Circular Dichroism Studies on C-terminal Zinc Finger Domain of Transcription Factor GATA-2

The C-terminal zinc finger domain of GATA-2 transcription factor from Rattus norvegicus has been expressed and purified to elucidate its secondary structure using circular dichroism spectroscopy. Circular dichroism spectra showed that native GATA-2 C-terminal domain of (Cys)4 type zinc finger has 12% α-helix, 36% β-sheet and 52% random coil content. The estimated structure was compared with predicted structures by sequence based prediction software SOPMA and found to be similar. Furthermore, the effect of pH on the secondary structure of GATA-2 C-finger was examined. This study provides an insight into the understanding of the structure and function of transcription factor GATA-2

Stochastic Transition of Fire-prevention Performanceof Urban Area

The aim of this study is to analyze the tendency of building renewal in order to understand the fire prevention performance of the Tokyo metropolitan area. To this end, firstly, the Tokyo metropolitan area was divided into small areas of 250,000 square meters, and the following stochastic transition matrix of each small area was estimated, 1. Stochastic matrix of state transition between the building use types, 2. Stochastic matrix of state transition between the structures of buildings. Secondly, the converged state of each small area was estimated with a Markov chain model. Finally, small areas where fire prevention performance will change for the better/constant/worse were pointed out from their converged states. The results suggest that in small areas where percentage of housing and commerce are increasing, the fire prevention performance will become worse.