Development of 1,3a,6a-triazapentalene-labeled enterobactin as a fluorescence quenching sensor of iron ion

1,3a,6a-Triazapentalene (TAP)-labeled enterobactin was developed as an iron ion sensor. 3-Acetylated-TAP was successfully introduced to the catechol ring of enterobactin, a well-recognized siderophore secreted by various Gram-negative bacteria. The fluorescence of TAPlabeled enterobactin decreased gradually as the amount of Fe3+ ion as an additive was increased, and 1.2 equiv of Fe3+ ion completely quenched the fluorescence. In clear contrast, when other metal ions were used, the fluorescence of TAP-labeled enterobactin remained even at 5.0 equiv

Newly Identified Oligocene Formation in the Sera Plateau, Hiroshima, SW Japan

This study aimed to show the presence of an Oligocene formation in the Sera Plateau, located in the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture, SW Japan, using field surveys, a petrological study, and fission-track dating. According to field surveys conducted between 1996 and 2002, and supplementally in 2017, rhyolitic pyroclastic rocks and conglomerate beds unconformably covered by the Quaternary sediments were identified along the bank of Mihara-gawa River at Kurohada in Sera Town. The rhyolitic pyroclastic rocks, tentatively called Kurohada Ryolite, were composed of welded tuff, coarse tuff, and tuff breccia, and were intercalated with conglomerate beds lithologically similar to the mountain gravels. The Kurohada Rhyolite and the conglomerate beds were either horizontal or dipped gently to the northwest, with a total thickness of about 5 m. Based on whole-rock chemical composition analysis by X-ray fluorescence (SiO2: 72.39-75.82 wt % , K2O+Na2O: 5.78-7.80 wt % ) the welded tuff was classified into rhyolite of sub-alkalic series. Under the microscope, the pyroclastic rocks were composed of crystal fragments of plagioclase and quartz, and lithic fragments in glassy matrix, and signs of thermal alteration could not be confirmed. On the other hand, one of the lithic fragments of rhyolite contained biotite fine crystals as thermal metamorphic products. Thus, the Kurohada Rhyolite was distinguished from the Mesozoic Takada Rhyolites distributed widely in Hiroshima Prefecture depending on the presence of thermal metamorphism. Fission track ages of zircons from the welded tuff were 30.4 ± 1.6 Ma and 30.9 ± 1.5 Ma. This result shows that the geologic age of Kurohada Rhyolite and associated conglomerate beds in the study area is constrained to the early Oligocene and suggests the possibility that the mountain gravels distributed in the eastern part of Hiroshima Prefecture are Paleogenic.This study was partly supported by JSPS KAKENHI Grant Number JP16K00966

A Trial of Evaluation in Science Classes (1)

We have tried a new evaluation effective for both pupils and teachers in the science classes in a unit of earth science in the junior high school, which were conducted by two teaches in a classroom (i.e. team-teaching). The evaluation consists of achievement in each class and general estimation. In the evaluation, we have scarcely reflected achievement level of each class on the general estimation. At first, we set up an achievement standard of each class over the unit. Factors of the standard are learning attitude, scientifically-thinking, presentation and knowledge. Teachers have measured an achievement level of each pupil in every class under those standard, aiming to catch exactly pupil's situation of learning and to support and encourage them actually. The general estimation has been done through a couple of a better written test and a scientific performance test in the final stage of the unit, focusing mainly on pupil's abilities newly acquired in the unit. Pupils could take kindly to having the performance test, but many pupils have negative opinion to the question particularly on scientifically-thinking. It means that pupils still tend to regard main characteristics of science learning as memorization

Evaluation of Problem Structure Comprehension as Effect of Learning by Sentence Integration Problem-Posing

筆者らは，単文統合型の作問学習支援システムを開発し，このシステムを利用した算数授業を実践的に行っている．本研究では，このシステムを用いた作問学習の効果として期待される，算数の文章題の構造的把握の度合いの測定を，作問学習を行ったグループとそれ以外，及び作問能力が高いグループとそれ以外，の比較において行ったので報告する．算数の文章題を構造的に把握していれば，問題に関する部分的な情報から残りの情報を予測できるであろうと仮定し，算数の文章題に関するプライミングテストを作成・実施した．結果として，作問学習を行ったグループが行わなかったグループより高いスコアを示し，また，作問に関して高い能力を示している場合においても，作問学習の効果が高かったことが示された

The circulation pattern and day-night heat transport in the atmosphere of a synchronously rotating aquaplanet: Dependence on planetary rotation rate

In order to investigate a possible variety of atmospheric states realized on a synchronously rotating aquaplanet, an experiment studying the impact of planetary rotation rate is performed using an atmospheric general circulation model (GCM) with simplified hydrological and radiative processes. The entire planetary surface is covered with a swamp ocean. The value of planetary rotation rate is varied from zero to the Earth’s, while other parameters such as planetary radius, mean molecular weight and total mass of atmospheric dry components, and solar constant are set to the present Earth’s values. The integration results show that the atmosphere reaches statistically equilibrium states for all runs; none of the calculated cases exemplifies the runaway greenhouse state. The circulation patterns obtained are classified into four types: Type-I characterized by the dominance of a day-night thermally direct circulation, Type-II characterized by a zonal wave number one resonant Rossby wave over a meridionally broad westerly jet on the equator, Type-III characterized by a long time scale north-south asymmetric variation, and Type-IV characterized by a pair of mid-latitude westerly jets. With the increase of planetary rotation rate, the circulation evolves from Type-I to Type-II and then to Type-III gradually and smoothly, whereas the change from Type-III to Type-IV is abrupt and discontinuous. Over a finite range of planetary rotation rate, both Types-III and -IV emerge as statistically steady states, constituting multiple equilibria. In spite of the substantial changes in circulation, the net energy transport from the day side to the night side remains almost insensitive to planetary rotation rate, although the partition into dry static energy and latent heat energy transports changes. The reason for this notable insensitivity is that the outgoing longwave radiation over the broad area of the day side is constrained by the radiation limit of a moist atmosphere, so that the transport to the night side, which is determined as the difference between the incoming solar radiation and the radiation limit, cannot change greatly