Process integration of ethanol production from Japanese beech as treated with hot-compressed water followed by enzymatic treatment

Ethanol was produced from the hydrolysate collected as a water-soluble (WS) portion and a residue after hot-compressed water (HCW) treatment of Japanese beech with and without fractionation. Simultaneous saccharification with β-xylosidase and isomerization with xylose isomerase followed by fermentation with Saccharomyces cerevisiae were applied to the WS portion; simultaneous saccharification with cellulase and fermentation with S. cerevisiae was applied to the residue. Integration of the processes for the WS portion and the residue was investigated to improve the conversion efficiency throughout the whole process. The ethanol yield in the integrated process without fractionation was comparable with that for the process with fractionation. Ethanol yields were improved for both of the processes by modifying the operation pattern in which cellulase was added prior to fermentation of the residue.     

Effects of polyline simplification of dynamic GPS data under forest canopy on area and perimeter estimations

The objectives of this study were to determine Global Positioning System (GPS) positional errors while moving under the forest canopy and to clarify the effects of polyline simplification on area and perimeter estimations. We used the Pathfinder Pro XR and GPSMAP 76S, which are categorized as “high-end mapping” and “general navigation” GPS receivers, respectively. The field tests were conducted in both natural and plantation forests. The results showed that the Pathfinder Pro XR, which has better multipath rejection technology, worked well, especially in the plantation forest under unfavorable conditions of higher stand density. We used analysis of variance to clarify the effects of the receiver type, positioning mode, stand type, and polyline simplification method on area and perimeter estimations. The receiver type and positioning mode were found to be significant factors that affected area estimation. The Pathfinder Pro XR estimated the area more accurately than the GPSMAP 76S, and differential GPS estimated the area more accurately than autonomous GPS. With respect to the perimeter, the receiver type, positioning mode, and polyline simplification method were found to be significant factors. The results showed that perimeter estimation was improved by using the velocity filter, and further improved by using the velocity filter and Douglas-Peucker algorithm, especially when the Pathfinder Pro XR was used. The GPSMAP 76S estimated the perimeter accurately without any filtering because its default speed filter worked well, even though the GPSMAP 76S is a general navigation GPS receiver.     

Age trends in the genetic parameters of wood density and the relationship with growth rates in hybrid larch (Larix gmelinii var. japonica × L. kaempferi) F1

Age trends in variance components and heritability of overall wood density, earlywood and latewood density, and latewood proportion were investigated in 29-year-old trees of 19 full-sib families of hybrid larch (Larix gmelinii var. japonica × Larix kaempferi) F₁. The age–age correlation and optimum selection age for these traits were also estimated and genetic and phenotypic correlations between wood density and radial growth rate were calculated for each growth ring. Intraring wood density data were obtained using X-ray densitometry. The coefficient of additive genetic variance was stable over all ages, whereas the coefficient of environmental variances gradually decreased with increasing age, resulting in increases in heritability estimates with age for overall density. The latewood proportion had the highest heritability estimates at all ages, ranging from 0.44 to 0.66. Overall density and its various components at 28 years of age showed strong genetic correlations with their respective traits at all younger ages. Optimum selection ages for the wood density traits ranged from 8 to 14 years, at which point maximum gain efficiencies per year were obtained. There were negative correlations between wood density and radial growth rate at early ages, although these relationships tended to be weaker with increasing age. These results suggest that selection at a young age is effective for wood density, but particular care must be taken in selecting trees with an improved radial growth rate because rapid growth will result in a low-density wood product, especially in the early growth period.     

Allelic variation in high-molecular-weight glutenin subunit Loci of Glu-1 in Japanese common wheats

Seed storage proteins of 131 Japanese Norin wheat (Triticum aestivum) varieties were fractionated by sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis to determine allelic make-up in varieties at each of three loci that control high-molecular-weight (HMW) glutenin subunits. Three alleles were identified at the Glu-A1 locus, six at the Glu-B1 locus and five at the Glu-D1 locus. Twenty-four different, major glutenin HMW subunits were identified and each contained three to five subunits and seventeen different glutenin subunit patterns were observed for 19 subunits in the 131 Japanese Norin varieties. Fourteen alleles were identified by comparison of subunit mobility with that previously found in hexaploid wheat. Japanese Norin varieties showed a specific pattern of allelic variation in glutenin HMW subunits, different from that of Chinese and other country common wheats in allelic frequency at Glu-1 loci. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Identification of RFLP markers linked with heading date and its heterosis in hexaploid wheat

Recombinant inbred lines (RILs) from a cross between hexaploid wheat (T. aestivum cv. Chinese Spring (CS) and T. spelta (Sp)) were used for RFLP analysis of heading date and heterosis. Fourteen RFLP markers linking with heading date were identified; two were localized on chromosome 1A, one on 2A, three on 2B, one on 2D, four on 5A, two on 7A and one unlinked but reported to be on group 2. All of these markers may be attributable to genes for earliness per se. However, the markers in the chromosomes of 1A and 7A are new to this study. RILs were crossed with (tim)-CS, the alloplasmic CS with T. timopheevi cytoplasm, and the heterosis from earlier-parent and mid-parents were calculated for the F₁s to examine the heterotic effect toward earliness on heading date. Five and two RFLP markers were associated with heterosis from the earlier-parent and mid-parents, respectively. They were distributed on the chromosomes of homoeologous groups 1 and 2. This revised version was published online in July 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Applicability of Aegilops tauschii drought tolerance traits to breeding of hexaploid wheat

Few genes are available to develop drought-tolerant bread wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) cultivars. One way to enhance bread wheat’s genetic diversity would be to take advantage of the diversity of wild species by creating synthetic hexaploid wheat (SW) with the genomic constitution of bread wheat. In this study, we compared the expression of traits encoded at different ploidy levels and evaluated the applicability of Aegilops tauschii drought-related traits using 33 Ae. tauschii accessions along with their corresponding SW lines under well-watered and drought conditions. We found wide variation in Ae. tauschii, and even wider variation in the SW lines. Some SW lines were more drought-tolerant than the standard cultivar Cham 6. Aegilops tauschii from some regions gave better performing SW lines. The traits of Ae. tauschii were not significantly correlated with their corresponding SW lines, indicating that the traits expressed in wild diploid relatives of wheat may not predict the traits that will be expressed in SW lines derived from them. We suggest that, regardless of the adaptability and performance of the Ae. tauschii under drought, production of SW could probably result in genotypes with enhanced trait expression due to gene interactions, and that the traits of the synthetic should be evaluated in hexaploid level.     

Analysis of wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium derivatives with BYDV-resistance

Chromosome compositions of seven lines, derived from hybrids between a wheat cultivar and the wheat-Thinopyrum intermedium addition line Z6, with barley yellow dwarf virus (BYDV) resistance, were determined by genomic in situ hybridization, cytogenetic and SSR assays. The results showed that line N522 was a disomic addition line, lines N420 and N439 were 2Ai-2(2B) chromosome substitution lines, lines N431 and N452 were 2Ai-2(2D) chromosome substitution lines, line N523 was a 2Ai-2S(2D) ditelosomic substitution line, and line N530 was a double ditelosomic line with the mitotic chromosome number of 2n = 40 + 4t. One pair of telosomes in line N530 lacked several proximal SSR markers of chromosome 2AS, but possessed certain terminal markers, which were consistent with an acrocentric structure, and the other pair of chromosome arms were presumably 2Ai-2S telosomes with BYDV-resistance. These wheat-Th. intermedium lines provide useful genetic resources for developing alien chromosome translocation lines.     

Transactivational property of chemicals via medaka glucocorticoid receptor 1b using a stable reporter gene assay

The transactivational property of natural and synthetic chemicals via medaka GR1b was investigated after development of a stable cell line for the reporter gene assay. In our study, cortisol was the most potent agonist among the natural corticoids assayed for potency [EC₅₀ (concentration of agonist provoking a response halfway between the baseline and maximum response) 68 nM] and efficacy. Three artificial corticosteroids, namely, dexamethasone [EC₅₀ 16 nM, relative agonistic activity to cortisol (RAA) 144 %], prednisolone (EC₅₀ 81 nM, RAA 116 %) and clobetasol propionate (EC₅₀ 0.10 nM, RAA 220 %), showed strong agonistic activity and were more potent than the original corticoid, F. All synthetic corticoids used in our study were full agonists. Interestingly, melengestrol acetate, a synthetic progestogen, induced luciferase activity in a dose-dependent manner. Based on its EC₅₀ value and RAA of 29 nM and 57 %, respectively, this molecule was assessed as a partial agonist. None of the other steroids and chemicals assayed in our study induced an agonistic response. In conclusion, we successfully developed a stable reporter gene assay that can be used to assess the transactivational property of glucocorticoid-like chemicals toward medaka GR1b.     

Hemolytic suppression roles of taurine in yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata fed non-fishmeal diet based on soybean protein

ABSTRACT:   To elucidate the hemolytic suppression roles of taurine and the necessity of dietary taurine supplementation in yellowtail Seriola quinqueradiata fed a diet without fishmeal, juvenile fish with an initial body weight of 250 g were fed for 40 weeks in floating net cages on soybean protein diets supplemented with 0, 3.0, 4.5 and 6.0% taurine. Taurine concentration of the experimental diets were 0.03, 33.9, 52.8 and 71.6 mg/g, respectively. On the 21st week, fish fed the taurine unsupplemented diet had inferior growth and feed performances, higher death, and there were incidences of green liver and hemolytic anemia. In this group, hepatic and plasma taurine concentrations, serum osmolality and osmotic tolerance of erythrocytes (EC50 value) were significantly lower, and plasma hydroperoxide concentration was markedly higher than in the taurine supplemented groups. These conditions markedly improved corresponding with the increase of dietary taurine concentration. These results indicate that taurine plays a role in hemolytic suppression through osmoregulation and biomembrane stabilization in fish. In addition, it is suggested that yellowtail requires dietary taurine as an essential nutrition for maintaining physiological condition normally.