Photocatalytic Fiber with Gradient Surface Structure Produced from a Polycarbosilane and Its Applications

We developed a new in-situ process for preparing functional ceramic fibers with a gradient surface layer by means of precursor methods using a polycarbosilane. After incorporation of selected low-molecular-mass additives into the precursor polymer from which the ceramic forms, thermal treatment of the resulting bodies leads to controlled phase separation ("bleed out") of the additives. Subsequent calcination stabilizes the compositionally changed surface region, generating a functional surface layer. Using this technology, we developed a strong photocatalytic fiber (TiO₂-covered SiO₂ fiber), which effectively decomposed many types of organic chemicals and bacteria into CO₂and water by irradiation with UV light. Furthermore, we performed some field tests using a circulation purifier with a module composed of the cone-shaped felt material of our new fiber.     

Efficient production of L‐lactic acid by Crabtree‐negative yeast Candida boidinii

Industrial production of L ‐lactic acid, which in polymerized form as poly‐lactic acid is widely used as a biodegradable plastic, has been attracting world‐wide attention. By genetic engineering we constructed a strain of the Crabtree‐negative yeast Candida boidinii that efficiently produced a large amount of L ‐lactic acid. The alcohol fermentation pathway of C. boidinii was altered by disruption of the PDC1 gene encoding pyruvate decarboxylase, resulting in an ethanol production that was reduced to 17% of the wild‐type strain. The alcohol fermentation pathway of the PDC1 deletion strain was then successfully utilized for the synthesis of L ‐lactic acid by placing the bovine L ‐lactate dehydrogenase‐encoding gene under the control of the PDC1 promoter by targeted integration. Optimizing the conditions for batch culture in a 5 l jar‐fermenter resulted in an L ‐lactic acid production reaching 85.9 g/l within 48 h. This productivity (1.79 g/l/h) is the highest thus far reported for L ‐lactic acid‐producing yeasts. DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank nucleotide database with Accession Nos. AB440630 and AB440631. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

The result of cooling operation of Yazaki experimental solar house “one”

One of the important factors for designing solar house is to examine the most economic combination what is called optimum design between solar collector area and storage volume for the required energy demand. The result of experimentation gives the fundamental data for completing the computer simulation program that is effectively usable for designing solar house.     

Some surface properties of plasma polymers prepared from hexamethyldisilazane and diethylaminotrimethylsilane

Plasma polymers from some silyl amines were produced by the radio frequency of 13.56 MHz, and the surface properties were investigated. The polymers were revealed to be as hydrophobic as a plasma polymer from tetramethylsilane, which does not contain nitrogen. The hydrophobicity became effective at around 50 Å thicknesses of these polymer layers deposited on micro-slide glass. These polymers have gradually become comparatively hydrophilic with the aging. The change of wettability is probably due to the oxidation of these surface layers to form oxides and peroxides, which are more hydrophilic. The hydrophobic character of silyl amine plasma polymers could be explained by the lack of amines and/or amides in these polymers, as observed with ATR-IR and ESCA spectra. These spectroscopic observations also suggest that nitrogen is a more fragile element in plasma than carbon or silicon in the silyl amines.     

Dependence of reconstructed image characteristics on the observation condition in light-in-flight recording by holography

We analyze the dependence of the reconstructed image characteristic on the observation condition in the light-in-flight recording by holography both theoretically and experimentally. This holography makes it possible to record a propagating light pulse. We have found that the shape of the reconstructed image is changed when the observation position is vertically moved along the hologram plane. The reconstructed image is numerically simulated on the basis of the theory and is experimentally obtained by using a 373 fs pulsed laser. The numerical results agree with the experimental result, and the validity of the theory is verified. Also, experimental results are analyzed and the restoration of the reconstructed image is discussed.     

Methylsterol compositions of 19 vegetable oils

The unsaponifiables from 19 vegetable oils were divided into 4-methylsterol fraction, triterpene alcohol fraction and two other fractions by thin layer chromatography. The 4-methylsterol and triterpene alcohol fractions were analyzed by gas liquid chromatography, and identification of major components was carried out by gas liquid chromatography and combined gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Gramisterol(24-methylenelophenol), citrostadienol and obtusifoliol were present in all oils, and the presence of a 4-methylsterol, presumably cycloeucalenol, was indicated in most of the oils. Cycloartenol and 24-methylenecycloartanol were found as common triterpene alcohols in all oils, and the occurrence of cyclobranol(24-methylcycloartenol), cycloartanol, and α- and β-amyrins was demonstrated in most of the oils.     

Quantitative determination of isomeric glycerides,free fatty acids and triglycerides by thin layer chromatography-flame ionization detector system

Partial glyceride mixtures, which include 1-monoglyceride, 2-monoglyceride, free fatty acid, 1,2-diglyceride, 1,3-diglyceride and triglyceride, could be separated from each other on a 3% boric-acid-impregnated Chromarod S-II (silica gel sintered quartz rod) with either chloroform/acetone (96∶4, v/v) or chloroform/acetone/acetic acid (100∶1∶1, v/v) as the developing solvent mixtures. The components separated on the boric-acid-impregnated rod were automatically quantitated in a hydrogen flame ionization detector (Iatroscan). The relative responses of 1,2-diglyceride, 1,3-diglyceride, free fatty acid and triglyceride were slightly lower than theoretical responses based on weight percentage, whereas 1-monoglyceride and 2-monoglyceride showed slightly higher responses. These responses were converged within a maximal error of 5–10% (SD). Boric-acid-impregnated rods could be used repeatedly, ca. 5 times without any reconditioning procedure. Part of this investigation was reported at the 2nd JOCS-AOCS joint meeting, San Francisco, May 1979.     

New porous carbon materials,Woodceramics: Development and fundamental properties

Woodceramics are new porous carbon materials obtained by carbonizing wood or woody material impregnated with thermosetting resin such as phenol resin in a vacuum furnace. During the carbonizing process, thermosetting resin changes into glassy carbon, which has superior corrosion resistance and mechanical strength, reinforces the material and suppresses the fissures and warps (caused by the porous structure specific to wood) that develop during thermoforming. The dimension, weight decrease rate, and electrical characteristics depend on the thermoforming temperature. The manufacturing method of Woodceramics is introduced in this paper and various industrial uses, such as electromagnetic shields, are discussed.     

Harmonic analysis of a single-phase rectifier with a DC filter capacitor

A single-phase diode bridge rectifier with a filter capacitor on the dc side is often employed to convert ac input into a dc voltage. The input current of the rectifier contains harmonic currents which cause undesirable power line effects. Recently, a method using the time domain analysis has been proposed to calculate the harmonic currents of rectifier considering noninfinite capacitance, i.e., non-zero dc side impedance. This method is very accurate, but it requires a long computing time and a complicated algorithm. This paper proposes a new method that makes it possible to easily calculate the harmonic currents taking into account the effects of the ac and dc side impedances of rectifier. The proposed method, which is based on the frequency domain method, can be executed only with the algebraic computation, and its accuracy is quite high. The validity of the proposed method is also demonstrated by comparison with the results of time simulation.     

Lacticaseibacillus paracasei K71 Alleviates UVB-Induced Skin Barrier Dysfunction by Attenuating Inflammation via Increased IL-10 Production in Mice

Scope

Ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation causes skin barrier dysfunction, leading to decreased water-holding capacity, impaired epidermal barrier function, and increased skin thickness. This study investigates the protective effects of oral administration of Lacticaseibacillus paracasei K71 against skin barrier dysfunction in UVB-irradiated mice.

Methods and results

Mice are fed diets with or without K71 and irradiated with UVB three times a week for 12 weeks. Oral administration of K71 suppresses UVB-induced decrease in stratum corneum water content, mitigates the increase of transepidermal water loss, and decreases epidermal thickness of the dorsal skin. Treatment with K71 reverses the upregulation of inflammatory cytokines and the activation of nuclear factor-κB induced by UVB irradiation and upregulates the expression of anti-inflammatory IL-10 in the dorsal skin. Notable upregulation of IL-10 is observed in the spleens of K71-treated mice. K71 treatment enhances IL-10 production in J774.1 macrophages; however, this enhancement is diminished by inhibiting K71 phagocytosis and TLR3. Furthermore, transfection using K71 RNAs significantly increases IL-10 production.

Conclusion

These results indicate that K71 may alleviate UVB-induced skin barrier dysfunction by attenuating inflammation via increasing IL-10 production and that K71 RNAs may induce IL-10 production in macrophages. Therefore, K71 may be beneficial for preventing skin barrier dysfunction.