Field performance of proposed foresight tillage depth control system for rotary implements mounted on an agricultural tractor

Indoor experiments to evaluate the response characteristics of the proposed foresight tillage depth control system for rotary implements mounted on an agricultural tractor were done under various conditions and the result of experiments was reported in our previous paper [Lee J, Yamazaki M, Oida A, Nakashima H, Shimizu H. Electro-hydraulic tillage depth control system for rotary implements mounted on agricultural tractor — design and response experiments of a control system, Journal of Terramechanics 1998;35(4):229–238]. Then, the experiments were conducted in an actual field to evaluate the adaptability of the control system to a field. The transient response experiment, by giving the step variation in the set tillage depth through a computer keyboard and the response to the pitching experiment, by giving the compulsory step variation in the pitching angle to the tractor by a pit, which was dug in the experimental field, were conducted under two steps of tractor running speeds, two kinds of sampling frequencies and so on. Besides of the proposed foresight control system, a non-foresight control system and a no-control system were also tried to be served in the field. The result of the field experiments for these control systems will be discussed in this paper.     

Efficient Synthesis of Polycyclic γ-Lactams by Catalytic Carbonylation of Ene-Imines via Nickelacycle Intermediates

The nickel(0)-catalyzed carbonylative cycloaddition of 1,5- and 1,6-ene-imines with carbon monoxide (CO) is reported. Key to this reaction is the efficient regeneration of the catalytically active nickel(0) species from nickel carbonyl complexes such as [Ni(CO)₃L]. A variety of tri- and tetracyclic γ-lactams were thus prepared in excellent yields with 100 % atom efficiency. Preliminary results on asymmetric derivatives promise potential in the synthesis of enantioenriched polycyclic γ-lactams.     

Injectable Polypeptide Hydrogel Depot System for Assessment of the Immune Response–Inducing Efficacy of Sustained Antigen Release Alone

Vaccines typically contain an antigen, delivery system (vehicle), and adjuvant, all of which contribute to inducing a potent immune response. Consequently, design of new vaccines is difficult, because the contributions and interactions of these components are difficult to distinguish. Here, it is aimed to develop an easy‐to‐use, non‐immunogenic, injectable depot system for sustained antigen release that will be suitable for assessing the efficacy of prolonged antigen exposure per se for inducing an immune response. This should mimic real‐life infections. Recombinant elastin‐like polypeptides with periodic cysteine residues (cELPs) are selected, which reportedly show little or no immunogenicity, as carriers and tetanus toxoid (Ttd) as an antigen. After subcutaneous injection of the mixture, cELP rapidly forms a disulfide cross‐linked hydrogel in situ, within which Ttd is physically incorporated, affording a biodegradable antigen depot. A series of Ttd‐containing hydrogels is examined. A single injection induces high levels of tetanus antibody with high avidity for at least 20 weeks in mice. The chain length of cELP proves critical, whereas differences in hydrophobicity has little effect, although hydrophilic cELPs are more rapidly biodegraded. This system's ability to distinguish the contribution of sustained antigen release to antibody induction should be helpful for rational design of next‐generation vaccines.     

Total Synthesis of Lajollamycin B

The first total synthesis of lajollamycin B, a structurally novel nitro-tetraene spiro-β-lactone/γ-lactone antibiotic, is described. The convergent synthesis involves the construction of the C8′–C11′ nitrodienylstannane and its coupling with the segment prepared from the C1′–C7′ ω-iodoheptadienoic acid and the right-hand heterocyclic fragment, which has been utilized for our previous syntheses of oxazolomycin A. The revision of the geometry of the terminal Δ^{10′, 11′}-double bond from E to Z is also described for the structure of natural lajollamycin B.     

Some Observations on the Impact of a Low-Solubility Ionic Solution on Drying Characteristics of a Model Porous Medium

Transport in Porous Media - We study the impact, on the drying rate, of the presence of suspended elements, such as calcium sulfate ions, in the interstitial fluid of a porous medium. In order to...     

Investigation of the influence of cell density of human fibroblasts cryopreserved inside collagen sponges at various cooling rates

The influence of cell density of cells cryopreserved inside a collagen matrix at various cooling rates was investigated. Human fibroblasts were three-dimensionally cultured for 2 days in a collagen sponge (20 mm in diameter and 1 mm in thickness) as an extracellular matrix to imitate biological tissue (artificial tissue). Different cell densities for the artificial tissue were used, from 10(5) to 10(7) cells/cm(3). Four artificial tissues were first stacked in a test chamber, frozen at a cooling rate of 0.3 to 50 degrees C/min in a solution of Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium, 20% fetal bovine serum and 10% dimethylsulfoxide, kept frozen below -185 degrees C for 2 hours, and then finally thawed. Membrane integrity of fibroblasts using a trypan blue exclusion assay was evaluated as an index for post-thaw cellular viability. Results show that with increasing cell density, the post-thaw membrane integrity decreased. Therefore, in the cryopreservation of biological tissue, it seems high cell density is one factor which causes a decline in viability.     

Spin-crossover phenomenon of the assembled iron complexes with 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane as bridging ligand studied by Mössbauer spectroscopy

The transition temperatures between high- and low-spin states of the assembled spin-crossover complexes, Fe(NCX)₂(bpa)₂(guest) (X = S, Se, BH₃; bpa = 1,2-bis(4-pyridyl)ethane; guest = biphenyl, 2-nitrobiphenyl, diphenylmethane, or 1,4-dichlorobenzene), were compared with the Mössbauer parameters. The transition temperature increases when the QS value of Fe^II high-spin state becomes small. The transition temperature also increases by changing the anion from NCS to NCSe and then to NCBH₃.