Characterization in Terms of the NUX Rule of G-inserted Mutant Hammerhead Ribozymes with High Level of Catalytic Power

Kuwabara, Tomoko,Warashina, Masaki,Kato, Yoshio,Kawasaki, Hiroaki,Taira, Kazunari Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biol 2001 Journal of biochemistry and molecular biology Vol.34 No.1

Attempts using in vitro and in vivo selection procedures have been made to search for hammerhead ribozymes that have higher activities than the wild-type ribozyme and also to determine whether other sequences might be possible in the catalytic core of the hammerhead ribozyme. Active sequences selected in the past conformed broadly to the consensus core sequence except at A9, and no sequences were associated with higher activity than that of the hammerhead with the consensus core, an indication that the consensus sequence derived from viruses and virusoids is probably the optimal sequence [Vaish et al. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 6495-6501]. Recently, during construction of ribozyme expression vectors, we isolated a mutant hammerhead ribozyme, with an insertion of G between A9 and G10.1, that appeared to show significant activity [Kawasaki et al. (1996) Nucleic Acids Res. 24, 3010-3016; Kawasaki et al. (1998) Nature 393, 284-289]. We, therefore, characterized kinetic properties of the G-inserted mutant ribozymes in terms of the NUX rule. We demonstrate that the NUX rule is basically applicable to the G-inserted ribozymes and, more importantly, one type of G-inserted ribozyme was very active with $k_{cat}$, value of $6.4\;min^{-1}$ in 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0) and 10 mM $MgCl_2$ at $37^{\circ}C$.

Characterization in Terms of the NUX Rule of G - inserted Mutant Hammerhead Ribozymes with High Level of Catalytic Power

Kuwabara, Tomoko,Warashina, Masaki,Taira, Kazunari,Kato, Yoshio,Kawasaki, Hiroaki 생화학분자생물학회 2002 BMB Reports Vol.34 No.1

Attempts using in vitro and in vivo selection procedures have been made to search for hammerhead ribozymes that have higher activities than the wild-type ribozyme and also to determine whether other sequences might be possible in the catalytic core of the hammerhead ribozyme. Active sequences selected in the past conformed broadly to the consensus core sequence except at A9, and no sequences were associated with higher activity than that of the hammerhead with the consensus core, an indication that the consensus sequence derived from viruses and virusoids is probably the optimal sequence [Vaish et al. (1997) Biochemistry 36, 6495-6501]. Recently, during construction of ribozyme expression vectors, we isolated a mutant hammerhead ribozyme, with an insertion of G between A9 and 610.1, that appeared to show significant activity [Kawasaki et at (1996) Nucleic Acids Res. 24, 3010-3016; Kawasaki et al. (1998) Nature 393, 284-289]. We, therefore, characterized kinetic properties of the G-inserted mutant ribozymes in terms of the NUX rule. We demonstrate that the NUX rule is basically applicable to the G-inserted ribozymes and, more importantly, one type of G-inserted ribozyme was very active with k_(cat), value of 6.4 min^(-1) in 50 mM Tris-HCl (pH 8.0) and 10 m1VI MgCl₂ at 37℃.

Clinical features, diagnosis, and outcomes of multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children associated with coronavirus disease 2019

Kwak, Ji Hee,Lee, Soo-Young,Choi, Jong-Woon,Korean Society of Kawasaki Diseasety of Pediatric Endocrinology (KSPE), The Korean Pediatric Society 2021 Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics (CEP) Vol.64 No.2

The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has been spreading worldwide since December 2019. Hundreds of cases of children and adolescents with Kawasaki disease (KD)-like hyperinflammatory illness have been reported in Europe and the United States during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic with or without shock and cardiac dysfunction. These patients tested positive for the polymerase chain reaction or antibody test for SARS-CoV-2 or had a history of recent exposure to COVID-19. Clinicians managing such patients coined new terms for this new illness, such as COVID-19-associated hyperinflammatory response syndrome, pediatric inflammatory multisystem syndrome temporally associated with COVID-19, or COVID-19-associated multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C). The pathogenesis of MIS-C is unclear; however, it appears similar to that of cytokine storm syndrome. MIS-C shows clinical features similar to KD, but differences between them exist with respect to age, sex, and racial distributions and proportions of patients with shock or cardiac dysfunction. Recommended treatments for MIS-C include intravenous immunoglobulin, corticosteroids, and inotropic or vasopressor support. For refractory patients, monoclonal antibody to interleukin-6 receptor (tocilizumab), interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (anakinra), or monoclonal antibody to tumor necrosis factor (infliximab) may be recommended. Patients with coronary aneurysms require aspirin or anticoagulant therapy. The prognosis of MIS-C seemed favorable without sequelae in most patients despite a reported mortality rate of approximately 1.5%.

均如鄕歌 解讀을 위한 漢文 資料의 體系的 對照와 巨視的 接近

Kawasaki Keigo 구결학회 2012 구결연구 Vol.29 No.-

均如鄕歌에는 對應하는 漢文 資料, 즉 崔行歸의 漢譯詩와 『華嚴經』의 「普賢行願品」이 존재한다. 이들은 틀림없이 均如鄕歌 解讀에 있어서 一次的으로 철저하게 검토되어야 하는 자료일 것이다. 본고의 一次的인 목적은, 均如鄕歌와 이들 漢文 資料의 對應 關係를 자세히 검토하여, 그것을 체계적으로 기술함으로써, 이 對應 關係가 종래 일반적으로 생각되었던 것보다 더 세밀하게 잘 對應되어 있음을 지적하는 데에 있다. 또한 ①그 對應 關係와 ②文脈, 그리고 ③均如鄕歌 內的으로 얻을 수 있는 언어적 근거 등을 주된 근거로 삼아, 새로 지적될 만한 사실이나 생각해야 할 문제 등을 지적함으로써, ‘巨視的 接近’의 필요성과 유효성을 구체적으로 보이는 것을 二次的인 목적으로 삼고자 한다. 이 노래는 결코 “意味만 通하면 되는” 정도의 노래는 아니라, 민중들의 입에서 입으로 퍼지고, 왕왕 담벼락에 쓰이기도 하고, 千年 후인 오늘날까지 전해질만한 노래였던 것이다. 우리는 결코 難解하고 曖昧模糊한 解讀에 만족할 수는 없을 것이다. 마치 “현대 일본어를 번역한 듯한” 깔끔하고 자연스럽고 잘 다듬어진 明確한 현대어로서 번역될 것을 기대해야 하는 것은 아닐까.

Superplastic Flow and Micro-Mechanical Response of Ultrafine-Grained Materials

Kawasaki, Megumi,Jang, Jae Il,Langdon, Terence G. Trans Tech Publications, Ltd. 2018 Diffusion and defect data. DDF. Pt. A, Defect and Vol.385 No.-

<P>The bulk ultrafine-grained (UFG) materials usually show superior mechanical properties. Since the occurrence of superplastic flow generally requires a grain size smaller than ~10 μm, it is anticipated that materials processed by severe plastic deformation (SPD) will exhibit superplastic ductilities when pulled in tension at elevated temperatures. Recent advances in the processing of UFG metals have provided an opportunity to extend the understanding of superplastic flow behavior to include UFG materials with submicrometer grain sizes. Recent studies showed the UFG materials demonstrated the development of plasticity in micro-mechanical response at room temperature by the significant changes in microstructure attributed to high-pressure torsion (HPT). Accordingly, this study summarizes recent results on excellent ductility and plasticity in a UFG Zn-22% Al alloy. Specifically, the alloy demonstrated the occurrence of exceptional superplastic flow at high temperature after equal-channel angular pressing and HPT and excellent room temperature plasticity of the alloy after HPT where the plasticity was evaluated by the nanoindentation technique. The significance of purity of the alloy is also considered for enhancing the ductility at room temperature.</P>

The effects of consolidation and privatization of ports in proximity: A case study of the Kobe and Osaka ports

Kawasaki Tomoya,Tagawa Hoshi,Watanabe Toshihiro,Hanaoka Shinya 한국해운물류학회 2020 The Asian journal of shipping and Logistics Vol.36 No.1

This study simultaneously explores the effects of “consolidation” and “privatization” of ports that are located in proximity to one another. The main benefit of consolidation is assumed to be economies of scale due to the aggregation of container cargo in one port, while that of privatization is cost reduction for port management and operations. We employ a multi-agent simulation model to express interactions among stakeholders, such as a port management body, shipping company, and shipper. The model is applied to a case study for the Kobe and Osaka ports in Japan. We find that consolidation has a larger impact than privatization in terms of cargo volume and total surplus. In particular, if future container cargo increases, consolidation accelerates the increase in cargo volume of the Kobe and Osaka ports. Transshipment cargo receives the largest volume in the case of “consolidation and privatization” when future container demand is increasing. However, the Busan port in South Korea, competitor of the Kobe and Osaka ports for transshipment cargo, would remain dominant even after the consolidation and privatization of the Kobe and Osaka ports, since its vessel frequency would be high in all cases.

Evolution of hardness, microstructure, and strain rate sensitivity in a Zn-22% Al eutectoid alloy processed by high-pressure torsion

Kawasaki, Megumi,Lee, Han-Joo,Choi, In-Chul,Jang, Jae-il,Ahn, Byungmin,Langdon, Terence G IOP Publishing 2014 IOP conference series. Materials science and engin Vol.63 No.-

Micro-Mechanical Responses of Ultrafine-Grained Materials Processed through High-Pressure Torsion

Kawasaki, Megumi,Jang, Jae Il,Ahn, Byung Min,Langdon, Terence G. Trans Tech Publications, Ltd. 2016 Materials science forum Vol.879 No.-

<P>The processing of metals through the application of high-pressure torsion (HPT) provides the potential for achieving exceptional grain refinement in bulk metal solids. These ultrafine grains in the bulk metals usually show superior mechanical and physical properties. Especially, the development of micro-mechanical behavior is observed after significant changes in microstructure through processing and it is of great importance for obtaining practical future applications of these ultrafine-grained metals. Accordingly, this presentation demonstrates the evolution of small-scale deformation behavior through nanoindentation experiments after HPT on various metallic alloys including a ZK60 magnesium alloy, a Zn-22% Al eutectoid alloy and a high entropy alloy. Special emphasis is placed on demonstrating the essential microstructural changes of these materials with increased straining by HPT and the evolution of the micro-mechanical responses in these materials by measuring the strain rate sensitivity.</P>

15세기 한국어 속격 ‘-ㅅ’의 이표기들의 분포

Kawasaki Keigo 진단학회 2015 진단학보 Vol.- No.123

. 15세기 문헌들, 특히 주로 『訓民正音』, 『龍飛御天歌』, 『釋譜詳節』, 『月印釋譜』 등 訓民正音 창제후 초기문헌들에 있어서는, 속격 ‘-ㅅ(ㅿ)’이 {ㄱ,ㄷ,ㅂ,ㆆ,ㅸ,ㅈ} 등으로 바뀌어서 출현하는 현상이 알려져 있다. 본고는 15세기 문헌에서 찾을 수 있었던 총 177 예를 망라적으로 정리함으로써, 이 현상이 일어나는 음운론적 환경 및 문헌적 분포 등을 검토하였다. 종래 福井(1993;2013)에서는 그러한 이표기가 대부분이 “ㅅ-, ㅈ-, ㅳ- 앞”에서만 나타난다는 사실이 지적된 바 있었으나, 본고는 그것을 한층 더 세밀화시켜 “① {ㅅ,ㅈ,ㅊ} 앞, ② {ㆁ} 뒤, ③{ㅳ} 앞”처럼 수정하고, 나아가 종래 이 분야에서 주목받지 못했던 성조에도 주목한 결과, ①을 다시 (a) 平聲 {ㆁ,ㄴ,ㅁ} 뒤, (b) {ㄹ} 뒤, (c) ‘X-ㅅ 字’句 라는 세 가지 유형으로 분류할 수가 있었다. 이처럼 얻어지는 ㅅ→ㆆ/①②③ 이라는 음운규칙을 통시적 관점에서 바라본다면, 이는 중세어의 ‘8 종성 체계’에서 ‘ㅅ’이 빠지면서 현대어의 ‘7 종성 체계’로 이행해 가는 시작단계였을 것으로 해석할 수도 있다. 문헌적으로는 『楞嚴經諺解』를 경계로 α群과 β群의 두 그룹으로 크게 나눠지는데, 『月印釋譜』로 대표되는 α郡은 『訓民正音諺解』에서 세워진 원래 원칙이 잘 지켜져, ‘X-ㅅ 字’句 이외에도 다양한 예들이 관찰되는 데 비해, 『圓覺經諺解』로 대표되는 β郡은 원래 표기 원칙이 바뀌면서, ‘X-ㅅ 字’句의 예밖에 관찰되지 않게 됨을 확인하였다. 또한 ‘후속 명사구를 경음으로 표기한 경우’까지 포괄적으로 검토해 보면, 거기에는 좀 더 복잡한 문제들이 숨어있어, 예외적 현상이나 앞으로 해결해 나가야 할 과제가 존재함도 지적할 수가 있었다.

A CLUSTER SURVEY AROUND THE UNIDENTIFIED EGRET SOURCES

KAWASAKI WATARU,TOTANI TOMONORI The Korean Astronomical Society 2005 Journal of The Korean Astronomical Society Vol.38 No.2

Based on optical galaxy data, we executed a systematic search for galaxy clusters around the 15 steady unidentified EGRET GeV gamma-ray sources in high Galactic-latitude sky ([b] > $30^{\circ}$). We found a strong correlation with 3.7$\sigma$ level between close cluster pairs (merging cluster candidates) and the unidentified EGRET sources, though, in contrast, no correlation with single clusters. This result implies that merging clusters of galaxies are a possible candidate for the origin of high galactic-latitude, steady unidentified EGRET gamma-ray sources.