The method for designing the profile of forest roads supported by genetic algorithm

This study examines a method for designing an optimum profile of a forest road in a short matter of time. In this method, a genetic algorithm (GA) searches for points where the gradient changes and dynamic programing (DP) designs the longitudinal slope. This method can be applied to the ground heights of an actual forest road. The evaluation function of the DP assesses the total expenditure. The inverse of this function is the fitness function. Crossover and mutation are operators of an evolution simulation of a GA. They are each repeated 20 times and 420 profiles are designed and assessed, all within about 10 min. A comparison of the profile designed by the GA with that of an actual forest road shows only one section where the formation level differed substantially. Overall, both profiles seem to show a high degree of correspondence. From this result, we believe that the profile designed by the GA is best, or the one of the best. A conventional method takes about 65 h to calculate all changing points of gradients. However, by using the GA, the calculation time was reduced to about 1/389 that of the coventional method, showing that the method which uses the GA through the profile design is very useful.     

Growing situation of afforested trees and damage to lower-story trees caused by felling in multi-storied forest management in Peninsular Malaysia

The growing condition of afforestation trees and damage to lower-story trees caused by felling and hauling of upper-story trees in a multi-storied forest in Peninsular Malaysia was surveyed. Seventy months have passed since the planting ofAcacia mangium upperstory trees, which have grown 233 m³/ha in volume. The growth ofShorea leprosula thirty-five months after planting of lower-story trees have reached 5.54 m in height. However, as the ratio of height to basal diameter exceeds 100:1, trees are tapering to a considerable degree. A backhoe was installed in order to fell the upper-story trees. From the results of logging, the damage ratio estimation of the lower-story trees was simulated by using the Monte Carlo method. The damage ratio differed considerably depending on planting patterns, height of upper-story trees and felling skills. The results of this survey proved that the felling and hauling of upper-story trees would be technically feasible in the future, except when one row upper-story trees and one row lower-story trees method were employed.     

The genetic diversities of 4 species of subg. Lithocerasus (Prunus, Rosaceae) revealed by RAPD analysis

RAPD analysis was applied to reveal the genetic diversities of 4 speciesof subg. Lithocerasus within the genus Prunus using 40accessions representing the subgenera Prunophora, Amygdalus,Lithocerasus and Cerasus. The accession of subg. Lithocerasus are phenotypically similar to members of subgenus Cerasus but different with them in interspecific crossing tests and isozymeprofiles. Two major clusters, `Prunophora and Amygdalus group' and `Cerasus group' were constructed in the phenogram. We revealthat the examined 4 species of subg. Lithocerasus species; P.tomentosa Thunb., P. japonica Thunb., P. glandulosa Thunb.and P. besseyi Bailey, were genetically closer to the members ofsubgenera Prunophora and Amygdalus than to subg. Cerasus.     

Characterization of a new Maillard type reaction product generated by heating 1-deoxymaltulosyl-glycine in the presence of cysteine

The reaction between Amadori compounds and cysteine was investigated. When 1-deoxymaltulosyl-glycine (glycyl-fructosyl-glucose) was heated at 100 degrees C with cysteine in a neutral aqueous solution, a novel intermediate composed of 1-deoxyosone and cysteine was detected. NMR and mass spectrometry studies revealed the structure of the isolated intermediate to be 7,8a-dihydroxy-4a-methyl-8-(alpha-d-glucopyranosyloxy)hexahydro-5-oxa-4-thia-1-azanaphthalene-2-carboxylic acid. This intermediate easily generated isomaltol and acetylfuran as volatile compounds in 1 mol/L HCl at 100 degrees C.     

Snowcover Components in Northern Japan

Snowcover surveys were carried out in Hokkaido, northern Japan. Snowpack samples were collected using a steel pipe at 80 sites in 1988, 69 sites in 1992, and 66 sites in 1996 and 2000 during the time when the water equivalents of the snowcover are the greatest. Spatial distribution maps of water equivalents and of the concentrations and the accumulated amounts of hydrogen, non-sea-salt sulfate and non-sea-salt calcium ion of the snowcover drawn by Kriging method are discussed. The distribution maps show that water equivalents and the accumulated amounts of hydrogen and non-sea-salt sulfate in all the sample years were largest in the Japan Sea region, as were the ion concentrations of hydrogen and non-sea-salt sulfate. It was estimated this was caused by air pollutants transported from a great distance. The ratio of areas below pH 5.0 increased temporally from 1988 (20%) to 1992, 1996 and 2000 (66–80%). This trend was estimated to be affected by a decline of non-sea-salt calcium concentrations derived from alkaline road dust. In addition, the effect of snowcover components was assessed by comparison between the acid loads of the snowcover and the acid neutralizing capacity of lake water. We found that lakes in the middle of the Japan Sea coast have the potential to be acidified by snowmelt.     

Migration history of Sakhalin taimen <Emphasis Type="Italic">Hucho perryi</Emphasis> captured in the Sea of Okhotsk,northern Japan,using otolith Sr:Ca ratios

Sakhalin taimen Hucho perryi populations have decreased drastically to near extinction. It is urgent to establish an effective conservation strategy based on an understanding of the characteristics of migration and habitat use of this species. We examined the migration history of anadromous Sakhalin taimen captured off the Sarufutsu coast, northern Hokkaido, Japan, using otolith Sr:Ca ratios and also examined the relationship between their otolith Sr:Ca ratios during freshwater and seawater residence in a rearing experiment. Otolith Sr:Ca ratios of some fish from the Sarufutsu coast showed freshwater levels (0.5–4.0 × 10⁻³) near the core, which thereafter increased to brackish water levels (4.0–6.0 × 10⁻³), and then to seawater levels (6.0–10.0 × 10⁻³) in the outermost regions. Those findings indicate that specimens from the Sarufutsu coast migrated to the brackish water region or the sea and spent most of their lives there. The anadromous migration pattern including the timing of downstream migration seems to be flexible among individuals in the species. They migrate between freshwater and seawater or brackish water several times during their lives, showing extensive habitat use. It is essential to secure the continuity among the freshwater, brackish water, and seawater areas for their effective conservation.     

Nucleotide-dependent single- to double-headed binding of kinesin

The motility of kinesin motors is explained by a "hand-over-hand" model in which two heads of kinesin alternately repeat single-headed and double-headed binding with a microtubule. To investigate the binding mode of kinesin at the key nucleotide states during adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) hydrolysis, we measured the mechanical properties of a single kinesin-microtubule complex by applying an external load with optical tweezers. Both the unbinding force and the elastic modulus in solutions containing AMP-PNP (an ATP analog) were twice the value of those in nucleotide-free solution or in the presence of both AMP-PNP and adenosine 5'-diphosphate. Thus, kinesin binds through two heads in the former and one head in the latter two states, which supports a major prediction of the hand-over-hand model.     

Model-based forecasting of twig canker incidence of bacterial spot of peach in Fukushima Prefecture

Bacterial spot caused by Xanthomonas arboricola pv. pruni (Xap) is the most important disease that affects peach production. A disease-forecasting model was developed to help growers decide when to apply bactericides and remove diseased, last-year twigs. To predict the incidence of “spring cankers”, peach twigs damaged by Xap, we used 12 years (2009–2020) of data from Fukushima Prefecture to develop a forecasting system using a hierarchical Bayesian model (HBM). The model included the number of fields with a bacterial spot incidence (BSI) on leaves?≥?10% in late September of the previous season and the number of days with rain (≥?10 mm/day) and maximum wind speed (≥?5 m/s) during the previous October as predictors. Using a best-fit cutoff value based on a receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the model achieved a 0.836 accuracy, 0.804 sensitivity, 0.847 specificity, 0.847 precision, and 0.712 F-measure. The model was validated using a fourfold cross-validation (CV) procedure and achieved an average accuracy of 0.847. Thus, the model explained 65.7% of the variability compared to observed frequencies with predicted probabilities of twig canker incidence (TCI)?≥?2% from April to May 2009 to 2020 in Fukushima Prefecture. These results suggest that this disease-forecasting model using HBM based on 12 years of historical data can be used to predict the risk of twig cankers of bacterial spot of peach.

     

Migration of biological control agent Rhizobium vitis strain ARK-1 in grapevine stems and inhibition of galls caused by tumorigenic strain of R. vitis

Journal of General Plant Pathology - Nonpathogenic strain ARK-1 of Rhizobium vitis has antagonistic activity against a tumorigenic (Ti) strain of R. vitis and works as a biocontrol agent, but the...