Forensic Analysis of the Wakayama Arsenic Murder Case

This is a review paper of forensic analysis of a murder case of Wakayama arsenic poisoning incident. The influence of this case on scientific research was not small in such a way that papers related to PTSD, disaster medical, copycats, chemical analysis, unwanted chemicals in food, terrorism, and so on were published. The forensic analyses on Wakayama arsenic poisoning incidence have characteristic that SPring-8, a largest synchrotron radiation facility, was used, as well as many other analytical techniques, but now most of the forensic analyses submitted from the prosecutor have been revealed to be fabrication, hiding the truth by logarithmic calculations, and therefore not scientific. Most of the testimonies at the court by the analysts were also lies. Examples of such false analyses are explained

Chandra Observation of the Anomalous X-ray Pulsar 1E 1841-045

We present the results from the {\it Chandra} ACIS CC mode observation of an anomalous X-ray pulsar (AXP) 1E 1841-045. This is the first observation in which the pulsar spectrum in wide energy range is spatially discriminated from the surrounding SNR, Kes 73. Like other AXPs, the phase-integrated spectrum is fitted well with power-law plus blackbody model. The spectral parameters are $\Gamma = 2.0 \pm 0.3$, $kT_{\rm BB} = 0.44 \pm 0.02$ keV, and $N_H = 2.54^{+0.15}_{-0.13} \times 10^{22} {\rm cm}^{-2}$. This photon index is significantly flatter than the other AXPs, and resemble to soft gamma-ray repeaters (SGRs) in the quiescent state. The pulse profile is double-peaked, and we found that the second peak has significantly hard spectrum. The spectra of all phases are consistent with power-law plus blackbody model with constant temperature and photon index. When fitted with two blackbody model, we obtained similarly good fit. These results can be interpreted that there are two emission regions with different energy spectra.Comment: 4 pages, 4 figures, accepted for publication in PASJ Letter

Two-loop Renormalization in Quantum Gravity near Two Dimensions

We study two--loop renormalization in $(2+\epsilon)$--dimensional quantum gravity. As a first step towards the full calculation, we concentrate on the divergences which are proportional to the number of matter fields. We calculate the $\beta$ functions and show how the nonlocal divergences as well as the infrared divergences cancel among the diagrams. Although the formalism includes a subtlety concerning the general covariance due to the dynamics of the conformal mode, we find that the renormalization group allows the existence of a fixed point which possesses the general covariance. Our results strongly suggest that we can construct a consistent theory of quantum gravity by the $\epsilon$ expansion around two dimensions.Comment: 31 pages including 14 figures in uufile forma

Atropisomeric Flavoenzyme Models with a Modified Pyrimidine Ring (BIOORGANIC CHEMISTRY-Bioorganic Reaction Theory)

Optically active 5-deazaflavin derivatives (3-aryl-10-(4-tert-butylphenyl)pyrimido[4,5-b]quinoline- 2,4(3H,10H)-dione) with an axial chirality at the pyrimidine ring have been synthesized, and the physical properties of these compounds have been investigated. In addition, (net) hydride-transfer reactions with NAD(P)H analogs have been carried out to elucidate the stereochemistry at the transition state of the reactions

Polarization and intensity of Compton scattering

X-ray spectra scattered at 90° by acrylic resin plates of various thicknesses are measured. The intensity and polarization of Compton-scattered X-rays are estimated from the spectra. As the thickness of the slab increases, the intensity increases but the polarization decreases. The optimal thickness for a polarized X-ray fluorescence spectrometer is determined, which provides both high intensity and high polarization

Development of a regulatable low-temperature protein expression system using the psychrotrophic bacterium, Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10, as the host

A low-temperature protein expression system is useful for the production of thermolabile proteins. We previously developed a system that enables constitutive protein production at low temperatures, using the psychrotrophic bacterium Shewanella livingstonensis Ac10 as the host. To increase the utility of this system, in the present study, we introduced a repressible promoter of the trp operon of this bacterium into the system. When ß-lactamase was produced under the control of this promoter at 18°C and 4°C, the yields were 75 and 33 mg/L-culture, respectively, in the absence of L-Trp, and the yields were decreased by 72% and 77%, respectively, in the presence of L-Trp. We also found that 3-indoleacrylic acid, a competitive inhibitor of the Escherichia coli trp repressor, increased the expression of the reporter gene. This repressible gene expression system would be useful for regulatable recombinant protein production at low temperatures