On Vortex Shedding Excitations of Cable-Stayed Bridge of Closed Polygonal Cross Sections

This paper presents a few fundamental instability characteristics of vortex shedding excitations for closed cross sections of bridge structures by means of wind tunnel and water flume tests. Experimental results indicate that the hexagonal form of a cross section with spoilers and flaps is a satisfactory stable cross section for aeolian oscillations. It is also noted that there are multiple synchronized regions of wind velocities for vortex shedding excitations of such cross sections treated here. As far as induced drag forces acting on obstacles and shedding frequencies are concerned, the results by water flume tests well coincide with those by wind tunnel tests

On Galloping Oscillation of Square Prism in Two Dimensional Uniform Flow

In the connection of frequently used structural members of longspanned bridges, the aeroelastic characteristics of a square prism are investigated, based on the quasi-steady theory. The experimental results of the wind tunnel tests are compared with the theoretical characteristics, using the theory given by G. V. Parkinson. In this paper, some considerations on the critical wind velocity for galloping phenomenon of square prism are presented. Also, the qualitataive method to determine the induced amplitude is discussed

On Vortex-induced Oscillation of Bluff Bodies

This paper considers the classification of vortex-induced oscillations and the geometrical shape effects on them. The following points are considered : 1) the flow pattern around the section, 2) the relation between the onset critical reduced velocity and the critical reduced velocity which is defined as the reciprocal of the Strouhal Number and 3) the relation between the two onset critical reduced velocities of vortex-induced oscillations (in the heaving and the torsional mode). Also, an estimation of “the onset critical reduced velocity” and “the allowable amplitude concerning the fatigue failure of steel” of vortex-induced oscillation is described

Drum Beating and a Martial Art Bojutsu Performed by a Humanoid Robot

Over the past few decades a considerable number of studies have been made on impact dynamics. Zheng and Hemami discussed a mathematical model of a robot that collides with an environment (Zheng & Hemami, 1985). When a robot arm fixed on the ground collides with a hard environment, the transition from the free space to constrained space may bring instabilit

Structural changes in dermal collagen and oxidative stress levels in the skin of Japanese overweight males.

13301甲第4116号博士（保健学）金沢大学博士論文要旨Abstract 要約Outline 以下に掲載：International Journal of Cosmetic Science 36(5) pp.477-484 2014.Wiley. 共著者：Masaru Matsumoto, Ai Ibuki, Takeo Minematsu, Junko Sugama, Motoko Horii, Kazuhiro Ogai, Tomoe Nishizawa, Misako Dai, Aya Sato, Yumiko Fujimoto, Mayumi Okuwa, Gojiro Nakagami, Toshio Nakatani, Hiromi Sanad

The Arginine Residue within the C-Terminal Active Core of Bombyx mori Pheromone Biosynthesis-Activating Neuropeptide is Essential for Receptor Binding and Activation

In most lepidopteran insects, the biosynthesis of sex pheromones is regulated by pheromone biosynthesis-activating neuropeptide (PBAN). Bombyx mori PBAN (BomPBAN) consists of 33 amino acid residues and contains a C-terminus FSPRLamide motif as the active core. Among neuropeptides containing the FXPRLamide motif, the arginine (Arg, R) residue at the second position from the C-terminus is highly conserved across several neuropeptides, which can be designated as RXamide peptides. The purpose of this study was to clarify the role of the Arg residue in the BomPBAN active core. We synthesized 10-residue peptides corresponding to the C-terminal part of BomPBAN with a series of replacements at the second position from the C-terminus, termed the C2 position, and measured their efficacy in stimulating Ca2+ influx in insect cells expressing a fluorescent PBAN receptor chimera (PBANR–EGFP) using the fluorescent Ca2+ indicator, Fura Red–AM. The PBAN analogs with the C2 position replaced with alanine (Ala, A), aspartic acid (Asp, D), serine (Ser, S), or l-2-aminooctanoic acid (Aoc) decreased PBAN-like activity. RC2A (SKTRYFSPALamide) and RC2D (SKTRYFSPDLamide) had the lowest activity and could not inhibit the activity of PBAN C10 (SKTRYFSPRLamide). We also prepared Rhodamine Red-labeled peptides of the PBAN analogs and examined their ability to bind PBANR. In contrast to Rhodamine Red-PBAN C10 at 100 nM, none of the synthetic analogs exhibited PBANR binding at the same concentration. Taken together, our results demonstrate that the C2 Arg residue in BomPBAN is essential for PBANR binding and activation

Efficacy of FimA antibody and clindamycin in silkworm larvae stimulated with Porphyromonas gulae

Objective: Porphyromonas gulae, a major periodontal pathogen in animals, possesses fimbriae that have been classified into three genotypes (A, B, C) based on the diversity of fimA genes encoding fimbrillin protein (FimA). P. gulae strains with type C fimbriae were previously shown to be more virulent than other types. In this study, we further examined the host toxicity mediated by P. gulae fimbriae by constructing recombinant FimA (rFimA) expression vectors for each genotype and raised antibodies to the purified proteins. Methods and Results: All larvae died within 204 h following infection with P. gulae type C at the low-dose infection, whereas type A and B did not. Among fimA types, the survival rates of the larvae injected with rFimA type C were remarkably decreased, while the survival rates of the larvae injected with rFimA type A and type B were greater than 50%. Clindamycin treatment inhibited the growth of type C strains in a dose-dependent manner, resulting in an increased rate of silkworm survival. Finally, type C rFimA-speci?c antiserum prolonged the survival of silkworm larvae stimulated by infection with P. gulae type C strain or injection of rFimA type C protein. Conclusion: These results suggested that type C fimbriae have high potential for enhancement of bacterial pathogenesis, and that both clindamycin and anti-type C rFimA-specific antibodies are potent inhibitors of type C fimbriae-induced toxicity. This is the first report to establish a silkworm infection model using P. gulae for toxicity assessment

Whole cell biocatalyst for biodiesel fuel production utilizing Rhizopus oryzae cells immobilized within biomass support particles

Abstract As part of a research program aimed at producing biodiesel fuel from plant oils enzymatically cells of Rhizopus oryzae (R. oryzae) IFO4697 (with a 1,3-positional specificity lipase) immobilized within biomass support particles (BSPs) were investigated for the methanolysis of soybean oil. The R. oryzae cells easily became immobilized within the BSPs during batch operation. To enhance the methanolysis activity of the immobilized cells under the culture conditions used, various substrate-related compounds were added to the culture medium. Among the compounds tested, olive oil or oleic acid was significantly effective. In contrast, no glucose was necessary. Immobilized cells were treated with several organic solvents, but none gave higher activity than untreated cells. When methanolysis was carried out with stepwise additions of methanol using BSP-immobilized cells, in the presence of 15% water the methyl esters (MEs) content in the reaction mixture reached 90% -the same level as that using the extracellular lipase. The process presented here, using a whole cell biocatalyst, is considered to be promising for biodiesel fuel production in industrial applications

Formation of Hot Ice Caused by Carbon Nanobrushes

Confinement in nanoscaled porous materials changes properties of water significantly. We perform molecular dynamics simulations of water in a model of a nanobrush made of carbon nanotubes. Water crystallizes into a novel structure called dtc in the nanobrush when (6,6) nanotubes are located in a triangular arrangement, and there is a space that can accommodate two layers of water molecules between the tubes. The mechanism of the solidification is analogous to formation of gas hydrates: hydrophobic molecules promote crystallization when their arrangement matches ordered structures of water. This is supported by a statistical mechanical calculation, which bears resemblance to the theory on the clathrate hydrate stability