Immobilization of multicopper oxidase from Pyrobaculum aerophilum onto an electrospun-aligned single-walled carbon nanotube surface via a carbon-nanotube-binding peptide for biocathode

Biofuel cells (BFCs) that produce electrical energy from organic resources through enzymatic reactions have been attracting significant attention. Owing to the high electrical conductivity of carbon nanotubes (CNTs), their modification on the electrode surface of a BFC is expected to increase the current, and their high specific surface area may be useful in increasing the power output. Previously, we constructed a biocathode by immobilizing multicopper oxidase from Pyrobaculum aerophilum (McoP) with a carbon nanotube binding peptide (CBP) sequence on the CNTs. This resulted in higher current densities than when using enzymes without CBP sequences. However, owing to the randomly stacked CNTs on the surface of the electrodes, their conductive properties were impaired and performance as biocathodes was poor. Herein, we constructed a biocathode in which single-walled CNTs (SWCNTs) were oriented one-dimensionally and McoP is immobilized on the surface of an SWNCT via CBP. The current density was successfully increased by two-fold by orienting the CNTs and orienting and immobilizing McoP on their surfaces. This technology provides insights into the development of biodevices with controlled orientation of both the SWCNTs and enzymes immobilized on their surfaces.     

Pyrrolizidine Alkaloids Mediate Host-Plant Recognition by Ovipositing Females of an Old World Danaid Butterfly, Idea leuconoe

A giant danaid butterfly, Idea leuconoe, specializes on apocynaceous plants such as Parsonsia laevigata, which has been reported to contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Females of I. leuconoe deposited eggs in response to methanolic extract of P. laevigata, and subsequent bioassay-guided fractionation of the extract revealed that phytochemicals crucial for host recognition by ovipositing females are Parsonsia-specific macrocyclic pyrrolizidine alkaloids including parsonsianine, parsonsianidine, and 17-methylparsonsianidine. Parsonine, another P. laevigata pyrrolizidine component with a keto-dihydropyrrolizine moiety that is closely related in structure to male pheromones of the butterfly, and several nonhost pyrrolizidine alkaloids were entirely inactive. We interpret these data as strong evidence for an ancestral association through herbivory between danaid butterflies and pyrrolizidine alkaloids.     

Prevention of Osteoporosis by Oral Administration of Phytate-Removed and Deamidated Soybean β-Conglycinin

Phytate-removed and deamidated soybean β-conglycinin (PrDS) prepared by ion-exchange resins was supplemented to be 4% in the diet administered to ovariectomized rats to investigate its preventive effect on osteoporosis. The apparent calcium absorption rate decreased following ovariectomy and was not replenished by oral administration of phytate-removed soybean β-conglycinin (PrS) or casein. On the other hand, administration of PrDS restored the calcium absorption rate to the same level as the sham group. Markers of bone resorption, such as serum parathyroid hormone (PTH) and urinary deoxypyridinoline (DPD), increased, and the bone mineral density and breaking stress decreased following ovariectomy. However, PrDS supplementation suppressed the changes caused by the decrease in calcium absorption from the small intestine. Therefore, PrDS supplementation shows promise for the prevention of postmenopausal osteoporosis.     

The effect of salinity on nitrite accumulation in a down‐flow hanging sponge reactor

BACKGROUND: In this study, the inductive effect of salinity on nitrite accumulation in a down‐flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactor, developed as a novel and cost‐effective wastewater treatment process, was evaluated by conducting a long‐term continuous experiment lasting more than 1400 days. RESULTS: The influent salinity was controlled by adding NaCl at concentrations ranging from 0 to 25 g Cl^? L^?1. The effluent nitrite increased with increases in salinity, i.e. the fraction of nitrite to total nitrogen in the effluent increased from 1.6% at 0 g Cl^? L^?1 to 87.6% at 25 g Cl^? L^?1. Fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) analysis revealed that as salinity increased, the nitrifying bacterial community in the DHS changed markedly at the species level. In particular, the dominant nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria changed from Nitrospira‐sublineage I at 0 g Cl^? L^?1 to Nitrobacter spp. at 15 g Cl^? L^?1. At 25 g Cl^? L^?1, no nitrite‐oxidizing bacteria were detected. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that the DHS reactor is suitable for cost‐effective nitrite production processes and that salinity control using NaCl is an effective method for inducing nitrite accumulation. Copyright © 2012 Society of Chemical Industry     

Synthesis of stable and soluble one-handed helical poly(substituted acetylene)s without chiral pendant groups via polymer reaction in membrane state

A soluble and stable one-handed helical conjugated polymer without the coexistence of any other chiral moieties was successfully synthesized by asymmetric-induced polymerization of a chiral monomer having two hydroxyl groups followed by desubstitution of the chiral groups in a solid membrane state. The reason for the success was the polymer reaction was carried out in the membrane state. This is an alternative method to obtain such a unique chiral polymer which was obtained only by the helix-sense-selective polymerization (HSSP) we reported before. In addition the efficiency of the chiral induction was higher than that of the HSSP. It is interesting that the “Membrane state” acted like as if a protecting group.     

New PCR Assays for the Identification of Fusarium verticillioides, Fusarium subglutinans, and Other Species of the Gibberella fujikuroi Complex

Fusarium verticillioides and Fusarium subglutinans are important fungal pathogens of maize and other cereals worldwide. In this study, we developed PCR-based protocols for the identification of these pathogens targeting the gaoB gene, which codes for galactose oxidase. The designed primers recognized isolates of F. verticillioides and F. subglutinans that were obtained from maize seeds from several producing regions of Brazil but did not recognize other Fusarium spp. or other fungal genera that were either obtained from fungal collections or isolated from maize seeds. A multiplex PCR protocol was established to simultaneously detect the genomic DNA from F. verticillioides and F. subglutinans. This protocol could detect the DNA from these fungi growing in artificially or naturally infected maize seeds. Another multiplex reaction with a pair of primers developed in this work combined with a pre-existing pair of primers has allowed identifying F. subglutinans, F. konzum, and F. thapsinum. In addition, the identification of F. nygamai was also possible using a combination of two PCR reactions described in this work, and another described in the literature.     

Voltammetric study of electrocatalysis for dioxygen reduction by trinuclear rutheniumammine complex confined in a polymer membrane

Electrocatalytic O₂ reduction was studied using a modified electrode coated with a Nafion membrane (Nf) dispersing a trinuclear ruthenium ammine complex ([(NH₃)₅Ru^IIIORu^IV(NH₃)₄ORu^III(NH₃)₅]Cl₆, Ru-red). When measuring cyclic voltammogram under O₂ atmosphere (at 0.5 mV s⁻¹), catalytic currents due to O₂ reduction were found to develop below −0.2 V (vs. Ag/AgCl). Since Ru-red undergoes irreversible decomposition into the mononuclear complexes via the reduced state (Ru^III-Ru^III-Ru^III) (∼−0.1 V), it is suggested that the electrocatalysis originates from the decomposed species (initial active species: Ru^II(NH₃)₅(OH₂) and Ru^II(NH₃)₄(OH₂)₂) rather than from the Ru-red. Although the present electrocatalyst was also applied to H₂O₂ reduction system, the catalytic activity was found to be poor from the voltammetric behavior. It appeared that the kinetics of the electrocatalysis is much faster in the O₂ reduction than in the H₂O₂ one. A selective and direct catalysis for O₂ reduction into H₂O was suggested from a ring-disk voltammogram to take place by an aggregate of the mononuclear ruthenium complexes in the polymer matrix. In addition, it was found that electrocatalytic O₂ reduction involves a slow kinetic process, so that factors affecting the overall kinetics were discussed in terms of the catalysis mechanism.     

Application of pulse discharge sintering (PDS) technique to rapid synthesis of Ti3SiC2 from Ti/Si/C powders

To synthesize Ti₃SiC₂ samples, pulse discharge sintering (PDS) technique was utilized to sinter elemental powders of Ti/Si/C with stoichiometric and off-stoichiometric ratios in a temperature range of 1200–1500 °C. The results showed that high purity Ti₃SiC₂ could not be obtained from the Ti/Si/C powder with molar ratio of 3:1:2, and Ti₃SiC₂ preferred to form at relatively low sintering temperature for a short time. When 5Ti/2Si/3C and 3Ti/1.5Si/2C powders were sintered for 15 min, the TiC content was respectively decreased to 6.4 and 10 wt.% at 1250–1300 °C. The corresponding relative density of the samples sintered from 5Ti/2Si/3C powder was calculated to be as high as 99% at the temperature above 1300 °C. It is suggested that low-temperature rapid synthesis of Ti₃SiC₂ would be possible through the PDS technique, provided that the composition of the starting powders should be adjusted to be off-stoichiometric ratio from 3:1:2.     

Synthesis of Compositionally Homogeneous Sr(CuxZn1−x)1/2W1/2O3

A complex perovskite of Sr(Cu _x Zn_{1- x} )_1/2 W_1/2O₃ (SCZW) is synthesized by a new combination of wet and dry processess. Mixed oxides containing Cu²⁺ and Zn²⁺ (CZ) are prepared by the wet process (coprecipitate method). SCZW is obtained by the dry process (mixed-oxide method) from a mixture of CZ, SrCO₃, and WO₃. SCZW has practically no compositional, unlike solid solutions prepared by the conventional dry method. The wet–dry process method is useful because the wet process is applied to only B-site cations having the same valence.     

Porous Glass-Ceramics with a Skeleton of the Fast-Lithium-Conducting Crystal Li1+xTi2−xAlx(PO4)3

Porous glass-ceramics with a skeleton of the fast-lithium-conducting crystal Li_{1+ x} Ti_{2− x} Al _x (PO₄)₃ (where x = 0.3–0.5) were prepared by crystallization of glasses in the Li₂O─CaO─TiO₂─Al₂O₃–P₂O₅ system and subsequent acid leaching of the resulting dense glass-ceramics composed of the interlocking of Li_{1+ x} Ti_{2− x} Al _x (PO₄)₃ and β-Ca₃(PO₄)₂ phases. The median pore diameter and surface area of the resulting porous Li_{1+ x} Ti_{2− x} Al _x (PO₄)₃ glass-ceramics were approximately 0.2 μm and 50 m²/g, respectively. The electrical conductivity of the porous glass-ceramics after heating in LiNO₃ aqueous solution was 8 × 10⁻⁵ S/cm at 300 K or 2 × 10⁻² S/cm at 600 K.