Seismic Exploration Using Active Sources at Kuchierabujima Volcano, Southwest Japan

Seismic exploration using artificial sources was conducted at Kuchierabujima volcano, southwest Japan in November 2004 by 40 participants from 9 national universities andJapan Meteorological Agency to investigate the subsurface seismic structure. The exploration was the 11th joint experiment under the National Project for Prediction of Volcanic Eruptions. A total of 183 temporal stations equippedwith a 2 Hz vertical component seismometer (including 75 3component seismometers) and a portable data logger were deployed on Kuchierabu Island. Dynamite shots with charges of 10-115 kg were detonated at 19 locations, and seismic signals were successfully recorded. To reveal the P-wave velocity structure, 2955 arrival times of the first motion were picked from the seismograms, and 2187 were classified into ranks A and B. From the record sections and the arrival time data, characteristics reflecting the geological structure were identified. Refracted waves of 5 km/s were observed at stations＞5km from the shot points. Apparent velocities near the shot points depend on the surface geology around the shots. P-wave arrived earlier at stations near the summits. Strongly scattered waves were observed similarly near the summits

Seismic exploration at Fuji volcano with active sources : The outline of the experiment and the arrival time data

Fuji volcano (altitude 3,776m) is the largest basaltic stratovolcano in Japan. In late August and early September 2003, seismic exploration was conducted around Fuji volcano by the detonation of 500 kg charges of dynamite to investigate the seismic structure of that area. Seismographs with an eigenfrequency of 2 Hz were used for observation, positioned along a WSW-ENE line passing through the summit of the mountain. A total of 469 seismic stations were installed at intervals of 250-500 m. The data were stored in memory on-site using data loggers. The sampling interval was 4 ms. Charges were detonated at 5 points, one at each end of the observation line and 3 along its length. The first arrival times and the later-phase arrival times at each station for each detonation were recorded as data. P-wave velocities in the surface layer were estimated from the travel time curves near the explosion points, with results of 2.5 km/s obtained for the vicinity of Fuji volcano and 4.0 km5/s elsewhere

Cloning and expression of a cDNA encoding an insoluble matrix protein in the gastroliths of a crayfish, Procambarus clarkii

In the crayfish Procambarus clarkii, the gastroliths are formed as a paired structure in the stomach during the premolt period, and contain calcium carbonate and a small amount of an organic matrix. In this investigation, a cDNA encoding an insoluble matrix protein was isolated from P. clarkii. The open reading frame encoded 505 amino acid residues including two unique repeated sequences. The N-terminal half of the amino acid sequence, which included 10-amino-acid repeats, exhibited a high degree of similarity to that of involucrin, a protein synthesized in human keratinocytes. Northern blot analysis revealed that mRNA encoding the matrix protein is specifically expressed in the gastrolith discs during the premolt period in which the gastroliths formed. In the gastrolith discs, levels of expression of this mRNA correlated increases in weights of the gastroliths concomitant with their formation. Organ culture of the gastrolith discs suggested that expression of mRNA in the discs is induced by molting hormone, 20-hydroxyecdysone. These results reinforced the relationship between the matrix protein and formation of the gastroliths. Functional analysis showed that the protein inhibits calcium carbonate crystallization in a solution system, suggesting that the protein plays a role in the calcification of the gastroliths