Influence of swelling of noncrystalline regions in silk fibers on modification with methacrylamide

The degrees of swelling of noncrystalline regions of domestic and tussah silk fibers were investigated by measuring the small-angle X-ray scattering intensity of the fibers in wet conditions and analyzing the scattering intensity based on a two-phase model, i.e., crystalline regions and water-swollen noncrystalline regions. The influence of the degree of swelling of noncrystalline regions on the graft treatment of these fibers with methacrylamide was investigated. The changes in the structure caused by the graft treatment were also analyzed using the wide-angle X-ray diffraction measurements. As compared with the tussah silk fibers, the domestic silk fibers showed a larger degree of swelling of the noncrystalline regions, and gained a larger amount of resin by the graft treatment. The crystallites with smaller sizes in the tussah silk fibers were destroyed preferentially by the graft treatment. For the domestic silk fibers, the crystallites were destroyed more seriously and rather homogeneously independent of the crystallite sizes. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Mechanism of enhanced impact strength of poly(vinyl chloride) modified by acrylic graft copolymer

The mechanism of enhanced PVC impact strength of poly(vinyl chloride) modified by an acrylic graft copolymer was studied by the three-point bending test on a U-notched bar. In the mechanism, the void formation from the modifier released the constrained strain. The release suppresses the stress below the fibril strength in the material; consequently, stable deformation can develop over a large area and, thus, the impact strength of PVC modified by the acrylic graft copolymer is improved. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Preparation of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)–SiO2 hybrid gels and their thermosensitive properties

The swelling and adsorption behavior of poly(N-isopropylacrylamide)–SiO₂ hybrid gels, derived from copolymerization of N-isopropylacrylamide and 3-methacryloxypropyltrimethoxysilane (MPTMOS) and following hydrolysis and condensation, were investigated. The hybrid gels exhibited temperature dependence of both the swelling ratio and adsorption of solutes, and their temperature dependence of both the swelling ratio and adsorption of solutes, and their temperature dependence was related to the MPTMOS content in the hybrid gels. In addition, the modification of thermosensitive properties of the hybrid gels could be achieved by treatment with other silane compounds. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Thermogravimetric behavior of perfluoropolyether

In this article, two kinds of perfluoropolyether (PFPE) with different terminal groups were investigated using thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), infrared (IR) spectroscopy, gel permeation chromatography (GPC), and gas chromatography/gas mass spectrum (GC/MS) analysis. PFPEs with a hydroxyl or carboxylic acid terminal group were more heat stable than was PFPE with carboxylic methyl ester. Perfluoropropylene oxide-type PFPE with a perfluoroethyl terminal group at one end tends to lose weight more rapidly than does copolymer-type PFPE with dihydroxyl or dicarboxyl methyl ester terminal groups at both ends. The residual weight fraction of PFPE with a perfluoroethyl terminal group was dependent on the average molecular weight. The number-average molecular weight of PFPE can be calculated from the peak intensity ratio between the polar group and C F stretching by measuring the IR spectrum of PFPE. The number-average molecular weight of PFPE increased because of the evaporation loss of its low molecular weight fraction and the crosslinking reaction of PFPE with increase in temperature. GC/MS analysis showed that the main product of the pyrolysis of PFPE was hexafluoropylene. We speculated on the PFPE degradation mechanism and the optimum PFPE chemical structure in terms of heat stability. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

High-speed melt spinning of bicomponent fibers: Mechanism of fiber structure development in poly(ethylene terephthalate)/polypropylene system

High-speed bicomponent spinning of poly(ethylene terephthalate)(PET)(core) and poly-propylene (PP) (sheath) was carried out and the structure development in the individual components, PET and PP, was investigated. The orientation and crystallinity development in the PET component was enhanced as compared to that of the single-component spinning while the PP component remained in a low orientation state and had a pseudohexagonal crystal structure even at high take-up speeds. To clarify the mutual interaction between the two components in bicomponent spinning, a semiquantitative numerical simulation was performed. The simulation results obtained using the Newtonian fluid model showed that the solidification stress in the PET component was enhanced while that of the PP component was decreased in comparison with the corresponding single-component spinning. This is due to the difference in the temperature dependence of their elongational viscosity. Simulation with an upper-convected Maxwell model as the constitutive equation suggested that significant stress relaxation of the PP component can occur in the spinline if the PET component solidifies earlier than does PP. Based on the structural characterization results, and the simulation results, it was concluded that the difference in the activation energy of the elongational viscosity and solidification temperature between the two polymers are the main factors influencing the mutual interaction in the bicomponent spinning process. © 1996 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

H∞ control and filtering with initial uncertainty for infinite dimensional systems

The H_∞-control problem with a non-zero initial condition for infinite dimensional systems is considered The initial conditions are assumed to be in some subspace. First the H_∞ problem with full information is considered and necessary and sufficient conditions for the norm of an input-output operator to be less than a given number are obtained, The characterization of all admissible controllers is also given. This result is then used to solve the general H^∞ control problem and the filtering problem with initial uncertainty. The filtering problem on finite horizon involves the estimate of the state at final time. The set of all suboptimal filters is given both on finite and infinite horizons.     

Thermal diffusivity and porosity of solid materials by the electromagnetic ultrasonic technique. Part 3—simultaneous measurement of ultrasonic velocity and thermal diffusivity

The objective of this study is to evaluate simultaneously the time dependence of the thermal diffusivity of carbon-carbon composites (C/C composites) and their porosity during heat treatment using the electromagnetic ultrasonic technique. This paper describes two kinds of experiments conducted to confirm the principle for simultaneous measurement of both the ultrasonic velocity (used to evaluate the porosity) and the thermal diffusivity at room temperature. For each material, the samples used in both experiments were identical. The ultrasonic velocity of type 304 stainless steel and its thermal diffusivity were 5.85 km/s and 3.8 mm²/s with precisions of ±1.6 and ±8 percent, respectively. The ultrasonic velocity of a two-dimensional woven C/C composite and its thermal diffusivity were 2.86 km/s and 4.8 mm²/s with precisions of ±5.0 and ±8 percent, respectively. The results appear to indicate that the electromagnetic ultrasonic technique can measure the ultrasonic velocity and the thermal diffusivity simultaneously and that it is also applicable to C/C composites. © 1997 Scripta Technica, Inc. Heat Trans Jpn Res, 25(5): 308–322, 1996     

Mutation Analysis of Radioresistant Early-Stage Cervical Cancer

Radiotherapy is a definitive treatment for early-stage cervical cancer; however, a subset of this disease recurs locally, necessitating establishment of predictive biomarkers and treatment strategies. To address this issue, we performed gene panel-based sequencing of 18 stage IB cervical cancers treated with definitive radiotherapy, including two cases of local recurrence, followed by in vitro and in silico analyses. Simultaneous mutations in KRAS and SMAD4 (KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt) were detected only in a local recurrence case, indicating potential association of this mutation signature with radioresistance. In isogenic cell-based experiments, a combination of activating KRAS mutation and SMAD4 deficiency led to X-ray resistance, whereas either of these factors alone did not. Analysis of genomic data from 55,308 cancers showed a significant trend toward co-occurrence of mutations in KRAS and SMAD4. Gene Set Enrichment Analysis of the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia dataset suggested upregulation of the pathways involved in epithelial mesenchymal transition and inflammatory responses in KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt cancer cells. Notably, irradiation with therapeutic carbon ions led to robust killing of X-ray-resistant KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt cancer cells. These data indicate that the KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt signature is a potential predictor of radioresistance, and that carbon ion radiotherapy is a potential option to treat early-stage cervical cancers with the KRAS^mt/SMAD4^mt signature.     

Fluorescent in situ hybridization analysis of open lactic acid fermentation of kitchen refuse using rRNA-targeted oligonucleotide probes

Reproducible amounts of lactic acid accumulate in minced kitchen refuse under open conditions with intermittent pH neutralization [Sakai et al., Food Sci. Technol. Res., 6, 140 (2000)]. Here, we showed that such pH-controlled open fermentation of kitchen refuse reproducibly resulted a selective proliferation of a major lactic acid bacterial (LAB) species. In one experiment, the predominant microorganisms isolated during the early phase (6 h) were Gammaproteobacteria. In contrast, those that predominated during the late phase (48 h) were always Lactobacillus plantarum in three independent experiments. To further quantify the microbial community within open lactic acid fermentation, we performed fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis targeting 16S (23S) rRNA. We designed two new group-specific DNA probes: LAC722(L) was active for most LAB including the genera Lactobacillus, Pediococcus, Leuconostoc and Weisella, whereas Lplan477 was specific for L. plantarum and its related species. We then optimized sample preparation using lysozyme and hybridization conditions including temperature, as well as the formamide concentration and the salt concentration in the washing buffer. We succeeded in quantification of microorganisms in semi-solid, complex biological materials such as minced kitchen refuse by taking color microphotographs in modified RGB balance on pre-coated slides. FISH analysis of the fermentation of kitchen refuse indicated that control of the pH swing leads to domination by the LAB population in minced kitchen refuse under open conditions. We also confirmed that L. plantarum, which generates lactic acid in high quantities but with low optical activity, became the dominant microorganism in kitchen refuse during the late phase of open fermentation.     

Neuromelanin in Parkinson’s Disease: Tyrosine Hydroxylase and Tyrosinase

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an aging-related disease and the second most common neurodegenerative disease after Alzheimer’s disease. The main symptoms of PD are movement disorders accompanied with deficiency of neurotransmitter dopamine (DA) in the striatum due to cell death of the nigrostriatal DA neurons. Two main histopathological hallmarks exist in PD: cytosolic inclusion bodies termed Lewy bodies that mainly consist of α-synuclein protein, the oligomers of which produced by misfolding are regarded to be neurotoxic, causing DA cell death; and black pigments termed neuromelanin (NM) that are contained in DA neurons and markedly decrease in PD. The synthesis of human NM is regarded to be similar to that of melanin in melanocytes; melanin synthesis in skin is via DOPAquinone (DQ) by tyrosinase, whereas NM synthesis in DA neurons is via DAquinone (DAQ) by tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AADC). DA in cytoplasm is highly reactive and is assumed to be oxidized spontaneously or by an unidentified tyrosinase to DAQ and then, synthesized to NM. Intracellular NM accumulation above a specific threshold has been reported to be associated with DA neuron death and PD phenotypes. This review reports recent progress in the biosynthesis and pathophysiology of NM in PD.