Novel angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitory peptide derived from bovine casein

Bovine lactic casein was hydrolysed using a combination of three enzymes, namely, subtilisin, bacillolysin, and trypsin, and the resulting preparation was coined CH-3. CH-3 showed angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE)-inhibitory activity (IC₅₀: 74 μg/mL). A single oral administration of CH-3 led to a transient but significant decrease in the systolic blood pressure (SBP) of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), while daily oral administration of CH-3 for 28 consecutive days led to a lower rate of SBP increase. The CH-3 preparation was then fractionated and the _αS2-casein-derived tripeptide Met-Lys-Pro (or MKP) was identified as a novel peptide with strong ACE-inhibitory activity (IC₅₀ = 0.12 μg/mL, 0.3 μM). The MKP peptide constituted only 0.053% of CH-3 but its activity was accounted for 33% of the total ACE-inhibitory activity of CH-3. In addition, a single oral administration of MKP also led to a transient but significant decrease in the SBP of SHRs.     

Multi-fueled approach to DNA nano-robotics

An approach to multi-fueled DNA nano-robotics is described. We propose three types of driving force (i.e., fuel for DNA nano-robots): thermal fuel, pH fuel, and light fuel. The thermal fuel controls the hybridization of DNA molecules around the melting temperature. The pH fuel controls the hybridization of the so-called i-motif by changing the pH condition. The light fuel controls the hybridization of DNA oligomers that are intercalated with azobenzene by irradiation with UV or visible light. These three fuels are not mutually exclusive. However, experimental conditions for the fueling of DNA nano-robots show efficacy. Concrete ideas for using these three fuel types are proposed and discussed. In addition, the results of calibration experiments and preliminary results for refining pH fuel sequence are also shown.     

Low Temperature X-ray Diffraction Study of ZnCr2O4 and Ni0.5Zn0.5Cr2O4

Results of x-ray diffraction measurements are presented for ZnCr₂O₄ and Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Cr₂O₄. Splits of the x-ray diffraction spectrum are observed in ZnCr₂O₄ at 12 K. In Ni_0.5Zn_0.5Cr₂O₄ no clear split is observed, but a full width at half maximum (FWHM) shows a steep increase below about 20 K. It is found that the integrated intensity of the diffraction spectra shows a softening behavior at low temperatures in ZnCr₂O₄.     

Nanowire-structured titanate with anatase titania: Characterization and photocatalytic activity

Nanowire-structured titanate with titanium(IV) oxide (titania) was obtained by calcination of potassium ion-containing titanate nanowires prepared through alkali treatment of titania nanoparticles. The presence of potassium ions in the as-synthesized titanate nanowires was required for maintenance of the nanowire structure under the conditions of post-heat treatment. The crystallite structure, composition, morphology, specific surface area, pore volume distribution, and optical properties were found to be dependent on the temperature at which titanate nanowires were calcined. Photocatalytic activity was examined using three probe reactions: oxidative decomposition of acetic acid in an aqueous solution, oxygen liberation from an aqueous silver sulfate solution, and hydrogen liberation from an aqueous methanol solution in the presence of hexachloroplatinic acid as a precursor of photodeposition of platinum particles. Detailed characterization and results of photocatalytic activity tests revealed that titanate crystallites greatly contributed to the photocatalytic activities of the calcined nanowires except for photocatalytic hydrogen liberation. It was found that platinum was preferentially photodeposited on anatase crystallites rather than on titanate crystallites for hydrogen liberation.     

Formation and structure of zinc-substituted calcium hydroxyapatite

Zn-substituted Ca hydroxyapatites were synthesized by precipitation method under the specific conditions (pH 8, 90 °C) and their structural properties were investigated. The substituting limit of Zn was estimated at about 15 mol%. The lattice parameter a decreased up to 5 mol% Zn, and started to increase over 5 mol% Zn. The lattice parameter c monotonously decreased with increase in Zn fraction. The increase in lattice parameter a for higher Zn fraction was ascribed to increasing amount of lattice H₂O which substituted for OH sites in the apatite structure. The lattice H₂O in the Zn-substituted apatites was lost by the heat treatment at 400 °C. As a result, both the lattice parameters a and c of the heat-treated apatites decreased with increasing Zn fraction. Only the difference in ionic radius between Zn²⁺ (0.074 nm) and Ca²⁺ (0.099 nm) was decisive to the change in both lattice parameters after the heat treatment at 400 °C.     

Thermal response characteristics of fire blanket materials

The thermal response characteristics of over 50 relatively thin (0.15–3.7 mm) fire blanket materials from four different fiber groups (aramid, fiberglass, amorphous silica, and pre‐oxidized carbon) and their composites have been investigated. A plain or coated fabric sample was subjected to a predominantly convective or radiant heat flux (up to 84 kW/m²) using a Meker burner and a cone heater, respectively. In addition to conventional thermal protective performance ratings for protective clothing, two transient thermal response times (for the fabric back‐side temperature to reach 300 °C and for the through‐the‐fabric heat flux to reach 13 kW/m²) and a steady‐state heat‐blocking efficiency (HBE) were introduced for both convective and radiant heat sources. For most woven fabrics, the HBE values were approximately 70 ± 10% for both convection and radiation and only mildly increased with the fabric thickness or the incident heat flux. Nonwoven (felt) fabrics with low thermal conductivity exhibited significantly better insulation (up to 87%) against convective heat. Highly reflective aluminized materials exhibited exceptionally high HBE values (up to 98%) for radiation, whereas carbon and charred aramid fabrics showed lower HBEs (down to 50%) because of efficient radiation absorption. A relatively thin fire blanket operating at high temperatures can efficiently block heat from a convective source by radiative emission (enhanced by its T⁴‐dependence and high surface emissivity) coupled with thermal insulation and from a radiant heat source by surface reflection while the aluminum surface layer remains. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Preferred test conditions for measuring flow rate distribution between cells in a polymer electrolyte fuel cell stack

A new and practical testing technique was developed for measuring the flow rate distribution between cells in a stack that did not contain any internal sensors. The flow rate distribution is obtained by measuring the hydrogen limiting current of each cell in the stack while a mixed gas of hydrogen and dimethyl ether is supplied to the anode and hydrogen to the cathode. In order to measure large flow rate deviations between cells, it is necessary to decrease the flow rate of the anode hydrogen and to sufficiently humidify the cells. The faster the increasing rate of the current, the more the apparent hydrogen limiting current increases than the theoretical electrochemical equivalent current. However, the relative flow rate deviations between cells can be obtained by a practical accuracy using the ratio of the apparent hydrogen limiting current. Humidification of the cell is indispensable for the measurement and a method using dry anode gas and humidified cathode gas is recommended. The preferred test conditions for measuring the flow rate distribution between cells in a PEFC stack are proposed.     

Measurement of Degree of Saturation on Model Ground by Digital Image Processing

The degree of saturation of ground is conventionally measured at discrete points using transducers, soil moisture sensors, etc. In this paper, a novel method was developed to directly measure the degree of saturation of continuous region of ground by noting the variation in color of the ground as the amount of moisture in the soil changes. In this research, a series of experiments was conducted for the purpose of developing a method to measure the degree of saturation of ground by digital image processing. From photo images taken at various soil moisture contents, the colors of the images were converted into numerical values which were then related to known degrees of saturation. The results of the experiments showed that a method to measure the degree of saturation of ground by image processing was possible. The relation between degree of saturation and luminance value can be expressed in terms of second degree function. Good results were obtained for two soil samples with different colors and grain size distributions. The margin of error was in the order of ±5%. The method was validated through vertical seepage tests, where good agreements were obtained between the measured degrees of saturation by tensiometers and those estimated from the proposed method. The method illustrates the possibility of measuring the degree of saturation of a larger portion of the ground, which is difficult to perform using conventional procedures. With this method, contour diagrams of degree of saturation can be produced, making it possible to visualize the propagation of the saturated region.     

X-Ray Diffraction Study of Correlated Electron System at Low Temperatures

By using an ultra-low temperature X-ray diffractometer, we studied low temperature phase transitions of several materials. These phase transitions are classified into a ferro quadrupole ordered phase, that is, Jahn–Teller distortion (TmVO, ZnCrO), an antiferro quadrupole ordered phase (CeB, PrPb), and a superconducrivity (MgB). We also investigated unknown phases, such as the low temperature phase in PrPtBi and the 4th phase in CeLaB. Our low temperature X-ray measurement gives rise to a fruitful information about the phase transition. Not only a whole profile of the reflection peaks, which can be analyzed by the Rietveld method, we also made the precise measurement of the temperature dependence of the integrated intensity of the reflection peak, the full width at half maximum, and the lattice spacing for some fixed reflections. The temperature dependence of the integrated intensity (I.I.) can be expressed by the Debye–Waller expression. At low temperatures, the change of the phonon frequency can be obtained from the I.I. through the Debye–Waller factor. In MgB we observed the hardening of the phonon and the softening of phonon above and below the superconducting transition temperature, respsctively. This result suggests the relevant mechanisim of superconductivity in MgB is the electron–phonon interaction. From the precise measurement of the lattice constant, we found the negative thermal expansion at low temperatures in many correlated electron system. This negative thermal expansion can be explained by the Fermi liquid theory by Misawa.