Study on skin roughness caused by surfactants: II. Correlation between protein denaturation and skin roughness

An attempt to determine protein denaturing potency of typical surfactants has been made by measuring specific rotation of bovine serum albumin. The potencies obtained were examined in relation to the intensities of skin roughness in vivo caused by the surfactants, and a noticeable correlation was found between them. This fact also suggested that the cause of skin roughness may be attributed to a certain extent to adsorption of surfactants. In addition, this technique is very useful in predicting the skin roughening potency of a surfactant without using human skin.     

Some elements comprising particulate matter during summer in waters of various environments in British Columbia, Canada

Multi-elemental traces comprising particulate matter in natural water collected during summer in 1978 and 1979 from British Columbia, Canada, were analyzed by α-particle excited X-ray fluorometry. Common elements from all waters examined were Si, Cl, Ca and Fe. The similarity of their distribution in different aquatic environments was statistically analyzed. They were distributed homogeneously in the marine environment but heterogeneously in the freshwater environments. No heavy metals concerned with the environmental standards were detected for all waters examined.     

Structures and stability of water nanoclusters in hydrophobic nanospaces

The temperature dependencies of in situ small-angle X-ray scattering (SAXS) of water adsorbed and of adsorption isotherm of water in hydrophobic carbon nanopores were measured over the temperature range of 293 to 328 K. The structures of water nanoclusters adsorbed in the nanopores were determined with the density fluctuation analysis of in situ SAXS data. The difference of the density fluctuations between adsorption and desorption was ascribed to the water structural difference. The structural transitions of the water nanoclusters were observed around 318 K for adsorption and 308 K for desorption.     

An efficient method of statistical analysis for LC ladder filters

New tolerance measures for lossless or dissipative ladder filters and their numerical evaluation procedures are proposed. The proposed measures provide the approximate values of the statistical mean and variance of the variation of the operating propagation function or characteristic function in nepers. These measures are derived by utilizing a first- to fourth-order Taylor series approximation and can be evaluated easily by a series of simple algebraic operations. Simple formulae are also presented which estimate the error incurred by the neglected terms of this Taylor series approximation.     

Graphical editing and analysis system for network system (Geans)

Network analysis is powerful in building formal network models of various computational systems or social systems and obtaining their functions and performance exactly because of simplicity of binary relations in networks. Traditionally, it takes lots of effort in network analysis because network analysis was performed by the use of lots of numerical data in batch processing form. Effective network analysis activity, satisfying the system requirements based on consideration for such traditional manner with high cost, requires semiautomatic or computer aided man-machine facilities with interactive editing, analysis, and result viewing functions. We have developed Graphical Editing and Analysis system for Network System (Geans) on DEC PDP-11/34 minicomputer with a graphic display which enables us to edit or modify various network representations and analyze their qualitative and quantitative property, smoothly and interactively with the use of graphics and data abstraction. Geans is composed of a network editing system with effective use of a graphic display, a network data management system with systematic use of network data abstraction, a network analysis system with construction of shared library routines and specific object problem oriented routines, and a node/arc shape definition system. Geans has been applied to various network models such as a transportation analysis problem, PERT/CPM planning, Petri Net analysis and a guidance system for an urban railway network, and moreover it is being applied to other analysis areas as evolving itself.     

PURIFICATION AND PARTIAL CHARACTERIZATION OF TWO PROTEINACEOUS α-AMYLASE INHIBITORS FROM TRITICALE

A total of six α-amylase inhibitory proteins (isoinhibitors) were extracted from triticale (Triticum X Secale) seeds and two of them were purified to homogeneity. The isoinhibitors were extracted by 70% ethanol and produced, by Sephadex G-100 chromatography, two peaks that exhibited α-amylase inhibitory activity. Further purification of the most active peak by DEAE-cellulose chromatography resulted in six active fractions. Two of them designated as TAI-5 and TAI-6, considered to be homogeneous by both acidic and alkaline electrophoresis, were partially characterized. The isoelectric points were 4.80 and 4.70, and the molecular weights 39, 200 and 29, 200, respectively. Under dissociating conditions the molecular weights were 13, 500 and 13, 000, suggesting that the isoinhibitors are composed of three and two subunits, respectively. Both isoinhibitors were stable at different pHs, relatively stable at 98C, and resistant to proteolysis by trypsin, chymotrypsin and pepsin. The optimum interaction pH for both isoinhibitors with human salivary amylase was 7.9. They exhibited specificity to human salivary and porcine pancreatic α-amylases, but had no inhibitory activity on Bacillus subtillis, Aspergillus oryzae and endogenous triticale α-amylases.