Biodiesel fuel production by transesterification of oils.

Many microorganisms, especially bacteria, produce biosurfactants when grown on water-immiscible substrates. Biosurfactants are more effective, selective, environmentally friendly, and stable than many synthetic surfactants. Most common biosurfactants are glycolipids in which carbohydrates are attached to a long-chain aliphatic acid, while others, like lipopeptides, lipoproteins, and heteropolysaccharides, are more complex. Rapid and reliable methods for screening and selection of biosurfactant-producing microorganisms and evaluation of their activity have been developed. Genes involved in rhamnolipid synthesis (rhlAB) and regulation (rhlI and rhlR) in Pseudomonas aeruginosa are characterized, and expression of rhlAB in heterologous hosts is discussed. Genes for surfactin production (sfp, srfA, and comA) in Bacillus spp. are also characterized. Fermentative production of biosurfactants depends primarily on the microbial strain, source of carbon and nitrogen, pH, temperature, and concentration of oxygen and metal ions. Addition of water-immiscible substrates to media and nitrogen and iron limitations in the media result in an overproduction of some biosurfactants. Other important advances are the use of water-soluble substrates and agroindustrial wastes for production, development of continuous recovery processes, and production through biotransformation. Commercialization of biosurfactants in the cosmetic, food, health care, pulp- and paper-processing, coal, ceramic, and metal industries has been proposed. However, the most promising applications are cleaning of oil-contaminated tankers, oil spill management, transportation of heavy crude oil, enhanced oil recovery, recovery of crude oil from sludge, and bioremediation of sites contaminated with hydrocarbons, heavy metals, and other pollutants. Perspectives for future research and applications are also discussed.

Microbial production of surfactants and their commercial potential.

An object is to provide a semiconductor device of which a manufacturing process is not complicated and by which cost can be suppressed, by forming a thin film transistor using an oxide semiconductor film typified by zinc oxide, and a manufacturing method thereof. For the semiconductor device, a gate electrode is formed over a substrate; a gate insulating film is formed covering the gate electrode; an oxide semiconductor film is formed over the gate insulating film; and a first conductive film and a second conductive film are formed over the oxide semiconductor film. The oxide semiconductor film has at least a crystallized region in a channel region.

Semiconductor device, and manufacturing method thereof

Turmeric, derived from the plant Curcuma longa, is a gold-colored spice commonly used in the Indian subcontinent, not only for health care but also for the preservation of food and as a yellow dye for textiles. Curcumin, which gives the yellow color to turmeric, was first isolated almost two centuries ago, and its structure as diferuloylmethane was determined in 1910. Since the time of Ayurveda (1900 Bc) numerous therapeutic activities have been assigned to turmeric for a wide variety of diseases and conditions, including those of the skin, pulmonary, and gastrointestinal systems, aches, pains, wounds, sprains, and liver disorders. Extensive research within the last half century has proven that most of these activities, once associated with turmeric, are due to curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to exhibit antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiviral, antibacterial, antifungal, and anticancer activities and thus has a potential against various malignant diseases, diabetes, allergies, arthritis, Alzheimer's disease, and other chronic illnesses. These effects are mediated through the regulation of various transcription factors, growth factors, inflammatory cytokines, protein kinases, and other enzymes. Curcumin exhibits activities similar to recently discovered tumor necrosis factor blockers (e.g., HUMIRA, REMICADE, and ENBREL), a vascular endothelial cell growth factor blocker (e.g., AVASTIN), human epidermal growth factor receptor blockers (e.g., ERBITUX, ERLOTINIB, and GEFTINIB), and a HER2 blocker (e.g., HERCEPTIN). Considering the recent scientific bandwagon that multitargeted therapy is better than monotargeted therapy for most diseases, curcumin can be considered an ideal "Spice for Life".

Curcumin: The Indian solid gold

The present invention provides a heterocyclic compound and an organic light-emitting device including the heterocyclic compound. The organic light-emitting devices using the heterocyclic compounds have high-efficiency, low driving voltage, high luminance and long lifespan.

Organic light-emitting device

We designed, prototyped, and evaluated LCD integrated with a gate driver and a source driver using amorphous In-Ga-Zn-Oxide TFTs having bottom-gate bottom-contact structure, thereby obtaining TFTs with superior characteristics Then, we prototyped the world's first 4-inch QVGA LCD and integrated the gate driver and source driver on the display panel

15.2: Development of Driver‐Integrated Panel Using Amorphous In‐Ga‐Zn‐Oxide TFT

It is an object to provide a highly reliable semiconductor device with good electrical characteristics and a display device including the semiconductor device as a switching element. In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a needle crystal group provided on at least one surface side of the oxide semiconductor layer grows in a c-axis direction perpendicular to the surface and includes an a-b plane parallel to the surface, and a portion except for the needle crystal group is an amorphous region or a region in which amorphousness and microcrystals are mixed. Accordingly, a highly reliable semiconductor device with good electrical characteristics can be formed.

Oxide semiconductor film and semiconductor device

Various Mortierella fungi were assayed for their productivity of arachidonic acid (ARA). Only strains belonging to the subgenus Mortierella accumulated detectable amounts of ARA together with dihomo-γ-linolenic acid. None of the strains belonging to the subgenus Micromucor tested accumulated these C-20 fatty acids, although they produced a C-18 fatty acid, γ-linolenic enic acid. A soil isolate, M. alpina 1S-4, was found to grow well in a liquid medium containing glucose and yeast extract as carbon and nitrogen sources, respectively. Addition of several natural oils such as olive and soybean oils to the medium increased the accumulation of ARA. Under optimal culture conditions in a 5-1 bench-scale fermentor, the fungus produced 3.6 g/l of ARA in 7 days. On cultivation for 10 days at 28°C in a 2000-1 fermentor, the same fungus produced 22.5 kg/kl mycelia (dry weight) containing 9.9 kg lipids, in which ARA comprised 31.0% of the total fatty acids. On standing the harvested mycelia for a further 6 days, major mycelial fatty acids (i.e. palmitic acid, oleic acid, linoleic acid, etc.) other than ARA rapidly decomposed and the ARA content of the total fatty acids reached nearly 70%.

Production of arachidonic acid by Mortierella fungi

Incubation with sesame oil increases the mycelial dihomo-gamma-linolenic acid content of an arachidonic acid-producing fungus, Mortierella alpina, but decreases its arachidonic acid content [Shimizu, S., K. Akimoto, H. Kawashima, Y. Shinmen and H. Yamada (1989) J. Am. Oil Chem. Soc. 66, 237-241]. The factor causing these effects was isolated and identified to be (+)-sesamin. The results obtained in experiments with both a cell-free extract of the fungus and with rat liver microsomes demonstrated that (+)-sesamin specifically inhibits delta 5 desaturase at low concentrations, but does not inhibit delta 6, delta 9 and delta 12 desaturases. Kinetic analysis showed that (+)-sesamin is a noncompetitive inhibitor (Ki for rat liver delta 5 desaturase, 155 microM). (+)-Sesamolin, (+)-sesaminol and (+)-episesamin also inhibited only delta 5 desaturases of the fungus and liver. These results demonstrate that (+)-sesamin and related lignan compounds present in sesame seeds or its oil are specific inhibitors of delta 5 desaturase in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis in both microorganisms and animals.

Sesamin is a potent and specific inhibitor of delta 5 desaturase in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis

Sesamin, a major lignan in sesame oil, is known to have many biological activities, especially protective effects against oxidative damage in the liver. As sesamin itself has no antioxidative properties in vitro, to elucidate the mechanism of its antioxidative effects, the reaction products of sesamin in rat liver homogenate were analyzed. The methylenedioxyphenyl moiety in the structure of sesamin was shown to be changed into a dihydrophenyl (catechol) moiety. The enzymatic reaction products in vitro were identified as (1R,2S,5R,6S)-6-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-2-(3,4-methylenedioxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane and (1R,2S,5R,6S)-2,6-bis(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,7-dioxabicyclo[3,3,0]octane, which showed strong radical scavenging activities; the latter was a novel compound. The same metabolites were found as glucuronic acid and/or sulfic acid conjugates in substantial amounts in rat bile after oral administration of sesamin. It is suggested that sesamin is a prodrug and the metabolites containing the catechol moieties in their structures are responsible for the protective effects of sesamin against oxidative damage in the liver.

Kengo Akimoto

Papers

15.2: Development of Driver‐Integrated Panel Using Amorphous In‐Ga‐Zn‐Oxide TFT

Oxide semiconductor film and semiconductor device

Production of arachidonic acid by Mortierella fungi

Sesamin is a potent and specific inhibitor of delta 5 desaturase in polyunsaturated fatty acid biosynthesis

Novel antioxidative metabolites in rat liver with ingested sesamin.