Variations in the soluble sugar and organic acid contents in radish (Raphanus sativus L.) cultivars

The radish is a root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that is mainly consumed in Far Eastern Asian countries. Because chemical indexes indicating the quality of a radish have not been established, we investigated the variations in the contents of the soluble sugars and organic acids that influence taste among seven radish cultivars. In terms of the total soluble sugar content, which is a strong index of sweetness, Koshin, Kouto, and Shogoin were the three highest among the seven cultivars. Sobutori, which is the most common radish cultivar in Japan, was the lowest. The total organic acid contents varied among the seven cultivars, although they were five to thirteen times lower than the total soluble sugar contents. These results indicate that there are variations in the soluble sugar and organic acid contents among radish cultivars; therefore, these contents may be used as chemical indexes for the quality of radishes.     

Improvement in pulping and bleaching properties of xylem from transgenic tobacco plants

In an attempt to improve the pulping properties of xylem pieces and the bleaching properties of the resultant pulp, we compared two lines of transgenic tobacco in which the biosynthesis of lignin had been altered by suppression of the activity of 4‐coumarate: CoA ligase (4CL). The results of Kraft pulping on a laboratory scale indicated that the xylem of transgenic tobacco exhibited a higher delignification efficiency than that of corresponding controls subjected to the same conditions. This facilitated delignification was accompanied by a high pulp yield, but there was no excessive degradation of cellulose in the pulp fibres. The unbleached pulps from the 4CL‐suppressed tobacco plants were easily bleached with a lower consumption of chemicals than was required for the controls. Furthermore, the strength and optical properties of handsheets prepared from the 4CL‐suppressed tobacco plants were similar to those of handsheets prepared from the controls. Our observations suggest that modification of lignin by genetic engineering of the suppression of 4CL activity should result in both an increased pulping yield and a saving of bleaching reagent. © 2002 Society of Chemical Industry     

A rolled sheet of collagen gel with cultured Schwann cells: Model of nerve conduit to enhance neurite growth

We prepared a rolled sheet of collagen gel with cultured mouse Schwann cells (SCs) as a nerve conduit (a medical device for neurosurgeons to repair an injured peripheral nerve). PC12 cells and dorsal root ganglion (DRG) cells were used as neuronal cells for evaluating the neurite growth-promoting activity of the device. As a control, we compared the rolled device with a rod device. Those neuronal cells inoculated at the terminal part of the rolled device migrated into the central part along the inter-layer space of the collagen gel layer, and then differentiated into neurons, extending many neurites for 3–12 days in culture. Significantly, this migration of neuronal cells into the device and their subsequent neurite growth was not observed in the absence of the SCs. We conclude that our rolled sheet of collagen gel with SCs was well designed and very effective to promote neurite growth, and is a promising candidate for the nerve conduit.     

Extracellular trypsin-like proteases produced by Cordyceps militaris

A trypsin-like protease, P-1-1, was purified from the culture supernatant of the fungus Cordyceps militaris by (NH(4))(2)SO(4) precipitation, chromatography on DEAE Bio-Gel Agarose, TSKgel CM-5PW, and gel-filtration with HiLoad 26/60 Superdex 75 pg, and its properties were examined. Purified P-1-1 showed a single band by SDS-PAGE and was estimated to have a molecular mass of 23,405 by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (MALDI-MS). The optimum pH of the enzyme was between 8.5 and 12.0. It was inhibited strongly by leupeptin and diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP), and definitely did by N(alpha)-tosyl-L-lysine chloromethyl ketone hydrochloride (TLCK), phenylmethanesulfonyl fluoride (PMSF) and chymostatin. The carbonyl group sides of Arg and Lys were confirmed as the sites of cleavage by the enzyme toward cecropin B. These results indicate that P-1-1 is a trypsin-type serine protease. The N-terminal amino acid sequence of P-1-1 showed a high homology with those of trypsins or chymotrypsin derived from Diptera insects.     

Bilberry and its main constituents have neuroprotective effects against retinal neuronal damage in vitro and in vivo

Our aim was to determine whether a Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry) anthocyanoside (VMA) and/or its main anthocyanidin constituents (cyanidin, delphinidin, and malvidin) can protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) against retinal damage in vitro and in vivo. In RGC cultures (RGC‐5, a rat ganglion cell‐line transformed using E1A virus) in vitro, cell damage and radical activation were induced by 3‐(4‐morpholinyl) sydnonimine hydrochloride (SIN‐1, a peroxynitrite donor). Cell viability was measured using a water‐soluble tetrazolium salt assay. Intracellular radical activation within RGC‐5 cells was evaluated using 5‐(and‐6)‐chloromethyl‐2,7‐dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate acetyl ester (CM‐H₂DCFDA). Lipid peroxidation was assessed using the supernatant fraction of mouse forebrain homogenates. In mice in vivo, we evaluated the effects of VMA on N‐methyl‐D ‐aspartic acid (NMDA)‐induced retinal damage using hematoxylin‐eosin and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase‐mediated dUTP nick‐end labeling (TUNEL) stainings. VMA and all three anthocyanidins (i) significantly inhibited SIN‐1‐induced neurotoxicity and radical activation in RGC‐5, (ii) concentration‐dependently inhibited lipid peroxidation in mouse forebrain homogenates. Intravitreously injected VMA significantly inhibited the NMDA‐induced morphological retinal damage and increase in TUNEL‐positive cells in the ganglion cell layer. Thus, VMA and its anthocyanidins have neuroprotective effects (exerted at least in part via an anti‐oxidation mechanism) in these in vitro and in vivo models of retinal diseases.     

Coupled influence of non-ideal diffusion and multilayer asymmetric porous supports on Sieverts law pressure exponent for hydrogen permeation in composite Pd-based membranes

The behaviour of the pressure exponent in the Sieverts-type empirical law is evaluated for hydrogen permeation through Pd-based membranes under the influence of non-ideal internal diffusion and transport in an asymmetric multilayer porous support. The results show that the non-ideal diffusion causes the pressure exponent to be non-monotone within the temperature range investigated (300–500 °C), showing a minimum point indicating the passage from slower internal diffusion to slower transport in support. Additionally, a detailed analysis shows that the maximum transmembrane pressure difference (in terms of maximum feed pressure with constant permeate pressure) is the only operating parameter affecting the uncertainty degree by which the pressure exponent is evaluated. This analysis also shows that the Sieverts-type empirical law can be fully used in the presence of supports. This suggests that an overall transport mechanism resulting from a combination in series/parallel of different elementary mechanisms obeying this law can be also described by the same type of law with a different value of pressure exponent and permeance.     

Binding of mutagens to exopolysaccharide produced by Lactobacillus plantarum mutant strain 301102S

Exopolysaccharide (EPS) was produced by Lactobacillus plantarum 301102 on exposure to the mutagenic action of acridine orange and novobiocin. The biological characteristics of this mutant strain 301102S were the same as those of the parent strain, but fermented milk prepared with the mutant strain showed antimutagenic activity on 3-amino-1,4-dimethyl-5H-pyrido indole. Only EPS-bound cells of strain 301102S showed binding ability to mutagens such as heterocyclic amines, and the mutagens were inactivated by binding to EPS. The binding ability was affected by pH; the greatest percentage binding was noted at pH 8.0. Addition of Mg²⁺ and sodium dodecyl sulfate, but not oxgall, inhibited the binding ability. Therefore, the binding mechanism of the EPS may consist of ion-exchange and hydrophobic bonds, and the EPS would bind mutagens in the intestine.     

Yield issues on the fabrication of 30 cm×30 cm-sized Cu(In,Ga)Se2-based thin-film modules

The approaches to establish a more robust and reproducible baseline process for 30cm×30 cm-sized CIGS-based thin-film circuits with a Zn(O,S,OH)_x buffer layer are reported, which also lead to an achievement of 12.93% efficiency on an aperture area of 864 cm². Monitoring the transparency or transmittance (%T) of dip solution as a process control parameter in the chemical bath deposition (CBD)-buffer deposition step and setting the end point of dipping the CIGS-based absorbers in the solution as the %T of 60% remarkably contribute to make our CBD-buffer deposition process more reproducible. By considering carefully the growth process of metal-organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD)-ZnO:B window, a thin layer of high-resistivity, intrinsic ZnO is deposited on the Zn(O,S,OH)_x buffer layer to simulate the film structure of MOCVD-ZnO:B window in the case of sputtered-5.7 GZO window. Achievement of the reproducibility of 85% for the CIGS-based thin-film circuits with a sputtered-5.7 GZO window confirms that the yield goal of 85% is surely attainable independent of window-layer deposition techniques, such as MOCVD and sputtering. In this study, it is emphasized how important to eliminate unknown factors in the fabrication process for CIGS-based thin-film modules to improve both reproducibility and efficiency.