Glycosylceramides obtain from the starfish Asterias amurensis Lütken

Complex lipids in the starfish Asterias amurensis were characterized and the influence of sphingoid bases on human colon carcinoma Caco-2 cells was also investigated. Lipid content of gonad and viscera were 3.3% and 6.8%, respectively, in wet basis. The main lipid class in gonad was ceramide monohexoside (CMH) while triglyceride (TG) was predominant in the viscera. The most abundant fatty acid in the polar lipid was eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, C20:5n-3), with the gonad and viscera samples having the highest proportion of 41.5% and 32.7%, respectively, of total fatty acids. Starfish internal organ contained enormous amount (0.7% in wet base) of glycosylceramide. Sphingoid bases of the glycosylceramide were mainly consisted of d22:2, d22:1 and d18:3. This sphingoid base exerted an apoptotic activity on Caco-2 cells. Thus, starfish could be used as a potential source of precious and useful complex lipids.     

Synthesis of copolymer beads with various phenolic derivatives attached via different linkages and their antioxidation activity

Macroporous copolymer beads with various phenolic derivatives introduced via three types of linkages—amide, methylene, and ether—were prepared from chloromethyl styrene/tetra(ethylene glycol) dimethacrylate copolymer beads. The antioxidation activity of these phenolic copolymer beads was investigated by the measurement of the inhibition activity against the hydroperoxidation of 1,4-dioxane. The phenolic copolymer beads with the dihydroxybenzene moiety exhibited the highest antioxidation activity, and the antioxidation activity of methylene- or ether-linked phenolic copolymer beads was higher than that of amide-linked copolymer beads. Thus, the antioxidation activity of the phenolic copolymer beads was affected by not only the kinds of phenolic moieties attached but also the type of linkage group. In addition, the swelling of the copolymer beads in an organic solvent was greatly affected by the linkage type of the phenolic copolymer beads. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2008     

Stable organic thin-film transistors using full solution-processing and low-temperature sintering silver nanoparticle inks

We have fabricated electronically stable organic thin-film transistor (TFT) devices that are fully solution-processed and adopt printed electrodes using silver nanoparticles dispersed in organic solvents, whose sintering temperatures are 100 °C or less. The bottom-contact organic TFT devices showed good electrical characteristics, and exhibited threshold voltage shifts less than 2.0 V after applying a DC bias voltage stress for 10⁴ s, which is attributed to relatively low contact resistance. These results demonstrate the feasibility of producing stable organic TFTs that are fully solution-processed at relatively low temperatures, for use in large-area flexible electronics applications.     

Identification of fungi using DNA sequences: an approach to identify Fusarium species isolated from domestic unpolished rice

Molecular approaches are being developed to provide for the rapid and objective identification of fungi. We attempted the identification of Fusarium species by a genetic analysis to validate practically the utility of a molecular approach for fungal identification and to reveal its limitations, and sequenced three regions, the 5' end of the 28S rRNA gene (D2 region) and the internal transcribed spacer 1 and 2 (ITS1 and ITS2) regions, in the rRNA genes. The DNA sequences of 38 Fusarium strains isolated from domestic unpolished rice were compared for similarity with entries in the GenBank. Based on this comparison, it was estimated that all these three regions, as a minimum, must be compared with the database to identify Fusaria at the species level. According to the combinations of sequences in the three regions, the 38 isolates were classified into 13 groups. Out of the 13 groups, 6 groups (20 isolates in total) could be identified as definite species based only on the sequence data. For the other 6 groups (17 isolates in total), candidate species were limited on the basis of the sequence similarity, and then the isolates were identified at the species level with the aid of morphology. Only one isolate could not be identified. These results verified that DNA sequence comparison with the GenBank database is useful for the identification of Fusarium species.     

Protective Role of Proton-Sensing TDAG8 in Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Acute Lung Injury

Acute lung injury is characterized by the infiltration of neutrophils into lungs and the subsequent impairment of lung function. Here we explored the role of TDAG8 in lung injury induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) administrated intratracheally. In this model, cytokines and chemokines released from resident macrophages are shown to cause neutrophilic inflammation in the lungs. We found that LPS treatment increased TDAG8 expression in the lungs and confirmed its expression in resident macrophages in bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) fluids. LPS administration remarkably increased neutrophil accumulation without appreciable change in the resident macrophages, which was associated with increased penetration of blood proteins into BAL fluids, interstitial accumulation of inflammatory cells, and damage of the alveolar architecture. The LPS-induced neutrophil accumulation and the associated lung damage were enhanced in TDAG8-deficient mice as compared with those in wild-type mice. LPS also increased several mRNA and protein expressions of inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in the lungs or BAL fluids. Among these inflammatory mediators, mRNA and protein expression of KC (also known as CXCL1), a chemokine of neutrophils, were significantly enhanced by TDAG8 deficiency. We conclude that TDAG8 is a negative regulator for lung neutrophilic inflammation and injury, in part, through the inhibition of chemokine production.     

Diabetic Cardiovascular Disease Induced by Oxidative Stress

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with diabetes mellitus (DM). DM can lead to multiple cardiovascular complications, including coronary artery disease (CAD), cardiac hypertrophy, and heart failure (HF). HF represents one of the most common causes of death in patients with DM and results from DM-induced CAD and diabetic cardiomyopathy. Oxidative stress is closely associated with the pathogenesis of DM and results from overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS). ROS overproduction is associated with hyperglycemia and metabolic disorders, such as impaired antioxidant function in conjunction with impaired antioxidant activity. Long-term exposure to oxidative stress in DM induces chronic inflammation and fibrosis in a range of tissues, leading to formation and progression of disease states in these tissues. Indeed, markers for oxidative stress are overexpressed in patients with DM, suggesting that increased ROS may be primarily responsible for the development of diabetic complications. Therefore, an understanding of the pathophysiological mechanisms mediated by oxidative stress is crucial to the prevention and treatment of diabetes-induced CVD. The current review focuses on the relationship between diabetes-induced CVD and oxidative stress, while highlighting the latest insights into this relationship from findings on diabetic heart and vascular disease.     

Antibacterial activity of resin-containing triethylenetetramine side chains and/or thiol groups–metal complexes

Four chelating resins containing triethylenetetramine side chains and/or thiol groups were made from macroreticular 2,3-epithiopropyl methacrylate, styrene–divinylbenzene (DVB), or methyl methacrylate–DVB copolymer beads, and then the resins bearing metal ions such as Ag⁺, Cu²⁺, and Zn²⁺ were made. The antibacterial activity of the resins bearing metal ions against Escherichia coli (E. coli) or Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) was investigated. The resins containing thiol groups showed the higher adsorption capacity for silver ions than for other metal ions. The resins, which contain both triethylenetetramine side chains and thiol groups, bearing silver ions (RE-TTA-Ag) exhibited high antibacterial activity against bacteria, especially E. coli, without the residual silver ions in water after contacting with bacteria. The activity of the RE-TTA-Ag did not decrease even after reusing several time. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

On the use of human instruction for improving the behavior of RoboCup soccer agents

In this article, we propose a behavior generation approach with human instruction to improve the strategy of the RoboCup soccer 3D simulation team. Many teams implement their strategies based on the programmer’s own knowledge about soccer. That is, the programmers have to write action rules that cover any situation on the soccer field. Although it is clear that this is not the best approach, there are only a few researchers who have tackled this problem. Here, we solve the problem using human instruction to improve the manually implemented behavior of soccer robots. It is shown that the team performance is improved by the rules generated by this approach.     

An ultrasonic testing method for detecting delamination of sprayed ceramic coating

The adhesion strength of thermal sprayed coatings is relatively low, and they sometimes tend to delaminate from the substrate during operation. In particular, sprayed ceramic coatings for thermal barriers, such as ZrO₂, often delaminate because of thermal shock; therefore, ceramic coatings are often submitted to thermal shock tests. A nondestructive inspection method using ultrasound to detect the delamination of sprayed coating was proposed. In this study, a coating model was made with acrylic plates, and an ultrasonic test was applied to investigate the precision of detecting delamination by the ultrasonic testing method. Results indicate that delamination more than 1mm in diameter can be detected by the ultrasonic testing method. Moreover, the delaminating process of sprayed coatings under thermal shock tests can be detected by this method.     

Liquid-phase synthesis of highly dispersed NaFeF3 particles and their electrochemical properties for sodium-ion batteries

Highly dispersed NaFeF₃ particles were prepared at 280 °C by liquid-phase synthesis using high-boiling-point organic solution, and their electrochemical properties were studied by charge and discharge measurements. TEM observation clarified that the resultant NaFeF₃ particles had uniform particle sizes of ca. 10-20, 100-200, and 500-600 nm, which could be controlled by the composition of the synthetic solution. The discharge capacities were higher for NaFeF₃ that had smaller particle sizes, particularly at a rate of 0.1 C or higher, while the discharge capacities obtained at a rate of 0.01 C between 1.5 and 4.5 V were almost the same in the range 170-181 mAh g⁻¹ regardless of the particle size of NaFeF₃. These results clearly indicate that the use of well-dispersed nano-sized NaFeF₃ particles should effectively improve the rate performance of NaFeF₃.