<Original>Studies on Hemicelluloses in Tension Wood : II. Structural Studies on Xylans from Tension, Opposite and Side Woods of Japanese Beech (Fagus crenata Blume)

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました。Structural differences in three 4-0-methyl-glucuronoxylans from tension, opposite and side woods of Japanese beech (Fagus crenata Blume) were investigated. Each 4-0-methyl-glucuronoxylan was isolated from the 1 % potassium hydroxide extract and purified by gel filtration on Sepharose 4B. The weight average molecular weights of three xylans were similar and estimated to be in the range of 20,000-25,000 by gel filtration. A structural analysis by the methylation method and ^C-n.m.r. spectroscopy showed that no substantial differences were detected between these three xylans. ^C-N.m.r. spectroscopy was used in determination of the ring size, anomeric configuration, the position of 0-glycosidation and the purity of these xylans, suggesting the effectiveness of this technique for characterization of polysaccharides in wood

CORRELATION BETWEEN THROWING MOTION AND MAXIMUM ELBOW VARUS TORQUE IN FEMALE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PITCHERS

The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between throwing motion and maximum elbow varus torque (MEV) in female professional baseball pitchers. Twelve pitchers without pre-existing pain were recruited. Ball velocity and pitching motion were measured. Ball velocity and, kinematic and kinetic data from each joint during the pitch were extracted to evaluate the correlation with MEV. There was no correlation between the fastest ball velocity and MEV. Sixteen kinematic and kinetic parameters were found to have significant correlations with MEV. Particularly, as trunk rotation angle to the non-throwing direction before lead foot contact (FC) increased, the MEV decreased. Rotating the trunk in the non-throwing direction before FC and immediately in the throwing direction after FC could be a key component of the throwing motion

Noncommutative Superspace, Supermatrix and Lowest Landau Level

By using graded (super) Lie algebras, we can construct noncommutative superspace on curved homogeneous manifolds. In this paper, we take a flat limit to obtain flat noncommutative superspace. We particularly consider $d=2$ and $d=4$ superspaces based on the graded Lie algebras $osp(1|2)$, $su(2|1)$ and $psu(2|2)$. Jacobi identities of supersymmetry algebras and associativities of star products are automatically satisfied. Covariant derivatives which commute with supersymmetry generators are obtained and chiral constraints can be imposed. We also discuss that these noncommutative superspaces can be understood as constrained systems analogous to the lowest Landau level system.Comment: 29 pages, Latex. A subsection is added to explain the Seiberg's noncommutative superspace as a constrained syste

<Original>Studies on Hemicelluloses in Tension Wood : I. Chemical Composition of Tension, Opposite and Side Woods of Japanese Beech (Fagus crenata Blume)

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました。Three different types of woods, tension, opposite and side woods, were isolated from Fagus crenata Blume and their anatomical and chemical properties were compared. Tension wood was composed of well developed gelatinous fibers and was characteristic in its low lignin and pentosan contents as well as its high ash, alpha-cellulose and uronic acid contents. Carbohydrate portion of tension wood has been found to be peculiar in that tension wood contains the highest amount of galactose in contrast to the lowest amount of mannose among three types of wood. Each wood was further subjected to sequential fractional extractions. The peculiarity of the chemical composition of the tension wood reflected the differences in the carbohydrate compositions of the extracted hemicelluloses. In analysing the molecular weight distribution of the extracted hemicelluloses by gel nitration on Sepharose 4B, it has been found that all components included in the gel matrices have quite similar molecular weights in spite of the differences in the carbohydrate compositions. These results may give a clue in ellucidation of the distribution and function of hemicelluloses in wood

Convex Drawings of Plane Graphs of Minimum Outer Apices

In a convex drawing of a plane graph G, every facial cycle of G is drawn as a convex polygon. A polygon for the outer facial cycle is called an outer convex polygon. A necessary and sufficient condition for a plane graph G to have a convex drawing is known. However, it has not been known how many apices of an outer convex polygon are necessary for G to have a convex drawing. In this paper, we show that the minimum number of apices of an outer convex polygon necessary for G to have a convex drawing is, in effect, equal to the number of leaves in a triconnected component decomposition tree of a new graph constructed from G, and that a convex drawing of G having the minimum number of apices can be found in linear time

Spine Alignment in Standing and Maximal Upper Limb Elevation in Baseball Players with Lumbar Spondylolysis and Those without Low Back Pain

The changes in lumbar lordosis angle (LL) and sacral slope angle (SS) related to upper limb elevation and thoracic kyphosis angle (TK) in baseball players with spondylolysis remain unclear. Herein, we investigated baseball players with spondylolysis and those without low back pain, comparing LL and SS with upper limb elevation within and between groups and TK between groups. Baseball players with spondylolysis were enrolled as subjects, and baseball players without low back pain were enrolled as controls (n = 8 each). X-rays were obtained in the standing position and with maximal elevation position of the upper limb (elevation position). LL and SS were measured in the standing and elevated positions, and TK was measured in the standing position. LL was significantly larger in individuals with spondylolysis than controls. The SS of the control group was significantly larger in the elevated position than in the standing position, while the SS of the spondylolysis group was not significantly different between positions. SS was significantly larger in the spondylolysis group than in the control group, only in the standing position. Physical therapy for spondylolysis should focus on hyperlordosis alignment in the standing and maximal elevation positions of both upper limbs, sacral hyper-slope alignment in the standing position, and decreased sacral slope motion

Range of motion patterning in trunk and upper and lower extremities of high school baseball pitchers

Evaluating range of motion (ROM) using several joints is essential for rehabilitating throwing injuries. We used multivariate analysis to elucidate the ROM patterns in baseball pitchers. This cross-sectional study measured the variable ROM in the upper extremities, trunk, and lower extremities. High school baseball pitchers participated (N = 121). Factor analysis of ROM was performed using the maximum likelihood method. We analyzed the characteristics of pitchers with positive findings by classifying all players using cluster analysis (Ward’s method). Factor analysis showed a seven-factor solution was shown to be appropriate. Cluster analysis indicated that we could divide the players into three clusters that we named according to their characteristics and ROM: Cluster A: “Low flexibility” type, Cluster B: “High rotation” type, and Cluster C: “Poor rotation” type. The results indicated that most positive players were in Cluster A (46.4%). Players in Cluster A had lower ROM in the trunk, hip rotation, and SLR (straight leg raise) test than the other groups. This is the first study to identify the patterns of ROM in high school baseball pitchers with positive findings. These results are useful for conditioning baseball players