Second-generation maskless photolithography device for surface micropatterning and microfluidic channel fabrication

We have previously reported on a maskless photolithography device for surface micropatterning and microfabrication by modifying a commercially available liquid crystal display projector. For the prototype, 10-microm resolution was achieved by downsizing the image on a 0.7-in. liquid crystal display panel to an area of 8 x 6 mm and projecting it on a fixed stage. Here, we report on a second-generation maskless photolithography device having two novel features. First, the sliding lens system with variable focal distances and exchangeable objective lenses achieves a variable resolution of 2-8 mum. Second, the synchronous control of displayed images generated by a personal computer and the movement of a XY-positioning stage allows for the fabrication of micropatterns over a larger area (over 50 x 50 mm). Here, we show examples fabricated with the two novel features.     

Metabolic disposition of chlorambucil in rats

1. The metabolic dispositionof chlorambucil, 4-p-(di-2-chloroethyl)aminophenylbutyric acid, was studied in the rat. 2. After oral administration of [14C]chlorambucil to rats, plasma, liver, and kidney showed the highest concentration of 14C. After intravenous administration, plasma and kidney were heavily labelled. Although plasma contained as much as 10% of the administered dose in the first few hours after administration, the level decreased to 1% by 24 h. Elimination of radioactivity was mainly through the kidney. 3. Ten metabolites were isolated and characterized by mass spectrometry. Most metabolites had undergone oxidation on the butyric acid side-chain to form phenylacetic acid and benzoic acid derivatives. Spontaneous degradation products of [14C]chlorambucil were analysed and compared with the metabolites.     

Ethanol production from ensiled rice straw and whole-crop silage by the simultaneous enzymatic saccharification and fermentation process

Silage production from rice straw and whole-plant forage paddy rice is increasing in Japan because of decrease in rice consumption. One potential use for this silage is bioethanol production. In this study, we analyzed the effectiveness of three different commercially available cellulases at saccharification of sun-dried rice straw, ensiled rice straw, and rice whole-crop silage (WCS). Furthermore, the ethanol productivity of the simultaneous saccharification and ethanol fermentation process (SSF) from the same plant substrates was analyzed. Among the three kinds of cellulases tested (Novozymes NS50013, Genencor GC220, and Acremonium cellulase), Acremonium cellulase showed the highest ethanol production for the three plant substrates, and the WCS produced the highest ethanol level. Analysis of the enzymatic degradation activity of the cellulases revealed that Acremonium cellulase contained remarkably high glucoamylase and pectinase side activities relative to the other cellulase preparations. The addition of glucoamylase and pectinase to the other two cellulases significantly increased ethanol productivity to levels observed for the Acremonium cellulase preparation, which showed little enhanced performance with the addition of the same enzymes. Finally, we tested whether milling and sterilization had an effect on ethanol production and found that sterilized silage produced higher ethanol levels but that the milling process had no significant effect. These results show that (i) silage made from whole-plant rice can be used for bioethanol production and (ii) the proper selection and combination of commercially available enzymes can make SSF more cost efficient by removing the need for a pre-treatment step.     

Pt‐Rh/TiO2/activated carbon as highly active and stable HI decomposition catalyst for hydrogen production in sulfur‐iodine (SI) process

Pt‐TiO₂ loaded on activated carbon was studied as an active and stable catalyst to HI decomposition for H₂ formation in the sulfur‐iodine process. Although the activity of TiO₂‐loaded catalyst was slightly lower HI conversion than that of CeO₂ loaded one, the higher stability against HI decomposition reaction was achieved and almost equilibrium conversion was sustained over ~65 h examined. Moreover, effects of Rh or Ir addition on HI conversion were studied and it was found that Pt‐Rh bimetallic system was highly active and stable to HI decomposition. Scanning transmission electron micrograph observation suggested that the increased HI decomposition activity was assigned to the increased dispersion of Pt particles. High dispersion state of Pt was sustained after HI decomposition at 773 K by addition of Rh. Since the formation of PtI₄ was suggested by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurement during HI decomposition, increased stability by addition of Rh seems to be assigned to the high chemical stability of Rh against iodine. Almost the equilibrium HI conversion on Pt‐Rh‐TiO₂/M563 was sustained over 300 hours at 673 K.     

Development of an automation system for single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyping using bio-strand, a new three-dimensional microarray

Previously, we developed a novel three-dimensional microarray system called Bio-Strand, which may be used in various applications including single nucleotide polymorphisms genotyping. In Bio-Strand, samples for detection are immobilized on a one-dimensional thread, which is wound around a cylinder-shaped core to form a three-dimensional thread-and-core structure. The thread-and-core structure is then inserted into a plastic pipette tip, where hybridization and detection are performed. In this study, we have developed an automation system, NIAGALA Bio-Station SDx, which enables automated hybridization and detection during the genotyping procedure using Bio-Strand. Using this system, we have performed the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotyping of CYP2C, one of the important human cytochrome P450 genes and the results were completely consistent with the genotyping results determined by the TaqMan method.     

Easy-to-use authoring system for Noh (Japanese traditional) dance animation and its evaluation

Noh is a genre of Japanese traditional theater, a kind of musical drama. Similar to other dance forms, Noh dance (shimai) can also be divided into small, discrete units of motion (shosa). Therefore, if we have a set of motion clips of motion units (shosa), we can synthesize Noh dance animation by composing them in a sequence based on the Noh dance notation (katatsuke). However, it is difficult for researchers and learners of Noh dance to utilize existing animation systems to create such animations. The purpose of this research is to develop an easy-to-use authoring system for Noh dance animation. In this paper, we introduce the design, implementation, and evaluation of our system. To solve the problems of existing animation systems, we employ our smart motion synthesis technique to compose motion units automatically. We improved the motion synthesis method by enhancing the algorithms for detecting body orientation and constraints between the foot and ground to handle Noh dance motions correctly. We classify motion units as either pattern units, which are specific forms of motion, represented as shot motion clips, or locomotion units, generated on the fly to denote movement towards a specific position or direction. To handle locomotion-type motion units, we implemented a module to generate walking motion based on a given path. We created several Noh dance animations using this system, which was evaluated through a series of experiments. We also conducted a user test to determine the usefulness of our system for learners of Noh dance.     

Energy and environment policy integration: The case of energy conservation policies and technologies in Japan

Among the OECD countries, Japan has achieved one of the lowest energy intensities and has been successful in reducing emissions of key air pollutants and CO₂ associated with energy use while maintaining a relatively high rate of economic growth, indicating that in Japan energy and environment policies have been able to address each other effectively. This study shows that in both policy domains, considerable importance was attached to the enhancement of energy conservation. The industrial sector has been the most responsive in reducing energy intensity as well as in controlling pollution. Aided by government fiscal measures, the iron and steel, chemicals and automobile industries have pursued both energy conservation and pollution control through suitable process or product innovation. The recent response to global environment issues shows that both the government and the industrial sector are determined to enhance energy conservation and environmental amelioration through technological innovation, indicating that Japanese technologies will continue to be ‘environmentally competitive’.     

Development of a quantitative real-time PCR method for estimation of the total number of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in contaminated shellfish and seawater

A real-time PCR method targeting the toxR gene of Vibrio parahaemolyticus was developed to quantify the number of V. parahaemolyticus cells, including those of both the hemolysin-producing and nonproducing strains. The specificity of the primer and probe set was confirmed using 25 strains of V. parahaemolyticus and 30 strains of other microbial species. We determined the threshold cycle number using the real-time PCR and the number of V. parahaemolyticus cells by plate count using serially diluted pure culture and developed a standard curve for quantification. Standard curves for V. parahaemolyticus in seawater and seafood were established using artificially inoculated samples. The threshold cycle number and the number of V. parahaemolyticus cells were correlated with 10(1) to 10(7) CFU/ml in pure culture, seawater, and shellfish homogenate. The real-time PCR method developed in this study was compared with the most-probable-number method in seafood samples that were naturally contaminated. The differences in the number of V. parahaemolyticus cells as determined by the culture method and the PCR method were less than 10-fold.     

Schizosaccharomyces pombe reporter strains for relative quantitative assessment of heterochromatin silencing

The fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe has been emerging as an important model organism for studying the formation and repression of heterochromatin. To enable simple and relative quantitative assessment of heterochromatin silencing, we have created bioluminescence‐based reporter strains. A green‐emitting click beetle luciferase (CBG68) gene was inserted within pericentromeric heterochromatin or at the silent mating‐type locus via homologous recombination. In the same strains, a red‐emitting click beetle luciferase (CBR) gene is expressed from the euchromatic leu1⁺ locus and can be used as a reference in dual‐colour assays. Our reporter strains are suitable for performing Chroma‐Glo? assays, which can be carried out directly in the culture medium without prior cell lysis and in a multiwell format. Our reporter system reliably reflects the state of chromatin and can be easily adapted for use in high‐throughput screening approaches. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Enumeration of fungi in fruits by the most probable number method

In this study, enumeration methods for fungi in foods were evaluated using fruits that are often contaminated by fungi in the field and rot because of fungal contaminants. As the test methods, we used the standard most probable number (MPN) method with liquid medium in test tubes, which is traditionally used as the enumeration method for bacteria, and the plate-MPN method with agar plate media, in addition to the surface plating method as the traditional enumeration method for fungi. We tested 27 samples of 9 commercial domestic fruits using their surface skin. The results indicated that the standard MPN method showed slow recovery of fungi in test tubes and lower counts than the surface plating method and the plate-MPN method in almost all samples. The fungal count on the 4th d of incubation was approximately the same as on the 10th d by the surface plating method or the plate-MPN method, indicating no significant differences between the fungal counts by these 2 methods. This result indicated that the plate-MPN method had a number agreement with the traditional enumeration method. Moreover, the plate-MPN method has a little laborious without counting colonies, because fungal counts are estimated based on the number of plates with growing colonies. These advantages demonstrated that the plate-MPN method is a comparatively superior and rapid method for enumeration of fungi.