Showing papers by "Nagoya University published in 1987"

Bending patterns of Chlamydomonas flagella: IV. Mutants with defects in inner and outer dynein arms indicate differences in dynein arm function.

Abstract: Mutants with outer dynein arm defects or deficiencies all show a major reduction in beat frequency to about half the normal value; some of these mutants show an additional decrease in sliding velocity associated with reduced shear amplitude and an additional reduction in beat frequency, as well as other more minor modifications of the normal forward mode bending pattern. New mutants (ida98, pf30), which appear to be deficient in a subset of inner dynein arms show a reduction in sliding velocity that is primarily associated with a reduction in shear amplitude, with only a small reduction in beat frequency. These differences in motility phenotype between inner and outer dynein arm mutants suggest that inner and outer dynein arms may have distinct functions. The relatively large decrease in sliding velocity associated with partial loss of inner arms is consistent with earlier observations on pf23, a nonmotile mutant lacking inner arms, suggesting that inner arms may have an essential function in motility. The ability to generate reverse mode bending patterns is retained in some inner or outer dynein arm mutants, but appears to be decreased in those mutants which show reduced shear amplitude for the forward mode bending pattern.

Sterilization of Microorganisms with Supercritical Carbon Dioxide

Abstract: The sterilizing effect of supercritical carbon dioxide (SC-C02) is described as compared with gaseous C02(G-C02) and liquid C02(L-C02). Baker’s yeast, Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus and conidia of Aspergillus niger were sterilized by treating with SC-C02 at 200 atm and 35°C when the water content of each microorganism was 70 ~ 90%. However, dry cells with a water content of 2 ~ 10% could not be sterilized under the same conditions. No sterilizing effect from SC-C02 on endospores of Bacillus subtilis and B. s tear other mophilus was observed. G-C02 and L-C02 produced no sterilizing effect against both wet and dry baker’s yeast cells, while wet E. coli cells were sterilized with G-C02. Although dry conidia of A. niger could not be sterilized with SC-C02 alone, the addition of ethanol or acetic acid to SC-C02 made it possible to sterilize these. Without any decrease in their enzymatic activities, E. coli and baker’s yeast in α-amylase and lipase preparations were sterilized with SC-C02.

Laboratory detection and astronomical identification of a new free radical, CCS 3Sigma/-/

Abstract: The linear CCS radical has been detected, for the first time, by laboratory microwave spectroscopy, and four unidentified lines including the U45379 line from TMC-1 and seven from Sgr B2 have been assigned to the transitions of this radical. The radical was produced in a free-space absorption cell by a dc glow discharge in a mixture of CS2 and He. Twenty-nine lines were observed in the frequency region up to 300 HGz and were least-squares analyzed to determine the detailed molecular constants. Two strong unidentified lines, U45379 and U22344, were assigned to the F1 components, J(N) = 4(3)-3(2) and 2(1)-1(0), respectively. The J(N) = 2(1)-1(0) transition of CC(S-34) was also observed in TMC-1. The column densities of CCS in Sgr B2 and TMC-1 are estimated to be (6 + or - 1) x 10 to the 13th and (8 + or - 2) x 10 to the 13th per sq cm, respectively. 19 references.

Jacobi polynomials associated with Selberg integrals

Abstract: An extension of Selberg’s beta integral is evaluated and used to obtain a new integral representation for Jacobi polynomials.

Paederus, Sensu Lato (Coleoptera: Staphylinidae): Natural History and Medical Importance

Abstract: Staphylinids (Coleoptera) are known as predators of Diptera and other arthropods of medical and veterinary importance, but the genus Paederus has achieved greater notoriety. Paederus includes over 600 described species distributed in all temperate and tropical continents. Many species exist in moist habitats, and some have their life cycles attuned to seasonal fluctuations in water level. Temperate-zone species may have a single annual breeding season in the warmer months, but in tropical species timing of the breeding season appears to depend upon rainfall seasonality. Widely distributed species with a broad latitudinal range seem to be multivoltine, with more generations at lower latitudes. Adults of some species are capable of running on water, navigating in response to light. Unlike most staphylinid adults, which avoid daylight, Paederus adults are active in the open in daylight. However, flight seems largely restricted to nights of high temperature. Adults of some species are wingless, and in other species adults show individual variation in wing length. Adults of at least some species are attracted at night to incandescent and fluorescent lights. Eggs are laid singly on a moist substrate and are susceptible to desiccation. There are 2 larval instars. Larvae remain in concealed, moist habitats and are largely predatory. Pupation occurs in earthen cells. Adults, too, are largely predatory but will feed on certain plant materials. Enormous populations of adults have been recorded in some agricultural habitats; in these cases the beetles are beneficial to agriculture owing to their predation on insect pests. However, they are highly susceptible to insecticides. Adults inadvertently come into contact with humans, especially in the tropics and by attraction to light at night. Hemolymph is released when the insects are crushed on human skin (deliberately or by accident) and can be introduced into the eyes. This hemolymph contains a potent contact toxin that causes dermatitis linearis and conjunctivitis in humans. Epidemics of dermatitis linearis are recorded for many tropical and some temperate countries. The epidemics can be mitigated by simple precautions. The dermatitis can be severe, painful, and unsightly, with erythema persisting for months. Conjunctivitis can result in temporary blindness. The toxic effects of Paederus were unknown to Western medicine until this century, but they were known to Chinese medicine 1,200 years earlier. The principal toxin is pederin, the most complex nonproteinaceous insect secretion known. Pederin occurs in all developmental stages of Paederus fuscipes , the Old World species on which most research has been performed. It has been synthesized and, in pure form, is a crystalline amide soluble in alcohol and water. It is a DNA inhibitor and acts at the cellular level by blocking mitosis. Experimentally, it has suppressed cancerous tumors in mice, rats, and plants, has stimulated regeneration of damaged tissues, has healed chronic, necrotic lesions in geriatric patients, and has induced cell fusion in human skin fibroblasts. It is more toxic externally and internally to rabbits, rats, mice, and guinea pigs than to hedgehogs, chickens, frogs, and toads. It is not known to be toxic to insects, is not attractive to insects, and has little effect against bacteria. Its function as a defensive secretion has not been demonstrated.

Vertex operators in the conformal field theory on P 1 and monodromy representations of the braid group

Abstract: Vertex operators (primary fields) are constructed for the conformal field theory on P1 by means of A1(1) modules. The commutation relations of vertex operators induce monodromy representations of the braid group on the spaces of vacuum expectations of compositions of vertex operators.

Discovery of an unusual hard X-ray source in the region of supernova 1987A

Abstract: We have discovered a new hard X-ray source near supernova 1987 A, in the Large Magellanic Cloud, from the X-ray astronomy satellite Ginga. The present error box of 0.2° × 0.3° includes the supernova. The energy spectrum is very hard above 10 keV and unusual for any of the known classes of X-ray source. The flux in the range 10–30 keV as of 2–3 September is ˜5×10–11ergcm–2 s–1. The source intensity increased steadily throughout July, August and early September, but an observation in late September revealed no further increase. The positional agreement, a steady brightening and an unusual hard spectrum support the identification of the source as SN1987A.

Six chloroplast genes (ndhA-F) homologous to human mitochondrial genes encoding components of the respiratory chain NADH dehydrogenase are actively expressed: determination of the splice sites in ndhA and ndhB pre-mRNAs.

Abstract: Sequences (ndhA-F) homologous to human mitochondrial genes for components of the respiratory chain NADH dehydrogenase have been found in the chloroplast DnA of tobacco The ndhA, D, E and F sequences corresponding to the mitochondrial URF1, 4, 4L and 5 are located in the small single copy region, the ndhB sequence corresponding to URF2 in the inverted repeat and the ndhC sequence corresponding to URF3 in the large single copy region of the chloroplast DNA Northern blot hybridization revealed that all six ndh sequences are actively expressed in the chloroplasts The ndhA and ndhB sequences contain single introns and the splice sites of their pre-mRNAs were determined by reverse transcription analysis These findings suggest that potential components of an NADH dehydrogenase are synthesized in the chloroplasts

Peptic ulcer is prevalent among shift workers.

Abstract: To elucidate sleep disturbances in the etiology of peptic ulcers, the prevalence of peptic ulcer disease was compared among shift workers and daytime workers. The subjects (N = 11,657) were employees of various institutions, such as factories, banks, or schools, and had undergone a mass x-ray examination of the upper gastrointestinal tract. With present shift workers (N = 2269), the prevalence of gastric ulcers was 2.38% (N = 54) and that of duodenal ulcers, 1.37% (N = 31). With the past shift workers (N = 2111), the prevalence of gastric ulcers was 1.52% (N = 32) and that of duodenal ulcers, 0.62% (N = 13). On the contrary, with the daytime workers (N = 6525) the prevalence of gastric ulcer was 1.03% (N = 67) and that of duodenal ulcer, 0.69% (N = 45). The working schedule for 752 examinees was unknown. The prevalence of gastric and duodenal ulcers was higher with shift workers than daytime workers. Thus, shift work involving sleep disturbances may play an important role in the development of peptic ulcers.

Cu(pc)I: A Molecular Metal With A One-dimensional Array of Local Moments Embedded In A “Fermi Sea” of Charge Carriers

Abstract: Treatment of (phthalocyaninato)copper(II), Cu(pc), with elemental iodine affords (phthalocyaninato)copper iodide, Cu(pc)I. This material is comprised of metal-over-metal stacks of partially oxidized Cu(pc) groups surrounded by linear chains of I/sub 3//sup -/ ions. Reflectivity spectra from single crystals of Cu(pc)I exhibit a very sharp plasma edge for light polarized parallel to the stacking direction and four-probe conductivity measurements show a room temperature conductivity of ca. 10/sup 3/ Omega/sup -1/ cm/sup -1/ along this direction. Together these measurements indicate that Cu(pc)I is the most highly conductive porphyrinic molecular metal studied to date and is among the most conductive molecular crystals known. Crystal data: tetragonal, space group D/sub 4h//sup 2/-P4/mcc with a = 13.888 (12) A, c = 6.390 (8) A, V = 1232 A/sup 3/, and Z = 2. Thermoelectric power and magnetic susceptibility measurements show that the charge carriers of Cu(pc)I are holes in the 5/6 filled band comprised of overlapping p-..pi.. orbitals from adjacent pc rings. The metal sites in this material retain their paramagnetic Cu/sup 2 +/ oxidation state, and thus Cu(pc)I represents the first example of a one-dimensional array of local moments embedded in a Fermi sea of charge carriers.

The ribosomal protein gene cluster of Mycoplasma capricolum.

Abstract: The DNA sequence of the part of the Mycoplasma capricolum genome that contains the genes for 20 ribosomal proteins and two other proteins has been determined. The organization of the gene cluster is essentially the same as that in the S10 and spc operons of Escherichia coli. The deduced amino acid sequence of each protein is also well conserved in the two bacteria. The G+C content of the M. capricolum genes is 29%, which is much lower than that of E. coli (51%). The codon usage pattern of M. capricolum is different from that of E. coli and extremely biased to use of A and U(T): about 91% of codons have A or U in the third position. UGA, which is a stop codon in the “universal” code, is used more abundantly than UGG to dictate tryptophan.

Soliton interaction in optical fibers.

Abstract: Interactions of solitons generated by pairs of optical pulses are studied using the perturbed nonlinear Schrodinger equation, which models nonlinear optical pulses in a monomode fiber. We examine the mechanism of the soliton interaction both analytically and numerically and show that a bound 2-soliton splits into individual solitons traveling with different speeds because of higher-order effects. The numerical results are in extremely close agreement with those obtained recently by Mitschke and Mollenauer in their experiments on 2-solitons in optical fibers [Opt. Lett. 12, 355 (1987)].

Long term results of transsphenoidal adenomectomy in patients with Cushing's disease.

Abstract: As part of an ongoing series, 100 patients with Cushing's disease underwent transsphenoidal operations. Pituitary adenomas were confirmed in 93 patients, and initial remission was achieved in 86 (92%) of them. Hypercortisolemia was not corrected in 7 patients, and in 4 this was due to invasive adeno

Mate securing tactics and the cost of fighting in the Japanese horned beetle,Allomyrina dichotoma L. (Scarabaeidae)

Abstract: Males of the horned beetleAllomyrina dichotoma L. show a bimodal frequency distribution with respect to horn size. The 2 morphs distinguished by this criteria showed different mate-securing tactics. Major males fought for possession of areas on oak trees that exuded sap. Fights escalated through a series of stereotyped encounters before entering the potentially damaging phase of close-quarter combat when the largest males in particular risked serious damage. Minor males, on the other hand, were never observed to fight with conspecific males, but retreated after making contact with them. Minor males arrived at sap sites earlier in the diurnal cycle than major males and so avoided them temporally as well as behaviourly. Minors appeared to be relatively as successful at gaining copulations as majors, but did so earlier in the diurnal cycle. Since females showed a slight tendency to remate on the same night, minors may lose fertilization opportunities if last male sperm precedence is high. Actual sperm precedence values are not know so the reproductive payoffs for the 2 morphs could not be assessed.

Phase I study of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor.

Abstract: A phase I clinical and pharmacokinetic study of recombinant human tumor necrosis factor (rH-TNF) was conducted in a single dose schedule in 33 patients with advanced cancer. rH-TNF was given by i.v. infusion over 30 min with a starting dose of 1x105 units/m2. The dose was escalated up to 16x105 units/m2 according to the modified Fibonacci scheme. Toxic effects were similar but not identical to those reported with interferons and interleukin-2, and included fever, rigors, nausea and vomiting and anorexia in a non-dose-dependent manner, and hypotension, leukocytosis, thrombocytopenia and transient elevation of transaminases (SGOT and SGPT) in an approximately dose-dependent manner. DIC syndrome was observed in one patient who had received 16x105 units/m2. The dose-limiting toxicities were hypotension, thrombocytopenia and hepatotoxicity, and the maximum tolerated dose in a single i.v. infusion of rH-TNF appeared to be 12x105 units/m2 when thrombocytopenia and elevation of SGOT and SGPT were taken as the dose-limiting toxicities. However, if hypotension was included, the maximum safely tolerated dose appeared to be 5x105 units/m2.

Enzyme technology for the lipids industry: an engineering overview.

Abstract: Enzymes useful in the lipids industry, i.e. lipases, phospholipases and lipoxygenases, are surveyed as to source, pH optimum, specificity and so on. Some useful biochemical reactions catalyzed by these enzymes are discussed: hydrolysis of fats and oils by lipases, transesterifications (acidolysis, alcoholysis, interesterification and aminolysis) of fats and oils by lipases, hydrolysis of lecithin by phospholipase A2 and transphosphatidylation of phospholipids by phospholipase D. Research and development activities in these fields in the academic and industrial sectors of Japan are discussed.

Characteristics of rodlike micelles of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride in aqueous NaCl solutions: their flexibility and the scaling laws in dilute and semidilute regimes

Abstract: Static light scattering has been measured for aqueous NaCl solutions of cetyltrimethylammonium chloride (CTAC) at 25 °C. While spherical micelles are formed above the critical micelle concentration for 0–1.5 M NaCl solutions, rodlike micelles are formed at NaCl concentrations higher than 1.18 M.