Complete contact of Brassica roots with phosphorus fertilizer in a phosphorus-deficient soil

The preferential development of Brassica lateral roots for phosphorus (P) to forage for P fertilizer was observed by using alginate gel beads in which powdery dicalcium phosphate dihydrate (DCPD) was suspended (DCPD gel bead). The DCPD gel beads enabled to detect the characteristic root growth around them because of their larger diameter (1.5 cm) than that of standard fertilizer particles. The thin Brassica lateral roots completely encircled the DCPD gel beads and no soil area remained between the roots and the DCPD gel beads. This morphological plasticity of Brassica roots is highly suitable for improving the P recovery rate because even a few mm of soil with a high P retention capacity between a plant root and P fertilizer reduces the P recovery rate. The P recovery rate in the Brassica shoots exceeded 0.05 and the ratio of the shoot dry weight in the plot treated with DCPD gel beads to that in the control plot exceeded 10. Thus, the Brassica plants showed both a high P recovery rate and satisfactory growth in the P-deficient soil compared with other tested plants due to the complete contact between their roots and the DCPD gel beads. The preferential root proliferation for P was also observed in Fagopyrum esculentum Moench as well as Brassica plants among the 20 tested plants.     

Bending creep performances of three-ply cross-laminated woods made with five species

To improve the performance of cross-laminated woods, 30 types of three-ply parallel-laminated and cross-laminated woods were prepared from five species with various densities and shear compliances in cross section, and their bending creep performances were investigated on the basis of our previous research in cross-laminated wood made with sugi (Japanese cedar). The creep deformation perpendicular to the grain was decreased by cross laminating. The creep deformation perpendicular to the grain of parallel-laminated woods (P_⊥ type), that perpendicular to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods (C_⊥ type), and also that parallel to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods (C_║ type) tended to decrease with increasing density of species used for perpendicular-direction lamina. It was found that the extent of the decrease was greater in creep deformation than in initial deformation. The degrees of anisotropy for both deformations of laminated wood were markedly decreased by cross laminating. The extent of the decrease was much greater in creep deformation than in initial deformation and considerably smaller in buna with higher density than in sugi with lower density. The measured values of initial deformation and creep deformation of C_⊥ type were almost equal to the calculated values obtained from the measured values of parallel-laminated woods, whereas the measured values of both deformations of C_║ type were much greater than their calculated values and increased markedly with increasing shear compliance in cross section of perpendicular-direction lamina used for core. The ratios of the average of measured values to the calculated value of C_║ type ranged from 1.05 (katsura) to 1.50 (sugi) in initial deformation and from 1.30 (katsura) to 3.69 (sugi) in creep deformation. This result can be explained as the effect of deflection caused by shear force.     

Static bending strength performances of cross-laminated woods made with five species

Thirty types of three-ply parallel- and cross-laminated woods were prepared from five species, and their static bending strength performance were investigated. The modulus of elasticity (MOE), proportional limit stress, and modulus of rupture (MOR) perpendicular to the grain were increased by cross-laminating, and the extent of the increase increased with decreasing density of the species. The measured values of MOE parallel and perpendi-cular to the grain of parallel-laminated woods and perpendicular to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods were approximately equal to those calculated from true MOEs of individual laminae. However, the MOE parallel to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods was much lower than the calculated MOE owing to the effect of the deflection caused by shear force on the MOE. The percentage of deflection caused by shear force versus total deflection (Y _s) showed high values, from 16.1% (buna) to 40.5% (sugi), and it decreased linearly with increasing shear modulus in the cross section of the core. In addition, there was an extremely high positive correlation between the MOR and the measured MOE parallel to the grain of face laminae of cross-laminated woods. The MOR was also highly dependent on the shear modulus in cross section of the core.Part of this paper was presented at the 50th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kyoto, April 2000     

Anticholinergic effects of artemisinin, an antimalarial drug, in isolated guinea pig heart preparations

Concern has been growing about the cardiac toxicity of antimalarial drugs. Artemisinin, a unique type of antimalarial drug originating from a Chinese medicinal plant, has minimal adverse effects, but it has been reported to inhibit delayed rectifier potassium current, a voltage-gated potassium current. However, no studies have been published concerning the effect of artemisinin on ligand-gated potassium currents. Therefore, in the present study, we examined the influence of artemisinin on the acetylcholine receptor-operated potassium current (IK.ACh), a ligand-gated potassium current, in guinea pig atrial myocytes using a patch clamp technique. Artemisinin (1 to 300 microM) inhibited I(K.ACh) induced by extracellular application of both carbachol (1 microM) and adenosine (10 microM) and that induced by intracellular loading of GTPgammaS (100 microM) in a concentration-dependent manner. Artemisinin inhibited carbachol-induced, adenosine-induced, and GTPgammaS-activated IK.ACh within almost the same concentration range. In left atria, artemisinin (1 to 100 microM) partially reversed the shortening of action potential duration induced by carbachol in a concentration-dependent manner. Carbachol-induced negative inotropic action in left atria was also inhibited by artemisinin (10 to 300 microM). In conclusion, we suggest that the anticholinergic action of artemisinin is mediated through inhibition of IK.ACh via inhibition of the muscarinic potassium channel and/or associated GTP-binding proteins.     

The PFA-AMeX method achieves a good balance between the morphology of tissues and the quality of RNA content in DNA microarray analysis with laser-capture microdissection samples

Recently, large-scale gene expression profiling is often performed using RNA extracted from unfixed frozen or formalin-fixed paraffin embedded (FFPE) samples. However, both types of samples have drawbacks in terms of the morphological preservation and RNA quality. In the present study, we investigated 30 human prostate tissues using the PFA-AMeX method (fixation using paraformaldehyde (PFA) followed by embedding in paraffin by AMeX) with a DNA microarray combined with laser-capture microdissection. Morphologically, in contrast to the case of atypical adenomatous hyperplasia, loss of basal cells in prostate adenocarcinomas was as obvious in PFA-AMeX samples as in FFPE samples. As for quality, the loss of rRNA peaks 18S and 28S on the capillary electropherograms from both FFPE and PFA-AMeX samples showed that the RNA was degraded equally during processing. However, qRT-PCR with 3’ and 5’ primer sets designed against human beta-actin revealed that, although RNA degradation occurred in both methods, it occurred more mildly in the PFA-AMeX samples. In conclusion, the PFA-AMeX method is good with respect to morphology and RNA quality, which makes it a promising tool for DNA microarrays combined with laser-capture microdissection, and if the appropriate RNA quality criteria are used, the capture of credible GeneChip data is well over 80% efficient, at least in human prostate specimens.     

A case of nontraumatic gas gangrene in a common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus)

The common marmoset is widely used in neuroscience and regenerative medicine research. However, information concerning common marmoset disorders, particularly infectious diseases, is scarce. Here, we report a case of a female common marmoset that died suddenly due to gas gangrene. The animal presented with gaseous abdominal distention at postmortem, and Clostridium perfringens type A was isolated from several tissues. Vacuoles, a Gram-positive bacteremia and intravascular hemolysis were observed microscopically in the muscles, liver and lungs. On the basis of these findings, we diagnosed nontraumatic gas gangrene caused by Clostridium perfringens type A in this common marmoset.     

Genetic diversity in Japanese aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) as revealed by nuclear and organelle DNA markers

Aromatic rice (Oryza sativa L.) cultivated in Japan is regionally differentiated by geographical distribution and characteristics. We aimed to characterize the lineage of Japanese aromatic rice using DNA markers. Based on analyses with nuclear SSR markers, we found that Japanese aromatic rice cultivars belong, with one exception, to japonica but showed some differences from authentic japonica and were divided into two clades that were distributed in western and eastern Japan, respectively. Further analyses with organelle markers showed that most of the cultivars in eastern Japan had cytoplasm characterized by tropical japonica, whereas most of those in western Japan had cytoplasm characterized by temperate japonica. We postulate that the ancestor of the cultivars in eastern Japan differs from those of the cultivars in western Japan, and that the two groups may have been separately introduced from Taiwan into Japan. The cytoplasm of aromatic rice cultivars in western Japan may have originated from tropical japonica and been substituted into the cytoplasm of temperate japonica through hybridization between tropical japonica as a male parent and temperate japonica as a female parent.     

Potential of Pyrene Removal from Urban Environments by the Activities of Bacteria and Biosurfactant on Ornamental Plant Leaves

Pyrene is a dominant PAH in urban environments. It can combine with airborne particulates and accumulate on plant leaves. To investigate pyrene’s biodegradation potential, this study initially monitored the abundance of airborne and phyllosphere bacteria. The number of airborne pyrene-degrading bacteria ranged from 22 to 152 CFU m^?3 air, and more bacteria were found in the proximity of the ornamental plant swath than along the roadside. Pyrene-degrading bacteria averaged 5 × 10⁴ CFU g^?1 on the leaves of all tested plant species and accounted for approximately 7% of the total population. Four pyrene-degrading bacteria were isolated from I. coccinea to use as model phyllosphere bacteria. To increase the bioavailability of pyrene, a lipopeptide biosurfactant was applied. Kocuria sp. IC3 showed the highest pyrene degradation in the medium containing biosurfactant. The removal of deposited pyrene at 30 μg g^?1 leaf was monitored in a glass chamber containing I. coccinea twigs. After 14 days, leaves containing both Kocuria sp. IC3 and 0.1× CMC biosurfactant showed 100% pyrene removal with the most abundant bacteria. The system with biosurfactant alone also enhanced the activities of phyllosphere bacteria with 94% pyrene removal. Consequently, the bioremediation of deposited pyrene could be achieved by spraying biosurfactant on ornamental shrubs.