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Transporters utilize electrochemical gradients across membranes to translocate their substrates through the membranes. Many eukaryotic plasma membrane symporters transport substrates in a Na+-dependent manner by using an electrochemical Na+ gradient across plasma membranes, while exchangers couple the movement of a substrate against its electrochemical gradient with the movement of another substrate down its electrochemical gradient in the opposite direction. Although the Na+ gradient is ubiquitous and stable, the electrochemical gradients of substrates for exchangers usually depend on cells and are affected by cellular conditions. The concentrations of intracellular substrates limit the accumulation of extracellular substrates thorough exchangers. To overcome the constraint, exchangers need to couple with other proteins that help accumulation of substrates around exchangers. We have been proposing that such functional coupling of transporters is general and constitutes the functional unit of transport that we call “transportsome”. Here, we show one of the examples. Proteomics analysis following co-immunoprecipitation revealed that urate-anion exchanger URAT1 and Na+-dependent anion transporter SMCT2 formed a complex through scaffold protein PDZK1 in the apical membrane of renal proximal tubules. FRET experiment clearly indicated that PDZK1 assembled URAT1 and SMCT2 in living cells. To elucidate functional coupling of the transporters, URAT1 and SMCT2 were overexpressed in insect cells, purified and reconstituted into proteoliposomes in the presence or absence of PDZK1. The initial rate of urate-uptake was increased in the presence of Na+ when co-reconstituted with PDZK1 while Na+ did not alter the rate without PDZK1. These results suggest that SMCT2 generate an electrochemical gradient of the substrate which drives the urate-uptake via URAT1 located in close proximity to SMCT2 with PDZK1 scaffold. Taken together, the transporters and the scaffold protein formed Transportsome for urate-transport.

Using thee‐dimensional radiation hydrodynamics (RHD) simulations, we explore the radiative feedback effects by a Population III (Pop III) star on second star formation. We find that the adjacent peak can survive, although a shock associated with ionization front strips a large amount of gas. The surviving cloud is never ionized, but H2 fractions become large due to radiation hydrodynamic effects. These effects lower mass accretion rates onto the adjacent peak, and consequently the second star is likely to be less massive.

A security system preventing unjust use is proposed by detecting, photographing and saving a user's front face view. The face must be saved, in order not to receive ID and a password, unless the front face is detected. Front face detection uses an average face dictionary, which is a four directional features field. Experiments show that front faces are correctly detectable.

By considering three kinds of music and noise, this research investigates the influence of music on the living body by comparing the difference of influence on heart rate variability and comfort when subjects listen to music and are exposed to noise. We used two pieces of classical music, rock music, and noise recorded by a tape recorder. The following conclusions were made from the findings of the research: 1) Hearing classical music results in a small variance of Mayer Wave related Sinus Arrhythmia (MWSA) component and Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) component compared with a body being at rest. This is because the sympathetic nerve is suppressed by the sound of classical music. With rock music and noise, however, the MWSA component increases and the RSA component decreases. 2) From a psychological evaluation, we found that classical music tends to cause comfort and rock music and noise tend to cause discomfort. 3) A correlation was found between the balance of the MWSA component and the RSA component and the psychological evaluation. As the comfort increases, the variance of MWSA decreases; as discomfort increases, the variance of MWSA increases.

This study clarifies the characteristics of the time keys that are taken to enter Roman letters for Japanese sentences. First, test the appearance frequency of two consecutive characters of the alphabet in the input of English sentences and in the input of the Roman characters of Japanese sentences. Based on these results, we analyzed the features of stroke frequency of the keys in the Roman character input. Based on the result of the analysis, we clarified the features of the keystroke interval time for two consecutive characters in the Roman character input. Then, keys were struck to enter Japanese sentences for a fixed period of time and a test was made for the characteristics. As a result, the following points were clarified: 1) The time keys struck were divided into two large groups. One for two consecutive alphabet letters that corresponded to Kana, or the Japanese syllabary, and the other with no correspondence. The former had smaller values for the mean time and deviations, and the latter had larger values for them. 2) The subjects who struck a larger number of keys per unit time took less time in typing two consecutive letters which did not correspond to Kana.

The NHERF (Na(+)/H(+) exchanger regulatory factor) family has been proposed to play a key role in regulating transmembrane protein localization and retention at the plasma membrane. Due to the high homology between the family members, potential functional compensations have been a concern in sorting out the function of individual NHERF numbers. Here, we studied C. elegans NRFL-1 (C01F6.6) (nherf-like protein 1), the sole C. elegans orthologue of the NHERF family, which makes worm a model with low genetic redundancy of NHERF homologues. Integrating bioinformatic knowledge of C. elegans proteins into yeast two-hybrid scheme, we identified NRFL-1 as an interactor of AAT-6, a member of the C. elegans AAT (amino acid transporter) family. A combination of GST pull-down assay, localization study, and co-immunoprecipitation confirmed the binding and characterized the PDZ interaction. AAT-6 localizes to the luminal membrane even in the absence of NRFL-1 when the worm is up to four-day old. A fluorescence recovery after photobleaching (FRAP) analysis suggested that NRFL-1 immobilizes AAT-6 at the luminal membrane. When the nrfl-1 deficient worm is six-day or older, in contrast, the membranous localization of AAT-6 is not observed, whereas AAT-6 tightly localizes to the membrane in worms with NRFL-1. Sorting out the in vivo functions of the C. elegans NHERF protein, we found that NRFL-1, a PDZ-interactor of AAT-6, is responsible for the immobilization and the age-dependent maintenance of AAT-6 on the intestinal luminal membrane.

There are two different treatments for condyle neck fracture. One is non-surgical treatment involving intermaxillary fixation, and the other is radical surgical treatment through various techniques, but it is difficult to discuss the relative merits. The purpose of this report is to decide whether surgical treatment is necessary, by comparing the two types of treatment. In the period between April 1981 to December 1987, we treated 136 cases of condyle neck fracture at the Second Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery School of Dentistry Aichigakuin University, and in 18 nearby hospitals. Of the 136 cases, 58 cases had fracture only at the condyle neck, while 78 cases had some concomittant fracture. As regards treatment, of the 136 cases, 49 (36%) were treated surgically, while 87 (64%) were treated non-surgically for condyle neck fracture. The surgically treated cases were divided into three groups: 24 cases were treated by pinning, 16 cases were treated by inter osseous wiring, and there were 9 other cases. In the treatment of concomittant fracture, 38 cases involved inter osseous wiring, 22 cases involved metal plate fixations, and there were 4 other cases. Non-surgical treatment accounted for 15 cases. The rate of surgical treatment for concomittant fracture was 82.1% of the cases treated. In surgically treated cases of condyle neck fracture, the mouth opening prognosis was generally poor. However, in these cases the deviation of mouth opening was generally better than in non-surgically treated cases. There were no differences in mastication, occlusion and pain in the TMJ region.

The complex-forming abilities of 2,6-di-O-ethyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DE-beta-CD), and its effect on the release of nitroglycerin (TNG) from formulations of the compound, were studied and compared with corresponding properties of beta-cyclodextrin (beta-CD) and 2,6-di-O-methyl-beta-cyclodextrin (DM-beta-CD). Complex formation was confirmed by differential scanning calorimetry and infrared absorption spectroscopy. In an accelerator test involving temperature and reduced pressure, marked depression of the volatility of TNG was observed as a result of CD complex formation. Dissolution rates of TNG from powdery TNG/DE-beta-CD complex and its tablets were retarded in comparison with the rates from other CD complexes. The release rate of TNG from ointments was accelerated by complexation with DE-beta-CD, and retarded by complexation with beta-CD. To evaluate their in vivo percutaneous absorption, samples were applied to the inside tip of the cheek pouch of male golden hamsters. The amount of TNG remaining in the cheek pouch was lowest in the case of the TNG/DE-beta-CD complex ointment, and relatively high in the case of the TNG/beta-CD complex ointment, in agreement with the in vitro results. We suggest that the combination of DE-beta-CD complex and beta-CD complex might be applicable to sustained-release preparations for percutaneous administration.

Generally, it is believed that there is a supermassive black hole and a surrounding accretion disk in a central region of active galactic nuclei (AGN). However, it is quite difficult to obtain direct information about the center of AGN, because the accretion disk size is far too small to resolve.

Aperiodic optical variability is a common property of Active Galactic Nuclei (AGN), though its physical origin is still open to question. We have compared light curves among the following two models and observation of quasar 0957+561A,B (Kundić et al. 1997) in terms of structure function analysis (§2).

Une analyse quantitative est presentee pour la contrainte deduite des limites sur l'anisotropie a petite echelle du rayonnement de fond cosmique dans un univers domine par la matiere sombre froide. La croissance des fluctuations de densite primordiale est calculee en integrant numeriquement l'equation d'evolution pour les baryons, les photons, les neutrinos sans masse, et la matiere sombre froide. Les fluctuations du rayonnement de fond predites de la structure cosmique observee sont ensuite comparees avec les limites observationnelles. En particulier, une analyse est effectuee avec une grande variete d'ensembles de parametres et des contraintes sont derivees sur les parametres du modele Ω o , Ω b , et la constante de Hubble

High density recording technology is going to realize the very compact VCR system. And all solid state color video camera which has many advantages over conventioal tube type cameras, e. g. light-weight, low power consumption, high reliability, lag elimination and high picture quality, has been developed.1) The authors have developed a handy video recording camera-the MAG CAMERA, which is shown in Fig. 1. This camera features two newly developed technologies; high density two hour recording system and all solid state color camera with single-chip MOS imager. The combination of above two technologies realized the unprecedented performance with compactness and handiness comparable to 8 mm movie cameras.

For the development of a new delivery system for bone morphogenetic protein (BMP), BMP was bound to beta-tricalcium phosphate (beta-TCP). Powder beta-TCP was synthesized from calcium hydrogenphosphate and calcium carbonate by the dry process method to make the best use of the advantages of the BMP, which show good bone inductive activity on the surface and enhancement of new tissue by reducing the area that the implant material occupies. The beta-TCP + BMP complex and beta-TCP for the controls only were implanted in the muscle pouches of mice. Three weeks later new bone formation was observed on the exterior surface of beta-TCP + BMP complex but not of beta-TCP controls. The bone inductive activity of the beta-TCP + BMP complex is better than the BMP alone. The histological relation between the original tissue and the newly induced bone formation was normal and that of new bone and beta-TCP was also good. Consequently, the beta-TCP + BMP complex has good histocompatibility when implanted.