Histo-and Cytochemical Studies on the Distribution of Acetylcholinesterase-positive Nerve Fibers in the Goat Adrenal Gland

The distribution patterns of acetylcholine esterase positive nerve fibers in the goat adrenal gland is described. Some positive cells are observed within the capsule. Terminals were identified in both the medulla and the cortex of the gland.     

Numerical experiments of watershed-scale soil water movement and bedrock infiltration using a physical three-dimensional simulation model

Numerical experiments of soil water movement and bedrock infiltration based on a simplified simulation method were conducted to analyze watershed-scale rainfall-runoff processes. To verify the model accuracy, it was applied to a Minamitani watershed (0.45 ha). The simulation was performed with 2.5-m space grids horizontally and five cells vertically. Results of long-term calculation of this model proved that this simulation model is robust and demonstrated good computational water mass conservation. Calculation results showed the best agreement with observed hydrographs and the number of groundwater levels simultaneously when laboratory-tested soil hydraulic characteristics for topsoil were used and infiltration into bedrock was included in numerical calculations. Numerical experiments show that bedrock infiltration generated a stable base flow and suppressed the secondary discharge peak. The reproducibility achieved by observed soil hydraulic characteristics with the assumption of bedrock flow demonstrates the effectiveness of the simulation model used in this article for analyses of watershed-scale soil water movements.     

Distribution of boron in wood treated with aqueous and methanolic boric acid solutions

The distributions of boron in Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) sapwood blocks treated with aqueous or methanolic boric acid [B(OH)₃] solutions were explored through Raman spectroscopy and prompt gamma-ray analysis (PGA). B(OH)₃ was the sole boron species observed in Raman spectra of the wood blocks treated with either solution. Plots of weight gain of the treated wood blocks versus boron concentration in treatment solutions were found to be linear. The results indicated that the methanolic solution makes it possible to impregnate wood with much larger amounts of boron than the aqueous solution. PGA confirmed that B(OH)₃ was highly enriched near the end grains of the treated wood blocks. Raman measurements suggested that boron content in the bulk of the wood block is not as large as expected from the weight gain of the treated wood blocks when an ordinary air-drying method is used. It was concluded that the aqueous solution impregnates the cell walls of wood with boron more easily than the methanolic solution. Part of this report was presented at the 55th (Kyoto, March 2005) and 56th (Akita, August 2006) Annual Meetings of the Japan Wood Research Society. This article follows the previous rapid communication “Analysis of boron in wood treated with boric acid solutions using Doppler broadening method of prompt gamma-rays.” J Wood Sci (2006) 52:279–281     

Factors affecting forest growth and possible effects of climate change in the Taihang Mountains, northern China

To estimate the possible effects of site factors and climatechange on forest growth in the Taihang Mountains, northern China,we assessed the factors influencing forest growth by using forestinventory data from 712 forest sample plots. Meteorologicaldata from 77 meteorological stations in the region were usedto estimate temperature and precipitation at each site fromelevation and longitude. Analyses showed that temperature, aspect,precipitation and soil thickness all significantly influencedforest growing stock (FGS), i.e. stem volume. When temperaturerose, FGS was reduced, possibly because increasing temperatureincreased evapotranspiration. Precipitation had a positive effecton FGS. The effect of aspect on FGS was perfectly expressedas a cosine function, with south-west- and south-facing slopeshaving the lowest FGS and north-facing slopes having the highest.We developed multifactorial regression models to predict changesin FGS in the Taihang Mountains. Temperature, forest age, forestcover, soil thickness, precipitation and aspect were well relatedto FGS. The effects of a temperature decrease and a precipitationincrease on FGS would be 2.5–8 per cent per degree centigradeand 10 per cent per 100 mm, respectively. The combination oftemperature increase and precipitation changes under futureclimate change is likely to result in a decrease of FGS, thoughthis does not take account the effect of increasing CO₂. Wealso used multifactorial regression models to analyse the effectsof site factors on FGS of Pinus tabulaeformis Carr. and Robiniapseudoacacia L., two major species used in afforestation inthe Taihang Mountains. Although site factors had similar effectson FGS, diameter at breast height and tree height of both species,prediction accuracy (regression coefficient) was improved greatlywhen we treated the species separately.     

Chemical changes in steam-pressed kenaf core binderless particleboard

The effects of chemical changes in kenaf core binderless particleboards on the bonding performance and thickness swelling of boards were investigated by chemical and spectroscopic analyses. Mild steam-injection treatments (0.6–1.0MPa) caused significant degradation of hemicelluloses, lignin, and cellulose. Conventional hot pressing caused a lower degree of degradation of the chemical components. The hot-pressed kenaf core board without any binders showed poor bonding performance. Thus, it was found that partial degradation of the three major chemical components of the kenaf core by mild steam-injection treatment increased the bonding performance and dimensional stability of the binderless boards, and gave better quality binderless boards than those made by hot-pressing treatments.Part of this report was presented at the 4th International Wood Science Symposium, Serpong, Indonesia, September 2002; and at the 53rd Annual Meeting of The Japan Wood Research Society, Fukuoka, March 2003     

Probabilistic evaluation of the final moisture content of kiln-dried lumber using the bootstrap method

This paper presents a probabilistic method of evaluating the final moisture content (MC) of lumber obtained at the end of the kiln-drying process. The final MC data of three different drying tests conducted in past studies were analyzed using the bootstrap method. Target MC was tentatively set below 20 % in the analysis. Two characteristic parameters representing the final MC were estimated with bootstrap confidence intervals. These parameters were the standard deviation (SD) and the percentage of the population that met the MC requirement of less than 20 % (P ₂₀). The histograms of the final MC and the subsequent goodness-of-fit tests revealed that the final MC data of two drying tests did not follow any classical probability distributions, including Normal, Log-Normal, Weibull, and Gamma distributions, thus indicating the need for nonparametric statistics. The uncertainty of the final MC could be evaluated with the estimated SD and P ₂₀. After deriving the relationships between P ₂₀ and the corresponding probability that P ₂₀ is not achieved, we demonstrated how such relationships could provide a kiln operator with information to facilitate better decision-making in optimizing a drying schedule.     

Lignin-degrading activity of edible mushroom <Emphasis Type="Italic">Strobilurus ohshimae</Emphasis> that forms fruiting bodies on buried sugi (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis>) twigs

Strobilurus ohshimae is an edible mushroom, and it specifically forms its fruiting bodies on buried sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) twigs. In this research, we studied lignindegrading activity of S. ohshimae. We isolated 18 strains of S. ohshimae from various regions of Japan, and determined their lignin degradation rates on sugi wood meal medium. All the strains of S. ohshimae degraded approximately 6%–12% of sugi lignin in 30 days, and these lignin degradation rates were 1.5–3 times higher than those of Trametes versicolor, which is a typical lignin-degrading fungus. Among the three main lignin-degrading enzymes, activity of lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase was not observed, while 4340U/g of laccase was produced in 30 days. To investigate the effect of wood species on lignin degradation by S. ohshimae, the lignin degradation rate and laccase productivity on sugi wood meal medium were compared with those on beech (Fagus crenata). In T. versicolor, both lignin degradation rate and laccase productivity were higher on beech than on sugi. Conversely, in S. ohshimae, lignin degradation rate and laccase productivity were higher on sugi than on beech. Therefore, it was suggested that coniferous lignin is not always difficult to degrade for the fungi that inhabit softwood. Part of this article presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Sapporo, August 2004     

Termite repellent sesquiterpenoids from Callitris glaucophylla heartwood

Fractions of methanol and ethanol extracts from the heartwood of white cypress pine (Callitris glaucophylla Thompson et Johnson) were investigated for their repellent activity against subterranean termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki worker using a two-choice semicircular filter paper test at 0.5% (w/w) concentration. Fraction CY-E2 composed of (−)-citronellic acid, guaiol, α-, β-, and γ-eudesmol isomers as well as an unknown compound, showed the highest statistically significant repellency (97.8% ± 2.2 SEM) of all fractions tested. Bioactivity-guided fractionations using high-performance liquid chromatography led to the isolation of two, oxygenated eudesmane-type sesquiterpenes with α-methylene moieties, both termite-repellent compounds. These compounds were subsequently identified as ilicic acid methyl ester (IAME) and costic acid by means of spectroscopic analyses, electron impact mass spectrometry, and nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy. We report the isolation of both IAME and costic acid from C. glaucophylla heartwood for the first time. Part of this paper was presented at the 47th Symposium on the Chemistry of Terpenes, Essential Oils, and Aromatics, Tokyo, November 2003     

Genetic diversity of Populus euphratica populations in northwestern China determined by RAPD DNA analysis

Five Populus euphratica Oliver populations in northwestern China were analyzed using RAPD DNA markers to determine genetic diversity among and within populations. One hundred-and-five polymorphic bands were observed, ranging in size from 250 bp to 1700 bp, using 10 primers. Only one population on the north side of the Tianshern Range had a unique band common to all individuals that was not found in individuals from populations in the Tarim River valley. Intra-population genetic diversity was high in two populations along the Tarim River and low in the other three populations. There was no significant correlation between genetic distances and geographic distances. The result of correspondence analysis shows that the individuals from the three populations with low genetic diversity are isolated from each other. The result of cluster analysis based on genetic distance shows that the population in the Tianshern Range is genetically distant from the other populations. These results suggest that the Tianshern Range population was genetically isolated from the other populations.