Improved microcirculatory effect of D-allose on hepatic ischemia reperfusion following partial hepatectomy in cirrhotic rat liver

D-allose, one of the rare sugars produced from D-psicose, has been shown to be effective against reperfusion injury after ischemia and partial hepatectomy in cirrhotic rat liver by improving remnant liver blood flow and survival rates, and decreasing liver enzyme levels and liver tissue injury levels. These findings demand further study of the clinical implications of this sugar in view to the advancing fields of liver surgery and transplantation.     

Microstructure of magnesium fluoride films deposited by boat evaporation at 193 nm

Single layer magnesium fluoride (MgF2) was deposited on fused-silica substrates by a molybdenum boat evaporation process at 193 nm. The formation of various microstructures in relation to the different substrate temperatures and deposition rates were investigated. The relation between these microstructures (including cross-sectional morphology, surface roughness, and crystalline structures), the optical properties (including refractive index and optical loss) and stress, were all investigated. It was found that the laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) would be affected by the microstructure, optical loss, and stress of the thin film. To obtain a larger LIDT value and better optical characteristics, MgF2 films should be deposited at a high substrate temperature (300 degrees C) and at a low deposition rate (0.05 nm s(-1)).     

Urinary trypsin inhibitor reduces inflammatory response in kidney induced by lipopolysaccharide

Human urinary trypsin inhibitor (UTI), a serine protease inhibitor, has been widely used in Japan as a drug for patients with acute inflammatory disorders such as septic shock and pancreatitis. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) triggers the sepsis syndrome by activating monocytes to produce proinflammatory cytokines, including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha), which potently stimulate the activation of neutrophils. The inhibitory mechanism of UTI on the systemic inflammatory response induced by the intraperitoneal injection of LPS in the kidney is unclear. This study was undertaken to examine the inhibitory effects of UTI on renal injury associated with the systemic inflammatory response induced by LPS stimulation, with emphasis on systemic TNFalpha and the activation of neutrophils in rat kidney. The systemic inflammatory response syndrome was induced by LPS treatment. Serum and renal TNFalpha, renal cytokine-induced neutrophil chemoattractant-1 (CINC-1) and myeloperoxidase (MPO) levels, as well as renal function after LPS stimulation, were evaluated. UTI (50,000 U/kg) inhibited LPS-induced increases in the serum and renal tissue levels of TNFalpha, as well as the renal tissue levels of CINC-1 and MPO after LPS stimulation. UTI (50,000 U/kg) also inhibited the production of serum TNFalpha associated with the systemic inflammatory response syndrome induced by LPS stimulation, thereby attenuating neutrophil infiltration into renal tissues and subsequent neutrophil-mediated renal injury. These findings may have important implications in understanding the biologic functions of UTI. UTI may prove useful in protecting against acute renal injury associated with a systemic inflammatory response.     

Evaluation of anaerobic biodegradability of forage rice straw fertilized with livestock waste

Fertilizing livestock waste for forage rice production can remove nitrogen and reduce the need for chemical fertilizers. Furthermore, rice straw can be used for biogas production. Here, the growth characteristics of different forage rice varieties in Japanese paddy fields fertilized with liquid cattle waste were investigated. Six experimental plots were established in a paddy field planted with three varieties of forage rice developed for livestock feed. Methane production potential assays were then conducted to investigate the anaerobic digestion characteristics of the stems and leaves of these three varieties. The total methane production potential of the Leafstar variety was higher than that of other varieties, while its lag phase was significantly shorter. Co-digestion of ethanol fermentation residue with Leafstar straw revealed that the NH(4)(+)-N concentration decreased as the C/N ratio increased. Additionally, the methane production potential of the mixed substrate was higher than that of ethanol fermentation residue or forage rice straw applied alone. Hence, Leafstar forage rice is a promising variety for establishment of agricultural resource recycling systems in which higher straw biomass can be achieved by applying liquid cattle waste and more biogas can be produced due to the potential for increased methane production.     

Biodegradation of natural and synthetic estrogens by nitrifying activated sludge and ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea

This report describes the uses of nitrifying activated sludge (NAS) and ammonia-oxidizing bacterium Nitrosomonas europaea to significantly degrade estrone (E1), 17beta-estradiol (E2), estriol (E3), and 17alpha-ethynylestradiol (EE2). Using NAS, the degradation of estrogens obeyed first-order reaction kinetics with degradation rate constants of 0.056 h(-1) for E1, 1.3 h(-1) for E2, 0.030 h(-1) for E3, and 0.035 h(-1) for EE2, indicating that E2 was most easily degraded. Then, we confirmed that E2 was degraded via E1 by NAS. With/without the ammonia oxidation inhibitor, it was observed that ammonia-oxidizing bacteria in conjunction with other microorganisms in NAS degraded estrogens. Using N. europaea, the degradation of estrogens reasonably obeyed zero-order reaction kinetics, and no remarkable difference is present among the four estrogens degradation rates and it was found that E1 was not detected during E2 degradation period. We suggested that E2 was degraded to E1 in NAS could be caused by other heterotrophic bacteria, not by ammonia-oxidizing bacteria.     

Presence and detection of anaerobic ammonium-oxidizing (anammox) bacteria and appraisal of anammox process for high-strength nitrogenous wastewater treatment: a review

Until now, anaerobic ammonium oxidation (anammox) has been widely applied as an alternative method to the conventional nitrification–denitrification pathway for biological nitrogen removal from wastewater. Since their discovery in a denitrifying fluidized bed reactor in the Netherlands in the early 1990s, anammox bacteria have also been detected in natural environments. Anammox is one of the newly found drivers known to contribute to the biogeochemical nitrogen cycle. In the marine environment, more than 50% of nitrogenous compounds are reportedly converted into nitrogen gas via the anammox pathway. These observations were made using state-of-the-art techniques for detecting anammox bacteria based on their lipids, small-subunit ribosomal RNA genes, functional genes, and unique reaction pathways. The research objectives for anammox bacteria are quite diverse, ranging from the application of anammox processes to various wastewater types, to anammox biochemistry and phylogeny, to elucidating how anammox bacteria have evolved. Since the genome of the anammox bacterium Kuenenia stuttgaritiensis was deciphered, anammox bacteria have proved to be quite versatile. The next challenge is to enrich knowledge of anammox bacterial physiology and phylogeny to improve their use in engineered and natural environmental systems and minimize nitrogen loads to downstream water bodies. Furthermore, rapid startup of the anammox process for engineered systems is required to broadly harness the benefits of anammox bacteria. This review article summarizes the physiology and phylogeny of anammox bacteria, detection methods of anammox bacteria and reactions, the behavior of anammox bacteria in natural environments, and recent developments in their use for engineered systems.     

Improvements in time resolution and signal-to-noise ratio in a compact pico-second pulse radiolysis system

A compact pico-second pulse radiolysis system has been developing at Waseda University for studying primary processes in radiation chemistry. The system is composed of a photo-injector system and a pico-second all-solid-state laser system. An infrared (IR) and an ultraviolet (UV) laser pulses are obtained from mode-locked Nd:YLF laser system and used for generation of the white light continuum as a probe light and the irradiation to the Cu cathode of a photo-cathode RF-gun, respectively. To improve signal-to-noise (S/N) ratio and time resolution of this pulse radiolysis system, we optimized both probe light and pump electron beam. As a result, our pico-second pulse radiolysis system has been enough to study the primary processes of radiation chemistry. The experimental results and the improvements of our system are described in this paper.     

Metabolomic Profiling of Plasma,Urine, and Saliva of Kidney Transplantation Recipients

Kidney biopsy is commonly used to diagnose kidney transplant dysfunction after transplantation. Therefore, the development of minimally invasive and quantitative methods to evaluate kidney function in transplant recipients is necessary. Here, we used capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry to analyze the biofluids collected from transplant recipients with impaired (Group I, n = 31) and stable (Group S, n = 19) kidney function and from donors (Group D, n = 9). Metabolomics analyses identified and quantified 97 metabolites in plasma, 133 metabolites in urine, and 108 metabolites in saliva. Multivariate analyses revealed apparent differences in the metabolomic profiles of the three groups. In plasma samples, arginine biosynthesis and purine metabolism between the I and S Groups differed. In addition, considerable differences in metabolomic profiles were observed between samples collected from participants with T cell-mediated rejection (TCR), antibody-mediated rejection, and other kidney disorders (KD). The metabolomic profiles in the three types of biofluids showed different patterns between TCR and KD, wherein 3-indoxyl sulfate showed a significant increase in TCR consistently in both plasma and urine samples. These results suggest that each biofluid has different metabolite features to evaluate kidney function after transplantation and that 3-indoxyl sulfate could predict acute rejection.     

Enhancing low-temperature energy harvesting by lead-free ferroelectric Ba(Zr0.1Ti0.9)O3

The energy-harvesting ability of the lead-free ferroelectric Ba(Zr,Ti)O₃ was investigated and greatly enhanced using the Kim novel electrothermodynamic cycle for low-temperature application. Ba(Zr,Ti)O₃ was synthesized with a Zr:Ti ratio of 10:90 (BZT10) by hot-press sintering, which exhibited a mix relaxor-ferroelectric behavior. For power generation using the Kim cycle with low and high temperatures of T_L = 25°C, T_H = 120°C, the most optimized temperature pattern occurred for a heating time of 12.5 s and a cooling time of 22.5 s. Under these conditions, the electric field increased during the novel isodisplacement process, and the displacement variation in the isoelectric step reached the highest value and maximized the BZT10 cycle loop area. Applying these conditions while lowering T_L to 20°C, an energy density N_D = 504 mJ/cm³ was achieved. This value is the highest obtained energy density in a practical test for lead-free ferroelectric bulk material in the BaTiO₃ family.     

Hardenability Improvement Mechanisms and Hardenability-Controlling Factors in Steels With Combined Mo–B Addition

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - To elucidate the hardenability improvement mechanisms and hardenability-controlling factors in low-carbon (C) steels with the combined addition of...