The Effect of Small Additions of Fe and Heavy Deformation on the Precipitation in an Al–1.1Mg–0.5Cu–0.3Si At. Pct Alloy

Metallurgical and Materials Transactions A - The effect of 0.03 and 0.08 at. pct Fe additions on the formation of secondary phases in an Al–1.1Mg–0.5Cu–0.3Si at. pct alloy was...     

Contents of barbaloin-related compounds in aloe drinks and their change during storage

The contents of barbaloin (BA), isoBA, aloin-dimers A, B, C, D and aloe-emodin (AE) in aloe drinks were investigated. BA and isoBA were detected in 30 of the 31 samples at the levels of 120-570 micrograms/mL and 120-580 micrograms/mL, respectively. Aloin-dimers A, B, C and D were detected in 8 of the 31 samples at the levels of 12-38 micrograms/mL, 13-39 micrograms/mL, 11-36 micrograms/mL and 16-69 micrograms/mL, respectively. AE was detected in all of the 31 samples at the levels of 0.03-1.3 micrograms/mL. When aloe drinks were stored for 4 weeks at 5 degrees C after opening the bottle, decrease of BA and isoBA, and increase of AE and aloin-dimers A, B, C and D were observed in most cases. However, in a few aloe drinks, all of BA, isoBA, aloin-dimers A, B, C, D and AE decreased. In these drinks, the existence of aloin-trimer was elucidated by LC/MS analyses. These data suggested that BA in aloe drinks is converted to the dimer and then to the trimer during storage.     

Development of a chirped pulse amplification laser with zigzag slab Nd:glass amplifiers dedicated to x-ray laser research

A chirped pulse amplification laser with zigzag slab Nd:glass amplifiers dedicated to x-ray laser research is described. The laser provides a 1.6 ps duration pulse with approximately 7 J energy at a repetition rate of 0.1 Hz. In the power amplifier system, laser light is amplified in a two-step manner: The first step is image-relayed multipass amplification up to approximately 1 J with a 10 mm x 10 mm beam. The second step is double-pass amplification up to >10 J with a 10 mm x 90 mm beam. By using this laser system, the saturated amplification of the Ni-like Ag laser at a wavelength of 13.9 nm has been successfully demonstrated.     

Dispersion in the Presence of Acetic Acid or Ammonia Confers Gliadin‐Like Characteristics to the Glutenin in Wheat Gluten

Spray‐dried gluten has unique properties and is commercially available in the food industry worldwide. In this study, we examined the viscoelastic properties of gluten powder prepared by dispersion in the presence of acetic acid or an ammonia solvent and then followed by lyophilization instead of a spray drying. Mixograph measurements showed that the acid‐ and ammonia‐treated gluten powders had marked decreases in the time to peak dough resistance when compared with the control gluten powder. The integrals of the dough resistance and bandwidth for 3 min after peak dough resistance decreased in both treated gluten powders. Similar phenomena were observed when gliadin was supplemented to gluten powders. Basic and acidic conditions were applied to the acid‐ and ammonia‐treated gluten powders, respectively, and the viscoelastic behaviors were found to depend on the pH in the gluten dispersion just before lyophilization. These behaviors suggest that gluten may assume a reversible change in viscoelasticity by a fluctuation in pH during gluten dispersion. SDS‐PAGE showed that the extractable proteins substantially increased in some polymeric glutenins including the low molecular weight‐glutenin subunit (LMW‐GS) when the ammonia‐treated gluten powder was extracted with 70% ethanol. In contrast, the extractable proteins markedly increased in many polymeric glutenins including the high molecular weight‐glutenin subunit and/or the LMW‐GS when the acid‐treated gluten powder was extracted with 70% ethanol. It thus follows that the extractability of polymeric glutenin to ethanol increases similarly to gliadin when gluten is exposed to an acidic or a basic pH condition; therefore, glutenin adopts gliadin‐like characteristics.     

Development of confocal laser microscope system for examination of microscopic characteristics of radiophotoluminescence glass dosemeters

A confocal laser microscope system was developed for the measurement of radiophotoluminescence (RPL) photons emitted from a minute alpha-ray-irradiated area in an RPL glass dosemeter. The system was composed mainly of an inverted-type microscope, an ultraviolet laser, an XY movable stage and photon-counting circuits. The photon-counting circuits were effective in the reduction of the background noise level in the measurement of RPL photons. The performance of this microscope system was examined by the observation of standard RPL glass samples irradiated using (241)Am alpha rays. The spatial resolution of this system was ～ 3 μm, and with regard to the sensitivity of this system, a hit of more than four to five alpha rays in unit area produced enough amount of RPL photons to construct the image.     

Connected word recognition using a cascaded neuro-computational model

We propose a novel framework for processing a continuous speech stream that contains a varying number of words, as well as non-speech periods. Speech samples are segmented into word-tokens and non-speech periods. An augmented version of an earlier-proposed, cascaded neuro-computational model is used for recognising individual words within the stream. Simulation studies using both a multi-speaker-dependent and speaker-independent digit string database show that the proposed method yields a recognition performance comparable to that obtained by a benchmark approach using hidden Markov models with embedded training.     

Detection of norovirus RNA in bivalve molluscs by using bacteria-culture-employed method (A3T method)

Norovirus (NV) RNA has rarely been detected in foods despite the use of highly sensitive methods such as RT-PCR and real-time RT-PCR. In the modified method (A3T method) reported previously, a bacterial culture process was introduced into the standard protocol for NV detection to remove some inhibitor(s) present in food ingredients. To confirm the efficiency of the A3T method and to examine NV contamination in bivalve molluscs, we tried to detect NV RNA in bivalve molluscs on the market and in oyster samples associated with foodborne outbreaks by using the standard method and the A3T method. NV RNAs were detected in 20 samples (18.0%) of 111 bivalve molluscs, including oysters, on the market by use of the A3T method, while only one sample (0.9%) was positive according to the standard method. NV RNA was also detected in 10 of 35 oyster samples related to foodborne outbreaks by the A3T method. Those results show that the A3T method is suitable for the detection of NV in bivalve molluscs in general laboratories.     

Effects of Age and Mating on Female Sex Attractant Pheromone Levels in the Sorghum Plant Bug, <Emphasis Type=Italic>Stenotus rubrovittatus</Emphasis> (Matsumura)

Previous work has shown that male sorghum plant bugs, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura) (Heteroptera: Miridae), are more attracted to young virgin females than to old virgin females and are not attracted to mated females. Therefore, we examined the effects of age and mating status on female sex pheromone levels. The pheromone components, hexyl butyrate, (E)-hex-2-en-1-yl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxohex-2-enal, were collected from females in two different ways. First, the compounds were extracted from whole bodies of each female and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Pheromone levels extracted from virgin female bodies decreased with age. In females that had just mated, pheromone levels did not differ from those of virgin females, and pheromone levels in mated females remained relatively constant up to 15 d after mating. This absence of change in pheromone levels extracted from whole bodies of mated females is not congruent with previous reports of lack of male attraction to these females. In a second method for pheromone recovery (adsorption on a PDMS-coated stir bar), GC-MS analysis showed that mated females released lower amounts of pheromone components compared to those emitted by virgin females of the same age (4 d). As was the case with whole body extracts, young virgin females (3 d) released higher amounts of pheromone components than did old virgin females (8 d). The results suggest that male response in S. rubrovittatus is dictated more by the quantities of pheromone components released into the volatile headspace by females than by the quantities present in the body.     

Catalytic graphitization of an amorphous carbon film under focused electron beam irradiation due to the presence of sputtered nickel metal particles

Electron beam irradiation of Ni particles (diameter: ∼500 nm) in a transmission electron microscope (TEM) formed small secondary particles, which moved randomly on an amorphous carbon film. Catalytic graphitization occurred along the path traced by the moving particles. It is generally well known that heat treatment is needed to produce catalytic graphitization of an amorphous carbon. However, we rapidly produced catalytic graphitization in the presence of sputtered Ni particles by focused electron beam irradiation in the TEM although no external heating was employed.     

Methanol decomposition to synthesis gas over supported Pd catalysts prepared from synthetic anionic clays

Supported Pd or Rh catalysts were prepared by the solid-phase crystallization method starting from hydrotalcite anionic clay minerals based on [Mg₆Al₂(OH)₁₆CO ₂ ²⁻ ]·4H₂O as the precursors. The precursors were prepared by a coprecipitation method from the raw materials containing Pd²⁺ and various trivalent metal ions which can replace each site of Mg²⁺ and Al³⁺ in the hydrotalcite. Rh³⁺ was also used for preparing the catalyst as comparison. The precursors were then thermally decomposed and reduced to form supported Pd or Rh catalysts and used for the methanol decomposition to synthesis gas. Among the precursors tested, use of Mg–Cr hydrotalcite containing Pd²⁺ resulted in the formation of efficient Pd supported catalysts for the production of synthesis gas by selective decomposition of methanol at low temperature. Although Pd²⁺ cannot well replace the Mg²⁺ site in the hydrotalcite, the Pd supported catalyst (Pd/Mg–Cr) prepared by the solid-phase crystallization method formed highly dispersed Pd metal particles and showed much higher activity than that prepared by the conventional impregnation method. When the precursor was prepared under mild conditions, more fine particles of Pd metal were formed over the catalyst, resulting in high activity. It is likely that the high activity may be due to the highly dispersed and stable Pd metal particles assisted by the role of Cr as the co-catalyst. This revised version was published online in November 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.