All issues
Volume 85, Issue 9
Displaying 1-6 of 6 articles from this issue
- |<
- <
- 1
- >
- >|
Reviews
-
Hiroyuki ABÉ2009 Volume 85 Issue 9 Pages 363-373
Published: 2009
Released on J-STAGE: November 12, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSFracture mechanics/technology is a key science and technology for the design and integrity assessment of the engineering structures. However, the conventional fracture mechanics has mostly targeted a limited size of cracks/defects, say of from several hundred microns to several tens of centimeters. The author and his group has tried to extend that limited size and establish a new version of fracture technology for very large cracks used in geothermal energy extraction and for very small cracks/defects or damage often appearing in the combination of mechanical and electronic components of engineering structures. Those new versions are reviewed in this paper.
(Communicated by Takeo YOKOBORI, M.J.A.)View full abstractDownload PDF (1523K) -
Syunsuke IKEDA, Kazutoshi OSAWA, Yoshihisa AKAMATSU2009 Volume 85 Issue 9 Pages 374-390
Published: 2009
Released on J-STAGE: November 12, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSSediment and nutrients yields especially from farmlands were studied in a watershed in Ishigaki island, Okinawa, Japan. The transport processes of these materials in rivers, mangrove, lagoon and coastal zones were studied by using various observation methods including stable isotope analysis. They were simulated by using a WEPP model which was modified to be applicable to such small islands by identifying several factors from the observations. The model predicts that a proper combination of civil engineering countermeasure and change of farming method can reduce the sediment yield from the watershed by 74%. Observations of water quality and coral recruitment test in Nagura bay indicate that the water is eutrophicated and the corals cannot grow for a long time. Based on these observations, a quantitative target of the reduction of sediment and nutrients yield in watershed can be decided rationally.
(Communicated by Kiyoshi HORIKAWA, M.J.A.)View full abstractDownload PDF (2418K) -
Taro NOMURA, Yoshio HANO, Toshio FUKAI2009 Volume 85 Issue 9 Pages 391-408
Published: 2009
Released on J-STAGE: November 12, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSMany isoprenylated flavonoids have been isolated from Japanese mulberry tree (Moraceae). Among them, kuwanons G (1) and H (2) were the first isolated active substances exhibiting a hypotensive effect. These compounds are considered to be formed through an enzymatic Diels-Alder type reaction between an isoprenyl portion of an isoprenylphenol as the diene and an α, β-double bond of chalcone as the dienophile. The absolute configurations of these Diels-Alder type adducts were confirmed by three different methods. The stereochemistries of the adducts were consistent with those of ones in the Diels-Alder reaction involving exo- and endo-addition. Some strains of Morus alba callus tissues have a high productivity of mulberry Diels-Alder type adducts, such as chalcomoracin (3) and kuwanon J (4). The biosynthetic studies of the mulberry Diels-Alder type adducts have been carried out with the aid of the cell strain. Chalcomoracin (3) and kuwanon J (4) were proved to be enzymatic Diels-Alder type reaction products by the administration experiments with O-methylchalcone derivatives. Furthermore, for the isoprenoid biosynthesis of prenylflavonoids in Morus alba callus tissues by administration of [1,3-13C2]- and [2-13C]-glycerol, a novel way through the junction of glycolysis and pentose-phosphate cycle was proved. Two independent isoprenoid biosynthetic pathways, that for sterols and that for isoprenoid-phenols, operate in the Morus alba cell cultures. The former is susceptible to compactin (ML-236) and the latter resists to compactin in the cell cultures, respectively.
(Communicated by Shoji SHIBATA, M.J.A.)View full abstractDownload PDF (1617K) -
Yasuhiro ANRAKU, Yoshinori SATOW2009 Volume 85 Issue 9 Pages 409-421
Published: 2009
Released on J-STAGE: November 12, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSTwenty years ago, evidence that one gene produces two enzymes via protein splicing emerged from structural and expression studies of the VMA1 gene in Saccharomyces cerevisiae. VMA1 consists of a single open reading frame and contains two independent genetic information for Vma1p (a catalytic 70-kDa subunit of the vacuolar H+-ATPase) and VDE (a 50-kDa DNA endonuclease) as an in-frame spliced insert in the gene. Protein splicing is a posttranslational cellular process, in which an intervening polypeptide termed as the VMA1 intein is self-catalytically excised out from a nascent 120-kDa VMA1 precursor and two flanking polypeptides of the N- and C-exteins are ligated to produce the mature Vma1p. Subsequent studies have demonstrated that protein splicing is not unique to the VMA1 precursor and there are many operons in nature, which implement genetic information editing at protein level. To elucidate its structure-directed chemical mechanisms, a series of biochemical and crystal structural studies has been carried out with the use of various VMA1 recombinants. This article summarizes a VDE-mediated self-catalytic mechanism for protein splicing that is triggered and terminated solely via thiazolidine intermediates with tetrahedral configurations formed within the splicing sites where proton ingress and egress are driven by balanced protonation and deprotonation.
(Communicated by Takao SEKIYA, M.J.A.)View full abstractDownload PDF (1692K)
Original Papers
-
Azusa YONESHIGE, Kunihiko SUZUKI, Naoya KOJIMA, Junko MATSUDA2009 Volume 85 Issue 9 Pages 422-434
Published: 2009
Released on J-STAGE: November 12, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSProsaposin is a precursor of saposins A, B, C, and D. Saposins are indispensable for lysosomal hydrolysis of sphingolipids. The notion that prosaposin itself is likely involved in brain development led us to generate an anti-mouse prosaposin-specific antibody that do not cross-react with any of the processed saposins. We have used it to study expression of prosaposin in the brain of wild-type (WT) and saposin D knockout mice (Sap-D-/-). Immunoblot studies indicated that prosaposin, already abundant in the brain of WT, was dramatically increased in Sap-D-/-. By immunohistochemistry, the brain of WT was rich in prosaposin in hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons, tufted cells and mitral cells in olfactory bulb, and cerebellar Purkinje cells. In Sap-D-/-, immunoreactivity of prosaposin was increased in these neurons, most notably in the CA3 pyramidal neurons which contained prosaposin immuno-positive inclusion bodies in the endoplasmic reticulum. Further characterization of these prosaposin-rich neurons may provide new insights into the physiological functions of prosaposin in the nervous system.
(Contributed by Kunihiko SUZUKI, M.J.A.)View full abstractDownload PDF (2057K) -
Yoshiaki ORIHARA, Masashi KAMOGAWA, Toshiyasu NAGAO, Seiya UYEDA2009 Volume 85 Issue 9 Pages 435-442
Published: 2009
Released on J-STAGE: November 12, 2009
JOURNAL FREE ACCESSSimultaneous anomalous change of geoelectric field was observed on January 17, 1999 at three far-distant stations in Nagano Prefecture, Japan. Eleven days after the anomalous change, an earthquake swarm with a M4.8 main shock started at a location within the triangle formed by the three stations. This change was rectangular in shape like the VAN-type anomalous change in Greece. The anomaly could be detected because it occurred at midnight when the noise level was low. In fact, there were a few M4-class earthquakes in the area for which no preceding anomalous electric changes were observed, perhaps because the changes occurred during the noisy daytime. In this paper, we examine if it is possible to extract the signal with the size of the anomalous change on January 17, 1999 from the noisy daytime data by Independent Component Analysis. For this purpose, a simulated noise was embedded in the real daytime data which were highly influenced by not only artificial noise but also by geomagnetic disturbances and rainfall. Even when the influence of geomagnetic disturbance or rainfall was large, the anomalous change was clearly recognized at least at two stations in all cases.
(Contributed by Seiya UYEDA, M.J.A.)View full abstractDownload PDF (1195K)
- |<
- <
- 1
- >
- >|