Water absorption of boron-treated and heat-modified wood

Heat treatments change the chemical and physical properties of wood and dimensional stability and hygroscopicity are affected as a result of modifications of wood cell components. This study evaluated the water absorption of wood specimens treated with boron compounds followed by heat treatment. Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) sapwood specimens treated with either boric acid (BA) or disodium octoborate tetrahydrate (DOT) solutions were heat-modified at either 180° or 220°C for 2 or 4 h. Carbohydrate composition and water absorption of the specimens were then measured and compared with those of untreated and unheated specimens. Wood carbohydrates were significantly degraded in the specimens after heat treatment. The heat treatment evidently decreased the water absorption and the heat-modified specimens absorbed less water than unheated specimens. The higher the treatment temperature and the longer the treatment time, the lower the amount of absorbed water. The boron-treated and heat-modified specimens, however, showed increased water absorption due to the hygroscopic properties of BA and DOT.     

Role of Tween 80 in biobleaching of unbleached hardwood kraft pulp with manganese peroxidase

The role of Tween 80 in biobleaching of unbleached hardwood kraft pulp (HWKP) with manganese peroxidase (MnP) was investigated. Among the surfactants (e.g., Tween 80, Tween 20, CHAPSO) the most significant brightness increase was obtained with Tween 80. Tween 80 and Tween 20 exhibited several effects, such as dispersion of degraded lignin and activation of MnP, that partly contributed to the brightening of HWKP during MnP treatment. However, these characteristics did not explain the most appreciable effect on the brightness increase by Tween 80. Lipid peroxidation of surfactants during MnP biobleaching was determined by measuring the peroxide value (POV). The order of the POV increase was consistent with that of the brightness increase of pulp during MnP treatment in the presence of various surfactants or linolenic acid. However, radicals and peroxides derived from lipid (linolenic acid) peroxidation by lipoxidase hardly brightened the HWKP by themselves. These results suggested that Tween 80 was peroxidized by Mn(III), and that Mn(III) and lipid peroxidation of Tween 80 synergistically brightened HWKP.This study was presented in part at the 43rd lignin symposium, Fuchu, Tokyo, Oct. 26–27, 1998 and the 49th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Tokyo, April 2–4, 1999     

Detection of genetic variation among seed and seedlings ofChamaecyparis obtusa using allozyme markers

The effects of nursery practices on genetic composition and structure were studied inChamaecyparis obtusa by analyzing seeds and one-, two-, and three-year-old seedlings. Enzyme polymorphisms of the6Pgd-2, G6pd, Got, Gk, Shd-2, Pod, Dia-1, andPgm loci were used. OnlyDia-1 indicated significantly different allelic frequencies between seeds and three-year-old seedlings. Most of the genetic diversity of the parental clones in this seed orchard could be transferred to the offsprings. Genetic diversity on the basis of an average expected heterozygosity did not differ between seeds and seedlings. A slight excess of homozygotes in seeds and a significant excess of heterozygotes in seedlings of different ages to the expected panmictic proportions were found. Most of the differences in genotypic distributions among the seed and seedling stages, probably resulted from viability selection favoring outcrosses, and selective removal of inbred offsprings including self-fertilized ones prior to their transplantation in the nursery. A part of this paper was orally presented at the 107th Annual Meeting of the Japanese Forestry Society (1996).     

Liquid penetration of precompressed wood VI: Anatomical characterization of pit fractures

Pit fractures of refractory coniferous heartwoods caused by precompression in the radial direction were investigated and are discussed in terms of improved liquid penetration. Small cracks appeared at the boundary between the torus and margo, along the outer margin of the margo, and on the torus when specimens were compressed and deformation was fixed by drying. The remarkable cracks were generally observed for Cryptomeria japonica D. Don. Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco showed peculiar detachment of the torus from the pit border, and Larix leptolepis Gordon exhibited only small cracks on the torus. These fractures patterns were clearer when the precompressed specimens were recovered by water impregnation and then redried.This report was presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kumamoto, April 1996     

Value-per-recruit analysis of bighand thornyhead <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sebastolobus macrochir</Emphasis> caught off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu,Japan

The yield-per-recruit (YPR) analysis has been used to assess growth overfishing of exploited fish stocks. Since the ex-vessel price per weight widely depends on the size of the fish, the result of the YPR does not imply the revenue. The value-per-recruit (VPR) analysis, which is an economic expansion of the YPR analysis, was conducted for bighand thornyhead Sebastolobus macrochir caught off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu, Japan. The results showed that, for the current age at first capture (t _c = 3), the current fishing mortality (F = 0.12) was close to the optimum level. However, for the current F, optimum t _c in the VPR model was 8 years and would lead to a 47% increase compared to the current revenue. The maximum YPR was obtained at t _c = 6 years, but the revenue at t _c = 6 only gave a 20% increase in the maximum revenue. The difference was caused by the size dependency of the ex-vessel price per weight. The VPR model would generate fisheries management plans with both economical and biological consideration and would help in making general consensus of fisheries management strategies.     

Reduced dietary lysine enhances proportion of oxidative fibers in porcine skeletal muscle

The present study was conducted to elucidate the effects of dietary lysine levels on the proportion of oxidative muscle fibers in porcine muscle. Two 6-week-old barrows from each of five litters were used. Each littermate was assigned to one of two diets, control (lysine content: 1.16%) or low lysine (LL) diet (lysine content: 0.73%). The diets were iso-energetic and iso-protein, and contained all essential amino acids (apart from lysine) in the recommended amounts. The pigs were fed these diets for 3 weeks. Citrate synthase (EC 4.1.3.4) activity in longissimus dorsi and rhomboideus muscles was higher in the LL group ( P  < 0.05). In both muscles, pigs fed the LL diet had a higher proportion of muscle fiber with activities of reduced nicotinic amide adenine dinucleotide dehydrogenase (EC 1.6.5.3, P  < 0.01). The abundance of mRNA of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator 1α in rhomboideus muscle was higher in the LL group ( P  < 0.05), and those of peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ2 were higher in both longissimus dorsi and rhomboideus muscles in the LL group ( P  < 0.05). We conclude that reduced intake of dietary lysine enhances proportion of oxidative muscle fiber, and hence oxidative capacity of porcine muscle.     

金针菇深层培养条件研究

应用模式研究发酵研究了种子菌龄，接种量、通气量对金针菇（Ｆｌａｍｍｕｌｉｎａ ｖｅｌｕｔｉｐｅｓ）液体发酵菌丝体产量的影响。最佳发酵条件为：摇瓶种子菌龄４￣７ｄ，种子罐菌４８ｈ，接种量１５％，通气量前４８ｈ为１：１Ｖ／ｍｉｎ，后４８ｈ为１：１．５Ｖ／Ｖ／ｍｉｎ，发酵时间９６ｈ。干菌丝体产量可高达４８．３８ｇ／Ｌ。     

Morphological changes and habitat shifts with growth of endangered floodplain fish: Possible adaptations to fluctuating environments

Adaptations that maximise food intake are dependent on food and/or habitat types. However, there have been few studies on the ability of floodplain primary freshwater fish to rapidly change their morphology, especially the internal one, to maximise utilisation efficiency of food resources in response to environmental fluctuations during their life history. We investigated morphological changes of an Acheilognathinae species (Acheilognathus longipinnis) that inhabits creeks in Japan to determine whether body shape variation correlated with environmental characteristics, including water depth, current velocity, vegetation cover and food availability. When shifting from floodwater-level to low-water-level season, the current velocity of the study area increased as the water level decreased, causing a significant increase in periphyton and a significant decline in zooplankton and phytoplankton. Concurrently, during the short period when A. longipinnis grow from the juvenile to the premature stage, changes in internal morphology, that is intestinal elongation, and changes in external morphology such as an increase of body depth were observed. In contrast, intestinal length significantly decreased in the adult stage. Our findings suggest that morphological changes between floodwater-level and low-water-level seasons associated with juvenile to premature development are an adaptation to changes in food availability due to environmental fluctuations. Additionally, the shortening of the intestine from the premature to the adult stage may be an adaptive strategy for reproduction.