Protective Effect of Dietary Ghrelin‐Containing Salmon Stomach Extract on Mortality and Cardiotoxicity in Doxorubicin‐Induced Mouse Model of Heart Failure

Ghrelin exhibits a cardioprotective effect. We examined whether orally administered ghrelin‐containing salmon stomach extract (sSE) instead of chemically synthesized ghrelin protects against doxorubicin (DOX)‐induced cardiotoxicity in mice. Mice were divided into four groups: (i) the control, (ii) DOX groups were fed a control diet (AIN‐93G), (iii) the sSE, and (iv) DOX + sSE groups were fed a 10% sSE diet (AIN‐93G + 10% sSE). After a 4‐week pretreatment of sSE, DOX or saline was administered to the corresponding groups by intraperitoneal injection. The groups fed the 10% sSE diet consumed significantly more food than the groups fed the control diet before the DOX injection. No mortality was observed in the DOX + sSE group, whereas 40% (2 of 5) mortality was observed in the DOX group. Compared with the DOX group, levels of ascites and plasma cardiac troponin I improved in the DOX + sSE group. Significantly lesser DOX‐induced collagen accumulation was observed in the left heart ventricle of the DOX group than in that of the DOX + sSE group. These results suggest that the dietary ghrelin contained in sSE mimics synthetic ghrelin in cardioprotective effect. Ghrelin in sSE (45 pmol/g) and the food intake‐stimulating effect of sSE may explain, at least in part, the protective effect of orally administered teleost ghrelin.     

Proliferation of district heating using local energy resources through strategic building-stock management: A case study in Fukushima,Japan

District heating systems using cogeneration technology and renewable resources are considered as an effective approach to resources conservation and reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. However, widespread aging and depopulation problems, as well as the popularization of energy-saving technologies in buildings, are estimated to greatly decrease energy consumption, leading to inefficiency in district heating and barriers to technology proliferation. From a long-term perspective, land use changes, especially the progression of compact city plans, have the potential to offset the decrement in energy consumption that maintains the efficiency of district heating systems. An integrated model is developed in this paper based on building cohort analysis to evaluate the economic feasibility and environmental impact of introducing district heating systems to a long-term compact city plan. As applied to a case in the Soma Region of Fukushima, Japan, potential migration from the suburbs to the central station districts is simulated, where district heating based on gas-fired cogeneration is expected to be introduced. The results indicate that guided migration to produce concentrated centers of population can substantially increase the heat demand density, which supports a wider application of district heating systems and better low-carbon performance. These results are further discussed in relation to technology innovation and related policies. It is concluded that policies related to urban land use planning and energy management should be integrated and quantitatively evaluated over the long-term with the aim of supporting urban low-carbon sustainable development.     

薄层色谱画像解析法快速判定鱼肉的脂质氧化度

为了快速判定鱼肉的脂质氧化度,建立薄层色谱画像(thin layer chromatography image,TLC-i)解析法快速测定鱼类氧化生成的极性化合物含量。取黄鳍金枪鱼油0.5μL点样于硅胶板上,用正己烷-乙醚-醋酸(30∶70∶1,V/V)的混合液展开12 min后,3%醋酸铜磷酸溶液喷雾显色,150℃加热15 min后,将氧化生成的极性化合物通过面积分析软件进行半定量分析。结果表明,此方法测得的极性化合物含量与常用的过氧化值(peroxide value,POV)、羰基值(carbonyl value,CV)相比,具有较好的相关性,相关系数分别为0.993 8和0.972 5。将此方法用于判定远东多线咸鱼在4℃贮藏期间的脂质氧化情况,发现极性化合物含量与POV具有较好的正相关性(R~2=0.962 5)。将此方法用于判定盐渍红鲑在-5℃贮藏期间的脂质氧化情况,发现极性化合物含量与a*值具有较好的负相关性(R~2=-0.822 9)。结果表明,该方法具有简单化、快速化、微量化、可视化的优点,且不需要昂贵的设备,适合鱼肉脂质氧化度的快速评价。     

Design study on reactor structure of Pb–Bi-cooled direct contact boiling water fast reactor (PBWFR)

Pb–Bi-cooled direct contact boiling water small fast reactor (PBWFR) can produce steam by direct contact of feedwater with primary Pb–Bi coolant above the core, and circulate Pb–Bi coolant by means of buoyancy of steam bubbles. The PBWFR is capable of eliminating components of the cooling system such as primary pumps and steam generators, and thereby making the reactor system simple and compact. The specifications of the PBWFR are as follows: the fuel is Pu–U nitride; the core height is 75 cm; the core diameter is 278 cm; the average burnup is 80 GWd/t; the refueling interval is 10 years; the rated electric power is 150 MWe; the rated thermal power is 450 MWt; the core outlet/inlet temperatures are 460 °C/310 °C, respectively; and the operating steam pressure is 7 MPa. The reactor structure design has been formulated, where reactor vessel sizes are 4200 mm (ID) × 19,750 mm (H), the guard vessel is a closed type, the upper structure is made of chimneys, and the core support structure is hung up. An ultrasonic flow meter is installed inside the vessel. The seismic evaluation, design of refueling procedure and cost evaluation have been performed.     

Effect of immersion angle of a one-face sealed quartz crystal microbalance in liquid

The effect of the immersion angle theta of the QCM in a liquid was investigated using the impedance analyzer. In the QCM, with the two faces in contact with a liquid, the resonant frequency shift deltaF was independent of theta and was dependent on only the number of faces in contact with a liquid. On the other hand, in the QCM, with the one face in contact with a liquid, it became clear that deltaF depended on theta and had the largest value at theta = 90 degrees and the smallest value at theta = 0 degrees. We also presented the simple model of deltaF in the QCM with the one face in contact with a liquid on the basis of experimental results.     

Development of optical coatings for 157-nm lithography. I. Coating materials

In a basic study to identify low-loss optics for applications in F2 lithography, five potential coating materials (AlF3, Na3AlF6, MgF2, LaF8, and GdF3) and three deposition methods (thermal evaporation by a resistance heater and by electron beam and ion-beam sputtering) were investigated in the vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) region. Samples were supplied as single-layer coatings on CaF2 substrates by four Japanese coating suppliers. Refractive indices (n) and extinction coefficients (k) of these coatings at 157 nm were evaluated; the transmittance and the reflectance were measured by a VUV spectrometer and were compared. As a result, resistance heating thermal evaporation is seen to be the optimal method for achieving low-loss antireflection coatings. The relation among optical constants, microstructures, and stoichiometry is discussed.     

Narrowband impedance matching layer for high efficiency thickness mode ultrasonic transducers

A new matching layer design concept has been proposed for narrowband continuous wave (CW) devices. Analysis has shown that the mechanical impedance of a resonant-type transducer in thickness mode CW operation does not equal its acoustic impedance ρVs but roughly equals ρVs/Q, where ρ is density, Vs is acoustic velocity, and Q is the mechanical quality factor. The value of ρVs/Q is much lower than the acoustic impedance of water for any transducer material, including lead zirconium titanate (PZT), single crystals, or polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF). With this new approach, the impedance of the matching layer must also be between water and ρVs/Q, but there are few such practical low impedance materials. To realize equivalent low impedance structure, a novel double layer design is presented: a relatively low impedance material (such as polyethylene or polyurethane) on the inside and a relatively high impedance material (such as polyester or metal) on the outside. A high power CW transducer structure was designed and fabricated with PVDF-TrFE (polyvinylidene fluoride trifluoroethylene) to operate at 1.4 MHz     

Magnetic order in thet-J andt-t′-J models

The magnetic structure of thet-J andt-t′-J models are investigated. Assuming that the ground state has magnetic long-range order, we calculated the energy of some magnetically ordered states using a simple transformation of the models and theS→∞ approximation. The result shows that the Néel state is destroyed by doped holes unless the next-nearest neighbor hoppingt′ is finite, and that the ferromagnetic phase appears at moderate doping. Mean field analysis shows that the intermediate phase between the Néel and ferromagnetic phase has spiral spin order, although the spiral phase is shown to be unstable against density fluctuations.     

Water Entry into Silica Glass During Slow Crack Growth

Hydrogen concentration depth profiles on surfaces of SiO₂ glass fractured slowly in water and rapidly in oil were determined by nuclear reaction analysis. It was found that water enters SiO₂ glass during slow crack growth in water.     

Effect of nonionic surfactant upon surface tension of anionic surfactant

The surface tension of sodium dodecyl sulfate was determined in the presence of nonionic surfactant. The nonionic surfactant used was homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether which has no poisson distribution of added mole numbers of ethyleneoxide. The concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate was changed at various fixed concentrations of homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether. Two inflection points were observed on each surface tension curve, and the surface tension maintained a constant value between the inflections, regardless of the concentrations of added homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether. However, the concentrations of sodium dodecyl sulfate at the inflections were affected at the concentrations of homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether, respectively. When the homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether concentrations were fixed below the critical micelle concentration, the concentration of sodium dodecyl sulfate at the lower inflection point decreased with increasing concentration of homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether, while that of the higher was hardly influenced. If the homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether concentrations were fixed above the critical micelle concentration, the sodium dodecyl sulfate concentrations at the two inflections both increased with an increment of homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether concentration. These results were interpreted in terms of mixed surface layer and mixed micelles consisting of sodium dodecyl sulfate and homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether. Also, the surface tension curves of homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether in the presence of sodium dodecyl sulfate, as well as those of sodium dodecyl sulfate with given concentrations of homogeneous pentaethyleneglycol-n-dodecylether, were studied.