Olfactometric characterization of aroma active compounds in fermented fish paste in comparison with fish sauce,fermented soy paste and sauce products

Aroma active compounds in commercial fermented fish meat paste product (fish miso), fermented soy paste (soy miso), fish sauce and soy sauces were characterized by using a dynamic headspace method for volatile isolation and GC olfactometry for odor perception. A total of 123 volatile compounds consisting mainly of aldehydes, alcohols, esters, ketones, furans, sulfur and nitrogen-containing compounds, aromatics and acids were consistently identified. A major 16 odor-active compounds were distinguished to contribute as key aroma compounds for the miso and sauce products. Olfactometric and sensory findings clearly differentiated miso products with caramelic, fruity aroma notes, whereas fish sauce products were characterized by ammoniacal, fishy, nutty and cheesy odor note. Soy sauce products, however, were dominated by nutty and cheese aroma. Use of koji for fish miso production was found effective to enhance sweet aroma to the product with a reduction of nutty, meaty and rancid nuance. Principal component analysis employed for statistical interpretations clearly elucidated the relationship among different types of fermented products.     

Contribution of amino acid substitutions at two different interior positions to the conformational stability of human lysozyme

To elucidate correlative relationships between structural changeand thermodynamic stability in proteins, a series of mutanthuman lysozymes modified at two buried positions (Ile56 andIle59) were examined. Their thermodynamic parameters of denaturationand crystal structures were studied by calorimetry and X-raycrystallography. The mutants at positions 56 and 59 exhibiteddifferent responses to a series of amino acid substitutions.The changes in stability due to substitutions showed a linearcorrelation with changes in hydrophobicity of substituted residues,having different slopes at each mutation site. However, thestability of each mutant was found to be represented by a uniqueequation involving physical properties calculated from mutantstructures. By fitting present and previous stability data formutant human lysozymes substituted at various positions to theequation, the magnitudes of the hydrophobicity of a carbon atomand the hydrophobicity of nitrogen and neutral oxygen atomswere found to be 0.178 and –0.013 kJ/mol.Ų, respectively.It was also found that the contribution of a hydrogen bond witha length of 3.0 Å to protein stability was 5.1 kJ/moland the entropy loss of newly introduction of a water moleculeswas 7.8 kJ/mol.     

Wordline voltage generating system for low-power low-voltage flashmemories

A low-power wordline voltage generating system is developed for low-voltage flash memories. The limit for the stand-by current including the operation current for the band-gap reference and the stand-by wordline voltage generator is discussed. The system was implemented on a 1.8-V 32-Mb flash memory fabricated with a 0.25-μm flash memory process and achieved with very low stand-by current of 2 μA typically, and high operating frequency of 25 MHz in read operation at 1.8 V. A low-voltage level shifter with high-speed switching is also proposed     

Organic Analysis of Peridotite Rocks from the Ashadze and Logatchev Hydrothermal Sites

This article presents an experimental analysis of the organic content of two serpentinized peridotite rocks of the terrestrial upper mantle. The samples have been dredged on the floor of the Ashadze and Logatchev hydrothermal sites on the Mid-Atlantic Ridge. In this preliminary analysis, amino acids and long chain n-alkanes are identified. They are most probably of biological/microbial origin. Some peaks remain unidentified.     

High-speed DCFL circuits with very shallow junction GaAs JFETs

High-speed DCFL (direct-coupled FET logic) circuits implemented with advanced GaAs enhancement-mode J-FETs are discussed. A divide-by-four static frequency divider operates at up to 6 GHz with a power consumption of 20 mW/flip-flop. A high channel concentration of more than 1×10¹⁸ cm^-3 together with a very shallow junction depth of less than 30 nm for the p⁺-gate results in a transconductance as high as 340 mS/mm at a gate length of 0.8 μm. Open-tube diffusion of Zn using diethylzinc and arsine makes it possible to control a very shallow p⁺-layer less than 10 nm thick. The propagation delay time, as measured with a ring oscillator, was 22 ps/gate with a power consumption of 0.42 mW/gate     

On a fast reactor cycle scheme that incorporates a thoria-based minor actinide-containing cermet fuel

A fast reactor cycle scheme that incorporates a thoria-based minor actinide-containing cermet fuel is given. The present cermet fuel consists of an oxide solid solution of Th and minor actinides and Mo-inert matrix. It has been proposed as a high-performance device that can enhance minor actinide incineration in a fast reactor cycle. It is used in an independent small sub-cycle, whereby dedicated cycle technologies are adopted. Two-step reprocessing process was proposed for the present cermet fuel; it consists of a pre-removal of Mo-inert matrix and an actinide recovery. A preliminary test for the pre-removal of Mo-inert matrix was carried out using a surrogate cermet fuel. Burnup characteristics of a fast reactor core loaded with the cermet fuel were investigated by using neutronic calculation codes. It was revealed that a heterogeneous composition of Mo-inert matrix in inner and outer cores may lead to an effective transmutation of minor actinides and a flattened power density. It was concluded that the present cermet fuel was potentially promising as a high-performance incineration device of minor actinides for fast reactors.     

Modeling of Consumer Choice Behavior as Sequential Decision Process

Behaviormetrika - This study proposes a model of consumer choice behavior as sequential decision process. It is hypothesized that consumers form desirable product model and undesirable one through...     

A 60-ns 16-Mbit DRAM with a minimized sensing delay caused by bit-line stray capacitance

Discusses three new techniques that were implemented in a CMOS 60-ns 16-Mbit DRAM device. (1) A two-step half-conductive-state technique was used to control the conductivity of latch transistors, thus minimizing the time delay caused by bit-line stray capacitance. (2) The 'split-block row decoder' technique enabled the decoder layout within the 2.9- mu m cell pitch required for 16-Mbit integration density. The three transistors that are required per word line were split into two and one, placed on both sides of each word line, and alternately reversed on each side of the 2-Mbit cell array. (3) Additional dummy cells were added to the vacant spaces resulting from use of a twisted bit-line architecture, which reduces stray capacitance between adjacent bit lines. The overhead space required for all the dummy cells and twisted bit lines was thus held at 2.6 percent of the entire chip area.<>     

Nucleation effect of inclusion complexes with different polyolefin as guest molecules on the crystallization of polypropylene

The γ‐cyclodextrin (γ‐CD) inclusion complexes (ICs) with four kinds of polyolefin (PO) as guest molecules were prepared. The crystallization behavior of isotactic polypropylene (iPP) blended with the γ‐CD and γ‐CD–PO ICs was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry, polarized optical microscopy, and light scattering. The iPP blended with the ICs was found to exhibit higher crystallization temperature (T_C), smaller spherulites, and faster crystallization rate than those of neat iPP, indicating that the ICs play a role of nucleating agent on the crystallization of iPP and induce accelerated crystallization. The IC with PO having higher T_C as guest molecules showed higher nucleation effect than the IC with PO having lower T_C as guest molecules. The results suggest that the nucleation effect of these ICs was affected by the kinds of the guest molecules. The higher T_C guest molecules could result in higher nucleation effect. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2010     

Preparation and evaluation of a novel wound dressing sheet comprised of β-glucan–chitosan complex

A transparent wound dressing sheet was obtained by forming a complex between β-glucan and chitosan (CS). These materials were chosen for their biocompatible, bioabsorbable, and biodegradable properties, and they were expected to promote the therapeutic efficacy of the dressing by increasing the wound healing response. The therapeutic efficacy of the β-glucan–CS complex sheet as a wound dressing was evaluated in wounds created on the dorsal surfaces of mice. β-glucan–CS complex sheets demonstrated therapeutic efficacies comparable or superior to that of Beschitin®W, a commercial wound dressing made from CS. Additionally, the β-glucan–CS complex sheet did not dissolve during the application period, did not adhere to wounds, and was easy to remove. Cumulatively, these results indicate that β-glucan–CS complex sheets are a promising new wound dressing product.