Tractability of cut-free Gentzen type propositional calculus with permutation inference

We present a new propositional calculus that has desirable natures with respect to both automatic reasoning and computational complexity: we introduce an inference rule, called permutation, into a cut-free Gentzen type propositional calculus. It allows us to obtain a system which (1) guarantees the subformula property and (2) has polynomial size proofs for hard combinatorial problems, such as pigeonhole principles. We also discuss the relative efficiency of our system. Frege systems polynomially prove the partial consistency of our system.     

Fate of maize intrinsic and recombinant genes in calves fed genetically modified maize Bt11

The presence of maize intrinsic and recombinant cry1Ab genes in the gastrointestinal (GI) contents, peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC), and visceral organs of calves fed genetically modified Bt11 maize was examined by PCR in a subchronic 90-day performance study. Samples were collected from six Japanese Black/Holstein calves fed Bt11 maize and from six calves fed non-Bt maize. Fragments of maize zein (Ze1), invertase, chloroplast, and cry1Ab were detected inconsistently in the rumen fluid and rectal contents 5 and 18 h after feeding. The chloroplast DNA fragments of ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase and tRNA were detected inconsistently in the PBMC, the visceral organs, and the longissimus muscle, while the cry1Ab gene was never detected in PBMC or in the visceral organs. These results suggest that feed-derived maize DNA was mostly degraded in the GI tract but that fragmented DNA was detectable in the GI contents as a possible source of transfer to calf tissues. These results also suggest that the recombinant cry1Ab genes were not transferred to the PBMC and tissues of calves fed Bt11 maize.     

Generic Guiding Law Between Irreversibility Field and Anisotropy—Chemical Control of Critical Current of High Temperature Superconductors

Systematic studies on the irreversibility field H _irr, and anisotropy factor ² of high temperature superconductors (HTSC) were performed using single crystals with high quality. The generic scaling law have been found to hold for all the HTSC systems examined, i.e., H _irr[Oe]=4×10^7–2 (1–T/T _c)1.5 at T0.7T _c. In addition, of each HTSC material is roughly expressed as 2=2 exp(0.78d[Å]) at the carrier optimally-doped state. Based on the generic scaling law, the behaviors of the variously doped superconductors, such as Bi(Pb)2212 and Hg(Re)1223, are discussed in terms of the critical current.     

Changes in physical properties of methacrylonitrile (MAN)-grafted silk fibers

Changes in physical properties of silk fibers, grafted with methacrylonitrile (MAN), were investigated as a function of the weight gain. The weight gain increased steadily during the first 60 min of reaction and gradually attained an equilibrium value (60%) after about 4 h. The initial tensile resistance of silk fibers decreased by MAN grafting. The crystalline structure of silk fibers remained unchanged, regardless of MAN grafting, however. a minor and broad peak appeared in the X-ray diffraction curves of MAN-grafted silk fibers with a weight gain of 60%, corresponding to the unoriented MAN polymer attached inside the fibers. Molecular orientation of silk fibroin chains in the crystalline regions, evaluated from X-ray diffraction curves, did not change significantly, while both birefringence and isotropic refractive index decreased as the weight gain increased, implying that MAN polymer attached preferentially to the amorphous and not to the crystalline regions. Dynamic vis-coelastic measurements showed that the position at which the E′ value began to decrease shifted to a lower temperature as the weight gain increased. These findings suggest that the thermal movement of silk fibroin molecules was accelerated by the presence of the poly-MAN chains attached to the amorphous regions of silk fibroin fibers. © 1993 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

New amphoteric surfactants containing a phosphoric acid group: II. Binary system of amphoteric/anionic surfactant of sodium 2-(N-2-hydroxytetradecyl-N-methylamino)ethyl hydrogen phosphate

We studied behaviors of the binary system of 2-(N-2-hydroxytetradecyl-N-methylamino)ethyl hydrogen phosphate (C₁₄-HMP) and sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) in aqueous solution. We found that C₁₄-HMP reduced the ability of SDS to denature protein, to inhibit enzyme activity and to decrease transepidermal water loss. These phenomena were considered to be due to the interaction between the cationic group in the zwitterionic structure of C₁₄-HMP and the anionic group of sulfate in SDS molecule. These behaviors suggest that C₁₄-HMP has a potential to reduce skin irritation when applied to personal care products such as cleaners and shampoos having anionic surfactants.     

Plastid Anionic Lipids Are Essential for the Development of Both Photosynthetic and Non-Photosynthetic Organs in Arabidopsis thaliana

The lipid bilayer matrix of the thylakoid membrane of cyanobacteria and chloroplasts of plants and algae is mainly composed of uncharged galactolipids, but also contains anionic lipids sulfoquinovosyldiacylglycerol (SQDG) and phosphatidylglycerol (PG) as major constituents. The necessity of PG for photosynthesis is evident in all photosynthetic organisms examined to date, whereas the requirement of SQDG varies with species. In plants, although PG and SQDG are also found in non-photosynthetic plastids, their importance for the growth and functions of non-photosynthetic organs remains unclear. In addition, plants synthesize another anionic lipid glucuronosyldiacylglycerol (GlcADG) during phosphorus starvation, but its role in plant cells is not elucidated yet. To understand the functional relationships among PG, SQDG, and GlcADG, we characterized several Arabidopsis thaliana mutants defective in biosynthesis of these lipids. The mutants completely lacking both PG and SQDG biosynthesis in plastids showed developmental defects of roots, hypocotyls, and embryos in addition to leaves, which suggests that these lipids are pleiotropically required for the development of both photosynthetic and non-photosynthetic organs. Furthermore, our analysis revealed that SQDG, but not GlcADG, is essential for complementing the role of PG, particularly in photosynthesis under PG-deficient conditions such as phosphorus starvation.     

Development and Structural Evaluation of N-Alkylated trans-2-Phenylcyclopropylamine-Based LSD1 Inhibitors

Lysine-specific demethylase 1 (LSD1) is a flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD)-dependent enzyme that catalyzes the demethylation of histone H3 and regulates gene expression. Because it is implicated in the regulation of diseases such as acute myeloid leukemia, potent LSD1-specific inhibitors have been pursued. Trans-2-phenylcyclopropylamine (2-PCPA)-based inhibitors featuring substitutions on the amino group have emerged, with sub-micromolar affinities toward LSD1 and high selectivities over monoamine oxidases (MAOs). We synthesized two N-alkylated 2-PCPA-based LSD1 inhibitors, S2116 and S2157, based on the previously developed S2101. S2116 and S2157 exhibited enhanced potency for LSD1 by 2.0- to 2.6-fold, as compared with S2101. In addition, they exhibited improved selectivity over MAOs. Structural analyses of LSD1 co-crystallized with S2101, S2116, S2157, or another N-alkylated inhibitor (FCPA-MPE) confirmed that the N-substituents enhance the potency of a 2-PCPA-based inhibitor of LSD1, without constituting the adduct formed with FAD.     

Fabrication and nano-imprintabilities of Zr-, Pd- and Cu-based glassy alloy thin films

With the aim of investigating nano-imprintability of glassy alloys in a film form, Zr(49)Al(11)Ni(8)Cu(32), Pd(39)Cu(29)Ni(13)P(19) and Cu(38)Zr(47)Al(9)Ag(6) glassy alloy thin films were fabricated on Si substrate by a magnetron sputtering method. These films exhibit a very smooth surface, a distinct glass transition phenomenon and a large supercooled liquid region of about 80 K, which are suitable for imprinting materials. Moreover, thermal nano-imprintability of these obtained films is demonstrated by using a dot array mold with a dot diameter of 90 nm. Surface observations revealed that periodic nano-hole arrays with a hole diameter of 90 nm were successfully imprinted on the surface of these films. Among them, Pd-based glassy alloy thin film indicated more precise pattern imprintability, namely, flatter residual surface plane and sharper hole edge. It is said that these glassy alloy thin films, especially Pd-based glassy alloy thin film, are one of the promising materials for fabricating micro-machines and nano-devices by thermal imprinting.     

Automatic finding of optimal image processing for extracting concrete image cracks using features ACTIT

In this paper, we autonomously define an optimal, efficient image‐processing tree for extracting the cracks from concrete images using genetic programming (GP)‐oriented evolutionary image processing known as Automatic Construction of Tree‐structural Image Transformation (ACTIT). We propose the use of automatic finding feature from input and internal transformation images to optimize image‐processing filters. These alternative solutions show significant improvements and can be performed by extracting small areas through our experimentation. This can possibly be used with an optimal image‐processing system based on feature filters. © 2012 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.