Tertiary sediment from the East pacific rise

More than 50 cores ranging in age from Pliocene to Lower Miocene have been recovered from the East Pacific Rise. Near the crestal regions the sediment cover is thin or lacking, and only Pleistocene sediments were recovered. On the flanks, the sediment thickness increases and pre-Pleistocene sediments are encountered. This pattern of increasing age and increasing sediment thickness away from the axis of the rise is in agreement with that predicted for spreading of the ocean floor.     

Discovery of a Jupiter/Saturn analog with gravitational microlensing

Searches for extrasolar planets have uncovered an astonishing diversity of planetary systems, yet the frequency of solar system analogs remains unknown. The gravitational microlensing planet search method is potentially sensitive to multiple-planet systems containing analogs of all the solar system planets except Mercury. We report the detection of a multiple-planet system with microlensing. We identify two planets with masses of approximately 0.71 and approximately 0.27 times the mass of Jupiter and orbital separations of approximately 2.3 and approximately 4.6 astronomical units orbiting a primary star of mass approximately 0.50 solar mass at a distance of approximately 1.5 kiloparsecs. This system resembles a scaled version of our solar system in that the mass ratio, separation ratio, and equilibrium temperatures of the planets are similar to those of Jupiter and Saturn. These planets could not have been detected with other techniques; their discovery from only six confirmed microlensing planet detections suggests that solar system analogs may be common.     

GaN photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser at blue-violet wavelengths

Shorter-wavelength surface-emitting laser sources are important for a variety of fields, including photonics, information processing, and biology. We report on the creation of a current-driven blue-violet photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser. We have developed a fabrication method, named "air holes retained over growth," in order to construct a two-dimensional gallium nitride (GaN)/air photonic-crystal structure. The resulting periodic structure has a photonic-crystal band-edge effect sufficient for the successful operation of a current-injection surface-emitting laser. This represents an important step in the development of laser sources that could be focused to a size much less than the wavelength and be integrated two-dimensionally at such short wavelengths.     

A four-base paired genetic helix with expanded size

We describe a new molecular class of genetic-pairing system that has a native DNA backbone but has all four base pairs replaced by new, larger pairs. The base pairs include size-expanded analogs of thymine and of adenine, both extended by the width of a benzene ring (2.4 A). The expanded-diameter double helices are more thermodynamically stable than the Watson-Crick helix, likely because of enhanced base stacking. Structural data confirm a right-handed, double-stranded, and base-paired helical form. Because of the larger base size, all the pairs of this helical system are fluorescent, which suggests practical applications in detection of natural DNA and RNA. Our findings establish that there is no apparent structural or thermodynamic prohibition against genetic systems having sizes different from the natural one.     

Quantitative nested real-time PCR detection of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verticillium longisporum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">V. dahliae</Emphasis> in the soil of cabbage fields

Verticillium longisporum and V. dahliae, causal agents of Verticillium wilt, are spreading through the cabbage fields of Gunma Prefecture. Using the V. longisporum-specific intron within the 18S rDNA and differences between ITS 5.8S rDNA sequences in Japanese isolates of V. longisporum and V. dahliae, we developed three quantitative nested real-time (QNRT) PCR assays. The QNRT-PCR quantification of V. longisporum or V. dahliae in cabbage field soil was consistent with the severity of Verticillium wilt disease in those fields. In field trials of resistant cultivar YR Ranpo grown for three seasons in soil infested with the pathogen, disease severity and pathogen density in the soil were significantly reduced in a field moderately contaminated by V. dahliae, but only slightly reduced in a highly contaminated field. These results suggest that continuous cultivation of a resistant cultivar is an effective way to reduce the pathogen population. QNRT-PCR assays provide a powerful analytical tool to evaluate the soil population dynamics of V. longisporum and V. dahliae for disease management.     

Effect of cropping systems and crop successions on fumonisin levels in corn from Northern Paraná State,Brazil

In this study the effect of different cropping systems and crop successions was evaluated on natural Fusarium sp. contamination and fumonisin levels in corn. The cropping systems consisted of a conventional and no-tillage area cultivated with corn in the summer following either oats or fallow in the winter (2006 and 2007 growing seasons). In addition, the effect of applying nitrogen fertilizer (0, 22.5, 45.0, 90.0 and 90.0 kg ha⁻¹ nitrogen supplemented with potassium oxide) on fumonisin contamination was evaluated in the 2006 growing season. Fusarium sp. was detected in 90% samples in 2006 and in 100% samples in 2007. In both growing seasons, no-till corn following oats showed the highest mean fumonisin levels and differed significantly (P < 0.05) from all the others (2006) and from conventional till corn following either oats or fallow in the winter (2007). Fumonisin levels ranged from 0.13 to 19.52 μg g⁻¹ (mean 6.97 μg g⁻¹) and from 3.70 to 7.75 μg g⁻¹ (mean 6.29 μg g⁻¹) in no-till corn following oats from the 2006 and 2007 growing seasons, respectively. Plots treated with 0 kg ha⁻¹ and 22.5 kg ha⁻¹ nitrogen showed the highest mean fumonisin levels and differed significantly from those with 45.0 and 90 kg ha⁻¹ nitrogen. Fumonisin levels correlated negatively (P < 0.05) with the nitrogen fertilization rates. Although no-till is advantageous from a soil conservation standpoint, it may enhance the potential for fumonisin contamination in corn.     

Determination of tri-n-butyltin and di-n-butyltin compounds in fish by gas chromatography with flame photometric detection

An analytical method is described for the simultaneous quantitative determination of tri-n-butyltin and di-n-butyltin compounds in fish. The sample was extracted with 0.5N HCl-methanol, and the methanol solution was extracted with hexane. The extract was purified by gel permeation chromatography and treated with Grignard reagent to yield the methyl derivatives, which were determined by gas chromatography with flame photometric detection operated in the tin mode (610 nm). Recoveries of tri-n-butyltin chloride (Bu3SnCl) and di-n-butyltin dichloride (Bu2SnCl2) spiked to fish at the levels of 0.2 and 1.0 ppm ranged from 80 to 105%. Detection limits were 0.02 micrograms/g for both compounds. Tri-n-butyltin compounds equivalent to Bu3SnCl levels of 0.07-2.0 ppm and di-n-butyltin compounds equivalent to Bu2SnCl2 levels of 0.02-0.11 ppm were found in reared yellowtails, and these values showed good agreement with the results from gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric analysis.     

Quantitative determination of amines in wine by liquid chromatography

A liquid chromatographic (LC) procedure is described for the determination by dansylation of the following 16 kinds of biogenic amines found in wine: monomethylamine (MM), ethylamine (EM), iso- and n-propylamine (Pr), iso- and n-butylamine (Bu), iso- and n-amylamine (Am), pyrrolidine (PY), 2-phenethylamine (PH), tryptamine (TR), putrescine (PU), cadaverine (CA), histamine (HI), tyramine (TY), and spermidine (SP). The amines in white and red wine were applied to a column of Amberlite CG-50 type I resin (Na-form) after the column had been washed with water and eluted with 1N hydrochloric acid. This eluate was evaporated to dryness under reduced pressure and derivatized with dansyl chloride (DNS). LC separations were performed on Finepak SIL C18S and LiChrosorb RP-8 columns with an acetonitrile-water elution gradient. In the survey of commercial wines by this method, most of the samples were found to contain 12 amines, including iso-Am, CA, PU, TY, and others. The highest levels of these amines were 4.84 micrograms PU/mL in red wine, and 5.11 micrograms iso-Am/mL in white wine. The total levels of amines in red wine were comparatively higher than in white wine.     

The amount of heavy metals derived from domestic sources in Japan

The amount of heavy metals discharged from daily life was estimated in order to know the origin of the metals contained in the sewage sludge which is produced in the wastewater treatment plant treating only domestic wastewater. The amounts of the metals discharged from our daily life were estimated to be in the range of 0.2 to 0.3 for Cd, 1.6 to 1.9 for Ni, 3.5 to 6.8 for Pb, 0.8 to 1.4 for Cr, 8.2 to 19.3 for Mn 9.4 to 55.8 for Cu, 44.3 to 62.7 for Zn and 111 to 293 for Fe in mg.d^–1 per person, Using these data, the cycle of the metals in our daily life was discussed in relation to land application of sewage sludge.     

Effects of water-soluble hemicellulose from soybean hull on serum antibody levels and activation of macrophages in rats

Effects of soybean hull water-soluble hemicellulose (WSHC) on serum immunoglobulin (Ig) concentration and production of NO and IL-1beta from peritoneal macrophages were examined and compared with those of Agaricus blazei in the rat system. WSHC consisted of arabinose, galactose, xylose, glucose, and rhamnose, and the molecular weight was approximately 500000. Rats were ip administrated each sample at a dose of 0.67, 13.4, or 26.9 mg/kg/day for 14 days. The administration of WSHC resulted in significantly higher productions of IgM (p < 0.01 on day 6, p < 0.05 on day 14) and IgG (p < 0.05 on day 6) than those in other groups. When peritoneal macrophages were stimulated with various concentrations of sample (0.67, 13.4, or 26.9 mg/mL), WSHC significantly increased both NO and IL-1beta productions only at the concentration of 13.4 (mg/mL) compared with those of a saline group. These findings demonstrate that WSHC enhances humoral immunity and activation of macrophages, thereby leading to the augmentation of immune responses in rats.