Assisting the Recovery of School Education in Natural Disaster Emergencies:Roles of a Local Teacher Training University in Tohoku

This paper reports the actions taken by the Miyagi University of Education, the only national teacher training college in Tohoku, following the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. The present work discusses how the university utilized its existing resources and focused on international networking as an educational institution to incorporate itself into several volunteering programs. The paper also examines the lessons the university learned from the disaster, including the promotion of disaster risk reduction (DRR) education in pre-service teacher training

Three-dimensional structure of P wave velocity in the crust and upper mantle beneath southwest Japan

Trevel-time data of the P wave were inverted to study three-dimensional structure of the P wave velocity in the upper mantle and crust beneath the Shikoku and Chugoku districts, southwest Japan. Low-velocity and high-velocity regions were found in the upper crust of the eastrn and western regions in the Shikoku district, respectively. The activity of crustal earthquakes is high in the eastern region. Moreover a significant high-velocity region exists in the uppermost mantle, where the activity of small earthquakes is very high. A low-velocity region with velocity of 7.0km/s was found just above the descending Philippine Sea plate with high velocity of 8.0 km/s. This region is continued to oceanic crust in the vicinity of the Nankai trough and its velocity is nearly equal to the P wave velocity (6.7 km/s) of oceanic crust. Thus the low velocity is interpreted as the oceanic crust. A high-velocity region is found below the depth of 50km in the Shikoku district. This region suggests the Philippine sea plate lying horizontally from the Shikoku districts to the ocast of the Seto Inland Sea of the Chugoku district. A low-velocity zone suggesting the volcanic front is found around the depth of 50km at the coast of the Japan Sea of the Chugoku distrit

Synthesis of a Novel D-Glucose-Conjugated 15-Crown-5 Ether with a Spiro Ketal Structure

Abstract: This paper describes a synthetic approach to a novel D-glucose-conjugated 15-crown-5 ether having a spiroketal structure starting from a 1-C-vinylated glucose derivative. The approach consists of the glycosylation of the vinylated glucose derivative to give an ethyleneoxy spacer derivative using bismuth(III) triflate, the conversion of the 1-C-vinyl group of the glucoside produced into a carboxylic acid group, and the intramolecular condensation between the carboxyl group and the terminal hydroxyl group in the ethyleneoxy spacer. A D-glucose-conjugated 15-crown-5 ether having a unique spiroketal structure was thus successfully synthesized

Urethan(ethyl carbamate)as a multipotential carcinogen in Balb/C,Zb and Db female mice.

1. The objective of this investigation was to test the influence of mammary cancer tissue extract on the induction of various tumors by urethan. Three strains of female mice, Balb/c, Zb and Db, were used in this experiment. 2. It was found that urethan was a multipotential carcinogen in the induction of (a) lung tumor, ovarian hemorrhagic cyst, and hemorrhagic lesions in various tissue in Balb/c mice, (b) lung tumor, hepatoma, leukemia, mammary cancer, Harderian gland tumor and hemorrhagic lesions in various tissues such as spleen, mesenteric lymphnode, liver and ovary in Zb strain, and (c) lung tumor, mediastinal lymphoma, leukemia, hepatoma and hemorrhagic lesions in the liver and ovary in Db mice. 3. Mammary cancer tissue extract seemed to have a promotive effect on the generalization of the mediastinal lymphoma induced by urethan in Db female mice.</p

Simian virus 40 chromatin showing nucleosomes in linear bead-like arrangements along extended closed circular DNA

Viral nucleoprotein complexes were extracted from nuclei of permissive cells (CV-1) infected with simian virus 40 (SV40) and examined by electron microscopy. SV40 nucleoprotein complexes (SV40 chromatin) showed nucleosomes in linear bead-like arrangements along the extended closed circular DNA. The contour length of the SV40 chromatin was only 1.0-1.8 times shorter than that of viral DNA obtained after deproteinization. The data suggest that the circular DNA in SV40 chromatin can be extended to nearly its full length without detachment of the histone complexes.</p

Complete in vitro DNA replication of SV40 chromatin in digitonin-treated permeable cells.

A permeable cell system has been developed by treatment with digitonin for studying in vitro DNA replication of chromatin. DNA replication of simian virus 40 nucleoprotein complexes (SV40 chromatin) in digitonin-treated permeable cells was analyzed by electrophoresis in agarose-gel. Autoradiography of the agarose-gel revealed that [32P]dCTP was incorporated in SV40 DNA I, II and replicating intermediates. The time course of the incorporation indicated the complete replication of SV40 DNA and chromatin with a full number of nucleosomes. The digitonin-treated permeable cell system will serve as a useful system for studying in vitro DNA replication of chromatin.</p

Swelling and Replicative DNA Synthesis of Detergent-treated Mouse Ascites Sarcoma Cells

Previous investigation showed that mouse ascites sarcoma cells permeabilized with appropriate concentrations of detergents (Triton X-100, Nonidet P-40 and Brij 58) had high replicative DNA synthesis in the presence of the four deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates, ATP, Mg2+ and proper ionic environment. The present study showed the optimum detergent concentration for DNA synthesis coincided closely with the minimum detergent concentration for inducing cell swelling. Phase contrast microscopy and electron microscopy of Triton-permeabilized cells showed the characteristic swollen cytoplasms and nucleus. Autoradiographic study showed that the DNA synthesis in permeable cells was confined to the nucleus. Cell viability and [3H] deoxythymidine uptake were impaired at much lower concentrations of Triton X-100 than the optimum concentration for in vitro DNA synthesis. In Triton-permeabilized cells, the minimum Triton concentration that produced cell swelling also seemed to produce high repliative DNA synthesis, which reflects the in vivo state of DNA synthesis.</p

Lineage-Specific Duplication and Loss of Pepsinogen Genes in Hominoid Evolution

Fourteen different pepsinogen-A cDNAs and one pepsinogen-C cDNA have been cloned from gastric mucosa of the orangutan, Pongo pygmaeus. Encoded pepsinogens A were classified into two groups, i.e., types A1 and A2, which are different in acidic character. The occurrence of 9 and 5 alleles of A1 and A2 genes (at least 5 and 3 loci), respectively was anticipated. Respective orthologous genes are present in the chimpanzee genome although their copy numbers are much smaller than those of the orangutan genes. Only A1 genes are present in the human probably due to the loss of the A2 gene. Molecular phylogenetic analyses showed that A1 and A2 genes diverged before the speciation of great hominoids. Further reduplications of respective genes occurred several times in the orangutan lineage, with much higher frequencies than those occurred in the chimpanzee and human lineages. The rates of non-synonymous substitutions were higher than those of synonymous ones in the lineage of A2 genes, implying the contribution of the positive selection on the encoded enzymes. Several sites of pepsin moieties were indeed found to be under positive selection, and most of them locate on the surface of the molecule, being involved in the conformational flexibility. Deduced from the known genomic structures of pepsinogen-A genes of primates and other mammals, the duplication/loss were frequent during their evolution. The extreme multiplication in the orangutan might be advantageous for digestion of herbaceous foods due to the increase in the level of enzymes in stomach and the diversification of enzyme specificit