The concentration of iodine in horse serum and its relationship with thyroxin concentration by geological difference.

In this study, iodine and thyroxin (T4) concentrations in the serum of 69 horses were investigated. Higher iodine concentrations were obtained from the horses housed in Chiba Prefecture. In contrast, T4 concentrations of horses at Shizuoka Prefecture were higher than those of horses at Chiba Prefecture.

Optimization of the extraction of phenolic compounds from Cyclosorus extensa with solvents of varying polarities.

The leaves of Cyclosorus extensa are used in the preparation of rice beer in Assam, India. The optimal conditions of time and temperature of fermentation for extraction of bioactive compounds from the dried leaves were obtained using response surface methodology. The central composite rotatable design was used and 13 experimental runs based on two-factor-five-level design were generated and performed for each of the solvents.

Solvent Viscosity Effect on Triplet-Triplet Pair in Triplet Fusion.

The effect of the solvent viscosity dependence of time-resolved magnetoluminescence (ML) on the delayed fluorescence of 9,10-diphenylanthracene (DPA) sensitized by platinum octaethylporphyrin has clarified the structure and dynamics of the triplet-triplet pair (TT), i.e., the transition state of triplet fusion.

The acquisition process of musical tonal schema: implications from connectionist modeling.

Using connectionist modeling, we address fundamental questions concerning the acquisition process of musical tonal schema of listeners. Compared to models of previous studies, our connectionist model (Learning Network for Tonal Schema, LeNTS) was better equipped to fulfill three basic requirements. Specifically, LeNTS was equipped with a learning mechanism, bound by culture-general properties, and trained by sufficient melody materials.

Growth of In Ga Sb alloy semiconductor at the International Space Station (ISS) and comparison with terrestrial experiments.

Background: In Ga Sb is an important material that has tunable properties in the infrared (IR) region and is suitable for IR-device applications. Since the quality of crystals relies on growth conditions, the growth process of alloy semiconductors can be examined better under microgravity (μG) conditions where convection is suppressed.

Aims: To investigate the dissolution and growth process of In Ga Sb alloy semiconductors via a sandwiched structure of GaSb(seed)/InSb/GaSb(feed) under normal and μG conditions.

Effects of high-salinity seawater acclimation on the levels of D-alanine in the muscle and hepatopancreas of kuruma prawn, Marsupenaeus japonicus.

Changes in D- and L-alanine contents were determined in the muscle and hepatopancreas of kuruma prawn Marsupenaeus japonicus, during acclimation from seawater containing 100% salinity to artificial seawater containing 150% salinity. In the hepatopancreas, contents of both amino acids increased by approximately threefold. The activity of alanine racemase, which catalyzes the interconversion of D- and L-alanine, also increased in the high-salinity seawater.

Bis(β-lactosyl)-[60]fullerene as novel class of glycolipids useful for the detection and the decontamination of biological toxins of the Ricinus communis family.

Glycosyl-[60]fullerenes were first used as decontaminants against ricin, a lactose recognition proteotoxin in the Ricinus communis family. A fullerene glycoconjugate carrying two lactose units was synthesized by a [3 + 2] cycloaddition reaction between C60 and the azide group in 6-azidohexyl β-lactoside per-O-acetate. A colloidal aqueous solution with brown color was prepared from deprotected bis(lactosyl)-C60 and was found stable for more than 6 months keeping its red color.

Functional modulations in brain activity for the first and second music: a comparison of high- and low-proficiency bimusicals.

Bilingual studies have shown that brain activities for first (L1) and second (L2) languages are influenced by L2 proficiency. Does proficiency with a second musical system (M2) influence bimusical brains in a manner similar to that of bilingual brains? Our magnetoencephalography study assessed the influence of M2 proficiency on the spatial, strength, and temporal properties of brain activity in a musical syntactic-processing task (i.e.

Synergistic cytotoxicity induced by α-solanine and α-chaconine.

α-Solanine and α-chaconine are well-known potato toxins, but the mechanism of the synergistic cytotoxic effect of these alkaloids has been little clarified. This study confirmed their synergistic cytotoxic effects on C6 rat glioma cells by three different cell viability tests, namely WST-1 (water-soluble tetrazolium) assay sensitive to intracellular NADH concentration, menadione-catalysed chemiluminescent assay depending on both NAD(P)H concentration and NAD(P)H:quinone reductase activity, and LDH (lactate dehydrogenase) assay sensitive to the release of LDH from damaged cells. The maximum cytotoxic effect was observed at a ratio of 1:1 between α-solanine and α-chaconine at micromolar concentrations.

Niobium(V) chloride catalyzed oxidation of dithioacetals with 30% hydrogen peroxide: a concise preparation of bissulfonylmethylene compounds.

The oxidation of dithioacetals with 16 eq of 30% hydrogen peroxide in the presence of 10 mol% niobium(V) chloride at room temperature provides bissulfonylmethylenes in high yields.

Screening test for rapid food safety evaluation by menadione-catalysed chemiluminescent assay.

The chemiluminescent assay of menadione-catalysed H2O2 production by living mammalian cells was proposed to be useful for rapid food safety evaluation. The tested foods were extracted with water, ethanol and dimethylsulfoxide, and each extract was incubated with NIH3T3, Neuro-2a and HepG2 cells for 4h. Menadione-catalysed H2O2 production by living mammalian cells exposed to each extract was determined by the chemiluminescent assay requiring only 10 min, and the viability of the cells was estimated as percentage based on H2O2 production by intact cells.

Enzymatic and genetic characterization of the DasD protein possessing N-acetyl-β-d-glucosaminidase activity in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2).

The dasD gene is located just downstream of the dasABC gene cluster, encoding components of an ABC transporter for uptake of a chitin-degradation product N,N'-diacetylchitobiose [(GlcNAc)(2) ] in Streptomyces coelicolor A3(2). To clarify the roles of the DasD protein in the degradation and assimilation of chitin, we obtained and characterized a recombinant DasD protein and a dasD-null mutant of S. coelicolor A3(2).

Advantage of menadione-catalyzed chemiluminescent assay for the determination of viable mammalian cell number.

A chemiluminescent assay composed of TCPO [bis(2,4,6-trichlorophenyl)oxalate] and harmless rhodamine B is proposed to be superior in the determination of menadione-catalyzed hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) production by viable mammalian cells to that composed of TCPO and harmful pyrene [Anal. Biochem. 207 (1992) 255-260].

Impact of unnatural nucleosides on the control of microbial growth.

This research investigated the antimicrobial activities of unnatural nucleosides. We tested the MIC and MBC of 17 synthetic nucleoside analogues against 10 microbial strains. These nucleoside analogues were classified into four groups according to their structural characteristics.

Determination of viable mammalian cells by luminol chemiluminescence using microperoxidase.

Chemiluminescent assay for menadione-catalyzed H(2)O(2) production by mammalian cells was modified by luminol chemiluminescence with microperoxidase instead of peroxyoxalate chemiluminescence with carcinogenic fluorescent materials. Luminol can be used as a common chemiluminescent reagent for the determination of viable mammalian cells and bacteria.

Menadione-catalyzed luminol luminescent assay as a novel evaluation method of ethanol tolerance in yeast cells.

In this study, ethanol inhibited the growth and glucose-induced proton release of yeast cells in a dose-dependent manner. On the other hand, ethanol tolerance of menadione-catalyzed luminol luminescence by yeast cells increased with increasing ethanol concentrations in the growth medium. The intracellular reduced-form nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH) concentration also increased with increasing ethanol concentrations in the medium and was enough to maintain constant menadione-catalyzed luminol luminescence.

Highly selective 30% hydrogen peroxide oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides using micromixing.

The highly selective oxidation of sulfides to sulfoxides using 30% hydrogen peroxide has been achieved under catalyst-free conditions using a T-shaped micromixer.

Kinetic parameters and recognition of thymidine analogues with varying functional groups by thymidine phosphorylase.

Thymidine phosphorylase (TP, EC 2.4.2.

Aerobic oxidation of thiols to disulfides catalyzed by trichlorooxyvanadium.

Thiols were converted into disulfide by the aerobic oxidation catalyzed by trichlorooxyvanadium in the presence of molecular sieves 3A.

Synthesis and characterization of a DNA analogue stabilized by mercapto C-nucleoside induced disulfide bonding.

A redox-active nucleobase analogue of a nucleotide was synthesized and incorporated into DNA using phosphoramidite chemistry. An analogue-containing oligonucleotide in the absence of a reducing reagent formed a stable duplex with a substantially higher melting temperature compared to that of a standard DNA duplex of the same length.

Mechanisms of fine-surface-texture discrimination in human tactile sensation.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ability of touch to discriminate fine-surface textures and to suggest possible mechanisms of the discriminations. Two experiments were performed. In experiment 1, aluminum-oxide abrasive papers were adopted as stimuli, and psychometric functions and difference thresholds were determined in fine-surface-texture discrimination tasks.

[A test of a hypothesis of automatic phonological processing of Kanji words].

This paper aims to examine a hypothesis that phonological processing should occur in Japanese Kanji words as well as in Kana words, but automatic in Kanji words. In Experiment 1, subjects performed concurrent articulation or finger tapping during a semantic processing task of Kana words with 2 to 4 phonemes, for which phonological processing should be indispensable. Concurrent articulation was found to eliminate the phoneme number effect found in the control condition, but finger tapping was not.

Mass spectrometric gene diagnosis of one-base substitution from polymerase chain reaction amplified human DNA.

One-base substitution has been detected on the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) products amplified from human mutated DNA for the first time by using mass spectrometry. PCR fragments of 52 base pairs were produced on a collagen gene of an osteogenesis imperfecta patient's heterozygous DNAs. The products were digested with EcoRI restriction enzyme to liberate 3'-end adducts and purified by phenol + chloroform extraction, ammonium acetate addition and ethanol precipitation to remove sodium ions from the phosphoric acid backbone of the DNAs.

[The influence of long-term memory on visuo-spatial sketchpad: a test of a new factor causing recency effects].

Three immediate serial recall experiments, using articulatory suppression examined the influence of visual long-term memory on visuo-spatial sketchpad. In Experiments 1 and 2, serial recall rates of unfamiliar figures, familiar figures, and numbers were investigated. The results showed that the more visual long-term memory the stimuli evoked, the more salient recency effects and primacy effects occurred.