Evaluation of the petrifilm plate method for the enumeration of aerobic microorganisms and coliforms in retailed meat samples.

This study was designed to compare the effectiveness and applicability of the Petrifilm plate method with the Association of Official Analytical Chemists' (AOAC) standard aerobic count method and violet red bile agar method for meat products. The comparison was carried out using 303 meat samples collected from various retailers: 110 pork samples, 87 chicken samples, and 107 beef samples. In the comparison of the correlation coefficient (R) between the conventional method and the Petrifilm plate method by a linear regression analysis, the correlation coefficient in total microorganisms was 0.99, 0.95, and 0.94 in pork, beef, and chicken samples, respectively. The correlation coefficient in coliform count was 0.83, 0.96, and 0.81 in pork, beef, and chicken samples, respectively. Based on the high correlation in the total microorganism count, it might be possible to replace the conventional methods with the Petrifilm plate method. For coliform counts, the Petrifilm plate method also showed a generally high correlation coefficient, except for pork samples, which are more subject to contamination. The Petrifilm plate method was simpler and less time-consuming in sample preparation and, in procedures, faster than the conventional method. These results suggested that the 3M Petrifilm plate method could replace the conventional methods in the analysis of microorganism contamination measurement in meat products.     

Hematological changes of children exposed to volatile organic compounds containing low levels of benzene

A high performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method was developed to determine the concentration of diflubenzuron, a delousing agent used in fish farming, in marine mud and shell sand. The recovery of diflubenzuron from mud was 100.8+/-1.1% and 105.5+/-4.3% for shell sand. The limit of quantitation was found to be 0.1 microg g(-1). The stability of diflubenzuron was studied under laboratory conditions in marine sediments at different temperatures (4 and 14 degrees C). No degradation of diflubenzuron occurred in the organic rich mud sediment or in the shell sand sediment during the experimental period of 204 days. Increasing the temperature from 4 to 14 degrees C had no effect on the stability. Furthermore, diflubenzuron showed to be persistent in both mud and shell sand sediment since no detectable diffusion from the sediment to the water phase occurred during the experimental period of 204 days. Increasing the water current in the tanks had no effect on the persistence. Under field conditions, the concentrations of diflubenzuron found in the organic material from sediment traps placed 2 m from the bottom under the cage in a fish farm during medication were high and ranged from 71 to 259 microg g(-1). The concentrations of diflubenzuron in the sediment under the fish farm were, however, low, with a maximum concentration of 5.4 microg g(-1). The dispersion of diflubenzuron to the sediment was limited to less than 20 m from the edge of the cage in every direction. Fifteen months following the medication, only traces (< 0.1 microg g(-1)) of diflubenzuron were detected in the sediment under the fish farm. Possible explanations for this decrease are resuspension and redistribution of sediment and/or oxic degradation of the drug.     

Comparison of the wound-activated transformation of caulerpenyne by invasive and noninvasive Caulerpa species of the Mediterranean

The invasive green alga, Caulerpa taxifolia, that has spread rapidly after its introduction into the Mediterranean and the North American Pacific, reacts to wounding by transforming its major metabolite caulerpenyne (1). This wound-activated reaction involves the transformation of the bis-enol acetate moiety of 1, releasing reactive 1,4-dialdehydes. The ability to perform this transformation is found also in both the noninvasive Mediterranean C. prolifera and the invasive C. racemosa. Trapping experiments, as well as transformation of the model substrate geranyl acetate, suggest that all three investigated Caulerpa spp. rely on esterases that act upon wounding of the algae by subsequently removing the three acetate residues of caulerpenyne. The resulting reactive 1,4-dialdehyde oxytoxin 2 (9) can be identified by liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry and is unstable in the wounded tissue. Caulerpenyne transformation occurs rapidly, and severe tissue damage caused degradation of more than 50% of the stored caulerpenyne within 1 min in all three algae. Prevention of the enzymatic reaction before extraction, by shock freezing the tissue with liquid nitrogen, was used for the determination of the caulerpenyne content in intact algae. It gives about twofold higher values compared to an established methanol extraction protocol. The speed and mechanism of the wound-activated transformation, as well as the caulerpenyne content in intact tissue of invasive and noninvasive Caulerpa spp., are comparable. Thus, this enzymatic , transformation, despite being fast and efficient, is likely not the key for the success of the investigated invasive species.     

Sequencing and functional analysis of the Hansenula polymorpha genomic fragment containing the YPT1 and PMI40 genes

A 6.0 kb genomic DNA segment was isolated by its ability to rescue the temperature-sensitive growth defect and the hypersensitivity to sodium deoxycholate of a spontaneous vanadate-resistant mutant derived from Hansenula polymorpha DL-1. The genomic fragment contains four open reading frames homologous to the Saccharomyces cerevisiae genes YPT1 (which codes for a GTP-binding protein; 75% amino acid identity), PMI40 (encoding phosphomannose isomerase; 61% identity), YLR065c (30% identity) and CST13 (28% identity). The H. polymorpha YPT1 homologue (HpYPT1) was found to be responsible for the complementation of the temperature-sensitive phenotype and the sodium deoxycholate sensitivity of the mutant strain. Disruption of the H. polymorpha PMI40 homologue (HpPMI40) resulted in the auxotrophic requirement for D-mannose. The heterologous expressions of HpYPT1 and HpPMI40 were able to complement the temperature-sensitive phenotype of S. cerevisiae ypt1-1 mutant and the mannose auxotrophy of S. cerevisiae pmi40 null mutant, respectively, indicating that the H. polymorpha genes encode the functional homologues of S. cerevisiae YPT1 and PMI40 proteins. The nucleotide sequence has been submitted to GenBank under Accession No. AF454544.     

Modeling of nuclide release from low-level radioactive paraffin waste: a comparison of simulated and real waste

Nuclide leaching models based on mass transfer theory are reviewed and evaluated to analyze the leaching test results of simulated and real paraffin waste from Korean nuclear power plants (NPPs). An empirical model (EM), bulk diffusion model (BDM), coupled diffusion/dissolution model (CDDM), shrinking core model (SCM), modified SCM (MSCM), and uniform reaction model (URM) are selected for comparison. In case of simulated paraffin waste form, the experimental results are satisfactorily explained by the SCM which is based on a diffusion-controlled dissolution reaction. Leaching behavior of real paraffin waste form is well predicted by URM that considers inter-aggregated porous medium and intra-aggregated porous medium separately. If real paraffin waste forms are manufactured with relatively uniform composition, their leaching behaviors are expected to be similar to those of simulated paraffin waste forms.     

Probing lysine acetylation with a modification-specific marker ion using high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray-mass spectrometry with collision-induced dissociation

Posttranslational acetylation of proteins regulates many diverse functions, including DNA recognition, protein-protein interaction, and protein stability. The identification of enzymes that regulate protein acetylation has revealed broader use of this modification than was previously suspected. In this study, we describe a method for identifying protein acetylation at lysine residues by analysis of digested protein using HPLC/ESI-MS with a new modification-specific marker ion. Collision-induced dissociation with capillary or nano-LC/ESI-TOF-MS was used to obtain a fragment ion useful as a marker for acetylated lysine. Although the acetylated lysine immonium ion at m/z 143.1 has been used as a marker ion for detecting acetylated lysine, it can be confused with internal fragment ion in some peptides, producing false positive results. We have found a novel marker ion at m/z 126.1, which is a further fragment ion induced by the loss of NH3 from the acetylated lysine immonium ions at m/z 143.1. This novel marker ion was found to be more specific and approximately 9 times more sensitive than the immonium ion at m/z 143.1. In addition, no interfering ions for acetylated peptides were found in the extracted ion chromatogram at m/z 126.1. The utility of this method was demonstrated with acetylated cytochrome c as a model compound. After the modification was probed by the new marker ion, the acetylated lysine site was determined by the CID-MS spectrum. This method was applied to identify histone H4 acetylation in HeLa cells treated with trichostatin A. Three protein bands separated by acid-urea-Triton gel electrophoresis were confirmed as tetra, tri, and diacetylated histone H4 at lysines 5, 8, 12, and 16. This method may be useful for assaying for lysine acetylation, which is an important regulatory process for a range of biological functions.     

Label-free parallel screening of combinatorial triazine libraries using reflectometric interference spectroscopy

The parallel reflectometric interference spectroscopy is presented as a label-free optical detection method. A new setup was adapted to accommodate sample carriers in a 96-well microplate. It allows for the first time simultaneous plate imaging by a CCD camera for the parallel detection of specific biomolecular interaction in the microplate wells at heterogeneous phase using direct optical monitoring. The detection of binding events with time resolution enables a highly parallel functional biomolecular interaction analysis (BIA). The combination of this new screening setup with combinatorial solid-phase synthesis is performed in the wells of glass-bottom microplates to accomplish the synthesis and the screening platform within one device. As a model system for a solid-phase substance library, synthesis of a triazine library and the subsequent BIA with four different antibodies were carried out. The presented setup enables a time resolution of 18 s with a total screening time of less than 35 min including baseline adjustment, BIA, and regeneration of the screening device for 96 samples in parallel. The binding studies reveal a fast classification of the different monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies and enable the detection of triazines with high binding affinity. The presented prototype is the first parallelized optical label-free detection system for biomolecular interaction analysis that is suitable for a high-throughput screening based on the 96-well microplate format.     

Preparation of YSZ/YDC and YSZ/GDC composite electrolytes by the tape casting and sol-gel dip-drawing coating method for low-temperature SOFC

The composite electrolytes for low-temperature solid oxide fuel cells were fabricated via coating the YSZ sol on tape-casted substrates of yttria doped ceria (YDC) and gadolinia doped ceria (GDC). The doped ceria substrates with 98% of relative density were prepared by the tape-casting method followed by the sintering at 1,500°C for 2 hours. The YSZ polymeric sol for dip-drawing coating was synthesized by the partial hydrolysis of Zr-n-butoxide. The optimum dip-drawing coating rate for obtaining pinhole and crack free YSZ film was 2 cm/min using YSZ polymeric sol with 1.13 mol/ of concentration. After 10 times coating on ceria substrates with YSZ followed by the heat-treatment at 1,400°C for 2 hours, the fully densified YSZ film with 2.0 m of thickness without pores, cracks, or chemical reactions could be obtained. The results of single cell tests shows that YSZ layer coated doped ceria composite electrolyte prepared by the sol-gel dip-drawing method has an superior single cell performance to YSZ electrolyte without dissociation of ceria substrate.     

Aeroelastic stability analysis of hingeless rotor blades with composite flexures

The flap-lag-torsion coupled aeroelastic behavior of a hingeless rotor blade with composite flexures in hovering flight has been investigated by using the finite element method. The quasi-steady strip theory with dynamic inflow effects is used to obtain the aerodynamic loads acting on the blade. The governing differential equations of motion undergoing moderately large displacements and rotations are derived using the Hamilton’s principle. The flexures used in the present model are composed of two composite plates which are rigidly attached together. The lead-lag flexure is located inboard of the flap flexure. A mixed warping model that combines the St. Venant torsion and the Vlasov torsion is developed to describe the twist behavior of the composite flexure. Numerical simulations are carried out to correlate the present results with experimental test data and also to identify the effects of structural couplings of the composite flexures on the aeroelastic stability of the blade. The prediction results agree well with other experimental data. The effects of elastic coupling such as pitch-flap, pitch-lag, and flap-lag couplings on the stability behavior of the composite blades are also investigated.