Influence of different feeding systems on the growth performance and muscle development of Japanese Black steers

This study investigated the growth performance and gene expression for muscle development between grass hay-fed (GH) and concentrate-fed (CT) steers. Daily gain and energy intake during the fattening period of the GH group were lower than those of the CT group. Analysis of C/EBPα, PPARγ2, myosin heavy chain (MHC), and myostatin gene expressions was performed by real-time PCR. Expressions of C/EBPα and myostatin in semitendinosus and longissimus lumborum (LL) muscles were higher in the CT group than in the GH group at the end of fattening. In LL muscle, MHC expression at the end of fattening was greater in the GH group than in the CT group. These results suggest that regulation of adipogenesis and myogenesis by the expression of genes involved in muscle development might have occurred in the skeletal muscle of the GH group by the feeding of grass hay and/or because of the low energy intakes.     

Cloning and characterization of a 4-nitrophenol hydroxylase gene cluster from Rhodococcus sp. PN1

A 4-nitrophenol (4-NP)-degrading bacterium was isolated from activated sludge and identified as a Rhodococcus sp. This bacterium, designated as strain PN1, could utilize 4-NP as a sole carbon, nitrogen and energy source. Degradation tests of 4-NP using cell suspensions of strain PN1 revealed that the degradation was induced by 4-NP and that 4-nitrocatechol (4-NC) was one of the metabolites. A gene library was constructed from the total DNA of strain PN1 and introduced into Rhodococcus rhodochrous ATCC 12674. Two recombinant strains showed 4-NP hydroxylase activity, and a 9.1-kb DNA fragment encoding the activity was isolated from one of the strains. In addition, a 2.4-kb smaller fragment expressing the activity was subcloned from the 9.1-kb fragment and sequenced. The sequence analysis showed that the fragment encodes a two-component 4-NP hydroxylase, the predicted amino acid sequence of which exhibits significant similarity to those of phenol hydroxylases and 4-hydroxyphenylacetate 3-hydroxylases belonging to the two-component flavin diffusible monooxygenase (TC-FDM) family proposed by Galán et al. (J. Bacteriol., 182, 627-636, 2000).     

Short communication: estimation of plasma osmolality from plasma electrolytes, glucose, and urea in calves

Plasma osmolality estimated from plasma concentrations of Na+, Cl-, K+, glucose, and urea was compared with measured osmolality in preweaned Holstein calves. When calves (n = 5) were fed only milk replacer after fasting for 24 h, measured osmolality fluctuated almost in parallel with estimated osmolality during the 8-h period after feeding, although estimated values were about 90% of measured values. When calves (n = 5) were fed only calf starter after fasting for more than 16 h, measured osmolality did not parallel the estimated osmolality during the 8-h period after feeding. Some factors depressed measured osmolality in the first 2 h.     

Interaction of modified tail-anchored proteins with liposomes: effect of extensions of hydrophilic segment at the COOH-terminus of holo-cytochromes b₅

A group of membrane proteins having a single COOH-terminal hydrophobic domain capable of post-translational insertion into lipid bilayer is known as tail-anchored (TA) proteins. To clarify the insertion mechanism of the TA-domain of human cytochrome b(5) (Hcytb5) into ER membranes, we produced and purified various membrane-bound forms of Hcytb5 with their heme b-bound, in which various truncated forms of NH(2)-terminal bovine opsin sequence were appended at the COOH-terminus of the native form. We analyzed the integration of the TA-domains of these forms onto protein-free liposomes. The integration occurred efficiently even in the presence of a small amount of sodium cholate and, once incorporated, such proteoliposomes were very stable. The mode of the integration was further analyzed by treatment of the proteoliposomes with trypsin either on the extravesicular side or on the luminal side. LC-MS analyses of the trypsin digests obtained from the proteoliposomes indicated that most of the C-terminal hydrophilic segment of the native Hcytb5 were exposed towards the lumen of the vesicles and, further, a significant part of the population of the extended C-terminal hydrophilic segments of the modified Hcytb5 were exposed in the lumen as well, suggesting efficient translocation ability of the TA-domain without any assistance from other protein factors. Present results opened a route for the use of the C-terminal TA-domain as a convenient tool for the transport of proteins as well as short peptides into artificial liposomes.     

Analysis of locality of early-stage maturation in confluent state of human retinal pigment epithelial cells

Retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells were cultured on the laminin-coated and plain surfaces. The measurement of local nucleus density in non-stratified region, which correlated with formation of tight junction, is the indicator of the maturation, and the parameters can be applied to the evaluation of the early-stage maturation of RPE cells in culture.     

Package Design of Ready-to-Drink Coffee Beverages Based on Food <Emphasis Type="Italic">Kansei</Emphasis> Model—Effects of Straw and Cognition Terms on Consumer’s Pleasantness

To design a consumer-oriented package that complements the taste and aroma of ready-to-drink chilled-cup coffee beverages by using the food kansei model, the effects of the diameter and the color of drinking straws as well as the cognition terms of coffee on consumer sensory characteristics and preferences were investigated. Variance and factor analyses of the sensory scores for chilled-cup coffee with milk and sugar using straws of different diameters, as rated by consumer panelists, extracted two perceived factors (F1, contribution ratio 36.5%, and F2, 28.6%). A two-dimensional plot of the average F1 and F2 scores of 123 panelists showed that the perceived characteristics of the same taste and aroma varied according to the straw diameter. An image investigation of different straw colors and another sensory evaluation using “black,” “brown,” and “green” straws were also performed. A principal component analysis of the image data revealed that the sensory characteristics of coffee with milk and sugar were imaged from the straw color. The second evaluation suggested that the images of straw colors affected the sensory characteristics. In addition, cluster and multiple-comparison analyses of Internet research data from consumers regarding the cognition terms for coffee exhibited three clusters representing the cognitive characteristics of terms by consumers and by developers and the differences of attractiveness degree on the cognition terms due to the consumers’ personal attributes. These studies provide useful information for the development of packages of chilled-cup coffee beverages.     

Conjoint analysis on the purchase intent for traditional fermented soy product (natto) among Japanese housewives

Abstract: The effect of sensory and extrinsic attributes on consumer intentions to purchase the Japanese traditional fermented soybean product natto was evaluated using conjoint analysis. Six attributes with 2 levels each were chosen and manipulated: price (high compared with low), the country of origin of the soybeans (domestic compared with imported), stickiness (strong compared with moderate), smell (rich compared with moderate), attached seasonings (attached compared with no attached seasonings), and the environmental friendliness of the packaging (high compared with low). A fractional factorial design was applied and 8 hypothetical product labels were produced. A sample of 479 Japanese housewives ranked these product labels based on their purchase intentions. Overall purchase intention was affected by country of origin, attached seasonings, and price; those attributes accounted for 81.0%, while the sensory attributes of the product accounted for 19.0% of purchase intents. In order to estimate market segments for the natto products based on consumer preference, a cluster analysis was performed. It identified 4 segments of consumers: 1 oriented to attached seasonings, another conscious of the price, and the other 2 oriented to origins. The behavioral and demographic characteristics of the respondents had a limited influence on segment membership. Practical Application: This research was conducted to understand how consumers valuate various sensory and nonsensory product attributes based on their assessment of the overall product in the case of Japanese fermented soy product (natto). The data of this research would be of great importance both in understanding consumer behavior and in designing strategies for product development.     

Simple Method for Measuring the Peroxide Value in a Colored Lipid

We developed a simple method for quantification of the peroxide value (PV) in colored lipids on the basis of the reaction between triphenylphosphine (TPP) and oxidized oil to afford triphenylphosphineoxide (TPPO). Diphenylphosphineoxide (DPPO) was employed as internal standard. The formed TPPO was analyzed by high-pressure liquid chromatography–UV spectroscopy with absorption at 260 nm. The conditions that gave the highest correlative calibration curve between the peak area on the chromatogram and peroxide value were identified: the optimum TPP–oxidized oil mix ratio, reaction temperature, and reaction time were found to be 2:1, 40 °C, and 30 min, respectively. Linear calibration curves, passing through the origin, were obtained for PV versus TPPO and TPPO versus DPPO. The quantification limit for this method was 2.01 pmol hydroperoxyl group, which corresponds to a PV value of 0.2 meq/kg in a 10-mg oil sample. This method was used to measure the PV in colored fats and oils or lipids extracted from dark meat and processed food containing a coloring agent. Though the official method could not measure the PVs in the colored lipids, the method proposed here, which uses an inexpensive chemical reagent and machine, could. The developed method could play an important role for food quality control.     

A Method for Reducing the Dead‐Time Voltage and Impedance Voltage in a Series Voltage Compensator

Many research groups are developing series voltage compensators. In a series converter, since a transformer is used in series in the power system, the power system current flows into the voltage source inverter through the transformer. The inverter current, which is determined by the transformation ratio, gives rise to an error voltage that consists of a dead‐time voltage and an impedance voltage. The error voltage is generated even when the reference voltage is zero. This paper describes the mechanism by which the error voltage occurs and proposes a method for reducing the error voltage. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(3): 85–93, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22333     

Characterization on the Conformation of Glucoamylase from Rhizopus niveus and Rhizopus delemar

Using the pH-jump (neutral to above 11) for Tyr-OH ionization as a probe, two glucoamylases from Rhizopus niveus and Rhizopus delemar were found to be caused the change in conformation, which is in a kinetically single step. The pH titration at pHs below 12 was carried out on a multidimensional correlation spectrophotometer. Correlations among the spectrophotometric properties: fluorescence, absorption and circular dichroism are almost identical for the two enzymes. These results suggest that conformational characteristics of the niveus enzyme is almost the same as that of the delemar one.