Biosynthesis of Sepedonin by Cell Free Extract of Sepedonium Chrysospermum

A supernatant obtained by centrifugation at 20.000 g from homogenate of mycelium of Sepedonium chrysospermum was proved to be capable of incorporating acetyl-CoA, malonyl-CoA and methionine into sepedonin. This biosynthesis required O_2 in the atmosphere and a cofactor such as NADH, NADPH or NADP^+, among which NADP^+ was proved to be most effective. Incorporation of methionine into sepedonin was enhanced by addition of vitamin B_ and suppressed by ethionine or iodoacetamide

THE ANALYSIS OF RACE PACING IN ELITE COMPETITIVE LONG-DISTANCE SPEED SKATING

The purpose of this study was to investigate the characteristics of racing pattern adopted by elite male speed skaters in official 5000m race. Twenty-four male skaters, who participated at the World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships 2008, were recorded using video camera (60Hz). The top group (top12 ranked skaters) was significantly faster than the 2nd group (13th to 24th ranked skaters) from 350m line to the finishing line (

KINETICS OF THE SUPPORT LEG JOINTS IN THE SIDE STEP CUTTING TECHNIQUE

The purposes of this study were to investigate the kinetics of the support leg joints and to identify roles of the joints in the side step technique. Twenty male university ball game players performed three running trials of the cutting direction of 30, 60, and 90° with the side step cutting technique. A force platform technique and three-dimensional motion analysis technique were used. Roles of the ankle, knee, and hip extensors did in the side step cutting technique were similar to those of the straight sprint running. The negative and positive powers exerted by the ankle plantar flexors and knee extensors absorbed and generated the mechanical energy during the support phase in the cutting motion. The hip seemed not to generate great energy but to control the body posture, especially in directions 60° and 90°

On the Structures of the Methylation Products of Sepedonin Derivatives with Diazomethane

Methylation of anhydrosepedonin and deoxysepedonin with diazomethane afforded three different kinds of dimethyl ethers. The structures of these ethers were examined by their reaction with liquid ammonia, and long-range coupling between methoxyl protons and the adjacent ring proton by nmr spectra from which the structures of 3, 4-dimethoxy, 2, 6-dimethoxy, and 2, 4-dimethoxy derivatives were clarified. The mass spectra of these dimethyl ethers showed the difference in the position of these methoxyls

A CASE STUDY ON GROUND REACTION FORCES IN SPRINT HURDLES

The purpose of this case study was to investigate characteristics of ground reaction forces in sprint hurdles. Four male Japanese hurdlers participated in this study. The 1-cycle motions from 5th to 6th hurdles were videotaped with two high-speed cameras (300Hz) and ground reaction forces were measured (1000Hz). The hurdler who had smaller horizontal velocity of CG during hurdling had large braking time, which increases impulses of both horizontal and vertical components at 1st step. Therefore, maintaining large horizontal velocity during hurdling seems to be one of the important factors in sprint hurdles

RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN JOINT TORQUE OF SUPPORT LEG AND GROUND REACTION FORCE IN SIDE-STEP CUTTING

The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between the joint torque of the support leg and the ground reaction force in the side-step cutting technique. The ground reaction forces and three-dimensional kinematics of the side-step cutting motion with 90° direction change were collected from 20 male university ball-game players. The angular impulses of the knee and ankle extension torques were correlated with the impulses of the inward, backward, and forward ground reaction forces. These results indicate that the knee and ankle contributed to change the horizontal velocity of the center of mass. Although the angular impulses of the hip joint did not correlate with the impulses of the ground reaction forces, the hip exerted large extension and adduction torques immediately after the foot strike. This implies the hip contributed to maintain the body’s position and balance rather than to change the velocity of the center of mass

Advances in the 3-D forward-backward time-stepping (FBTS) inverse scattering technique for breast cancer detection.

This paper presents recent advances in a 3-D inverse scattering technique, called forward-backward time-stepping (FBTS), applied to the reconstruction of the microwave properties of the breast. The FBTS algorithm is utilized for a numerical-based study of a 3-D breast model based on an MRI. Several illumination schemes, based on different microwave transmitter/receiver configurations, are compared based on the quality of the reconstructed images of the breast model. A combination of cylindrical and planar arrays is shown to provide accurate estimates of the model electrical parameters that delineate the various regions of the breast. Although further analysis with this combination array demonstrates that tumors of reduced size and reduced contrast with the surrounding fibroglandular region are much more difficult (and in some cases not possible) to reconstruct, the study presents some promising initial results of a reconstruction technique for breast imaging and cancer detection

Cyclic Naphthalene Diimide with a Ferrocene Moiety as a Redox-Active Tetraplex-DNA Ligand

Cyclic naphthalene diimides (cNDIs), with a ferrocene moiety (cFNDs) and different linker lengths between the ferrocene and cNDI moieties, were designed and synthesized as redox‐active, tetraplex‐DNA ligands. Intramolecular stacking was observed between ferrocene and the NDI planes, which could affect the binding properties for G‐quadruplexes. Interestingly, the circular dichroism spectrum of one of these compounds clearly shows new Cotton effects around 320–380 and 240 nm, which can be considered a direct evidence of intramolecular stacking of ferrocene and the NDI. Regarding recognition of hybrid G‐quadruplexes, the less rigid structures (longer linkers) show higher binding affinity (106 M−1 order of magnitude). All new compounds show higher selectivity for G4 during electrochemical detection than noncyclic FND derivatives, which further identifies the redox‐active potentiality of the cFNDs. Two of the three compounds tested even show preferential inhibition of cell growth in cancer cells over normal cells in a low concentration range, highlighting the potential for bioapplications of these cFNDs

Bispectral index-guided propofol sedation during endoscopic ultrasonography

Background/Aims Bispectral index (BIS) monitors process and display electroencephalographic data are used to assess the depth of anesthesia. This study retrospectively evaluated the usefulness of BIS monitoring during endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS). Methods This study included 725 consecutive patients who underwent EUS under sedation with propofol. BIS monitoring was used in 364 patients and was not used in 361. The following parameters were evaluated: (1) median dose of propofol; (2) respiratory and circulatory depression; (3) occurrence of body movements; (4) awakening score >8 at the time; and (5) awakening score 2 hours after leaving the endoscopy room. Results The BIS group received a significantly lower median dose of propofol than the non-BIS group (159.2 mg vs. 167.5 mg; p=0.015) in all age groups. For patients aged ≥75 years, the reduction in heart rate was significantly lower in the BIS group than in the non-BIS group (1.2% vs. 9.1%; p=0.023). Moreover, the occurrence of body movements was markedly lower in the BIS group than in the non-BIS group (8.5% vs. 39.4%; p<0.001). Conclusions During EUS examination, BIS monitoring is useful for maintaining a constant depth of anesthesia, especially in patients 75 years of age or older