Effects of Age and Mating on Female Sex Attractant Pheromone Levels in the Sorghum Plant Bug, <Emphasis Type=Italic>Stenotus rubrovittatus</Emphasis> (Matsumura)

Previous work has shown that male sorghum plant bugs, Stenotus rubrovittatus (Matsumura) (Heteroptera: Miridae), are more attracted to young virgin females than to old virgin females and are not attracted to mated females. Therefore, we examined the effects of age and mating status on female sex pheromone levels. The pheromone components, hexyl butyrate, (E)-hex-2-en-1-yl butyrate, and (E)-4-oxohex-2-enal, were collected from females in two different ways. First, the compounds were extracted from whole bodies of each female and quantified by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Pheromone levels extracted from virgin female bodies decreased with age. In females that had just mated, pheromone levels did not differ from those of virgin females, and pheromone levels in mated females remained relatively constant up to 15 d after mating. This absence of change in pheromone levels extracted from whole bodies of mated females is not congruent with previous reports of lack of male attraction to these females. In a second method for pheromone recovery (adsorption on a PDMS-coated stir bar), GC-MS analysis showed that mated females released lower amounts of pheromone components compared to those emitted by virgin females of the same age (4 d). As was the case with whole body extracts, young virgin females (3 d) released higher amounts of pheromone components than did old virgin females (8 d). The results suggest that male response in S. rubrovittatus is dictated more by the quantities of pheromone components released into the volatile headspace by females than by the quantities present in the body.     

Membrane evaluation for the treatment of acidic clear filtrate

The total effluent load of a paper mill can be significantly decreased by recycling of purified clear filtrate (CF) back to paper-making process. The CF treated with membranes can be reused, for instance, as wire section shower water and in the dilution of chemicals. The main requirements for a membrane in CF treatment are high filtration capacity, high retention of turbidity and low fouling tendency. Previous studies have shown that the regenerated cellulose (RC) ultrafiltration (UF) membrane C30F (current trade name UC030T) is especially suitable for the treatment of paper mill process waters. Every paper-making process is, however, different. Thus, filtration experiments are required in order to find the most optimal membrane for the treatment of a certain process water. In this study the best membrane for the treatment of acidic clear filtrate (ACF) was searched. The performance of the C30F membrane was compared with five UF and three microfiltration (MF) membranes. The results revealed that in addition to the C30F membrane, also some other membranes produced high filtration capacity with ACF (approximately 200 L/(m²h bar)). All the tested membranes also retained over 90% of turbidity. The extremely hydrophilic C30F membrane had, however, lower fouling tendency compared to the other tested membranes. Therefore, it was concluded that the C30F membranes were the best possible membrane for the ACF treatment.     

N-(Anilinoethyl)amide Melatonergic Ligands with Improved Water Solubility and Metabolic Stability

The MT₂-selective melatonin receptor ligand UCM765 (N-(2-((3-methoxyphenyl)(phenyl)amino)ethyl)acetamide), showed interesting sleep inducing, analgesic and anxiolytic properties in rodents, but suffers from low water solubility and modest metabolic stability. To overcome these limitations, different strategies were investigated, including modification of metabolically liable sites, introduction of hydrophilic substituents and design of more basic derivatives. Thermodynamic solubility, microsomal stability and lipophilicity of new compounds were experimentally evaluated, together with their MT₁ and MT₂ binding affinities. Introduction of a m-hydroxymethyl substituent on the phenyl ring of UCM765 and replacement of the replacement of the N,N-diphenyl-amino scaffold with a N-methyl-N-phenyl-amino one led to highly soluble compounds with good microsomal stability and receptor binding affinity. Docking studies into the receptor crystal structure provided a rationale for their binding affinity. Pharmacokinetic characterization in rats highlighted higher plasma concentrations for the N-methyl-N-phenyl-amino derivative, consistent with its improved microsomal stability and makes this compound worthy of consideration for further pharmacological investigation.     

Aerobic Exercise Ameliorates Cancer Cachexia-Induced Muscle Wasting through Adiponectin Signaling

Cachexia is a multifactorial syndrome characterized by muscle loss that cannot be reversed by conventional nutritional support. To uncover the molecular basis underlying the onset of cancer cachectic muscle wasting and establish an effective intervention against muscle loss, we used a cancer cachectic mouse model and examined the effects of aerobic exercise. Aerobic exercise successfully suppressed muscle atrophy and activated adiponectin signaling. Next, a cellular model for cancer cachectic muscle atrophy using C2C12 myotubes was prepared by treating myotubes with a conditioned medium from a culture of colon-26 cancer cells. Treatment of the atrophic myotubes with recombinant adiponectin was protective against the thinning of cells through the increased production of p-mTOR and suppression of LC3-II. Altogether, these findings suggest that the activation of adiponectin signaling could be part of the molecular mechanisms by which aerobic exercise ameliorates cancer cachexia-induced muscle wasting.     

Homology-Based Interactions between Small RNAs and Their Targets Control Dominance Hierarchy of Male Determinant Alleles of Self-Incompatibility in Arabidopsis lyrata

Self-incompatibility (SI) is conserved among members of the Brassicaceae plant family. This trait is controlled epigenetically by the dominance hierarchy of the male determinant alleles. We previously demonstrated that a single small RNA (sRNA) gene is sufficient to control the linear dominance hierarchy in Brassica rapa and proposed a model in which a homology-based interaction between sRNAs and target sites controls the complicated dominance hierarchy of male SI determinants. In Arabidopsis halleri, male dominance hierarchy is reported to have arisen from multiple networks of sRNA target gains and losses. Despite these findings, it remains unknown whether the molecular mechanism underlying the dominance hierarchy is conserved among Brassicaceae. Here, we identified sRNAs and their target sites that can explain the linear dominance hierarchy of Arabidopsis lyrata, a species closely related to A. halleri. We tested the model that we established in Brassica to explain the linear dominance hierarchy in A. lyrata. Our results suggest that the dominance hierarchy of A. lyrata is also controlled by a homology-based interaction between sRNAs and their targets.     

Control of grain size and -orientation in multi-crystalline silicon ingots

Two different cooling rates have been imposed during the early solidification of two multi-crystalline silicon ingots with 250mm diameter and 100mm height in a pilot scale directional solidification furnace. This has been done by opening a variable heat leak system below the crucible in order to achieve a high initial cooling rate in one of the ingots. The grain-structure and -orientation of these two ingots have been investigated by light microscopy (LM) and electron backscattered diffraction (EBSD), and their electrical properties by quasi-steady state photo-conductance (QSSPC) and surface photovoltage (SPV) method. The ingot with the high initial cooling rate shows predominantly grains which are significantly larger than what is usually found in mc-Si. The minority carrier diffusion lengths measured on the large grains in the ingot with high cooling rate show higher values than those measured on the ingot with smaller grains. These results indicate that principles of grain size and -orientation control in mc-Si ingots can be applied to a pilot scale furnace, and the potential for up-scaling to industrial ingots with improved electrical properties and, thus, higher solar cell conversion efficiency.     

TEM/STEM Observation of ZrC Coating Layer for Advanced High-Temperature Gas-Cooled Reactor Fuel, Part II

The Japan Atomic Energy Agency (JAEA) has started to study and develop zirconium carbide (ZrC)-coated fuel particles for advanced high-temperature gas-cooled reactors. The ZrC coating layer has been fabricated at JAEA by chemical vapor deposition using a pyrolytic reaction of zirconium bromide. The microstructures of the ZrC layers, whose nominal deposition temperatures could be measured and controlled during the deposition process, were characterized by means of TEM and STEM. In the present study, three batches were prepared and compared with each other as well as the previous batches. The crystallographic orientation of ZrC with regard to the growth direction in the ZrC layers deposited at a constant temperature of 1630 K was different from that deposited at varying temperatures in the 1493–1823 K range. A thin layer of turbostratic carbon was observed at the boundary between pyrolytic carbon and ZrC in particles deposited at the highest temperature among those used in this study (the nominal temperature was 1769 K); no such structure was found in a batch deposited at a lower temperature (the nominal temperature was 1632 K). Therefore, precise control of temperature is shown to be critical to the formation of good ZrC coatings.     

Determination of sucralose in foods by HPLC using pre-column derivatization

The development of a sensitive pre-column derivatization high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method for determination of sucralose is reported. Sucralose is converted into a strongly ultraviolet (UV)-absorbing derivative, possessing strong absorption at 260 nm, by treatment with p-nitrobenzoyl chloride (PNBCl). Homogenized samples were dialyzed and washed with a Bond Elut ENV cartridge, then the eluate was evaporated to dryness and the residue was derivatized. Subsequently, the sucralose derivative was purified with hexane-ethyl actate (9:1) in a silica cartridge, and then the sucralose derivative was eluted with acetone. HPLC was performed on a phenyl column, using acetonitrile-water (73:27) as a mobile phase with UV detection (260 nm). The calibration curve was linear in the range of 1 microgram/mL to 50 micrograms/mL of sucralose. The recoveries of sucralose from eight kinds of foods spiked at the levels of 0.20 and 0.05 g/kg of sucralose were more than 76.2% with SD values in the range from 0.90% to 4.31%. The quantitative limit of the developed method was 0.005 g/kg for sucralose in samples.     

Coupled model for the nonlinear analysis of sections made of anisotropic materials, subjected to general 3D loading. Part 2: Implementation and validation

A numerical model for the coupled analysis of cross-sections made of anisotropic materials under general combined loading was formulated in an accompanying paper (1). In this paper, additional aspects concerning its implementation and the scheme for nonlinear analysis are discussed. The model is validated by analyzing several isotropic and anisotropic elastic problems; excellent accuracy was obtained compared to closed-form solutions. Further, the case of a RC section presenting crack-induced anisotropy is investigated. The capability of the model to capture interactions between tangent and normal forces is proved. The conclusion drawn is that the developed model is a suitable sectional constitutive equation for 3D beam elements for realistic structural analysis.     

Metastable precipitation in isothermally solidified YAG-alumina composites with off-eutectic composition

YAG-alumina composites with Al₂O₃-rich and YAG-rich compositions were prepared by annealing the hot-pressed composites at the eutectic temperature (1820°C) for 1 h followed by cooling down at 10 or 100°C/min in argon atmosphere. Microstructural observations of the solidified composites identified that metastable phase -Al₂O₃ precipitated in the Al₂O₃-rich specimens cooled down at both the cooling rates. For the solidified YAG-rich specimens, however, equilibrium phase -Al₂O₃ could not be reprecipitated, moreover, metastable YAlO₃ phase was formed at cooling rate of 100°C/min. Formation of the metastable phases in the solidified composites was attributed to the decreased melting temperature caused by the divorced eutectic precipitation and the metastable decomposition of YAG component in YAG-alumina eutectic melt during rapid solidification.