Comparison of Mechanical Properties of TMW Alloys,New Generation of Cast-and-Wrought Superalloys for Disk Applications

A new kind of Ni-Co–base disk alloys, named TMW alloys, has been developed on the basis of our innovative concept. Full-scale pancakes (440 mm in diameter and 65 mm in thickness) with an average grain size of about 10 μm were successfully manufactured from TMW alloys by a conventional cast-and-wrought (C&W) processing route. The property assessments of the pancakes indicate that TMW alloys are superior to C&W U720Li alloys in tensile strength and in creep resistance, while the performances of low-cycle fatigue (LCF) and fatigue crack growth (FCG) are comparative.     

MPR1 as a novel selection marker in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

L ‐Azetidine‐2‐carboxylic acid (AZC) is a toxic four‐membered ring analogue of L ‐proline that is transported into cells by proline transporters. AZC and L ‐proline in the cells are competitively incorporated into nascent proteins. When AZC is present in a minimum medium, misfolded proteins are synthesized in the cells, thereby inhibiting cell growth. The MPR1 gene has been isolated from the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae Σ1278b as a multicopy suppressor of AZC‐induced growth inhibition. MPR1 encodes a novel acetyltransferase that detoxifies AZC via N‐acetylation. Since MPR1 is absent in the laboratory strain of S. cerevisiae S288C, it could be a positive selection marker that confers AZC resistance in the S288C background strains. To examine the usefulness of MPR1, we constructed some plasmid vectors that harboured MPR1 under the control of various promoters and introduced them into the S288C‐derived strains. The expression of MPR1 conferred AZC resistance that was largely dependent on the expression level of MPR1. In an additional experiment, the galactose‐inducible MPR1 and ppr1⁺, the fission yeast Schizosaccharomyces pombe homologue of MPR1, were used for gene disruption by homologous recombination, and here AZC‐resistant colonies were also successfully selected. We concluded that our MPR1–AZC system provides a powerful tool for yeast transformation. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The characteristics of muscle fiber types of longissimus thoracis muscle and their influences on the quantity and quality of meat from Japanese Black steers

Forty-four Japanese Black fattening steers from four groups, produced in four districts and consisting of differing genetic backgrounds were slaughtered to examine the characteristic differences in muscle fiber types at the 6th thoracic vertebra of the M. longissimus thoracis (LT). The influence of percentage, diameter, and relative area of each muscle fiber type on the carcass characteristics and some quantity and quality traits of beef taken from LT, were also investigated. Significant differences in the characteristics of the muscle fiber types were observed among the four groups, except for muscle fiber diameter in the αR fiber, and the relative area of each αW fiber. For all steers, the average percentages and diameters of each muscle fiber type, βR, αR and αW were 26.8, 18.5 and 54.7% and 51.4, 50.6 and 52.4 μm, respectively. The relative area of each fiber type was similar to those of muscle fiber composition. αR Fiber content had significant negative correlations with marbling score (p<0.05), intramuscular fat content (p<0.05) and ultimate pH value (p<0.05). Significant correlations between the diameter of each fiber type, and the quantity or quality traits of the meat were not found, with the exception of red fiber types (βR and αR) and meat color a(?) values (p<0.05) which were positively correlated.     

Safety verification for reuse of PET and glass bottles

In order to verify the safety associated with reusing PET and glass bottles, a challenge test was conducted with five surrogate contaminants: 1,1,1-trichloroethane, chlorobenzene, toluene, benzophenone and phenyl cyclohexane. Bottles were filled with a cocktail solution of these contaminants and stored at 50 °C for 7 days, then washed with water and alkaline solutions. Material and migration tests were conducted at each step. The material test results showed that 430-1,440 μg/g of the contaminants were retained after water washing, and that even after washing with a 3.5% NaOH solution, 225-925 μg/g of the contaminants were retained. The migration tests revealed that 0.095-7.35 μg/mL of the contaminants were eluted. Similar tests were conducted with a soft drink ingredient, limonene. The results revealed that 48 μg/g of limonene was retained even after washing with NaOH solution, and that 0.16 μg/mL of limonene was eluted. Conversely, no contaminants were eluted from glass bottles after washing with the NaOH solution. Thus, from the viewpoint of safety and the preservation of content quality, PET bottles are not considered suitable for reuse when compared with glass bottles.     

Functional characteristics of Svl3 and Pam1 that are required for proper cell wall formation in yeast cells

In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, Svl3 and Pam1 proteins work as functional homologues. Loss of their function causes increased levels of chitin deposition in the cell wall and temperature sensitivity, suggesting their involvement in cell wall formation. We found that the N- and C-termini of these proteins have distinctive and critical functions. They contain an N-terminal part that has a probable 2-dehydropantoate 2-reductase domain. In Svl3, this part can be replaced with the yeast 2-dehydropantoate 2-reductase, Pan5, suggesting that Svl3 and its homologues may be able to mediate 2-dehydropantoate 2-reductase function. On the other hand, Svl3 is recruited to the bud tip and bud neck via multiple localization signals in the C-terminal part. One of such signals is the lysine-rich region located in the C-terminal end. The function and localization of Svl3 are significantly disrupted by the loss of this lysine-rich region; however, its localization is not completely abolished by the mutation because another localization signal enables appropriate transport. Svl3 and Pam1 orthologues are found in cells across fungal species. The Svl3 orthologues of Candida glabrata can complement the loss of Svl3 and Pam1 in S. cerevisiae. C. glabrata cells lacking the SVL3 and PAM1 orthologue genes exhibit phenotypes similar to those observed in svl3∆pam1∆ S. cerevisiae cells. Thus, Svl3 homologues may be generally required for the assembly of the cell wall in fungal cells.     

Effects of bleaching variables on residual sulfite content of salted jelly-fish

Summary The effects of bleaching variables on the residual sulfite content of jelly-fish were evaluated. The primary factor that affects the residual sulfite content appears to be the concentration of sodium bisulfite used as bleaching agent. The use of sodium bisulfite of less than 300 mg/kg as SO₂ the legally regulated level (below 30 mg/kg as SO₂). The ratio of combined to total sulfite was not less than 90% regardless of the total sulfite content.

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Einflüsse von Bleichbedingungen auf den Sulfitgehalt der gesalzenen Qualle

Zusammenfassung Es wurden die Einflüsse von Bleichbedingungen auf den Sulfitgehalt der Qualle untersucht. Der primäre Faktor, der den bleibenden Sulfitgehalt der Qualle bewirkt, war die Konzentration von Natriumbisulfit. Der verbleibende Sulfitgehalt in der Qualle, die mit Natriumbisulfit von 100–300 mg/kg (als SO₂) gebleicht wurde, betrug weniger als 30 mg/kg. Das Verhältnis von gebundenem Sulfit zu Gesamtsulfit betrug 9:1.

     

Supported alkali catalysts for steam gasification of carbonaceous residues from petroleum

Steam reforming of petroleum residues was investigated at 1173 K and atmospheric pressure in a fluidized-bed flow system using a series of alumina-supported catalysts of alkali metal compounds. The catalytic activity increased with decreasing ionization potential of the catalytic alkali metals: Cs >; K >Na >Li. Catalysis was elucidated in terms of an oxygen transfer mechanism proposed for the catalysis by alkali metal compounds in graphite-or char-steam reaction.