Antimicrobial activity of 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and trans 4-hydroxycinnamic acid isolated and identified from rice hull

Two antimicrobial substances in rice hull were isolated and identified as 4-hydroxybenzoic acid and trans 4-hydroxycinnamic acid by LC-MS, and 1H- and 13C-NMR. An evaluation of 50% inhibition of growth (IC50) revealed that the two substances had different inhibition profiles against various microorganisms. Most of the gram-positive and some gram-negative bacteria were sensitive to trans 4-hydroxycinnamic acid and 4-hydroxybenzoic acid at IC50 concentrations of 100-170 and 160 micrograms/ml, respectively.     

Variable VCC design techniques forbattery-operated DRAMs

Wide-voltage-range DRAMs with extended data retention are desirable for battery-operated or portable computers and consumer devices. The techniques required to obtain wide operation, functionality, and performance of standard DRAMs from 1.8 V (two NiCd or alkaline batteries) to 3.6 V (upper end of LVTTL standard) are described. Specific techniques shown are: (1) a low-power and low-voltage reference generator for detecting V_CC level; (2) compensation of DC generators, V_BB and V_PP, for obtaining high speed at reduced voltages; (3) a static word-line driver and latch-isolation sense amplifier for reducing operating current; and (4) a programmable V_CC variable self-refresh scheme for obtaining maximum data retention time over a full operating range. A sub-50-ns access time is obtained for a 16 M DRAM (2 M×8) by simulation     

Comparison of two methods of assisted fertilization in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis): intracytoplasmic sperm injection and partial zona dissection followed by insemination

Intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) and partial zona dissection followed by insemination (PZD-I) were used to establish a microinjection system in cynomolgus monkeys (Macaca fascicularis), which are potential models for human reproduction. Two experimental systems were studied, in which either hamster oocytes or cynomolgus monkey oocytes were used as the vehicle. When hamster oocytes were used, 66 out of 81 ICSI-treated oocytes (82%) showed sperm head swelling or pronucleus formation. Following PZD-I of hamster oocytes the rates of spermatozoa penetration (85/114; 75%) and fertilization (71/114; 62%) were relatively high. When cynomolgus monkey oocytes were used, 19 out of 31 (61%) were fertilized by ICSI with cynomolgus monkey spermatozoa and, subsequently, two embryos (7%) developed to the morula stage. In total, 94% (15/16) of the PZD-I treated oocytes were penetrated by spermatozoa and 63% (10/16) were fertilized. These results demonstrate that both micromanipulation techniques can be used in assisted fertilization with cynomolgus monkeys.     

Pattern classification of solder joint images using a correlation neural network

This paper presents a method of classifying solder joints on printed-circuit boards (PCB), using a neural-network approach. Inherently, the surface of the solder joints is curved, tiny and specularly reflective; it induces a difficulty of taking good images of the solder joints. The shapes of the solder joints tend to vary greatly with soldering conditions; solder joints, even when classified into the same soldering quality, have very different shapes. Furthermore, the position of the joints is not consistent within a registered solder pad on the PCB. Due to these aspects, it has been difficult to determine the visual features and classification criteria for automatic solder-joint inspection. In this research, the solder joints, imaged by using a circular, tiered illumination system of three colored lamps, are represented as red, green and blue colored patterns, showing their surface-slopes. Cross-correlation and auto-correlation of the colored patterns are used to classify the 3D shapes of the solder joints by their soldering qualities. To achieve this, a neural network is proposed, based on a functional link net, with two processing modules. The first preprocessing module is designed to implement the calculation of the correlations in functional terms. The subsequent, trainable module classifies the solder joints, based upon the capability learned from a human supervisor. The practical feasibility of the proposed method is demonstrated by testing numerous commercially manufactured PCBs.     

Visiting hours. An open ICU

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a chronic and progressive degenerative disorder of the central nervous system characterized by tremor, rigidity, slowness of movement (bradykinesia) and postural abnormalities. The cause is unknown, but the pathology shows that dopamine is profoundly reduced in the basal ganglia of patients with PD. When dopamine is replenished by the administration of levodopa, most of the symptoms of parkinsonism are reduced significantly. Levodopa is considered to be the most reliable and effective symptomatic drug treatment for keeping patients autonomous and functionally independent for as long as possible.     

Manufacturing technology in Korea

This article describes a general overview of industry development, present status and future perspectives of manufacturing technology in Korea. The Advanced Manufacturing System project, which is one of the national R&D projects in manufacturing technology, is introduced. The problems for the future development of manufacturing technology in Korea is discussed.     

Identification of a peptide of the guanosine triphosphate binding site within brain glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins using 8-azidoguanosine triphosphate

Photoaffinity labeling with [gamma-32P]8N3GTP (8-azidoguanosine triphosphate) was used to identify the guanine binding peptides of the GTT binding site within two types of glutamate dehydrogenase isoproteins (GDH I and GDH II) isolated from bovine brain. 8N3GTP, without photolysis, mimicked the inhibitory properties of GTP on GDH I and GDH II activities. Saturation of photoinsertion of GDH isoproteins revealed an apparent Kd of 8 microM (GDH I) and 24 microM (GDH II) for [gamma-32P]8N3GTP. Ion exchange and reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) were used to isolate photolabel-containing peptides generated with trypsin. This identified a portion of the guanine binding domain within the GTP binding site is the region containing the sequence I-S-G-A-S-E-X-D-I-V-H-S-A-L-A-Y-T-M E-R (GDH I) and I-S-G-A-S-E-X-D-I-V-H-S-G-L-A-Y-T-M-E-R (GDH II). The symbol X indicates a position for which no phenylthiohydantoin-amino acid could be assigned. The missing residue, however, can be designated as a photolabeled lysine since the sequences including the lysine residue in question have a complete identity with those of the other GDH species known. Also, trypsin was unable to cleave the photolabeled peptide at this site. Photolabeling of these peptides was prevented by the presence of GTP during photolysis, while other nucleotides could not reduce the amount of photoinsertion as effectively as GTP. These results demonstrate selectivity of the photoprobe for the GTP binding site and suggest that the peptide identified using the photoprobe is located in the GTP binding domain of the brain GDH isoproteins.     

Influence of Pr 2 O 3 and Nd 2 O 3 on Ferroelectric and Pyroelectric Properties of Tungsten Bronze Structured BSNN Ceramics

Present communication describes the preparation and the influence of Pr 2 O 3 and Nd 2 O 3 on structure, ferroelectric, dielectric, pyroelectric and resistivity properties of (Ba 1-x Sr x ) 2 NaNb 5 O 15 [BSNN] compositions at and around x = 0.6, MPB region. Substitution of Pr 2 O 3 /Nd 2 O 3 decrease the cell volume and Curie temperature and enhance the room temperature dielectric constant. The room temperature pyroelectric coefficients are observed to be in the order of 10-9 C/cm 2 °C. Higher figure of merit FM RV , FM RN and FM RI values of the order 10-14 CM/J, 10-12 CM/J and 10-11 CM/J respectively are observed in both Pr/Nd:BSNN compositions. Resistivity studies revealed a PTCR behavior.     

Adaptive random access and resource allocation scheme based on traffic load in HiperLAN type2 system

The MAC protocol of HiperLAN type2 is based on TDMA/TDD and provides access control and resource allocation schemes. We propose a scheme that provides adaptive random access and efficient resource allocation according to the traffic load for HiperLAN type2, by using access probability. The analysis and simulation results show that the proposed scheme performs better than the conventional scheme and supports priority services easily.