Search

In Korea, a total of 112 explosions related to portable butane gas stoves occurred between 2011 and 2015. This resulted in the injury of 187 people and the death of 8 others. Although safety devices are installed in portable gas stoves or canisters, reliability is low. We conducted experiments to identify the process of the portable butane gas stove’s explosion and performance of an improved portable gas stove. The improved one has an attached expanded graphite sheet inside the gas canister cover which has a directional high thermal conductivity to diffuse heat. As a result of these experiments, we found the process, characteristics, and trends of explosions of portable butane gas stoves. Moreover, we checked that the stoves with an attached graphite sheet help prevent explosions by diffusing heat. In addition, the temperature of canisters was constant until most of the butane gas was consumed. These results provide data to improve safety devices for portable gas stoves as well as to prevent deadly accidents.

The functions of probiotics, particularly Lactic acid bacteria, have been studied in a range of human diseases, including cancer, infectious diseases, gastrointestinal disorders, and allergies. Among the many ben- efits associated with the consumption of probiotics, modulation of immune activity has received the most attention. This study aimed at investigating the improved immune stimulatory and stability of L. plantarum when cultivated on modified basal media supplemented with the Undaria pinnatifida co-cultured with L. plantarum. An in vitro test showed that U. pinnatifida media cultured L. plantarum is strong enough to survive in the gastric juice (gastric and bile acid). Mouse macrophage-derived cell lines RAW 264.7 was used to measured immune stimulating activity of L. plantarum. When U. pinnatifida media cultured by L. plantarum was NO and TNF-α production is significantly increased compared to basal media cultured L. plantarum. These results show that U. pinnatifida could be applied for a component for cultivation of L. plantarum. This optimized U. pinnatifida medium can be used the improving of sta- bility and immune function on production of probiotics.

To optimize the medium composition of Undaria pinnatifida as a pH modulator the growth of Lactobacillus plantarum industrial scale, we analyzed the pH and growth characteristics of L. plantarum in basal medium. Subsequently, the medium compositions addition of carbon, nitrogen sources and buffering agents were optimized. When 0.5% yeast extract and 2% glucose, L. plantarum grew to maximum cell density in experimental condition. However, the growth of L. plantarum rapidly pH 4.0 in basal medium. A high alkali-ash value and low cost-effective utilization n the waste part as examined. ddition of U. pinnatifida extract alleviated the serious decrease. Among them, juice of U. pinnatifida was most helpful for the growth of L. plantarum (36.3±1.8108 CFU/mL). These results show that U. pinnatifida be large-scale cultivation of L. plantarum. This optimized U. pinnatifida medium can be used for safe and economical production of Lactobacillus.

This article has been removed at the request of the Editor-in-Chief and author. Please see Elsevier Policy on Article Withdrawal ( http://www.elsevier.com/locate/withdrawalpolicy ). Reason: This article has been removed due to concerns in the release of proprietary information.

The ligand-binding surface of the T-lymphocyte glycoprotein CD2 has an unusually high proportion of charged residues, and ionic interactions are thought to play a significant role in defining the ligand specificity and binding affinity of CD2 with the structurally homologous ligands CD48 (in rodents) and CD58 (in humans). The determination of the electrostatic properties of these proteins can therefore contribute to our understanding of structure-activity relationships for these adhesion complexes that underpin T-cell adhesion to antigen-presenting cells. In this study, we investigated the pH titration behavior of the carboxyl groups of the N-terminal domain of rat CD2 (CD2d1) using the chemical shifts of backbone amide nitrogen-15 ((15)N) and proton NMR resonances, and carboxyl carbon-13 ((13)C) signals. The analysis revealed the presence of a glutamate (Glu41) on the binding surface of rat CD2 with an unusually elevated acidity constant (pK(a) = 6.73) for CD2d1 samples at 1.2 mM concentration. pH titration of CD2d1 at low protein concentration (0.1 mM) resulted in a slight decrease of the measured pK(a) of Glu41 to 6.36. The ionization of Glu41 exhibited reciprocal interactions with a second glutamate (Glu29) in a neighboring location, with both residues demonstrating characteristic biphasic titration behavior of the carboxyl (13)C resonances. Measurements at pH 5.5 of the two-bond deuterium isotope shift for the (13)C carboxyl resonances for Glu41 and Glu29 [(2)DeltaC(delta)(O(epsilon)D) = 0.2 and 0.1 ppm, respectively] were consistent with the assignment of the anomalous pK(a) to Glu41, under the strong influence of Glu29. The characterization of single site mutations of CD2d1 residues Glu41 and Glu29 to glutamine confirmed the anomalous pK(a) for Glu41, and indicated that electrostatic interaction with the Glu29 side chain is a significant contributing influence for this behavior in the wild-type protein. The implications of these observations are discussed with respect to recent structural and functional analyses of the interaction of rat CD2 with CD48. In particular, CD2 Glu41 must be a candidate residue to explain the previously reported strong pH dependence of binding of these two proteins in vitro.