Potential bile acid metabolites. 24. An efficient synthesis of carboxyl-linked glucosides and their chemical properties

A facile and efficient synthesis of the carboxyl-linked glucosides of bile acids is described. Direct esterification of unprotected bile acids with 2,3,4,6-tetra-O-benzyl-d-glucopyranose in pyridine in the presence of 2-chloro-1,3,5-trinitrobenzene as a coupling agent afforded a mixture of the α- and β-anomers (ca. 1∶3) of the 1-O-acyl-d-glucoside benzyl ethers of bile acids, which was separated effectively on a C₁₈ reversedphase chromatography column (isolated yields of α- and β-anomers are 4–9% and 12–19%, respectively). Subsequent hydrogenolysis of the α- and β-acyl glucoside benzyl ethers on a 10% Pd−C catalyst in acetic acid/methanol/EtOAc (1∶2∶2, by vol) at 35°C under atmospheric pressure gave the corresponding free esters in good yields (79–89%). Chemical specificities such as facile hydrolysis and transesterification of the acyl glucosides in various solvents were also discussed.     

Dynamic hybridization of MILES and RANS for predicting airfoil stall

Hybridization comprised of an algebraic turbulence model based on the Reynolds average Navier-Stokes (RANS) equations with a monotonically integrated large eddy simulation (MILES) is proposed to simulate transient fluid motion during separation and vortex shedding at high Reynolds numbers. The proposed hybridization utilizes the Baldwin-Lomax model with the Degani-Schiff modification as the RANS model in the near-wall region and a MILES far from the wall. Although the hybridization is assumed to be a MILES with wall modeling, the transition line between the RANS and the MILES modes is determined by the turbulent intensity that is dominated by the large eddies in the grid-scale. This hybrid model is applied to the flows past three different types of airfoils (NACA63₃-018, NACA63₁-012 and NACA64A-006) near stall, at a chord Reynolds number of Re = 5.8 × 10⁶. These airfoils are classified as trailing-edge-stall, leading-edge-stall and thin-airfoil-stall airfoils, respectively. The computed results are compared with wind tunnel experiments. The hybrid model successfully demonstrates accurate stall angle and surface pressure distribution predictions near the stall for each type of airfoil. The airfoil simulation results confirmed that the hybrid model provides a better prediction than the RANS model for unsteady turbulent flows with separation and vortex shedding simulations.     

高质量密度储氢材料-氨基化合物的合成

采用真空蒸发法制备了氨基化锂LiNH2(+2·LiH)薄膜,即首先将Li真空镀膜到金属基板上,然后经氮化、氢化处理合成LiNH2薄膜.此外,真空蒸发法也用于Mg部分置换Li后薄膜的制备.实验结果证明,与传统的粉末状试样相比,薄膜状试样能够在更低的温度下释放出氢气.研究表明采用包括真空蒸发法等非传统方法合成金属络合物储氢材料对进一步提高其储放氢特性具有良好的效果.     

Small break loch experiments and verification of CANAC-II code

Scaled experiments on small break, loss-of-coolant accidents have been conducted. The tests simulated loss-of-coolant accidents (LOCAs) resulting from a 0.53% and a 0.13% communicative break in the cold leg and the pressurizer power operated relief valve (PORV). The thermal-hydraulic behavior such as natural circulation and reflux condensation cooling during a small break LOCA has been investigated.

A new computer program CANAC-II (a Computer Analysis Program of Natural Circulation for multi-loop systems) has been developed and verified based upon comprehensive tests. A drift flux model was applied for two-phase flow in CANAC-II. It also has a shorter computer running time than the real time.     

Effect of gene disruption of succinate dehydrogenase on succinate production in a sake yeast strain

Succinate dehydrogenase (SDH) of Saccharomyces cerevisiae consists of four subunits encoded by the SDH1, SDH2, SDH3, and SDH4 genes. We determined the effect of SDH deficiency on the productivity of organic acids in a sake yeast strain Kyokai no. 9. The SDH activity of single disruptants was retained at 30-90% of that of the wild-type strain, but the activity disappeared in double disruptants of the SDH1 and SDH2 or SDH1b (the SDH1 homologue) genes. Two double disruptants showed no growth on a medium containing glycerol as the sole carbon source, while the single disruptants could utilize glycerol. These results indicate that double disruption of the SDH1 and SDH2 or SDH1b genes is required for complete loss of SDH activity and that the SDH1b gene compensates for the function of the SDH1 gene. The sdh1 sdh1b disruptant showed a marked increase in succinate productivity of up to 1.9-fold along with a decrease in malate productivity relative to the wild-type strains under shaking conditions. Under both static and sake brewing conditions, the productivity of these organic acids in the disruptants was virtually unchanged from that in the wild-type strain. Furthermore, SDH activity was undetectable in the wild-type and the disrupted strains under static conditions. These results suggest that SDH activity contributes to succinate production under shaking conditions, but not under static and sake brewing conditions.     

Environmental protection: researches in National Institute of Radiological Sciences

Some studies for radiological protection of the environment have been made at the National Institute of Radiological Sciences (NIRS). Transfer of radionuclides and related elements has been investigated for dose estimation of non-human biota. A parameter database and radionuclide transfer models have been also developed for the Japanese environments. Dose (rate)-effect relationships for survival, growth and reproduction have been investigated in conifers, Arabidopsis, fungi, earthworms, springtails, algae, duckweeds, daphnia and medaka. Also genome-wide gene expression analysis has been carried out by high coverage expression profiling (HiCEP). Effects on aquatic microbial communities have been studied in experimental ecosystem models, i.e., microcosms. Some effects were detected at a dose rate of 1 Gy day(-1) and were likely to arise from interspecies interactions. The results obtained at NIRS have been used in development of frameworks for environmental protection by some international bodies, and will contribute to environmental protection in Japan and other Asian countries.     

Solution Growth and Thermoelectric Properties of Single-Phase MnSi<Subscript>1.75−<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis></Subscript>

We have investigated the crystal growth of single-phase MnSi_1.75−x by a temperature gradient solution growth (TGSG) method using Ga and Sn as solvents and MnSi_1.7 alloy as the solute, and measured the thermoelectric properties of the resulting crystals. Single-phase Mn₁₁Si₁₉ and Mn₄Si₇ crystals were grown successfully using Ga and Sn as solvents, respectively. The typical size of a grown ingot of Mn₁₁Si₁₉ was 2 mm to 4 mm in thickness and 12 mm in diameter, whereas Mn₄Si₇ had polyhedral shape with dimensions in the range of several millimeters. The single-phase Mn₁₁Si₁₉ has good electrical conduction (ρ = 0.89 × 10⁻³ Ω cm to 1.09 × 10⁻³ Ω cm) compared with melt-grown multiphase higher-manganese silicide (HMS) crystals. The Seebeck coefficient, power factor, and thermal conductivity were 77 μV K⁻¹ to 85 μV K⁻¹, 6.7 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻² to 7.2 μW cm⁻¹ K⁻², and 0.032 W cm⁻¹ K⁻¹, respectively, at 300 K.     

Relation between radiographic mottle for double and single emulsions

The radiographic density fluctuations produced by using dual screen-film systems are designated as the radiographic mottle. The density fluctuation of the radiographic mottle for the double emulsions at a density of the double emulsions consists of those for the front and back emulsions on a radiograph. However, the relation between the Wiener spectra of the radiographic mottle for the double and single emulsions had not been studied. Hence we compared the Wiener spectra of the radiographic mottle for the double emulsions with the sum of those for the front and back emulsions on the same radiographs and with the sum of those for the emulsions at the same densities. At all densities of more than 0.62 for lower spatial frequencies (< or = 1 mm-1), the Wiener spectral values of the radiographic mottle for the double emulsions were greater than the sum of those for the front and back emulsions for both comparisons on the same radiographs and at the same densities. In order to investigate the reason of the above phenomena, we separated the Wiener spectral values of the radiographic mottle for various densities into those of the three factors, i.e., quantum mottle, structure mottle, and film granularity, and performed the same comparisons as the radiographic mottle. Also, to explain the results for the three factors, we obtained the Wiener spectral values of the spatial fluctuations of the light exposure or the fluorescence intensity and the gradients of the characteristic curves of the film for the double and single emulsions of the x-ray film. As a result of the investigation, we found that the phenomena on the radiographic mottle were caused by that (1) on the same radiographs the squares of the gradients of the characteristic curves for the double emulsions were about 5.3 times as great as those for the single emulsion at densities of more than 0.62 of the double emulsions, and (2) at the same density of more than 0.62 those were more than about 2.2 times as great as those for the single emulsion.     

Sequence analysis of functional regions of homoserine dehydrogenase genes from L-lysine and L-threonine-producing mutants of Brevibacterium lactofermentum

The homoserine dehydrogenase (HD) genes from Brevibacterium lactofermentum lysine- and threonine-producing mutants were cloned, using the polymerase chain reaction, and sequenced. We found the amino acid substitutions, Val104Ile in the lysine-producing mutants in which HD may cause leaky mutation and Ser393Phe in the threonine-producing mutant with feedback-insensitive HD.