In this work, quantitative energy-dispersive electron probe X-ray microanalysis (ED-EPMA) (called low-Z particle EPMA), Raman microspectrometry (RMS), and attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopic (ATR-FTIR) imaging were applied in combination for the analysis of the same individual airborne particles for the first time. After examining individual particles of micrometer size by low-Z particle EPMA, consecutive examinations by RMS and ATR-FTIR imaging of the same individual particles were then performed. The relocation of the same particles on Al or Ag foils was successfully carried out among the three standalone instruments for several standard samples and an indoor airborne particle sample, resulting in the successful acquisition of quality spectral data from the three single-particle analytical techniques. The combined application of the three techniques to several different standard particles confirmed that those techniques provided consistent and complementary chemical composition information on the same individual particles. Further, it was clearly demonstrated that the three different types of spectral and imaging data from the same individual particles in an indoor aerosol sample provided richer information on physicochemical characteristics of the particle ensemble than that obtainable by the combined use of two single-particle analytical techniques.

The mechanism of an endothelin-1-(ET-1-) induced intracellular Ca 2+ ([Ca 2+ ] i ) increase and the receptor subtype(s) responsible for this effect in single human melanocytes were studied using fura-2/AM. ET-1 induced a transient increase in [Ca 2+ ] i in a concentrationdependent manner. The transient [Ca 2+ ] i increase was followed by a sustained plateau level of [Ca 2+ ] i which was higher than the initial [Ca 2+ ] i level. IRL-1620, a specific ET-B receptor agonist, increased [Ca 2+ ] i in a dosedependent manner. BQ-788, a specific ET-B receptor antagonist, abolished the ET-1-induced [Ca 2+ ] i increase, but BQ-123, a specific ET-A receptor antagonist, failed to prevent it. U73122, an inhibitor of phospholipase C (PLC), inhibited the ET-1-induced [Ca 2+ ] i rise in a dosedependent manner. Prior depletion of intracellular Ca 2+ stores with thapsigargin, an inhibitor of Ca 2+ -ATPase of the endoplasmic reticulum, abolished the ET-1-induced Ca 2+ transient, whereas removal of extracellular Ca 2+ with EGTA eliminated the sustained rise. These results suggest that in cultured human melanocytes the binding of ET-1 to ET-B receptors and the subsequent activation of PLC mediate ET-1-induced [Ca 2+ ] i increase. The transient [Ca 2+ ] i increase is attributed to mobilization of Ca 2+ from inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive intracellular Ca 2+ stores, and the sustained [Ca 2+ ] i level may be related to the influx of extracellular Ca 2+ .& k w d : Key words Endothelin-1 · Endothelin B receptor · Melanocyte · IP 3 -sensitive intracellular Ca 2+ store · Fura-2 · Thapsigargin& b d y :

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In this study, the repeated-batch fermentation of liquefied cassava medium using the flocculent hybrid Saccharomyces cerevisiae CHFY0321 was investigated for semicontinuous, high-throughput production of bioethanol. Cassava medium was selected due to the industrial requirement for a cheap starchy substrate. Fermentations were performed by simultaneous saccharification and fermentation (SSF) with a set of ten batches successfully completing a series within the repeated fermentation process. In addition, pH of the culture medium was not controlled to simplify ethanol production for future use in industry. Optimal recycling volume was found to be 5%. Volumetric productivity, final ethanol concentration, and ethanol yield were measured at 3.34 g l(-1) h(-1), 84.5 g l(-1), and 90.7%, respectively. Cell recycling (24.5 g DCW l(-1)) resulted in 1.8-fold decrease in fermentation time (24 h) and 1.8-fold increase in volumetric productivity compared with the ordinary batch fermentation. Therefore, repeated-batch SSF using flocculent CHFY0321 demonstrates the possibility of cost-effective bioethanol production by eliminating additional saccharification and inoculation steps.

These cases seem to represent a continuum of Riehl melanosis. However, the principal distribution of the pigmentation is a distinguishing feature. Any consistent predisposing factors were not established, but there may be a role for subclinical injury or inflammation as possible causative factors for development of the pigmentation.