Survey on the concentrations of hormones (estradiol-17 beta, progesterone, testosterone) in bovine muscles

Natural sex hormones, estradiol-17 beta (EST), progesterone (PRO) and testosterone (TES), in sixty domestic bovine muscles and forty bovine muscles imported from USA and Australia were determined by radioimmunoassay. The EST, PRO and TES levels (mean +/- standard deviation) in domestic samples (n = 60) was 1.15 +/- 1.87 ppt, 3.19 +/- 5.80 ppb and 30.9 +/- 122.1 ppt on a whole basis, respectively. The hormone levels in muscles was presumed to reflect sex, estrous cycle, and so on. The hormone levels in imported bovine muscles (n = 40) were 3.33 +/- 2.83 ppt (EST), 0.52 +/- 0.50 ppb (PRO) and 8.8 +/- 13.0 ppt (TES), respectively.     

Enzymatic synthesis of estolides by a bioreactor

An attempt was made to synthesize ricinoleic acid estolides effectively with a bioreactor system containing immobilized lipase. The optimal water content for reaction changed during synthesis of estolide from ricinoleic acid. The water content needs to be controlled to optimize conditions for each reaction stage and to prepare estolide with a high degree of condensation. The estolide synthesis was attempted to confirm if the reaction would have proceeded to the targeted degree of condensation by controlling the reaction mixture under the optimal water content. The result showed that, with the bioreactor, the reaction could proceed rapidly. A repeated batch reaction was possible in the bioreactor. The amount of lipase used can thus be highly reduced compared with discarding it each time. The loading density of enzyme onto the carrier greatly affected enzymatic activity, with a loading level of 60 mg lipase/g carrier producing 60% more estolide per gram of enzyme than a loading level of 120 mg/g. The estolide product synthesized in the bioreactor showed no coloration during the reaction process. This fact confirmed the validity of the proposed method.     

Pro-gastrin-releasing peptide (31-98) as a tumour marker of small-cell lung cancer: comparative evaluation with neuron-specific enolase

We attempted to clarify whether serum levels of a carboxy-terminal fragment of ProGRP, ProGRP(31-98), could serve as a more accurate tumour marker in patients with SCLC than neuron-specific enolase (NSE). ProGRP(31-98) and NSE were measured retrospectively in 101 newly diagnosed untreated patients with SCLC, 111 with non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and 114 patients with non-malignant lung diseases. ProGRP(31-98) and NSE levels were determined using a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Sensitivity in SCLC patients was 72.3% for ProGRP(31-98) and 62.4% for NSE. Comparing the area under curve (AUC) of 'receiver operator characteristics' of ProGRP(31-98) with that of NSE, ProGRP(31-98) was the more powerful marker in the diagnosis of SCLC (P = 0.0001). Serum levels of ProGRP(31-98) were higher in the 40 patients with extensive disease than in the 61 patients with limited disease (P = 0.0082). ProGRP(31-98) was significantly higher in patients with pure small-cell carcinoma than in patients with mixed small-cell/large-cell carcinoma (P = 0.02). In serial measurement in 16 patients responding to treatment, a high degree of correlation was noted between the decrease in serum ProGRP(31-98) levels and clinical response during the second week after treatment (P = 0.0045). These results indicate that the determination of serum ProGRP(31-98) levels plays an important role in the diagnosis and treatment of SCLC patients.     

Enzyme technology for the lipids industry: An engineering overview

Enzymes useful in the lipids industry, i.e. lipases, phospholipases and lipoxygenases, are surveyed as to source, pH optimum, specificity and so on. Some useful biochemical reactions catalyzed by these enzymes are discussed: hydrolysis of fats and oils by lipases, transesterifications (acidolysis, alcoholysis, interesterification and aminolysis) of fats and oils by lipases, hydrolysis of lecithin by phospholipase A₂ and transphosphatidylation of phospholipids by phospholipase D. Research and development activities in these fields in the academic and industrial sectors of Japan are discussed. With reference to the lipolytic enzymes’ applications, forms or states with which enzymes and microorganisms are used in microaqueous solvent systems, i.e. in low water-activity media or in nearly anhydrous solvents, are summarized. Some configurations of reactors for the microaqueous biosystems are shown, and some engineering problems involved in the systems are identified. The importance of optimal moisture content control is emphasized.     

Crystallographic Study of the Tempering of Martensitic Carbon Steel by Electron Microscopy and Diffraction

Structural changes taking place during the tempering proceed in four stages. At the preliminary stage taking place below 370 K, interstitial carbon atom clusters are formed below 270 K, rearrange to make a modulated structure between 270 and 360 K, and disappear at about 370 K. A long period ordered phase with respect to the interstitial carbon atoms or interstitial vacancies also appears between 330 and 350 K. With the disappearance of these structures, the first stage takes place between 370 and 470 K, where η-Fe₂C is formed in the matrix of low carbon martensite. The second stage occurs around 550 K with the retained austenite decomposing to θ-Fe₃C and α iron. At the succession of the first stage, the third stage appears in a temperature range from 470 to 900 K, where θ-Fe₃C, χ-Fe₅C₂ and also higher carbides θ_n-Fe_2n+1C_n intergrow microsyntactically in the particles precipitated below 720 K, but only θ-Fe₃C is formed above this temperature.     

High-power, wide-bandwidth, 1.55 ?m-wavelength GaInAsP/InP distributed feedback laser

A high output power of 52 mW and wide bandwidth of 9.8 GHz have been achieved in a 1.55 ?m-wavelength distributed feedback laser with a flat-surface buried heterostructure by optimising the coupling coefficient and reducing the parasitic capacitance.     

A new tectal afferent nucleus of the infrared sensory system in the medulla oblongata of Crotaline snakes

The existence of an infrared sensory neuron group with ascending fibers which directly reach the optic tectum in Crotaline snakes was confirmed with three methods. (1) With the retrograde horseradish peroxidase (HRP) method, labeled neurons were not found within the nucleus descendens lateralis nervi trigemini (DLV), but in an unnamed cell group located immediately ventral to the DLV of the contralateral side at the transitional portion between the nucleus oralis (DVo) and the nucleus interpolaris (DVi). This unnamed cell group, which was seen only in the Crotalinae, was provisionally called the 'new nucleus'. (2) Normal brain series of 15 species were stained by the methods of Bodian-Otsuka, Klüver-Barrera and Nissl staining to compare the cytoarchitecture of the medulla oblongata. The 'new nucleus' was found only in species belonging to the Crotalinae. This nucleus was situated in fiber tracts which appeared to correspond to the lemniscus spinalis and tractus spino-cerebellaris of the reptilian medulla oblongata, and contained medium-sized multipolar or fusiform neurons. (3) In an electrophysiological study 16 single units responding unimodally to an infrared stimulus were recorded. Three of these recording sites were determined with Pontamine sky blue marking to be near or within the 'new nucleus'.     

Degradation in tensile properties of aromatic polymers by electron beam irradiation

Electron beam irradiation effects of ten kinds of polymers containing various aromatic rings linked by functional groups in the main chain (aromatic polymer) were studied with reference to change in tensile properties. The polymers studied were polyimides ‘Kapton H’, and ‘UPILEX’, polyetherimide ‘ULTEM’, polyamides ‘A-Film’, and ‘APH-50 (nomex type paper)’, poly-ether-ether-ketone ‘PEEK’, polyarylate ‘U-Polymer’, polysulphones ‘Udel-Polysulphone’, and ‘PES’, and modified poly(phenylene oxide) ‘NORYL’. Irradiation was carried out by use of electron beam at a dose rate of 5 × 10³ Gy s^?1 at room temperature. The elongation at break was the most severely influenced by the irradiation and it decreased with increasing dose. The order of radiation resistivity which was evaluated from the dose required for the elongation to become 50% and 20% of the initial value was as follows:Polyimide>PEEK>polyamide>polyetherimide>polyarylate>polysulphone, poly(phenylene oxide)Based on the above experimental results, the following order was proposed as for the radiation stability of the aromatic repeating units composing the main chain:

     

Increasing n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid content of fish oil by temperature control of lipase-catalyzed acidolysis

An attempt was made to further increase the content of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) of fish oil by lipase-catalyzed acidolysis (reaction between fish oil and n-3 PUFA-enriched free fatty acid) without solvent. A bioreactor system was constructed composed of a water-jacketed packed-bed column and a substrate reservoir with a circulation pipeline between the packed-bed column and the reservoir. By keeping the temperature of the reservoir at −10°C (for the first 20 h), followed by −20°C (for the subsequent 40 h) during the batch acidolysis, crystals of free fatty acid appeared, which were removed intermittently by a cotton plug packed in the tip of the outlet pipe in the reservoir. The n-3 PUFA content of the triacylglycerol fraction increased a further 10% by the reduced temperature of the reservoir. Bioreactors for Enzymatic Reaction of Fats and Fatty Acid derivatives, Part XV.     

Improvement of Submerged Biofilter Process by Bioelectrochemical Method

A bioelectrochemical method was applied to a submerged biofilter process to improve its nitrogen removal performance. Packed beds of activated carbon submerged into the aerobic tank of the submerged biofilter process were used as the electrodes and support for attached microbial growth. The experiments were conducted under different temperatures, dissolved oxygen (DO) concentrations and electric currents. The results showed that nitrification and denitrification rates were enhanced by supplying oxygen and hydrogen, respectively, from the substratum through electrolysis of water. The nitrification and denitrification rates were increased with increasing electric current. The effects of electric current on nitrification and denitrification rates were clearly shown under lower bulk liquid DO concentration. There was an optimum DO concentration to give the largest nitrogen removal rate in the bioelectrochemical compartment. The optimum DO concentration was in the range of 1.5–2.0 g∕m3.