Synthesis of various kinds of esters by four microbial lipases

Ester synthesis by microbial lipases, using homogeneous enzyme preparations, were investigated. The amount of synthesized ester was estimated by alkalimetry, and products were identified by thin-layer chromatography and infrared spectroscopy. Lipases from Aspergillus niger, Rhizopus delemar, Geotrichum candidum and Penicillium cyclopium synthesized esters from oleic acid and various primary alcohols. Only Geotrichum candidum lipase synthesized esters of secondary alcohols. Esters of tertiary alcohols, phenols or sugar alcohols were not synthesized by any lipase. Rather high concentrations of alcohol were required to synthesize the esters of ethylene glycol, propylene glycol or trimethylene glycol. Lipases from Aspergillus niger and Rhizopus delemar synthesized oleyl esters of various fatty acids and some dibasic acids. In contrast, lipases from Geotrichum candidum and Penicillium cyclopium synthesized oleyl esters only from medium or long chain fatty acids.     

Population of K-lymphocytes in various kinds of thyroid disease

We have measured the population of Killer (K) lymphocytes in the peripheral blood of 108 patients with various kinds of thyroid disease. In the patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis and Graves' disease, the relative and absolute numbers of K-lymphocytes were significantly lower than those seen in healthy controls (p less than 0.001), and the longer the duration of medication, the lower the K-lymphocyte population. However, there was no apparent correlation between the serum titers of thyroid autoantibodies and the K-lymphocyte population. In the patients with malignant and benign thyroid tumors, the relative and absolute numbers of K-lymphocytes significantly decreased when compared with those of controls (p less than 0.001), the decrease was more prominent after surgical operation than before operation. A prominent decrease in the K-lymphocyte population was evoked to maximum 2 to 4 weeks after surgical operation. The patients with both malignant and benign tumors having abundant lymphocytic infiltration in their surgical specimens generally revealed a lower K-lymphocyte population than those having no lymphocytic infiltration.     

Growth of Bacillus cereus in fermenting tempeh made from various beans and its inhibition by Lactobacillus plantarum

Counts of Bacillus cereus reached ca 10⁸ cfu/g within 40 h in fermenting unacidified horsebean tempeh and resulted in complete spoilage of the product. In fermenting unacidified pea, chickpea and soybean tempeh, B. cereus counts reached 10⁶–10⁷ cfu/g, although the products were not spoiled. Inoculation of these unacidified beans with Lactobacillus plantarum decreased the final count of B. cereus by 2 log units, but had no effect on its growth in unacidified horsebean tempeh and its subsequent spoilage. Acidification of the beans during soaking resulted in a lower rate of B. cereus growth during fermentation. Inoculation of acidified beans with Lact. plantarum resulted in a markedly lower growth rate of B. cereus . In an associative broth culture study, B. cereus was completely inhibited by Lact. plantarum at pH values of about 5·5. Lactobacillus plantarum may be used to control the growth of B. cereus during tempeh production.     

Growth of Bacillus cereus in fermenting tempeh made from various beans and its inhibition by Lactobacillus plantarum

Counts of Bacillus cereus reached ca 10(8) cfu/g within 40 h in fermenting unacidified horsebean tempeh and resulted in complete spoilage of the product. In fermenting unacidified pea, chickpea and soybean tempeh, B. cereus counts reached 10(6)-10(7) cfu/g, although the products were not spoiled. Inoculation of these unacidified beans with Lactobacillus plantarum decreased the final count of B. cereus by 2 log units, but had no effect on its growth in unacidified horsebean tempeh and its subsequent spoilage. Acidification of the beans during soaking resulted in a lower rate of B. cereus growth during fermentation. Inoculation of acidified beans with Lact. plantarum resulted in a markedly lower growth rate of B. cereus. In an associative broth culture study, B. cereus was completely inhibited by Lact. plantarum at pH values of about 5.5. Lactobacillus plantarum may be used to control the growth of B. cereus during tempeh production.     

The microflora of soak water during tempeh production from various beans

The microflora of soak water was studied during the soaking of horsebean, pea, chickpea and soybean for tempeh production. Lactic streptococci dominated the flora in both unacidified and acidified soak water. Coliforms and yeasts were found only in unacidified soak water. Growth of micro-organisms in acidified and unacidified soak water resulted in a decrease in pH value of the cooked beans. Microbial acidification during soaking is considered to be important in tempeh production.     

The microflora of soak water during tempeh production from various beans

The microflora of soak water was studied during the soaking of horsebean, pea, chickpea and soybean for tempeh production. Lactic streptococci dominated the flora in both unacidified and acidified soak water. Coliforms and yeast were found only in unacidified soak water. Growth of micro-organisms in acidified and unacidified soak water resulted in a decrease in pH value of the cooked beans. Microbial acidification during soaking is considered to be important in tempeh production.     

Odor reduction rate in the confinement pig building by spraying various additives.

The objective of this on-site experiment was to evaluate and compare the effectiveness of currently utilized various additives, i.e. tap water, salt water, digested manure, microbial additive, soybean oil, artificial spice and essential oil, to reduce odor emissions from the confinement pig building. Odor reduction rates were evaluated with respect to sensual odor (odor concentration index, odor intensity and odor offensiveness) and odorous compounds (ammonia and sulfuric odorous compounds). Of the additives investigated in this study, salt water, artificial spice and essential oil had a positive effect on reducing odor generation. The effectiveness of salt water was only observed on ammonia, showing the reduction rates as a function of time (t=immediately, 1h, 3h, 5h, and 24h after spraying) were 0.1%, 20%, 36%, 11% and 0.2% as compared to initial level before spraying. The odor intensity and offensiveness were lessened by spraying artificial spice and essential oil of which maximum reduction rates ranged from 60% to 80%. Additionally, the essential oil had a significant effect on reducing sulfuric odorous compounds for 24h after spraying, which implicates that it functioned as not only a masking agent but also as an antimicrobial agent.     

Predation by the phyllosoma larva of Ibacus novemdentatus on various kinds of venomous jellyfish

The phyllosoma, a larva of spiny and slipper lobsters, has an exceptionally flat body and long appendages. It is known to associate with several species of cnidarian jellyfish, a behavior that is not rare in crustaceans. Indeed, phyllosomas clinging onto jellyfish have been observed both in the laboratory and in the natural environment. Wild phyllosomas have been found to contain jellyfish tissues in their hepatopancreas and feces, suggesting that the larvae utilize jellyfish as a food source; however, how they capture jellyfish and what species of jellyfish they prefer have rarely been investigated. The few previous studies conducted have suggested that phyllosomas have a high specificity for jellyfish (preying on only a few species); in contrast, the results of our study indicate that specificity is low. We show that phyllosomas prey on a variety of jellyfish species including deadly stinging types, on a variety of jellyfish developmental stages, and on various parts of the jellyfish body. When making contact with a jellyfish, phyllosomas first cling onto its exumbrella, feed on its tentacles or oral arms, and then consume the exumbrella. Phyllosomas may be capable of defending themselves against any types of nematocyst sting, and it is likely that they have evolved to utilize venomous jellyfish as a food in the open sea, where food may be scarce.     

Colocalization of apolipoprotein AI in various kinds of systemic amyloidosis.

Apolipoprotein AI (apoAI), a major component of high-density lipoproteins, is one of the major amyloid fibril proteins and a minor constituent of the senile plaques observed in Alzheimer's disease. We examined colocalization of apoAI in various kinds of systemic amyloidosis in this study. Forty-three of 48 formalin-fixed paraffin-embedded heart specimens with various forms of systemic amyloidosis reacted immunohistochemically with anti-human apoAI antibody. ApoAI was also detected in water-extracted amyloid material by immunoblotting. In addition, we observed colocalization of apoAI and murine amyloid A (AA) amyloidosis in human apoAI transgenic mice. This is the first report of colocalization of apoAI with amyloid deposits in various forms of human systemic amyloidosis and murine AA amyloidosis in human apoAI transgenic mice. ApoAI may not always be a major component of amyloid fibrils, even when it is present in systemic amyloid deposits.     

Mutagenic activity of various kinds of cheese on the Ames, rec and umu assays

Some kinds of cheese were found to be mutagenic when some inhibiting substances were removed through extraction with MeOH-H2O and then treated with ion exchange resin. After this procedure, 16 types of commercial cheese out of 45 types tested showed significant mutagenicity on Salmonella typhimurium TA104, TA102 and TA97 without S9 mix. Almost all of these cheese also showed genotoxicity on the rec assay and the umu assay. The appearance of mutagenicity in these cheeses seemed to be related to the type of aging during the production process; most of the cheeses with high potency belonged to the blue mold and Propionibacteria-type cheeses and only a few belonged to the white mold, Lactobacillus-type or fresh-type cheeses. The substances inhibiting mutagenicity were isolated and identified as long-chain fatty acids.     

Evapotranspiration by beans during low-volume sprinkling

On irrigated field plots of beans sprinkled at 0.64 mm/hr for cooling, the portions of the spray that contacted the plot surface and contributed to soil moisture were measured. Cooling sprinkling had little effect on evapotranspiration but it reduced transpiration by about 40%. Aerial evaporation from the spray amounted to 42% of the total spray. Since no increase in yield was noted from the use of sprinkler cooling, it was concluded that the cooling water was not beneficially used.

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Zusammenfassung Auf bewässerten Feldflächen mit Bohnen, die mit 0,64 mm/hr Wasser zur Abkühlung besprüht waren, wurden die Anteile der Besprühung gemessen die die Bodenoberfläche erreichten und zur Bodenfeuchtigkeit beitrugen. Besprühen zur Abkühlung hatte einen geringen Einfluss auf die Evapotranspiration, doch verminderte es die Transpiration um 40%. Die Luftevaporation von der Besprühung betrug 42% der Gesamtbesprühung. Da kein Anstieg des Zuwachses durch Besprühung erkennbar war, wird angenommen, dass das Kühlwasser nicht auf günstige Weise genutzt wurde.

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Resume Des pois ont été plantés dans des champs irrigués au moyen de 0,64 mm/h. Cette irrigation avait pour but d'abaisser la température de la culture. On a mesuré la quantité d'eau qui atteignait la surface du sol et, partant, contribuait à enrichir l'humidité du sol. Un arrosage pour rafraichir l'atmosphère n'a qu'un faible effet sur l'évapotranspiration, mais réduit la transpiration des plantes de 40% environ. L'évapotranspiration de la surface arrosée ascende à 42% des quantités d'eau utilisées. En outre, on n'a pas constaté d'accroissement de la récolte par suite de l'arrosage et on en conclut que l'eau de réfrigération n'est pas utilisée avec profit par les plantes.

     

The quantity of blood ingested by various species of fleas in an experiment

Data are given on the blood amount engorged by the fleas Xenopsylla conformis, X. cheopis, Leptopsylla segnis, Nosopsyllus laeviceps, N. consimilis, Ctenophthalmus golovi, Neopsylla setosa, Citellophilus tesquorum and Coptopsylla lamellifer. The average weight of blood portion in females of different species engorged for the first time ranged from 0.05 mg (X. conformis) to 0.72 mg (C. lamellifer). Females of most species, which had multiple blood meals, engorge more blood. Males engorge less blood than females and blood portions do not increase with age. In all sex-age groups most ectoparasites cease feeding spontaneously after having incomplete blood meal. Indices are suggested for the estimation of saturation rate in fleas during feeding.     

Variation in virulence to dry beans, soybeans and maize among isolates of Rhizoctonia solani from beans

The relative susceptibility of dry beans ( Phaseolus vulgaris ), soybeans and maize to anastomosis group 4 isolates of Rhizoctonia solani was determined in greenhouse experiments. Large variations in virulence were found among 30 field isolates. This variation was not due to differential reductions in isolate virulence during axenic culture. There was considerable variation among isolates from within the same field but variability within isolates was small. Twelve of 30 isolates of R. solani were highly virulent to dry beans and soybeans, while the others were of low virulence. Soybeans were more susceptible than dry beans to both pre-emergence mortality and hypocotyl disease. No isolates were highly virulent to maize. The importance of using isolates with a high level of virulence for testing soybean cultivars for resistance to Rhizoctonia disease is stressed.