Effect of ultrahigh-dose methylcobalamin on compound muscle action potentials in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: a double-blind controlled study

To develop a symptomatic treatment for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, we compared the effects of ultrahigh-dose and low-dose (25 and 0.5 mg/day, intramuscularly, for 14 days) methylcobalamin on averaged compound muscle action potential amplitudes (CMAPs) in a double-blind trial. No significant changes in CMAP amplitude were found in 12 patients who had the low-dose treatment at either 2 or 4 weeks after start of treatment. By contrast, 12 patients assigned to the ultrahigh-dose group demonstrated a significant increase at 4 weeks. This method may provide a clinically useful measure to improve or retard muscle wasting, if a larger extended trial fulfills its promise.     

Carrier phase error detection method and synchronization control of parallel‐connected PWM inverters without signal line

In recent years, parallel operation of inverters is employed to increase reliability and capacity in an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) system. A phase error in PWM carrier‐signals of each inverter causes high‐frequency loop current between inverters. Therefore, the PWM carrier‐signal of each inverter should be adjusted in phase. This paper proposes a detection method of phase error in PWM carrier‐signal and its application to synchronization control for parallel‐connected inverters. A simple definite‐integral circuit achieves detection of the carrier phase error from high‐frequency loop current using no signal line between inverters. The detected carrier phase error is applied to synchronize the PWM carrier‐signal through a PI compensator, and then the high‐frequency loop current can be suppressed. Several experimental test results show the validity of the proposed detection method and synchronization control. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 157(1): 63– 71, 2006; Published online in Wiley InterScience ( http://www.interscience.wiley.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.20143     

Studies on the phosphorylation of a M(r) 25,000 protein, a putative protein phosphatase 2A modulator, by casein kinase I, and analysis of multiple endogenous phosphates

A M(r) 25,000 protein, which was isolated from the cytosolic fraction of Xenopus laevis oocytes, is a newly identified substrate for casein kinase II and protein kinase C [Hashimoto et al. (1995) J. Biochem. 118, 453-460], and was recently shown to have the ability to modulate protein phosphatase 2A activity [Hashimoto et al. (1996) J. Biochem. 119, 626-632]. Acid phosphatase treatment of the protein shifted its electrophoretic mobility from 25 to 20 kDa on SDS-PAGE. The content of alkali-labile phosphate bound covalently to the protein was 53 mol per mol of M(r) 25,000 protein. Amino acid composition analysis revealed that there are 50 serine residues and 6 threonine residues per mol of this protein. Therefore, this M(r) 25,000 protein seems to be highly phosphorylated in vivo. The M(r) 25,000 protein, once partially dephosphorylated by acid phosphatase, served as an efficient substrate for casein kinase I and casein kinase II. When entirely dephosphorylated, the M(r) 25,000 protein was used as a substrate, the rate of phosphorylation with both casein kinases being decreased. This behavior of casein kinases toward the M(r) 25,000 protein reflects the possible mechanism of multisite phosphorylation in which the introduction of a phosphate group facilitates sequential phosphorylation.     

Automated bead alignment apparatus using a single bead capturing technique for fabrication of a miniaturized bead-based DNA probe array

We have developed an automated bead alignment apparatus for fabricating a bead-based DNA probe array inside a capillary. The apparatus uses 16 micro vacuum tweezers to extract single beads from among a large amount of beads in bead stock wells. It then manipulates single beads into the probe array capillaries. Single 100-microm-diameter beads were successfully extracted from the water-contained bead-stock well by the vacuum tweezers, which have inner and outer diameters of 50 and 150 microm. An interesting aspect is that unexpected extra beads adsorbed on the outer wall of the vacuum tweezers can be removed using the surface tension force between the water and the atmosphere. In testing the total performance of this apparatus, the DNA probe arrays with 10 sets of probe-conjugated beads and 2 plain beads were produced in the intended order in the capillaries. The time needed to align the 12 beads was 10 min, and the 16 bead arrays were fabricated simultaneously. After hybridization experiments using these fabricated DNA probe arrays, fluorescence from each bead was clearly observed.     

Concentration of the solar radiation in a solar furnace

Energy concentration in a solar furnace is greatly influenced by the optical accuracy of the reflecting surface of the mirror. The highest density of a heat flux on the heating surface of a specimen is determined by its concentration and by the reflectivity of the mirror.

Since the apparent diameter of the moon is almost equal to that of the sun and the illumination of the moon may be adapted to the photographic determination of flux density, the rate of energy concentration in the authors' solar furnace was studied by the moon's image projected upon the heating zone in place of that of the sun.

As a result, about 300 watts per cm was obtained as the highest possible density of the heat flux in this solar furnace. This figure also agreed with the results of an optical analysis based on the practical finishing of the present mirror surface. With a heat flux of 300 watts per sq cm, in accordance with Stefan-Boltzmann's law of radiation, the highest temperature attainable is estimated to be approximately 2700°K. Besides the above, in actual experiment, approximately 2300°C was obtained in observing the melting points of binary mixtures, e.g., MgO---CoO and MgO---Cr₂O₃. Thus, the above-mentioned three approaches to the problem are in fairly good agreement.     

An analysis of moisture diffusion by diffusion equation considering the Coulomb friction

Following a previous paper, another type of diffusion equation accounting for the Coulomb friction is proposed in this paper. For the drying experiments Sitka spruce bars were used with dimensions L×R×T=10×2×2 cm, and the density was 0.4 g/cm³. The specimens were prepared at 20°C and 60% R.H., and were dried in the desiccator with silica gel at 20°C. After 1,200 h, the specimens were cut in half and dried in the desiccator again. The moisture contents were determined by using the oven-dry method and were also calculated from the above theories. The results considering friction are in good agreement with the experimental results.

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Analyse der Feuchtediffusion mittels der Diffusionsgleichung unter Berücksichtigung der Coulomb-Reibung

Zusammenfassung In Fortführung eines früheren Artikels wird hier eine neue Diffusionsgleichung mit Berücksichtigung der Coulomb-Reibung vorgestellt. Für die Trocknungsexperimente wurden Fichtenproben der Abmessungen L×R×T=10×2×2 cm und 0,4 g/cm³ Dichte verwendet. Die Proben wurden bei 20°C und 60% rel. Feuchte konditioniert und über Silikagel getrocknet. Nach 1.200 Stunden wurden die Proben halbiert und weiter getrocknet. Die Feuchte wurde durch Ofentrocknung und nach den Modellgleichungen bestimmt. Die Ergebnisse zeigen bei Berücksichtigung der Reibung eine gute Übereinstimmung der experimentellen und berechneten Werte.

     

Characterization of Light-Enhanced Respiration in Cyanobacteria

In eukaryotic algae, respiratory O₂ uptake is enhanced after illumination, which is called light-enhanced respiration (LER). It is likely stimulated by an increase in respiratory substrates produced during photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation and function in keeping the metabolic and redox homeostasis in the light in eukaryotic cells, based on the interactions among the cytosol, chloroplasts, and mitochondria. Here, we first characterize LER in photosynthetic prokaryote cyanobacteria, in which respiration and photosynthesis share their metabolisms and electron transport chains in one cell. From the physiological analysis, the cyanobacterium Synechocystis sp. PCC 6803 performs LER, similar to eukaryotic algae, which shows a capacity comparable to the net photosynthetic O₂ evolution rate. Although the respiratory and photosynthetic electron transports share the interchain, LER was uncoupled from photosynthetic electron transport. Mutant analyses demonstrated that LER is motivated by the substrates directly provided by photosynthetic CO₂ assimilation, but not by glycogen. Further, the light-dependent activation of LER was observed even with exogenously added glucose, implying a regulatory mechanism for LER in addition to the substrate amounts. Finally, we discuss the physiological significance of the large capacity of LER in cyanobacteria and eukaryotic algae compared to those in plants that normally show less LER.     

Tuning the Charge Carrier Polarity of Organic Transistors by Varying the Electron Affinity of the Flanked Units in Diketopyrrolopyrrole‐Based Copolymers

Fine‐tuning of the charge carrier polarity in organic transistors is an important step toward high‐performance organic complementary circuits and related devices. Here, three new semiconducting polymers, namely, pDPF‐DTF2, pDPSe‐DTF2, and pDPPy‐DTF2, are designed and synthesized using furan, selenophene, and pyridine flanking group‐based diketopyrrolopyrrole cores, respectively. Upon evaluating their electrical properties in transistor devices, the best performance has been achieved for pDPSe‐DTF2 with the highest and average hole mobility of 1.51 and 1.22 cm² V^?1 s^?1, respectively. Most intriguingly, a clear charge‐carrier‐polarity change is observed when the devices are measured under vacuum. The pDPF‐DTF2 polymer exhibits a balanced ambipolar performance with the µ_h/µ_e ratio of 1.9, whereas pDPSe‐DTF2 exhibits p‐type dominated charge carrier transport properties with the µ_h/µ_e ratio of 26.7. Such a charge carrier transport change is due to the strong electron‐donating nature of the selenophene. Furthermore, pDPPy‐DTF2 with electron‐withdrawing pyridine flanking units demonstrates unipolar n‐type charge transport properties with an electron mobility as high as 0.20 cm² V^?1 s^?1. Overall, this study demonstrates a simple yet effective approach to switch the charge carrier polarity in transistors by varying the electron affinity of flanking groups of the diketopyrrolopyrrole unit.     

Nitridation of Silica Characterized by High-Energy X-Ray Diffraction Technique

The structure of amorphous silicon oxynitride formed under nitridation conditions using ammonia gas, before the onset of silicon nitride crystallization, is determined employing high-energy X-ray diffraction (HEXRD) technique. The derived real-space function suggests that smaller ring structures, especially 3R and 4R (R: ring), which are the dominant rings in crystalline silicon nitride, are not major species in amorphous silicon oxynitride, and form in the latter part of the silicon nitride crystallization.