Studies on the Metabolic Products of Macrosporium Porri Elliott

Macrosporin monoluethylether was synthesized by means of condensation between α-resorcylic acid (I) and 3-methoxy-p-toluic acid (II) with the use of conc. sulfuric acid and boric anhydride.

From this result macrosporin C₁₆H₁₂O₅, a metabolic product of Macrosporium Porri Elliott, was established to be 3,5-dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2-methyl anthraquinone (A).     

Studies on the Metabolic Products of Macrosporium porri Elliott

Macrosporin C₁₆H₁₂O₅, a metabolic product of Macrosporium porri Elliott, has been proved to be mono-methyl-mono-methoxy-di-hydroxy-anthraquinone, owing to the fact that macrosporin monomethylether was oxidized with CrO₃ to 5-methyl 4-methoxy phthalic acid.     

Involvement of Ca2+ entry and inositol trisphosphate-induced internal Ca2+ mobilization in muscarinic receptor-mediated catecholamine release in dog adrenal chromaffin cells.

Catecholamine (CA) release from adrenal medulla evoked by muscarinic receptor stimulation has been studied using isolated perfused adrenal gland and cultured chromaffin cells from dogs. Muscarine and oxotremorine (1-100 microM), and bethanechol (0.1-1 mM) dose-dependently stimulated CA release. Muscarine-evoked CA release was antagonized with M1-antagonist, pirenzepine and, to a lesser extent, with atropine; and was reduced either by removal of extracellular Ca2+ or treatment with Ca2+ channel blockers. Muscarine caused an increase of 45Ca uptake and 22Na uptake. Tetrodotoxin (TTX) did not affect muscarine-evoked increase of 22Na uptake and CA release. Under the absence of extracellular Ca2+, muscarine stimulated a 45Ca efflux. Muscarine-induced CA release was attenuated by treating the cells with 8-(N,N-diethylamino)-octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate-HCl (TMB-8) which blocks Ca2+ release from the intracellular store. A phospholipase C inhibitor, neomycin, markedly reduced muscarine-induced CA release but not nicotine- and high K(+)-evoked release. Cinnarizine, a Ca2+ channel blocker, attenuated muscarine-evoked but not caffeine-induced CA release and 45Ca efflux in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Muscarine caused an increase in intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in the presence of extracellular Ca2+. It caused a similar increase, but to a lesser extent, in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. The increase of [Ca2+]i induced by muscarine without extracellular Ca2+ was reduced by neomycin and cinnarizine. Polymixin B and retinal, which reduced 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced CA release, had little effect on muscarine-induced CA release. Muscarine increased cellular Ins(1,4,5)P3 production, and atropine inhibited this increase.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Studies on Cow’s Urine

An oil obtained from cow’s urine was examined by means of gas chromatography. Ethylbenzene, phenol, m-cresol, p-cresol, and p-ethylphenol were identified as the major components of the oil, while there were at least four components still remaining unknown.

A hypothesis concerning the degradation of equol,¹⁾ 7-hydroxy-3-(4’-hydroxy) chroman, to p-cresol and p-ethylphenol in the urine was proposed.     

Isolation and Identification of Physcion, 4,5-Dihydroxy-7-methoxy-2-methylanthraquinone,from the Mycelium of Alternaria porri

Leaf aldehyde, (E)-2-hexenal, in diethyl ether, was converted to an ether adduct, 3-(1-ethoxyethyl)-hexanal (diastereomeric mixture) regioselectively, by irradiation with a 100 W high-pressure lamp.     

Hexahydrohippuric Acid,a Newly Isolated Compound from the Cattle’s Urine

A cosmid library and physical maps of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) from a liverwort, Marchantia polymorpha, were constructed using the cosmid clones. Electrophoresis profile and the physical maps indicated that the liverwort mtDNA was approximately 183 kb long, the smallest among plant mtDNAs, and that it consisted of a single circular molecule. Southern hybridization analysis showed that genes typical to the mitochondrial genome existed in a single copy, and also that there was no incorporation of chloroplast DNA fragments into the mitochondrial genome.     

Radiation exposure limits for Japanese astronauts

Starting in 2001, Japanese astronauts will live aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for 3 to 6 months a year. For astronauts, space radiation is primarily hazardous. Therefore, the National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA) is developing a system for Space Radiation Safety Operations. This report describes our overall image of Space Radiation Safety Operations aboard the ISS, especially our proceedings in drafting the "Space Radiation Exposure Limits for Japanese ISS Astronauts."     

Numerically evaluated functional equivalence between chaotic dynamics in neural networks and cellular automata under totalistic rules

Chaotic dynamics in a recurrent neural network model and in two-dimensional cellular automata, where both have finite but large degrees of freedom, are investigated from the viewpoint of harnessing chaos and are applied to motion control to indicate that both have potential capabilities for complex function control by simple rule(s). An important point is that chaotic dynamics generated in these two systems give us autonomous complex pattern dynamics itinerating through intermediate state points between embedded patterns (attractors) in high-dimensional state space. An application of these chaotic dynamics to complex controlling is proposed based on an idea that with the use of simple adaptive switching between a weakly chaotic regime and a strongly chaotic regime, complex problems can be solved. As an actual example, a two-dimensional maze, where it should be noted that the spatial structure of the maze is one of typical ill-posed problems, is solved with the use of chaos in both systems. Our computer simulations show that the success rate over 300 trials is much better, at least, than that of a random number generator. Our functional simulations indicate that both systems are almost equivalent from the viewpoint of functional aspects based on our idea, harnessing of chaos.