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The biochemical, physiological and behavioral processes are under the control of internal clocks with the period of approximately 24 hr, circadian rhythms. The expression of clock gene Period1 (Per1) oscillates autonomously in cells and is induced immediately after a light pulse. Per1 is an indispensable member of the central clock system to maintain the autonomous oscillator and synchronize environmental light cycle. Per1 expression could be detected by Per1∷luc and Per1∷GFP plasmid DNA in which firefly luciferase and Green Fluorescence Protein were rhythmically expressed under the control of the mouse Per1 promoter in order to monitor mammalian circadian rhythms. Membrane protein, MELANOPSIN is activated by blue light in the morning on the retina and lead to signals transduction to induce Per1 expression and to reset the phase of circadian rhythms. In this report Per1 induction was measured by reporter signal assay in Per1∷luc and Per1∷GFP fibroblast cell at the input process of circadian rhythms. To the result all process to reset the rhythms by Melanopsin is completed in single cell like in the retina projected to the central clock in the brain. Moreover, the phase of circadian rhythm in Per1∷luc cells is synchronized by photo-activated Melanopsin, because the definite peak of luciferase activity in one dish was found one day after light illumination. That is an available means that physiological circadian rhythms could be real-time monitor as calculable reporter (bioluminescent and fluorescent) chronological signal in both single and groups of cells.

An instrument was developed for the measurement of gaseous ammonia concentration, NH(3(sw,eq)), in equilibrium with surface waters, notably ocean water. The instrument measures the ammonia flux from a flowing water surface under defined conditions and allows the calculation of NH(3(sw,eq)) from the principles of Fickian diffusion. The flux collector resembles a wetted parallel plate denuder previously developed for air sampling. The sample under study runs on one plate of the device; the ammonia released from the sample is collected by a slow flow of a receptor liquid on the other plate. The NH(3) + NH(4)(+) (hereinafter called N(T)) in the effluent receptor liquid is preconcentrated on a silica gel column and subsequently measured by a fluorometric flow injection analysis (FIA) system. With a 6-min cycle (4-min load, 2-min inject), the analytical system can measure down to 0.3 nM N(T) in the receptor liquid. Coupled with the flux collector, it is sufficiently sensitive to measure the ammonia flux from seawater. The instrument design is such that it is little affected by ambient ammonia. In both laboratory (N(T) 0.2-50 μM), and field investigations (N(T) 0.18-1.7 μM) good linearity between the ammonia flux and the N(T) concentration in seawater (spiked, synthetic, natural) was observed, although aged seawater, with depleted N(T) content, behaves in an unusual fashion upon N(T) addition, showing the existence of an "ammonia demand". NH(3(sw,eq)) levels from ocean water measured in the Coconut Island Laboratory, HI, ranged from 6.6 to 33 nmol/m(3) with an average of 17.4 ± 6.9 nmol/m(3), in comparison to 2.8-21 nmol/m(3) (average 10 ± 7 nmol/m(3)) NH(3(sw,eq)) values previously reported for the Central Pacific Ocean (Quinn, P. K.; et al. J. Geophys. Res. 1990, 95, 16405-16416).

Two Lagrangian experiments were carried out during the Atlantic Stratocumulus Transition Experiment (ASTEX) with the intent of looking at aerosol evolution in the marine boundary layer (MBL). The second Lagrangian (L2) took place below broken stratus clouds and was more successful since little precipitation reached the surface. Aerosol below the inversion was primarily an aged pollution aerosol from central Europe. Vertical variability in aerosol concentrations was generally characterized by highest concentrations in the moist surface and transition layers. Concentrations were a factor of 2 or more lower in the dry subcloud layer and cloud layer and dropped to less than one tenth of surface values in the free troposphere above cloud. This behavior reflected the decoupled boundary layer below the main inversion and complicated the assessment of Lagrangian aerosol evolution. No evidence for new particle formation was observed during L2, and aerosol evolution proceeded only by mixing, coagulation, and removal mechanisms. An entrainment rate of about 0.6 cm s -1 from the free troposphere into the MBL was a key parameter affecting aerosol evolution and resulted in about a 35% column dilution during the 34-hour L2 measurement period. Aerosol evolution in the decoupled subcloud and surface marine layer is consistent with an entrainment rate of about 0.45 cm s -1 into the surface layer and about 0.25 cm s -1 out of the layer. The ability to resolve the effects of separate processes influencing both gas and aerosol during Lagrangian evolution will depend upon (1) an adequate assessment of the variability in the air mass, (2) the ability to characterize this variability relative to the uncertainties in resampling the air mass, and (3) the extent to which the substantial changes due to entrainment alone can be reliably determined.

Functional RNAs, e.g., aptamers (Lee et al., 2005; Que-Gewirth & Sullenger, 2007), ribozymes (Malhbacher et al., 2010), antisense oligonucleotides (Hnik et al., 2009), and double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) (Watts & Corey, 2010), hold promise for use as RNA drugs in the near future. However, the linear form of RNA without chemical modifications is rapidly degraded in both human serum and cell extracts due to endogenous nucleases. Therefore, it will likely be necessary to chemically modify these RNA drugs (Pestourie et al., 2005; Watts et al., 2008) to protect them from nuclease-dependent degradation. In fact, the recently developed aptamer drug pegaptanib sodium (Macugen®; Pfizer) for use against macular degradation consists of 2'-For 2'-OCH3-substituted nucleotides, thus preventing its rapid degradation in the ocular environment. Although at present it is the only commercially available RNA drug, we infer from the selling price of Macugen® that similar novel chemically modified RNA drugs are likely to be expensive because production of a chemically modified RNA molecule and scaling up the production yield of the RNA are expensive in principle. Therefore, the development of not only inexpensive but also durable RNA drugs will facilitate the widespread use of easily administered RNA drugs. To address the problems outlined above, our research group has considered in vivo circular RNA expression as a model for inexpensive RNA drug production because circular RNA molecules are resistant to exoribonucleases without any chemical modifications under cellular conditions. Therefore, the circular form of RNA would be a promising RNA drug candidate without requiring chemical modification.