Herschel detects a massive dust reservoir in supernova 1987A

We report far-infrared and submillimeter observations of supernova 1987A, the star whose explosion was observed on 23 February 1987 in the Large Magellanic Cloud, a galaxy located 160,000 light years away. The observations reveal the presence of a population of cold dust grains radiating with a temperature of about 17 to 23 kelvin at a rate of about 220 times the luminosity of the Sun. The intensity and spectral energy distribution of the emission suggest a dust mass of about 0.4 to 0.7 times the mass of the Sun. The radiation must originate from the supernova ejecta and requires the efficient precipitation of all refractory material into dust. Our observations imply that supernovae can produce the large dust masses detected in young galaxies at very high redshifts.     

Substrate specificity of the nateglinide/H(+) cotransport system for phenolic acids

In clinical, patients usually take many kinds of drugs at the same time. Thus, drug-drug interactions involving transporters can often directly affect the therapeutic safety and efficacy of many important drugs. However, there have been few studies on food-drug interactions involving transporters. Dietary polyphenols have been widely assumed to be beneficial for human health. Polyphenols are found ubiquitously, and they are commercially prepared and used as functional foods. We have reported that ferulic acid, which is one of the most well-known polyphenols and is used as a functional food, affected the transport of nateglinide, an antidiabetic drug, by Caco-2 cells. In this study, we investigated the effects of other polyphenols on the nateglinide/H(+) transport system. We report here that caffeic acid and p-coumaric acid have a different inhibitory manner on the uptake of nateglinide. The results of this study are useful to identify the substrate specificity of the nateglinide/H(+) cotransporter.     

Azolla incorporation and dual cropping influences CH4 and N2O emissions from flooded paddy ecosystems

ABSTRACT

To investigate the influence of Azolla (A. filiculoides Lam.) incorporated as a green manure and its subsequent growth as a dual crop with rice on simultaneous methane (CH₄) and nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions from a flooded alluvial soil planted with rice, a pot experiment with three treatments, chemical fertilizers (NPK) as the control, incorporation of Azolla as green manure (AGM), and AGM plus basal chemical fertilizers (NPK+AGM) was conducted in Tsuruoka, Yamagata, Japan in 2017. AGM and NPK+AGM treatments significantly increased CH₄ emissions at early rice growth stages before 63 days after transplanting (DAT) by 123.0% and 176.7% compared to NPK, respectively. At late rice growth stages (after 63 DAT), only the NPK+AGM treatment significantly increased CH₄ emission by 22.1% compared to NPK. However, percentage of CH₄ emitted after 63 DAT relative to the seasonal CH₄ emission followed the order of NPK (86.2%) > AGM (76.5%) > NPK+AGM (73.3%). Higher CH₄ emissions from AGM and NPK+AGM before 63 DAT were attributed to the incorporated Azolla, while the higher emissions after 63 DAT in all treatment groups were ascribed to rice photosynthesis. AGM and NPK+AGM treatments significantly decreased N₂O emissions by 71.6% and 81.1% compared to NPK, respectively, at early rice growth stages. Azolla incorporation may have restricted N₂O emission from initial soil nitrate before 63 DAT and not have contributed to N₂O emissions after 63 DAT. Significantly higher grain yields were observed under the AGM (32.5%) and NPK+AGM (36.3%) compared to NPK. Together, AGM and NPK+AGM treatments significantly increased seasonal CH₄ emissions by 31.5% and 43.5%, and decreased seasonal N₂O emissions 3.4- and 4.6- fold compared to NPK, respectively. There were no significant differences in the CH₄ emissions per grain yield among the treatments; however compared to NPK, AGM and NPK+AGM treatments significantly reduced N₂O emissions per grain yield by 78.7% and 84.1%, respectively.     

Impact of fresh and aged palm shell biochar on N2O emissions,soil properties,nutrient content and yield of Komatsuna (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) under sandy soil conditions

ABSTRACT

Biochar can reduce N₂O emissions and it can be added to the soil once, whereas fertilizers are often applied every cultivation season. The aging of biochar in soil affects its functioning but it is unclear whether palm shell biochar (PSB) could still mitigate N₂O emissions even when additional basal N fertilizers are applied 1 year after the initial biochar application. We studied the impact of fresh and aged PSB (0%, 6%, 12%, and 18% w/w of dry soil) on N₂O emissions, soil properties, nutrient content and yield of Komatsuna (Brassica rapa var. perviridis) under sandy soil conditions. The aged PSB non-significantly reduced N₂O emissions but significantly offset soil acidification, and maintained a high soil nutrient status. Biochar application with fertilizer significantly increased plant tissue K and Ca content but decreased N, P and Mg content compared to the treatments without biochar. At higher application rates, biochar had negative effects on crop yield but as it aged, the negative effects were offset as a result of the similar variation in plant N uptake. Since seasonal N fertilizer application seems to be inevitable in Komatsuna cultivation, addition of biochar could be a possible way of counteracting the effects of excessive fertilizer use. Further research is needed to assess the feasible biochar application rates for Komatsuna fields in various soil types under field conditions.     

Operational efficiencies and costs of an arm roll forwarder: A case study at Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan

We investigated a developed arm roll forwarder at Nasu in Tochigi Prefecture, Japan. An arm roll forwarder can only load a steel container that has been fully loaded with logs beforehand, and can later unload such a container. Such a forwarder can shorten the loading and unloading times and improve operational efficiency. We examined two operation systems with an arm roll forwarder and a forwarder. In the first system the loading was done with a grapple-loader. In the second system the loading was done with a processor. The loading times of an arm roll forwarder were significantly less than those of a forwarder. Because the optimal cycle times (excluding the waiting times for an arm roll forwarder) were significantly reduced, the costs of using an arm roll forwarder are lower, although the loading capacity was small and the hourly operation cost was high. The maximum operational efficiencies varied depending on forwarding distances. The second operation system with an arm roll forwarder exhibited the best operational efficiency within a 1,580-m forwarding distance, and beyond that distance it exhibited the highest operational efficiency when a forwarder was used. Similarly, the cost of operation of the system with an arm roll forwarder was the lowest within a 1,130-m forwarding distance, and beyond that distance the cost was the lowest when using the forwarder. Therefore, the arm roll forwarder is effective within a certain forwarding distance.     

Relationship between increment of groundwater level at the beginning of irrigation period and paddy filed area in the Tedori River Alluvial Fan Area, Japan

There are many paddy fields and large amounts of groundwater in the Tedori River Alluvial Fan in Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan. Water infiltration from paddy fields during irrigation may significantly contribute to groundwater recharge. Groundwater recharge is known to be one outcome of paddy farming, and in general is usually related to land use. However, a decreased area of paddy fields because of socioeconomic factors such as urbanization and increasing area of fallow fields has possibly affected the groundwater environment. Evaluation of the quantitative effect of paddy fields on groundwater is necessary for groundwater conservation. This study examined the relationship between differences in the depth of groundwater from just before the irrigation period to just after the first irrigation of paddy fields (increments of groundwater levels) in observation wells and the area of paddy fields around each well. The paddy areas within circular buffer zones, which were delineated at 0.2 km intervals between 0.2 and 2.0 km centered on each observation well, were calculated. A positive relationship was found between the rise in groundwater and the area of paddy field within different buffer zones at most wells. In addition, in the middle or upper part of the fan, the effect of changes in the area of paddy fields surrounding the well on the groundwater level rise was greater than that on the lower part of the fan.     

Bone Regeneration of Rat Tibial Defect by Zinc-Tricalcium Phosphate (Zn-TCP) Synthesized from Porous Foraminifera Carbonate Macrospheres

Foraminifera carbonate exoskeleton was hydrothermally converted to biocompatible and biodegradable zinc-tricalcium phosphate (Zn-TCP) as an alternative biomimetic material for bone fracture repair. Zn-TCP samples implanted in a rat tibial defect model for eight weeks were compared with unfilled defect and beta-tricalcium phosphate showing accelerated bone regeneration compared with the control groups, with statistically significant bone mineral density and bone mineral content growth. CT images of the defect showed restoration of cancellous bone in Zn-TCP and only minimal growth in control group. Histological slices reveal bone in-growth within the pores and porous chamber of the material detailing good bone-material integration with the presence of blood vessels. These results exhibit the future potential of biomimetic Zn-TCP as bone grafts for bone fracture repair.     

Changes in the pericellular connective tissue and breaking strength of the three types of muscles of the cultured carp Cyprinus carpio during storage in ice

To elucidate the structural changes in pink (P), white (W), and red (R) muscles during storage in ice, we measured the breaking strength and changes in pericellular connective tissues of cultured carp. The breaking strength just after killing was highest in R muscle (1.00 ± 0.20 N), lowest in W muscle (0.37 ± 0.07 N), and intermediate (0.84 ± 0.12 N) in P muscle. During the storage period, the breaking strength decreased first in R muscle, then in P muscle, followed by W muscle. The diameter of muscle fibers was greater in W muscle (113 ± 15 μm) than in P muscle (72 ± 3 μm) and R muscle (48 ± 2 μm). Destruction of the honeycomb structure of the pericellular connective tissue occurred most rapidly in W muscle and most slowly in R muscle. These results suggest that the interposing of P muscle fibers in the dorsal ordinary muscle contributes to the acceleration of post-mortem tenderization in fish.     

Differential Expression of Two Cytosolic Ascorbate Peroxidases and Two Superoxide Dismutase Genes in Response to Abiotic Stress in Rice

Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) play central roles in the pathway for scavenging reactive oxygen species in plants, thereby contributing to the tolerance against abiotic stress. Here we report the responses of cytosolic SOD (cSOD; sodCc1 and sodCc2) and cytosolic APX (cAPX; OsAPX1 and OsAPX2) genes to oxidative and abiotic stress in rice. RNA blot analyses revealed that methyl viologen treatment caused a more prominent induction of cAPXs compared with cSODs, and hydrogen peroxide t...     

CMA staining analysis of chromosomes in several species of Aurantioideae

Fluorochrome staining with chromomycin A₃ (CMA) was used to characterize and compare the CMA banding patterns of chromosomes of 17 species from 13 genera of Aurantioideae, which is one of the seven subfamilies of Rutaceae. All species used in this study had 2n = 18 chromosomes. These chromosomes were classified into five types based on the number and position of CMA-positive bands; B: one telomeric and one proximal band, C: two telomeric bands, D: one telomeric band, E: without bands and Dst: type D with a satellite chromosome. Each species possessed two or four types of chromosomes and unique CMA banding patterns. The CMA banding patterns were 6D + 12E in Clausena anisata (Willd.) Hook. f.,1C + 3D + 14E in Murraya koenigii (L.) Spreng., 1C + 11D + 6E in Murraya paniculata (L.) Jack, 1B + 1C + 10D + 6E in Merrillia caloxylon (Ridl.) Swing., 1C + 9D + 7E + 1Dst in Paramignya lobata Burkill, 2C + 5D + 11E in Severinia buxifolia (Poir.) Tenore, 5D + 13E in Hesperethusa crenulata (Roxb.) Roem., 16D + 2E in Citropsis gabunensis (Engl.) Swing. et M. Kell, 14D + 4E in Citropsis schweinfurthii (Engl.) Swing. et M. Kell, 8D + 10E in Atalantia monophylla DC., 1C + 3D + 14E in Atalantia ceylanica (Arn.) Oliv., 2D + 16E in Atalantia roxburghiana Hook. f., 18E in Swinglea glutinosa (Blanco) Merr., 2D + 16E in Aegle marmelos (L.) Corr., 4D + 14E in Afraegle paniculata (Schum.) Engl., 2B + 2D + 13E + 2Dst in Feronia limonia (L.) Swing. and 3B + 9D + 6E in Feroniella oblata Swing. The advanced genera in each tribe and subtribe such as Merrillia and Feroniella showed heterochromatin (CMA-positive bands) rich chromosome configuration in general. Swinglea glutinosa without heterochromatin rich chromosome, which is considered to be the most primitive chromosome configuration, seems to be the key genus for clarifying the evolution of the tribe Citreae.