Recovery of fluorocarbons in Japan as a measure for abating global warming

The objective of this study is to evaluate the potential for recovering fluorocarbons as measures for the abatement of global warming. In this study, we focused on the three different kinds of fluorocarbons: CFCs, HCFCs and HFCs, and targeted refrigerant use because of the availability of relevant data. We first estimated future fluorocarbon emissions from the targeted appliances; we next compared those emissions in the units of CO₂ equivalent to the level of CO₂ emissions in 1990 from a quantitative point of view. As the result of this study, it was found that fluorocarbon emissions in 1999 and 2010 would be equal to approximately 7 and 3% of the level of CO₂ emissions in 1990 respectively. Moreover, if we implement a 100% recovery rate in every recovery route, we can reduce a large amount of emissions which correspond to approximately 2–5% of the level of CO₂ emissions in 1990, even if we take into account the energy-related CO₂ emissions by the transportation and decomposition of fluorocarbons.     

Applications of computer and numerical analysis techniques in welding research

In recent years, computer technology has made remarkable progress and a computer has become an indispensable tool for both engineers and scientists. In this article, utilization of computers in welding research is briefly summarized. Their use in numerical analysis is particularly discussed and applied to physical phenomena in molten pool, hydrogen diffusion and residual stresses due to welding. A comparison is made between theoretical and experimental results.     

Use of a YAP1 overexpression cassette conferring specific resistance to cerulenin and cycloheximide as an efficient selectable marker in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

Drug-resistance markers for yeast transformation are useful because they can be applied to strains without auxotrophic mutations. However, they are susceptible to technical difficulties, namely lower transformation efficiency and the appearance of drug-resistant mutants without the marker. To avoid these problems, we have constructed a phosphoglycerate kinase (PGK) promoter-driven YAP1 expression cassette, called PGKp-YAP1. Yeast cells containing PGKp-YAP1 were resistant to cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, and also to cerulenin, a fatty acid synthesis inhibitor, but not to other drugs tested. The transformation efficiency of PGKp-YAP1 using cerulenin selection was comparable to that using a URA3 auxotrophic marker when low concentrations of cerulenin were used. Non-transformed drug-resistant colonies did appear on the low-concentration cerulenin plates. However, these non-transformed colonies could easily be identified, based on their cycloheximide sensitivity and/or their resistance to aureobasidin A to which the transformants were sensitive. Therefore, the dual drug resistance of PGKp-YAP1 could be used as an effective selection for PGKp-YAP1 recipient cells. The PGKp-YAP1 marker was used to disrupt the LYS2 gene and to transform an industrial yeast strain, indicating that this marker can be used for efficient and reliable gene manipulations in any Saccharomyces cerevisiae strain.     

Electron transport in InGaO3(ZnO)m (m=integer) studied using single-crystalline thin films and transparent MISFETs

We have investigated the characteristics of transparent metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MISFETs) fabricated using InGaO₃(ZnO)_m (m=integer) single-crystalline thin films as n-channel layers and amorphous alumina as gate insulator films. The MISFETs exhibit good characteristics such as insensitivity to visible light illumination, off-current as low as ∼1 nA with a positive threshold voltage of ∼3 V and on/off current ratio of 10⁵. The field-effect mobility increased from ∼1 to ∼10 cm² (V s)⁻¹ as the m-value increased. Room temperature Hall mobility also increased. However, unexpectedly these values were lower than the field-effect mobility. It is explained by existence of shallow localized state in the homologous compounds.     

Silica removal from Mokai, New Zealand, geothermal brine by treatment with lime and a cationic precipitant

Preliminary experiments using two chemicals (CaO, a quicklime, and a cationic nitrogen-bearing precipitant, EC-004) to remove silica from geothermal brine were undertaken at the Mokai geothermal plant, New Zealand. The brine was mixed with the reagent (CaO or EC-004). The reaction was studied from the start of the experiment (NRT, 0 min, no retaining time) and after 15 min (15RT) at 90 °C. The concentration of silica in the brine was initially 954 mg/l, and decreased linearly with increasing reagent concentration. When CaO is added, the silica concentration at 15RT was 200 mg/l lower than at NRT and became almost zero on addition of 1.5 g/l. In contrast, when EC-004 is added, the total silica concentration nearly reaches the solubility of amorphous silica at 90 °C. In order to prevent silica scaling in Mokai brines cooled to 90 °C, the CaO and EC-004 added should be individually adjusted to 0.5 g/l and 80 mg/l, respectively.     

Addition of cisapride shortens colonoscopy preparation with lavage in elderly patients

The major envelope protein, p35, of vaccinia virus (VV; strain LIVP) was purified by extraction from virions with the non-ionic detergent Nonidet P-40. The protein was cleaved with CNBr. Four homogeneous peptides were isolated and their N-terminal amino-acid (aa) sequences determined. A computer search of a protein sequence databank revealed complete identity of the determined sequences with aa 44-63, 144-149, 154-165 and 224-238 of ORF H3 of the HindIII-H fragment of the VV genome [Rosel et al., J. Virol. 60 (1989) 436-446]. Earlier, Gordon et al. [Virology 167 (1988) 361-369] determined that the p35 surface protein of VV strain IHD-W is encoded by the H6 gene. Muravlev et al. [Biopolymery i kletka 6 (1990) 83-89 (Russian)] deduced from their data that gene A2 encodes this prominent antigen. Taking into account this ambiguity, we cloned the genes H3, H6 and A2 in expression vectors, prepared the specific antisera against the expression products and conducted the immunochemical analysis of the recombinant and native VV-specific proteins. It has been established that the H6 codes for an early protein that is found only in the infected cell extracts, but is absent in mature virions. The immunodominant protein p35 of VV strain LIVP is encoded by the gene H3. The gene A2 protein product is present mainly in the infected cell extract, but the antiserum against the A2 product shows a rather weak interaction with the 35-kDa fraction of structural VV proteins resolved by electrophoresis.     

Structures and functions of xenobiotic efflux pump P-glycoprotein and MRP--important molecular targets for cancer chemotherapy

This paper deals with the basic features of the xenobiotic efflux pump (P-glycoprotein and MRP) and the clinical significance of the search for specific modulators of these proteins. P-glycoprotein and MRP function as ATP-dependent efflux pumps that extrude cytotoxic drugs from the cells before the drugs reach their intracellular targets, thus conferring resistance to many structurally dissimilar anti-cancer drugs. These proteins are responsible for multidrug resistance of tumor cells, a major obstacle to cancer chemotherapy. To develop well-designed modulators, structural information regarding the specific drug binding sites is important. We recently found that mutations in the putative transmembrane domain (TM) 1 of human P-glycoprotein alter the drug resistance pattern. Some amino acid residues in TM1 together with TM5-6 and TM11-12 may help to govern substrate specificity. The features common to substrates for P-glycoprotein and MRP are also discussed.     

Analytical studies of four-inch pipe whip tests under BWR LOCA conditions

The purpose of pipe rupture studies in JAERI is to perform model tests on pipe whip, restraint behavior, jet impingement and jet thrust force, and to establish a computational method for analyzing these phenomena. This report presents the analytical results of 4-inch pipe whip tests under BWR LOCA conditions.Dynamic response analyses were performed using the general-purpose finite element program ADINA. The test pipe was modelled by straight beam elements and the four restraints were modelled by a single truss element. The analytical results were compared with the experimental results. Impact time and maximum total restraint force showed good agreement with experimental results. On the other hand, pipe strain and pipe deflection could not be predicted so well. The reason for this is that the sliding of the restraint during the pipe whip movement cannot be considered in the analyses.