Effect of wood species on thermal flow behavior and physical properties of thermoplastic moldings

The thermoplastic flow behavior of cedar flour steamed at different temperatures in the range of 160–220°C was measured using a rheometer and compared with that of beech flour. The temperature at which the cedar flour starts to flow was approximately 70°C higher than that of beech flour, and the cedar flour exhibited low flowability. Furthermore, thermoplastic moldings were prepared from cedar and beech flours, and their physical properties were examined. Similar to the case of beech, a resin-like molding with a density of approximately 1.45?g/cm³ was obtained from the cedar flour steamed at 180°C or higher, and it was revealed by SEM observation that in these moldings wood flour particles adhere to each other. The specific bending strength was maximum for the moldings obtained from 180°C-steamed flour for both types of wood.     

Yield-enhancing and tuber-downsizing effects of transplantation cultivation method of case-held tuber seedlings in the sweet potato cultivar Beniharuka

We developed transplantation cultivation method of case-held tuber seedlings (CTS), which was derived from direct planting method of seed tubers, and applied this method to the sweet potato cultivar Beniharuka. A plastic case made of polypropylene was designed for cultivation of CTS. Seed tubers of cultivar Beniharuka in the range of 30–80 g were cut in half. The half-cut tubers were placed inside the plastic cases, and the cases were filled with a commercial soil mix. The case-held tubers were incubated under natural sunlight in a glass house. After 3–4 wk, the CTS were transplanted into a field. Mother tuber (seed tuber) enlargement was suppressed by the plastic confinement of the cases, and daughter tubers were formed above the case as vine-root-originated tubers. In the field experiments in 2012 and 2013, daughter tuber yields were increased 19% and 21% by case-held tuber seedling transplanting (CTST) over conventional vine-planting (VP), the number of daughter tubers per plant in CTST were 36 and 68% higher than in VP, and the mother tuber yields were limited to 2.1 and 4.3% of the total fresh yield of mother and daughter tubers, respectively in 2012 and 2013. Application of CTST method to cultivar Beniharuka enhanced tuber yield, increased the number of daughter tubers per plant, downsized daughter tubers compared to VP, and mother tuber enlargement was suppressed by case-holding. The CTST method is expected to produce more and smaller good in shape tubers of cultivar Beniharuka compared to VP.     

Seasonal variation of paulownia witches’-broom phytoplasma in paulownia trees and distribution of the disease in the Tohoku district of Japan

Seasonal variation of paulownia witches’-broom (PWB) phytoplasma within different organs (leaves, branch and trunk bark and roots) in paulownia trees was investigated by the amplification of a PWB-specific DNA fragment by the polymerase chain reaction (PCR). In leaf samples, PWB phytoplasma was first detected in June and the incidence gradually increased. On the other hand, the PWB was detected at relatively low incidence in branch bark, trunk bark and roots and the incidence did not change among seasons. A survey of PWB in 27 fields in the Tohoku district of Japan showed that malformed flower buds were observed in paulownia trees in almost all of the fields. PWB-phytoplasma was also detected by PCR from paulownia trees in almost all of the fields in Iwate and Fukushima Prefectures. The frequencies of trees in which phytoplasma was detected by PCR were higher than those in which symptoms were observed. These results indicated that PCR amplification of a PWB-specific DNA fragment is an effective tool for practical diagnose and that PWB is widely distributed in the Tohoku district of Japan.     

Determination of the distribution and reaction of polysaccharides in wood cell walls by the isotope tracer technique VII: Double radiolabeling of xylan and pectin in magnolia (Magnolia kobus DC) and comparison of their behaviors during kraft pulping by radiotracer technique

myo-Inositol-[2-³H] and d-glucuronic acid-[6-¹⁴C] were administered simultaneously to a growing stem of magnolia (Magnolia kobus DC) to label xylan and pectin, respectively, in the cell wall. Determination of the radioactivity of nitrobenzene oxidation products and sulfuric acid hydrolysates of the newly formed xylem indicated that xylan and pectin were labeled with ³H and ¹⁴C, respectively. The doubly labeled wood tissue was treated to kraft pulping, and the radioactivity of the pulping black liquor and treated wood tissue were determined at various stages of the pulping to compare the dissolving behavior between pectin and xylan during the pulping. The results showed that pectin was not dissolved as easily as xylan and was not redeposited on pulp fiber at the late stage of the pulping.Part of this report was presented at the 40th Lignin Symposium at Tsukuba, October 1995     

Complete nucleotide sequence and variation of mitochondrial DNA from 10 individuals of walleye pollock, Theragra chalcogramma

ABSTRACT:   The complete mitochondrial genome sequence of 10 walleye pollocks, Theragra chalcogramma , from the Japan Sea and Bering Sea was determined. The 16 568–16 571 bp genome contains the same 37 mitochondrial structural genes (two ribosomal RNA, 22 transfer RNA, and 13 protein-coding genes) as found in all other vertebrates analyzed, in an organization identical to that of other bony fish. The major non-coding region had several conserved sequence features. Nucleotide variations of ND1, ND5, and control region were high, and these regions appear to be good candidates for high-resolution markers in population studies.     

Oxylipin affects ethylene metabolism and ethylene receptor gene expression levels in peach fruit (Prunus persica L. Batsch)

The effects of two oxylipins – jasmonic acid (JA) and 9, 10-ketol-octadecadienoic acid (KODA) – on ethylene metabolism and ethylene receptor genes were examined in peach fruit (Prunus persica L.) harvested at 88 days after full bloom (DAFB), in the pre-climacteric stage, and at 102 DAFB, at the beginning of the climacteric stage. Immediate post-harvest applications of either n-propyl dihydrojasmonate (PDJ) (a JA analog) or KODA stimulated ethylene production and 1-aminocyclopropane-1-carboxylate (ACC) concentrations in fruit that were harvested at 88 and 102 DAFB. KODA application significantly increased levels of ACC oxidase (PpACO1) expression at 5 and 8 days after treatment (DAT) in 88-DAFB-harvested fruit, and at 1 DAT in 102-DAFB-harvested fruit. Expression levels of ethylene response factors (PpERS1) were not influenced by either PDJ or KODA applications at 88 or 102 DAFB. In contrast, levels of ethylene-receptor-coding genes (PpETR1) expression in 88-DAFB KODA-treated fruit increased at 8 and 14 DAT. Expression levels of constitutive triple response (PpCTR1) in the untreated control fruit decreased with DAT in both 88- and 102-DAFB-harvested fruit.

These results suggest that certain oxylipins may promote ethylene production in peach fruit, and that PpETR1 and PpCTR1 may be associated with the autocatalytic system of ethylene production.     

Evaluation of the Impacts of Marine Salts and Asian Dust on the Forested Yakushima Island Ecosystem, a World Natural Heritage Site in Japan

To elucidate the influence of airborne materials on the ecosystem of Japan??s Yakushima Island, we determined the elemental compositions and Sr and Nd isotope ratios in streamwater, soils, vegetation, and rocks. Streamwater had high Na and Cl contents, low Ca and HCO₃ contents, and Na/Cl and Mg/Cl ratios close to those of seawater, but it had low pH (5.4 to 7.1), a higher Ca/Cl ratio than seawater, and distinct ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios that depended on the bedrock type. The proportions of rain-derived cations in streamwater, estimated by assuming that Cl was derived from sea salt aerosols, averaged 81?% for Na, 83?% for Mg, 36?% for K, 32?% for Ca, and 33?% for Sr. The Sr value was comparable to the 28?% estimated by comparing Sr isotope ratios between rain and granite bedrock. The soils are depleted in Ca, Na, P, and Sr compared with the parent materials. At Yotsuse in the northwestern side, plants and the soil pool have ⁸⁷Sr/⁸⁶Sr ratios similar to that of rainwater with a high sea salt component. In contrast, the Sr and Nd isotope ratios of soil minerals in the A and B horizons approach those of silicate minerals in northern China??s loess soils. The soil Ca and P depletion results largely from chemical weathering of plagioclase and of small amounts of apatite and calcite in granitic rocks. This suggests that Yakushima??s ecosystem is affected by large amounts of acidic precipitation with a high sea salt component, which leaches Ca and its proxy (Sr) from bedrock into streams, and by Asian dust-derived apatite, which is an important source of P in base cation-depleted soils.