Observation of very thin gold island films vacuum-deposited onto MoS2 surface by STM

A gold film of about half a monolayer in thickness was vacuum-deposited onto air-cleaved MoS₂ surface at room temperature at a pressure of 10^?5 Pa. Quasi-two-dimensionally grown gold islands made of several atomic layers were observed by scanning an area of 40×30 nm². The shape of them was oblate and about 20 nm in diameter. Atomic corrugations which reflect the Au(111) surface were observed. The islands were found to move and changed their shape during the microscopy.     

Degradation of cyanuric acid in soil by Pseudomonas sp. NRRL B-12227 using bioremediation with self-immobilization system

The rates of degradation of cyanuric acid, a key intermediate in a metabolic pathway of s-triazine herbicides, were measured for Pseudomonas sp. NRRL B-12227. The rate of degradation was affected by the rate of cyanuric acid transport through cell membranes and the activity of cyanuric acid amidohydrolase inside the cells. At low concentrations of cyanuric acid, the acclimation of cells to cyanuric acid and/or added nutrients effectively enhanced the degradation rate. The strain was also applied to bioremediation using a Bioremediation with Self-Immobilization System (BSIS), in which Pseudomonas sp. NRRL B-12227 cells were co-immobilized with Bacillus subtilis, the latter of which secretes a viscous polymer, in a shallow layer of soil packed in a column. More than 70% of the Pseudomonas sp. NRRL B-12227 cells were co-immobilized with the B. subtilis in a 7.5 cm layer of the packed soil by self-aggregation. More than 60% of the 1 mM cyanuric acid supplied to the packed soil was degraded in this layer during a 72 h period.     

Enhanced production of hydroxymethylfurfural from fructose with solid acid catalysts by simple water removal methods

This paper demonstrates two simple ways to increase 5-hydroxymethylfurfural (HMF) yield (selectivity) in fructose dehydration with various solid acid catalysts. One is a water removal from the reaction mixture by a mild evacuation at 0.97 × 10⁵ Pa; it increases HMF yield for various catalysts (heteropoly acid, zeolite, and acidic resin). The removal of water suppresses two undesired reactions: the hydrolysis of HMF to levulinic acid and the reaction of partially dehydrated intermediates to condensation products. The other method is a decrease in the particle (bead) size of the resin (Amberlyst-15). The crushed and sieved Amberlyst-15 powder in a size of 0.15–0.053 mm shows 100% HMF yield at high fructose concentration (50 wt.% in DMSO), which is to our knowledge the highest yield to date. Near-infrared spectroscopic characterization of adsorbed water suggests that the enhanced yield can be caused by an improved removal of adsorbed water in a small-size resin particle.     

Adsorption behavior of radioactive cesium by non-mica minerals

We studied the adsorption behavior of radioactive cesium (Cs) by the non-mica minerals kaolinite, halloysite, chlorite, montmorillonite, mordenite, MnO₂, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, and FeOOH to elucidate the environmental behavior of radioactive Cs fallout from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the Tohoku region of Japan. The adsorption and desorption experiments of Cs on the minerals were carried out at the Cs concentrations 1 × 10^?4, 1 × 10^?5, and 2 × 10^?9 mole L^?1 at pH 5.5. The desorption of Cs from the minerals was examined using 0.1 mole L^?1 LiCl, NaCl, KCl, RbCl, and CsCl solutions. The sequential desorption was examined using a 0.1 mole L^?1 LiCl solution, a 1 mole L^?1 KCl solution, and a 1 mole L^?1 HCl solution. The distribution coefficient (K _d) for the minerals at the Cs concentration 10^?9 mole L^?1 was in the order of mordenite > illite > montmorillonite, sericite, MnO₂, kaolinite, and halloysite > chlorite, TiO₂, Al₂O₃, and FeOOH, differing from the order observed at higher Cs concentrations. After the sequential desorption by the three reagent solutions, the residual fraction of Cs was higher at the Cs concentration 10^?9 mole L^?1 than at higher concentrations. Approximately 40%, 40%, 50%, and 25% of the adsorbed Cs were residual in montmorillonite, mordenite, MnO₂, and kaolinite, respectively, after the sequential desorption. These results strongly suggest that (1) radioactive Cs at 10^?9 mole L^?1 is more strongly associated with the non-mica minerals than at higher concentrations of 1 × 10^?4 and 1 × 10^?5 mole L^?1, and (2) the non-mica minerals montmorillonite, mordenite, kaolinite, and MnO₂ contributed to the fixation of the radioactive Cs fallout on Fukushima soil.     

Arsenic trioxide inhibits growth of human T-cell leukaemia virus type I infected T-cell lines more effectively than retinoic acids

Adult T-cell leukaemia (ATL) is difficult to cure using conventional therapies. Recently the therapeutic possibility of retinoic acids (RA) has been reported. In this study, suppression of in vitro growth of human T-cell leukaemia virus type I (HTLV-I) infected T-cell lines and fresh ATL cells by arsenic trioxide (As2O3) were evaluated by comparison with a series of RA derivatives. Proliferation of four HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines was significantly reduced within 72 h by 1.0 micromol/l As2O3. Growth of two out of four HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines was also inhibited by 1.0 micromol/l RA, but to a lesser extent than by As2O3. The mechanism of this growth inhibition was due to the induction of apoptosis. Apoptosis was also induced in fresh ATL cells from patients by AS2O3, but far less by RA. As described in patients with acute promyelocytic leukaemia, 1.0 micromol/l of As2O3 can be safely achieved in the serum of patients; however, it is difficult to maintain this concentration of RA. In conclusion, As2O3 has therapeutic potential for the treatment of ATL and may be far more clinically beneficial than RA.     

Study on ketalization reaction of poly(vinyl alcohol) by ketones. IV. Reaction between poly(vinyl alcohol) and aliphatic ketones and behavior of polyvinylketal in water

Ketalization reaction of poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) by aliphatic ketones, dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) as solvent, under the presence of acidic catalyst, in homogeneous system was carried out and the synthesis of polyvinylketals were successfully performed. The equilibrium constant at 40°C is ca. 0.07 in the case of methyl n-propyl ketone (nPK) and methyl n-butyl ketone (nBK), but is ca. 0.05 in the case of methyl i-propyl ketone (iPK) and ca. 0.01 in the case of methyl i-butyl ketone (iBK) and methyl t-butyl ketone (tBK), respectively. Moreover, the ketalization degree of polyvinylketal by iBK and tBK reached to only ca. 35 mol % as the maximum. It seems that these were due to steric hindrance of bulky side chain of ketones. But the heat of reaction is 7.5 kcal/mol in all aliphatic ketones, it seems to proceed the same ketalization reaction mechanism. Films prepared from the polyvinylketals were soaked in water and degree of swelling, solubility, and hydrolysis of films were measured. The reaction of film with water, in acidic side, at first the film swells, and then, as the deketalization reaction proceeds, the film dissolves in water. The dissolution time is controlled by the kind of ketones, ketalization degree, and pH of water which reveals that deketalization reaction proceeds proportional to proton concentration. It is more difficult to dissolve highly ketalized polyvinylketals obtained by propyl ketones and butyl ketones than that by acetone. The hydrolysis of polyvinylketal film proceeds in the order as follows: acetone > MEK > nPK > iPK ≒ nBK > iBK > tBK. This phenomenon seems to be affected by hydrophobicity of the film surface which depends upon the kind of the original ketones.     

Characteristics of neutralization of acids by newly isolated fungal cells

Soil microorganisms play an important role in maintaining soil pH at levels suitable for other soil organisms. To clarify the biological neutralization mechanism in soil, we isolated soil microorganisms showing a high ability to neutralize acids and studied their characteristics. From our taxonomic study, three isolated strains were identified as filamentous fungi, namely Mucor sp., Aspergillus fumigatus, and Aureobasidium pullulans. These strains could secrete basic materials, such as ammonia, for neutralization, grow in the medium at pH 4.0 and increase the pH of the medium to approximately 8.0. These microbial cells could neutralize not only nitric acid but also sulfuric and hydrochloric acids. The strains could also grow by utilizing nitric acid as a sole nitrogen source. In the soil containing these organisms, the pH was maintained in the neutral range by the buffering action of basic materials that they secrete. These results suggest that these fungal cells are useful for protecting the soil from acidification by acid rain.