Chunho Choi

Biosynthesis of copolyesters consisting of 3-hydroxybutyric acid and medium-chain-length 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids from 1,3-butanediol or from 3-hydroxybutyrate by Pseudomonas sp. A33

Pseudomonas sp. A33 and other isolates of aerobic bacteria accumulated a complex copolyester containing 3-hydroxybutyric acid (3HB) and various medium-chain-length 3-hydroxyalkanoic acids (3HAMCL) from 3-hydroxybutyric acid or from 1,3-butanediol under nitrogen-limitated culture conditions. 3HB contributed to 15.1 mol/100 mol of the constituents of the polyester depending on the strain and on the cultivation conditions. The accumulated polymer was a copolyester of 3HB and 3HAMCL rather than a blend of poly(3HB) and poly(3HAMCL) on the basis of multiple evidence. 3-Hydroxyhexadecenoic acid and 3-hydroxyhexadecanoic acid were detected as constituents of polyhydroxyalkanoates, which have hitherto not been described, by13C nuclear magnetic resonance or by gas chromatography/mass spectrometric analysis. In total, ten different constituents were detected in the polymer synthesized from 1,3-butanediol by Pseudomonas sp. A33:besides seven saturated (3HB, 3-hydroxyhexanoate, 3-hydroxyoctanoate, 3-hydroxydecanoate, and 3-hydrohexadecanoate) three unsaturated (3-hydroxydodecenoate, 3-hydroxytetradecenoate and 3-hydrohexadecanoate) hydroxyalkanoic acid constituents occured. The polyhydroxyalkanoate synthase of Pseudomonas sp. A33 was cloned, and its substrate specificity was evaluated by heterologous expression in various strains of P. putida, P. oleovorans and Alcaligenes eutrophus.

Avermectin: biochemical and molecular basis of its biosynthesis and regulation

Abstract Avermectin and its analogues, produced by Streptomyces avermitilis, are major commercial antiparasitic agents in the field of animal health, agriculture, and human infections. They are 16-membered pentacyclic lactone compounds derived from polyketide and linked to a disaccharide of the methylated deoxysugar l-oleandrose. Labeling studies, analyses of the biosynthetically blocked mutants, and the identification of the avermectin gene cluster allows characterization of most of the biosynthetic pathway. Recent completion of S. avermitilis genome sequencing is also expected to help in revealing the precise biosynthetic sequence and the complicated regulatory mechanism for avermectin biosynthesis, which has been long-awaited to be elucidated. The well characterized avermectin biosynthetic pathway and availability of S. avermitilis genome information in combination with the recent development of combinatorial biosynthesis should allow us to redesign more potent avermectin analogues and to engineer S. avermitilis as a more efficient host for the production of important commercial analogues.

Resolution of 1,2-epoxyhexane by Rhodotorula glutinis using a two-phase membrane bioreactor.

Abstract Large-scale resolution of epoxides by the yeast Rhodotorula glutinis was demonstrated in an aqueous/organic two-phase cascade membrane bioreactor. Due to the chemical instability and low solubility of epoxides in aqueous phases, an organic solvent was introduced into the reaction mixture in order to enhance the resolution of epoxide. A cascade hollow-fiber membrane bioreactor was used (1) to minimize the toxicity of organic solvents towards the epoxide hydrolase of R. glutinis, and (2) to remove inhibitory amounts of formed diol from the yeast cell containing aqueous phase. Dodecane was selected as a suitable solvent and 1,2-epoxyhexane as a model substrate. By use of this membrane bioreactor, highly concentrated (0.9 M in dodecane) enantiopure (> 98% ee) (S)-1,2-epoxyhexane (6.5 g, 30% yield) was obtained from the racemic mixture.

Effect of propionic acid on poly (β-hydroxybutyric-co-β-hydroxyvaleric) acid production byAlcaligenes eutrophus

SummaryThe effect of propionic acid on poly(β-hydroxybutyric-co-β-hydroxyvaleric)acid P(HB-co-HV) copolymer production byAlcaligenes eutrophus ATCC 17699 supplied with fructose and propionic acid under nitrogen limited conditions was studied. The growth ofA. eutrophus was almost completely inhibited when the concentraion, of propionic acid exceeds 1.5 g/L. Specific production rate of HV unit was highest when propionic acid concentration was 0.5 g/L. In batch culture, pH change occurs in proportion to the consumption of propionic acid. Optimal concentration of propionic acid was maintained during the production phase by using a pH-stat feeding method and a total polymer content higher than 70% and the relative HV content upto 50% could be achieved.

Study of Propagation of Light along an Acupuncture Meridian

Propagation of light along a pericardium meridian is measured and compared with that along a non-meridian path one cm away from the meridian. Source-light is illuminated on the Nei-Guan(PC6) and propagated light is detected at three points along the meridian. Four reference points are one cm away from the corresponding meridian points, respectively. Light propagates better along the meridian than the reference path with more than twenty percent difference for all the subjects tested.

Adaptive control of specific growth rate based on proton production in anaerobic fed-batch culture

SummaryThis paper develops a practical and useful computer control scheme to control the specific growth rate as accurately as possible by measuring the released protons in anaerobic alcohol fermentation. In the case of current study, most of the released protons are due to the uptake of cationic ammonium ion via the conversion: NH4+ → NH3(cell) + H+. Correlating the Proton Production (PP) and the Proton Production Rate (PPR) with specific growth rate (μ) proved PP as a better measured variable. Using a simple adaptive control algorithm, μ was successfully controlled in a Zymomonas mobilis fed-batch culture.

Measurement and analysis of optical properties of acupuncture points and channels

We are researching the optical properties of acupuncture points and channels as another index of diagnosis. We measured the reflected photons on acupuncture points and nonacupuncture points and the propagated photons on acupuncture channel and nonacupuncture channel respectively. We used a laser light source in the NIR region and Si photodiode as a detector. Light is modulated in several tens of Hz to remove interference noise and its consumption power is maintained below 5 mW. Our in-vivo experimental results show that the acupuncture point has different optical reflectance distributions compared to nonacupuncture point and different propagation characteristics between acupuncture channel and nonacupuncture channel.

Propagated photon detection at PC6 irradiating along the pericardium meridian

In this paper we excited acupuncture points by optical method and present the measurement results of photon detection at the following acupuncture point along the same meridian. The measurements were performed in the pericardium meridian and the comparison to the results of photon detection along non-meridian path also presented. The result shows the possibility that the propagation characteristic of photons along pericardium meridian differs from that along non-meridian path.

SU-F-T-655: Evaluation of Neutron Dose Equivalent Inside of Treatment Vault of Radiotherapy by Photoneutron Production in the Primary Barriers

PURPOSE Photon beams with energy higher than 10 MV interact with metal material in the primary barriers, where lead or steel have been widely used, neutrons can be generated. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to simulate the production of photoneutrons and the neutron shielding effect. METHODS For two photon beam energies, 15 MV and 18 MV, we simulated to strike metal sheets (steel and lead), and the ambient dose equivalents were calculated at the isocenter (in the patient plane) while delivering 1 Gy to the patient. For these cases, the thickness of the neutron shielding materials (Borated polyethylene (BPE) and concrete) were simulated to reduce the patient exposure by neutron doses. RESULTS When 18 MV photons interact with the metal sheets in the primary barrier, the evaluated neutron doses at the isocenter inside the treatment vault were 48.7 µSv and 7.3 µSv for lead and steel, respectively. In case of 15 MV photons, the calculated neutron doses were 18.6 µSv and 0.6 µSv for lead and steel, respectively. The neutron dose delivered to the patient can be reduced to negligible levels by including a 10 cm thick sheet of BPE or 22 cm thick sheet of concrete. CONCLUSION When bunker shielding is designed with a primary barrier including a metal sheet inside the wall for a high energy machine, proper neutron shielding should be constructed to avoid undesirable extra dose.

SU‐E‐T‐21: Modeling a MLC Scatter Source for In‐Air Output Factors

PURPOSE Scattered radiation from multi-leaf collimators (MLCs) is no longer negligible for calculating in-air output ratio, Sc for small and irregular fields often used in intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT). An extra-focal source model for scattered radiation from MLCs, namely MLC scatter source, has been developed to improve the accuracy of the Sc calculation. METHODS A conventional dual-source model was made by using Sc data that were measured for collimator-defined fields of Varian Clinac IX linear accelerator. Then, an MLC scatter source at the center of the MLC position of the linear accelerator was assumed in the model. The MLC scatter source model consisted of two Gaussian functions of which parameters were iteratively optimized against the Sc data measured for different MLC fields with fixed collimator sizes. To evaluate the effectiveness of the developed source model, measurements were made for various MLC-defined irregular or square fields. The calculated Sc data by using (1) the developed source model and (2) the conventional dual source model were compared with the measured data. RESULTS The mean discrepancy between the measured Sc and calculated Sc from the developed source model was 0.08+-0.28%, while one from the conventional source model was 0.44+-0.39%. CONCLUSIONS The developed MLC scatter source model in conjunction with the dual source model could improve the accuracy of the Sc calculation in IMRT fields.