Field Analysis of SF(6) Gas Insulated Cables and Its Application to Spacer Design

This paper describes the spacer design for SF(6) gas insulated cables. The maximum electric stress within the cable is calculated by a numerical method, and it is recognized that the breakdown voltage depends linearly on the calculated values. Moreover, the effects of varying the shape of the spacer are made clear in this study for designing an optimum spacer

REE characteristics of Yamato-82162 and -86720 meteorites and their inference to classification

Abundances of REE, Ba, Sr, Rb, K, Mg, Ca and Fe were determined for Yamato-82162 and -86720 carbonaceous chondrites by mass spectrometric isotope dilution. The CI-normalized REE abundance patterns for Y-82162 are nearly flat (0.9-1.5×CI), but show small negative Ce anomalies. A small fraction of the chondrite shows a clear light/heavy REE fractionation. The REE abundance patterns of Y-86720 are also almost flat (1.4-1.9×CI) and show positive Eu anomalies. The degree of Eu anomaly seems to correlate with the absolute abundance of the REE. For the abundances of elements other than REE, Y-82162 shows enrichments of Fe and Mg and Y-86720 displays depletions of the relatively volatile elements K and Rb. From these results, the following conclusions are obtained : (1) Y-82162 may contain a high temperature component formed in the nebula. (2) Y-82162 is classified as a CI chondrite which has experienced thermal metamorphism. (3) Y-86720 is composed of a refractory-rich component and a refractory-poor component. (4) Y-86720 cannot be strictly classified into any group but is intermediate between CM and CO chondrites

Volatilization of alkali metals from the heated Murchison (CM2) meteorite

In order to examine volatilization processes of alkali metals at high temperature, heating experiments were carried out using a starting material prepared from Murchison (CM2) (grain-size : ∿10μm) at temperatures of 1200-1400℃ under a constant pressure of 8×10^ Torr, and heating duration up to 80min. Analyses of alkalis (Na, K, Rb), major and minor elements and petrographic examinations were performed for run products. Results show that fractional volatilization of alkali metals occurred during heating. It is suggested that the volatilization rates of alkali metals are influenced by the chemical composition of partial melt

Effectiveness for Determination of Depositional Age by Detrital Zircon U–Pb Age in the Cretaceous Shimanto Accretionary Complex of Japan

Detrital zircon U–Pb ages indicate the crystallization age. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the effectiveness of determining the age of deposition using zircon age data. We carried out U–Pb dating of detrital zircons from sandstone at eight sites in the Cretaceous Shimanto accretionary complex on Kii Peninsula, Japan, with the aim of evaluating the accuracy of U–Pb zircon ages as indicators of the depositional age of sedimentary rocks by comparing zircon ages with radiolarian ages. Our results reveal zircons of late Cretaceous age, and the youngest peak ages are in good agreement with depositional ages inferred from radiolarian fossils. In addition, the youngest peak ages become younger as tectono-structurally downwards, and this tendency is clearer for the zircon ages than for the radiolarian ages. These results indicate that newly crystalized zircons were continuously supplied to the sediment by constant igneous activity during the late Cretaceous and that zircon ages provide remarkably useful information for determining the age of deposition in the Cretaceous Shimanto accretionary complex

Isolation and identification of the antimicrobial substance included in tempeh using Rhizopus stolonifer NBRC 30816 for fermentation

In this study, we focus on the antimicrobial properties of tempeh, a soybean fermented food, against oral bacteria. Tempeh showed antimicrobial activity against dental caries pathogenic bacterium Streptococcus mutans at a final concentration of 1 mg/mL. An antimicrobial substance contained in tempeh was present in the 100 kDa or greater fraction generated by ultrafiltration, but it was found not to be proteinaceous by native-PAGE, SDS-PAGE and protein degradation tests. Next, when the fraction was purified with an ODS column, the 80% and 100% methanol eluates showed antimicrobial activity against S. mutans. The 100% methanol eluate was further subjected to a 2nd column purification, and isolation of the target was confirmed by HPLC. When the isolated material was analyzed by ESI-MS, the m/z was 279.234. Further analysis by Raman spectroscopy revealed a peak similar to linoleic acid. This substance also possessed antimicrobial properties equivalent to linoleic acid

Rad9 modulates the P21WAF1 pathway by direct association with p53

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Previous studies suggest that human <it>RAD9 </it>(hRad9), encoding a DNA damage checkpoint molecule, which is frequently amplified in epithelial tumor cells of breast, lung, head and neck cancer, participates in regulation of the tumor suppressor p53-dependent transactivation of pro-survival <it>P21</it>^{<it>WAF1</it>}. This study examined the exact mechanism of the hRad9 function, especially through the phosphorylation of the C-terminus, in the transcription regulation of <it>P21</it>^{<it>WAF1</it>}.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The transfection of phosphorylation-defective <it>hRAD9 </it>mutants of C-terminus resulted in reduction of the p53-dependent <it>P21</it>^{<it>WAF1 </it>}transactivation; the knockdown of total hRad9 elicited an increased <it>P21</it>^{<it>WAF1 </it>}mRNA expression. Immunoprecipitation and a ChIP assay showed that hRad9 and p53 formed a complex and both were associated with two p53-consensus DNA-binding sequences in the 5' region of <it>P21</it>^{<it>WAF1 </it>}gene. The association was reduced in the experiment of phosphorylation-defective <it>hRAD9 </it>mutants.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The present study indicates the direct involvement of hRad9 in the p53-dependent <it>P21</it>^{<it>WAF1 </it>}transcriptional mechanism, presumably via the phosphorylation sites, and alterations of the hRad9 pathway might therefore contribute to the perturbation of checkpoint activation in cancer cells.</p

Rare Earth Elements geochemistry of Lake Baikal sediment: its implication for geochemical response 5 to climate change during the Last Glacial/Interglacial transition,

Abstract Sediments deposited on the bottom of Lake Baikal have contributed to the understanding of a long-term environmental history of continents. Rare earth elements (REEs) along with major elements and loss on ignition (LOI) of Baikal sediments were determined with the aim of evaluating their suitability for a new paleoenvironmental proxy. Our interest is concentrated on paleoenvironmental change during the Last Glacial/Interglacial transition (LGIT). Chondrite-normalized REE patterns for Baikal sediments show a similar variation to those for typical upper continental crustal materials. Three parameters of (La/Yb) n (n: chondrite-normalized value) ratio, SREE/TiO 2 and Eu anomaly were used to express detailed characteristics of Baikal sediments. Depth profile of (La/Yb) n ratio shows abrupt change, whose timing corresponds to the beginning of climatic warming inferred from the profiles of SiO 2 /TiO 2 and LOI. In addition, (La/Yb) n ratio, SREE/TiO 2 and the degree of Eu anomaly correlate with each other. This suggests that inflow process of particulate materials into the lake may have changed during the LGIT. The analytical results of this study lead to the conclusion that REE is a useful paleoenvironmental proxy in the Baikal region.

Decadal–centennial-scale solar-linked climate variations and millennial-scale internal oscillations during the Early Cretaceous

Understanding climate variability and stability under extremely warm ‘greenhouse’ conditions in the past is essential for future climate predictions. However, information on millennial-scale (and shorter) climate variability during such periods is scarce, owing to a lack of suitable high-resolution, deep-time archives. Here we present a continuous record of decadal- to orbital-scale continental climate variability from annually laminated lacustrine deposits formed during the late Early Cretaceous (123–120 Ma: late Barremian–early Aptian) in southeastern Mongolia. Inter-annual changes in lake algal productivity for a 1091-year interval reveal a pronounced solar influence on decadal- to centennial-scale climatic variations (including the ~ 11-year Schwabe cycle). Decadally-resolved Ca/Ti ratios (proxy for evaporation/precipitation changes) for a ~ 355-kyr long interval further indicate millennial-scale (~ 1000–2000-yr) extreme drought events in inner-continental areas of mid-latitude palaeo-Asia during the Cretaceous. Millennial-scale oscillations in Ca/Ti ratio show distinct amplitude modulation (AM) induced by the precession, obliquity and short eccentricity cycles. Similar millennial-scale AM by Milankovitch cycle band was also previously observed in the abrupt climatic oscillations (known as Dansgaard–Oeschger events) in the ‘intermediate glacial’ state of the late Pleistocene, and in their potential analogues in the Jurassic ‘greenhouse’. Our findings indicate that external solar activity forcing was effective on decadal–centennial timescales, whilst the millennial-scale variations were likely amplified by internal process such as changes in deep-water formation strength, even during the Cretaceous ‘greenhouse’ period

Perioperative Elevation in Cell-Free DNA Levels in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery: Possible Contribution of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps to Perioperative Renal Dysfunction

Background. This study aimed to determine the perioperative change in serum double-strand DNA (dsDNA) as a marker potentially reflecting neutrophil extracellular trap concentration in samples from patients undergoing cardiac surgery and to analyze a relationship between serum dsDNA concentrations and perioperative renal dysfunction. Methods. Serum dsDNA concentrations in samples that were collected during a previously conducted, prospective, multicenter, observational study were measured. Eighty patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery were studied. Serum samples were collected at baseline, immediately after surgery, and the day after surgery (POD-1). Results. Serum dsDNA concentration was significantly increased from baseline (median, 398 ng/mL [interquartile range, 372–475 ng/mL]) to immediately after surgery (median, 540 ng/mL [437–682 ng/mL], p<0.001), and they were reduced by POD-1 (median, 323 ng/mL [256–436 ng/mL]). The difference in serum creatinine concentration between baseline and POD-1 was correlated with dsDNA concentration on POD-1 (rs=0.61, p<0.001). Conclusions. In patients undergoing cardiac surgery, serum dsDNA concentration is elevated postoperatively. Prolonged elevation in dsDNA concentration is correlated with perioperative renal dysfunction. Further large-scale studies are needed to determine the relationship between serum concentration of circulating dsDNA and perioperative renal dysfunction