Assessment of wood microstructural changes after one-stage thermo-hydro treatment (THT) by micro X-ray computed tomography

The microstructural changes in a selection of softwoods and hardwoods resulting from thermo-hydro treatment (THT) at 160°C were examined by means of a state-of-the-art micro X-ray computed tomography. A dedicated X-ray scanning and volumetric processing protocol was developed. All reconstructed volumes had an approximate voxel pitch between 0.8 and 1.2 μm3. The microstructures of the same needle-shaped specimens before and after THT were visualized, and the individual parameters (maximum opening and lumen volume) for various cell types were quantified and compared. The highest values of substance volume were recorded for the ash sapwood (81%) and spruce specimens (72%). After THT, a significant correlation was found between the mass loss determined by gravimetry and the X-ray volume loss. The largest change occurred in the lumen volume of several tissue components, such as libriform fibers, tracheids, and ray parenchyma. The average aspen fiber volume reduction after THT was 31%, a value 2.6 times higher than the volume reduction of the average vessels. The porosity of ash sapwood increased from 41 to 56%, whereas the porosity of birch decreased from 34 to 29%

Watch out! The corpus, verb usage, and the non-native teacher of English

For non-native teachers of English (especially in Japanese high schools), questions of appropriate English usage and possibility are constant. Although corpora usage has widely been discussed as a useful tool for EFL students, this paper discusses the possibility of corpus-usage for non-native EFL instructors in answering questions of usage and helping prepare material for classrooms. Using the online British National Corpus, a simple step-by-step methodology for teachers searching words with shared meaning and usage was presented. Analysis of the search results shows that although corpus results are often complex and require time to sufficiently analyze, corpus studies can help clarify usage and meaning questions. The paper discusses the problems of motivation with using the corpus and discusses possibilities for improving teacher motivation for using corpus studies

Structure, Dynamics, and Photophysics in the Copper(I) Iodide–Tetrahydrothiophene System

Combination of CuI and tetrahydrothiophene (THT) in MeCN or neat THT produces various phases, depending upon experimental conditions. Green luminescent product (CuI)4(THT)2 (1) consists of Cu4I4 cubane units knit into a 3-D network by μ2-THT ligands. Dull yellow luminescent (CuI)10(THT)7(MeCN) (2) contains {[Cu4I4(THT)](μ2-THT)2(Cu2I2)(μ2-THT)2[Cu4I4(NCMe)]} “rungs” linked into 1-D ladders by pairs of μ2-THT ligands. Two molecular (CuI)4(THT)4 phases were found: orange luminescent 3a and yellow luminescent 3b. Triclinic 3b is the more stable phase at 25 °C, but it undergoes endothermic transformation to monoclinic 3a at 38 °C. Compound 3a transforms to a triclinic phase (3a′) that retains orange emission at −60 °C. Nonemissive (CuI)3(THT)3·MeCN (4) is a 2-D sheet structure in which Cu3(THT)3 rings are linked in trigonal directions by rhomboid Cu2I2 dimer units. The previously reported (CuI)2(THT)4 (5) is a molecular dimer. Temperature and mixing ratio domains for the formation of the CuI–THT phases from MeCN are presented. Luminescence in 1, 2, 3a, and 3b is rationalized on the basis of varying degrees of halide-to-metal charge transfer (XMCT) and metal-centered (MC) behavior. Low-temperature spectra reveal reversible changes, including modest red shifts for 1 and 2, and splitting into two excitation/emission band pairs for 3a and 3b

First experimental demonstration of temporal hypertelescope operation with a laboratory prototype

In this paper, we report the first experimental demonstration of a Temporal HyperTelescope (THT). Our breadboard including 8 telescopes is firstly tested in a manual cophasing configuration on a 1D object. The Point Spread Function (PSF) is measured and exhibits a dynamics in the range of 300. A quantitative analysis of the potential biases demonstrates that this limitation is related to the residual phase fluctuation on each interferometric arm. Secondly, an unbalanced binary star is imaged demonstrating the imaging capability of THT. In addition, 2D PSF is recorded even if the telescope array is not optimized for this purpose.Comment: Accepted for publication in MNRAS. 11 pages, 25 figure

EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA); Scientific Opinion on the substantiation of health claims related to the substantiation of health claims related to various microorganisms and changes in bowel function, and digestion and absorption of nutrients (ID 960, 961, 967, 969, 971, 975, 983, 985, 994, 996, 998, 1006, 1014), decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms (ID 960, 967, 969, 971, 975, 983, 985, 994, 996, 998, 1006, 1014), and stimulation of immunological responses (ID 962, 968, 970, 972, 976, 984, 986, 995, 997, 999, 1007, 1015) (further assessment) pursuant to Article 13(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006

<p>Following a request from the European Commission, the Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies (NDA) was asked to provide a scientific opinion on health claims pursuant to Article 13 of Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006 in the framework of further assessment related to various microorganisms and changes in bowel function, and digestion and absorption of nutrients, decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms, and stimulation of immunological responses. The food constituents, <em>Bifidobacterium animalis </em>subsp.<em> lactis</em> THT 010801, <em>Bifidobacterium longum </em>subsp. <em>infantis</em> THT 010201, <em>Bifidobacterium longum </em>subsp.<em> longum</em> THT 010301, <em>Bifidobacterium pseudolongum </em>subsp.<em> pseudolongum</em> THT 010501, <em>Lactobacillus casei</em> THT 030401, <em>Lactobacillus gasseri</em> THT 031301, <em>Lactobacillus helveticus</em> THT 031102, <em>Lactobacillus plantarum</em> THT 030701, <em>Lactobacillus plantarum</em> THT 030707, <em>Lactobacillus reuteri</em> THT 030802, <em>Lactobacillus salivarius</em> THT 031001 and <em>Streptococcus thermophilus</em> THT 070102, are sufficiently characterised. The evidence provided did not establish that the proposed claimed effect, stimulation of immunological responses, is a beneficial physiological effect. The references provided for the health claims related to changes in bowel function and decreasing potentially pathogenic gastro-intestinal microorganisms included studies which assessed the effects of food constituents other than the food constituents which are the subject of the claims and/or investigated health outcomes unrelated to the claimed effects. No human studies which investigated the effects of the food constituents on appropriate measures of the claimed effects were provided. On the basis of the data presented, the Panel concludes that a cause and effect relationship has not been established between the consumption of the food constituents and the claimed effects evaluated in this opinion.</p&gt

Synthesis and Coordination Compounds of A Bis(Imino)Acenaphthene (Bian)-Supported N-Heterocyclic Carbene

The bis(imino)acenaphthene-supported N-heterocyclic carbene IPr(BIAN) has been prepared by deprotonation of the precursor imidazolium chloride. Treatment of IPr(BIAN) imidazolium chloride with Ag(2)O afforded the silver complex [IPr(BIAN)]AgCl which can be converted into the corresponding gold complex [IPr(BIAN)]AuCl by reaction with (tht)AuCl (tht = tetrahydrothiophene). The iridium complex [IPr(BIAN)]Ir(COD)Cl was prepared by reaction of the imidazolium chloride with KO(t)Bu and [Ir(COD)Cl](2) and subsequently converted to the carbonyl complex [IPr(BIAN)]Ir(CO)(2)Cl by exposure to an atmosphere of CO. All new compounds were characterized by single-crystal X-ray diffraction, multinuclear NMR, MS and HRMS data.Robert A. Welch Foundation F-0003National Science Foundation 0741973Chemistr

Fluorescence Quantum Yield of Thioflavin T in Rigid Isotropic Solution and Incorporated into the Amyloid Fibrils

In this work, the fluorescence of thioflavin T (ThT) was studied in a wide range of viscosity and temperature. It was shown that ThT fluorescence quantum yield varies from 0.0001 in water at room temperature to 0.28 in rigid isotropic solution (T/η→0). The deviation of the fluorescence quantum yield from unity in rigid isotropic solution suggests that fluorescence quantum yield depends not only on the ultra-fast oscillation of ThT fragments relative to each other in an excited state as was suggested earlier, but also depends on the molecular configuration in the ground state. This means that the fluorescence quantum yield of the dye incorporated into amyloid fibrils must depend on its conformation, which, in turn, depends on the ThT environment. Therefore, the fluorescence quantum yield of ThT incorporated into amyloid fibrils can differ from that in the rigid isotropic solution. In particular, the fluorescence quantum yield of ThT incorporated into insulin fibrils was determined to be 0.43. Consequently, the ThT fluorescence quantum yield could be used to characterize the peculiarities of the fibrillar structure, which opens some new possibilities in the ThT use for structural characterization of the amyloid fibrils

PENERAPAN METODE BENEFIT PRORATE CONSTANT PERCENT OF SALARY GUNA MENENTUKAN IURAN NORMAL THT

Tabungan Hari Tua (THT) sangat diperlukan oleh Pegawai Negeri Sipil untuk menghadapi risiko yang akan terjadi saat sudah pensiun demi menunjang kesejahteraan hidup di hari tua. Dari program asuransi Tabungan Hari Tua peserta akan mendapatkan sejumlah manfaat THT yang dibayarkan pada saat peserta memasuki Batas Usia Pensiun (BPU). Tentu saja untuk memperoleh manfaat THT, peserta diwajibkan membayar Iuran Normal (NC) setiap bulannya. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengetahui bagaimana mengalisis dan menentukan besarnya Iuran Normal (NC) dan kewajiban aktuaria (AL) yang harus dibayarkan oleh peserta THT kepada PT Taspen. Perhitungan Iuran Normal dilakukan dengan Metode Benefit Prorate Constant Percent of Salary. Pada metode ini perhitungan nilai sekarang dari manfaat THT ditentukan berdasarkan gaji peserta progam THT mulai dari saat pertama kali masuk kerja hingga usia pensiun. Selain gaji, masa kerja juga dipertimbangkan dalam perhitungan kewajiban aktuaria THT tersebut. Data yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah data sekunder yang diperoleh dari PT Taspen (Persero) KC Padang. Dari hasil analisis dan perhitungan yang dilakukan menggunakan metode Benefit Prorate Constant Percent of Salary, yang mempengaruhi besarnya Iuran Normal dan manfaat THT adalah besar gaji pokok peserta dan lama masa kerja. Dilihat dari faktor usia, semakin tua usia peserta program THT, maka besarnya Iuran Normal yang harus dibayar setiap tahunnya juga akan semakin besar

Cloning, high-level expression, purification and characterization of a staphylokinase variant, SakøC, from Staphylococcus aureus QT08 in Escherichia coli BL21

The staphylokinase (Sak) is emerging as an important thrombolytic agent for the treatment of patients suffering from cardiovascular disease. Hence in this study, we reported the cloning, high-level expression, purification and characterization of the Sak variant SakøC from Staphylococcus aureus QT08 in Escherichia coli Bl21. The sak gene of 489 bp encoding a protein (163 amino acids) with a predicted molecular mass of 18.5 kDa and pI 7.28 showed 99.8 to 99.6% identity with corresponding sequences from S. aureus strains deposited in GenBank (AF332619, X00127, EF122253 and M57455). The DNA sequence (411 bp) encoding the mature Sak (15.5 kDa) truncated 27 N-terminal amino acids was expressed in E. coli BL21/pESak under the control of the strong promoter tac in the presence of isopropyl-β-D-1-thiogalactopynoside (IPTG) as inducer. The expression level of rSak was estimated at about 42% of the total cellular proteins by densitometry scanning, which is the highest expression level of rSak expressed in any E. coli system. The recombinant staphylokinase was purified by Ni2+- ProBondTM column to a single homogeneous 16-kDa band on sodium dodecyl sulphate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (SDS-PAGE) with a specific activity of 15175 U/mg protein, a recovery yield of 58% and a purification factor of 2.56. The optimal pH and temperature for the rSak activity was 9 and 37°C, respectively. rSak was stable over a temperature range of 25 to 50°C and at pH range of 7 to 9. Metal ions and detergents also showed an inhibitory effect on rSak, especially Zn2+ and Cu2+ which completely inhibited the enzymatic activity.Key words: Staphylococcus aureus QT08, staphylokinase, cloning, high-level expression, purification, characterization

353— Interfacial Interaction of Amyloid Beta Peptide 1-40 with ThT

The amyloid beta peptide 1-40 (Ab1-40) was prepared over nano-gold colloidal surfaces together with Thioflavin T (ThT) dye as a fluorophore. The fluorescence assay of ThT displayed two different types of fluorescence bands: 1) mainly originating from free-ThT and 2) ThT significantly interacted with Ab1-40. The ThT directly interacted with Ab1-40 adsorbed over the gold colloidal surface. Significant evidence supporting that Ab1-40 has higher binding affinity than a gold colloidal surface was obtained. A series of studies on fluorescence decay time were collected at various pH’s ranging, from pH 1 to pH 12, and with several gold colloidal sizes ranging from 10 nm to 100 nm. It was concluded that ThT attached to either 22Glu or 23Asp of the Ab1-40 through an electrostatic interaction between adjacent Ab1-40 monomers, as Ab1-40 proceeds a folding conformational change. The spacing between adjacent Ab1-40 monomers was increased for gold colloidal sizes of 50 nm and above. An identification of the ThT attachment site in Ab1-40 simultaneously confirmed that the hydrophilic segment of Ab1-40 was used in binding to the gold colloidal surface and hydrophilic site of Ab1-40, networking with the other Ab1-40 adsorbed on the gold colloidal surface