Selection of photosynthetic bacterium Rhodobacter sphaeroides 14F for polyhydroxyalkanoate production with two-stage aerobic dark cultivation

Polyhydroxyalkanoate (PHA) production abilities in a two-stage aerobic dark culture of photosynthetic bacteria were investigated at relatively high temperatures (37-40 degrees C). A 14F strain, identified as Rhodobacter sphaeroides, showed the highest PHA production (3.5 g/l PHA with 60% PHA content). Its productivity was 2-3 times higher than those of other photosynthetic bacteria.     

Role of Tannin-Binding Salivary Proteins and Tannase-Producing Bacteria in the Acclimation of the Japanese Wood Mouse to Acorn Tannins

We studied the defense mechanisms against the negative effects of tannins in acorns by using the Japanese wood mouse (Apodemus speciosus) and acorns of a Japanese deciduous oak Quercus crispula, which contain 9.9% tannins on a dry weight basis. For the experiment, we allocated 26 wood mice into two groups: acclimated (N = 12) and nonacclimated (N = 14). Mice in the nonacclimated group were fed only acorns for 10 d after 4 wk of receiving a tannin-free diet. In contrast, mice in the acclimated group received ca. 3 g acorns daily in addition to the tannin-free diet for the first 4 wk, then they were fed only acorns for 10 d. Body weight, food intake, and digestibility were monitored. In addition, the amount of salivary proline-rich proteins (PRPs) and abundance of tannase-producing bacteria (TPB) in the feces of mice were measured. Of the 14 mice in the nonacclimated group, 8 died, whereas only 1 of the 12 in the acclimated group died. During the first 5 d of feeding acorns only, mice in the nonacclimated group lost, on average, 17.5% of their body mass, while those in the acclimated group lost only 2.5%. Food intake, dry matter digestibility, and nitrogen digestibility were higher in the acclimated group than in the nonacclimated group. The results indicate that wood mice can mitigate the negative effects of tannins by acclimation. Path analysis revealed that increased secretion of PRPs and abundance of Lactobacillus type of TPB might explain the acclimation to tannins.     

Attempt to extract features and classify subjective poor physical conditions in facial images using deep metric learning

Artificial Life and Robotics - With the spread of COVID-19, the need for remote detection of physical conditions is increasing, for example, there are several situations wherein the body...     

Selective binding of docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester to a silver-ion-loaded porous hollow-fiber membrane

Silver ions were loaded at a density of 1 mmol/g onto a sulfonic acid group-containing porous hollow-fiber membrane prepared by radiation-induced graft polymerization of an epoxy group-containing monomer with subsequent modification by reaction with sodium sulfite. The permeability (i.e., permeation flow rate per inside surface area of the hollow fiber) of 4.6% wt/vol bonito oil ethyl ester solution in water/ethanol (7.5:92.5, vol/vol) was 1.7 m/h at a permeation pressure of 0.1 MPa. Breakthrough curves (i.e., concentration changes of the effluent with increasing effluent volume) obtained with docosahexaenoic acid ethyl ester (DHA-Et) overlapped, irrespective of the permeation flow rate. This indicates that a higher rate of DHA-Et adsorption onto the silver ions on the membrane was attained with increasing permeation flow rate. DHA-Et, which was selectively bound to the membrane, was quantitatively eluted with acetonitrile as an eluent. The adsorption characteristics (i.e., binding rate, selectivity and durability for repeated use) of DHA-Et using the silver ion loaded porous hollow-fiber membrane were demonstrated. Feasibility studies will enable comparison of the purification cost of DHA-Et among the other purification techniques.     

Influences of the alkoxy group number and treatment condition on the structure of glycidoxy functional silane-treated layer on silica particles analyzed by 1H pulse NMR

The surface treatment of spherical silica particles using a silane coupling agent with a glycidoxy group was conducted and the effect of the alkoxy group number on the molecular mobility of the silane chain was investigated by ¹H pulse nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR). Silanes with di-alkoxy and tri-alkoxy structures were used, and the silica particles were treated with 2-propanol solution and heated at 120?°C for 24?h after solvent evaporation. The surface coverage of the silica surface was in the range from two to three layers. For multilayer coverage, linear chain and network structures were expected to form on the surface by polycondensation reaction using the di- and tri-alkoxy structures, respectively. However, the relaxation times for silane chains with both di- and tri-alkoxy structures measured by pulse NMR were short, which indicates that both silane chains formed rigid network structures. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic analysis revealed that ring opening of the epoxy group occurred, followed by reaction to form the network structure, even with the di-alkoxy structure. Ring opening of the epoxy group could be reduced by setting the heating temperature at 80?°C. There was a significant difference in flexibility between the silane-layers with di- and tri-alkoxy structures after heating at 80?°C, as reflected by the relaxation time.     

Nanogel bottom-up gel biomaterials for protein delivery: Photopolymerization of an acryloyl-modified polysaccharide nanogel macromonomer

Polysaccharide nanogels are one of the most attractive carriers for drug delivery systems. Nanogels encapsulate proteins in their hydrated polymer networks, and minimize the denaturation of proteins. In this study, we demonstrated the cross-linking of acryloyl group-modified polysaccharide nanogels via photopolymerization, which allowed the formation of novel hydrogel particles and macrogels. The mechanical properties of the resultant hydrogels depended on the concentrations of the nanogels and the cross-linkers. The most significant property of the nanogel-cross-linked hydrogel was the ability to encapsulate insulin via hydrophobic interactions. After incubation of the hydrogel containing insulin in water, the hydrogel was degraded by hydrolysis, and insulin was gradually released from the hydrogels over a period of 1 week. According to these results, this nanogel-cross-linked hydrogel prepared via photopolymerization has potential for innovative biomaterials.     

Automatic welding of pipeline in Japan: Part 1—Some experiences with site applications

Recent experiments on automatic welding of pipeline in Japan have been based on the short-arc welding process and aimed at reducing the welding time by $\text{v}\text{?}$arying the welding conditions and by effecting improvements to the welding equipment.The short-arc process has been employed increasingly in the actual pipeline installation work, exhibiting a number of advantages such as stabilisation of both the quality of weld and the welding time. However, it has presented various problems, including the difficulty in jointing one elbow with another or with a cut pipe and the applicability to a narrow work site.For automatic welding of large diameter pipes for water and town gas supply, on the other hand, the electro gas process has enjoyed a broadened expanse of application by virtue of its high productivity.Further, the pulsed TIG process by programmed control was applied experimentally and produced successful results in the laying of pipe type cable pipeline.