Showing papers by "Nagoya University published in 1992"
TL;DR: A fuzzy modeling method using fuzzy neural networks with the backpropagation algorithm is presented that can identify the fuzzy model of a nonlinear system automatically.
Abstract: A fuzzy modeling method using fuzzy neural networks with the backpropagation algorithm is presented. The method can identify the fuzzy model of a nonlinear system automatically. The feasibility of the method is examined using simple numerical data. >
894 citations
TL;DR: Results indicate that detection of hepatitis C virus RNA by polymerase chain reactions with different sets of primers and probes may be valuable in classifying hepatitis Cirus into genotypes, and that amount of hepatitisC virus RNA in sera and response to interferon‐α may vary among different genotypes of HCV.
694 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, a multireference Moller-Plesset method is derived for 2-configuration MCSCF wavefunctions in which only two electrons are correlated, and potential curves for H 2, HF and F 2 molecules agree well with the full or near-full CI results.
662 citations
TL;DR: The chloroplast genome consists of homogeneous circular DNA molecules that contain at least three structurally distinct promoters and transcribe two or more classes of RNA polymerase.
Abstract: Chloroplasts are intracellular organelles in plants which contain the entire machinery necessary for the process of photosynthesis. They also participate in the biosynthesis of amino acids, nucleotides, lipids and starch. Mendel’s law was rediscovered at the beginning of this century, and in 1909 Baur and Correns separately published the first reports of non-Mendelian inheritance based on studies of variegation in higher plants. Some of the green-and-white variegated leaves were shown to be caused by factors inherited in a non-Mendelian manner. Further analysis of variegation in higher plants revealed that the genetic determinants for these characters were associated with chloroplasts. However, the difficulty of obtaining specific chloroplast mutations has limited the study of non-Mendelian genetics in higher plants. Our knowledge of extranuclear genetics came primarily from studies using the unicellular alga Chlamydomonas.
583 citations
TL;DR: It is proposed that the changes are typically preceded by loss of a codon from all coding sequences in an organism or organelle, often as a result of directional mutation pressure, accompanied by Loss of the tRNA that translates the codon.
569 citations
TL;DR: This is the first report of a placebo-controlled double-blind trial that has demonstrated a significant reduction in angiographically revealed vasospasm by intravenous drug therapy.
Abstract: ✓ With the cooperation of 60 neurosurgical centers in Japan, a prospective randomized placebo-controlled double-blind trial of a new calcium antagonist AT877 (hexahydro-1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-1H-1,4-diazepine hydrochloride, or fasudil hydrochloride) was undertaken to determine the drug's effect on delayed cerebral vasospasm in patients with a ruptured cerebral aneurysm. A total of 276 patients, who underwent surgery within 3 days after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) of Hunt and Hess Grades I to IV, were entered into the study. Nine patients were excluded because of protocol violation. The remaining 267 patients received either 30 mg AT877 or a placebo (saline) by intravenous injection over 30 minutes, three times a day for 14 days following surgery. Demographic and clinical data were well matched between the two groups. It was found that AT877 reduced angiographically demonstrable vasospasm by 38% (from 61% in the placebo group to 38% in the AT877 group, p = 0.0023), low-density regions on computerized...
413 citations
TL;DR: The theory and the applications of artificial neural networks, especially in a control field, are described and recurrent networks and feedforward networks are discussed.
Abstract: The theory and the applications of artificial neural networks, especially in a control field, are described. Recurrent networks and feedforward networks are discussed. Application to pattern recognition, information processing, design, planning, diagnosis, and control are examined. Hybrid systems using the neural networks, fuzzy sets, and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies are surveyed. >
405 citations
386 citations
TL;DR: Mouse cDNA clones for a putative Ah receptor have been isolated from a cDNA library of mRNA from Hepa-1 cells by an oligonucleotide probe produced by PCR with a pair of primers which was synthesized according to the reported N-terminal sequence of 26 amino acids.
383 citations
TL;DR: In this article, the magnitude of the induced voltage between both ends of the a-wire is decided by a differential permeability regarding circumferential flux change which is considered to occur principally in the outer shell of a-wires.
Abstract: Circumferential magnetic properties of amorphous magnetic wires (a-wires, for short) with three kinds of compositions (FeSiB, CoSiB, and FeCoSiB) and diameters of 120 mu m and 50 mu m are investigated applying an AC current using a BH hysteresis tracer. The magnitude of the induced voltage between both ends of the a-wire is decided by a differential permeability regarding circumferential flux change which is considered to occur principally in the outer shell of a-wires. A sensitive magneto-inductive (MI) effect is found in a-wires, in which the value of the inductance of a zero-magnetostrictive a-wire of 5 mm length changes up to about 75% for an external field of 0.8 kA/m (10 Oe). This MI effect is shown to be applicable to small magnetic heads and a cordless data tablet. >
370 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, new forms of multireference Moller-Plesset perturbation theory are presented that are applicable to high-spin open-shell systems and results are reported for the energy difference between the 1 A 1 and 3 B 1 states of CH 2 and for the potential energy curve of the triplet ground state (3 Σ − g ) of O 2.
TL;DR: It is reported here that α-actinin from striated muscle is an endogenous PtdInsP2-bound protein and that the specific interaction between α- actinin and Ptd InsP2 regulates the F-actIn-gelating activity of α-Actinin.
Abstract: Inositol phospholipid turnover is enhanced during mitogenic stimulation of cells by growth factors and the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate (PtdInsP2) may be important in triggering cell proliferation. PtdInsP2 also binds actin-binding proteins to regulate their activity, but it is not yet understood how this control is achieved. The protein alpha-actinin from striated muscle contains large amounts of endogenous PtdInsP2, whereas that from smooth muscle has only a little but will bind exogenously added PtdInsP2. In vitro alpha-actinin binds to F-actin and will crosslink actin filaments, increasing the viscosity of F-actin solutions. We report here that alpha-actinin from striated muscle is an endogenous PtdInsP2-bound protein and that the specific interaction between alpha-actinin and PtdInsP2 regulates the F-actin-gelating activity of alpha-actinin. Although the F-actin-gelating activity of alpha-actinin from smooth muscle is much reduced compared with that from striated muscle, exogenous PtdInsP2 can enhance the activity of smooth muscle alpha-actinin to the level seen in striated muscles. These results show that PtdInsP2 is present in striated muscle alpha-actinin and that it is necessary for alpha-actinin to realize its maximum gelating activity.
TL;DR: In this article, a general expression for the time-correlation function of the polymer concentration around equilibrium and examine its relaxation in some typical cases is given, which can be used for gelling solutions and explains previous dynamic light scattering experiments at the sol-gel transition.
Abstract: Phenomenological hydrodynamic equations are proposed for entangled polymer blends as generalization of those for polymer solutions. They can describe coupling between macroscopic flow and relative diffusion. The key concept we use is the "tube velocity" introduced by Brochard in the problem of mutual diffusion in polymer blends. As applications, (I) we give a general expression for the time-correlation function of the polymer concentration around equilibrium and examine its relaxation in some typical cases. It can be strongly influenced by the viscoelastic effect when the two polymers have different lengths. Our expression can also be used for gelling solutions and explains previous dynamic light scattering experiments at the sol-gel transition. (ii) Detailed calculations are performed for the case of a single rheological relaxation time (the Maxwell model). The steady state structure factor is obtained to Iinear order in macroscopic flow. (iii) We predict that composition inhomogeneity is created in mixtures oflong and short polymers undergoing nonuniform flow. Its origin is that the longer chains support stress more than the shorter ones and the resultant imbalance of stress causes relative motion of the two polymers. These results are applicable both to solutions and blends.
TL;DR: Microbial nitrile hydratase (NHase) has now been applied to the industrial, kiloton-scale production of the important chemical commodity acrylamide.
TL;DR: The results indicate that accumulation of somatically acquired oxygen damage together with age-associated mutations in mtDNA which lead to bioenergetic deficiency and the heart muscle weakness are inevitable in human life.
Journal Article•
TL;DR: The 3p deletion was first noted by cytogenetic analysis and was later confirmed by several independent studies using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) probes as discussed by the authors, which may ultimately lead to the isolation of tumor-suppressor genes involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.
Abstract: The 3p deletion was first noted by cytogenetic analysis and was later confirmed by several independent studies using restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) probes. As an initial step towards positional cloning (reverse genetics) of the tumor-suppressor gene(s) on 3p, a detailed analysis of the minimum deleted region(s) on 3p was performed with 13 RFLP probes and 48 paired human lung cancer samples. All nine small-cell lung cancer cases (100%) and 31 of 39 non-small-cell lung cancer cases (79%) showed allelic loss at one or more loci mapped on 3p. We show here that three distinct regions on 3p appear to be frequently deleted in lung cancer. These regions include 3p25, 3p21.3 and 3p14-cen. The present study should warrant future work focusing on these chromosomal regions on 3p, and may ultimately lead to the isolation of tumor-suppressor genes involved in the pathogenesis of lung cancer.
TL;DR: Evidence that two distinct types of flagella powered by different energy sources are functionally active in one cell is reported, showing that the energy source for the polar flagellar motor of Vibrio para-haemolyticus is the sodium-motive force, whereas the lateral flageLLar motors are driven by the proton-Motive force.
Abstract: VARIOUS species of marine Vibrio produce two distinct types of flagella, each adapted for a different type of motility1. A single, sheathed polar flagellum is suited for swimming in liquid medium, and numerous unsheathed lateral flagella, which are produced only under viscous conditions, are suited for swarming over viscous surfaces2-3. Both types of flagella are driven by reversible motors embedded in the cytoplasmic membrane. Here we report that the energy source for the polar flagellar motor of Vibrio para-haemolyticus is the sodium-motive force, whereas the lateral flagellar motors are driven by the proton-motive force. This is evidence that two distinct types of flagella powered by different energy sources are functionally active in one cell.
TL;DR: In cultured keratinocytes, HD1 demonstrated colocalization with BP antigen in the precise way, while being absent from focal adhesions, and Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that an epitope of HD1 was located on the cytoplasmic side of HDs.
Abstract: Hemidesmosomes (HDs) mediate cell adhesion to the extracellular matrix and have morphological association with intermediate-sized filaments (IFs) through cytoplasmic plaques. Though several proteins have been located in HDs, most of them have not been well characterized, with the exception of the 230-kD antigen of bullous pemphigoid (BP), an autoimmune skin blistering disease. Only recently we have succeeded in isolating HDs from bovine corneal epithelial cells and in identifying five major components on SDS-PAGE (Owaribe K., Y. Nishizawa, and W. W. Franke. 1991. Exp. Cell Res. 192:622-630). In this study we report on immunological characterization of one of the major components, termed HD1, with an apparent molecular mass of 500 kD. Immunofluorescence microscopy showed colocalization of HD1 with BP antigen at the basement membrane zone of those tissues that have typical HDs, including skin epidermis, corneal and tracheal epithelia, and myoepithelium. In cultured keratinocytes, HD1 demonstrated colocalization with BP antigen in the precise way, while being absent from focal adhesions. Immunoelectron microscopy revealed that an epitope of HD1 was located on the cytoplasmic side of HDs. Taking all these results together, we conclude that HD1 is a new hemidesmosomal component. Interestingly, HD1 also exists in endothelial and glial cells, which lack typical HDs.
TL;DR: In this article, the relaxation process of the thermal strain in a GaN film due to the thermal expansion coefficient difference in the GaN(0001)/α-Al2O3(0001) heterostructure is studied by varying the film thickness of GaN in a wide range from 1 to 1200 µm.
Abstract: The relaxation process of the thermal strain in a GaN film due to the thermal expansion coefficient difference in the GaN(0001)/α-Al2O3(0001) heterostructure is studied by varying the film thickness of GaN in a wide range from 1 to 1200 µm. The lattice constant c has a large value of 5.191 A at a film thickness less than a few microns, while it decreases to about 150 µm, and becomes constant above 150 µm, indicating that the strain is almost completely relaxed. The intrinsic lattice constants of wurtzite GaN free from the strain, a0 and c0, are determined to be 3.1892±0.0009 and 5.1850±0.0005 A, respectively.
TL;DR: Proton conduction in SrZrO 3 -based oxides which were doped with aliovalent cations such as Yb 3+, Y 3+, Ga 3+ ), Al 3+ and In 3+ was investigated as discussed by the authors.
TL;DR: It is demonstrated that the IL-2 receptor beta chain (IL-2R beta) is linked to at least two intracellular signaling pathways, which may involve a protein tyrosine kinase of the src family, which leads to the induction of the c-jun and c-fos genes, among others.
TL;DR: The results suggest the ABI3 gene is essential for the synthesis of seed storage proteins and for the protection of the embryo during desiccation.
Abstract: Summary
In order to investigate the role of the plant hormones gibberellin (GA) and abscisic acid (ABA) in seed development and germination the GA biosynthetic inhibitor, Uniconazol, was used to isolate mutants with abnormal germination profiles. In one of these mutants, the ability to germinate on Uniconazol is due to a mutation in the ABI3 gene. However, unlike the previously reported abi3 mutant, this line displays an array of seed-specific developmental defects. The accumulation of seed reserve proteins is dramatically reduced due to reduced levels of the storage protein mRNA. The embryos remain green throughout development and are desiccation intolerant. However, immature seeds are completely non-dormant and grow normally. These results suggest the ABI3 gene is essential for the synthesis of seed storage proteins and for the protection of the embryo during desiccation.
TL;DR: The blue flower-colour development and the stability of the colour can be explained by metal complexation of antho-cyanin and intermolecular hydrophobic association.
Abstract: FLOWER colours, from red through purple to blue, are mostly from anthocyanins, a type of flavonoid1–5. Although there are many colours, only a few anthocyanidins, chromophores of the pigments, have been found. The colour of the pigments is stable in plants for a few days to one month but the extracted anthocyanins are, nevertheless, unstable and quickly lose colour by hydration in a neutral aqueous solution1–5. In 1915 Willstatter proposed that flower-colours vary because anthocyanins change their colour with the pH6. Shibata and Shibata questioned the theory because most plant cell sap was weakly acidic or neutral. Their alternative, based on metal-complex theory7 was refuted by Everest8. In 1958 Hayashi isolated in crystal form a blue pigment9, commelinin, a metal-complex anthocyanin (named metalloanthocyanin)10,11, from the blue petals of Commelina communis. But the existence of a blue-coloured magnesium complex was denied by Bayer et al.12. We obtained the same blue pigment as intact commelinin by reconstruction from its components13. We also prepared Cd-commelinin in which the complexation metal Mg2+ was replaced with Cd2+. We report here the X-ray crystal structure of a real anthocyanin and a sugar-containing flavonoid, using Cd–commelinin. The blue flower-colour development and the stability of the colour can be explained by metal complexation of antho-cyanin and intermolecular hydrophobic association.
TL;DR: In this paper, the centromere antigen B (CENP-B) was identified by its mobility on SDS-PAGE (80 kD) and reactivities to a monoclonal antibody raised to CENP and to anticentromere sera from patients with autoimmune diseases.
Abstract: We purified 15,000-fold from HeLa cell nuclear extract the centromere antigen that reacts specifically with the 17-bp sequence, designated previously as CENP-B box, in human centromeric alpha-satellite (alphoid) DNA by a two-step procedure including an oligonucleotide affinity column. The purified protein was identified as the centromere protein B (CENP-B) by its mobility on SDS-PAGE (80 kD), and reactivities to a monoclonal antibody raised to CENP-B (bacterial fusion protein) and to anticentromere sera from patients with autoimmune diseases. Direct binding by CENP-B of the CENP-B box sequence in the alphoid DNA has been proved using the purified CENP-B by DNA mobility-shift assay, Southwestern blotting, and DNase I protection analysis. The binding constant of the antigen to the CENP-B box sequence is 6 x 10(8) M-1. DNA mobility-shift assays indicated that the major complex formed between the CENP-B and the DNA contains two DNA molecules, suggesting the importance of the CENP-B/CENP-B box interaction in organization of higher ordered chromatin structures in the centromere and/or kinetochore. Location of DNA binding and dimerization domains in CENP-B was discussed based on the DNA mobility-shift assays performed with a protein fraction containing intact and partial cleavage products of CENP-B.
TL;DR: The genetic mutation of X‐linked recessive bulbospinal neuronopathy is amplification of a polymorphic tandem CAG repeat in the androgen receptor gene, which seems to be a determinant factor of clinical severity.
Abstract: The genetic mutation of X-linked recessive bulbospinal neuronopathy is amplification of a polymorphic tandem CAG repeat in the androgen receptor gene. We studied this CAG repeat in 26 Japanese patients from 21 families with X-linked recessive bulbospinal neuronopathy. The number of CAG repeats was significantly correlated with the age at onset of limb muscular weakness (r = -0.596, p < 0.001) and age-adjusted scored disability (r = 0.446, p < 0.03). The length of the CAG repeat therefore seems to be a determinant factor of clinical severity.
TL;DR: In this paper, a simple one-dimensional radiative-convective equilibrium model is used to investigate the relationship between the surface temperature and the outgoing infrared radiation at the top of the atmosphere.
Abstract: A simple one-dimensional radiative–convective equilibrium model is used to investigate the relationship between the surface temperature and the outgoing infrared radiation at the top of the atmosphere. The model atmosphere has a gray infrared absorption coefficient and is composed of a radiative equilibrium stratosphere and a moist adiabat troposphere. An upper limit of the outgoing infrared radiation is found to exist. The existence of the upper limit is characterized by the radiation limits that appear when the optical depth of the entire atmosphere becomes sufficiently deep and the temperature structure around the levels where the optical depth is about unity approaches a fixed profile. This appearance of an upper limit differs from that found by Komabayashi and Ingersoll, which is obtained from the constraint of the stratospheric radiation balance. As one of those radiation limits, the outgoing infrared radiation has an asymptotic limit as the surface temperature increases. This is caused by ...
TL;DR: The authors determined mitochondrial DNA sequences for five hominoids; pygmy and common chimpanzees, gorilla, orangutan, and siamang, and showed that the closest relatives to human are chimpanzees rather than gorillas.
Abstract: Molecular biology has resurrected C. Darwin and T.H. Huxley's question about the origin of humans, but the precise branching pattern and dating remain controversial. To settle this issue, a large amount of sequence information is required. We determined mitochondrial (mt) DNA sequences for five hominoids; pygmy and common chimpanzees, gorilla, orangutan, and siamang. The common region compared with the known human sequence is 4759 by long, encompassing genes for 11 transfer RNAs and 6 proteins. Because of the high substitution rates in mammalian mtDNA and an unprecedentedly large region compared, the sequence differences clearly indicate that the closest relatives to human are chimpanzees rather than gorilla. For dating the divergences of human, chimpanzee, and gorilla, we used only unsaturated parts of sequence differences in which the mtDNA genealogy is not obscured by multiple substitutions. The result suggests that gorilla branched off 7.7 ± 0.7 million years (Myr) ago and human 4.7 ± 0.5 Myr ago; the time difference between these divergences being as long as 3 Myr.
TL;DR: Histochemical analysis showed that the gusA gene expression increased as the period of preincubation on CIM was extended, suggesting that dividing cells are susceptible to Agrobacterium infection.
Abstract: The efficiency of Agrobacterium-mediated transformation of Arabidopsis thaliana was compared with different organs, Arabidopsis ecotypes, and Agrobacterium strains. Efficiency of shoot regeneration was examined using hypocotyl, cotyledon and root explants prepared from young seedlings. Hypocotyl expiants had the highest regeneration efficiency in all of the four Arabidopsis ecotypes tested, when based on a tissue culture system of callus-inducing medium (CIM: Valvekens et al. 1988) and shoot-inducing medium (SIM: Feldmann and Marks 1986). Histochemical analysis using the s-glucuronidase (GUS) reporter gene showed that the gusA gene expression increased as the period of preincubation on CIM was extended, suggesting that dividing cells are susceptible to Agrobacterium infection. In order to obtain transgenic shoots, hypocotyl explants preincubated for 7 or 8 days on CIM were infected with Agrobacterium containing a binary vector which carries two drug-resistant genes as selection markers, and transferred to SIM for selection of transformed shoots. Of four Arabidopsis ecotypes and of three Agrobacterium strains examined, Wassilewskija ecotype and EHA101 strain showed the highest efficiency of regeneration of transformed shoots. By combining the most efficient factors of preincubation period, Arabidopsis ecotype, tissue, and bacterial strain, we obtained a transformation efficiency of about 80-90%. Southern analysis of 124 transgenic plants showed that 44% had one copy of inserted T-DNA while the others had more than one copy.
TL;DR: The overall results indicate that induction of α-amylase appears to be one of the factors permiting rice seeds to germinate in totally anaerobic environments.
Abstract: The capabilities of rice (Oryza sativa L.) and wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) seeds (caryopses) to degrade starchy reserves present in the endosperm tissue were compared under anaerobic conditions. The results showed that rice, a species highly tolerant to anoxia, can readily break down starch under anaerobiosis concomitant with germination, while wheat does not germinate and fails to degrade starch present in the endosperm. This clearly distinct behavior is likely the consequence of the successful inducible formation of α-amylase (EC 3.2.1.1.) in rice under anoxia, whereas the enzyme is not produced in wheat seeds. We found that rice seeds possess a set of enzymes allowing starch and its degradative products to be utilized under anoxic conditions. Wheat seeds were shown to germinate even under anoxia if fed glucose or sucrose exogenously. The overall results indicate that induction of α-amylase appears to be one of the factors permiting rice seeds to germinate in totally anaerobic environments.
TL;DR: The present results suggest the importance of the conformation for the inhibitory action of OA on the protein phosphatases, and that one end (C-1-C-24) of the OA molecule assumes a circular conformation.
Abstract: The effect of structural modifications of okadaic acid (OA), a polyether C38 fatty acid, was studied on its inhibitory activity toward type 1 and type 2A protein phosphatases (PP1 and PP2A) by using OA derivatives obtained either by isolation from natural sources or by chemical processes. The dissociation constant (Ki) for the interaction of OA with PP2A was estimated to be 30 (26-33) nM [median (95% confidence limits)]. The OA derivatives used and their affinity for PP2A, expressed as Ki (in brackets) were as follows: 35-methyl-OA (DTX1) [19 (12-25) pM], OA-9,10-episulphide (acanthifolicin) [47 (25-60) pM], 7-deoxy-OA [69 (31-138) pM], 14,15-dihydro-OA [315 (275-360) pM], 2-deoxy-OA [899 (763-1044) pM], 7-O-palmitoyl-OA [greater than 100 nM], 7-O-palmitoyl-DTX1 [greater than 100 nM], methyl okadate [much greater than 100 nM], 2-oxo-decarboxy-OA [much greater than 100 nM] and the C-15-C-38 fragment of OA [much greater than 100 nM]. The sequence of the affinity of these derivatives for PP1 was essentially the same as that observed with PP2A, although the absolute values of Ki were very different for the enzymes. The inhibitory effect of OA on PP2A was reversed by applying a murine monoclonal antibody against OA, which recognizes modifications of the 7-hydroxyl group of the OA molecule. It has been shown by n.m.r. spectroscopy and X-ray analysis that one end (C-1-C-24) of the OA molecule assumes a circular conformation. The present results suggest the importance of the conformation for the inhibitory action of OA on the protein phosphatases. The ratios of the Ki values for PP1 to that for PP2A, which were within the range 10(3)-10(4), tended to be smaller for the derivatives with lower affinity, indicating that the structural changes in OA impaired the affinity for PP2A more strongly than that for PP1.