Bioactivity of CaSiO<Subscript>3</Subscript>/poly-lactic acid (PLA) composites prepared by various surface loading methods of CaSiO<Subscript>3</Subscript> powder

Mixing bioactive ceramic powders with polymers is an effective method for generating bioactivity to the polymer-matrix composites but it is necessary to incorporate up to 40 vol% of bioactive ceramic powder. However, such a high mixing ratio offsets the advantages of the flexibility and formability of polymer matrix and it would be highly advantageous to lower the mixing ratio. Since surface loading of ceramic powders in the polymer is thought to be an effective way of reducing the mixing ratio of the ceramic powder while maintaining bioactive activity, CaSiO₃/poly-lactic acid (PLA) composites were prepared by three methods; (1) casting, (2) spin coating and (3) hot pressing. In methods (1) and (2), a suspension was prepared by dissolving PLA in chloroform and dispersing CaSiO₃ powder in it. The suspension was cast and dried to form a film in the case of method (1) while it was spin-coated on a PLA substrate in method (2). In method (3), CaSiO₃ powder was surface loaded on to a PLA substrate by hot-pressing. The bioactivity of these samples was investigated in vitro using simulated body fluid (SBF). Apatite formation was not observed in the samples prepared by method (1) but some apatite formation was achieved by mixing polyethylene glycol (PEG) with the PLA, producing a porous polymer matrix. In method (2), apatite was clearly observed after soaking for 7 days. Enhanced apatite formation was observed in method (3), the thickness of the resulting apatite layers becoming about 20 μm after soaking for 14 days. Since the amount of CaSiO₃ powder used in these samples was only ≤0.4 vol%, it is concluded that this preparation method is very effective in generating bioactivity in polymer-matrix composites by loading with only very small amounts of ceramic powder.     

Evaluation performance for site amplification factors: S-wave impedance vs. VS30

Simplified regression models to evaluate site amplification are widely adopted for seismic microzonation maps, design specifications, and so forth. In practice, the most popular parameter for controlling the evaluation models is an averaged S-wave velocity of top z m depth, V_Sz, especially V_S30. The S-wave impedance ratio of the uppermost layer to the base layer, I_S1/I_S0, is an alternative evaluation parameter. In this study, we compare the evaluation performance of V_Sz and I_S1/I_S0 for SH wave amplification factors on the basis of numerical experiments on artificially generated soil profiles. Taking the average S-wave velocity, depth z must be selected on the basis of the target period range of the site amplification factors. I_S1/I_S0 is found to perform similarly to V_S10, and it is better than V_S30 for the peak ground acceleration (PGA) and the short-period range (0.1–0.5?s). This implies that I_S1/I_S0 is effective for use in site amplification evaluations because I_S1 only requires a physical parameter on the uppermost surface layer.     

Highly sensitive MALDI analyses of glycans by a new aminoquinoline-labeling method using 3-aminoquinoline/α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid liquid matrix

In glycomics, mass spectrometry is an indispensable tool for high throughput analyses. Generally speaking, glycans contain many hydroxyl groups and are more difficult to ionize than peptides. Derivatization of glycans has been useful for increasing sensitivity. However, it takes time to purify and causes loss of sample. Here, we show a highly sensitive aminoquinoline (AQ)-labeling method of glycans on a matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization (MALDI) target using a liquid matrix 3-aminoquinoline (3-AQ)/α-cyano-4-hydroxycinnamic acid (CHCA). It is a rapid procedure and reduces loss of sample material during the reaction process, especially in negative ion mode where 10 amol of monosialylated N-glycan were detected as AQ-labeled molecular ions. In addition, MS/MS of 10 amol of monosialylated N-glycan was achieved.     

Ion channeling study of epitaxy of iron based Heusler alloy films on Ge(111)

We have investigated perfection of atomic rows on iron-based Heusler alloy films on Ge(111) planes by using ion channeling technique in order to find the dominant factors for the perfection. Fe₃Si/Ge(111) and Fe₂CoSi/Ge(111) have a high quality of atomic rows at the heterointerface like that of perfect crystals. Fe_3−xMn_xSi/Ge(111) (x = 0.84, 0.72 and 0.36) interfaces have imperfection of atomic rows which may be controlled by both the lattice mismatch with the Ge substrate and the Mn-Si pairs due to the site disorder in the film with the Mn content x > 0.75. Analysis of axial channeling parameters employed in this study is very useful for quantitative evaluation of perfection of atomic rows at the heterointerface.     

Growth of AlN Crystals on SiC Substrates by Thermal Nitridation of Al2O3

The growth of AlN crystals on c‐plane 6H–SiC substrates by thermal nitridation of Al₂O₃ pellets in the presence of graphite and ZrO₂ was demonstrated. Addition of graphite and ZrO₂ effectively accelerated the evaporation of Al₂O₃, yielding c‐axis oriented AlN films on SiC substrates. The SiC substrate was severely deteriorated at 2173 K, which produced a porous interface between the AlN film and substrate, resulting in low‐quality AlN crystals. The deterioration of SiC was successfully suppressed by introducing a pre‐deposited homo‐buffer layer, allowing two‐dimensional‐like growth of AlN. The buffer layer promoted the formation of a high‐quality AlN film. At 2173 K, the full‐width at half maximum of the X‐ray rocking curves of the (0002) and (10–10) planes of the AlN film was 360 and 425 arcsec, respectively.     

Enhancement in skin permeation of 5-aminolevulinic acid using l-menthol and its derivatives

Enhancing effect of l-menthol and its derivatives, l-menthyl formate, l-menthyl acetate, and l-menthyl propionate, on skin permeation of 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) through Yucatan micropig full-thickness skin was investigated using a Franz-type diffusion cell. ALA solutions were prepared using ethanol-water mixed solvents with l-menthol or the derivative. Skin permeation coefficients (Kp) of ALA with more than 3.0 wt% of l-menthol was significantly larger than that without l-menthol. In addition, Kp of ALA with the derivative increased as follows: l-menthol approximately l-menthyl propionate < l-menthyl formate < l-menthyl acetate. These results suggest that l-menthol and the derivative are effective to enhance ALA skin permeation.     

Charge contrast imaging of suspended nanotubes by scanning electron microscopy

A method of rapidly identifying and imaging suspended nanotubes by scanning electron microscopy is reported. Nanotubes are visible in high contrast and even at low magnification. The contrast can be explained by considering the effect that the charge on the nanotube has on the substrate. The proposed mechanism is general and should apply to any charged nanostructure in proximity to a surface or interface. This represents a new contrast mechanism in scanning electron microscopy.     

Influence of gas adsorption on optical transition energies of single-walled carbon nanotubes

The photoluminescence (PL) spectra of suspended single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWNTs) were measured in an ethanol gas atmosphere. When the gas pressure was decreased, the PL peaks were initially blue-shifted to a small extent before a rapid blue-shift took place at a transition pressure that depended on the temperature and diameter of the SWNT being measured. This pressure dependence is due to the adsorption of ethanol molecules on the SWNT surface. The optical transition energies measured below the transition pressure are intrinsic to the SWNT.     

Fates of foodborne pathogens in raw hams manufactured rapidly using a new patented method

To manufacture raw ham in an efficient manner, we recently developed a new system in which presliced pork loin was used, and the processing time was reduced to 5% of the conventional method. This study aimed to examine whether this raw ham could be as safe as ham produced by the conventional method. Pork loin spiked with enterohemorrhagic Escherichia coli serotype O157:H7, Listeria monocytogenes serotype 1/2c, Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis, and Staphylococcus aureus were processed using either the new or conventional method. The fate of the foodborne pathogens and behavior of hygiene indicator bacteria were examined. Whereas nitrite had disappeared during the conventional packaging process, the reduced processing time in the new system allowed for the ham to be vacuum packed with retention of the nitrite (6.9±1.2 ppm, P<0.01). This accounts for the prominent decrease in L. monocytogenes (2.3 log reduction in 35 days) and S. aureus (3.3 log reduction in 13 days) counts during storage. E. coli O157 and Salmonella Enteritidis were likely resistant to the nitrite in the ham. However, they were unable to multiply in the ham and decreased gradually as in the conventionally produced ham. The bacteriostatic nature of the raw ham was also indicated by the gradual decrease in coliforms (1.3 log reduction in 13 days) in nonspiked ham. In conclusion, the raw ham produced using presliced pork loin is practically as safe as conventionally produced raw ham. It is worth validating these results in a small-scale production setting.     

Characterization of transient expression system for retroviral vector production

The production of retroviral vectors using a transient expression system has been improved to obtain a high-titer virus preparation that is difficult to produce using packaging cell lines due to the cytotoxic or cytostatic effect of transgenes. Here, we used one such production method, the so-called Q-vector system, and examined its potential for virus production. The Q-vector system could produce a similar level of viral vectors compared with the packaging cell system but the production seemed to depend on the size and nature of transgenes. In the process of investigation of the quantitative difference in viral components between the transient expression system and the packaging cell system, we found that the Q-vector system could express higher amounts of viral RNA and proteins compared with the packaging cell system. However, this did not lead to a higher virus titer compared with that produced by the packaging cell system. This suggests that retroviral RNA transcribed from the plasmid in the transient system seemed to be used mainly for translation and only some of the RNA molecules were packaged in viral particles.