Transfer of caesium and potassium from Japanese apricot (Prunus mume Sieb.et Zucc.) to Japanese apricot liqueur (Ume liqueur)

The potential contamination with radionuclides released by the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant Accident following the great east Japan earthquake and tsunami in March 2011 of agricultural products and processed foods derived from them is a matter of on‐going concern. The stable ¹³³Cs is a useful indicator for predicting the behaviour of radioactive Cs, and potassium (K) is a congener of Cs. In this study, the distribution of ¹³³Cs and K in Ume fruit, and the transfer of ¹³³Cs and K from Ume fruit to Ume liqueur, were investigated. The concentrations of ¹³³Cs and K in Ume fruit were highest in the skin, followed by the kernel or flesh, and then the pit. About 80% of ¹³³Cs and K in all Ume fruits was distributed in the flesh. The transfer ratios of ¹³³Cs and K from Ume fruit to Ume liqueur were similar among all cultivars after 3 months, and they were similar to those of organic acids. The food retention factor (Fr = weight of ¹³³Cs in Ume liqueur/weight of ¹³³Cs in Ume fruit) was ca. 0.8, and the processing factor (Pf = concentration of ¹³³Cs in Ume liqueur/concentration of ¹³³Cs in Ume fruit) was 0.2–0.3. From the present study, the radioactivity of Ume liqueur would be below the legal limit if made using Ume fruits within the legal limit, thereby confirming the safety of Ume liqueur. Copyright © 2016 The Institute of Brewing & Distilling     

Using deformation mechanism maps to depict flow processes in superplastic ultrafine-grained materials

Deformation mechanism maps are a very useful tool for displaying deformation mechanisms as a function of the three fundamental parameters of high temperature flow: the applied stress, the testing temperature and the grain size of the material. These maps are used extensively in the field of high temperature creep but there has been very little use with ultrafine-grained (UFG) metals. This article reviews the principles of deformation mechanism maps, presents examples of maps for some representative metals processed by equal-channel angular pressing or high-pressure torsion and then describes a simple procedure for constructing maps for UFG materials.     

Determination of Activation Energies and Electric Dipole Moment of In‐Plane Highly Electrically Conductive Hetero‐C12TCNQ/C20 LB Films Using Thermally Stimulated Current

The activation energies of in‐plane highly electrically conductive 2‐dodecyl‐7,7,8,8‐tetracyanoquinodimethane (C₁₂ TCNQ)/arachidic acid (C₂₀) hetero‐LB films and C₁₂TCNQ homo‐LB films were determined by thermally stimulated current (TSC) measurement. The TSC curves for the upper Al electrode/C₁₂TCNQ/C₂₀/lower Al electrode were nearly of the same shape as those for the upper Al electrode/C₁₂TCNQ/lower Al electrode. The activation energies of the upper Al electrode/C₁₂TCNQ/C₂₀/lower Al electrode and upper Al electrode/C₁₂TCNQ/lower Al electrode were 0.9–1.3 eV at 55–80^°C and 1.6–1.8 eV at 105–120^°C, respectively. The TSC curves for the upper Al electrode/C₁₂TCNQ/C₂₀/lower Al electrode and upper Al electrode/C₁₂TCNQ/lower Al electrode had two peaks at 55–80^°C owing to the depolarization of the electric dipole and two peaks at 105–120^°C owing to the movement of space charges in the C₁₂TCNQ molecule. Copyright © 2008 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Endothelial Dysfunction Accelerates Impairment of Mitochondrial Function in Ageing Kidneys via Inflammasome Activation

Chronic kidney disease is a common problem in the elderly and is associated with increased mortality. We have reported on the role of nitric oxide, which is generated from endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), in the progression of aged kidneys. To elucidate the role of endothelial dysfunction and the lack of an eNOS-NO pathway in ageing kidneys, we conducted experiments using eNOS and ASC-deficient mice. C57B/6 J mice (wild type (WT)), eNOS knockout (eNOS KO), and ASC knockout (ASC KO) mice were used in the present study. Then, eNOS/ASC double-knockout (eNOS/ASC DKO) mice were generated by crossing eNOS KO and ASC KO mice. These mice were sacrificed at 17−19 months old. The Masson positive area and the KIM-1 positive area tended to increase in eNOS KO mice, compared with WT mice, but not eNOS/ASC DKO mice. The COX-positive area was significantly reduced in eNOS KO mice, compared with WT and eNOS/ASC DKO mice. To determine whether inflammasomes were activated in infiltrating macrophages, the double staining of IL-18 and F4/80 was performed. IL-18 and F4/80 were found to be co-localised in the tubulointerstitial areas. Inflammasomes play a pivotal role in inflammaging in ageing kidneys. Furthermore, inflammasome activation may accelerate cellular senescence via mitochondrial dysfunction. The importance of endothelial function as a regulatory mechanism suggests that protection of endothelial function may be a potential therapeutic target.     

Application of ion attachment mass spectrometry to evolved gas analysis for in situ monitoring of porous ceramic processing

Ion attachment mass spectrometry was applied to evolved gas analysis-mass spectrometry (EGA-MS), generally known as thermogravimetry-mass spectrometry. Characteristic species arising from poly(vinyl alcohol) (PVA) and poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) resin, used as a binder and a porogen, respectively, in the starting materials for porous ceramics, were detected in the mass spectra. The EGA curves of the characteristic mass peaks from PVA and PMMA, when plotted against the programmed temperature, successfully showed the individual pyrolysis behavior of each polymer during the firing process.     

Lipid of sunflower seeds produced in japan

The fatty acid composition and tocopherol content of sunflower seeds from experimental plantings in Japan were determined. Lipid content of sunflower seed was almost the same irrespective of the variety and the average lipid content was 38.8%. The saturated fatty acids were low and the combined percentage of linoleic acid and oleic acid was ca. 90%. The ratio of oleic acid to linoleic acid largely varied with the planting location and date. There was a strong correlation between the percentage of linoleic acid or oleic acid and the temperature during maturation of seed. The sunflower seed contained predominantly α-tocopherol and small amounts ofβ-,γ- and δ-tocopherol. There was no correlation between a-tocopherol content and the percentage of linoleic acid.     

Measurement of foaming of frying oil and effect of the composition of TG on foaming

We describe a method developed to quantify the amount of foam in frying oils. In this method the foam was quantified by digitizing photographic images that were taken continuously at 1-s intervals; spots showing more than a certain luminance were considered as foam. The ratio of total foaming area to the whole oil surface was integrated to obtain the intergration of foam (IF) index as a parameter of the extent of foaming. There was a good correlation between this method and the visual evaluation done by a group of panelists. Furthermore, the foaming tendency correlated with the distribution of TG by M.W. when the IF was plotted against the foam index of TG (FIT), which reflects the M.W. distribution. A correlation was found between the FIT value of oil and foaming on frying, indicating that when the FIT value is small, the oil foams less. Based on the results of this investigation, we have designed a method to obtain edible oils consisting of medium-chain FA that not only are nutritious but also have good cooking properties.     

Pinched flow fractionation: continuous size separation of particles utilizing a laminar flow profile in a pinched microchannel

A concept of "pinched flow fractionation" for the continuous size separation and analysis of particles in microfabricated devices has been proposed and demonstrated. In this method, particles suspended in liquid were continuously introduced into a microchannel having a pinched segment and were aligned to one sidewall in the pinched segment by another liquid flow without particles. The particles were then separated perpendicularly to the flow direction according to their sizes by the spreading flow profile inside the microchannel. Polymer microbeads were successfully separated, and the effects of the flow rate and channel shapes on the separation performance were examined. Also, separated particles were collected independently by making branches at the end of the pinched segment. Since this method utilizes only the laminar flow profile inside a microchannel, complicated outer field control could be eliminated, which is usually required for other kinds of particle separation methods such as field flow fractionation. Also, this method can be applied both for particle size analysis and for preparation of monodispersed particles, since separation can be rapidly and continuously performed.