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ATO films are fabricated by mist CVD system. Supporting solutions including H2O, HNO3 and HCl are used to improve film properties. Experimentally, ATO films with low resistivity of 6.58 × 10−4 Ω cm, high transmittance of 90% are obtained successfully.

The widespread hillslope failures largely depend on the degree of weathering. Different weathering processes, especially chemical weathering, are the consequence of the variation of climatic factors, e.g., temperature and precipitation. The present study describes the various chemical and mineralogical properties of bedrock and soil samples from granite and granodiorite landslide areas under continental temperate, temperate and subtropical climate regions in central to southwestern Japan. The XRD and SEM–EDS analyses were carried out for mineralogical and chemical analyses. It is evident that bedrock samples contain quartz, k-feldspar, plagioclase, biotite and amphibole, whereas the slip surface and the upper surface soil samples are enriched with kaolin minerals, mica clay minerals and vermiculite or 14 A intergrade minerals. Mobile elements showed decreasing values, whereas immobile elements showed increasing values with progressive weathering due to leaching (dissolution of cations) in all studied areas. The analysis of weathering indices indicated weathering progress in the order from bedrock, slip surface and upper surface soil. The relationship of mean annual air temperature and precipitation for 30 years (1981–2010) with CIA and Si–Al ratio indices showed that CIA values increased and Si–Al ratio decreased with increasing temperature whereas, precipitation did not follow that identical trend. Therefore, temperature is the key factor for chemical weathering in all cases and is more prominent on granodiorite areas than granite areas.

The functional role of a lipid-associated soluble protein, fibrillin5 (FBN5), was determined with the Arabidopsis thaliana homozygous fbn5-knockout mutant line (SALK_064597) that carries a T-DNA insertion within the FBN5 gene. The fbn5 mutant remained alive, displaying a slow growth and a severe dwarf phenotype. The mutant grown even under growth light conditions at 80 µmol m-2 s-1 showed a drastic decrease in electron transfer activities around PSII, with little change in electron transfer activities around PSI, a phenomenon which was exaggerated under high light stress. The accumulation of plastoquinone-9 (PQ-9) was suppressed in the mutant, and >90% of the PQ-9 pool was reduced under growth light conditions. Non-photochemical quenching (NPQ) in the mutant functioned less efficiently, resulting from little contribution by energy-dependent quenching (qE). The ultrastructure of thylakoids in the mutant revealed that their grana were unstacked and transformed into loose and disordered structures. Light-harvesting complex (LHC)-containing large photosystem complexes and photosystem core complexes in the mutant were less abundant than those in wild-type plants. These results suggest that the lack of FBN5 causes a decrease in PQ-9 and imbalance of the redox state of PQ-9, resulting in misconducting both short-term and long-term control of the input of light energy to photosynthetic reaction centers. Furthermore, in the fbn5 mutant, the expression of genes involved in jasmonic acid biosynthesis was suppressed to ≤10% of that in the wild type under both growth-light and high-light conditions, suggesting that FBN5 functions as a transmitter of 1O2 in the stroma.

Protein amyloids have received much attention owing to their correlation with serious diseases and to their promising mechanical and optical properties as future materials. Amyloid formation has been conducted by tuning temperature and chemical conditions, so that its nucleation and the following growth are analyzed as ensemble dynamics. A single spherical assembly of amyloid fibrils of cytochrome c domain-swapped dimer was successfully generated upon laser trapping. The amyloid fibrillar structure was confirmed by fluorescence characterization and electron microscopy. The prepared spheres were further manipulated individually in solution to fabricate a three-dimensional microstructure and a line pattern. Amyloid formation dynamics and amyloid-based microstructure fabrication are demonstrated based on direct observation of a single spherical assembly, which foresees a new approach in amyloid studies.

OBJECTIVES While several experimental studies in animals and humans have suggested the protective effect of nightly fasting duration (NFD) against cardiometabolic risk factors, few population-based studies have been conducted. This study aimed to investigate the association between NFD and metabolic syndrome (MetS) among Japanese non-shift workers. METHODS A subset of 1054 non-shift workers from the Furukawa Nutrition and Health Study were included in this analysis. Participants completed dietary and lifestyle surveys during a periodic checkup. NFD was defined as the time between dinner and breakfast and was categorized into four groups (ie, ≥12 hours, 11 hours, 10 hours, and ≤9 hours). MetS was defined as ≥3 of the following components: high waist circumference (≥90 cm [men] and ≥80 cm [women]), high triglycerides (≥150 mg/dL), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (

Nylon-6,6 was synthesized in cetyltrimethylammonium chloride reverse micelles adsorbed on silica surfaces to study the feasibility of preparing a surface modified with grafted polyamide brushes using the immobilized reverse micelle as a microreactor. The nylon-modified silica gel preparation procedure involved: (1) adsorption of the CTAC reverse micelles containing 1,6-hexanediamine and sodium hydroxide onto silica gel surfaces, (2) in situ polymerization of 1,6-hexanediamine and adipoyl dichloride at the reversed micellar interfaces, and (3) the removal of residual components such as CTAC or reverse micelles. The nylon produced on silica surface was characterized in detail. The principal interaction in the immobilization of nylon on silica surface may be hydrogen bonding between the terminal amine groups of nylon and the surface silanol groups. Atomic force microscopy images of the nylon monolayers attached to glass plate surfaces showed the formation of grafted polymer brushes or nanoclusters on the surfaces. To characterize the prepared surface of the silica gel, the modified silica gel particles were successfully employed in chromatographic analysis as a stationary phase for the separation of o -, m -, and p -nitroanisoles using cyclohexane as a mobile phase.

Field and laboratory experiments were performed to examine dissolution rates of limestone in stream flow. Field experiments were conducted in three stream sites (A–C) with different lithological or hydrological settings around a limestone plateau in the Abukuma Mts., Japan. Sites A and B are allogenic streams, which flow from non-limestone sources into dolines, and site C has a karst spring source. Tablets made of limestone from the same plateau with a diameter of 3.5 cm and a thickness of 1 cm were placed in the streams for 3 years (2008–2011) where alkalinity, pH and major cation concentrations were measured periodically. The saturation indices of calcite (SIc) of stream water were − 2.8 ± 0.4 at site A, − 2.5 ± 0.4 at site B and − 0.5 ± 0.4 at site C. Annual weight loss ratios for tablets were extremely high at site A (0.11–0.14 mg cm− 2 d− 1), high at site B (0.05 mg cm− 2 d− 1), and low at site C (0.005 mg cm− 2 d− 1). The contrasting rates of weight loss are mainly explained by chemical conditions of stream water. In addition, laboratory experiments for dissolution of limestone tablets using a flow-through apparatus revealed that flow conditions around the limestone tablet is another important factor for dissolution in the stream environment. These results revealed that limestone dissolves at a rapid rate where water unsaturated to calcite continuously flows, such as in an allogenic stream.

A MoS2 layered thin film was grown by atmospheric-pressure solution-based mist CVD on a 30 mm2 large-area substrate at 400 °C, which is a significantly lower growth temperature than that of conventional CVD. The film formation was reliably confirmed by Raman spectroscopy, grazing incidence X-ray diffraction (GIXD), and transmission electron microscope (TEM). Possibly, film formation energy was decreased by dissolving (NH3)6Mo7O24 4H2O in methanol owing to formation of an intermediate product, whose decomposition temperature was lower than 760 °C — the decomposition temperature observed in thermogravimetric-differential thermal analysis (TG-DTA). Optical constants were derived by spectroscopic ellipsometry measurements, whose results indicate the reasonably good quality of MoS2 and the suitability of mist CVD in response to the large-area low-temperature growth request from industry.

Cytochrome c (cyt c) family proteins, such as horse cyt c, Pseudomonas aeruginosa cytochrome c 551 (PA cyt c 551), and Hydrogenobacter thermophilus cytochrome c 552 (HT cyt c 552), have been used as model proteins to study the relationship between the protein structure and folding process. We have shown in the past that horse cyt c forms oligomers by domain swapping its C-terminal helix, perturbing the Met–heme coordination significantly compared to the monomer. HT cyt c 552 forms dimers by domain swapping the region containing the N-terminal α-helix and heme, where the heme axial His and Met ligands belong to different protomers. Herein, we show that PA cyt c 551 also forms domain-swapped dimers by swapping the region containing the N-terminal α-helix and heme. The secondary structures of the M61A mutant of PA cyt c 551 were perturbed slightly and its oligomer formation ability decreased compared to that of the wild-type protein, showing that the stability of the protein secondary structures is important for domain swapping. The hinge loop of domain swapping for cyt c family proteins corresponded to the unstable region specified by hydrogen exchange NMR measurements for the monomer, although the swapping region differed among proteins. These results show that the unstable loop region has a tendency to become a hinge loop in domain-swapped proteins.

We have previously shown that polymerization of cytochrome c (cyt c) occurs by successively domain swapping its C-terminal α-helix in the presence of ethanol. However, the factors that govern the conversion process of monomers to domain-swapped oligomers remain unknown. We found that oligomeric cyt c is produced in the presence of ethanol and the oligomers precipitate due to low solubility. The optical absorption spectra revealed that in the presence of 30-40% ethanol, the Met-heme coordination in cyt c is dissociated. However, according to circular dichroism and small-angle X-ray scattering measurements, the α-helical structure of cyt c is maintained in solution with a little perturbation and the radius of gyration increases slightly but without dissociation of the C-terminal α-helix from the rest of the protein by the addition of ethanol. Solid-state nuclear magnetic resonance spectra showed that oligomeric cyt c in the precipitate also retains most of its α-helical structure. In the transmission electron microscopic image of the precipitate obtained by the addition of ethanol to cyt c, spherical particles with diameters of about 3 nm were detected. These results indicate that oligomeric cyt c forms through a state with the Met80 region locally unfolded, while maintaining the secondary structure, possibly an open monomer.

The retarding activity of 6-O-dodecanoyl-D-allose against rice growth was higher than that of the octanoate and the decanoate. The activities of 6-O-dodecanoyl-D-glucose, -D-mannose, and -D-galactose against rice seedlings were examined. 6-O-Dodecanoyl-D-allose exhibited the highest activity, suggesting the importance of the alpha-axial hydroxy group at C-3 of D-allose.

We collected and completely sequenced 28,469 full-length complementary DNA clones from Oryza sativa L. ssp. japonica cv. Nipponbare. Through homology searches of publicly available sequence data, we assigned tentative protein functions to 21,596 clones (75.86%). Mapping of the cDNA clones to genomic DNA revealed that there are 19,000 to 20,500 transcription units in the rice genome. Protein informatics analysis against the InterPro database revealed the existence of proteins presented in rice but not in Arabidopsis . Sixty-four percent of our cDNAs are homologous to Arabidopsis proteins.

The microwave spectra of six monodeuterated 1,2-dichlorobenzenes-3 d and -4 d , each having 1,2- 35 Cl 2 , 1,2- 35 Cl 37 Cl, or 1,2- 37 Cl 35 Cl, in the frequency range 10–40 GHz, have been analyzed. The r 0 -structure of the molecule has been calculated by means of an elaborate least-squares procedure. The determined r 0 bond lengths (A) and bond angles (degrees) are as follows: r CC = 1.393–1.398; r CH = 1.080–1.083; r CCl = 1.729(15); ∠CCC = 119.5–120.3; ∠C(1)C(2)Cl(2) = 120.9(5); ∠C(2)C(3)H(3) = 118.7(11); and ∠C(3)C(4)H(4) = 119.5(13). The following distortions in the structure are found. The distortion of the benzene ring is of the same extent as in chlorobenzene and rather smaller than in fluorobenzenes. On the other hand, the two CCl bonds bend outwards from each other by about 1° and the ortho -hydrogen H(3) by 0.6° towards the Cl atom, respectively, from the bisector at the ipso -carbon. The ortho -hydrogen is closer to the chlorine atom. The possibility of a “bent bond” in the CCl has been inspected from the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of chlorine nuclei.

クロロフィルa, フェオフィチンおよびクロロフィル金属誘導体によるL-アスコルビン酸の光増感分解さらにケイ光消光剤としてのフェリシアン化カリウム, p-キノンおよびβ-カロチン共存下におけるクロロフィル-アスロルビン酸系の光分解反応をしらべ次の結果を得た。1. クロロフィルaおよびフェオフィチンはL-アスコルビン酸の光分解をいちじるしく促進する。2. 銅クロロフィリンナトリウムおよび鉄クロロフィリンナトリウムはL-アスコルビン酸の光分解を促進し, とくに前老によるL-アスコルビン酸の光分解がいちじるしい。また銅クロロフィリンナトリウムはL-アスコルビン酸をいちじるしく接触酸化する。3. クロロフィルーアスコルビン酸系の光分解反応に対し, フエリシアン化カリウム, p-キノン, およびβ-カロチンは抑制作用を示す。4. クロロフィルa, フヱオフィチンのメタノール溶液は比較的強いケイ光強度を示し, 銅クロロフィリンナトリウムおよび鉄クロロフィリンナトリウム水溶液のケイ光強度は比較的小さい。さらにクロロフィルaのケイ光強度はフェリシアン化カリウム, およびp-キノンにより消光をうける。5. 反応系のケイ光強度とL-アスコルビン酸光分解との間には相関関係をもつ。

The microwave spectra of six monodeuterated 1,2-dichlorobenzenes-3 d and -4 d , each having 1,2- 35 Cl 2 , 1,2- 35 Cl 37 Cl, or 1,2- 37 Cl 35 Cl, in the frequency range 10–40 GHz, have been analyzed. The r 0 -structure of the molecule has been calculated by means of an elaborate least-squares procedure. The determined r 0 bond lengths (A) and bond angles (degrees) are as follows: r CC = 1.393–1.398; r CH = 1.080–1.083; r CCl = 1.729(15); ∠CCC = 119.5–120.3; ∠C(1)C(2)Cl(2) = 120.9(5); ∠C(2)C(3)H(3) = 118.7(11); and ∠C(3)C(4)H(4) = 119.5(13). The following distortions in the structure are found. The distortion of the benzene ring is of the same extent as in chlorobenzene and rather smaller than in fluorobenzenes. On the other hand, the two CCl bonds bend outwards from each other by about 1° and the ortho -hydrogen H(3) by 0.6° towards the Cl atom, respectively, from the bisector at the ipso -carbon. The ortho -hydrogen is closer to the chlorine atom. The possibility of a “bent bond” in the CCl has been inspected from the nuclear quadrupole coupling constants of chlorine nuclei.