Model Intercomparison Study of Long Range Transport and Sulfur Deposition in East Asia (MICS-ASIA)

To help improve the use of models in science & policy analysis in Asia it is necessary to have a better understanding of model performance and uncertainties. Towards this goal an intercomparison exercise has been initiated as a collaborative study of scientists interested in long-range transport in East Asia. An overview of this study is presented in this paper. The study consists of a set of prescribed test calculations with carefully controlled experiments. Models used the same domain, emission inventory, model parameters, meteorological conditions, etc. Two periods (January and May 1993) were selected to reflect long-range transport conditions under two distinct seasons. During these periods measurements of sulfur concentrations and deposition were made throughout the study region using identical sampling and analysis protocols. The intercomparison activity consists of four tasks (Blind Test, Fixed Parameter Test, Source Receptor test, and Tuning Test). All participants were asked to do Task A, and as many of the other tasks as possible. To date seven different models have participated in this study. Results and key findings are presented.     

Effect of Inoculation with Anaerobic Nitrogen-Fixing Consortium on Salt Tolerance of Miscanthus sinensis

A functional community of bacterial endophytes, an anaerobic nitrogen-fixing consortium (ANFICO), was previously isolated from grasses. In the present study, we investigated another function of ANFICO. The grass Miscanthus sinensis was inoculated with an ANFICO that included Clostridium sp. Kas201-1 and Enterobacter sp. B901-2 and was more tolerant to salinity stress than uninoculated or B901-2-inoculated plants. Microscopic observations using an immunostaining technique revealed the presence of endophytic colonization by the clostridia and the maintenance of a substantial clostridial population until the end of plant cultivation. We conclude that endophytic Clostridium sp. Kas201-1 accompanying Enterobacter sp. B901-2 enhances the salinity tolerance of the host plant.     

Phospholipid/fatty acid-induced secondary structural change in beta-lactoglobulin during heat-induced gelation

Effects of phosphatidylcholine (PC) and the predominant fatty acids (FAs) in milk, butyrate, oleate, and palmitate, on secondary structural changes in beta-lactoglobulin (beta-LG) during heat-induced gelation were analyzed on the basis of circular dichroism (CD) spectra. Small-strain oscillatory measurements were carried out to characterize viscoelastic properties of the heat-induced gels. In the absence of added salt, PC and FAs induced helix formation of beta-LG on heating to 80 degrees C and increased the storage moduli (G') of heat-induced gels. In the presence of 500 mM NaCl, PC did not change the CD spectrum of beta-LG but decreased G'. In contrast, butyrate substantially unfolded beta-LG in 500 mM NaCl on heating, forming very elastic gels with increased G' values. Palmitate and oleate induced beta-LG gel formation at 25 degrees C without heating; heating to 80 degrees C almost completely unfolded beta-LG in 500 mM NaCl.     

Characterization of royal jelly proteins in both Africanized and European honeybees (Apis mellifera) by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis

In this study, the proteins contained in royal jelly (RJ) produced by Africanized honeybees and European honeybees (Apis mellifera) haven been analyzed in detail and compared using two-dimensional gel electrophoresis, and the N-terminal amino acid sequence of each spot has been determined. Most spots were assigned to major royal jelly proteins (MRJPs). Remarkable differences were found in the heterogeneity of the MRJPs, in particular MRJP3, in terms of molecular weights and isoelectric points between the two species of RJ. Furthermore, during the determination of the N-terminal amino acid sequence of each spot, for the first time, MRJP4 protein has been identified, the existence of which had been only implied by cloning of its cDNA sequence. The presence of heterogeneous bands of glucose oxidase was also identified. Thus, the results suggest that two-dimensional gel electrophoresis provides a suitable method for the qualitative analysis of the proteins contained in RJ derived from different honeybee species.     

Recovery Strategy Following the Imposition of Episodic Soil Moisture Deficit in Stands of Peanut (Arachis hypogaea L.)

Peanut stands often face water deficits in the tropics and subtropics, especially in drought-prone areas of India. The effect of drought on peanut production has previously been studied. However, there is a lack of information on the post-stress recovery mechanism. The objective of this study was to investigate the recovery mechanism after relief of water stress. The effect of short-term drought applied (for 12 days) at the pre-flowering, peak flowering and pod-filling stages on chlorophyll (Chl) pigments, water use efficiency (W_ue), quantum yield (Q_y), root/shoot ratio (R:S), relative growth rate (RGR), net assimilation rate (NAR) and flower production during stress and subsequent post-stress recovery was examined. The leaf water potential (ψ_leaf) and leaf relative water content (RWC) in plants subjected to water deficit were reduced to 1/10 and 2/3, respectively, of the corresponding control values. Moisture deficit significantly reduced Chl a and b concentrations, the Chl a/b ratio, stomatal conductance, photosynthesis, W_ue and Q_y. However, a strong recovery of these traits was noted after rewatering, which led to onset of fresh growth on post-stress, with a marked increase in RGR and NAR and a flush of flowering. Drought significantly enhanced R:S, which accelerated post-stress recovery. Peanut stands exhibited excellent ecophysiological recovery with the post-stress onset of fresh growth. This strong recovery mechanism found in peanut stands suggests that peanut has high environmental plasticity.     

Monitoring of the genetic variability of the hatchery and recaptured fish in the stock enhancement program of the rare species barfin flounder <Emphasis Type="Italic">Verasper moseri</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   In relation to the stock enhancement program for barfin flounder, hatchery juveniles produced in 2001 were genotyped using microsatellite DNA markers (msDNA) and then released to natural waters. Subsequently, recaptured individuals, designated as 'tentative recaptured', were examined using msDNA. In order to evaluate the effectiveness of the stock enhancement program, pairwise F _ST and genic differentiation tests were used to estimate the genetic divergence between the wild samples, the hatchery broodstock, and the tentative recaptured samples. Analysis showed significant differentiation among these three groups. Pedigree determination by msDNA was used to establish the origin of the tentative recaptured individuals, in order to elucidate whether they were hatchery produced, 'real recaptured', or wild specimens. Wild individuals were not found. The effective population size of the real recaptured stock was very low ( N _e = 16.6). Equal family survivability was observed between the released and real recaptured stocks, indicating that the genetic variability of the released stock was maintained in the natural environment. Future broodstock management, breeding designs, and family contribution equalization of the offspring to be released will be required in this rare species to avoid unintended genetic differentiation between the wild population and the hatchery broodstock.     

Distribution of K, Na and Cl in Root and Leaf Cells of Soybean and Cucumber Plants Grown under Salinity Conditions

The element contents in the compartments of root and leaf cells of soybean and cucumber plants grown for 8 d in a nutrient solution containing 50 mM NaCl, 25 mM CaCl₂ or 50 mM NaCl+4.75 mM CaSO₄ were examined by X-ray microanalysis of freeze-substituted dry sections. Sodium accumulated in the vacuoles rather than in the cytoplasm and apoplastic space in the root cells of the soybean plants, leading to the difficulty in the transport of Na to leaves in soybean. Salt injury of soybean is considered to be caused by the accumulation of Cl at high concentrations in all the compartments of root and leaf cells. In contrast, the accumulation of Na in the cytoplasm of the root and leaf cells might disturb the metabolism and lead to the occurrence of salt toxicity in cucumber plants, which are tolerant to Cl due to the stimulation of Cl accumulation in vacuoles when the Ca concentration was high in nutrient media.     

In vitro propagation of Japanese garden iris,Iris ensata Thunb.

Summary Explants of young scapes of Iris ensata were cultured on MS medium with 1 mg/l NAA, 1 mg/l 6-BA, 30 g/l sucrose and 10 g/l agar, and this species was characterized by high variety specificity for callus, shoot and root induction. Among 23 varieties and one wild form tested, Okichidori, Miyukisudare and Meiji-l exhibited a considerable rate of shoot induction, although these induced poorly rooted shoots. In addition, two types of callus induction such as green and white calli were observed, and the induction of green-type calli was significantly correlated with that of shoots. Surprisingly, the only modification, half-strength MS inorganic salts, for the above medium proved to be very effective for shoot induction in the scape culture. For shoots obtained from the scape culture, effects of sucrose concentrations and activated charcoal on root induction were examined by using 1/2 MS with 1 mg/l NAA, 1 mg/l 6-BA, 30 g/l sucrose and 10 g/l agar as the basic medium. The addition of 1% activated charcoal to the media had a marked effect for root induction independent of sucrose concentrations and varieties tested. The in vitro propagation technique of I. ensata is discussed.     

Dough properties and bread-making quality-related characteristics of Yumechikara near-isogenic wheat lines carrying different Glu-B3 alleles

We investigated the relationships of three allelic variations in Glu-B3 (ab, g, and h) with dough properties and bread-making quality-related characteristics using near-isogenic lines (NILs) of ‘Yumechikara’ that commonly carry Glu-A1a, Glu-B1b, Glu-D1d, Glu-A3f, Glu-B3ab and Glu-D3a. Measurement of peak time (PT) in a 2-g mixograph indicated that Glu-B3g was the most effective for a strong dough property, followed by Glu-B3ab, with Glu-B3h being the least effective. The results of measurement of mixing time during bread-making were similar to those for PTs, i.e., the lines carrying Glu-B3g showed the longest mixing time, followed by those of Glu-B3ab, and those of Glu-B3h showed the shortest mixing time. Since two parameters of bread-making quality, loaf volume (LV) and specific loaf volume (SLV), were affected by flour protein contents in all groups of the Glu-B3 genotype, we compared the effects of the three Glu-B3 alleles on those parameters using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to remove the effect of protein content. The results indicated that the Glu-B3h group showed the largest SLV, followed by the Glu-B3ab group, and the Glu-B3g group showed the smallest SLV. These results suggest that the introduction of Glu-B3h into ‘Yumechikara’ makes it possible to breed varieties with good bread-making quality-related characteristics.     

Effects of Calcium Concentration in Potato Tuber Cells on the Formation of Cross-Links between Pectin Molecules by Ca<Superscript>2+</Superscript>

The formation of cross-links between pectin molecules via Ca²⁺ in the potato tuber cell wall is a determinant factor on processing properties of potato and the quality of its products such as French fries. Thus, in this study, potato tubers varying significantly in their calcium concentrations were analyzed to investigate whether an increased absorption of calcium by a potato tuber led to an increase in the calcium concentration in the cell wall and how the calcium concentration in the cell wall influenced on the formation of cross-links between pectin molecules via Ca²⁺. Correlation analysis revealed that calcium absorbed by a potato tuber was bound to the cell wall as a water insoluble form 99 days after planting or later. Furthermore, with an increase in the calcium concentration in the cell wall, the content of chelator soluble pectin increased throughout tuber bulking and maturation stages. However, the degree of methylation was not a limiting factor in the formation of cross-links between pectin chains via Ca²⁺. Atomic force microscopy images of parenchyma cell walls prepared from mature potato tubers indicated an increase in the amount of calcium cross-linked pectin molecules with an increase in the calcium concentration in the cell wall. The present study demonstrated that the calcium concentration of the cell wall of potato tubers significantly affected the formation of cross-linkages between pectin molecules and, consequently, contributed to an enhanced formation of pectin-calcium networks in the cell wall.