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Protein N-glycosylation occurs in the three domains of life. Oligosaccharyltransferase (OST) transfers glycan to asparagine in the N-glycosylation sequon. The catalytic subunit of OST is called STT3 in eukaryotes, AglB in archaea, and PglB in eubacteria. The genome of a hyperthermophilic archaeon, Archaeoglobus fulgidus, encodes three AglB paralogs. Two of them are the shortest AglBs across all domains of life. We determined the crystal structure of the C-terminal globular domain of the smallest AglB to identify the minimal structural unit. The Archaeoglobus AglB lacked a β-barrel-like structure, which had been found in other AglB and PglB structures. In agreement, the deletion in a larger Pyrococcus AglB confirmed its dispensability for the activity. By contrast, the Archaeoglobus AglB contains a kinked helix bearing a conserved motif, called DK/MI motif. The lysine and isoleucine residues in the motif participate in the Ser/Thr recognition in the sequon. The Archaeoglobus AglB structure revealed that the kinked helix contained an unexpected insertion. A revised sequence alignment based on this finding identified a variant type of the DK motif with the insertion. A mutagenesis study of the Archaeoglobus AglB confirmed the contribution of this particular type of the DK motif to the activity. When taken together with our previous results, this study defined the classification of OST: one group consisting of eukaryotes and most archaea possesses the DK-type Ser/Thr pocket, and the other group consisting of eubacteria and the remaining archaea possesses the MI-type Ser/Thr pocket. This classification provides a useful framework for OST studies.

In this study, the composite magnetic nanoparticles of coated SiO nano film with about 8 nm size and high saturation magnetization value, were synthesized by liquid phase precipitation method. The magnetic nanoparticles can be dispersed in various liquid media, widely known as magnetic fluids or ferrofluids with both magnetic and liquid properties. The materials been collected great interests and more and more attentions to focus into Drug Delivery System (DDS) as a new technology in this paper. We use the composite nanoparticles to disperse H2O and inject the solutions into rat's in-vivo organs. And, in the experiments by using a strong photon beam of SPring-8 Synchrotron Radiation facility, the distribution stat and the effects of magnetic field as well as drug delivery behaviour of nanoparticles in the rat' kidney are verified by the in-vivo observations.

Autophagy is an intracellular bulk degradation system conserved among eukaryotes from yeast to mammals. It is responsible for the degradation of cytosolic components and organelles in response to nutrient deprivation. There are three main types of autophagy: macroautophagy, microautophagy and chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA). Microautophagy sequesters cytoplasmic components and delivers them for degradation by direct invagination or protrusion/septation of the lysosomal or vacuolar membrane (Mijaljica et al., 2011; Uttenweiler and Mayer, 2008). CMA targets specific cytosolic proteins that are trapped by the heat shock cognate protein of 70 kDa (hsc70) and, through interaction with lysosome-associated membrane protein type 2A (LAMP-2A), they are then translocated into the lysosomal lumen for rapid degradation (Orenstein and Cuervo, 2010). Macroautophagy, hereafter referred to as autophagy, is the most well characterized process of the three. During autophagy, double membrane structures called autophagosomes sequester a portion of the cytoplasm and fuse with the lysosome (or vacuole in the case of yeast and plants) to deliver their inner contents into the organelle lumen (Mizushima, 2007; Mizushima et al., 2010). Analyses of autophagy-related (Atg) proteins have unveiled dynamic and diverse aspects of mechanisms that underlie membrane formation during autophagy (Mizushima et al., 2010; Nakatogawa et al., 2009). As the contents of autophagosomes are indistinguishable from their surrounding cytoplasm (Baba et al., 1994), autophagy has long been considered a nonselective catabolic pathway. Recent studies, however, have provided evidence for the selective degradation of various targets by autophagy. In autophagy-deficient neuronal cells, intracellular protein aggregates accumulate and eventually lead to neurodegeneration, suggesting that autophagy selectively degrades harmful protein aggregates (Hara et al., 2006; Komatsu et al., 2006). Damaged or superfluous organelles, such as mitochondria and peroxisomes, and even intracellular infectious pathogens are also selectively degraded by autophagy (Goldman et al., 2010; Gutierrez et al., 2004; Manjithaya et al., 2010; Nakagawa et al., 2004; Noda and Yoshimori, 2009). In the budding yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, ┙mannosidase and aminopeptidase I are selectively transported to the vacuole through autophagic pathways (Baba et al., 1997; Hutchins and Klionsky, 2001).

For the boron films made by a d.c. glow discharge for a gas mixture of diborane and helium, numerous surface properties were intestigated and the characteristics of the boron film as a plasma facing material in fusion devices were evaluated. The ability of the boron film to getter the oxygen was estimated as about 10 21 O atoms m -2 . The gettered oxygen in the boron film was observed in the surface to a depth of less than about 30 nm. The hydrogen concentration of the boron film made at room temperature was approximately 30%. The hydrogen in the film desorbed at about 573 K. This desorption temperature was considerably lower than that of graphite. These results directly indicate that the boron film coated on the graphite wall can largely reduce the particle recycling, in addition to the reduction in the oxygen impurity level in the plasma. After the oxygen gettering, the oxygen existed in the form of B—O bonds. It is also noted that the boron film absorbed both the oxygen and the carbon after exposure to the atmosphere.

Thirty-two newly isolated strains of Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, 14 from patients with tsutsugamushi disease, 12 from wild rodents, and 6 from trombiculid mites parasitizing rodents in Gifu Prefecture, Japan, were examined for reactivities to 12 monoclonal antibodies by an indirect fluorescent-antibody test to classify their antigenicities. All of the isolates could be classified into one of six groups (KN-1, KN-2, KN-3, GJ-1, R158, and R161) according to their reactivities to the monoclonal antibodies. The KN-1 and GJ-1 strains that are prevalent among patients from Gifu Prefecture had the same reactivities as the Kawasaki and Kuroki strains, respectively, which have been isolated and are prevalent in the Miyazaki and Kagoshima prefectures in southwest Japan. The isolates from patients were different in serotype from those from rodents and mites (Leptotrombidium pallidum). The KN-2 and KN-3 strains were most prevalent among patients and among rodents and mites, respectively. No close similarity between KN-2 and other strains tested was observed. KN-3 is only a minor contributor to diseases in patients in Gifu Prefecture; however, it was proven that the same strain was prevalent in Niigata Prefecture in northern Japan. Thus, Gifu Prefecture is an area where southern, northern, and local strains are found. We hypothesize that humans are prone to infection with KN-2, GJ-1 (very similar to Kuroki), and KN-1 (very similar to Kawasaki), probably by infestation with Leptotrombidium scutellare. While both L. scutellare and L. pallidum parasitize wild rodents and may carry any rickettsial strain, the most virulent strain, KN-3, is predominant among wild rodents. Antigenic analysis using monoclonal antibodies to R. tsutsugamushi should be useful for epidemiological studies of infection with this organism.

The Large Helical Device (LHD) now under construction is a heliotron/torsatron device with a closed divertor system. The edge LHD magnetic structure has been studied in detail. A peculiar feature of the configuration is the existence of edge surface layers, a complicated three dimensional magnetic structure which does not, however, seem to hamper the expected divertor functions. Two divertor operational modes are being considered for the LHD experiment-high density, cold radiative divertor operation as a safe heat removal scheme and high temperature divertor plasma operation. In the latter operation, a divertor plasma with a temperature of a few keV, generated by efficient pumping, is expected to lead to a significant improvement in core plasma confinement. Conceptual designs of the LHD divertor components are under way

Cbl-b is a RING-type E3 ubiquitin ligase that functions as a negative regulator of T-cell activation and growth factor receptor and nonreceptor-type tyrosine kinase signaling. Cbl-b dysfunction is related to autoimmune diseases and cancers in humans. However, the molecular mechanism regulating its E3 activity is largely unknown. NMR and small-angle X-ray scattering analyses revealed that the unphosphorylated N-terminal region of Cbl-b forms a compact structure by an intramolecular interaction, which masks the interaction surface of the RING domain with an E2 ubiquitin-conjugating enzyme. Phosphorylation of Y363, located in the helix-linker region between the tyrosine kinase binding and the RING domains, disrupts the interdomain interaction to expose the E2 binding surface of the RING domain. Structural analysis revealed that the phosphorylated helix-RING region forms a compact structure in solution. Moreover, the phosphate group of pY363 is located in the vicinity of the interaction surface with UbcH5B to increase affinity by reducing their electrostatic repulsion. Thus, the phosphorylation of Y363 regulates the E3 activity of Cbl-b by two mechanisms: one is to remove the masking of the RING domain from the tyrosine kinase binding domain and the other is to form a surface to enhance binding affinity to E2.

Coal is an important energy resource for meeting the further demand for electricity, as coal reserves are much more abundant than those of other fossil fuels. But, coal utilization technology produces carbon dioxide more than other fossil fuels, because of the higher carbon content of coal. For the control of the global warming problem, it is required to develop a new technology for the reduction of carbon dioxide emission from coal-utilized power stations. To reduce carbon dioxide emission, it is very important to develop a new technology of high efficiency power generation system and utilize biomass energy of carbon neutral. For the further reduction of carbon dioxide, the removal and storage technology is an effective one. It is necessary to apply the smart process of powder technology for the development of coal utilized power generation system of new type including a high efficiency power generation system and carbon dioxide removal type power generation system. For the utilization of biomass energy, it is very important to develop the smart technology for the handling of biomass like drying, carbonizing, pulverizing and conversion technology. In this paper, many technologies for the powder handling related to the high efficiency coal utilized power generation, biomass utilization and carbon dioxide removal power generation are introduced. Furthermore, the present level of these technologies and the development tendency for the future are surveyed.

E1 enzymes activate ubiquitin-like proteins and transfer them to cognate E2 enzymes. Atg7, a noncanonical E1, activates two ubiquitin-like proteins, Atg8 and Atg12, and plays a crucial role in autophagy. Here, we report crystal structures of full-length Atg7 and its C-terminal domain bound to Atg8 and MgATP, as well as a solution structure of Atg8 bound to the extreme C-terminal domain (ECTD) of Atg7. The unique N-terminal domain (NTD) of Atg7 is responsible for Atg3 (E2) binding, whereas its C-terminal domain is comprised of a homodimeric adenylation domain (AD) and ECTD. The structural and biochemical data demonstrate that Atg8 is initially recognized by the C-terminal tail of ECTD and is then transferred to an AD, where the Atg8 C terminus is attacked by the catalytic cysteine to form a thioester bond. Atg8 is then transferred via a trans mechanism to the Atg3 bound to the NTD of the opposite protomer within a dimer.

The temperature response in functionally gradient materials (FGM), subjected to pulseor stepwise heating at the front surface, is evaluated. Applicability of the approximate solution for the temperature response is investigated by comparing it with an exact analytical solution for the FGM in which thermophysical properties have certain profiles. When the FGM is composed of conventional solid materials, appropriateness of the approximate solution for the FGM is demonstrated as far as the temperature response near the rear surface is concerned. The approximate solution is also compared with the solution for the multilayered material. It is shown that an eight-layered material can be regarded as an FGM, as far as the temperature response at the rear surface is concerned, and that the approximate solution can predict the temperature response within 6% error. Because of its simplicity and fair degree of agreement, the approximate solution is anticipated to be used not only for qualitative but also for quantitative prediction of the temperature response near the rear surface of the FGM in engineering applications.

The Large Helical Device (LHD) is a heliotron/torsatron-type confinement device (B = 4 T, R = 3.9 m) equipped with a helical divertor. In the LHD configuration, the plasma region is shifted inwards approximately a third of the plasma minor radius relative to the center of the two pairing helical coils, thus making the distance between the coil center and the edge plasma small, 328 mm on the small major radius side of the torus. Within this space, many components must be installed, such as the superconducting helical coil (163), its coil can (45), the thermal shield (30), the vacuum gap (35), the plasma vacuum vessel (15), the first wall (25) (the numbers in the parentheses are allocated radial space in mm for the respective components). Effective edge plasma control by the divertor requires a space of more than 15 mm between the plasma and the first wall. To meet the above space requirement, the thickness of the helical coil is designed to be as small as possible, yet the coil current density and maximum field strength are within the limits of reliable coil operation.

A vacuum system for the LHD cryostat has been preliminary designed to guarantee reasonable operation of the system. The required working pressure for the cryostat had to be determined from the heat transfer. In order to complete the engineering design of the system, it is urgent to generate the outgassing data of the thermal insulation materials in the cryostat at low temperatures and establish a realistic operational scenario including conditioning and maintenance phases.

The transcription factor IRF-3 is activated by microbial invasions and produces a variety of cytokines including type-I interferon. Upon microbial infection, IRF-3 is phosphorylated at its C-terminal regulatory domain, then oligomerized, translocated into the nucleus, and here it binds to CBP/p300. Although a number of studies have been reported investigating the activation mechanism of IRF-3, there are a number of unresolved issues, especially on the phosphorylation sites, the oligomerization process and the binding mechanism with CBP/p300. In this report, the phosphorylated IRF-3 regulatory domain (IRF-3 RD) was prepared using the kinase IKK-i, and the active form of phosphorylated IRF-3 RD was identified. The paper also reports the crystal structure of the active form of the phosphorylated IRF-3 RD. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of Ser386 was found to be essential for its dimerization and binding with CBP/p300 using mutational analysis and mass spectrometry. Thus, we conclude that the phosphorylation of Ser386 is essential for activation of IRF-3.

The transcription factor IRF-3 is activated by microbial invasions and produces a variety of cytokines including type-I interferon. Upon microbial infection, IRF-3 is phosphorylated at its C-terminal regulatory domain, then oligomerized, translocated into the nucleus, and here it binds to CBP/p300. Although a number of studies have been reported investigating the activation mechanism of IRF-3, there are a number of unresolved issues, especially on the phosphorylation sites, the oligomerization process and the binding mechanism with CBP/p300. In this report, the phosphorylated IRF-3 regulatory domain (IRF-3 RD) was prepared using the kinase IKK-i, and the active form of phosphorylated IRF-3 RD was identified. The paper also reports the crystal structure of the active form of the phosphorylated IRF-3 RD. Furthermore, the phosphorylation of Ser386 was found to be essential for its dimerization and binding with CBP/p300 using mutational analysis and mass spectrometry. Thus, we conclude that the phosphorylation of Ser386 is essential for activation of IRF-3.

A self-consistent analytical solution for net erosion of a divertor plate which is set perpendicular to magnetic field lines is presented. The primary flux profile of hydrogen and impurities except redepositing particles is externally given as well as the return ratio of sputtered atoms to the plate. In the direction along the divertor trace, all conditions are uniform. The ionization mean free path is assumed constant to simplify equations. The analytical solution is compared with net erosion experiments carried out in compact helical system (CHS) by exposing a graphite target to a neutral beam heated plasma column introduced perpendicularly to the target along the magnetic field lines through a 2 cm slit opened on a graphite limiter. After exposure to 98 discharges, the target surface is analyzed with Rutherford backscattering method. Deposition profiles of Ti and O impurities are very well explained with the analytical predictions.

The reduction of the plasma heat flux on the material limiter and the stabilization of the fluctuations at the plasma boundary by the use of an rf ponderomotive potential barrier on the limiter (rf limiter) have been demonstrated in the compact helical system (CHS) for the ECH heated plasma. The rf current on a graphite limiter surface along magnetic field lines produces a ponderomotive potential barrier, which is large at the limiter edges. The high heat load on the limiter edges, which is measured using an infrared TV camera, has been shown to be reduced by an rf power of 1.4 kW at a frequency of 10 MHz ( ω ci ω ω ce ). Another remarkable effect of the ponderomotive potential barrier on the limiter that has been observed is the suppression of density fluctuations (

The large helical device (LHD), now under construction, is a heliotron/torsatron device with a closed divertor system. The edge LHD magnetic structure has been studied in detail. A peculiar feature of the configuration is the existence of edge surface layers, a complicated three-dimensional magnetic structure. However, it does not seem to hamper the expected divertor functions. As a confinement improvement scheme in LHD, we have proposed a high temperature divertor plasma operation in which a divertor plasma with a temperature of a few keV, generated by efficient pumping, leads to the confinement improvement. Conceptual designs of the LHD divertor components are under way.

Report on the 10th International Conference held at Monterey, California, United States of America, 30 March - 3 April 1992.

Autophagy is a bulk degradation system conserved among most eukaryotes. Recently, autophagy has been shown to mediate selective degradation of various targets such as aggregated proteins and damaged or superfluous organelles. Structural studies have uncovered the conserved specific interactions between autophagic receptors and Atg8-family proteins through WXXL-like sequences, which we term the Atg8-family interacting motif (AIM). AIM functions in various autophagic receptors such as Atg19 in the cytoplasm-to-vacuole targeting pathway, p62 and neighbor of BRCA1 gene 1 (NBR1) in autophagic degradation of protein aggregates, and Atg32 and Nix in mitophagy, and may link the target–receptor complex to autophagic membranes and/or their forming machineries.

Atg16 interacts with the Atg12-Atg5 protein conjugate through its N-terminal domain and self-assembles through its coiled-coil domain (CCD). Formation of the Atg12-Atg5.Atg16 complex is essential for autophagy, the bulk degradation process conserved among most eukaryotes. Here, we report the crystal structures of full-length Saccharomyces cerevisiae Atg16 at 2.8 A resolution and its CCD at 2.5 A resolution. The CCD and full-length Atg16 each exhibit an extended alpha-helix, 90 and 130 A, respectively, and form a parallel coiled-coil dimer in the crystals. Although the apparent molecular weight of Atg16 observed by gel-filtration chromatography suggests that Atg16 is tetrameric, an analytical ultracentrifugation study showed Atg16 as a dimer in solution, consistent with the crystal structure. Evolutionary conserved surface residues clustered at the C-terminal half of Atg16 CCD were shown to be crucial for autophagy. These results will give a structural basis for understanding the molecular functions and significance of Atg16 in autophagy.

The Tob/BTG family is a group of antiproliferative proteins containing two highly homologous regions, Box A and Box B. These proteins all associate with CCR4-associated factor 1 (Caf1), which belongs to the ribonuclease D (RNase D) family of deadenylases and is a component of the CCR4-Not deadenylase complex. Here we determined the crystal structure of the complex of the N-terminal region of Tob and human Caf1 (hCaf1). Tob exhibited a novel fold, whereas hCaf1 most closely resembled the catalytic domain of yeast Pop2 and human poly(A)-specific ribonuclease. Interestingly, the association of hCaf1 was mediated by both Box A and Box B of Tob. Cell growth assays using both wild-type and mutant proteins revealed that deadenylase activity of Caf1 is not critical but complex formation is crucial to cell growth inhibition. Caf1 tethers Tob to the CCR4-Not deadenylase complex, and thereby Tob gathers several factors at its C-terminal region, such as poly(A)-binding proteins, to exert antiproliferative activity.

Atg8 is conjugated to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) by ubiquitin-like conjugation reactions. Atg8 has at least two functions in autophagy: membrane biogenesis and target recognition. Regulation of PE conjugation and deconjugation of Atg8 is crucial for these functions in which Atg4 has a critical function by both processing Atg8 precursors and deconjugating Atg8–PE. Here, we report the crystal structures of catalytically inert human Atg4B (HsAtg4B) in complex with processed and unprocessed forms of LC3, a mammalian orthologue of yeast Atg8. On LC3 binding, the regulatory loop and the N-terminal tail of HsAtg4B undergo large conformational changes. The regulatory loop masking the entrance of the active site of free HsAtg4B is lifted by LC3 Phe119, so that a groove is formed along which the LC3 tail enters the active site. At the same time, the N-terminal tail masking the exit of the active site of HsAtg4B in the free form is detached from the enzyme core and a large flat surface is exposed, which might enable the enzyme to access the membrane-bound LC3–PE.

Nano drug delivery system (nano-DDS) is a new medical technology. We studied medical use used by about 7 [nm] ferromagnetic fluids. We searched good energy condition of ferrofluid contrast medium radiograph image used by SPring-8 synchrotron radiation X-ray. As results, in case of low photon energy 15.0 [KeV] ( lambda = 0.8 Aring). We showed ferrofluid in Acryl amid gel and taro leaf and mugwort. #1. We found Low photon energy could show vascular tissue and ferrofluid distribution respectively. In case of medium photon energy 20.0 [KeV] ( lambda = 0.6 Aring). We observed ferrofluid in rat ear lobe and rat stomach and rat foot. #2. We found medium photon energy could see several organizations by changing exposure. In case of high photon energy 25.0 [KeV] ( lambda = 0.5 Aring). We showed ferrofluid in chicken egg and pork. #3. We found high proton energy was suitable for observing ferrofluid distribution in plain organization, but was not suitable for observing ferrofluid distribution in complicate organization.

Nano-size magnetic magnetide is considered important for various medical applications. Dynamic motion of the magnetic particle is investigated in two essential models from a theoretical point of view. One is a drag model of the magnetic particle in an artery. The second is a pull model towards the surface of artery. Threshold conditions of external variables are obtained by dimensional analysis. On the basis of all these results, it is concluded that the movement of magnetic fluids can be controlled by external magnetic fields in blood vessels.

Plane thermal stresses in the functionally graded materials (FGMs) whose boundaries are slanting to its functional gradation are discussed. The heat conductivity, Young's modulus and the coefficient of the linear thermal expansion are expressed by exponential function of the position. The analytical solution for the functionally graded plate (FGP) with the slanting boundary to its functional gradation is obtained by use of the stress function method, when the temperature of the upper surface is given by an arbitrary function. The general solution of the governing equation of the stresses function is derived by the variable separation

Parametric scaling studies of radiofrequency and neutral beam heated currentless Heliotron E plasmas have been performed. The parametric local electron transport analyses show that the electron energy transport in electron cyclotron heating (ECH) plasmas is nearly of the same magnitude as the neoclassically predicted transport inside the 2/3 radius, while neutral beam injection (NBI) plasmas and plasmas in the ion cyclotron range of frequencies (ICRF) are dominated by anomalous electron transport in the entire region. Scaling studies on the global energy confinement time reveal that ECH, NBI and ICRF plasmas obey approximately identical scalings that are characterized by continuous power degradation and favourable positive density dependence. The global energy confinement time is thought to be affected by the anomalous transport in the peripheral plasma regions in the same way for ECH, NBI and ICRF plasmas although the core plasma properties – such as local electron transport – seem to be different for the individual plasmas.

A movable graphite limiter with an internal heater has been installed in the heliotron/torsatron type compact helical system (CHS). Comparing discharges with and without the limiter the origin of major impurities and the role of the limiter are discussed. Infrared TV measurements reveal that there are two hot spots on the limiter due to heat loading and their temperatures depend on the electron density and/or the magnetic field direction. Limiter temperature dependence of measured CH/Hγ, CI, CII, OII, CH+3, OV and total radiation loss is compared. From these experiments it is concluded that CH4 molecules produced chemically on the limiter are presumed to recycle rapidly near the limiter and both carbon and oxygen impurities result probably from CO produced chemically on the limiter with oxygen which is predominant in CHS and originates mostly from the first wall. At surface temperatures above 900 ° C the limiter effect on impurities is observable in the main plasma.

In order to reduce oxygen impurity and hydrogen recycling, ECR discharge cleaning with hydrogen, glow discharge with helium, and titanium gettering have been applied. The ECR discharge cleaning was found to be effective in reducing oxygen impurities in ECRH discharges. However, it was not sufficiently effective to give a wide operational density range in NBI heated discharges. Titanium gettering is essential for this purpose, and controllable discharges have been achieved in the density range 1–10 × 1019 m−3, with discharge length more than 850 ms with the aid of titanium gettering. Both helium-glow discharge and Ti gettering are useful to control hydrogen recycling even with a stainless steel wall.

The present paper discusses a transient thermoelastic contact problem in a fiber-reinforced composite tube. The tube is inserted into a supporting body such as a ring, and subjected to heating and hydrostatic pressure in it. The fiber-reinforced composite possesses strong thermal and mechanical anisotropies, so the thermoelastic analysis of anisotropic material is very important. The stress produced in the tube has singularity at the end of contacted surface of the tube. The stress singularity may lead to a crack on the surface so that the tube may fracture. If we consider the safety of the tube in service, it is very important to evaluate the stress singularity. For that, the transient thermoelastic contact problem of the tube is analyzed, and the stress distribution and the strength of the stress singularity become clear.

A kinetic analysis of the global energy confinement time for neutral beam heated Heliotron E plasmas has been performed with a 1-D, time independent transport analysis code, PROCTR-Mod. From a regression analysis of a representative sample selection of the presented data sets, the global energy confinement time, , is found to scale as , where α = 0.53 ± 0.10, β = −0.71 ± 0.09, and γ = 0.35 ± 0.14; the error bar indicates the 95% confidence region deduced from the limited data points; is the line average electron density; Pheat[MW] is the neutral beam heating power; and B[T] is the vacuum magnetic field at the magnetic axis. The data analysis shows that the favourable density dependence partially offsets the unfavourable power dependence and that anomalous electron transport loss becomes dominant in the overall energy balance as the beam power and the plasma density are increased. An alternative scaling law is also presented, which is to fit by an 'offset linear' law, , where ζ = 1.1 ± 0.33 and η = 15.0 ± 1.9; ne[1014 cm−3] is the volume average electron density. The latter scaling is found to provide a better fit to the presented data sets, in spite of its simple form. The parametric scaling of the local electron thermal diffusivity, χe is also discussed on the basis of the kinetic analysis.

The torsion problem of a circular pipe including a circumferential V-notch in the inner surface is considered. Stress singularity occurs at the bottom of the V-notch and a parameter similar to the stress intensity factor for a crack is defined. The series expansion technique is used in consideration of the stress singularity. The stress field neighboring the V-notch is denoted by the above parameter and thus the order of the stress singularity is obtained. The relationship between the parameter and the geometry or the mechanical properties of the pipe is obtained by numerical calculation.

Genetic and biochemical analyses using yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae showed that two ubiquitin-like conjugation systems, the Atg8 and Atg12 systems, exist and play essential roles in autophagy, the bulk degradation system conserved in yeast and mammals. These conjugation systems are also conserved in Arabidopsis thaliana; however, further detailed study of plant ATG (autophagy-related) conjugation systems in relation to those in yeast and mammals is needed. Here, we describe the in vitro reconstitution of Arabidopsis thaliana ATG8 and ATG12 (AtATG8 and AtATG12) conjugation systems using purified recombinant proteins. AtATG12b was conjugated to AtATG5 in a manner dependent on AtATG7, AtATG10, and ATP, whereas AtATG8a was conjugated to phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) in a manner dependent on AtATG7, AtATG3, and ATP. Other AtATG8 homologs (AtATG8b–8i) were similarly conjugated to PE. The AtATG8 conjugates were deconjugated by AtATG4a and AtATG4b. These results support the hypothesis that the ATG conjugation systems in Arabidopsis are very similar to those in yeast and mammals. Intriguingly, in vitro analyses showed that AtATG12-AtATG5 conjugates accelerated the formation of AtATG8-PE, whereas AtATG3 inhibited the formation of AtATG12-AtATG5 conjugates. The in vitro conjugation systems reported here will afford a tool with which to investigate the cross-talk mechanism between two conjugation systems.

Characteristic behavior of magnetic fluid was investigated for a key technology study of the magnetic targeting drug delivery system, which is the specific delivery of chemotherapeutic agents to a desired location in the body, such as tumor by the control of an external magnetic field. Transparent images of the fluid were taken by using a CCD camera and an intense X-ray beam at the SPring-8. The reduction of the image information has lead to clarify the distribution of nanoparticles inside the fluid as a function of external field strength. The physical interactions between nanoparticles, one of the essential factors to achieve the drug delivery control, were discussed.

We proposed a sample of stochastic motor, which moved by using principle of stochastic resonance. First we introduced Lagrangian, having dissipative terms caused by water molecules. Using Eular-Lagrange method, we got the motion of equations for motA-membranes complex of flagella motor. Proton-pumps attached between cell-membranes make proton electro static potential gradients according written as Nernst Equation. It is said that their potential gradients accelerate and flow in protons through a base of flagella motor. Under the process of the diffusion into cell body caused by protons gradient, many protons collide with motA complex imbedded into cell-membranes. We can consider eight numbers of the mota complex as a kind of a closed ring chain model connected by springs, because of the motA complex combined with a elastic cell-membranes. Each motA complex connected with elastic membranes give rise to stochastic resonance, what is call, lattice vibration. That vibration corresponds to a correction motion in classical physics, and its phenomena called coherent state in quantum mechanics. This quantum coherent state generated by external force (collision of protons) lowers potential energies curves of spring. From that coherent motion, the ground sate is not in the lowest energy state, but in the upper sated from the point of the reduced potential energy curves. We see same phenomena in elementary particle physics as the phase transition of vacuum energy, and the energy of old ground sate is higher than that of new one. The old ground state naturally releases its excess energy in itself. The electrostatic potential generated by proton pump and the stochastic resonance (coherent state) caused by the collision of protons are always used for maintaining those shift of ground state, and the reduction of potential curves.

In this paper, we describe a task force for a rescue system infrastructure for earthquake disaster mitigation in urban areas, and as a final result, its widespread social foundation for a rescue system. The results of each research group are introduced

This paper presents recent experimental results in the Large Helical Device (LHD), which is the world largest helical system (Rax~3.6 m, aav~0.6 m, Bax~2.75 T) and has capability of steady state operation because of the superconducting magnets. LHD confines the plasma with Tio~2 keV and ne ~0.8times1019 m-3 for 1905 sec using the ICRF heating. In this case, the total plasma heating energy was ~1.3 GJ. This indicates that high energy ions generated by ICRF is well confined. Large magnetic island in the vacuum field due to the error field is vanished in plasma with higher temperature or with higher beta, so the error field is not an issue in helical systems. The obtained averaged beta is more than 4.3 % in LHD. Since the beta is not limited by the MHD events or magnetic island but the beta is limited by the lack of heating power, further improvement of beta can be expected. Internal and external transport barrier have been also observed, and the electron temperature and the ion temperature exceed 10 keV in the improved confinement mode in LHD. Besides the potential of the disruption free steady stated operation, LHD experiment accumulates evidences so that fusion reactor becomes more realistic

The first results of the Dynamic Ergodic Divertor in TEXTOR, when operating in the m/n=3/1 mode configuration, are presented. The deeply penetrating external magnetic field perturbation of this configuration increases the toroidal plasma rotation. Staying below the excitation threshold for the m/n=2/1 tearing mode, this toroidal rotation is always in the direction of the plasma current, even if the toroidal projection of the rotating magnetic field perturbation is in the opposite direction. The observed toroidal rotation direction is consistent with a radial electric field, generated by an enhanced electron transport in the ergodic layers near the resonances of the perturbation. This is an effect different from theoretical predictions, which assume a direct coupling between rotating perturbation and plasma to be the dominant effect of momentum transfer.

Mechanically bolt-jointed plasma facing components (PFC) are developed and tested in order to use low cost and high performance divertor plates. Each PFC consists of a graphite tile, cooling pipe, and backing pipes. For the improvement of thermal properties of the PFC, a thin carbon sheet is used at the interface between the tile and backing plate. This PFC using a 100 μm carbon sheet and a copper cooling pipe can be used to high heat flux up to 5 MW/m 2 for 20 s loading test while 1.2 MW/m 2 for 1000 s long pulse loading test. The structure of the PFC, effects of the carbon sheet on the thermal properties, and the set of experimental results are described.

Plasma facing walls of Large Helical Device (LHD) consist of a set of helical divertors, to which heat and particles from the plasma flow and concentrate, and first walls other than the divertor. As the first step, divertor striking points are covered by graphite tiles and the other walls are covered by stainless steel panels in the second experimental year 1999. The divertor tiles and the first wall panels are cooled by water. High power heating with NBI, ICRF, ECH become possible. Central electron temperature as high as 10 keV has been achieved with ECH and NBI. The steady-state discharge is extended up to 120 seconds with ICRF and 110 seconds. One of the keys for these achievements is choice in plasma facing materials. Hours long discharge is hied in near future. Aiming at the real steady state operations, erosion resistance is important. From this view point, tungsten materials are considered as a candidate of the divertor material. Tungsten is under development in Japan, and in China. For the first wall, first boronization was applied in the last campaign. Wall coating techniques and doped carbon materials are also under development. A new collaboration between Japan and China has started last year, and heat load test for materials above noted are carried out in NIFS and Kyusyu University. Strategy and results of this collaboration are reviewed and discussed..

This paper describes where cars are headed for the next five to ten years, focusing on three movements: environmental stewardship, integration of intelligence, information-oriented technology, and the perspective of electronics and semiconductor technologies leading these movements.

Autophagy is an intracellular degradation system conserved from yeast to mammal that isolates the cellular materials and organelles into a double membrane vesicle, termed an autophagosome, for degradation. Autophagosome formation depends on Atg8 and Atg12 conjugation systems, which produce Atg8-phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) conjugate as a final product that plays a crucial role for promoting autophagy. Another conjugate, Atg12-Atg5, functions as E3 and promotes transfer of Atg8 from Atg3 (E2) to PE. Here, we identified the minimum binding region of Atg3 for Atg12 by in vitro pull-down assay using Arabidopsis thaliana (At) homologs and crystallized the AtAtg12b-AtAtg3 peptide complex. The obtained crystal (P64, a = 128.5, b = 128.5, c = 163.2 Å) diffracted X-rays to 3.2 Å resolution, and its structure was determined by the molecular replacement method. AtAtg12b forms a swapping dimer in the crystal. The side-chain of AtAtg3 Met157 is bound deeply to the hydrophobic pocket of AtAtg12b consisting of Phe30, Val41, and Phe44. The importance of AtAtg3 Met157 for AtAtg12b binding was confirmed by mutational analysis. These data establish the basis for E2-E3 interaction in the plant Atg system.

Autophagy is an evolutionarily-conserved, intracellular degradation system for which two ubiquitin-like modifiers, Atg8 and Atg12, play essential roles. After processed by Atg4, the exposed C-terminal glycine of Atg8 is activated by Atg7 (E1) and is then transferred to Atg3 (E2), and is finally conjugated with a phospholipid, phosphatidylethanolamine (PE) through an amide bond. Whereas, Atg12 is activated by the same E1, Atg7, without processing, and is then transferred to Atg10 (E2), and is finally conjugated with Atg5 through an isopeptide bond. Atg12-Atg5 conjugates, together with Atg16, function as an E3-like enzyme to facilitate the conjugation reaction between Atg8 and PE. During autophagy, Atg8-PE conjugates play a critical role in selective cargo recognition in addition to autophagosome formation. We determined the structures of all these Atg proteins and their complexes mainly by X-ray crystallography, and performed structure-based biochemical analyses on them [1,2]. These studies established the molecular mechanisms of Atg8 and Atg12 modification reactions that have many unique features compared with canonical ubiquitin-like systems. Furthermore, we found a conserved motif named the Atg8-family interacting motif (AIM), through which Atg8 recognizes specific cargoes and selectively incorporates them into autophagosomes for degradation [3].