Biodesulfurization of alkylated forms of dibenzothiophene and benzothiophene by Sphingomonas subarctica T7b

Sphingomonas subarctica T7b was isolated from soil in Toyotomi, Hokkaido, Japan as an organism capable of desulfurizing aromatic hydrocarbons in light gas oil (LGO) through enrichment culture. S. subarctica T7b could grow on mineral salt sulfur-free (MSSF) medium with the n-tetradecane oil phase containing dibenzothiophene (DBT), alkyl dibenzothiophenes (alkyl DBTs) or alkyl benzothiophenes (alkyl BTs) as the sole sulfur source and desulfurize these compounds, but could not utilize the tetradecane as a carbon source. This is the first report of a gram-negative bacterium which can desulfurize 4,6-dibutyl DBT and 4,6-dipentyl DBT. The desulfurized product of DBT produced by this strain was 2-hydroxybiphenyl, as in the case of other DBT-desulfurizing bacteria. S. subarctica T7b could desulfurize LGO and the sulfur content was decreased to 41% within 36 h.     

Post-functionalization of poly(3-hexylthiophene) via anodic chlorination

Selective anodic chlorination of a poly(3-hexylthiophene) was successfully carried out by electrochemical polymer reaction. NMR and EDX analyses revealed the selective and sufficient substitution of chlorine atom at the 4-position of the repeating thiophene ring. GPC measurement of the polymer before and after electrolysis indicated that neither decomposition nor propagation of the polymer occurred even after passage of the excess charge. The optical and electrochemical properties of the obtained chlorinated polymer were investigated in detail.     

Preparation of ultrasmooth and defect-free 4H-SiC(0001) surfaces by elastic emission machining

In this work, elastic emission machining (EEM), which is a precise surface-preparation technique using chemical reactions between the surfaces of work and fine powder particles, is applied to the flattening 4H-SiC (0001) surface. Prepared surfaces are observed and characterized by optical interferometry, atomic force microscopy (AFM), and low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The obtained images show that the processed surface has atomic-level flatness, and the subsurface damage and surface scratches of the preprocessed surface are almost entirely removed.     

Universal Strategy for Efficient Electron Injection into Organic Semiconductors Utilizing Hydrogen Bonds

Molecular n‐dopants that can lower the electron injection barrier between organic semiconductors and electrodes are essential in present‐day organic electronics. However, the development of stable molecular n‐dopants remains difficult owing to their low ionization potential, which generally renders them unstable. It is shown that the stable bases widely used in organic synthesis as catalysts can lower the electron injection barrier similar to that in conventional n‐doping in organic optoelectronic devices. In contrast to conventional n‐doping, which is based on the electron transfer from dopants with low ionization potential, the reduction of the injection barrier caused by adding bases is determined by the formation of hydrogen bonds between the hosts and the bases, providing energy‐level‐independent electron injection. The observation of the efficient electron injection induced by hydrogen bonding affords new perspectives on the method for controlling the behavior of electrons unique to organic semiconductors.     

Effect of adsorption behaviour of polyelectrolytes on fluidity and packing ability of aqueous graphite slurries

The effect of surface hydrophobicity on the adsorption behaviour of polyelectrolytes is investigated using graphite and alumina powder slurries. Graphite slurries containing carboxymethylcellulose (CMC) have a relatively low apparent viscosity and afford a sediment with a relatively high packing fraction as compared to that obtained when using sodium polyacrylate (Na-PAA) as a dispersant, although both have the same functional group. As a greater amount of CMC is adsorbed, it is concluded that its adsorption mechanism involves hydrophobic interaction, thus making it a better dispersant for hydrophobic powders in aqueous media. In contrast, Na-PAA is more effective in dispersing relatively hydrophilic powders such as alumina, as it adsorbs mainly through electrostatic interactions.     

Stratification associated with local b-functions

The local b$b$-function _bf,p(s)$b_{f,p}\left(s\right)$ of an n$n$-variate polynomial f∈C[x]$f\in \mathbb{C}\left[x\right]$ (x=(_x1,…,_xn)$x=(x_1,\dots ,x_n)$) at a point p∈Cⁿ$p\in {\mathbb{C}}^n$ is constant on each stratum of a stratification of Cⁿ${\mathbb{C}}^n$. We propose a new method for computing such a stratification and _bf,p(s)$b_{f,p}\left(s\right)$ on each stratum. In the existing method proposed in Oaku (1997b), a primary ideal decomposition of an ideal in C[x,s]$\mathbb{C}[x,s]$ is needed and our experiment shows that the primary decomposition can be a bottleneck for computing the stratification. In our new method, the computation can be done by just computing ideal quotients and examining inclusions of algebraic sets. The precise form of a stratum can be obtained by computing the decomposition of the radicals of the ideals in C[x]$\mathbb{C}\left[x\right]$ defining the stratum. We also introduce various techniques for improving the practical efficiency of the implementation and we show results of computations for some examples.     

Proteomic approach toward personalized sarcoma treatment: Lessons from prognostic biomarker discovery in gastrointestinal stromal tumor

Sarcomas range from curable tumors to those causing death via metastasis and recurrence. Thus, there is an urgent need for biomarker identification in order to assess the degree of malignancy, predict prognosis, and evaluate possible therapies. Various proteomic approaches and different clinical materials have been used to this end, and candidate biomarkers have been reported for the different types of sarcomas. However, the sample size used in these biomarker studies was generally insufficient, and thus far, no biomarker has been proved useful in clinics. Given that sarcomas are rare, biomarker validation in this setting is more challenging than in other malignancies. In gastrointestinal stromal tumor, adjuvant therapy has proven to be effective. However, only 40% patients experience metastasis after curative surgery alone, and the rest of the patients may not need adjuvant therapy. Using a proteomic approach, we identified pfetin (potassium channel tetramerization domain containing 12, KCTD 12) as a novel prognostic biomarker for sarcoma, and immunohistochemically confirmed its clinical usefulness by a multiinstitutional validation study. Here, we describe our experience and discuss the critical points in the discovery of this biomarker.     

Air Plasma-Activated Medium Evokes a Death-Associated Perinuclear Mitochondrial Clustering

Intractable cancers such as osteosarcoma (OS) and oral cancer (OC) are highly refractory, recurrent, and metastatic once developed, and their prognosis is still disappointing. Tumor-targeted therapy, which eliminates cancers effectively and safely, is the current clinical choice. Since aggressive tumors are substantially resistant to multidisciplinary therapies that target apoptosis, tumor-specific activation of another cell death modality is a promising avenue for meeting this goal. Here, we report that a cold atmospheric air plasma-activated medium (APAM) can kill OS and OC by causing a unique mitochondrial clustering. This event was named monopolar perinuclear mitochondrial clustering (MPMC) based on its characteristic unipolar mitochondrial perinuclear accumulation. The APAM caused apoptotic and nonapoptotic cell death. The APAM increased mitochondrial ROS (mROS) and cell death, and the antioxidants such as N-acetylcysteine (NAC) prevented them. MPMC occurred following mitochondrial fragmentation, which coincided with nuclear damages. MPMC was accompanied by mitochondrial lipid peroxide (mLPO) accumulation and prevented by NAC, Ferrostatin-1, and Nocodazole. In contrast, the APAM induced minimal cell death, mROS generation, mLPO accumulation, and MPMC in fibroblasts. These results suggest that MPMC occurs in a tumor-specific manner via mitochondrial oxidative stress and microtubule-driven mitochondrial motility. MPMC induction might serve as a promising target for exerting tumor-specific cytotoxicity.