Geomorphological Criteria for Evaluating Liquefaction Potential Considering the Level-2 Ground Motion in Japan

In response to a bitter experience in the 1995 Hyogo-ken Nambu (Kobe) earthquake, the level-2 ground motion, extraordinarily strong shaking motion that would be caused by an earthquake directly under the area such as the 1995 earthquake, has been considered in seismic design of various kind of structures in Japan, in addition to the level-l general ground motion. Geomorphological criteria in the manual for zonation on liquefaction hazard issued by Land Planning Agency, which have been used a qualitative estimate of liquefaction potential were demanded to keep up with the above-mentioned trend of the time. The purpose of this study is to develop geomorphological criteria for evaluating liquefaction potential for the level-2 ground motion as well as the level-l ground motion based on case histories in the past earthquakes. The newly developed criteria are applied to the 1948 Fukui earthquake that induced the level-2 destructive motion. A liquefaction potential map is drawn up for the Fukui Plain affected by the earthquake. The result of the assessment based on the criteria was consistent with the actual performance of the ground during the 1948 event

Synthesis of Fluorine-Containing Analogues of 1-Lysoglycerophospholipids via Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons Reaction

This article describes an efficient method of synthesizing fluorine-containing analogues of 1-lysoglycerophospholipids (1-LPLs) by introducing a palmitoyl moiety starting from bis(2,2,2-trifluoroethyl)phosphonoacetate (Still-Gennari reagent). Our method effectively employs Horner-Wadsworth-Emmons reagents as masked 1-LPL derivatives to prepare a series of analogues of 1-lysophosphatidic acid (1-LPA), 1-lysophosphatidylethanolamine (1-LPE), and 1-lysophosphatidylcholine (1-LPC)

Photobiologic and Photoimmunologic Characteristics of XPA Gene-Deficient Mice

Xeroderma pigmentosum group A (XPA) gene-deficient mice cannot repair UV-induced DNA damage and easily develop skin cancers by UV irradiation. Just like human XP patients, homozygous (–/–) mice developed stronger longer-lasting acute inflammation than did wild-type mice after a single irradiation with UVB. Moreover, the model mice showed more severe UV-induced damage of keratinocytes and Langerhans cells than did the control mice. UVB-induced local and systemic immunosuppression was greatly enhanced in the (–/–) mice. Treatment with indomethacin, an inhibitor of prostaglandin (PG) synthesis, inhibited UV-induced inflammation and abrogated immunosuppression. In XPA-deficient mice, the amount of PGE2 and the expression level of COX-2 mRNA greatly increased after UVB irradiation compared with wild-type mice. These results suggest that the excess DNA photoproducts remaining in XPA-deficient cells after UV radiation induce COX-2 expression and subsequently produce a high amount of PGE2, which causes the enhancement of inflammation and immunosuppression. In XPA-deficient mice, the natural killer cell activity significantly decreased after repeated exposures to UVB. Our experimental data indicate that cancer development in XP patients involves not only mutagenesis due to the defect in DNA repair, but also the enhanced UV-immunosuppression and intensified impairment of natural killer function

Ⅴ. Application and other cases

金沢大学大学院自然科学研究科　環境科学Editor : Tazaki, Kazue |田崎, 和

Finding abnormal events during the Iraq War monitored at Japan 8000km away from Iraq

Department of Earth Sciences, Faculty of Science, Kanazawa UniversityGraduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa UniversityMeteorological Research Institute JST Cooperative System for Supporting Priority ResearchMeteorological Research Institute JST Cooperative System for Supporting Priority ResearchGraduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa UniversityGraduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa UniversityGraduate School of Natural Science and Technology, Kanazawa UniversityUnusual strong acidic rain recorded during the Iraq War in Japan Sea side 8000km away from Iraq. In order to monitor the seasonal change of pH, the rainwater was collected during the period from March 24th to September 24th, 2003 at Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. For comparison, the rainwater at Wakayama (the Pacific Ocean side) was collected, during the period from March 24th to April 30th, 2003. The pH, Eh, EC, and DO of the rainwater were measured in laboratory periodically. Filtered rain dusts were investigated by scanning electron microscope equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectrometer (SEM-EDX), electron probe micro analyzer (EPMA), transmission electron microscope (TEM), energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectrometer (ED-XRF), and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analyses. In this study, the fluctuation of pH values and electrical conductivity (EC) of rainwater during this half-year period were measured to find abnormal events, such as the Iraq War effects. Since March 21st, 2003, Iraq plunged into the war. The more than 30 oil field fires in Rumaylah, Basrah, Mosul, and other oil fields near the borderline of Kuwait and Iran were reported in March and in April, 2003 in Japan. The first precipitation during the Iraq War was caught on March 24th, 2003. In the period from March 24th to April 5th, the notable low pH value of 3.4-4.4 and high EC value of 20-360ƒﾊS/cm were detected in Kanazawa. The acidic rain associated with WNW wind (2.7-4.1m/s) has continued to the first 10 days of April in Kanazawa, during the 9 oil fields were burning in Rumaylah, Iraq. In the same time, the upper current of air maps confirmed that the 5520-5700m lines cross over and spread on both Iraq and Japanese Honshu Island. It is considered that westerly wind crossed over both Iraq and Japan. The high EC values from March 24th to April 5th, 2003, suggest that high concentrations of water-soluble carbon particles and soot contained in the rainwater. In addition, the black powdery dusts were detected from the strong acidic rainwater on April 1st. The powdery dusts and carbon-bearing particles contained in the rainwater have characteristics different from that of the Asian aerosol particles (Kosa). The results suggest that both powdery dusts and carbon-bearing particles of rainwater have been produced by combustion of oil field in Iraq. Simulation data support the directly cycling by westerly wind indicating the influence of the Iraq War. Possible evidences provided in this paper, such as strong acidic rain and high EC values with nm-sized carbon soot at lapan Sea side, was the influence of the Iraq War. It was suggested that local events affect the global atmospheric environments. Smoke from oil field fires around Baghdad and other wartime pollution could create long-term health hazards

分断化による森林面積の減少が果実の質に及ぼす影響「

[研究概要

Prevalence of Masked Obesity Associated with Lifestyle-Related Habits, Dietary Habits, and Energy Metabolism in Japanese Young Women

We investigated the prevalence of Masked Obesity (MO) and the correlations between MO and lifestylerelated habits (e.g., exercise habits, dieting habits), dietary habits, energy metabolism, and seasons. The subjects were 131 young Japanese college students. Body composition was measured by bioelectrical impedance method and Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR) was measured by an indirect calorimeter. Subjects with a BMI in the normal range (n=110) were divided into the MO (percentage of body fat to Body Weight [BF]≥30%) and control (C) (BF<30%) groups. Dietary energy and nutrient intakes were calculated from weighed dietary records. A questionnaire on lifestyle habits was obtained individually from the subjects. The percentage of MO was 32% of subjects within normal BMI. The prevalence of MO was the highest in winter, probably due to accumulation of body fat as an adaptation to cold. The MO group had low Fat-Free Mass (FFM) and high BF. RMR of the MO group was significantly lower than that of the C group. The MO group tended to have poor exercise habits, more dieting (restricting calorie intake) experiences and consumed a diet with less vegetables and beans. We concluded that the prevalence of MO was 32%; it was the highest in winter for subjects who had high fat and low FFM. This fact may be due to poor exercise, more dieting experiences and insufficient intake of vegetables and beans. Furthermore, this accumulation of body fat may be partly due to low RMR

Surface plasmon resonance-biosensor detects the diversity of responses against epidermal growth factor in various carcinoma cell lines

Surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor detects intracellular signaling events as a change of the angle of resonance (AR). We previously reported that the activation of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) on keratinocytes causes a unique triphasic change of AR, whereas the activation of other receptors, such as IgE receptor and adenosine A3 receptor on mast cells, causes a transient monophasic increase of AR. To study the mechanism of AR changes induced by EGFR activation, we introduced wild and mutated EGFR cDNAs into Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells and analyzed changes of AR in response to EGF. CHO cells expressing wild-type EGFR showed a triphasic change of AR, whereas cells expressing kinase-dead EGFR (K721 M) showed minimum change of AR. A phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, wortmannin, attenuated the third phase of AR change in CHO cells expressing wild-type EGFR. The pattern of AR change was independent on the concentration of EGF. We also analyzed changes of AR with a nontumorigenic keratinocyte cell line, HaCaT, and several cell lines of carcinoma to explore the feasibility of SPR biosensor as a tool for clinical diagnosis. The activation of HaCaT cells and one out of six carcinoma cell lines showed a full triphasic change of AR. In contrast, five out of the six cell lines showed mono- or bi-phasic change of AR. These results suggest that EGF induces the SPR signals via the phosphorylation of EGFR, and provide a possibility that the SPR biosensor could be applied to the real-time detection and diagnosis of malignant tumors