Development of an RNA detection system using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer

Here we demonstrate a new RNA detection system using bioluminescence resonance energy transfer (BRET). Recombinant proteins were constructed consisting of enhanced yellow fluorescence protein (EYFP) and Renilla luciferase (RLuc) tethered by Arginine Rich Motif (ARM) peptides, which recognize specific RNA motifs and change their conformation upon binding to them. Conformational transitions of ARM peptides upon RNA binding then trigger a change in the BRET signal between RLuc and EYFP. Additionally, in order to detect arbitrarily selected RNAs, split-RNA probes were designed to reconstruct the ARM peptide binding motif by hybridizing with the target RNA. Combination of BRET probes and split-RNA probes enables to choose and detect target RNA sequences.     

Influence of ion source configuration and its operation parameters on the target sputtering and implantation process

In the work, investigation of the features and operation regimes of sputter enhanced ion-plasma source are presented. The source is based on the target sputtering with the dense plasma formed in the crossed electric and magnetic fields. It allows operation with noble or reactive gases at low pressure discharge regimes, and, the resulting ion beam is the mixture of ions from the working gas and sputtering target. Any conductive material, such as metals, alloys, or compounds, can be used as the sputtering target. Effectiveness of target sputtering process with the plasma was investigated dependently on the gun geometry, plasma parameters, and the target bias voltage. With the applied accelerating voltage from 0 to 20 kV, the source can be operated in regimes of thin film deposition, ion-beam mixing, and ion implantation. Multi-component ion beam implantation was applied to α-Fe, which leads to the surface hardness increasing from 2 GPa in the initial condition up to 3.5 GPa in case of combined N(2)-C implantation. Projected range of the implanted elements is up to 20 nm with the implantation energy 20 keV that was obtained with XPS depth profiling.     

Inactivation of Bacillus subtilis spores in soybean milk by radio-frequency flash heating

An apparatus to pasteurize soybean milk using radio-frequency flash heating (RF-FH) was developed. An electrode surface was covered with a 50-μm thick Teflon film, and 28 MHz RF-FH was applied to soybean milk flowing through the electrode.     

YHp as a highly stable,hyper-copy,hyper-expression plasmid constructed using a full 2-μm circle sequence in cir0 strains of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

In the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the yeast episomal plasmid (YEp), containing a partial sequence from a natural 2-μm plasmid, has been frequently used to induce high levels of gene expression. In this study, we used Japanese sake yeast natural cir⁰ strain as a host for constructing an entire 2-μm plasmid with an expression construct using the three-fragment gap-repair method without Escherichia coli manipulation. The 2-μm plasmid contains two long inverted repeats, which is problematic for the amplification by polymerase chain reaction. Therefore, we amplified it by dividing into two fragments, each containing a single repeat together with an overlapping sequence for homologous recombination. TDH3 promoter-driven yEmRFP (TDH3p-yEmRFP) and the URA3 were used as a reporter gene and a selection marker, respectively, and inserted at the 3′ end of the RAF1 gene on the 2-μm plasmid. The three fragments were combined and used for the transformation of sake yeast cir⁰ ura3^- strain. The resulting transformant colonies showed a red or purple coloration, which was significantly stronger than that of the cells transformed with YEp-TDH3p-yEmRFP. The 2-μm transformants were cultured in YPD medium and observed by fluorescence microscopy. Almost all cells showed strong fluorescence, suggesting that the plasmid was preserved during nonselective culture conditions. The constructed plasmid maintained a high copy state similar to that of the natural 2-μm plasmid, and the red fluorescent protein expression was 54 fold compared with the chromosomal integrant. This vector is named YHp, the Yeast Hyper expression plasmid.     

A long-term degradation study of power generation characteristics of anode-supported solid oxide fuel cells using LaNi(Fe)O3 electrode

The long-term operation of an anode-supported solid oxide fuel cell was examined to study the degradation factor. The cell was constructed using LaNi_0.6Fe_0.4O₃ (LNF), alumina-doped scandia stabilized zirconia (SASZ), and NiO-SASZ as the cathode, electrolyte, and anode respectively. The cell had Pt current collectors and was operated for 6500 h. The test was carried out at 1073 K with a constant load of 0.4 A cm⁻² and included thermal cycling. The cell voltage degradation rate was below 0.86%/1000 h when the cell was operated for up to 5200 h. Changes in the resistance of the cells during the experiments were analyzed by impedance spectroscopy. The cathode polarization resistance and ohmic resistance increased with time. The elements (Si and B) contained in the water condensed from the cathode exhaust gas were identified using inductively coupled plasma (ICP).     

Effect of fermented papaya preparation on dermal and intestinal mucosal immunity and allergic inflammations

BACKGROUND: Fermented papaya preparation (FPP) from yeast fermentation of Carica papaya Linn is a natural health food that is commercially sold in Japan. A previous study revealed that FPP has antioxidant activity. However, the effect of FPP on allergic diseases remains unclear. The aim of the present work was to examine whether the oral administration of FPP to mice restrained two types of contact hypersensitivity models, FITC (Th2 type) induced ear and colon oedema, and oxazolone (Th1 type) induced ear and colon oedema. RESULTS: The sensitisation of FITC or oxazolone increased the plasma levels of IL‐10, IFN‐γ, and TNF‐α. Histological examinations revealed a marked increase of IgA, dendritic cells and inflammatory cells in the colon. When the animals were given FPP before sensitisation by FITC or oxazolone, all the events induced by either FITC or oxazolone decreased markedly. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the oral administration of the FPP may have a therapeutic potential for the prevention of contact hypersensitive immuno‐response. Copyright © 2008 Society of Chemical Industry     

Degradation of SiC-MESFETs by irradiation

The impact of radiation source dependence on the device performance degradation of 4H-SiC MESFETs (Metal Schottky Field Effect Transistors), which have been irradiated at room temperature with 2-MeV electrons and 20-MeV protons, is studied. The damage coefficient for protons is about three orders of magnitude larger than that for electrons. The radiation source dependence of the device performance degradation is attributed to the difference of mass and the possibility of nuclear collision for the formation of lattice defects. From thermal annealing of electron-irradiated MESFETs, it is found that the recovery of the drain current characteristics principally takes place from 100 °C, and that the drain current recovers to the pre-rad value after 200 °C annealing. It is concluded that the degradation of the drain current is mainly sensitive to the radiation-induced decrease of the Schottky barrier height at the gate contact.     

Deep-Sea Organisms Tracking Using Dehazing and Deep Learning

Mobile Networks and Applications - Deep-sea organism automatic tracking has rarely been studied because of a lack of training data. However, it is extremely important for underwater robots to...     

Torrefaction of oil palm wastes

This paper describes the effect of torrefaction on the basic characteristics of agricultural biomass wastes in Malaysia, such as empty fruit bunches (EFB), mesocarp fiber and kernel shell as a potential source of solid fuel. Mesocarp fiber and kernel shell exhibited excellent energy yield values higher than 95%. EFB, on the other hand, exhibited a rather poor yield of 56%.