A comparative pathological study on canine necrotizing meningoencephalitis and granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis

Canine necrotizing meningoencephalitis (NME) and granulomatous meningoencephalomyelitis (GME) were compared pathologically. Gross observation exhibited lateral ventricular dilation and discoloration, malacia and/or cavitation of the cerebrum in NME. On the contrary, gross changes were milder in GME, except for occasional visible granulomatous mass formation. Histopathologically, the lesions of NME were distributed predominantly in the cerebral cortex and various degrees of inflammatory and necrotic changes were observed according to clinical stages. Besides, microscopic lesions of GME were mainly distributed in the white matter of the cerebrum, cerebellum and brainstem, which are characterized by perivascular cuffing, multiple granulomas and leptomeningeal infiltrates. Although macrophages and lymphocytes were predominant in the inflammatory lesions of both disorders, macrophages in GME transformed into epithelioid cells and exhibited more massive infiltration. Although lectin RCA-1-reactive cells were numerous in both disorders, lysozyme immunoreactive cells in NME were fewer than that in GME. Parenchymal infiltration of MAC387-positive cells was common in GME and limited in NME. The number of CD3-positive lymphocytes in the GME lesions tended to be greater than in NME, though the difference was not statistically significant. Morphological and immunohistochemical differences of the lesions, in particular, the characteristics of infiltrative macrophages may reflect these different pathogeneses of the two disorders.     

Natural infection of Chrysanthemum stunt viroid in dahlia plants

For the first time, Chrysanthemum stunt viroid (CSVd) was detected in commercial dahlia bulbs in Japan. CSVd was found in 77.2% of the tested plants (Dahlia spp.). In nucleotide sequence analysis, a CSVd variant was detected consisting of 354 nucleotides, which differed slightly from previously reported CSVd variants. The nucleotide sequence data reported is available in the DDBJ/EMBL/GenBank databases under accession number AB255879.     

Potential use of a spatially constrained harvest scheduling model for biodiversity concerns: Exclusion periods to create heterogeneity in forest structure

The objective of this paper is to investigate potential use of a spatially constrained harvest scheduling model for biodiversity concerns. Change in the degree of biodiversity is represented only by spatial characteristics of harvesting patterns of forest stands with different exclusion periods applied to adjacent forest stands. A spatially constrained harvest scheduling model called SSMART (Scheduling System of Management Alternatives foR Timber-harvest) is used for the analysis. It is one of the heuristics to solve a spatially constrained harvest scheduling problem by using the partitioning heuristic. The algorithm incorporated into SSMART is designed to seek a solution for a multicriteria problem with present net value maximum, meeting spatial feasibility and minimizing period-to-period harvest flow fluctuation, approximating even-flow constraints within the 0–1 integer programming framework. Our experimental analysis shows that the longer exclusion period, the less the harvest flow level and the total present net value are derived and the more heterogeneous the forest structure becomes in terms of the forest stand age distribution. It is also shown that the three exclusion period results in a stable forest stand age distribution over the time horizon for our experimental forest. This research supported by the Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research (No. 09041071) from the Ministry of Education, Science, Sports, and Culture of Japan.     

Effect of particle shape on linear expansion of particleboard

Hinoki (Japanese cypress) strand with 0.6mm thickness was hammer-milled to prepare three types of particles that had the same thickness but different lengths and widths. Screen analysis and image analysis were conducted to evaluate the shape and distribution of the particle dimensions. Laboratory-scale particleboards were fabricated at three density levels using these particles. To determine the true effect of particle shape on the linear expansion (LE) of the board, these boards exhibited almost the same temperature behavior during pressing, the same density profile, and the same bending properties at each board density level. LE at 40°C and 90% relative humidity of the board was found to be affected by the particle shape. The board composed of small particles showed a larger LE at the same density level. It was considered that the out-of-plane orientation angle of the particles affected the LE of the boards. Thickness swelling and internal bond strength were also affected by the particle shape.Part of this report was presented at the 50th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kyoto, April 2000     

Pollen dispersal in a hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) seed orchard detected using a chloroplast DNA marker

Pollen dispersal was estimated in two test plots in a hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) seed orchard using a chloroplast DNA marker, the spacer region between thetrnD andtrnY genes, and SSCP (single strand conformation polymorphism). In Plot 1, 2,020 seeds from 40 trees within 30 m of the marker tree were analyzed using the PCR-SSCP method. In Plot 2, 1,850 seeds from 37 trees were analyzed in the same manner. The results revealed that the maximum pollen dispersal distance in the two plots exceeded 25 m. Pollen dispersal appeared to be inversely proportional to the distance from the marker tree. The effective pollen dispersal was suggested to be less than about 20 m in a mature hinoki seed orchard. Adjacent trees had an excessive influence when the pollen density was increased by artificial flower stimulation. Therefore, it was suggested that seed production better resembles ideal random mating when carried out as naturally as possible. In conclusion, the SSCP chloroplast DNA marker was a useful tool for amassing basic information on pollen management in seed orchards of coniferous species.     

A simultaneous estimation procedure for the parameters of the maximum size–density line and self-thinning curve to predict stand development of fast-growing tropical species

A simultaneous estimation procedure for the parameters of two functions, i.e., the maximum size–density line and the self-thinning curve, is presented to predict stand development for fast-growing tropical species. This procedure assumes that the rate of periodic reduction in stand density with increasing quadratic mean diameter on a logarithmic scale (r) will increase inversely proportionally to the distance from the maximum size–density line and consequently equals the slope of the line at distance 0. Under this assumption, the maximum size–density line can be incorporated into the self-thinning curve to form an integrated equation with three parameters: k and m, the slope and constant of the maximum size–density line, and a, the rate of reduction of r of the self-thinning curve. These parameters are estimated simultaneously using measurement data on stand density, quadratic mean diameter, and the corresponding r. This procedure was evaluated by application to two data sets: 186 measurements of Acacia mangium and 95 measurements of Paraserianthes falcataria, for which the parameters k and m have previously been calculated. The parameters estimated using this procedure were in good agreement with previous ones based on the A. mangium data set, and the differences found for the P. falcataria data set were also small, within the error variances. Therefore, it is concluded that the proposed procedure would give almost the same estimates from a single calculation step as the previous procedure that required two separate calculation steps.     

A New Approach for Characterization of Single Raindrops

To determine the characteristics of single raindrops as a function of their size, the collodion film method was newly applied to the sampling of single raindrops. Sampling of single raindrops was performed at a height of 20 m above ground level of the Kyoto University building located in Uji, Japan during rain events from September to November 1999. It was possible to get successfully replicas of raindrop by collodion film method. And we tried to analyze the elemental components of the nuclei and pollutants that were incorporated into the developing raindrop. To the analysis of single raindrops, Particle Induced X-ray Emission (PIXE) was applied. Several elements including S in single raindrops were detected by PIXE. The concentrations of every element increased with decreasing drop diameter. Furthermore, to acquire more detailed information such as inner-structure and mixing state in single raindrops, micro-PIXE analysis was performed. The nucleation centers of single raindrops were successfully analyzed by micro-PIXE. Ca, S and Fe were apparently detected by scanning beam of 1 ～ 2 µm diameter and about 70 pA beam current.     

Dentate gyrus NMDA receptors mediate rapid pattern separation in the hippocampal network

Forming distinct representations of multiple contexts, places, and episodes is a crucial function of the hippocampus. The dentate gyrus subregion has been suggested to fulfill this role. We have tested this hypothesis by generating and analyzing a mouse strain that lacks the gene encoding the essential subunit of the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor NR1, specifically in dentate gyrus granule cells. The mutant mice performed normally in contextual fear conditioning, but were impaired in the ability to distinguish two similar contexts. A significant reduction in the context-specific modulation of firing rate was observed in the CA3 pyramidal cells when the mutant mice were transferred from one context to another. These results provide evidence that NMDA receptors in the granule cells of the dentate gyrus play a crucial role in the process of pattern separation.     

GaN photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser at blue-violet wavelengths

Shorter-wavelength surface-emitting laser sources are important for a variety of fields, including photonics, information processing, and biology. We report on the creation of a current-driven blue-violet photonic-crystal surface-emitting laser. We have developed a fabrication method, named "air holes retained over growth," in order to construct a two-dimensional gallium nitride (GaN)/air photonic-crystal structure. The resulting periodic structure has a photonic-crystal band-edge effect sufficient for the successful operation of a current-injection surface-emitting laser. This represents an important step in the development of laser sources that could be focused to a size much less than the wavelength and be integrated two-dimensionally at such short wavelengths.