Partial Purification of an Antioxidizing Component in Raw Cow Milk

Gel filtration was used to partially purify the antioxidizing component of a centrifuged serum of raw cow milk, and its properties were studied. The antioxidizing effect did not decrease after dialysis or heating. The finding of no change after dialysis suggested that the compound was of high molecular weight, estimated at 38,000 by gel filtration. The antioxidizing effect decreased with irradiation, accompanied by a parallel decrease in the riboflavin content. The antioxidizing component of this serum fraction may be a protein-bound riboflavin.     

Treatment and Post-Mortem Aging Effects on the Z-line of Myofibrils from Chicken Pectoral Muscle

SUMMARY: Changes in the morphology of myofibrils prepared from chicken pectoral muscle during post-mortem storage at 5°C were examined by light and electron microscopy. When the 24-hr stored samples were blendorized, electron micrographs showed two types of destruction in the Z-lines of sarcomeres and myofibrillar fragments: (1) The degradation and/or disappearance of Z-lines. (2) The breakdown of the junction of Z-line and I-filaments. A change in the state of the Z-line and the junction of the Z-line and I-filaments appeared to be indispensable for the fragmentation of the myofibrils. It was also shown through phase contrast microscopic observations that sarcoplasmic proteins, participating in the glycolytic cycle, may play a role in the fragmentation of the myofibrils. Evidence has not been obtained, to date, on the participation of proteolytic enzymes in the fragmentation phenomenon.     

Autolysis of Squid Mantle Muscle Protein as Affected by Storage Conditions and Inhibitors

Autolysis of squid mantle muscle was investigated under various conditions using muscle homogenate as a model system. Cleavage of myosin into heavy and light meromyosin was prominent during autolysis. Storage conditions such as NaCl concentration and temperature affected not only the rate of autolysis but also the products formed. Conditions for maximal autolysis were: NaCl concentration 0.3M, pH 7 and temperature 40°C. Autolysis was well inhibited by ethylenediaminetetra acetic acid and Na-pyrophosphate at <25°C and by phenyhnethylsulfonyl fluoride and chymotrypsin inhibitor extracted from potato tuber at >35°C suggesting two different types of proteinases were involved.     

Mathematical Modeling and Analysis of MEMS Deformable Mirror Actuated by Electrostatic Piston Array

In this report, we constructed a simple mathematical analysis model for a new MEMS deformable mirror using an electrostatic piston array. The deformable mirror has been developed as a wavefront compensation device in adaptive optics for retinal observation. The device realizes a large convex deformation with a low operation voltage because of moving bottom electrodes on the pistons. The constructed model is based on the plate theory and simple superposition of the actuation components. The calculated deformation analyzed using this model agrees well with that analyzed using the finite element method not only in deformation shape but the peak‐valley deformations. In addition, the calculation time is much shorter, so the model can be used for design optimization of the device.