Binary Phase Behavior of 1,3-Dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">sn</Emphasis>-glycerol and 1,2-Dioleoyl-3-palmitoyl-<Emphasis Type="Italic">rac</Emphasis>-glycerol

1,3-Dipalmitoyl-2-oleoyl-sn-glycerol (POP) and 1,2-dioleoyl-3-palmitoyl-rac-glycerol (OOP) are two major molecular species that account for roughly half of the total triacylglycerols in palm oil. The binary phase behavior of a POP/OOP mixture plays an important role in the crystallization of palm oil. We conducted thermodynamic and kinetic studies of OOP and its mixtures with POP using differential scanning calorimetry and X-ray diffraction with a conventional generator and synchrotron radiation. We found that OOP has two polymorphs, α as a metastable form and β′ as the most stable form, and that the two forms are stacked in a triple-chain-length structure. The POP/OOP mixtures exhibited immiscible eutectic natures in both their metastable and their most stable states, in contrast to POP/1,2-dipalmitoyl-3-oleoyl-rac-glycerol and POP/1,3-dioleoyl-2-palmitoyl-sn-glycerol mixtures, in which molecular compounds of a double-chain-length structure were formed. A time-resolved synchrotron radiation X-ray diffraction study undertaken during the cooling and heating processes indicated that the α and β′ forms of the POP and OOP fractions crystallized and melted in separate manners, and that crystallization of the β′ form and the polymorphic transformation from α to β′ of POP and OOP are promoted in the presence of another component. The absence of molecular compound crystals in the binary mixtures of POP/OOP is explained by taking into account the molecular interactions of acyl chain packing, glycerol conformation, and methyl end stacking, among which glycerol conformation appeared to be most influential.     

Modeling of Consumer Choice Behavior as Sequential Decision Process

Behaviormetrika - This study proposes a model of consumer choice behavior as sequential decision process. It is hypothesized that consumers form desirable product model and undesirable one through...     

Control scheme for optimizing the interferometer phase bias in a symmetric-Mach-Zehnder-type all-optical switch

A control scheme for accurately optimizing (and also automatically stabilizing) the interferometer phase bias of symmetric-Mach-Zehnder (SMZ)-type ultrafast all-optical switches is proposed. In this control scheme, weak continuous-wave light is used as supervisory input light and its spectral power ratio at the switch output is used as a bipolar error signal. Our experimental results for 168-Gb/s 16:1 demultiplexing with a hybrid-integrated SMZ switch indicate the feasibility and the sensitivity of this control scheme.     

Levels of phthalates and adipates in processed foods and migration of di-isononyl adipate from polyvinyl chloride film into foods

The levels of dibutyl phthalate (DBP), butylbenzyl phthalate (BBP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEPHP), di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), di-(2-ethylhexyl) adipate (DEHA) and di-isononyl adipate (DINA) were determined in 50 processed foods (ham and sausage, fried dumpling and shao-mai, fish paste products, croquette and fried fish, bread, noodle, pickles, etc.). DBP, BBP, DEHP, DINP, DEHA, and DINA were contained at nd approximately 47.7, nd approximately 16.6, nd approximately 749, nd approximately 358, nd approximately 57.2 and nd approximately 20,200 ppb, respectively. High-level contamination of DINA was found in fish paste products, croquette and shao-mai, presumably because of migration from plasticized wrapping film using for food packaging. We studied the relationship between DINA migration from wrapped PVC film into fried croquette and its standing time after frying. When the croquette was wrapped immediately after frying, the migration from wrapping film into the croquette was highest (36,400 ng/g). On wrapping after standing for 5 min and 30 min, the migration level was reduced to 1/3.5 and 1/14 of the highest level, respectively.     

Ru-doped nanostructured carbon films

Pure and Ru-doped carbon films are deposited on Si (100) substrates by electron cyclotron resonance chemical vapor deposition. The films are characterized by transmission electron microscopy, electron energy loss spectroscopy, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy and atomic force microscopy. In both the pure and Ru-doped samples, diamond nanocrystallites are formed in amorphous carbon matrices. The Ru-doped film contains much smaller diamond nanocrystallites (approx. 3 nm) than the pure samples (approx. 11 nm). Lower surface roughnesses are observed in both pure and Ru-doped samples as compared to other reported nanocrystalline diamond films. The conductivity of the Ru-doped film is significantly higher than that of the pure film. The results show that Ru-doped nanocrystalline diamond films have unique structures and properties as compared to pure nanocrystalline diamond films or metal doped diamond-like carbon films, which may offer advantages for electrochemical, optical-window, field emission or tribological applications.     

同步辐射X射线衍射与DSC相结合研究油脂的物性及其动力学机理的进展

介绍了将同步辐射X射线衍射和DSC相结合,用于油脂的结构和物化性质研究的新技术,以及在该领域的研究进展。     

Hydrocarbons with a homoconjugated polyene system and their monoepoxy derivatives: Sex attractants of geometrid and noctuid moths distributed in Japan

Although several sex pheromones of the family Geometridae have been characterized, investigations on Japanese species are limited. In order to obtain more information, screening using known sex pheromones and their analogs was carried out. The (Z,Z,Z)-3,6,9-triunsaturated and (Z,Z)-6,9-diunsaturated hydrocarbons with straight C¹⁹-C²¹ chains were synthesized by the Grignard coupling reaction as a key step starting from linolenic and linoleic acids, respectively. Oxidation of the homoconjugated trienes withm-chloroperoxybenzoic acid yielded a 111 mixture of three monoepoxy derivatives that could be separated by silica gel chromatography. The chemical structure of each positional isomer was confirmed using two-dimensional NMR techniques and MS measurements, which enabled characteristic fragment ions from the isomers to be identified. Field tests using lures incorporating only one of the above six hydrocarbons or nine epoxides were carried out in a forest in Tokyo. Consequently, attraction of male moths of 14 geometrid species in addition to four species in another family, the Noctuidae, was observed. It was concluded that hydrocarbons with a homoconjugated polyene system and the monoepoxy derivatives are important components of sex pheromones produced by Japanese lepidopterous insects, particularly the geometrid moths.     

The protein encoded by cancer/testis gene D40/AF15q14 is localized in spermatocytes, acrosomes of spermatids and ejaculated spermatozoa

We have previously identified and cloned a human gene, D40, that is preferentially expressed in testis among normal organs, while it is widely expressed in various human tumor cell lines and primary tumors derived from different organs. In this report, we have examined the expression and localization of this protein in human testis with an antibody specific to D40 protein. In Western analyses, the anti-D40 antibody recognized a major band with a molecular mass of 300 kDa and a minor band of 250 kDa. These bands were not observed in the testis lysates from patients with Sertoli-cell-only syndrome and with Kleinfelter syndrome, who lack germ cells of the testis, indicating that D40 protein is expressed in the germ cells of normal testis. Immunohistochemical studies have revealed that D40 protein is highly expressed in spermatocytes and in the pre-acrosome of round spermatids. In the acrosome, D40 protein expression is observed not inside but outside the acrosome membrane. This is consistent with the finding that the amino-acid sequence at the amino terminal of the D40 protein lacks a hydrophobic signal peptide that is required for proteins to translocate to the membrane. Expression of D40 protein is observed in the acrosome of ejaculated spermatozoa as well, although the level is low compared with that in the pre-acrosome of spermatids. These results suggest that D40 protein plays important roles in spermatogenesis, especially in the formation and maintenance of the acrosome.