Impact of aspect ratio and crystal size distribution of l-glutamic acid formed by cooling crystallization on drying characteristics.

This study investigated the impact of aspect ratio and crystal size distribution on the mother liquor content and drying rate of l-glutamic acid (LGA). LGA cooling crystallization was performed using two methods: spontaneous nucleation and seeding. First, to identify various crystalline forms of LGA and obtain α-form seeds, cooling crystallization was carried out through spontaneous nucleation and seeding.

Qualitative Analysis of Nitrogen and Sulfur Compounds in Vacuum Gas Oils via Matrix-Assisted Laser Desorption Ionization Time of Flight Mass Spectrometry.

Analysis of the heavy fractions in crude oil has been important in petroleum industries. It is well known that heavy fractions such as vacuum gas oils (VGOs) include heteroatoms, of which sulfur and nitrogen are often characterized in many cases. We conducted research regarding the molecular species analysis of VGOs.

Spectrally encoded dual-mode interferometry with orthogonal scanning.

Spectrally encoded confocal microscopy (SECM) is a high-speed reflectance confocal microscopy technique. Here, we present a method to integrate optical coherence tomography (OCT) and SECM for complementary imaging by adding orthogonal scanning to the SECM configuration. The co-registration of SECM and OCT is automatic, as all system components are shared in the same order, eliminating the need for additional optical alignment.

Wavelength-tunable spiral-phase-contrast imaging.

Wavelength-tunable spiral-phase-contrast (SPC) imaging was experimentally accomplished in the visible wavelengths spanning a broad bandwidth of ∼200 nm based on a single off-axis spiral phase mirror (OSPM). By the rotation of an OSPM, which was designed with an integer orbital angular momentum (OAM) of l = 1 at a wavelength of 561 nm and incidence angle of 45°, high-quality SPC imaging was obtained at different wavelengths. For the comparison with wavelength-tunable SPC imaging using an OSPM, SPC imaging using a spiral phase plate (manufactured to generate an OAM of l = 1 at 561 nm) was performed at three wavelengths (473, 561, and 660 nm), resulting in clear differences.

Risk Assessment and Evaluation of Analytical Method of Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) for Deep-Fat Fried Pork Products in Korea.

Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are produced during incomplete combustion of organic matter. Many of them are likely to be carcinogenic and cause mutations. In this study, the PAH4 (benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), benz[a]anthracene (BaA), chrysene (CHR), benzo[b]fluoranthene (BbF)) content in deep-fat fried pork was evaluated according to temperature and time, and a risk assessment was conducted.

Generation of wavelength-tunable optical vortices using an off-axis spiral phase mirror: publisher's note.

This publisher's note contains corrections to Opt. Lett.46, 4216 (2021)OPLEDP0146-959210.

Generation of wavelength-tunable optical vortices using an off-axis spiral phase mirror.

Wavelength-tunable optical vortices with a topological charge equal to =1 of orbital angular momentum (OAM) were experimentally realized using a single off-axis spiral phase mirror (OSPM) with lasers of various visible-light wavelengths. Using an OSPM designed for 561 nm and an incidence angle of 45°, circular doughnut-shaped =1 optical vortices were obtained at 561, 473, and 660 nm by rotating the OSPM to modify the laser incidence angle. Wavelength-tunable =1 optical vortices were obtained at the respective incidence angles of 45°, 53.

Promoter engineering-mediated Tuning of esterase and transaminase expression for the chemoenzymatic synthesis of sitagliptin phosphate at the kilogram-scale.

Here, we report a bienzymatic cascade to produce β-amino acids as an intermediate for the synthesis of the leading oral antidiabetic drug, sitagliptin. A whole-cell biotransformation using recombinant Escherichia coli coexpressing a esterase and transaminase were developed, wherein the desired expression level of each enzyme was achieved by promotor engineering. The small-scale reactions (30 ml) performed under optimized conditions at varying amounts of substrate (100-300 mM) resulted in excellent conversions of 82%-95% for the desired product.

PGC1α Loss Promotes Lung Cancer Metastasis through Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition.

PGC1α oppositely regulates cancer metastasis in melanoma, breast, and pancreatic cancer; however, little is known about its impact on lung cancer metastasis. Transcriptome and in vivo xenograft analysis show that a decreased PGC1α correlates with the epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) and lung cancer metastasis. The deletion of a single Pgc1α allele in mice promotes bone metastasis of Kras-driven lung cancer.

Design, Fabrication, and Performance Evaluation of Portable and Large-Area Blackbody System.

In this study, a portable and large-area blackbody system was developed following a series of processes including design, computational analysis, fabrication, and experimental analysis and evaluation. The blackbody system was designed to be lightweight (5 kg), and its temperature could exceed the ambient temperature by up to 15 °C under operation. A carbon-fiber-based heat source was used to achieve a uniform temperature distribution.

Cinobufagin Suppresses Melanoma Cell Growth by Inhibiting LEF1.

Constitutive activation of the β-catenin dependent canonical Wnt signaling pathway, which enhances tumor growth and progression in multiple types of cancer, is commonly observed in melanoma. LEF1 activates β-catenin/TCF4 transcriptional activity, promoting tumor growth and progression. Although several reports have shown that LEF1 is highly expressed in melanoma, the functional role of LEF1 in melanoma growth is not fully understood.

Ursolic Acid Suppresses Cholesterol Biosynthesis and Exerts Anti-Cancer Effects in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells.

Abnormally upregulated cholesterol and lipid metabolism, observed commonly in multiple cancer types, contributes to cancer development and progression through the activation of oncogenic growth signaling pathways. Although accumulating evidence has shown the preventive and therapeutic benefits of cholesterol-lowering drugs for cancer management, the development of cholesterol-lowering drugs is needed for treatment of cancer as well as metabolism-related chronic diseases. Ursolic acid (UA), a natural pentacyclic terpenoid, suppresses cancer growth and metastasis, but the precise underlying molecular mechanism for its anti-cancer effects is poorly understood.

HSF1 Regulates Mevalonate and Cholesterol Biosynthesis Pathways.

Heat shock factor 1 (HSF1) is an essential transcription factor in cellular adaptation to various stresses such as heat, proteotoxic stress, metabolic stress, reactive oxygen species, and heavy metals. HSF1 promotes cancer development and progression, and increased HSF1 levels are frequently observed in multiple types of cancers. Increased activity in the mevalonate and cholesterol biosynthesis pathways, which are very important for cancer growth and progression, is observed in various cancers.

Bragg scattering from a millimeter-scale periodic structure with extremely small aspect ratios.

The periodic structure on the optical surface affects the beam shape and its propagation. As the size of the optical elements becomes larger and its shape becomes complicated, the quantitative analysis of the effect of the periodic structure on the optical surface becomes indispensable given that it is very difficult to completely eliminate the microscopic periodic structures. Herein, we have experimentally investigated Bragg scattering from an optical surface with extremely small aspect ratios (~10) and groove densities (0.

Broadband tuning of ring-type cavity-dumped femtosecond optical parametric oscillator in the near-infrared.

We report a cavity-dumped optical parametric oscillator (OPO) with a ring-type cavity configuration, which is based on periodically poled lithium niobate gain synchronously pumped by a mode-locked Ti:sapphire laser. Because of reduced cavity loss and group velocity dispersion inherent to ring-cavity employment, a wide wavelength tuning capability from 1.02 to 1.

IDH1 Causes Resistance to HDAC Inhibitors by Increasing NANOG in Glioblastoma Cells.

The R132H mutation in isocitrate dehydrogenase 1 (IDH1) is commonly observed and associated with better survival in glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), a malignant brain tumor. However, the functional role of IDH1 as a molecular target for GBM treatment is not completely understood. In this study, we found that the overexpression of IDH1 suppresses cell growth, cell cycle progression and motility in U87MG glioblastoma cells.

Thymoquinone Selectively Kills Hypoxic Renal Cancer Cells by Suppressing HIF-1α-Mediated Glycolysis.

Several reports have shown that thymoquinone (TQ) effectively attenuates angiogenesis in cancer cells, resulting in suppression of tumor growth. However, it is not yet clear whether TQ reduces hypoxia-inducible factor-1α (HIF-1α) expression in hypoxic cancer cells. Here, we found that TQ was a novel HIF-1α inhibitor through hypoxia response element (HRE)-luciferase assay-based large screening by using 502 natural compounds containing chemical library.

Enzymatic synthesis of sitagliptin intermediate using a novel ω-transaminase.

Enantiopure β-amino acids are essential precursors of various pharmaceuticals, agrochemicals and other industrially important chemicals. In this study, we selected sixteen potential ω-Transaminases (ω-TAs) by BLAST and phylogenetic tree analysis. These ω-TAs were cloned, purified and tested for their reactivity for the synthesis of model β-amino acid (R)-3-amino-4-(2,4,5-triflurophenyl) butanoic acid [3-ATfBA], a key precursor for sitagliptin.

Zerumbone, a Tropical Ginger Sesquiterpene of Roscoe, Attenuates α-MSH-Induced Melanogenesis in B16F10 Cells.

Zerumbone (ZER), an active constituent of the Zingiberaceae family, has been shown to exhibit several biological activities, such as anti-inflammatory, anti-allergic, anti-microbial, and anti-cancer; however, it has not been studied for anti-melanogenic properties. In the present study, we demonstrate that ZER and (ZO) extract significantly attenuate melanin accumulation in α-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (α-MSH)-stimulated mouse melanogenic B16F10 cells. Further, to elucidate the molecular mechanism by which ZER suppresses melanin accumulation, we analyzed the expression of melanogenesis-associated transcription factor, microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF), and its target genes, such as , (), and (), in B16F10 cells that are stimulated by α-MSH.

Emodin Sensitizes Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells to the Anti-Cancer Effect of Sorafenib through Suppression of Cholesterol Metabolism.

Reduced therapeutic efficacy of sorafenib, a first-generation multikinase inhibitor, is often observed during the treatment of advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Emodin is an active component of Chinese herbs, and is effective against leukemia, lung cancer, colon cancer, pancreatic cancer, and HCC; however, the sensitizing effect of emodin on sorafenib-based HCC therapy has not been evaluated. Here, we demonstrate that emodin significantly improved the anti-cancer effect of sorafenib in HCC cells, such as HepG2, Hep3B, Huh7, SK-HEP-1, and PLC/PRF5.

HDAC6 regulates thermogenesis of brown adipocytes through activating PKA to induce UCP1 expression.

Mitochondrial uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) is responsible for nonshivering thermogenesis in brown adipose tissue (BAT). UCP1 increases the conductance of the inner mitochondrial membrane (IMM) for protons to make BAT mitochondria generate heat rather than ATP. HDAC6 is a cytosolic deacetylase for non-histone substrates to regulate various cellular processes, including mitochondrial quality control and dynamics.

Multicompartment Vesicles Formation by Emulsification-Induced Assembly of Poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone) and Their Dual-Loading Capability.

Emulsification-induced assembly is employed to allow structural diversity in nanoaggregates of a biocompatible amphiphilic polymer, poly(ethylene oxide)-block-poly(ε-caprolactone). Onion-like vesicles are efficiently produced by tuning the interfacial instability of the oil-in-water emulsion. The increase in the polymer concentration and use of the organic solvents with a low interfacial tension between water and the oil phase lead to a strong tendency of emulsion droplets to generate the onion-like vesicles.

Laser Scanning Confocal Thermoreflectance Microscope for the Backside Thermal Imaging of Microelectronic Devices.

In this paper, we report on a confocal thermoreflectance imaging system that can examine the thermal characteristics of microelectronic devices by penetrating the backside of a device through the substrate. In this system, the local reflectivity variations due to heat generation in the device are measured point by point by a laser scanning confocal microscope capable of eliminating out-of-focus reflections and the thermoreflectance is extracted via Fourier-domain signal processing. In comparison to the conventional widefield thermoreflectance microscope, the proposed laser scanning confocal thermoreflectance microscope improves the thermoreflectance sensitivity by ~23 times and the spatial resolution by ~25% in backside thermoreflectance measurements.

Experimental power spectral density analysis for mid- to high-spatial frequency surface error control.

The control of surface errors as a function of spatial frequency is critical during the fabrication of modern optical systems. A large-scale surface figure error is controlled by a guided removal process, such as computer-controlled optical surfacing. Smaller-scale surface errors are controlled by polishing process parameters.

3D Defect Localization on Exothermic Faults within Multi-Layered Structures Using Lock-In Thermography: An Experimental and Numerical Approach.

Micro-electronic devices are increasingly incorporating miniature multi-layered integrated architectures. However, the localization of faults in three-dimensional structure remains challenging. This study involved the experimental and numerical estimation of the depth of a thermally active heating source buried in multi-layered silicon wafer architecture by using both phase information from an infrared microscopy and finite element simulation.