Effect of platelet-activating factor on cortisol and corticosterone secretion by perfused dog adrenal

Administration of platelet-activating factor (PAF) to perfused adrenal increased cortisol and corticosterone secretion. With hexadecyl PAF (C₁₆PAF; 1-O-hexadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine), the increase was significant at 1 nM and maximal at 10 nM. The responses to 10 nM octadecyl PAF (C₁₈PAF; 1-O-octadecyl-2-acetyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphocholine) were one fourth of those to 10 nM C₁₆PAF. The addition of C₁₆PAF to dispersed adrenal cells significantly increased cortisol and corticosterone production at 0.1 nM and 10 nM, respectively. C₁₆PAF was about 1000 times more potent than histamine on a molar basis in respect to cortisol response in both perfused adrenal and dispersed adrenal cells. The results suggest that PAF induces cortisol release from dog adrenal. Based on a paper presented at the Third International Conference on Platelet-Activating Factor and Structurally Related Alkyl Ether Lipids, Tokyo, Japan, May 1989. The present data were also reported at the VIIth International Congress on Hormonal Steroids, Madrid, Spain, September, 1986 (J. Steroid Biochem. 25, 76S, 1986, Abstract).     

Hydrophobic polymer films plasma-polymerized from CF4/hydrocarbon and hexafluroacetone/hydrocarbon mixtures

Polymer films were deposited from the plasma polymerization of the mixtures of hydrocarbons, ethane, ethylene, and acetylene, and tetrafluoromethane (CF₄) or hexafluoroacetone (HFA). The surface properties, the advancing contact angle of water, and surface energy of the films deposited and the chemical composition at the outermost layer of the films are discussed from the data of the angular XPS measurements. The plasma polymers deposited from the CF₄/hydrocarbon and HFA/hydrocarbon mixtures contained fluorine atoms whose content depended on the CF₄ or HFA concentration of the mixtures. The hydrophobicity of the films deposited could not be determined by the fluorine content of the films but by the chemical composition of the fluorine moieties at the outermost layer of the films. The CF₃ moieties rather than the CF₂ and CF moieties contribute largely to the hydrophobicity of the films. The plasma polymer films deposited from the HFA/acetylene (87.5 mol % HFA) showed higher hydrophobicity (the surface energy is 9.7 mJ/m²) than those from the CF₄/acetylene mixture (87.5 mol % CF₄) (the surface energy is 13 mJ/m²).     

First-principles molecular-dynamics calculations on chemical reactions and atomic structures induced by H radical impinging onto Si(001)2 x 1:H surface

Chemical reactions between hydrogen terminated Si(001)2 x 1 surface and impinging H radical are investigated by means of first-principles molecular-dynamics simulations. Reaction probabilities of abstraction of surface terminating H atom with H2 formation, adsorption onto Si surface and reflection of impinging H atom are analyzed with respect to the kinetic energy of incident H radical. The probabilities of abstraction and adsorption turn out to be ranging from 0.81 to 0.58 and from 0.19 to 0.42, respectively, while that of reflection almost zero. As initial kinetic energy of the impinging atom increases, the reaction probability of abstraction decreases and that of absorption increases. Metastable H-absorbed atomic configurations are also derived by optimizing the structures obtained in the impinging dynamics calculations. They are candidates of the so-called reservoir site which is a key to understand the unity hydrogen coverage observed after an exposure to gaseous H atom ambient despite existing residual vacant sites due to abstraction.     

Significance of the highly conserved Gly-4 residue in human cystatin A

The expression system for human recombinant cystatin A has already been established to be a fusion protein with porcine adenylate kinase in Escherichia coli [Kaji et al. (1990) Biol. Chem. Hoppe-Seyler 371, Suppl., 145-150]. After cyanogen bromide cleavage of the fused protein expressed in E. coli, the cystatin portion could be readily isolated. The inhibitory activity of the obtained variant (Cyst A (2-98)) was found to be almost identical with that of the wild type, and thereafter a mutation was introduced into this variant (Ctst A(2-98)), called the standard variant. To elucidate the role of the Gly-4 residue, which is completely conserved in all cystatin species, this residue was substituted with 17 other amino acids by means of cassette mutagenesis. Thus 17 variants (Cyst A(2-98)[G4X]) obtained were examined as to their inhibitory activity towards papain. As the side chain of the substituted amino acid residue became more bulky, the inhibitory activity of the variant markedly decreased. Variants whose side chains were bulkier than a Val residue showed almost no inhibitory effect towards papain. Consequently, it was deduced that the large side chain of a substituted amino acid may cause steric hindrance, which may be responsible for the decrease in inhibitory activity. Thus, we could conclude that the 4th (Gly) residue on cystatin A must be small, because amino acids which existed on the N-terminal side of this residue could interact with a papain molecule.     

Electrical resistivity and lattice parameter of uranium monocarbide

The resistivity dependence of as-cast and annealed UC on temperature (77–300 K) as well as the $\text{C}\text{U}$ ratio have been investigated experimentally. Additionally, lattice constants of UC have been measured in its nonstoichiometric regions. Estimated values of the electrical resistivity of stoichiometric UC (annealed at 1500°C for 3 h) were (10 ± 2) μΩ · cm at liquid-nitrogen temperature and (34 ± 3) μΩ · cm at room temperature, and the value of the lattice constant was (4.958 ± 0.001) Å at room temperature. It was also estimated that 1 at% of carbon vacancies in UC_1?x and oversaturated carbon interstitials in UC_1+x result in resistivity increases of (12 ± 2) μΩ · cm and 6 μΩ · cm, respectively. A very narrow nonstoichiometric region was observed in UC at 1500°C. It might lie between UC_0.98 and UC_1.01     

Sorption kinetics of heavy oil into porous carbons

Sorption kinetics of heavy oil into porous carbons was evaluated by a concept of liquid sorption coefficient obtained from the weight increase of heavy oil with sorption time, which was measured by a wicking test. Exfoliated graphite, carbonized fir fibers and carbon fiber felts were used as porous materials. It was found that the liquid sorption coefficient of fibrous carbons was twice larger than that of exfoliated graphite. Such a difference in the liquid sorption coefficient between the exfoliated graphite and two fibrous carbons was caused by a difference in effective sorption porosity and tortuosity between them. For the exfoliated graphite and carbonized fir fibers, the liquid sorption coefficient and the effective sorption porosity were strongly dependent on their density. The maximum values of both liquid sorption coefficient and effective sorption porosity of the exfoliated graphite were shown at the bulk density around 16 kg/m³. The liquid sorption coefficient of the carbonized fir fibers increased with increasing the density in the range from 6 to 30 kg/m³. When the carbonized fir fibers were densified above 30 kg/m³, the sorption rate was saturated. On the other hand, the sorption kinetics into the carbon fiber felt was almost independent of the bulk density, because the density of the carbon fiber felt is not effective for the pore structure. The effect of bulk density on the sorption kinetics could be supported from an analysis of pore structure of the porous carbons with different densities, which was measured by mercury porosimeter.     

Survey report on damage caused by 2019 Typhoon Hagibis in Marumori Town,Miyagi Prefecture,Japan

Typhoon Hagibis struck Japan on October 12–13, 2019. There was substantial damage over a wide area including the Tohoku region. In particular, Marumori Town, an urban area in Miyagi Prefecture that includes a town hall, was flooded due to heavy rain. The maximum cumulative rainfall and hourly rainfall measured in the town were over 600 and 70 mm, respectively. Heavy rain caused river flooding and landslides throughout the town, resulting in 10 deaths and one missing person. There was also substantial damage to the infrastructure, such as roads, railways, and river levees. The authors performed a field survey immediately after the disaster, and analyzed the observed data. Most levee breaches occurred due to overflow. A breached levee that failed in an unusual direction, namely, a failure which took place from the landside toward the waterside, was also observed. Landslides were not only caused by the amount of rainfall, but also by geological and topographical factors. Roads and railways were damaged by both river flooding and landslides. While both river flooding and landslides occurred in the Usudaira community, which is in the middle reaches of the Gofukuya River, there were no deaths or missing persons. This should be an important case for future disaster mitigation.     

Novel quick backup function for dispersed power source employing AC/DC converter

In this paper, the authors present the system configuration and control scheme of a dispersed power source equipped with quick backup function, which acts as a dispersed power source when no fault exists in a commercial power network and functions as a backup power supply in case of a fault of the network. If a fault, such as a voltage interruption on the network, occurs, the dispersed power source disconnects critical loads from the network in an instant and continues supplying power to the critical loads. We also discuss the method of disconnecting a power network sufficiently quickly when some fault occurs on the network, adopting non‐gate‐turn‐off devices such as thyristors for the AC interconnecting switches. Since it takes only 2 ms to disconnect the loads from a faulted network, there are no negative effects on the loads. Simulations and experimental tests confirm the practicability of the proposed method. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 165(1): 74–81, 2008; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/ eej.20700     

Capacitive moisture sensor devices from plasma films

Polymeric films were deposited on Al₂O₃ ceramic substrates by plasma deposition from trimethylsilyldimethylamine (TMSDMA) and bis(dimethylamino)methylvinylsilane (BDMAMVS), and their capacitance-relative humidity characteristics investigated. Films doped with methylbromide showed a linear dependence of log(capacitance) with relative humidity over the range 20–90% suggesting application on a moisture sensor device. Hysterisis effects were negligible and the response time was within 1 min.