Formate dehydrogenase gene of Arabidopsis thaliana is induced by formaldehyde and not by formic acid

Variability of expression of formate dehydrogenase (FDH) caused by uptake of C-1 compounds was examined by using Arabidopsis thaliana as a model plant. Effects of uptake of several C-1 compounds were evaluated by Northern blot analysis using cDNA of A. thaliana FDH prepared by cloning on the basis of known sequence. As a result, expression of the FDH gene in A. thaliana was not intensely influenced by formic acid, an inherent substrate for FDH, but strongly induced by its reduced form, formaldehyde.     

Syntheses of alpha-arbutin-alpha-glycosides and their inhibitory effects on human tyrosinase

Alpha-arbutin is a tyrosinase inhibitor. We synthesized alpha-arbutin-alpha-glycosides by the transglycosylation reaction of cyclomaltodextrin glucanotransferase from Bacillus macerans using alpha-arbutin and starch as acceptor and donor molecules, respectively. We isolated and characterized two major products from the reaction mixture. The structural analyses using 13C- and 1H-NMR spectroscopy proved that they were 4-hydroxyphenyl alpha-maltoside (alpha-Ab-alpha-G1) and 4-hydroxyphenyl alpha-maltotrioside (alpha-Ab-alpha-G2). Both alpha-Ab-alpha-G1 and alpha-Ab-alpha-G2 exhibited competitive-type inhibition on human tyrosinase as alpha-arbutin does. Their K(i) values were calculated to be 0.6 mM and 2.8 mM, respectively, which is slightly and significantly higher than that of alpha-arbutin (0.2 mM).     

An 18-ns 1-Mbit CMOS SRAM

A 1-Mb (256 K×4 b) CMOS static random-access memory with a high-resistivity load cell was developed with 0.7-μm CMOS process technology. This SRAM achieved a high-speed access of 18 ns. The SRAM uses a three-phase back-bias generator, a bus level-equalizing circuit and a four-stage sense amplifier. A small 4.8×8.5-μm² cell was realized by the use of a triple-polysilicon structure. The grounded second-polysilicon layer increases cell capacitance and suppresses α-particle-induced soft errors. The chip size measures 7.5×12 mm²     

Lack of DMBT1 expression in oesophageal, gastric and colon cancers

The cell-wall characteristics of Gardnerella vaginalis grown in conventional and biofilm systems were studied by electron microscopy. The gram-positive nature of the cell wall was confirmed. Novel cell-wall particles which appeared to be associated with cell division were also identified, particularly in organisms of biofilm origin.     

Electrical conductivity of metastable κ-CeZrO4 phase possessing ordered arrangement of Ce and Zr ions

Electrical conductivity σ_t of metastable κ-CeZrO₄ possessing ordered arrangement of Ce and Zr ions in a manner similar to a pyrochlore-type was measured as a function of temperature and time, and compared with tetragonal metastable t′-(Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ and t′_meta-(Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂ phases possessing random arrangement of the cations. The κ disk was prepared by reoxidizing a pyrochlore-type precursor in O₂ gas at 873 K. The σ_t as measured for the κ-CeZrO₄ was reproducible as a function of temperatures between 957 and 1190 K. At increasing temperatures above 1233 K, the σ_t decreased gradually with time due to the phase transition: κ→t′, and became consistent with the t′. Although the κ-CeZrO₄ phase is thermodynamically less stable than the t′-(Ce_0.5Zr_0.5)O₂, it was virtually stable up to around 1233 K. It was found from the change in the σ_t due to the phase transition that the σ_t for the metastable κ-CeZrO₄ was an order of magnitude higher than that for the t′ and was similar to that for the t′_meta. It was previously reported that a phase transition, t′_meta→t′, occurred above 1143 K. The phase transition, κ→t′, accompanied by redistribution of the cations appeared to occur at higher temperatures than that for t′_meta→t′ leaving random cation arrangement.     

The use of intraoperative ultrasonography for detecting tumor extension in bile duct carcinoma

This study examined the intraoral changes of the elastic properties and roughness of a tissue conditioner after treatment with a fluorinated copolymer coating agent developed by the authors. The surface of the conditioner was treated with the agent on half of the internal surface of five maxillary complete dentures and was compared with the untreated half on the other side. The cushioning effects of the conditioners were evaluated by measuring the creep compliance strain-to-stress ratio. The value of compliance on the treated half was significantly greater than that on the untreated half. There was significantly less roughness on the treated side than on the untreated side. It was found that the coating provides an improved, glossy surface to the conditioner and may increase its useful life.     

An investigation of the curvature of bars and tubes extruded through inclined dies

The extrusion process through a die aperture inclined at a fixed angle, previously proposed by the authors, is applied to forming of rectangular bars and tubes with various cross-sectional shapes, and the fundamental properties of the process are investigated. The curvature of the extruded bar is found to decrease as the height and width of the die aperture increase. The curvatures of the extruded tubes agree fairly well with those of the solid bars, and further, close correlations are found between the curvatures of the rectangular and H-type bars, and between those of the rectangular and H-type tubes. The curvatures of the rectangular bars and tubes with flanges can be predicted by combining the fundamental bending properties of the process obtained in extrusion of the rectangular bars with the shape effect of the bars and tubes.     

Reflection and transmission of a dielectric waveguide mirror

A numerical analysis of a generalized dielectric waveguide mirror of arbitrary structure angle is presented. A plane wave expansion technique is used to calculate output angle, power transmission, inter-waveguide and intra-waveguide coupling, far-field emission profile and losses of the waveguide mirror. In order to evaluate the effect of divergence, two methods are used and the result indicate that the effect is minimal. Furthermore, the introduction of a tilt in the mirror surface is examined and reveals a reduction in the inter-waveguide coupling as the tilt is increased. However, this coupling remains symmetric in tilt despite the asymmetry of the geometry due to the tilt. Results of the output angle and the FWHM (full-width half-maximum) of the emission profile are compared to experimental values obtained for a semiconductor triangular ring laser