Phylogeny of transfer RNA and origins of organelles

By using nucleotide sequences of transfer RNA's, the endosymbiotic model for the origin of chloroplasts and mitochondria is examined. The endosymbiotic origin of the chloroplasts is confirmed, but concerning the origin of the mitochondria no conclusion can be drawn. Phyletic relations of euglenoids to higher plants and to animals are also discussed. Finally, phylogeny of fungi is discussed in terms of tRNA sequences and it is proposed that the classical taxonomy of fungi should be reconsidered in terms of molecular taxonomy or molecular paleontology.     

Numerical study of Ashiyahama residential building damage in the Kobe Earthquake

Studies are made on the structural damage at the Ashiyahama residential high‐rise steel building complex due to the Hyogo‐ken Nanbu Earthquake (Kobe Earthquake), which occurred on 17 January 1995. The axial breakage of very thick‐plated steel columns of the mega‐structure is unprecedented and has been attracting the special attention of structural engineers. The cause of the damage is first investigated from numerical computation with recourse to an explicit method of dynamic analysis based on a continuous medium. The numerical result is compared with that obtained from a conventional multi‐mass lumped stiffness model combined with an equivalent lateral‐force procedure. By comparing both the numerical results, the latter conventional method is shown to be inadequate for achieving earthquake‐resistant capability. The destructive power of the ground motion is found to have exceeded the horizontal earthquake‐resistant capacity that is prescribed in the structural design criteria. Great axial stresses are produced in columns by combined action of bending moment and axial force due to overturning moment. The fracture of heavy steel columns is caused from only the horizontal component of seismic ground motion. Actual locations of significant damage are closely related to the occurrence of plastic hinges in the analysis. It is emphasized as a warning to avoid yielding concentration in particular storeys. Lastly, recommendations to enhance earthquake‐resistant design are proposed from a practical point of view. Copyright © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sulfur speciation and network structural changes in sodium silicate glasses: Constraints from NMR and Raman spectroscopy

Information about the state of sulfur in silicate melts and glasses is important in both earth sciences and materials sciences. Because of its variety of valence states from S²⁻ (sulfide) to S⁶⁺ (sulfate), the speciation of sulfur dissolved in silicate melts and glasses is expected to be highly dependent on the oxygen fugacity. To place new constraint on this issue, we have synthesized sulfur-bearing sodium silicate glasses (quenched melts) from starting materials containing sulfur of different valence states (Na₂SO₄, Na₂SO₃, Na₂S₂O₃ and native S) using an internally heated gas pressure vessel, and have applied electron-induced SKα X-ray fluorescence, micro-Raman and NMR spectroscopic techniques to probe their structure. The wavelength shift of SKα X-rays revealed that the differences in the valence state of sulfur in the starting compounds are largely retained in the synthesized sulfur-bearing glasses, with a small reduction for more oxidized samples. The ²⁹Si MAS NMR spectra of all the glasses contain no peaks attributable to the SiO_4-nS_n (with n > 0) linkages. The Raman spectra are consistent with the coexistence of sodium sulfate (Na₂SO₄) species and one or more types of more reduced sulfur species containing S-S linkages in all the sulfur-bearing silicate glasses, with the former dominant in glasses produced from Na₂SO₄-doped starting materials, and the latter more abundant in more reduced glasses. The ²⁹Si MAS NMR and Raman spectra also revealed changes in the silicate network structure of the sulfur-bearing glasses, which can be interpreted in terms of changes in the chemical composition and sulfur speciation.