Binary Adsorption Isotherms of Water and Ethyl Acetate Vapor for Materials Contained in a Box of a Tobacco Product

An experimental study has been carried out on the characteristics of binary adsorption isotherms of water and volatile flavor for typical materials used in a box of a tobacco product or cigarettes. Ethyl acetate chosen as a model for water-soluble volatile flavor. Binary adsorption isotherms for the tobacco, papers, filters, and activated carbons were measured with a flow-type multi-component adsorption system under the canstant conditions of temperature a t 303 K and vapor pressure of water a t 2.5 kPain the vapor pressure range of ethyl acetate from 0 to 4.2 kPa. A linear equation was applied to express the binary adsorption isotherms for the tobacco, papers and filters, while a Dubinin-Astakhov equation was applied for the activated carbons. The binary adsorption was characterized into three groups, depending on the selectivity as well as the mechanism of adsorption; i.e.(l) for tobacco and papers, water was adsorbed much greater rather than ethyl acetate, (2) for filters, ethyl acetate was adsorbed on the surface as great as water, (3) for activated carbons, ethyl acetate was adsorbed much greater onto their micropores rather than water. The results showed that ethyl     

Ru-catalyzed anode materials for direct hydrocarbon SOFCs

A solid oxide fuel cell using a thin ceria-based electrolyte film with a Ru-catalyzed anode was directly operated on hydrocarbons, including methane, ethane, and propane, at 600 °C. The role of the Ru catalyst in the anode reaction was to promote the reforming reaction of the unreacted hydrocarbons by the produced steam and CO₂, which avoided interference from steam and CO₂ in the gas-phase diffusion of the fuels. The resulting peak power density reached 750 mW cm⁻² with dry methane, which was comparable to the peak power density of 769 mW cm⁻² with wet (2.9 vol.% H₂O) hydrogen. More important was the fact that the cell performance was maintained at a high level regardless of the change in the methane utilization from 12 to 46% but was significantly reduced by increasing the hydrogen utilization from 13 to 42%. While the anodic reaction of hydrogen was controlled by the slow gas diffusion, the anodic reaction of methane was not subject to the onset of such a gas-diffusion process.     

Screening of Inhibitors Targeting Heat Shock Protein 47 Involved in the Development of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Heat shock protein 47 (HSP47), a collagen-specific molecular chaperone, is causally related to fibrotic diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The identification of Compounds that interfere with the HSP47-collagen interaction is essential for the development of relevant therapeutics. Herein, we prepared human HSP47 as a soluble fusion protein expressed in E. coli and established an assay system for HSP47 inhibitor screening. We screened a natural and synthetic Compound library established at Nagasaki University. Among 1023 Compounds, 13 exhibited inhibitory activity against human HSP47, of which three inhibited its function in a dose-dependent manner. Epigallocatechin-3-O-gallate, one of these three Compounds, is a typical polyphenol Compound derived from tea leaves. Structurally related Compounds were synthesized and examined for their activity, revealing a hydroxyl group at A-ring position 5 as important for its activity. The present findings provide valuable insight for the development of natural product-derived therapeutics for fibrotic diseases, including idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.     

Technique for anisotropic extension of organic crystals: application to temperature dependence of electrical resistance

We have developed a technique for the anisotropic extension of fragile molecular crystals. The pressure medium and the instrument, which extends the pressure medium, are both made from epoxy resin. Since the thermal contraction of our instrument is identical to that of the pressure medium, the strain applied to the pressure medium has no temperature dependence down to 2 K. Therefore, the degree of extension applied to the single crystal at low temperatures is uniquely determined from the degree of extension in the pressure medium and thermal contractions of the epoxy resin and the single crystal at ambient pressure. Using this novel instrument, we have measured the temperature dependence of the electrical resistance of metallic, superconducting, and insulating materials. The experimental results are discussed from the viewpoint of the extension (compression) of the lattice constants along the parallel (perpendicular) direction.     

Evaluation of drug toxicity with hepatocytes cultured in a micro-space cell culture system

A micro-space cell culture system was recently developed in which cells such as hepatocytes can be cultured and formed into a multicellular three-dimensional (3D) architecture. In this study, we assessed the performance of HepG2 cells cultured in this micro-space cell culture system in a drug toxicity test, and evaluated the effects of micro-space culture on their hepatocyte-specific functions. The micro-space cell culture facilitated the formation of 3D HepG2 cell architecture. HepG2 cells cultured in a micro-space culture plate exhibited increased albumin secretion and enhanced mRNA expression levels of cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzyme compared to those cultured in a monolayer culture. When the cells were exposed to acetaminophen, a hepatotoxic drug, the damage to the HepG2 cells grown in micro-space culture was greater than the damage to the HepG2 cells grown in monolayer culture. In addition, human primary hepatocytes grown in micro-space culture also exhibited increased albumin secretion, enhanced CYP mRNA expression levels and increased sensitivity to acetaminophen compared to those grown in monolayer culture. These results suggest that this micro-space culture method enhances the hepatocyte-specific functions of hepatocytes, including drug-metabolizing enzyme activities, making hepatocytes grown in the micro-space culture system a useful tool for evaluating drug toxicity in vitro.     

Prevention of peroxynitrite-induced oxidation and nitration reactions by ellagic acid

Four benzoic acid derivatives and three phenylpropanoids were tested for their ability to suppress oxidation of dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCDHF) induced by 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1, a peroxynitrite donor). Ellagic acid was found to potently inhibit this oxidation and to inhibit oxidation of DCDHF induced by peroxynitrite itself. Moreover, this compound prevented peroxynitrite-induced oxidative single strand breaks in pTZ 18U plasmid DNA and nitration of tyrosyl residues in bovine serum albumin. These results show that ellagic acid protects biomolecules against oxidative and nitrative damage induced by peroxynitrite in vitro.     

Characterization on the Conformation of Glucoamylase from Rhizopus niveus and Rhizopus delemar

Using the pH-jump (neutral to above 11) for Tyr-OH ionization as a probe, two glucoamylases from Rhizopus niveus and Rhizopus delemar were found to be caused the change in conformation, which is in a kinetically single step. The pH titration at pHs below 12 was carried out on a multidimensional correlation spectrophotometer. Correlations among the spectrophotometric properties: fluorescence, absorption and circular dichroism are almost identical for the two enzymes. These results suggest that conformational characteristics of the niveus enzyme is almost the same as that of the delemar one.     

Highwall Stability due to Punch Mining at Opencut Coal Mines

Conventional highwall mining extracts coal with an auger machine or a continuous miner from exposed seams at the base of opencut or strip operations. However, under poor strata and high stress conditions, highwall mining cannot be conducted due to pillar and roof failures. In such cases, punch highwall mining is more effective than the conventional highwall mining. This paper describes conventional highwall mining and punch highwall mining systems and discusses the stability of the highwall due to punch highwall mining at opencut coal mines.     

Involvement of cytochrome P450 in hydroxylation of propylbenzene by Fusarium moniliforme strain MS31

Fusarium moniliforme strain MS31 can oxidize propylbenzene to (R)-1-phenylpropanol with what may be a cytochrome P450. Hydroxylation of propylbenzene needed molecular oxygen, and NADPH as a coenzyme gave a higher yield than NADH. The hydroxylation proceeded further when FAD and FMN were added than in their absence, suggesting that the enzyme was a flavo-protein. Carbon monoxide inhibited the hydroxylation, as did other cytochrome P450 inhibitors such as SKF 525A and miconazole. These characteristics matched those of a microsomal cytochrome P450 monooxygenase system that contained NADPH-cytochrome P450 reductase.     

Defective bone remodelling in osteoprotegerin-deficient mice

Previous studies have reported enhanced osteoclastogenesis, increased bone resorption and osteoporosis in osteoprotegerin (OPG)-deficient mice. In the present study, we show that the tibial epiphyses contain abundant, thin trabeculae lined with numerous osteoclasts and cuboidal osteoblasts. The increase in osteoblasts and osteoclasts was associated with a dramatic increase in calcein labelling of the mineralization fronts and replacement of much of the intertrabecular marrow with numerous alkaline phosphatase-positive preosteoblasts. Furthermore, the discrete, linear cement lines seen in wild-type mice were replaced by a randomly oriented meshwork of cement lines that were stained intensely for tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase and osteopontin in the OPG-/- mice. These indices of accelerated bone remodelling in mutant bone were associated with irregular trabecular surfaces, a disorganized collagen matrix interspersed with amorphous ground substance and numerous fissures between old and new bone. In total, these observations indicate that enhanced osteoclastic activity in OPG-/- epiphyses led to a coupled increase in osteoblast differentiation and activity and an increase in bone remodelling. The high bone turnover, disorganized matrix and impaired attachment of new to old bone in the cement lines in OPG-/- mice appear to cause bone fragility.