Effect of cooking on the antioxidant properties of coloured peppers

Pepper (Capsicum annum L.) has long been recognized as an excellent source of antioxidants, being rich in ascorbic acid and other phytochemicals. This study was conducted to investigate the effect of different cooking methods on the antioxidant properties of coloured peppers. Six varieties of peppers were subjected to different cooking methods, such as microwave heating, stir-frying and boiling in water, for 5 min individually. The cooked and raw peppers were analyzed for radical-scavenging activity (RSA) and total polyphenol content (TP) using 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl–high-pressure liquid chromatography (DPPH)–HPLC and Folin-Ciocalteu methods, respectively. The samples were also evaluated for ascorbic acid content (AsA) by HPLC. Total carotenoid content was determined spectrophotometrically. Results suggest that there is no significant (P > 0.05) difference in RSA, TP, AsA and total carotenoid contents between the cooked and raw peppers when processed for 5 min. However, the cooked peppers show marked differences (P < 0.05) in the RSA, TP and AsA when cooked for 5 min in boiling water with further reduction observed after boiling for 30 min. This may be due to the leaching of antioxidant compounds from the pepper into the cooking water during the prolonged exposure to water and heat. Therefore, it is vital to use less water and cooking time and also to consume the water used for boiling so as to obtain the optimum benefits of bioactive compounds present in peppers. It is concluded that microwave heating and stir-frying without using water are more suitable cooking methods for pepper, to ensure the maximum retention of antioxidant molecules.     

Discovering characteristic patterns from collections of classical Japanese poems

Waka is a form of traditional Japanese poetry with a 1300-year history. In this paper, we attempt to discover characteristics common to a collection ofwaka poems. As a schema for characteristics, we use regular patterns where the constant parts are limited to sequences of auxiliary verbs and postpostional particles. We call such patternsfushi. The problem is to automate the process of finding significantfushi patterns that characterize the poems. Solving this problem requires a reliable significance measure for the patterns. Brāzma et al. (1996) proposed such a measure according to the MDL principle. Using this method, we report successful results in finding patterns from five anthologies. Some of the results are quite stimulating, and we hope that they will lead to new discoveries. Mayumi Yamasaki, M.A.: She received her B.E. and M.A. degrees from Kyushu Institute of Technology in 1997 and from Kyushu University in 1999, respectively. Her research interests include machine discovery and datamining. Presently, she works at Fujitsu FIP Corporation. Masayuki Takeda, Dr. Eng.: He is an Associate Professor in Department of informatics at Kyushu University. He received his B.S., M.S., and Dr. Eng. degrees from Kyushu University in 1987, 1989 and 1996 respectively. His present research interests include pattern matching algorithims, text compression, discovery science, information retrieval and natural language processing. He is a member of Information Processing Society of Japan, Japanese Society for Artificial Intelligence and Japanese Society for Soft-ware Science and Technology. Tomoko Fukuda, M.A.: She is a Lecturer at Fukuoka Jo Gakuin University and at Junshin Women’s Junior College, She received her B.A. and M.A. degrees from Fukuoka Women’s University in 1987 and from Kyushu University in 1992 respectively. Her present research interests are in Japanese literature in the Heian period and classical 31-syllable Japanese poems. She is a member of Waka-Bungaku Kai (Society for Study of Japanese Poems) and Chuko-Bungaku Kai (Society for Study of Japanese Literature in the Heian Period). Ichiro Nanri, M.A.: He is an Associate Professor at Junshin Women’s Juior College. He received his B.A. and M.A. degrees from Kyushu University in 1990 and 1995 respectively. His present research interests are in Japanese language in the Heian-Kamakura period and classical 31-syllable Japanese poems. He is a member of Kokugo Gakkai (Society for Study of Japanese Language) and Kuntengo Gakkai (Society for Studyy of Old Language).     

Difference of histology and elemental composition of the cervical enamels among human permanent teeth

The purpose of this study is to clarify the difference of histology and elemental composition of the cervical enamels among the human permanent teeth. The reground surfaces at the cervical enamels of them were observed under scanning electron microscopy (SEM). The contents of seven elements were analyzed quantitatively with electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The widths of the rod sections at the cervical enamels were larger than those at the cuspal enamels. The rod sections at the mesial cervical enamels in the incisors were more obscure and more decayed by acid solution than those in the premolars and molars. The calcium and phosphorus contents of the cervical enamels were significantly lower than those of the cuspal enamels. The carbon content of the cervical enamels was significantly higher than that of the cuspal enamels. The calcium and phosphorus contents of the cervical enamels were the significantly highest in the premolars. The carbon and sodium contents of the cervical enamels were significantly highest in the premolars. It is thought that the calcification level is lower, while the content of organic matter is higher at the cervical enamels than those at the cuspal enamels. It is considered that the sodium causes high calcification.     

Gianotti-Crosti syndrome associated with cytomegalovirus antigenemia after bone marrow transplantation

Gianotti-Crosti syndrome (GCS) is characterized by a distinctive self-limiting acral papular or papulovesicular eruption associated with an underlying viral illness. It has not been previously reported in patients post-bone marrow transplantation. We report a 6-year-old Japanese boy who underwent allogeneic bone marrow transplantation from an unrelated donor for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) in second remission. He had clinical and histopathologic findings characteristic of GCS and evidence of subclinical infection with cytomegalovirus (CMV) detected by CMV antigenemia assay. It is likely that CMV is the causative agent for the GCS in this case.     

Group feature extraction based on matrix factorization from long-range office-logging data

To increase the productivity of knowledge workers, it is necessary to manage their organization so that they are motivated to collaborate with each other for their synergy. However, it is difficult for managers to grasp the explicit interactions of workers in the organization all the time. Owing to advanced communications technology, and the reduced size and improved capabilities of computers, we are able to record group behaviors as logging data in the office. The aim of this study is to extract features of group behavior from long-range office-logging data. We apply principal component analysis to the data matrix whose element is the mean travel velocity calculated from an individual’s trajectory per day. The results demonstrate the feasibility of our approach, since nontrivial informative group features can be extracted.     

Correlation of tensile properties,deformation modes,and phase stability in commercial β-phase titanium alloys

The effect of plastic deformation mode on tensile properties of quenched commercial β-phase titanium alloys has been investigated at approximately constant grain size and oxygen content. In addition, stability of β-phase has been estimated from ω-reflections or diffuse streaking in electron diffraction patterns in a manner similar to the previous works on binary β-phase titanium alloys. Dominant mode of plastic deformation is {332}<113> twinning in the alloys with large instability of β-phase, such as Ti-11.5Mo-6Zr-4. 5Sn and Ti-15Mo-5Zr, and is crystallographic slip in the alloys with small instability of β-phase, such as Ti-15Mo-5Zr-3Al, Ti-3Al-8V-6Cr-4Mo-4Zr, Ti-15V-3Cr-3Al-3Sn, Ti-8Mo-8V-2Fe-3Al, and Ti-13V-11C-3Al. Twinning leads to low yield strength and large elongation, while slip results in high yield strength and small elongation in agreement with binary and termary β-phase titanium alloys.     

Evidence for Altered Phosphoinositide Signaling-Associated Molecules in the Postmortem Prefrontal Cortex of Patients with Schizophrenia

Phosphoinositides (PIs) play important roles in the structure and function of the brain. Associations between PIs and the pathophysiology of schizophrenia have been studied. However, the significance of the PI metabolic pathway in the pathology of schizophrenia is unknown. We examined the expression of PI signaling-associated proteins in the postmortem brain of schizophrenia patients. Protein expression levels of phosphatidylinositol 4-phosphate 5-kinase type-1 gamma (PIP5K1C), phosphatidylinositol 4-kinase alpha (PIK4CA, also known as PIK4A), phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted from chromosome 10 (PTEN), protein kinase B (Akt), and glycogen synthase kinase 3β (GSK3β) were measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays and multiplex fluorescent bead-based immunoassays of the prefrontal cortex (PFC) of postmortem samples from 23 schizophrenia patients and 47 normal controls. We also examined the association between PIK4CA expression and its genetic variants in the same brain samples. PIK4CA expression was lower, whereas Akt expression was higher, in the PFC of schizophrenia patients than in that of controls; PIP5K1C, PTEN, and GSK3β expression was not different. No single-nucleotide polymorphism significantly affected protein expression. We identified molecules involved in the pathology of schizophrenia via this lipid metabolic pathway. These results suggest that PIK4CA is involved in the mechanism underlying the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and is a potential novel therapeutic target.     

Optimizing natural rubber blends for examination gloves: Vacuum radiation for mechanical strength and solvent barrier

Natural rubber (NR) is emblematic of sustainability compared to synthetic rubber. However, the tradition of adding sulfur as a vulcanization ingredient results in the release of toxic substances and the potential for health issues. In this study, a feasible strategy was proposed to replace sulfur and discover a safe bulk modification process for NR films. The results have shown that the NR particle size was disintegrated to below 10 nm by gamma irradiation. High tension strength up to 24.45 MPa was observed in the vulcanized NR blend film, which could be elongated up to 800% strain after exposure to an optimum dose of 14 kGy. In comparison to commercial NR latex and nitrile gloves, the vulcanized NR/ SIS films exhibited better chemical resistance ability against hexane, methanol, toluene, and acetone, as revealed by the permeation test. The appearance of amorphous regions and highly oriented NR crystallites was observed through transmission electron microscopy. Findings from this study propose the vacuum radiation strategy that can replace conventional vulcanization methods, resulting in NR films with high mechanical and barrier performance. Furthermore, the emission of toxic substances is reduced by this green process, making it practically useful for potential chemical-resistant examination glove applications.     

Migration of dehydroabietic and abietic acids from paper and paperboard food packaging into food-simulating solvents and Tenax TA

An investigation was undertaken to establish the concentration in paper products of dehydroabietic (DHA) and abietic (AA) resin acids, present in rosin, which are major toxicants of pulp- and paper-mill effluent. Their migration was studied from paper and paperboard products into various food-simulating solvents and the substitute fatty food simulant Tenax TA (modified polyphenylene oxide). DHA and AA were detected in five of 10 virgin paper products and in all 10 recycled paperboard products for food-contact use at concentrations of 14-500 and 110-1200 µg/g, respectively. In virgin paper products, the highest migration was into 95% ethanol or heptane, with negligible or no migration into other solvents. In recycled paperboard products, migration was highest into 95% ethanol, but was also observed into 20% ethanol, water and heptane. Migration to Tenax TA was also observed and the migration level increased with time. The maximum migration levels of DHA and AA into food simulants were 0.853 and 3.14 µg/g, respectively. The results suggest that, in the worst case, the daily intake of DHA and AA from paper and paperboard products was 50 times lower than the tolerable daily intake of rosin.     

创意纷呈的东京创意市集博览会Tomoko的时尚日记(八)

Design Festa是一个没有边界的艺术盛会．它超越了年龄和国界。此时的东京就像一个充满了大量艺术和时尚产品的胃，虽然它依旧难以令所有人满意．但你很难再找到超越它的艺术博览会了。[编者按]