Transfer of high-mannose-type oligosaccharides to disaccharides by endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase from Arthrobacter protophormiae

Endo-beta-N-acetylglucosaminidase from Arthrobacter protophormiae (Endo-A) has transglycosylation activity, and high-mannose-type oligosaccharides are transferred to suitable glycosides as acceptor substrates. The acceptor specificity of Endo-A-catalyzed transglycosylation toward various disaccharides was investigated. To identify an effective acceptor for the transglycosylation by Endo-A, the reaction was carried out using various disaccharides. Endo-A transferred high-mannose-type oligosaccharides more efficiently to beta-linked disaccharides (cellobiose, gentiobiose, sophorose, and laminaribiose) than to alpha-linked disaccharides (isomaltose, maltose, nigerose, kojibiose, and trehalose) as acceptor substrates. The transglycosylation products, (Man)6GlcNAc-Glc-beta-Glc, were more rapidly hydrolyzed than (Man)6GlcNAc-Glc-alpha-Glc. These results indicate that Endo-A recognizes the anomeric configuration of the acceptor substrates, and beta-linked glycosides are suitable for the synthesis of transglycosylation products.     

Efficient power regeneration and drive of an induction motor by means of optimal torque derived by the variational method

When the motor speed is reduced by using a regenerative brake, the mechanical energy of rotation is converted to electrical energy. When the regenerative torque is large, the corresponding current increases so that the copper loss also becomes large. On the other hand, the damping effect of rotation increases with time when the regenerative torque is small. In order to use this limited energy effectively, the optimal regenerative torque should be ascertained in order to maximize the regeneration of electrical energy. This paper proposes a methodology, based on the variational method, for the design of regenerative torque for an induction motor in order to maximize the regenerative electric energy. Similarly, the optimal torque for acceleration is derived in order to minimize the driving energy. Finally, an efficient motor drive system with the proposed optimal torque and a power storage system stabilizing the DC link voltage will be proposed. The effectiveness of the proposed methods is illustrated by simulations and experiments. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 173(1): 41–50, 2010; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21010     

An integrated numerical simulator for thermal performance assessments of firefighters’ protective clothing

Research and development of firefighters’ protective clothing relies on a large number of fire disaster experiments in order to assess the thermal performance. It would be substantially advantageous to substitute a virtual numerical experiment for a real one in terms of time, cost and safety. The present article reports the development of an integrated numerical simulator that makes possible the estimation of burn injuries originating from fire disasters. In the simulator, a general-purpose computational fluid dynamics program computes the fluid flow and heat transfer in an in situ fire event, while a one-dimensional program calculates the radiative–conductive heat transfer through the clothing and human skin. A data interface combines the two simulations by loose coupling so as to give the real-time burn injury progress output. The predicted surface heat fluxes and burn degrees agree with experimental measurements reasonably well. Possible numerical error sources are discussed that call for potential improvements in the future.     

Biosurfactant-and-Bioemulsifier Produced by a Promising Cunninghamella echinulata Isolated from Caatinga Soil in the Northeast of Brazil

A Mucoralean fungus was isolated from Caatinga soil of Pernambuco, Northeast of Brazil, and was identified as Cunninghamella echinulata by morphological, physiological, and biochemical tests. This strain was evaluated for biosurfactant/bioemulsifier production using soybean oil waste (SOW) and corn steep liquor (CSL) as substrates, added to basic saline solution, by measuring surface tension and emulsifier index and activity. The best results showed the surface water tension was reduced from 72 to 36 mN/m, and an emulsification index (E₂₄) of 80% was obtained using engine oil and burnt engine oil, respectively. A new molecule of biosurfactant showed an anionic charge and a polymeric chemical composition consisting of lipids (40.0% w/w), carbohydrates (35.2% w/w) and protein (20.3% w/w). In addition, the biosurfactant solution (1%) demonstrated its ability for an oil displacement area (ODA) of 37.36 cm², which is quite similar to that for Triton X-100 (38.46 cm²). The stability of the reduction in the surface water tension as well as of the emulsifier index proved to be stable over a wide range of temperatures, in pH, and in salt concentration (4%–6% w/v). The biosurfactant showed an ability to reduce and increase the viscosity of hydrophobic substrates and their molecules, suggesting that it is a suitable candidate for mediated enhanced oil recovery. At the same time, these studies indicate that renewable, relatively inexpensive and easily available resources can be used for important biotechnological processes.     

Manganese double substituted pyrochlore type semiconducting oxides for high temperature NTC thermistor applications

The effect of simultaneous substitution of Mn in both A and B sites of the pyrochlore type semiconducting oxides: (CaCe_1?2x Mn_2x )(Sn_1?x Mn _x Nb)O_7?δ (x = 0, 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and 0.4) was studied by employing powder X-ray diffraction, Raman spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy and electrical conductivity measurements. Besides the structural confirmation, Raman spectroscopy studies revealed the increased local disordering in the structure with progressive Mn substitution which is not observable in X-ray diffraction studies. The conductivity measurements confirm the negative temperature coefficient (NTC) behavior of the samples. Grain boundary dominant electrical characteristics have been observed in compounds with higher Mn concentration. Thermistor constant of the system lies in the range 6,700–8,500 K and the sensitivity values are in the range ?1 to ?2 %. The double substitution of Mn in this system offers to tune the NTC thermistor properties with increased localization of electrons in the lattice.     

Effects of partially replacing skimmed milk powder with dairy ingredients on rheology, sensory profiling, and microstructure of probiotic stirred-type yogurt during cold storage

This study aimed to evaluate the quality of stirred-type skim milk probiotic yogurt fortified by partially replacing skim milk powder (SMP) with whey protein concentrate (WPC) and sodium caseinate (Na-CN) during cold storage for 28 d compared with nonfortified yogurt. The rheological properties (as measured using dynamic oscillation) and sensory profiles of probiotic yogurts were greatly enhanced when SMP (i.e., 45%) was replaced with WPC and Na-CN. Higher values of mechanical parameters related to storage and loss modulus and consistent microstructure were found in the fortified yogurts. The acidification profile was not affected by supplementation of the solids in the milk base, and the viable counts of probiotic microbiota were high and satisfactory. These positive characteristics of probiotic yogurts were maintained until the end of the storage period. The microstructure of the fortified yogurt showed some differences compared with the nonfortified product, which were due to changes in chemical composition of the milk base in addition to the colloidal characteristics of the product.     

Application of nuclear energy for environmentally friendly hydrogen generation

It is universally admitted that hydrogen is one of the best energy media and its demand will increase greatly in the near future. However, little hydrogen exists naturally, so that how to generate hydrogen without bringing forth much CO₂${}_2$ will be very important research subject. Hydrogen generation from water using nuclear energy is one of the solutions for this problem. Especially, the high temperature gas cooled reactor (HTGR) has a possibility to generate hydrogen economically compared with other types of nuclear reactors. As for long-lived radioactive waste to be generated by nuclear reactors, it is expected to significantly reduce its burden to the human environment by applying transmutation technologies. This report describes the feature of the hydrogen generation with HTGR and the development of the accelerator-driven subcritical system to reduce radioactive waste ongoing at JAEA.     

Prism-pair interferometry by homodyne interferometers with a common light source for high-accuracy measurement of the absolute refractive index of glasses

A prism-pair interferometer comprising two homodyne interferometers with a common light source was developed for high-precision measurements of the refractive index of optical glasses with an uncertainty of the order of 10(-6). The two interferometers measure changes in the optical path length in the glass sample and in air, respectively. Uncertainties in the absolute wavelength of the common light source are cancelled out by calculating a ratio between the results from the interferometers. Uncertainties in phase measurement are suppressed by a quadrature detection system. The combined standard uncertainty of the developed system is evaluated as 1.1×10(-6).     

Notch effect on creep–fatigue life for Sn–3.5Ag solder

This paper studies the creep–fatigue crack initiation and failure lives of Sn–3.5Ag solder notched specimens focused on the multiaxial strain at the notch root. Push–pull creep–fatigue tests were performed using three circumferential notched specimens using four kinds of creep–fatigue strain waveforms. Multiaxial strains at the notched section were calculated by finite element (FE) analysis under four kinds of creep–fatigue loading. Creep–fatigue damage laws were applied for evaluating the crack initiation and failure lives using the multiaxial strains obtained by the FE analysis. von Mises equivalent strain at the notch root estimated the crack initiation lives with a large scatter as well as the failure lives. Instead, the mean value of von Mises equivalent strain over the cross section of the notch root estimated the crack initiation and failure lives with a small scatter.