out that important are not only B but also the remaining part A of the kernel, since singularities are latent in A as well as B. Moreover, it is quite desirable to express the singularities, which often must be treated analytically, by using the original variable x₀ rather than the modified one X.The second important problem concerns with the finite continuous part $\text{K}\text{?}{}^{\mathrm{F}}$, which must be numerically evaluated efficiently. A new method for this purpose is presented.This paper is restricted to the case where the frequency is real, namely the oscillation is neutrally stable.     

Stereospecific analysis of monounsaturated triacylglycerols in cocoa butter

The enantiomeric composition of the monounsaturated triacylglycerols (TG) from cocoa butter was estimated. The monounsaturated TG were separated into three fractions by reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), and each fraction was subjected to the stereospecific analysis with chiral-phase HPLC. The results indicated that the major TG consisted of equal amounts of 1-stearoyl-2-oleoyl-3-palmitoyl-sn-glycerol (SOP-sn-TG) and POS-sn-TG (47 mol%), 1,3-distearoyl-2-oleoyl-glycerol (SOS-TG) (33 mol%), and POP-TG (19 mol%). The contents of SOP-sn-TG and POS-sn-TG are 1.30 times that of the POP-TG content, and the SOS-TG content is 1.30² times that of the POP-TG content. The term “priority factor” is proposed for the ratio of the stearoyl group/palmitoyl group, 1:30 at thesn-1 andsn-3 or 1(3)-position. It shows a distinct specificity for particular fatty acids or their Coenzyme A esters in random esterification at each position of the glycerol moiety in the biosynthesis of cocoa butter TG.     

Hydrocarbons with a homoconjugated polyene system and their monoepoxy derivatives: Sex attractants of geometrid and noctuid moths distributed in Japan

Although several sex pheromones of the family Geometridae have been characterized, investigations on Japanese species are limited. In order to obtain more information, screening using known sex pheromones and their analogs was carried out. The (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-triunsaturated and (Z,Z)-6,9-diunsaturated hydrocarbons with straight C¹⁹-C²¹ chains were synthesized by the Grignard coupling reaction as a key step starting from linolenic and linoleic acids, respectively. Oxidation of the homoconjugated trienes withm-chloroperoxybenzoic acid yielded a 111 mixture of three monoepoxy derivatives that could be separated by silica gel chromatography. The chemical structure of each positional isomer was confirmed using two-dimensional NMR techniques and MS measurements, which enabled characteristic fragment ions from the isomers to be identified. Field tests using lures incorporating only one of the above six hydrocarbons or nine epoxides were carried out in a forest in Tokyo. Consequently, attraction of male moths of 14 geometrid species in addition to four species in another family, the Noctuidae, was observed. It was concluded that hydrocarbons with a homoconjugated polyene system and the monoepoxy derivatives are important components of sex pheromones produced by Japanese lepidopterous insects, particularly the geometrid moths.     

Analysis of mark-formation process for phase-change media

The objective of this study was to determine the mechanism of a phenomenon peculiar to phase-change recording regarding the mark shape or mark-forming process. The following results were obtained from our simulation of mark shapes, transparency electron microscope observations, and analysis of reproduced signals. A method of calculating a mark shape by calculating the holding-time profile was devised and its appropriateness was confirmed. We found there were close relationships between the cooling pulse shape, the effective erase ratio, the reproduced signal amplitude, and the noise level, and that the temperature change when the mark edge was cooled has a great influence on the stability of the mark shape and crystallized regions     

Electroreductive block copolymerization of dichlorosilanes in the presence of disilane additives

The electroreductive polymerization of dichloromethylphenylsilane in the presence of triphenylsilyl group‐containing disilanes such as hexaphenyldisilane followed by the electroreductive termination with chlorotriphenylsilane afforded triphenylsilyl group‐terminated polymethylphenylsilane in 15–32% yield. The isolated polymethylphenylsilane (M_n = 3350 g mol^?1, M_w/M_n = 1.4) was found to react as a macroinitiator to copolymerize with dibutyldichlorosilane under electroreductive conditions producing the corresponding block copolymer (M_n = 4730 g mol^?1, M_w/M_n = 1.2) in 38% yield. The ratio of monomer units (? MeSiPh? to? BuSiBu? ) of the copolymer was determined to be 75:25 using ¹H NMR analysis, which was in good agreement with the calculated ratio (74:26) on the assumption that molecular weight of the macroinitiator was not changed. The block structure of the resulting copolymer, poly(methylphenylsilane)‐block‐poly(dibutylsilane), was also confirmed by comparing its ¹H NMR and UV absorption spectra with those of polymethylphenylsilane, polydibutylsilane and a statistical copolymer prepared by electroreductive polymerization of dichloromethylphenylsilane with dibutyldichlorosilane. This method is applicable to the preparation of other types of macroinitiator such as triphenylsilyl group‐terminated polydibutylsilane, and polydibutylsilane‐block‐polymethylphenylsilane was also obtained using this macroinitiator. Copyright © 2011 Society of Chemical Industry     

Identification of Sex Pheromones of Anadevidia peponis and Macdunnoughia confusa and Field Tests of Their Role in Reproductive Isolation of Closely Related Plusiinae Moths

Anadevidia peponis and Macdunnoughia confusa are defoliators of plants in the family Cucurbitaceae and Compositae, respectively, in Japan. GC-MS analyses of crude pheromone gland extracts treated with or without dimethyl disulfide indicated that females of A. peponis produced six monoene acetates and two monoene alcohols and that M. confusa females produced five monoene acetates. These components include (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate as a major common constituent and three other acetates as minor common constituents. The minor constituents are quite different in blend composition. In addition, with (Z)-7-dodecenyl acetate, an indispensable component for male attraction is (Z)-5-decenyl acetate for A. peponis and (Z)-9-tetradecenyl acetate is essential for M. confusa. Field tests with synthetic lures showed synergistic effects of some other minor components and male attraction of three additional Plusiinae species, Macdunnoughia purissima, Ctenoplusia albostriata, and Chrysodeixis eriosoma, suggesting their reproductive isolation is based in part on pheromonal communication.     

Preparation of porous membranes by selective decomposition of adamantane unit in ABA‐type triblock copolymer

The mechanism of pore formation by selective decomposition of adamantane unit in an ABA‐type triblock copolymer derived from 4,4‐(hexafluoroisopropylidene)diphthalic anhydride‐2,3,5,6‐tetramethyl‐1,4‐phenylenediamine (6FDA‐TeMPD) and poly(2‐methyl‐2‐adamantylmethacrylate) (PMAdMA) was investigated on this basis. This study aims to developing a novel method of material design for high‐precision gas separation membranes and application to electric devices by improving dielectric constant. Scanning electron microscopy images showed that the membrane structure changed considerably after heating; the difference increased with the increase in adamantane content. Interestingly, the internal structure of Block(36 mol%6FDA‐TeMPD/64 mol%PMAdMA) membrane was almost unchanged although its surface structure was changed. These results suggest that the mechanism of formation of porous membrane involves the decomposition of adamantane unit from surface. In addition, more adamantane units inside the membrane were discharged to the surface of the membrane through a path formed by decomposed adamantane units. POLYM. ENG. SCI., 56:1191–1200, 2016. © 2016 Society of Plastics Engineers     

A free dendritic growth model accommodating curved phase boundaries and high peclet number conditions

A steady-state free dendrite growth model accommodating nonlocal equilibrium tip conditions and curved liquidus and solidus has been developed. The developed model assumes a dendrite tip of a paraboloid of revolution and is applicable to dendrite growth in dilute binary alloys for all values of P _c , and reduces to the BCT model for linear liquidus and solidus. The marginal stability criterion of Trivedi and Kurz is shown to apply even in the presence of kinetic undercooling and curved phase boundaries when used with an appropriate concentration-dependent liquidus slope. The model is applied to Sn-Pb alloys to predict the tip velocity, tip radius, solute trapping, and four components of undercooling in the quasi-solutal, solutal-to-thermal transition and quasi-thermal regions.     

Trypsins from the pyloric ceca of jacopever (Sebastes schlegelii) and elkhorn sculpin (Alcichthys alcicornis): Isolation and characterization

Trypsins from the pyloric ceca of jacopever (Sebastes schlegelii), TR-J, and elkhorn sculpin (Alcichthys alcicornis), TR-E, were purified by gel filtration on Sephacryl S-200 and Sephadex G-50. The molecular weights of TR-J and TR-E were estimated to be 24,000 Da by sodium dodecyl sulfate–polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. TR-J and TR-E revealed optimum temperatures of 60 and 50 °C, respectively, and showed the same optimum pH (pH 8.0) for hydrolysis of N-p-tosyl-l-arginine methyl ester. TR-J and TR-E were unstable at above 50 and 40 °C, respectively, and were more stable at alkaline pH than at acidic pH. Thermal stabilities of TR-J and TR-E were highly calcium dependent. These purified trypsin enzymes were inhibited by serine protease inhibitors, such as TLCK and soybean trypsin inhibitor. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of TR-J and TR-E were also investigated. The N-terminal amino acid sequences of TR-J, IVGGYECKPYSQPHQVSLNS, and TR-E, IVGGYECTPHSQAHQVSLNS, were found, and these sequences showed highly homology to other fish trypsins.