Effect of ozone treatment of wood on its liquefaction

The effects of ozone treatment were investigated to improve the process of liquefaction of wood with polyhydric alcohol solvents. The liquefied wood having a high wood to polyhydric alcohol ratio (W/P ratio) could be prepared by using the wood treated with ozone in the liquid phase. The liquefied wood with a W/P ratio of 2 : 1 had enough fluidity to act as a raw material for chemical products. To get some information about the effects of ozone treatment toward the wood components, cellulose powder and steamed lignin were treated with ozone and liquefied. In particular, ozone treatment in the liquid phase was found to be effective for wood and cellulose powder. On the other hand, steamed lignin self-condensed during liquefaction after treatment with ozone in the liquid phase. Thus, ozone treatment provided lignin with reactive functional groups, and caused the subsequent condensation reaction. Although lignin was converted to a more condensable structure by ozone treatment, the condensation reaction was found to be suppressed for wood during its liquefaction. The wood liquefied products displayed good solubilities in N,N-dimethyl formamide (DMF) even after treatments of long duration. It was suggested that one of the main effects of ozone treatment toward wood was the decomposition of cellulose.Part of this report was presented at the 53rd Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Fukuoka, April 2003     

Mycobacterium ulcerans infection in an Indian flap-shelled turtle (Lissemys punctata punctata)

We report an atypical mycobacterial infection in an Indian flap-shelled turtle, Lissemys punctata punctata, that died in an aquarium in Japan. At necropsy, the turtle showed multiple white nodules on the capsular surface and parenchyma of various organs such as the liver, spleen, intestine, and lung. Histologically, granulomatous inflammation surrounding a central zone of necrosis was observed. Sections stained by the Ziehl-Neelsen method revealed numerous acid-fast bacilli in the cytoplasm of macrophages and in the central area of necrosis. The organisms were identified as a mycobacterial species by PCR and nucleotide sequence analysis and revealed 98-100% homology to M. ulcerans. This is, to our knowledge, the first report of mycobacteriosis due to M. ulcerans in a turtle.     

The investigation of probiotic potential of lactic acid bacteria isolated from traditional Mongolian dairy products

The aims of this study were to investigate the diversity of lactic acid bacteria (LAB) isolated from traditional Mongolian dairy products, and to estimate the probiotic potential of the isolated strains. We collected 66 samples of the traditional Mongolian dairy products tarag (n = 45), airag (n = 7), aaruul (n = 8), byasulag (n = 1) and eezgii (n = 5), from which 543 LAB strains were isolated and identified based on 16S ribosomal DNA sequence. The predominant species of those products were Lactobacillus (L.) delbrueckii ssp. bulgaricus, L. helveticus, L. fermentum, L. delbrueckii ssp. lactis and Lactococcus lactis ssp. lactis. However, we could not detect any LAB strains from eezgii. All LAB isolates were screened for tolerance to low pH and to bile acid, gas production from glucose, and adherence to Caco‐2 cells. In vitro, we found 10 strains possess probiotic properties, and almost identified them as L. plantarum or L. paracasei subspecies, based on 16S ribosomal DNA and carbohydrate fermentation pattern. These strains were differentiated from each other individually by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis. Additionally, it was notable that 6/10 strains were isolated from camel milk tarag from the Dornogovi province.     

New Rice Mutants（NR676 and NR827）Low in Nitrate Reduction

Mutants edficient in nitrate reductase(NR)were clasfied into two groups,nia types are deficient in apoprotein and cnx types are lack of Mo-Co.This paper reports the characteristics of low NR mutants,which are not edficient in NRactivity but 40%-60%of the NRactivity of the wild type,Nipponbare.Mu-tants NR676and NR827 were selected as seedings showing poor growth with nitrate as sole mitrogen-source from M2 population.They exhibited chlorate reistance.Genetic analysis in the F1and F2indicated that chlo-rate resistance in the mutants was transmitted by a single recessive nuclear gene and that NR676 and NR827 were induced by a mutation at a single locus.In the F2population,all of the seedings showing yellow green leaves were resistant to chlorate and low in NRactivity,Photosynthetic rate and mRNA expression of NR676and NR827 were lower than wild type.These results suggested that low NR activity and chlorate resistance of NR676and NR827 were Caused by a defect in photosynthetic process.     

Chemical species of Al in a gypsum-treated Kitakami Andosol

To examine the possibility that the Al₁₃ polymer ([A10₄Al₁₂(OH)24(H₂0)₁₂]⁷⁺) could be formed in soils after gypsum application, an analytical method using a cation exchange resin and ²⁷Al nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy was applied to gypsum-treated Kitakami Andosol (fine, mixed, mesic, Andic Dystrochrept). The NMR spectra of the cation exchange resins which retained artificially synthesized hydroxy-AI, showed two broad peaks at 0 and 63 ppm. These results indicated that monomer and/or dimer Al and Al¹³ polymers adsorbed on the cation exchange resin could be detected with ²⁷Al NMR. The amount of polymer Al increased by gypsum application in the Kitakami soil. The NMR spectrum of this resin showed only one peak at 0 ppm indicating that the polymer Al formed in the gypsum treated Kitakami soil was not the Al¹³ polymer.     

线粒体DNA由来的RAPD标记能鉴别水稻雄性不育和可育细胞质

以野败型细胞质的水稻雄性不育系珍汕97A及其保持系珍汕97B的总DNA为模板,从100个引物中筛选到OPA12对珍汕97A能扩增出一条1600 bp的特异带.用OPA12扩增野败型细胞质的龙特浦A及其保持系龙特浦B、矮败型细胞质的协青早A及其保持系协青早B、恢复系明恢63、珍汕97A/明恢63的F1和F2个体的总DNA,不育系、F1和F2所有调查个体都有16     

Efficiency of planting hybrid larch F1 ( Larix gmelinii var. japonica × L. kaempferi ) at different planting densities and using seedlings or rooted cuttings

The efficiency of planting a hybrid larch F₁ at two planting densities and of using seedlings of hybrid larch F₁ or rooted cuttings of Gream, the registered variety, was investigated. Significantly more time was required to move from one planting spot to the next in plots with 625 seedlings/ha than in plots with 1,333 seedlings/ha, but there was no significant difference between seedlings and rooted cuttings. Approximately 18% more time was needed to plant a single planting stock at the low planting density than at the high density. The need to prune roots or enlarge a planting hole occurred more often for rooted cuttings than for seedlings, and 17% more time was needed to plant rooted cuttings of Gream than seedlings.     

Can spines deter deer browsing?: a field experiment using a shrub <Emphasis Type="Italic">Damnacanthus indicus</Emphasis>

We examined the defensive function of spines of Damnacanthus indicus against deer herbivory by experimentally removing spines in the field where deer density is high. Individuals of D. indicus whose spines had been removed had a higher probability of being browsed by deer than control individuals. In addition, plant height was significantly lower for individuals that were browsed than those that were not. These results support the notion that spines of D. indicus have a function to deter deer browsing. This study is the first to demonstrate experimentally the defensive function of spines against large mammals in temperate areas.     

Estimation of the proportion of offspring having soluble solids content in fruit exceeding a given critical value in Japanese persimmon

In fruit breeding, the selection is often based on individual plant performance, therefore, the expected proportion of offspring having genotypic values exceeding a given critical value (EP) was estimated for soluble solids content (SSC) in Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki Thunb.). A simple model was used in the study: the mean value of offspring in a full-sib family is solely determined by the regression of that on midparental value (MP) and all families have an equal within-family variance due to segregation. The population consisted of 39 full-sib families with three offspring each. Between-family variance was much smaller than within-family variance. Genetic variance for MP was much smaller than that for offspring. The EP therefore was not highly affected by the regression. Based on the parental mean performance of 35 fruits on a single tree for three years, the proportion of offspring having SSC higher than 18% was estimated as 32%, 50% and 69% for three groups of MP differing in SSC, i.e. 16.5%, 17.5%, and 18.5%, respectively. The distributions which were predicted using those results for 246 offspring from 46 families, and 86, 44, 43 and 31 offspring from four selected families, respectively, were largely consistent with those observed.