Purification and characterization of cis-aconitic acid decarboxylase from Aspergillus terreus TN484-M1

cis-Aconitic acid decarboxylase (CAD) was assumed to be a key enzyme in the production of itaconic acid by comparing the activity of CAD from Aspergillus terreus TN484-M1 with that of CAD from the low-itaconate yielding strain Aspergillus terreus CM85J. The constitutive CAD was purified to homogeneity from A. terreus TN484-M1 by ammonium sulfate fractionation, and column chromatography on DEAE-toyopearl, Butyl-toyopearl, and Sephacryl S200HR, and then characterized. A molecular mass of 55 kDa for the native enzyme was determined by SDS-PAGE. The enzymic activity was optimal at a pH of 6.2 and temperature of 45 degrees C. The K(m) value for cis-aconitic acid was determined as 2.45 mM (pH 6.2, 37 degrees C). The enzyme was completely inactivated by Hg+, Cu2+, Zn2+, p-chloromercuribenzoate, and 5,5'-dithio-bis(2-nitrobenzoate).     

Improvement of DCT-based compression algorithms using Poisson's equation.

We propose two new image compression-decompression methods that reproduce images with better visual fidelity, less blocking artifacts, and better PSNR, particularly in low bit rates, than those processed by the JPEG Baseline method at the same bit rates. The additional computational cost is small, i.e., linearly proportional to the number of pixels in an input image. The first method, the "full mode" polyharmonic local cosine transform (PHLCT), modifies the encoder and decoder parts of the JPEG Baseline method. The goal of the full mode PHLCT is to reduce the code size in the encoding part and reduce the blocking artifacts in the decoder part. The second one, the "partial mode" PHLCT (or PPHLCT for short), modifies only the decoder part, and consequently, accepts the JPEG files, yet decompresses them with higher quality with less blocking artifacts. The key idea behind these algorithms is a decomposition of each image block into a polyharmonic component and a residual. The polyharmonic component in this paper is an approximate solution to Poisson's equation with the Neumann boundary condition, which means that it is a smooth predictor of the original image block only using the image gradient information across the block boundary. Thus, the residual--obtained by removing the polyharmonic component from the original image block--has approximately zero gradient across the block boundary, which gives rise to the fast-decaying DCT coefficients, which, in turn, lead to more efficient compression-decompression algorithms for the same bit rates. We show that the polyharmonic component of each block can be estimated solely by the first column and row of the DCT coefficient matrix of that block and those of its adjacent blocks and can predict an original image data better than some of the other AC prediction methods previously proposed. Our numerical experiments objectively and subjectively demonstrate the superiority of PHLCT over the JPEG Baseline method and the improvement of the JPEG-compressed images when decompressed by PPHLCT.     

Selective heat-transfer dye diffusion technique using laser irradiation for polymer electroluminescent devices

The heat-transfer process described in this paper will be useful for controllably and selectively doping polymer films used to make hyperfine full-color polymer electroluminescent (EL) displays. A polymer receiver film is placed in direct contact with a dye-dispersed polymer film coated onto an efficient photo-absorbing substrate to permit heat-transfer dye diffusion. The widely used heat-mode magneto-optical storage material, TbFeCo was used as the photo-absorbing material. We irradiated it with a laser in order to generate heat. This method can be used to control the lateral and vertical dopant distributions in polymer films for EL devices. We demonstrated that coumarin 6 and Nile red can be doped into the rather thermally stable polymer poly(N-vinylcarbazole) containing the electron-transporting 2-(4-biphenylyl)-5-(4-tert-butyl-phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole from a viewpoint of luminescent properties. The diffusion power and time for about 1-mm² doping area were 1.2 W and about 10 s.     

Functional associations between two estrogen receptors, environmental estrogens, and sexual disruption in the roach (Rutilus rutilus)

Wild male roach (Rutilus rutilus) living in U.K. rivers contaminated with estrogenic effluents from wastewater treatment works show feminized responses and have a reduced reproductive capability, but the chemical causation of sexual disruption in the roach has not been established. Feminized responses were induced in male roach exposed to environmentally relevant concentrations of the pharmaceutical estrogen 17alpha-ethinylestradiol, EE2 (up to 4 ng/ L), during early life (from fertilization to 84 days posthatch, dph), and these effects were signaled by altered patterns of expression of two cloned roach estrogen receptor (ER) subtypes, ERalpha. and ERbeta, in the brain and gonad/ liver. Transactivation assays were developed for both roach ER subtypes and the estrogenic potencies of steroidal estrogens differed markedly at the different ER subtypes. EE2 was by far the most potent chemical, and estrone (E1, the most prevalent environmental steroid in wastewater discharges) was equipotent with estradiol (E2) in activating the ERs. Comparison of the EC50 values for the compounds tested showed that ERbeta was 3-21-fold more sensitive to natural steroidal estrogens and 54-fold more sensitive to EE2 as compared to ERalpha. These findings add substantial support to the hypothesis that steroidal estrogens play a significant role in the induction of intersex in roach populations in U.K. rivers and that the molecular approach described could be usefully applied to understand interspecies sensitivity to xenoestrogens.     

VisuoSpatial Foresight for physical sequential fabric manipulation

Autonomous Robots - Robotic fabric manipulation has applications in home robotics, textiles, senior care and surgery. Existing fabric manipulation techniques, however, are designed for specific...     

A case of groove pancreatitis successfully treated with conservative therapy

The corpus callosum is the largest connection between the functionally asymmetric cerebral hemispheres. The objective of this study was to measure functional activity of callosal fiber tracts during speech processing. We analyzed the regional glucose metabolism of the corpus callosum and of speech-relevant cortical areas in 10 normal individuals at rest and during word repetition. We used three-dimensionally registered magnetic resonance imaging to visualize the individual brain morphology and high-resolution positron emission tomography for metabolic measurements. The task-induced metabolic changes of the callosal midbody and isthmus had a significant negative correlation with key regions of language processing in the left inferior frontal cortex (Brodmann's area 44) and in the right superior temporal cortex (Brodmann's area 22) (e.g., correlation of metabolic changes in the surface aspects of the right Brodmann's area 22 and the callosal midbody/isthmus: r = -0.91, P < 0.001). The study indicates that language processing in asymmetrically organized cortical areas inhibits the reciprocal transcallosal information exchange in favor of the lateralized mental operation. Our data agree with anatomic, electrophysiologic, and pharmacologic experiments that point to the important role of collateral inhibition for the transcallosal information exchange.     

A novel dot‐pattern generation to improve luminance uniformity of LCD backlight

Abstract— This paper reports on a novel theoretical approach to generate irregular dot patterns at the back of the light guide of a backlight unit. By applying this approach to a light guide with a diffuser film, optical distortion is minimized and the luminance uniformity of the backlight is greatly improved.     

Impaired vagus nerve-mediated control of insulin secretion in Wistar fatty rats

It has been reported that hyperglycemia in the portal venous blood suppresses afferent activity of the hepatic branch of the vagus nerve, which in turn accelerates efferent activity of the pancreatic branch of the vagus nerve to stimulate insulin secretion. The present study examined this neural control mechanism in genetically obese diabetic male Wistar fatty (fa/fa) rats. Adult (aged 12 to 14 weeks) Wistar fatty rats were obese, hyperinsulinemic, and hyperglycemic. Young (aged 5 to 6 weeks) Wistar fatty rats were slightly obese and hyperinsulinemic, but were euglycemic compared with the lean littermates. In both adult and young lean littermates, the plasma insulin response after an intragastric glucose load (1 g/kg) was diminished by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) atropine methylbromide (methylatropine 10 nmol) pretreatment, and a transient increase in plasma insulin was observed after selective hepatic vagotomy, as reported in normal rats. In contrast, in both adult and young Wistar fatty rats, the plasma insulin response after an intragastric glucose load was not diminished by i.c.v. methylatropine pretreatment, and plasma insulin decreased slightly after selective hepatic vagotomy. Further, afferent discharges of the hepatic vagal branch decreased and efferent discharges of the celiac/pancreatic vagal branch increased when 10 mg glucose was infused into the portal vein in the 9-week-old lean littermates, as reported in normal rats. In 7-week-old Wistar fatty rats, afferent discharges of the hepatic vagal branch decreased but efferent discharges of the celiac/pancreatic vagal branch did not increase after intraportal glucose infusion. It is concluded that the vagus nerve-mediated regulation of insulin secretion is impaired from an early stage of life in Wistar fatty rats. Efferent discharges of the vagus nerve to the pancreas seem not to be suppressed by afferent discharges from the hepatic vagus branch, which may lead to insufficient insulin secretion in response to nutrient ingestion followed by a delayed peak. These abnormalities may thus lead to the insulin resistance and fasting hyperinsulinemia that characterize the Wistar fatty rat model.     

A cooperative study on concomitant with low-dose divided administration of cisplatin (CDDP) and sustained drip infusion of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) for unresectable advanced gastric cancer. Osaka Cisplatin Gastric Cancer Study Group

British Indian Asian men aged <40 years have a twofold to threefold increased risk of death from coronary heart disease (CHD) compared with British whites. Epidemiological studies have suggested an association between glucose intolerance and hyperinsulinemia with premature CHD in Indian Asians. We tested the association of insulin action with myocardial infarction (MI) by using the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp in 17 MI patients: 8 Punjabi Sikhs (PSMIs), 9 British whites (BWMIs), and 17 control subjects (9 PSCs and 8 BWCs). Metabolic factors associated with insulin resistance were investigated in 51 MI patients (24 PSMIs and 27 BWMIs) and 53 control subjects (28 PSCs and 25 BWCs). Familial aggregation of defective insulin action was examined by studying five pedigrees of Sikh survivors of MI. Sikh survivors of premature MI demonstrated impaired insulin-mediated glucose uptake (P<.001) by use of the clamp technique and nonesterified fatty acid (NEFA) suppression (P<.05) by using both clamp techniques and the oral glucose tolerance test, as compared with Sikh control subjects. White patients had impaired insulin-mediated glucose uptake but normal NEFA suppression. Metabolic factors usually associated with insulin resistance, including increased 2-hour post-oral glucose tolerance test triglycerides, smaller low density lipoprotein particle size, and increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, were present in white (all P<.05) but surprisingly absent in Sikh (all P>.05) MI patients compared with respective ethnic control subjects. Fasting glucose and total cholesterol levels did not differ between patients and control subjects. Abdominal obesity, impaired NEFA suppression after oral glucose, and fasting hyperinsulinemia were present in Sikh MI patients and their nondiabetic first-degree relatives compared with Sikh control subjects. PS survivors of premature MI demonstrated impaired insulin-mediated glucose disposal and NEFA suppression compared with ethnic control subjects. BWMI patients showed abnormalities of carbohydrate, but not of NEFA, metabolism compared with white control subjects. Defects of insulin action manifested as abdominal obesity, impaired NEFA suppression, and fasting hyperinsulinemia are present in Sikh MI patients and their asymptomatic, nondiabetic, first-degree relatives. We suggest that these defects may be early metabolic markers that predict risk of premature MI among PSs.     

Identification and analysis of specific chromosomal region adjacent to exogenous Dhfr-amplified region in Chinese hamster ovary cell genome

Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells are widely used for the stable production of recombinant proteins. Gene amplification techniques are frequently used to improve of protein production, and the dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) gene amplification system is most widely used in the CHO cell line. We previously constructed a CHO genomic bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) library from a mouse Dhfr-amplified CHO DR1000L-4N cell line and one BAC clone (Cg0031N14) containing the CHO genomic DNA sequence adjacent to Dhfr was selected. To identify the specific chromosomal region adjacent to the exogenous Dhfr-amplified region in the CHO cell genome, we performed further screening of BAC clones to obtain other Dhfr-amplified regions in the CHO genome. From the screening by high-density replica filter hybridization using a digoxigenin-labeled pSV2-dhfr/hGM-CSF probe, we obtained 8 new BAC clones containing a Dhfr-amplified region. To define the structures of the 8 BAC clones, Southern blot analysis, BAC end sequencing and fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) were performed. These results revealed that all the selected BAC clones contained a large palindrome structure with a small inverted repeat in the junction region. This suggests that the obtained amplicon structure in the Dhfr-amplified region in the CHO genome plays an important role in exogenous gene amplification.