Production of arachidonic acid by filamentous fungus, Mortierella alliacea strain YN-15

A filamentous fungus producing significant levels of arachidonic acid (AA, C20∶4n−6) was isolated from a freshwater pond sample and assigned to the species Mortierella alliacea. This strain, YN-15, accumulated AA mainly in the form of triglyceride in its mycelia. An optimized culture in 25 L of medium containing 12% glucose and 3% yeast extract yielded 46.1 g/L dry cell weight, 19.5 g/L total fatty acid, and 7.1 g/L AA by 7-d cultivation in a 50-L jar fermenter. Assimilation of soluble starch by YN-15 was notably enhanced by the addition of oleic acid, soybean oil, ammonium sulfate, or potassium phosphate to a starch-based medium. Using starch as a main carbon source in the pre-pilot scale cultivation improved the production of AA by up to 5.0 g/L. Mortierella alliacea strain YN-15 is therefore a promising fungal isolate for industrial production of AA and other polyunsaturated fatty acids.     

Preparation and etching processing of planar thin film of Pr3+-doped fluorozirconate glass

Planar thin-films of a 60ZrF₄ · 35BaF₂ · 5PrF₃ composition were successfully prepared from Zr(hfa)₄, Ba(hfa)₂(tg), Pr(fod)₃ and NF₃ by an electron cyclotron resonance plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition technique. The films obtained were colorless and amorphous. As etching processing of the prepared thin-film, dry etching was performed using Ar, CF₄, SF₆, Cl₂ and Cl₂-BCl₃ gases. The Ar etching in which no reactive ion-etching is anticipated exhibited the fastest etching rate. Wet etching was also performed using a ZrOCl₂-HCl etching solution. The etching rate was extremely fast compared with those of dry etching. In this etching, however, undesirable side-etching occurred. At the present stage, therefore, the most preferable etching processing is dry etching by an Ar gas.     

MIR/NIR/FIR Characterization of Poly‐AMMO and Poly‐BAMO and their Precursors as Energetic Binders to be Used in Solid Propellants

To establish the relation between structure and properties of composite solid propellants it is important to know the structure of the elastomeric binder that has been used in the system. Therefore this study is focused on the characterization of polymers containing energetic groups that has been synthesized at ICT. The characterization uses the wide spectral band of infrared, NIR/MIR/FIR. This gives an identification of the analytical bands and allows quantitative and kinetic studies of these compounds.     

Electrostatic Cleaning System for Removing Lunar Dust Adhering to Space Suits

Removing lunar dust adhering to astronaut space suits is critically important for long-term lunar exploration. We are developing an automatic cleaning system that uses electrostatic force. It employs an alternating electrostatic field that forms a barrier on the surface of fabrics. In this study, we applied single-phase rectangular voltage to parallel wire electrodes stitched into the insulating fabric of space suits. By applying mechanical vibration and operating the system in a vacuum, we realized high performance: the cleaning rate exceeded 80%. Flicking out particles smaller than 10?μm in diameter that were trapped between fibers was difficult, but this system can perform preliminary space suit cleaning and save precious time for astronauts on the moon.     

Comparative Analysis of DNA‐Binding Selectivity of Hairpin and Cyclic Pyrrole‐Imidazole Polyamides Based on Next‐Generation Sequencing

Many long pyrrole‐imidazole polyamides (PIPs) have been synthesized in the search for higher specificity, with the aim of realizing the great potential of such compounds in biological and clinical areas. Among several types of PIPs, we designed and synthesized hairpin and cyclic PIPs targeting identical sequences. Bind‐n‐Seq analysis revealed that both bound to the intended sequences. However, adenines in the data analyzed by the previously reported Bind‐n‐Seq method appeared to be significantly higher in the motif ratio than thymines, even though the PIPs were not expected to distinguish A from T. We therefore examined the experimental protocol and analysis pipeline in detail and developed a new method based on Bind‐n‐Seq motif identification with a reference sequence (Bind‐n‐Seq‐MR). High‐throughput sequence analysis of the PIP‐enriched DNA data by Bind‐n‐Seq‐MR presented A and T comparably. Surface plasmon resonance assays were performed to validate the new method.     

Residential PV system users' perception of profitability,reliability, and failure risk: An empirical survey in a local Japanese municipality

Although previous studies have addressed the reliability of residential PV systems in order to improve the dissemination of the systems among individual users and societies, few have examined users' perception of their own PV systems, which might contain solutions to firmly establish the system into society. First, the present paper examined the extent to which residential PV system users understand specification, reliability, and failure risk of their own systems. Second, causal factors affecting users' satisfaction with PV systems were examined. By analyzing data collected in Kakegawa City, this paper revealed that users did not appropriately understand the basic specifications of their residential PV systems, and in particular, the fact that the systems sometimes failed and therefore needed proper maintenance. Furthermore, a strong causal relationship between users' expectations of financial return from the system and their level of satisfaction was confirmed empirically. These results suggested that excessive focus on profitability and relatively low interest in the systems' reliability and failure risk should be addressed more to avoid problems that could potentially hamper the establishment of this technology into society.     

The Safety and Anti-Tumor Effects of Ozonated Water in Vivo

Ozonated water is easier to handle than ozone gas. However, there have been no previous reports on the biological effects of ozonated water. We conducted a study on the safety of ozonated water and its anti-tumor effects using a tumor-bearing mouse model and normal controls. Local administration of ozonated water (208 mM) was not associated with any detrimental effects in normal tissues. On the other hand, local administration of ozonated water (20.8, 41.6, 104, or 208 mM) directly into the tumor tissue induced necrosis and inhibited proliferation of tumor cells. There was no significant difference in the number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated deoxyuridine triphosphate-biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells following administration of ozonated water. The size of the necrotic areas was dependent on the concentration of ozonated water. These results indicate that ozonated water does not affect normal tissue and damages only the tumor tissue by selectively inducing necrosis. There is a possibility that it exerts through the production of reaction oxygen species (ROS). In addition, the induction of necrosis rather than apoptosis is very useful in tumor immunity. Based on these results, we believe that administration of ozonated water is a safe and potentially simple adjunct or alternative to existing antineoplastic treatments.     

Irradiation to kill Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on ready-to-eat radish and mung bean sprouts

A study was carried out to evaluate the effectiveness of ionizing radiation in eliminating Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella on commercial ready-to-eat radish and mung bean sprouts and to assess the chemical and physical quality of these sprouts. The use of ionizing radiation was investigated as a means of reducing or totally inactivating these pathogens, if present, on the sprouts. Treatment of mung bean and radish sprouts with a dose of 1.5 and 2.0 kGy, respectively, significantly reduced E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella to nondetectable limits. The total vitamin C content was gradually reduced with the increase in irradiation dose (P < 0.0001). However, the effect of storage interval on the loss of vitamin C was nonsignificant for radish sprouts and significant for mung bean sprouts (P < 0.04). The color, firmness, and overall visual quality of the tested sprouts were acceptable when effective doses were applied to both radish and mung bean sprouts. Therefore, ionizing radiation could be useful in reducing the population of pathogens on sprouts and yet retain acceptable quality parameters.