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OBJECTIVE To investigate the effect of interleukin (IL) 27 -964A/G, 2095T/G, 4603G/A and 4730T/C gene polymorphisms on the development of pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), radiographic characteristics and severity. DESIGN Differences in the allele and genotype distributions of the -964A/G, 2095T/G, 4603G/A and 4730T/C polymorphisms between 224 PTB patients and 233 healthy controls, between patients with single- and multi-lobe involvement, and between patients with and without cavitation, were investigated. Serum IL-27 concentration was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. RESULTS There were no significant differences in the allele or genotype distributions between PTB patients and healthy controls. However, the -964A/A genotype was more prevalent in patients with single-lobe involvement than the -964A/G or -964G/G genotype in patients with multi-lobe involvement (50.0% vs. 31.3%, P = 0.01). There was no difference between patients with and without cavitation (P > 0.05). Serum median IL-27 concentration was significantly higher in patients with single-lobe involvement than in those with multi-lobe involvement (P = 0.03) and in those with -964A/A genotypes than in those with -964A/G or -964G/G genotypes (P = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS In terms of serum IL-27 levels, the -964 A/A genotype may be associated with a protective role that prevents the intrapulmonary spread of PTB rather than its development.

A pathogen-inducible WRKY cDNA was cloned from the leaves of watermelon (Citrullus lanatus) seedlings 24 h after inoculation with Cladosporium cucumerinum. The deduced protein of the gene, designated as ClWRKY70, was classified as a group III WRKY protein based on its single WRKY domain containing a Cys2HisCys zinc-finger motif. Its Arabidopsis thaliana sequence homologue (AtWRKY70) has been described as playing an important role in the plant defense response. ClWRKY70 gene transcripts were highly accumulated in watermelon by salicylic acid treatment, but not by jasmonic acid. By evaluating target gene expression in transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing the ClWRKY70 gene, it is suggested that the watermelon WRKY gene may play a positive regulatory role in plant resistance against pathogen attack.

A new rheocasting process was applied to develop a diesel engine block using ADC10 alloy. This type of diesel engine block requires much higher mechanical properties for a high engine power, and this is why heat treatment for improving mechanical properties should accompany processing. Therefore, the manufacturing process for a diesel engine block must prevent inner defects such as blow-holes, gas porosities and shrinkages. Rheocasting is considered as a manufacturing technique for this purpose. In order to apply the rheocasting technique in manufacturing a diesel engine block, it is important to produce large-volume slurry. Establishing the injection condition has been particularly focused on for the integral inner parts. The Advanced Rheocasting Technology (ART) system, in this study, was used for large-volume slurry with ADC10 alloy. Through computer simulation, the injection condition was determined to stabilize feeding patterns which were verified from experimental results. Various heat treatments were tested to determine the optimal condition for the rheocast diesel engine block. The rheocast engine block showed fine and uniform microstructures, where the average diameter of primary α-globules was 75 μm and its form-factor indicating the degree of globularity was 0.83 including gas contents below 4cc/100 g Al. Mechanical properties indicated 317 MPa Ultimate Tensile Strength (UTS) and 1.2% elongation good enough for the objective usage after modified T6 heat treatment.

The microstructure of Ta2O5 thin films, deposited onto Si substrates by atomic layer deposition (ALD), was investigated, using in situ transmission electron microscopy (TEM). As-deposited amorphous films crystallize as the orthorhombic phase L-Ta2O5 upon heating at 750°C. Two dominant crystallographic orientations are found, one with (0 0 1) and (1 11 0) planes perpendicular to the substrate, while the other has (0 0 1) planes parallel to the substrate. The grains consist of subgrains which are rotated a few degrees with respect to each other. The kinetics of the crystallization were studied by in-situ TEM heating experiments carried out at nominal temperatures of 790°C, 820°C and 850°C. They reveal that the growth and crystallization activation energies are about 4.2 eV and 6.3 eV, respectively. Tilted subgrains keep forming during growth until they come in contact with neighbouring grains. The crystallization behaviour can be approximated by the Kolmogorov–Johnson–Mehl–Avrami (KJMA or Avrami) equation, ...

Al2O3 incorporated HfO2 films grown by atomic layer deposition (ALD) were investigated by high-resolution X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HRXPS). The core level energy state of a 15 A thick film showed a shift to higher binding energy, as the result of a silicate formation and Al2O3 incorporation. The incorporation of Al2O3 into the HfO2 film had no effect on silicate formation at the interface between the film and Si, while the ionic bonding characteristics and hybridization effects were enhanced compared to a pure HfO2 film. The dissociation of the film in an ultrahigh vacuum (UHV) is effectively suppressed compared to a pure HfO2 film, indicating an enhanced thermal stability of Hf–Al–O. Any dissociated Al2O3 on the film surface was completely removed into the vacuum by vacuum annealing treatment over 850 °C, while HfO2 contributed to Hf silicide formation on the film surface.

The pore size distributions (PSDs) of microporous glass, which were controlled by acid leaching subsequent to phase separation of CaO-Al 2 O 3 -B 2 O 3 -SiO 2 glass, were determined via both mercury porosimetry and thermoporosimetry (thermal porosimetry). As a result, the pore radii, the cumulative pore volumes, and the surface areas determined via thermoporosimetry were in good agreement with those determined via mercury porosimetry. It was revealed that thermoporosimetry could be applied to pore structure analysis for porous materials having pore sizes at least up to 58 nm in radius.

Al2O3 incorporated HfO2 films grown by atomic layer deposition were investigated using various measurement tools. The accumulation capacitance of the Al2O3 incorporated into HfO2 film increases as the postannealing temperature increases because of changes in interfacial and upper layer thickness and in interfacial stoichiometry. The core-level energy state of a 15 A thick film shows a shift to higher binding energy, as the result of silicate formation and Al2O3 incorporation. The incorporation of Al2O3 into the HfO2 film has no effect on silicate formation at the interface between the film and Si, while the ionic bonding characteristics and hybridization effects are enhanced compared to a pure HfO2 film. Any dissociated Al2O3 on the film surface is completely removed by a vacuum annealing treatment over 850 °C, while HfO2 contributes to Hf silicide formation on the surface of the film.

High-quality epitaxial Pt films were grown by a sputtering deposition method using epitaxial Y2O3 as a dielectric buffer layer. A high degree of crystallinity was achieved with an ion-beam minimum channeling yield (χmin) of ∼11%, and a high degree of coherence between the film surface and interface was obtained for the Pt(111)/Y2O3(111)/Si, with a large lattice mismatch. High-resolution transmission electron microscopy results showed that the atomic arrangement at the interface between the Pt and the oxide was well ordered, and no perceptible interdiffusion was observed, even at an annealing temperature of up to 700 °C under an oxygen atmosphere. The atomic arrangement at the Pt/Y2O3 interface was drastically degraded after a high-temperature annealing at 900 °C due to the deformation of Y2O3.

A remote monitoring system for the light source of endoscope systems was developed. The light source is an essential part of endoscope system. To manage these light sources more efficiently, we proposed a remote monitoring system that provides information about the light sources of endoscope system dispersed in the hospital. The illumination and temperature data of each light source were sent to the local monitoring computer and the information like duration of lamp use, the frequency of lamp use, internal temperature of the device, and replacement time of the lamp were displayed and stored. This device enables the estimation the current condition of the lamp as well as optimal replacement time of the lamp. Furthermore, the calculation of accumulated data enables condition based management (CBM).

Phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI3Ks) contribute to the pathogenesis of asthma by regulating the activation of inflammatory mediators, inflammatory cell recruitment and immune cell function. Recent findings have indicated that PI3Ks also regulate the expression of interleukin (IL)-17, which has been recognised as an important cytokine involved in airway inflammation. In the present study, we investigated a role of PI3Kδ in the regulation of IL-17 expression in allergic airway disease using a murine model of asthma. After ovalbumin inhalation, administration of a selective p110δ inhibitor, IC87114, significantly attenuated airway infiltration of total cells, lymphocytes, neutrophils and eosinophils, as well as airway hyperresponsiveness, and attenuated the increase in IL-17 protein and mRNA expression. Moreover, IC87114 reduced levels of IL-4, -5 and -13, expression of keratinocyte chemoattractant protein and mRNA, and nuclear factor (NF)-κB activity. In addition, a NF-κB inhibitor, BAY 11-7085 substantially reduced the increase in IL-17 protein levels. Our results also showed that inhibition of IL-17 activity with an anti-IL-17 antibody remarkably reduced airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness. These findings suggest that inhibition of the p110δ signalling pathway suppresses IL-17 expression through regulation of NF-κB activity and, thus, has therapeutic potential in asthma.

Remote Monitoring System of Deep Freezer takes charges of biological microbe or any samples for experiments safely. Compared with system of deep freezer from II. DIAGRAM FOR REMOTE MONITORING SYSTEM other manufacturers, deep freezer with remote monitoring system shows time-table of temperature through program LabVIEWTM and saves the data. If deep freezer’s temperature is higher than setting degree, it automatically announces this situation to the clerk in charge by text message. Then, the clerk would be possible for monitoring deep freezers through web. If using this system, it’s possible to cope with any problems of deep freezer and actualize condition-based maintenance (CBM) through collecting the historical data and analyzing them.

A gene encoding the salicylate hydroxylase was cloned from the genomic DNA of Pseudomonas fluorescens SME11. The DNA fragment containing the nahG gene for the salicylate hydroxylase was mapped with restriction endonucleases and sequenced. The DNA fragment contained an ORF of 1,305 bp encoding a polypeptide of 434 amino acid residues. The nucleotide and amino acid sequences of the salicylate hydroxylase revealed several conserved regions with those of the enzyme encoded in P. putida PpG7: The homology of the nucleotide sequence is 83% and that of amino acid sequence is 72%. We found large conserved regions of the amino acid sequence at FAD and NADH binding regions. The FAD binding site is located at the amino terminal region and a lysine residue functions as a NADH-binding site.

The physically linked hisG and hisE genes, encoding for ATP-phosphoribosyltransferase and phosphoribosyl-ATP-pyrophosphohydrolase were isolated from the Corynebacterium glutamicum gene library by complementation of Escherichia coli histidine auxotrophs. They are two of the nine genes that participate in the histidine biosynthetic pathway. Molecular genetics and sequencing analysis of the cloned 9-kb insert DNA showed that it carries the hisG and hisE genes. In combining this result with our previous report, we propose that all histidine biosynthetic genes are separated on the genome by three unlinked loci. The coding regions of the hisG and hisE genes are 279 and 87 amino acids in length with a predicted size of about 30 and 10 kDa, respectively. Computer analysis revealed that the amino acid sequences of the hisG and hisE gene products were similar to those of other bacteria.

Pseudomonas sp. S-47 expresses catechol 2,3-dioxygenase (C230) catalyzing the conversion of 4-chlorocatechol (4CC) as well as catechol to 5-chloro-2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde and 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde, respectively, through meta-ring cleavage. The xylE gene encoding C230 for meta-cleavage was cloned from strain S-47 and its nucleotide sequence was analyzed. The pRES101 containing the xylE gene exhibited high C230 activity toward catechol and 4CC without altering the substrate specificity from natural strain. The xylE gene was composed of 924 bp and encoded polypeptide of molecular mass 35 kDa containing 307 amino acids. A deduced amino acid sequence of the C230 from strain S-47 exhibited over 80% identity with those of Pseudomonas putida mt-2, Pseudomonas putida G7, and Pseudomonas sp. CF600. However, it shows below 45% identity with those of Pseudomonas cepacia LB400 and Pseudomonas sp. KKS102. The C230 of strain S-47 was conserved in the amino acids (His150, His214, Glu261) for metal binding ligands and those (His199, His242, and Tyr251) for catalytic sites. Therefore, Pseudomonas sp. S-47 can be explained as acting by degrading catechol as well as 4CC by xylE-encoding C230 which was fused by N domain of nahH and C domain of dmpB from other Pseudomonas strains.

Bradyrhizobium japonicum mutant strain NAD163, containing a 30-kb deletion mutant encompassing the hsfA gene, was inoculated onto a broad range of legume species to test host-specificity. Most legume species formed ineffective nodules except Vigna angularis var. Chibopat and Glycine max var. Pureunkong. A hsfA insertion mutant, BjjC211, gave similar results to strain NAD163, implying that many legume species require HsfA for host-specific nitrogen fixation. To determine whether other genes in the deleted region of NAD163 are also necessary, the hsfA gene was conjugally transferred into the NAD163 mutant. The transconjugant formed effective nodules on the host legume plants, which earlier had formed ineffective nodules with mutant NAD163. Thus, we conclude that the hsfA gene in the 30-kb region is the only factor responsible for host-specific nitrogen fixation in legume plants.

The hepatitis C virus NS3 gene encodes a RNA helicase with several sequence motifs conserved among the members of the DExH box protein family. The contributions of the sequence motifs to enzyme activity were assessed in this study by substitution of alanine for the Lys in the ATP binding motif GxGK (referred to as K1236A mutation), or for the Asp in the DExH motif (D1316A), or for the Arg in the middle of the QRxGRxGR motif known for RNA binding (R1490A). Histidine-tagged recombinant proteins of Mr 54,000 were expressed in Escherichia coli and purified by chromatography on nickel agarose. All three mutants were severely defective in ATPase and RNA helicase activities, but loss of the ATPase activity was not dependent on polynucleotide cofactors. With the exception of R1490A mutant, a stable complex was formed between dsRNA substrates and recombinant proteins, indicating that the arginine-rich motif is required for efficient RNA binding. Complex formation was not affected by omission of ATP or substitution by a non-hydrolyzable analog AMP-PCP, suggesting that neither binding nor hydrolysis of ATP is required for RNA binding. Moreover, the K1236A mutant which was defective in binding ATP exhibited an unusually strong affinity for RNA duplex. These results suggest that the conserved motifs cooperatively constitute a large functional domain rather than act as individual domains with strictly independent functions, and that alteration of one motif affects functions of other motifs in a mutually interactive fashion.

Pseudomonas sp. DJ-12 degrades 4-chlorobenzoate through hydrolytic dechlorination to produce 4-hydroxybenzoate and a chloride ion. The fcbB gene encoding the 4-chlorobenzoate-coenzyme A (4CBA-CoA) dehalogenase which catalyzes the nucleophilic substitution reaction to convert 4CBA-CoA to 4-hydroxybenzoate-coenzyme A (4HBA-CoA) in the consecutive steps of dechlorination was cloned from the chromosome of the organism. A nucleotide sequence analysis of the gene showed an open reading frame consisting of 810 nucleotides, which can encode for a polypeptide of molecular mass 30 kDa, containing 269 amino acid residues. A promoter-like sequence (-35 and -10 region) and a putative ribosome-binding sequence were identified. A deduced amino acid sequence of the 4CBA-CoA dehalogenase showed 86%, 50%, and 50% identity with those of corresponding enzymes in the Pseudomonas sp. CBS3, Arthrobacter sp. SU, and Arthrobacter sp. TM1, respectively.

Transposon mutagenesis was performed by the method of conjugational transfer in order to identify and characterize genes encoding enzymes involved in the pathway of phenol utilization as a carbon source. Escherichia coli, which carries the Tn5-132, Was mated with Pseudomonas putida SM25 as a host. We selected a mutant that could not utilize phenol as a carbon source. Chromosomal integration of the transposon was confirmed by Southern analysis, successfully tagging the gene related to a phenol-utilizing pathway. By cell-free enzyme and genetic complementation assays, the inactivated enzyme through the mutation of the corresponding gene was identified as the catB gene, which encodes a cis,cis-muconate lactonizing enzyme.