Pseudomonas aeruginosa as a model microorganism for investigation of chemotactic behaviors in ecosystem

Motile bacteria sense changes in the concentration of chemicals in environments and respond in a behavioral manner. This behavioral response is called chemotaxis. Bacterial chemotaxis can be viewed as an important prelude to metabolism, prey-predator relationships, symbiosis, infections, and other ecological interactions in biological communities. Genome analysis reveals that a large number of environmental motile bacteria possess a number of genes involved in chemosensing and chemotatic signal transduction. Pseudomonas aeruginosa has a very complex chemosensory system with more than 20 chemotaxis (che) genes in five distinct clusters and 26 chemoreceptor (methyl-accepting chemotaxis protein [mcp]) genes. Among the 26 MCPs of P. aeruginosa, nine have been identified as MCPs for amino acids, inorganic phosphate, oxygen, ethylene, and volatile chlorinated aliphatic hydrocarbons, whereas 3 MCPs were demonstrated to be involved in biofilm formation and biosynthesis of type IV pilus. Six che genes are essential for chemotactic responses, while genes in Pil-Chp cluster and Wsp cluster are involved in type IV pilus synthesis and twitching motility and biofilm formation, respectively. P. aeruginosa, with its complex chemotaxis system, is a better model microorganism for investigating ecological aspects of chemotaxis in environmental bacteria than Escherichia coli and Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium, which possess a relatively simpler chemotaxis system.     

Internal oxidation of Fe-Al alloys in the α-phase region

The internal oxidation behavior of Fe-0.069, 0.158, and 0.274 wt% Al alloys was investigated in the -phase region. The internal oxidation experiments have been made over the temperature range from 1023 to 1123 K using a mixture of iron and its oxide powders. A parabolic rate law holds in the present alloys, where the rate constant, K_p, depends upon the oxidation temperature as well as the aluminum content. The internal oxidation of Fe-Al alloys is, therefore, controlled by a diffusion process of oxygen in the alloy. The oxide formed in the oxidation layer is the stoichiometric FeAl₂O₄ (hercynite). The aluminum concentration, N _Al ^Io , in the oxidation layer was calculated by taking account of counterdiffusion of aluminum. Furthermore, the oxygen concentration, N _O ^S , at the specimen surface was evaluated on the basis of thermodynamics. Using these estimated values of K_p, N _Al ^IO , and N _O ^S , the diffusion coefficient of oxygen, D _O ^IO , in the oxidation layer, where the oxide particles were dispersed, was also calculated. D _O ^IO increases as the volume fraction of the oxide, f^IO, increases. The diffusion coefficient of oxygen, D_O, in -iron was determined by extrapolating D _O ^IO to f^IO=0.     

Evaluation of phosphate removal from water by immobilized phosphate-binding protein PstS

The phosphate (P(i))-binding protein PstS is a member of a family of periplasmic proteins that act as high-affinity receptors for active transport systems in bacteria. PstS protein purified from Pseudomonas aeruginosa was immobilized to N-hydroxysuccinimide-activated Sepharose, packed into a plastic column (5 x 70 mm), and examined for its potential ability to remove P(i) from water. The PstS-Sepharose column completely removed P(i) from 32P-labeled pond water containing about 0.5 microM P(i) (0.015 mg P per liter). More than 90% of 32P-P(i) that was retained in the column could be eluted by washing with low-pH water.     

Perovskite-type oxides La1−xSrxMnO3 for cathode catalysts in direct ethylene glycol alkaline fuel cells

Carbon-supported La_1−xSr_xMnO₃ (LSM/C) was prepared by reversible homogeneous precipitation method, and its catalytic activities for oxygen reduction under the existence of ethylene glycol (EG) were investigated by using rotating disk electrode. LSM/C exhibited the high activity for oxygen reduction irrespective with the presence of EG, indicating that EG is not oxidized by LSM/C at the cathode side in the present system. Consequently, LSM/C can serve as a cathode catalyst in alkaline direct alcohol fuel cells with no crossover problem. Performance test for fuel cells operation also supported these results and showed cathodic polarization curves were not affected by the concentration of EG supplied to anode even at 5 mol dm⁻³.     

Properties of bifunctional phosphonate fibers derived from chloromethylstyrene grafted polyolefin fibers

Bifunctional fibers containing phosphonate and sulfonate were derived from chloromethylstyrene grafted polyolefin fibers (PPPE-g-CMS) by phosphorylation and subsequent sulfonation reactions. It was clarified that phosphorylation of PPPE-g-CMS by Arbusov reaction is more suitable than one by the reaction with PCl₃ in the presence of AlCl₃, because the latter damaged fibers and gave phosphinate groups in addition to phosphonate ones. Then, bifunctional fibers containing phosphonate and sulfonate groups were prepared by sulfonation of monofunctional phosphonate fibers obtained via Arbusov reaction with chlorosulfonic acid. The metal ion selectivity of the bifunctional fibers was governed by both phosphonate and sulfonate groups. In addition, bifunctional fibers gave much more excellent kinetic performances in column-mode uptake of Cu(II) than the monofunctional phosphonate fibers and resin.     

Anomalous Behavior of Ultrasonic Velocity in Rubidium Borate Glasses

By use of the ultrasonic pulse echo overlap method, ultrasonic velocity in rubidium borate glasses is measured as a function of composition at a temperature of 298 K, which is found to exhibit a maximum, a minimum, and another maximum in succession as the rubidium oxide content increases. This behavior is remarkable among the borate anomalies. The elastic property of these glasses is analyzed in terms of the three structural units defined as BØ₃, Rb⁺BØ₂O⁻, and Rb⁺BØ⁻₄, where Ø represents a bridging oxygen and O⁻ a nonbridging oxygen, from which the cause of this anomalous behavior is elucidated.