Killing of feline T-lymphocytes by gamma-rays and energetic carbon ions

High linear energy transfer (LET) heavy charged particles have previously been applied clinically to human cancer radiotherapy because of their excellent physical properties of selective dose distribution and higher relative biological effectiveness (RBE) for human; however, such an approach has yet to be applied to cat patients. The present study investigates the biological effectiveness of low-LET gamma-rays (0.2 keV/micro m) compared to high-LET carbon ions (114 keV/micro m) in feline T- lymphocyte FeT-J cells. Clonogenic survival analysis revealed that the RBE value of carbon ions was 2.98 relative to a 10% survival dose (D(10)) by gamma-rays, and that the inactivation cross-section in cells exposed to gamma-rays and carbon ions was 0.023 and 38.9 micro m(2), respectively. Terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP-biotin nick end labeling (TUNEL) analysis revealed that TUNEL-positive frequency in carbon-irradiation cells is higher than for gamma-irradiated cells against exposure to the same physical doses, but that very little difference in TUNEL-positive frequency is observed between cells exposed to the respective D(10) dose of gamma-rays. Our data thus indicate that carbon ions are more effective for cell killing than gamma-rays at the same physical doses, but kill cells to an extent that is comparable to gamma-rays at the same biological doses. Carbon ion radiotherapy is therefore a promising modality for cat patients.     

Study of crystalline behavior of heat-treated wood cellulose during treatments in water

The crystalline behavior of heat-treated wood cellulose treated at 85% relative humidity (RH), in water, or boiled in water after heat treatment was investigated. The normal increased crystallinity was significantly depressed for samples that were oven-dried and then treated in 85% RH or in water. In the case of boiling-water treatment, a more pronounced increased in crystallinity was initially observed, which then decreased gradually. The crystallinity decreased more than untreated wood for samples that were heat treated for long periods and was slightly higher than the decreased crystallinity from the beginning of the above two treatments. On the other hand, no significant change in crystallinity was observed for samples of increased crystallinity or decreased crystallinity that were treated under high-moisture conditions, for all three treatments. The results show that the crystalline state of wood cellulose heat treated under oven dry or high-moisture conditions behave differently if treated in water after heat treatment. Results suggested that the mechanism of crystallization might be different for samples that are subjected to heat treatment under oven-dry and high-moisture conditions.     

Structural characterization of plancitoxin I, a deoxyribonuclease II-like lethal factor from the crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci , by expression in Chinese hamster ovary cells

Plancitoxin I, the major lethal factor from the spines of crown-of-thorns starfish Acanthaster planci, is a 37 kDa protein composed of two different subunits, and it has potent hepatotoxicity. It is homologous with mammalian deoxyribonuclease II (DNase II) and exhibits DNase activity responsible for the hepatotoxicity. To obtain information on the structure–activity relationship of plancitoxin I, various mutants were expressed in Chinese hamster ovary cells and examined for DNase activity. The results with deletion mutants revealed the requirement of the signal peptide for the expression of intact plancitoxin I and the inability of each subunit to hydrolyze DNA. Mutation at the N-glycosylation site (Asn-274) did not reduce DNase activity, supporting the absence of carbohydrate moieties in the molecule. The mutant H303A exhibited no DNase activity, suggesting the importance of His-303 for the enzymatic activity. No DNase activity was detected in C29A, C169A, C318A and C337A, indicating that four Cys residues are critical to the enzymatic activity. However, DNase activity was completely maintained in C263A and somewhat reduced in C277A and C357A. Based on the results with the Cys-specific mutants, plancitoxin I was assumed to contain three disulfide bridges (29–169, 277–357 and 318–337) and one free Cys-263.     

Fishery subsidies: the interaction between science and policy

Fisheries Science - Fisheries subsidies have attracted considerable attention worldwide since the 1990s. The World Trade Organization (WTO), among others, started to strengthen its disciplines in...     

<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pseudomonas syringae</Emphasis> pv. <Emphasis Type="Italic">cerasicola</Emphasis>, pv. nov., the Causal Agent of Bacterial Gall of Cherry Tree

Bacterial gall on trunks and twigs of cherry trees (Prunus × yedoens, Someiyoshino) was found in Miyazaki and Saga prefectures, Japan. The surface of young galls are relatively smooth and light brown, but they become rough and dark brown. Characteristics of the bacterium isolated from galls on trunks or twigs are similar to those of Pseudomonas syringae pathovars, i.e., pv. actinidiae, pv. daphniphylli, pv. dendropanacis, pv. Morsprunorum, pv. myricae, pv. rhaphiolepidis, pv. syringae and pv. tremae. This bacterium produced galls on cherry and apricot, but not on 66 other species of plants belonging to 39 families. From these results, this bacterium was classified as a new pathovar of Pseudomonas syringae, and the name Pseudomonas syringae pv. cerasicola, pv. nov., is proposed. Strain M9501(ICMP 13926) was designated as the pathotype strain. Received 10 September 1999/ Accepted in revised form 24 December 1999     

What controls the distribution of the Japanese endemic hemlock, Tsuga diversifolia? Footprint of climate in the glacial period on current habitat occupancy

Plant distributions are thought to be controlled by climate at large scales, and by non-climatic factors including soil conditions, topography and biotic interactions at smaller scales. However, not all plant distributions are explained by the current environment. Lags between current plant distributions and suitable environment for them are suggested to exist, which is often called empty habitat. To identify the existence and cause of lags between current climate and the distribution of Tsuga diversifolia, climatic conditions for the species distribution were clarified and potential habitats under current and the last glacial maximum (LGM; 21 ka) climates have been projected. The relationships between T. diversifolia distribution and climatic variables were explored using a classification tree model and a generalized additive model based on high-resolution (ca. 1 km) climatic data and a nationwide distribution database. The models were highly accurate. We revealed that T. diversifolia requires high summer precipitation even in humid Japanese environments. Areas with cool and wet summers were classified as potential habitat. Empty habitat for the focal species was identified in Hokkaido. Meanwhile, no potential habitat was projected in Hokkaido under the LGM. Additional experiments that varied temperature and summer precipitation during the LGM showed that the potential habitat was projected in Hokkaido irrespective of temperature decrease if summer precipitation increased nearly equal to the current climate. These results suggest that T. diversifolia vanished from Hokkaido, where fossil evidence indicated its occurrence until the late Neogene, during the glacial periods of the Pleistocene because of increased summer dryness.     

Vagueness ratio of storage function model parameters and its relation to the accuracy of hydrograph prediction

Fuzzy linear regression (FLR) has been applied in many areas, including several areas of engineering. For instance, it has been successfully applied in conceptual rainfall runoff modeling to identify the parameters of the storage function (SF) model. In the FLR, each model parameter is not a crisp value as found in traditional procedures but the model parameters have a fuzziness value characterized by the center () and the width (c) values. The width value could be further analyzed in terms of its contribution in the prediction accuracy. In this case, the vagueness ratio, defined as a ratio between the width value and its center value for the model parameters, is presented here as a surrogate for analyzing any possible relation to the prediction accuracy. Application of the vagueness ratio to a number of flood hydrographs at Ochohzu basin in Fukuoka, Japan, shows that the ratio is useful for assessing the accuracy of the hydrograph prediction; i.e., the higher the value of the ratio indicates the less accuracy in the prediction.     

Molecular cloning of tropomyosins identified as allergens in six species of crustaceans

Although tropomyosin is known to be a major allergen of crustaceans, its structural information is limited to only five species. In this study, tropomyosin was confirmed to be a major allergen in six species of crustaceans (black tiger prawn, kuruma prawn, pink shrimp, king crab, snow crab, and horsehair crab) by immunoblotting. Then, the amino acid sequences of tropomyosins from these crustaceans were elucidated by a cDNA cloning technique. Sequence data for crustacean tropomyosins including the obtained results reveal that fast tropomyosins are contained in shrimps (or prawns) and lobsters, slow tropomyosins in crabs, and both tropomyosins in crayfishes and hermit crabs. Although fast and slow tropomyosins share a high sequence identity (about 90%) with each other, significant differences are observed in specific regions between both tropomyosins.