Isolation and identification of soil bacteria resistant to surfactants in washing detergents

Linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) and polyoxyethylene lauryl ether (POLE) are the major surfactants in washing detergents. In the present study, we isolated surfactant-resistant bacteria from soil samples collected from a sports ground and a farm field. The samples were treated with 2.0% LAS or POLE at 25°C for 30 min and cultivated on agar plates at 25°C for several days, after which manifold bacterial colonies were isolated. Thereafter, we tested the ability of each bacterial isolate to resist the antibacterial activity of the surfactant. Ten LAS-resistant strains were isolated, and all were found to be Gram-negative bacteria such as Enterobacter and Pseudomonas. On the other hand, 18 POLE-resistant strains were isolated, of which 14 were Gram-positive bacteria including Bacillus and Microbacterium. Notably, one POLE-resistant strain was identified as Bacillus cereus, a potential causative agent for foodborne illness. The genera of LAS- and POLE-resistant bacteria did not overlap. Therefore, the combination of LAS and POLE could be more effective to eliminate soil bacteria from clothes and/or daily necessities.     

Identification of stress-induced leakage current components and thecorresponding trap models in SiO2 films [MOStransistors]

Time-decay stress-induced leakage current (SILC) has been systematically investigated for the cases of both Fowler-Nordheim (FN) stress and substrate hot-hole stress. From the three viewpoints of the reproducibility of the current component for the gate voltage scan, the change of oxide charge during the gate voltage scan, and the resistance of the current component to thermal annealing, it has been found that time-decay stress-induced leakage current is composed of five current components, regardless of stress type. Trap models corresponding to each current component have been proposed. In addition, it has also been proven that holes generate the electron traps related to one of those current components     

Effects of glass composition on photodarkening in CdS-doped glasses

Photodarkening was investigated in CdS-doped glasses using luminescence and electron spin resonance (ESR). Photodarkening depends on manufacturers of glasses. The main origin of the difference in photodarkening is attributable to the difference in glass composition.     

Lipids of cyanobacteriumAphanizomenon flos-aquae and inhibition ofChlorella growth

The inhibition of the growth of the green algaChlorella pyrenoidosa by the lipids of the cyanobacteriumAphanizomenon flos-aquae is associated with the fractions containing long-chain unsaturated fatty acids. A sterol present inAphanizomenon has been identified as poriferasterol.     

Optimal service control of a station connected with two parallelsubstations

The optimization problem is studied for a queueing network consisting of one station and two parallel subordinate stations. After service completion at the first station, the job is divided into two subjobs and each of them enters one of the subordinate stations. The service rate at the first station is controlled in order to minimize the expected total discounted cost or the long-run average expected cost