3-D eddy current analysis in moving conductors of permanent magnet type retarders using moving coordinate system

A 3-D DC steady state eddy current analysis of a permanent magnet type retarder which rotates at high speed is carried out using a moving coordinate system. The method of DC steady state analysis using a moving coordinate system is described. The calculated results, braking torque etc., are compared with measured ones</p

Enhanced electrical conductivities of N-doped carbon nanotubes by controlled heat treatment

The thermal stability of nitrogen (N) functionalities on the sidewalls of N-doped multi-walled carbon nanotubes was investigated at temperatures ranging between 1000 degrees C and 2000 degrees C. The structural stability of the doped tubes was then correlated with the electrical conductivity both at the bulk and at the individual tube levels. When as-grown tubes were thermally treated at 1000 degrees C, we observed a very significant decrease in the electrical resistance of the individual nanotubes, from 54 k Omega to 0.5 k Omega, which is attributed to a low N doping level (e.g. 0.78 at% N). We noted that pyridine-type N was first decomposed whereas the substitutional N was stable up to 1500 degrees C. For nanotubes heat treated to 1800 degrees C and 2000 degrees C, the tubes exhibited an improved degree of crystallinity which was confirmed by both the low R value (I(D)/I(G)) in the Raman spectra and the presence of straight graphitic planes observed in TEM images. However, N atoms were not detected in these tubes and caused an increase in their electrical resistivity and resistance. These partially annealed doped tubes with enhanced electrical conductivities could be used in the fabrication of robust and electrically conducting composites, and these results could be extrapolated to N-doped graphene and other nanocarbons.ArticleNANOSCALE. 3(10):4359-4364 (2011)journal articl

Structural insights into the HBV receptor and bile acid transporter NTCP

B型肝炎ウイルスの受容体“胆汁酸輸送体”の立体構造を解明. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-05-18.Roughly 250 million people are infected with hepatitis B virus (HBV) worldwide, and perhaps 15 million also carry the satellite virus HDV, which confers even greater risk of severe liver disease. Almost ten years ago the HBV receptor was identified as NTCP (sodium taurocholate co-transporting polypeptide), which interacts directly with the first 48 amino acid residues of the N-myristoylated N-terminal preS1 domain of the viral large (L) protein. Despite the pressing need for therapeutic agents to counter HBV, the structure of NTCP remains unsolved. This 349-residue protein is closely related to human apical sodium-dependent bile acid transporter (ASBT), another member of the solute carrier family SLC10. Crystal structures have been reported of similar bile acid transporters from bacteria, and these models with ten transmembrane helices are believed to resemble strongly both NTCP and ASBT. Using cryo-electron microscopy we have solved the structure of NTCP bound to an antibody, clearly showing the transporter has no equivalent to the first transmembrane helix of other SLC10 models, leaving the N-terminus exposed on the extracellular face. Comparison of the different structures indicates a common mechanism of bile acid transport, but the NTCP structure also displays a pocket formed by residues known to interact with preS1, presenting new and enticing opportunities for structure-based drug design

Sex-specific expression profiles of ecdysteroid biosynthesis and ecdysone response genes in extreme sexual dimorphism of the mealybug Planococcus kraunhiae (Kuwana).

Insect molting hormone (ecdysteroids) and juvenile hormone regulate molting and metamorphic events in a variety of insect species. Mealybugs undergo sexually dimorphic metamorphosis: males develop into winged adults through non-feeding, pupa-like stages called prepupa and pupa, while females emerge as neotenic wingless adults. We previously demonstrated, in the Japanese mealybug Planococcus kraunhiae (Kuwana), that the juvenile hormone titer is higher in males than in females at the end of the juvenile stage, which suggests that juvenile hormone may regulate male-specific adult morphogenesis. Here, we examined the involvement of ecdysteroids in sexually dimorphic metamorphosis. To estimate ecdysteroid titers, quantitative RT-PCR analyses of four Halloween genes encoding for cytochrome P450 monooxygenases in ecdysteroid biosynthesis, i.e., spook, disembodied, shadow and shade, were performed. Overall, their expression levels peaked before each nymphal molt. Transcript levels of spook, disembodied and shadow, genes that catalyze the steps in ecdysteroid biosynthesis in the prothoracic gland, were higher in males from the middle of the second nymphal instar to adult emergence. In contrast, the expression of shade, which was reported to be involved in the conversion of ecdysone into 20-hydroxyecdysone in peripheral tissues, was similar between males and females. These results suggest that ecdysteroid biosynthesis in the prothoracic gland is more active in males than in females, although the final conversion into 20-hydroxyecdysone occurs at similar levels in both sexes. Moreover, expression profiles of ecdysone response genes, ecdysone receptor and ecdysone-induced protein 75B, were also analyzed. Based on these expression profiles, we propose that the changes in ecdysteroid titer differ between males and females, and that high ecdysteroid titer is essential for directing male adult development

Geochemical characteristics of hydrothermal fluids at Hatoma Knoll in the southern Okinawa Trough

Chemical and isotopic compositions of hydrothermal fluids from Hatoma Knoll in the southern Okinawa Trough were investigated. The hydrothermal fluids were derived from a single pure hydrothermal fluid source, but they underwent phase separation beneath the seafloor prior to venting. Only vapor-like fluids vent at the Hatoma system, and the most active area is around the center of the crater, based on the location of the maximum temperature and the lowest Cl– concentrations. Compared with other hydrothermal systems in the world, at Hatoma the pH and alkalinity, as well as the B, NH4+, K, Li, CO2, and CH4 concentrations, were higher, and the Fe and Al concentrations were lower, suggesting that the characteristics of the Hatoma hydrothermal fluids are comparable to those of the other Okinawa Trough hydrothermal fluids. Helium isotope ratios were lower than those of sediment-starved hydrothermal systems, suggesting that 4He derived from the sediment is supplied to the hydrothermal fluids in Hatoma Knoll. The carbon isotope ratios of CO2 in the hydrothermal fluids indicate an influence of organic carbon decomposition. The carbon isotope ratios of CH4 in the hydrothermal fluids imply that most of the CH4 originated from microbial methane produced in a recharge zone of the hydrothermal system. Although sediment influences are a typical feature of Okinawan Trough hydrothermal fluids, the Hatoma hydrothermal system has the lowest carbon isotope ratios of CH4 among them, which suggests that Hatoma is the most highly influenced by the sediments in the recharge zone. Thus, the degree of the sediment influences has a variable in each hydrothermal field in the Okinawa Trough