High oleic acid oil suppresses lung tumorigenesis in mice through the modulation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase cascade

This study was undertaken to estimate the effect of dietary high oleic acid oil (OA) on 4-(methylnitrosamino)-1-(3-pyridyl)-1-butanone (NNK)-induced lung tumorigenesis in mice. Diet containing 10% oil was fed to mice through experimental periods. On day 30 after NNK injection (100 mg/kg body weight, i.p.), the treatment increased the level of prostaglandin E₂ (PGE₂) as well as proliferating cell nuclear antigen, a marker of cell proliferation in a high linoleic acid oil (LA)-fed group but not in an OA-fed group. The NNK treatment also induced the activation of an extracellular signal-regulated kinase (Erk) cascade (Erk, Mek and Raf-1) in an LA-fed group. On the other hand, OA feeding abolished the NNK-induced activation of the Erk cascade. In conjugation with these events, OA feeding reduced lung tumor incidence and tumor multiplicity (percentage of mice with tumors) in mice compared with LA feeding at the 20th experimental week. These results suggest that OA suppresses lung tumorigenesis and that this suppression is correlated with the inhibition of PGE₂ production and inactivation of the Erk cascade.     

Synthesis of Super-Microporous Aluminosilicate Having Excellent Water Vapor Adsorption Property as an Adsorbent for an Adsorption Heat-Pump

The synthesis of super-microporous aluminosilicate with a pore diameter of 14.6 Å has been achieved, by means of synthesis under specified conditions with a skeletal material comprising TMOS and a small quantity of sodium aluminate, and a conventional alkyl-trimethylammonium halide (C₁₀TMABr) as a template. This super-microporous aluminosilicate has an adsorption capacity of 0.2 ml/g at a relative water vapor pressure of 0.2, and thus is promising as an adsorbent for an adsorption heat-pump.     

Effects of dietary lipids on daunomycin-induced nephropathy in mice: comparison between cod liver oil and soybean oil

Although it is well known that dietary lipids affect the course of glomerulonephritis in rats and humans, the precise mechanisms involved have not been fully elucidated. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of different types of dietary lipids (fish oil and vegetable oil) on daunomycin (DM)-induced nephropathy in mice fed on soybean oil (SO) or cod liver oil (CLO). Urinary protein excretion, serum albumin, creatinine, total cholesterol, and TG were measured, and glomerular histological changes were evaluated. Antioxidant enzymes were also measured, along with the levels of lipid peroxide, GSH, thromboxane (Tx) B_2′ and 6-keto prostaglandin F_1α in renal cortical tissue. Dietary CLO significantly reduced urinary albumin excretion and ameliorated the histological changes induced by DM. The increase of tissue lipid peroxide levels seen in SO-fed mice was suppressed in CLO-fed mice, whereas CLO-fed mice showed higher GSH levels than SO-fed mice throughout the experiment. In addition, renal tissue GSH peroxidase activity was significantly higher at 72 h after DM injection in CLO-DM mice than in SO-DM mice. Both renal cortical TxB₂ and 6-keto PGF_1α levels were significantly lower in CLO-DM mice than in SO-DM mice. These results suggest that inhibition of oxidative damage by dietary CLO played an important role in the prevention of DM nephropathy in this mouse model. The effect of CLO was closely associated with the inhibition of Tx synthesis.     

High thermal stable thermoplastic-thermosetting polyimide film by use of asymmetric dianhydride (a-BPDA)

In order to obtain thermoplastic (before curing) and thermosetting (after curing) polyimides with high T_g for adhesive film, we prepared novel polyimides having phenylethynyl group in the side chain (44% of concentration of curing group) from asymmetric 2,3,3′,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (a-BPDA), 3,4′-oxydianiline (3,4′-ODA) or 1,3-bis(4-aminophenoxy)benzene (1,3,4-APB) or 1,3-bis(3-aminophenoxy)benzene (1,3,3-APB), and 2,4-diamino-1-(4-phenylethynylphenoxy)benzene (mPDAp). Among three kinds of polymer, uncured polyimide of a-BPDA/1,3,4-APB; mPDAp had rather high T_g (265 °C, DMA) and thermoplasticity (E′ drop>10³ at T_g). After curing reaction of phenylethynyl group, the T_g of the polyimide was increased dramatically (364 °C, DMA). The polyimide derived from 1,3,4-APB having less concentration of curing group (20%) was also prepared to improve further film flexibility and toughness.     

Drying characteristics of porous material immersed in a bed of hygroscopic porous particles fluidized under reduced pressure

A relatively large wet material was immersed in a fluidized bed of hygroscopic porous particle (silica gel beads) under reduced pressure. And then the drying characteristics were compared with those in the case of inert particle (glass beads). The comparison of drying characteristics is performed experimentally and theoretically. In calculation, the water transfer from the sample to the fluidized bed was considered. The calculation results are in good agreement with the experimental data. The effects of the operational conditions (the pressure in the drying chamber and the temperature of the drying gas) on the drying characteristics were also examined in both fluidizing particles.The drying finishes earlier in the case of hygroscopic porous particle than in the case of inert particle regardless of pressure in the drying chamber, since the water transfer from the sample facilitates the drying in the case of hygroscopic porous particles. The temperature decrement in drying appears in the case of inert particle. This phenomenon is also observed in the case of hygroscopic porous particle, but the decrement degree of the temperature is much smaller than that in the case of inert particle. The difference of the minimum temperature in the sample in drying between the cases of hygroscopic porous particle and inert particle is very slight for different pressures in the drying chamber.     

Sintering Kinetics at Isothermal Shrinkage: II, Effect of Y2O3 Concentration on the Initial Sintering Stage of Fine Zirconia Powder

The shrinkage behavior of fine zirconia powders containing 2.9 and 7.8 mol% Y₂O₃ was investigated to clarify the effect of Y₂O₃ concentration on the initial sintering stage. The shrinkage of powder compact was measured under both conditions of constant rates of heating (CRH) and constant temperatures. CRH measurements revealed that when the Y₂O₃ concentration of fine zirconia powder increased, the starting temperature of shrinkage shifted to a high temperature. Isothermal shrinkage measurements revealed that the increase in Y₂O₃ concentration causes the shrinkage rate to decrease. The values of activation energy ( Q ) and frequency-factor term (β₀) of diffusion at initial sintering were estimated by applying the sintering-rate equation to the isothermal shrinkage data. When the Y₂O₃ concentration increases, both Q and β₀ of diffusion increase. It is, therefore, concluded that the increase in Y₂O₃ concentration of fine zirconia powder decreases the shrinkage rate because of increasing Q of diffusion at the initial stage of sintering.     

Promotion of hydrogen permeation on metal-dispersed alumina membranes and its application to a membrane reactor for methane steam reforming

A mesoporous membrane for selective separation of hydrogen was prepared usingthe sol-gel method. Some metal salts such as RuCl₃, Pd(NH₃)₄Cl₂, RhCl₃,, and H ₂PtCl₆, were added to the boehmite sol and coated on a porous alumina substrate before firing at 500°C. It was foundthat the permeability of hydrogen and the separation factor for a hydrogen-nitrogen gaseous mixture of these metaldispersed membranes exceeded the limitations of the Knudsen diffusion mechanism. Although the gas permeation through a neat alumina membrane is governed by the Knudsen diffusion, the metals dispersed in alumina membranes were effective in promoting hydrogen permeation. These metaldispersed alumina membranes were also used in a membrane reactor for methane steam reforming at low temperature. In the temperature range of 300 to 500°C, the membrane reactor attained a methane conversion twice as high as the equilibrium value of the packed bed catalytic reactor system as a result of the selective removal of hydrogen from the reaction system.     

Anode‐voltage‐control circuit for compensation of luminance deterioration

Abstract— An external driving circuit that has realized long lifetime, power‐consumption control, and peak luminance for organic light‐emitting diode (OLED) displays have been developed. This circuit realizes an effective method for constant‐anode‐voltage (CV) driving refered to as clamped inverter (CI) driving. The feature of CV driving is to achieve low‐power consumption compared with constant‐anode‐current (CC) driving and to control the power consumption and peak luminance according to the image because display luminance can be easily changed by controlling the anode voltage. On the other hand, CV driving has the problem that luminance deterioration appears to be serious compared with that of CC driving because the current of the OLED element decreases according to usage time. To cope with this, a lifetime compensation circuit that has increased the anode voltage so that it compensates for the luminance deterioration has been developed. This circuit can compensate not only the decrease in current but also the decrease in luminance at a constant current that CC driving cannot. However, increasing the anode voltage causes an increase in stress on the OLED element. The influence of stress on OLED lifetime was verified. As a result, it was confirmed that this circuit can extend the lifetime by 32% even if the anode voltage is increased, causing stress on the OLED structure.     

Correction of color information of a 3D model using a range intensity image

Most active optical range sensors record, simultaneously with the range image, the amount of light reflected at each measured surface location: this information forms what is called a range intensity image, also known as a reflectance image. This paper proposes a method that uses this type of image for the correction of the color information of a textured 3D model. This color information is usually obtained from color images acquired using a digital camera. The lighting condition for the color images are usually not controlled, thus this color information may not be accurate. On the other hand, the illumination condition for the range intensity image is known since it is obtained from a controlled lighting and observation configuration, as required for the purpose of active optical range measurement. The paper describes a method for combining the two sources of information, towards the goal of compensating for a reference range intensity image is first obtained by considering factors such as sensor properties, or distance and relative surface orientation of the measured surface. The color image of the corresponding surface portion is then corrected using this reference range intensity image. A B-spline interpolation technique is applied to reduce the noise of range intensity images. Finally, a method for the estimation of the illumination color is applied to compensate for the light source color. Experiments show the effectiveness of the correction method using range intensity images.     

Photo-regulated metal coordination of azobenzene polymer having sterically controlled ion binding sites

Summary 2,2-Dimethylazobenzenes having metal chelating ligands at meta-positions were synthesized, and the interaction with metal ions were estimated for syn- and anti-ligands on thermal isomerization. The azobenzenes with the metal-interaction were transformed to vinyl azobenzenes and copolymerized with styrene. The metal extracting ability was found in photo-isomerized polymer having syn-bis(iminodiacetic acid) groups; the selectivity was high for Cu(II) ion.