Search

Airborne insect particles have been identified as an important cause of respiratory allergies, including allergic asthma and rhinitis. In the literature, the significance of respiratory exposure to insect particles as a cause of occupational allergy has been well-documented. Indeed, many cases of occupational allergy have been reported including allergy to the larvae of flies and moths in anglers and occupationally exposed workers, to grain pests in bakers or other workers handling grains, and to crickets and/or locusts in researchers and workers in aquaculture companies. Furthermore, the prevalence of sensitization to insect allergens is considerably high among patients with asthma and/or rhinitis who are not occupationally exposed to insects, suggesting the clinical relevance of exposure to insects in indoor and outdoor environmental non-occupational settings. Exposure to cockroaches, a well-studied indoor insect, is associated with cockroach sensitization and the development and exacerbation of asthma. Booklice, another common indoor insect, were recently identified as a significant sensitizer of asthmatic patients in Japan and India, and potentially of asthma patients living in warm and humid climates around the world. Lip b 1 was identified as an allergenic protein contributing to the species-specific sensitization to booklice. Moths are considered a significant seasonal outdoor allergen and their allergens are considered to have the highest sensitization rate among Japanese patients. However, other than cockroaches, allergenic insect proteins contributing to sensitization have not been fully characterized to date.

Houses damaged by the Great East Japan Earthquake that have severe mold problems should be disinfected before or immediately after residents are allowed to return permanently. In this study, the efficacy of a fungicide based on the Fenton reaction was evaluated in lab and field tests. Use of Fenton’s reagent successfully disinfected aqueous solutions containing five species of fungi (Aspergillus niger, Aspergillus penicillioides, Aspergillus restrictus, Cladosporium sphaerospermum, and Wallemia sebi). Spraying Fenton’s reagent solutions (ferrous ions [pH = 3] and hydrogen peroxide [pH = 3]) onto the surface of wood samples inoculated with C. sphaerospermum significantly suppressed fungal growth (mold cover = 12–27%) compared with spraying distilled water (82–97%) or a hydrogen peroxide solution (73–80%). Field tests were performed in two houses in the evacuation area in Fukushima, Japan to evaluate fungicidal activity in a home environment. The airborne fungal counts of C. sphaerospermum, Penicillium, Aspergillus westerdijkiae, Alternaria, Fusarium, Aspergillus versicolor, and Eurotium were strongly decreased by spraying the Fenton’s reagent solutions (except for C. sphaerospermum in House B) (median disinfection rate = 99%). Fungi growing on floor and sink surfaces were inactivated by spraying with Fenton’s reagent solutions (except for Cladosporium spp. in House A and Aspergillus restrictus in House B) (median disinfection rate = 50–98%). Thus, Fenton reaction–based fungicides may be effective for remediation of mold problems in houses.

Fatigue strength, crack initiation and propagation behavior of rolled AZ31B magnesium alloy plate were investigated. Axial tension−compression fatigue tests were carried out with cylindrical smooth specimens. Two types of specimens were machined with the loading axis parallel (L-specimen) and perpendicular (T-specimen) to rolling direction. Monotonic compressive 0.2% proof stress, tensile strength and tensile elongation were similar for both specimens. On the other hand, monotonic tensile 0.2% proof stress of the L-specimen was slightly higher than that of the T-specimen. Moreover, monotonic compressive 0.2% proof stresses were lower than tensile ones for both specimens. The fatigue strengths of 10 7 cycles of the L- and T-specimens were 95 and 85 MPa, respectively. Compared with the monotonic compressive 0.2% proof stresses, the fatigue strengths were higher for both specimens. In other words, the fatigue crack did not initiate and propagate even though deformation twins were formed in compressive stress under the cyclic tension−compression loading. The fatigue crack initiated at early stage of the fatigue life in low cycle regime regardless of specimen direction. The crack growth rate of the L-specimen was slightly lower than of the T-specimen. Consequently, the fatigue lives of the L-specimen were longer than those of the T-specimen in low cycle regime.

Chiral dicationic SEGPHOS–Pd(II) complex gives high chemical yield, ( E )-olefin selectivity, anti -diastereoselectivity, along with high enantioselectivity even with less reactive mono- and 1,2-disubstituted olefins in this much less reactive ketone-ene reactions. The high levels of enantioselectivity not only in carbonyl-ene but also in Friedel–Crafts reactions stem from the effective shielding with diphenyl groups on phosphines caused by the narrow dihedral angle of metal complexes with SEGPHOS.

Nanosecond pulsed-Nd:YAG laser irradiation of a target material with second-harmonic waves (wavelength=532 nm) under various gas atmospheres resulted in the formation of tungsten microcone arrays with a high aspect ratio protruding from the initial surface of the target material. The peak laser fluence was changed from 3.0 to 19.1 J/cm2. A tungsten substrate was irradiated with between 1 and 48 000 laser shots. The number of laser shots strongly influenced the growth and morphology of the microcones: several tens or hundreds of pulses created only rough surfaces, and further pulses created the microcones. The microcones grew to heights of up to 20 μm and narrowed to tips of about 1.5 μm in diameter. Our observations reveal that tungsten microcone can be generated in various ambient gases. We experimentally evaluated the microcone morphology in order to determine the mechanism of microcone formation in ambient atmospheres of helium, SF6, and air. The microcone formation appears to be a function of the repeated melting and solidification of the tungsten tips of the structures by the pulsed laser irradiation on the top surface. The morphology of the microcone depends on the ambient gas atmosphere used.

Gold nanoparticles have great potential for various nanoelectronic applications such as single electron transistors, an infrared absorption sensor and so on. It is very important to understand and control the size distribution of the particles for such a variety of applications. In this paper, we report the size distribution of gold nanoparticles and the relationship between the nanoparticle-films and the electrical property produced by a laser ablation method. Gold nanoparticle-films were prepared by a technique, which sprays nanoparticles on the substrate through a nozzle. We call it a gas deposition method. The nanoparticles were generated by the nanosecond pulsed Nd:YAG laser ablation of a gold substrate under a low-pressure inert gas atmosphere. The ambient pressure was changed to control the average size and their distribution. The particles produced in the generation chamber were transported by a helium carrier gas to the deposition chamber and deposited on a substrate to form the films composed of gold nanoparticles. The electrical resistivity of the generated gold nanoparticle-films on the glass substrates was measured using a four-probe method. The size distribution of the nanoparticles was examined using transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and a low-pressure differential mobility analyzer (LP-DMA). The relationship between the particle size and the electrical properties of each film made by the different synthesis conditions were analyzed. The electrical resistivity changed from the order of 10 −5 to 10 −1 Ω cm depending on the ambient pressure and the size distribution.

To elucidate the effects of an exogenous calcitriol (1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D 3 ) on plasma bone markers, the formation item osteocalcin (OC), undercarboxylated OC (ucOC) and bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BALP), and the resorption parameter tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase isoform 5b (TRAP5b) and hydroxyproline (HYP) were measured in conjunction with plasma calcitriol and calcium (Ca) concentrations in dairy cows receiving calcitriol or its vehicle according to a 2 × 2 crossover design. Calcitriol (0.5 μg/kg, i.m.) increased significantly its plasma level during 6 h to day 2 and plasma Ca concentration during 12 h to day 7 compared to the vehicle. Also, plasma OC and ucOC started to rise from day 3 and 1, respectively, and remained elevated until day 7. No change in plasma BALP, TRAP5b or HYP associated with calcitriol treatment was noted. These results demonstrate that exogenous calcitriol stimulates osteoblasts to biosynthesise OC, a determinant of the bone formation in cows.

Nosema tyriae n.sp. was found in 63% of a population of Cinnabar moth larvae (Tyria jacobaeae). The infection was found in the gut wall, silk glands, and fat body and was probably generalized but appeared to be of low pathogenicity. Merogony and sporogony were by binary fission of diplokaryotic stages. Fresh spores were elongate, slightly pointed at the anterior end, and measured 4.7 × 2.0 μm. Ultrastructural features of special interest were 20-nm tubules connecting the surface of sporonts with host cell cytoplasm and, in the spores, a deeply domed polar sac, polaroplast consisting of closely packed longitudinally arranged membranes and loosely packed horizontally arranged membranes, and 10.5–14 coils of the polar tube in a single rank. The 16S rRNA genes of N. tyriae and Nosema bombycis from silkworms, Bombyx mori, differed by only six nucleotides and N. tyriae spores gave a moderately positive reaction with a monoclonal antibody raised to N. bombycis. N. tyriae was infective to B. mori but was less virulent than N. bombycis. However, no amplification product was obtained by PCR using N. tyriae DNA and primers considered to be specific for N. bombycis. Also, the spores of the two species are of entirely different shapes. A second diplokaryotic microsporidium, Nosema sp., found as a light infection in only one of the larvae had much smaller developmental stages and spores measuring 3.8 × 2.0 μm (fixed). Ultrastructurally it was distinguished by an abundance of dense membranes in cytoplasmic vesicles in both meronts and sporonts. Spores with up to 15 coils of the polar tube in irregular clusters or with about 12 coils in a single rank were observed in the tissues fixed from the one larva infected with this parasite. As this larva had been kept with N. tyriae-infected larvae for a few days before examination, it is possible that the two types of spores resulted from a double infection.