High-performance genetic analysis on microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis plastic chips fabricated by injection molding

We have developed a novel technique for mass production of microfabricated capillary array electrophoresis (mu-CAE) plastic chips for high-speed, high-throughput genetic analysis. The mu-CAE chips, containing 10 individual separation channels of 50-microm width, 50-microm depth, and a 100-microm lane-to-lane spacing at the detection region and a sacrificial channel network, were fabricated on a poly(methyl methacrylate) substrate by injection molding and then bonded manually using a pressure-sensitive sealing tape within several seconds at room temperature. The conditions for injection molding and bonding were carefully characterized to yield mu-CAE chips with well-defined channel and injection structures. A CCD camera equipped with an image intensifier was used to monitor simultaneously the separation in a 10-channel array with laser-induced fluorescence detection. High-performance electrophoretic separations of phiX174 HaeIII DNA restriction fragments and PCR products related to the human beta-globin gene and SP-B gene (the surfactant protein B) have been demonstrated on mu-CAE plastic chips using a methylcellulose sieving matrix in individual channels. The current work demonstrated greatly simplified the fabrication process as well as a detection scheme for mu-CAE chips and will bring the low-cost mass production and application of mu-CAE plastic chips for genetic analysis.     

High pressure differential thermal analysis (HPDTA) of fatty acid methyl esters and triglycerides

When using high pressure differential thermal analysis to study the stability of a fatty methyl ester or triglyceride in an atmosphere of air, a departure from the base line in the exothermic curve is observed. The point where an extension line from the base line intersects a tangent line to the departure curve was selected as the transition point in the exothermic curve. For each sample studied, temperature at this transition point showed good reproducibility. The influence of sample container and air pressure upon the temperature of the transition point in the exothermic curve (TTE) was examined. A linear correlation between the number of double bonds in the sample and TTE was observed.     

Synovial osteochondromatosis of the temporo-mandibular joint

A rare case of synovial osteochondromatosis of the temporo-mandibular joint is presented. Important diagnostic information can be obtained by CT, MRI, 99m Tc bone scan and aspiration biopsy. Observation using a light microscope showed mild cellular atypia, but the hallmarks characteristic of chondrosarcoma were not found. Observation using an electron microscope showed the mature chondrocytes contained a well-developed rough endoplasmic reticulum. Histological evaluation indicated that the present case was benign synovial osteochondromatosis in an early stage.     

Enrichment of CLA isomers by selective esterification with l-menthol using Candida rugosa lipase

Commercially available preparations of CLA are composed of almost equal amounts of 9-cis,11-trans (9c,11t)-CLA and 10-trans,12-cis (10t,12c)-CLA. Each isomer was fractionated and enriched, for availability as a food supplement, by a process comprising selective esterification with l-menthol by Candida rugosa lipase, distillation, and n-hexane extraction. The first selective esterification of CLA isomers was conducted with an equimolar amount of l-menthol of 30°C. The oil phase of the reaction mixture was fractionated into an l-menthyl ester fraction (9c,11t-CLA rich) and an FFA fraction (10t,12c-CLA rich) by distillation. The FFA fraction was esterified again with an equimolar amount of l-menthol to enrich 10t,12c-CLA. The 10t,12c-CLA preparation was obtained as the resulting FFA fraction by distillation. 10t,12c-CLA was enriched to 91% with 40% recovery. To enrich 9c,11t-CLA, the l-menthyl ester fraction in the first esterification was chemically hydrolyzed, and the resulting FFA were esterified again with an equimolar amount of l-menthol. The 9c, 11t-CLA preparation was obtained by chemical hydrolysis of the resulting l-methyl ester fraction, followed by n-hexane extraction. 9c,11t-CLA was enriched to 94% with 42% recovery. This effective process for purification of CLA isomers using l-methol is applicable to the production of food supplements.     

三维叠前深度偏移技术在潜山成像中的应用

孤西潜山带地质构造复杂,埋藏深,地震资料信噪比低,准确成像困难。采用三维叠前深度偏移方法对孤西潜山带的连片常规三维地震资料和高精度三维地震资料进行了重新处理。对各区块数据在频率、相位、信噪比和覆盖次数等方面的差异进行了归一化、匹配滤波和剩余能量补偿等处理;基于叠前时间偏移进行了速度分析,参考井速度和合成地震记录,建立了初始速度模型;对偏移参数进行了测试和选取,采用Kirchhoff积分叠前深度偏移方法对资料进行了偏移处理。结果表明,叠前深度偏移提高了地质构造复杂地区的成像质量,断层和潜山内幕反射清晰,层位深度与钻井深度吻合较好,发现了新的有利构造。     

Basic study of aerial flashover characteristics generated from pore of insulating solid

This paper reports a study on the possibility of an aerial flashover between a coil conductor and a casing in rotating machines under the application of a lower voltage than Paschen's voltage, even when enough insulation distance is secured. The time lag to aerial flashover originating from surface flashover was measured. To understand the aerial flashover influenced by the parameters of the voltage application circuit, the aerial flashover distance was measured using a cable which had a simulated pore to confirm the above issue. The surface flashover characteristic was also measured using a photomultiplier tube (PMT). It became clear that aerial flashover occurred a few milliseconds after surface flashover generation. After showing the peak, the aerial flashover distance decreased with increasing time constant. The surface flashover time estimated by the PMT output exhibited different values with change of capacitance when the time constant is larger. On the other hand, the average surface flashover current was almost the same in spite of the change of capacitance. From these results, it was concluded that the aerial flashover distance was influenced by the time constant of the circuit. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 180(3): 9–17, 2012; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.21295     

Video Scene Annotation Based on Web Social Activities

This article describes a mechanism to acquire the semantics of video content from the activities of Web communities that use a bulletin-board system and weblog tools to discuss video scenes.     

Enrichment and characterization of chlorinated organophosphate ester-degrading mixed bacterial cultures

Chlorinated organophosphate ester (OPE)-degrading enrichment cultures were obtained using tris(2-chloroethyl) phosphate (TCEP) or tris(1,3-dichloro-2-propyl) phosphate (TDCPP) as the sole phosphorus source. In cultures with 46 environmental samples, significant TCEP and TDCPP degradation was observed in 10 and 3 cultures, respectively, and successive subcultivation markedly increased their degradation rates. 67E and 45D stable enrichment cultures obtained with TCEP and TDCPP, respectively, completely degraded 20 muM of the respective compounds within 6 h and also the other, although the degradation rate of TCEP by 45D was relatively slow. We confirmed chloride ion generation on degradation in both cases and the generation of 2-chloroethanol (2-CE) and 1,3-dichloro-2-propanol (1,3-DCP) as metabolites of TCEP and TDCPP, respectively. 67E and 45D also showed dehalogenation ability toward 2-CE and 1,3-DCP, respectively. Addition of inorganic phosphate did not significantly influence their ability to degrade the chlorinated OPEs but markedly increased their dehalogenation ability, which was maximum at 0.2 mM of inorganic phosphate and decreased at a higher concentration. Denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis analysis showed that dominant bacteria in 67E are related to Acidovorax spp. and Sphingomonas spp. and those in 45D are Acidovorax spp., Aquabacterium spp., and Sphingomonas spp. This analysis indicated the relationship of the Sphingomonas- and Acidovorax-related bacteria with the cleavage of the phosphoester bond and dehalogenation, respectively, in both cultures. This is the first report on bacterial enrichment cultures capable of degrading both TCEP and TDCPP.     

A Restart Control Method for Position Sensorless PMSM Drive Systems Without Potential Transformer for Railway Vehicle Traction

This paper proposes a restart control method for position sensorless PMSM drive systems without a potential transformer for railway vehicle traction. This method can estimate the initial rotor speed and position under coasting conditions over the entire speed range. The method can also be used when the back‐EMF voltage is higher than the inverter DC link voltage. The proposed method is verified by experiments using a 200‐kW PMSM.