Immobilization of yeast and the function of immobilized yeast.

Hansenula anomala, which catalyzes an asymmetric reduction, was immobilized in bulk or spherical crosslinked polymers. The catalytic activity of the yeast for enantio-selective reduction of 3,8-dioxo-4-methoxycarbonyl-9-methyl-delta 4(10)-octalin (lab) was severely affected by the immobilization conditions, such as the crosslink density, and by hydrophobicity of polymers and other components used for immobilization, oxygen concentration in the medium, etc. In some immobilized systems, the ratio of resulting enantiomers was inverted from that in a free yeast system.     

Quantitative analysis of methylguanidine and guanidine in physiologic fluids by high-performance liquid chromatography-fluorescence detection method.

A rapid and sensitive high-performance liquid chromatographic method has been developed for the quantitative analysis of methylguanidine and guanidine in physiological fluids. These quanidino compounds are separated on a 6 x 0.23 cm cation-exchange column with 0.5 M sodium hydroxide solution. The guanidino compounds are detected with a fluorometer, which monitors the fluorescent guanidine derivatives produced by the reaction of the eluted constituents with 9,10-phenanthrenequinone. Sensitivity to sub-nanomole levels of methylguanidine and guanidine is demonstrated. The method was successfully applied to physiological fluids such as serum and cerebrospinal fluid from uremic patients.     

Application of 28Mg to the kinetic study of Mg uptake by rice plants

The time course of Mg uptake and release using intact rice plants and ²⁸Mg as a tracer is presented. Since there is no conventional Mg tracer available, ²⁸Mg was produced via ²⁷Al(α, 3p)²⁸Mg reaction using a cyclotron. Using the purified ²⁸Mg tracer, it was found that the uptake amount of ²⁸Mg by the rice plants increased linearly during 30 min of application. After ²⁸Mg treatment for 90 min, the roots were sequentially washed with iced solution for 120 min. Within about 10 min, almost all of the ²⁸Mg, that was thought to be weakly bound to the apoplast, was washed away.     

Infraglottic aspect of canine vocal fold vibration: Effect of increase of mean airflow rate and lengthening of vocal fold

The mucosal upheaval (MU), where the mucosal wave starts and propagates upward, appears only when the vocal fold vibrates. The location of the MU histologically and the effect of changes in mean air flow rate (MFR) and vocal fold length on occurrence of the MU were studied in twelve excised canine larynges. The lower surface of the vocal fold was marked to serve as a landmark for subsequent study. Cricothyroid approximation was performed to lengthen the vocal fold. After taking high-speed pictures or recording stroboscopic images from the tracheal side, a small cut wound was made at the mark. This wound served to compare the position of the MU with the histologically identified location of the mark. The larynx was then sectioned in the frontal plane. Before lengthening the vocal fold, the MU occurred on the area where the lamina propria became thinner and where the muscular layer neared the epithelial layer. After lengthening the vocal fold, the MU actually shifted medially compared with its original position. The subglottic area surrounded by the bilateral MUs became longer and thinner. Whether or not complete glottal closure during a vibratory cycle was achieved did not alter these findings. In contrast, with a fixed vocal fold length the MU appeared more laterally as MFR increased, but, based on the relation with the mark, its location on the vocal fold did not change from its original position before increase of MFR.     

Strain-induced interference effects on the resonance Raman cross section of carbon nanotubes

In this Letter, we report the effects of strain on the electronic properties of single-wall carbon nanotubes. When we normalize the electronic transition energies to the corresponding values obtained for unstrained tubes, we obtain that, regardless of the tube diameter, all the data collapse onto universal curves following an n - m = constant family pattern. In the case of metallic tubes, quantum interference effects on the Raman cross section are predicted for strained tubes when the energies of the lower and the upper components have nearly the same values. Experimental evidence for the strain-induced Raman cross section changes is observed in single nanotube spectroscopy.