When overexpressed, a novel centrosomal protein, RanBPM, causes ectopic microtubule nucleation similar to gamma-tubulin

A novel human protein with a molecular mass of 55 kD, designated RanBPM, was isolated with the two-hybrid method using Ran as a bait. Mouse and hamster RanBPM possessed a polypeptide identical to the human one. Furthermore, Saccharomyces cerevisiae was found to have a gene, YGL227w, the COOH-terminal half of which is 30% identical to RanBPM. Anti-RanBPM antibodies revealed that RanBPM was localized within the centrosome throughout the cell cycle. Overexpression of RanBPM produced multiple spots which were colocalized with gamma-tubulin and acted as ectopic microtubule nucleation sites, resulting in a reorganization of microtubule network. RanBPM cosedimented with the centrosomal fractions by sucrose- density gradient centrifugation. The formation of microtubule asters was inhibited not only by anti- RanBPM antibodies, but also by nonhydrolyzable GTP-Ran. Indeed, RanBPM specifically interacted with GTP-Ran in two-hybrid assay. The central part of asters stained by anti-RanBPM antibodies or by the mAb to gamma-tubulin was faded by the addition of GTPgammaS-Ran, but not by the addition of anti-RanBPM anti- bodies. These results provide evidence that the Ran-binding protein, RanBPM, is involved in microtubule nucleation, thereby suggesting that Ran regulates the centrosome through RanBPM.     

Progress and achievements of the BA activities in Rokkasho

In Rokkasho Japan, the International Fusion Energy Research Center (IFERC) project and the International Fusion Materials Irradiation Facility/Engineering Validation and Engineering Design Activities (IFMIF/EVEDA) project are on going under the Broader Approach framework. The IFERC project consists of three sub-projects; a fusion demonstration reactor (DEMO) Design and R&D Coordination Center, a Computational Simulation Center (CSC), and an ITER Remote Experimentation Center (REC). DEMO Design activity has been conducted by the IFERC project team in Rokkasho and home teams in EU and JA. In the DEMO R&D activity, five R&D tasks mainly of the blanket materials are carried out intensively. A supercomputer with 1.23 Pflops of LINPAC performance has been installed in December 2011, the operation started in January 2012. Discussion of overall plan of REC has started in 2012 between EU and Japan. In the IFMIF/EVEDA project, an IFMIF prototype accelerator system up to 9 MeV with 125 mA CW deuteron beam will be installed and tested in Rokkasho. Major components of the accelerator are under development or fabrication in EU. The first component of the accelerator, an injector with an ECR ion source, will be delivered to Rokkasho in March 2013.     

V-grooved substrate buried heterostructure InGaAsP/InP laser

A V-grooved substrate buried-heterostructure laser emitting at 1.3 ?m wavelength is described. The active layer is buried in the V-shaped groove. A CW threshold current of 10~20 mA is obtained and a far-field pattern free from irregularity and peak shift is realised. Damped relaxation oscillation and stable aging characteristics are obtained.     

An improved liquid-phase-epitaxial growth method for GaAs-(Ga, Al)As double heterostructures

A new growth method of GaAs-(Ga, Al)As multilayer, in which the solid surface is always covered by a melt during the growth of multilayer, is proposed, and laser characteristics of wafers grown by this method are presented.     

Creep behaviour in cellulose nitrate under superimposed tensile and hydrostatic loading

The creep behaviour under various combinations of superimposed tensile and hydrostatic loading are quantitatively investigated using nonlinear-viscoelastic cellulose nitrate heated at 65° C. The creep strain and the creep strain-rate are seriously affected by the effect of hydrostatic pressure. The trends of behaviour under superimposed tensile and hydrostatic loading cannot be predicted by the concepts which apply to uniaxial loading. The stress—strain relation of the creep behaviour under superimposed loading is deduced from the invariant theory using an hypothesis of creep potential. The creep data obtained on the cellulose nitrate at 65° C under superimposed loading, as well as uniaxial loading, are found to fit to the deduced relation well.     

Fast response neutron emission monitor for fusion reactor using stilbene scintillator and Flash-ADC

The stilbene neutron detector which has been used for neutron emission profile monitoring in JT-60U has been improved, to respond to the requirement to observe the high-frequency phenomena in megahertz region such as toroidicity-induced Alfvén Eigen mode in burning plasma as well as the spatial profile and the energy spectrum. This high-frequency phenomenon is of great interest and one of the key issues in plasma physics in recent years. To achieve a fast response in the stilbene detector, a Flash-ADC is applied and the wave form of the anode signal stored directly, and neutron/gamma discrimination was carried out via software with a new scheme for data acquisition mode to extend the count rate limit to MHz region from 1.3x10(5) neutron/s in the past, and confirmed the adequacy of the method.     

Calculation of thermodynamic quantities of metals and alloys by the statistical moment method

The thermodynamic properties of metals and alloys are studied using the moment method in the statistical dynamics, which allows us to take into account the anharmonicity of thermal lattice vibrations and size mismatch of constituent atoms, going beyond the quasi-harmonic approximation. Within the fourth-order moment approximation, the free energy and equilibrium lattice spacing of the binary alloys are given explicitly in terms of the effective pair potentials and the second- and fourth-order vibrational constants. The long-range order (LRO) parameter η and order-disorder transition temperatures (ODTs) T_c of binary alloys are obtained by solving the explicit transcendental equations. The numerical calculations of thermodynamic quantities for Cu₃Au and β-CuZn alloys show that the inclusion of the anharmonicity of lattice vibration plays an essentially important role in determining the phase stabilities of metals and alloys.