An application of the 2-nitrobenzenesulfenyl method to proteomic profiling of human colorectal carcinoma: A novel approach for biomarker discovery

In the development of novel biomarkers, the proteomic approach is advantageous because using it the cancer-associated proteins can be directly identified. We previously developed a 2-nitrobenzenesulfenyl (NBS) method to improve quantitative proteome analysis. Here, we applied this method to proteomic profiling of colorectal carcinoma (CRC) to identify novel proteins with altered expression in CRC. Each pair of tumor and normal tissue specimens from 12 CRC patients was analyzed, and approximately 5000 NBS-labeled paired peaks were quantified. Peaks with altered signal intensities (>1.5-fold) and occurring frequently in the samples (>70%) were selected, and 128 proteins were identified by MS/MS analyses as differentially expressed proteins in CRC tissues. Many proteins were newly revealed to be CRC related; 30 were reported in earlier studies of CRC. Six proteins that were up-regulated in CRC (ZYX, RAN, RCN1, AHCY, LGALS1, and VIM) were further characterized and validated by Western blot and immunohistochemistry. All six were found to be CRC-localized, either in cancer cells or in stroma cells near the cancer cells. These results indicate that the proteins identified in this study are novel candidates for CRC markers, and that the NBS method is useful in proteome mining to discover novel biomarkers.     

A pilot survey of 39 Victorian WWTP effluents using a high speed luminescent umu test in conjunction with a novel GC-MS-database technique for automatic identification of micropollutants

In 2007, samples of treated effluent were collected at point of discharge to the environment from 39 wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) located across Victoria, Australia grouped by treatment type. Sample genotoxicity was assessed with a high-throughput luminescent umu test method using Salmonella typhimurium TL210 strain, with and without addition of a commercially available metabolic activation system. Samples were also screened using a gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric mass-structure database recognition method. A genotoxic response was observed in half of the samples tested without metabolic activation system (相似文献   

Analysis of accelerated creep under constant sustaining load for austenitic stainless steels

The effect of stress on creep rate of austenitic stainless steels of type 347 and 316 was studied by applying the differential test technique. It was found that the creep rate could be expressed as follows, whereB ₁ is a material constant depending on temperature,a ₁ anda _o are constants, and σ is the real stress. Considering the increase in real stress during creep process due to void formation and to the decrease in cross sectional area of the specimen, integrating the above equation yields the following creep curve, 1 $$ \in = \in _m + \frac{1}{{n_o \left( {c_o + 1} \right)}}ln\frac{1}{{1 - n_o \left( {c_o + 1} \right) \in _m (t - t_{_m } )}}$$ where ∈ is the creep strain at a given time (t), ∈_m is the minimum creep rate, ∈_m andt _m are the strain and time, respectively, at the minimum creep rate,n _o is a constant, andc _o is the material constant relating to the void formation. This equation agrees very well with the experimental creep curve.     

Epitaxial growth of WOx nanorod array on W(001)

Nanorods of substoichiometric tungsten oxide (WO_x) were grown on W(001) substrates. Two methods for the growth of nanorods were used: oxidation of the substrate under appropriate conditions and the deposition of tungsten oxide from a tungsten foil heated in the presence of oxygen. The grown nanorods were observed using a scanning electron microscope and an atomic force microscope. The diameters of the nanorods were 5–20 nm. The nanorods were slightly inclined from the directions parallel or normal to the surface. The inclination of nanorods was explained in terms of the epitaxial relationship between WO₃ crystals and the W(001) substrate. The WO₃ crystals formed at the initial stage of growth act as the nuclei of WO_x nanorods. We observed selective enhancement of the growth in a certain epitaxial direction depending on the method of growth, and an array of WO_x nanorods was produced on the W(001) substrate.     

Energy Savings through Microwave Selective Heating of Pd/AC Catalyst Particulates in a Fixed‐Bed Reactor

Microwave radiation is a novel energy source to drive chemical reactions. In conventional reactors, however, the heat created either escapes through uninsulated reactor walls, or the microwave radiation is attenuated by insulated walls. Here, microwave selective heating of Pd catalyst particles supported on activated carbon particulates was examined in a fixed‐bed reactor using a novel vacuum‐filled Dewar‐like double‐walled continuous‐flow reactor. This reactor was developed toward energy savings in performing such organic reactions as the transformation of the hydride methyl cyclohexane to toluene.     

Growth of AgGaTe2 and AgAlTe2 Layers for Novel Photovoltaic Materials

AgGaTe₂ and AgAlTe₂ layers were grown on a-plane sapphire substrates by closed-space sublimation. These compounds replace Cd in CdTe with group I and III elements, and are, hence, expected to be ideal novel candidate materials for solar cells. The grown layers were confirmed to be stoichiometric AgGaTe₂ and AgAlTe₂ by x-ray diffraction (XRD). The AgAlTe₂ layers had strong preference for the (112) orientation. The XRD spectrum of the AgGaTe₂ layer was different from that of the AgAlTe₂ layer, and strong peaks were observed for (103) and (110) diffraction. The variation in orientations of the grown layers was analyzed in detail by use of XRD pole figures, which revealed that the AgGaTe₂ layers had an epitaxial relationship with the a-plane sapphire substrates.     

Investigation on twisting distortion of thin plate stiffened structure under welding

The welding distortion of thin plate was selected as research subject, which causes loss of dimensional control, structural integrity and increases fabrication costs for straightening. To study the characteristic of the welding distortion on thin plate structures, experiments were conducted. The test model was a thin plate stiffened structure and a large twisting distortion was observed. The welding distortion of the same structure was analyzed as a large deformation problem using a thermal elastic plastic FEM and an elastic FEM based on the concept of inherent deformation. The computed results by both methods showed the twisting distortion which is a typical buckling type deformation and the magnitude of this distortion agreed well with the experimental measurement.     

Evaluation of Two Sets of Sorghum Bagasse Samples as the Feedstock for Fermentable Sugar Recovery via the Calcium Capturing by Carbonation (CaCCO) Process

Abstract: Sorghum bagasse samples from two sets (n6 and bmr6; n18 and bmr18) of wild-type and corresponding “brown midrib” (bmr) mutant strains of sweet sorghum were evaluated as the feedstock for fermentable sugar recovery via the calcium capturing by carbonation (CaCCO) process, which involves Ca(OH)₂ pretreatment of bagasse with subsequent neutralization with CO₂ for enzymatic saccharification. Saccharification tests under various pretreatment conditions of the CaCCO process at different Ca(OH)₂ concentrations, temperatures or residence periods indicated that bmr strains are more sensitive to the pretreatment than their counterparts are. It is expected that variant bmr6 is more suitable for glucose recovery than its wild-type counterpart because of the higher glucan content and better glucose recovery with less severe pretreatment. Meanwhile, bmr18showed higher scores of glucose recovery than its counterpart did, only at low pretreatment severity, and did not yield higher sugar recovery under the more severe conditions. The trend was similar to that of xylose recovery data from the two bmr strains. The advantages of bmr strains were also proven by means of simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of CaCCO-pretreated bagasse samples by pentose-fermenting yeast strain Candida shehatae Cs 4R. The amounts needed for production of 1 L of ethanol from n6, bmr6, n18, and bmr18samples were estimated as 4.11, 3.46, 4.03, and 3.95 kg, respectively. The bmr strains seem to have excellent compatibility with the CaCCO process for ethanol production, and it is expected that integrated research from the feedstock to bioprocess may result in breakthroughs for commercialization.