The RanGTP-binding nuclear transport receptors transportin1 (TRN1) and transportin2 (TRN2) are highly similar in sequence but are reported to function in nuclear import and export, respectively. Here we show that TRN2 possesses properties of a nuclear import receptor. TRN1/2 both interacted with a similar set of RNA-binding proteins in a RanGTP-sensitive manner. TRN2 bound RanGTP with high affi...

For decades seismologists have sought causal relationships between maximum earthquake sizes and other properties of subduction zones, with the underlying notion that some subduction zones may never produce a magnitude ~9 or larger event. The 2004 Andaman Mw 9.2 earthquake called into question such ideas. Given multicentury return times of the greatest earthquakes, ignorance of those return time...

The tetracycline (or doxycycline)-inducible gene expression (Tet-On) system developed by Gossen and Bujard (1) is useful for controlling the expression of targeted genes and for determining the roles of the gene products in cellular functions. The Tet-On system has recently been applied to the rat insulinoma cell line INS-1 to study the roles of wild-type and mutant genes in insulin secretion (...

A bacterial consortium capable of degrading the linear alkylbenzene sulfonate (LAS) was isolated from the wastewater treatment plant. The bacterial consortium consisted of two members, Pantoea agglomerans and Serratia odorifera 2. Cells were grown evenly together in a minimal medium (M9) and nutrient broth (NB). The bacterial consortium was able to grow in the minimal medium containing LAS as t...

A study was conducted to detect the presence of extended-spectrum beta-lactamases (ESBLs) in 706 isolates of Escherichia coli, largely from outpatients (75.2%). The Clinical and Laboratory Standards Institute (formerly NCCLS)-recommended disk diffusion procedure was used to detect ESBL presence; the VITEK 2 system (bioMérieux, Marcy L'Etoile, France) was used to determine the susceptibility to ...

We describe a large-scale simulation of the seismic wave propagation from the 2011 Tohoku-Oki earthquake. We combine structure models for topography, sediments, crust and subducting plates to construct a 3D structure model for the northeastern Japan area. Then we simulate the near-field wave propagation by using a FDTD method which is accelerated by the use of multi-GPUs (Graphics Processing Un...