Heartwood extractives from the Amazonian trees <Emphasis Type="Italic">Dipteryx odorata,Hymenaea courbaril</Emphasis>, and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Astronium lecointei</Emphasis> and their antioxidant activities

Heartwood extracts from Amazonian trees cumaru-ferro (Dipteryx odorata), jatoba (Hymenaea courbaril), and guarita (Astronium lecointei) exhibit antioxidant activities comparable with that of α-tocopherol, a well-known antioxidant. This article reports the characterization of the antioxidant compounds in the extracts of the three heartwoods. Silica gel column chromatography of the cumaru-ferro EtOAc extract yielded (−)-(3R)-7,2′,3′-trihydroxy-4′-methoxyisoflavan and (+)-(3R)-8,2′,3′-trihydroxy-7,4′-dimethoxyisoflavan. Silica gel column chromatography followed by preparative high-performance liquid chromatography of the jatoba EtOAc extract yielded (−)-fisetinidol and (+)-trans-taxifolin. Chemical structures were assigned using electron-ionization mass spectrometry, ¹H and ¹³C nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy including nuclear Overhauser effect spectroscopy (NOESY), as well as optical rotation and circular dichroism. Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry demonstrated that the isolated compounds were predominant in the EtOAc extracts. In the guarita EtOAc extract, catechin and gallic acid were identified by comparing their retention times and mass fragmentation patterns with those of authentic samples. Antioxidant activity determined by the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl assay demonstrated that all these compounds had activities comparable with that of α-tocopherol. Part of this report was presented at the 57th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Hiroshima, August 2007     

Radiocarbon Content in Urban Atmospheric Aerosols

We attempted to elucidate seasonal variations in fossil-fuel-derived carbon (FC) and biomass-derived carbon (BC) in urban atmospheric aerosols. We undertook continuous measurements of the composition of fine particle (PM_2.1) in central Tokyo, including the ¹⁴C/¹²C ratio. The percent modern carbon (pMC) contained in all samples averaged 43, and the highest was 54 in late December and the lowest was 31 in early August. From the observed carbonaceous component concentrations and the pMC we could calculate the content ratio of FC and BC in PM_2.1 and investigate their seasonal variations. Although there was almost no seasonal variation in the ratio of FC, the ratio of BC was observed to rise in early winter. This indicates that FC is influenced by the emission sources without seasonal variations (such as automobiles driven in urban areas). Furthermore, there is significant correlation between BC and organic carbon (OC), and even for urban areas, it is considered that the contribution of biomass carbon to OC in PM_2.1 is high.     

近地层臭氧浓度升高对常规稻颖花形成的影响：FACE研究

FACE(free air gas concentration enrichment)研究使用标准的作物管理技术,在完全开放的大田条件下运行,代表了目前人类对未来大气环境的最好模拟。利用独特的大型稻田FACE平台,以典型的常规水稻品种武粳15(粳稻)和扬稻6号(籼稻)为供试材料,研究近地层臭氧(O3)浓度升高(比大气背景臭氧浓度平均增高26%)对常规水稻颖花形成的影响。结果表明:(1)高浓度O3对供试品种全穗以及一、二次枝梗颖化分化数均无显著影响;(2)高浓度O3使供试品种全穗和二次枝梗颖花退化数和退化率均显著增加,颖花退化增多是由于现存一次枝梗上二次枝梗大量退化而引起的二次颖花退化所造成;(3)颖花退化数在颖花分化数中所占比例很低,故高浓度O3对两供试品种全穗和一、二次枝梗颖花现存数以及稻穗构成均无显著影响。结合前报可知,选用常规水稻品种以及增施保花肥可能是未来近地层高浓度O3环境下稻作生产重要的适应措施。     

Toxicity of the antifouling biocide Sea-Nine 211 to marine algae, crustacea, and a polychaete

We evaluated the acute toxicity of the antifouling biocide Sea-Nine 211 to the algae Chaetoceros calcitrans, Dunaliella tertiolecta, Tetraselmis tetrathele, and Skeletonema costatum, the crustacea Tigriopus japonicus and Portunus trituberculatus, and the polychaete Perinereis nuntia. The algae, and especially the diatoms C. calcitrans and S. costatum, were sensitive to Sea-Nine 211 toxicity, with the average acute toxicity values being 0.32, 3.9, 1.6, 0.22, 1.6, 12, and 27 μg/l for C. calcitrans, D. tertiolecta, T. tetrathele, S. costatum, T. japonicus, P. trituberculatus, and P. nuntia, respectively. A sediment toxicity test for Sea-Nine 211 using the polychaete P. nuntia revealed demonstrated that the 14-day median lethal concentration was 110 μg/kg dry-wt sediment and that growth was the most sensitive indicator. The chronic toxicity values of Sea-Nine 211 for the diatoms C. calcitrans and S. costatum were within the range of reported Sea-Nine 211 concentrations in seawater in coastal Japan, and the toxicity values for P. nuntia were within the reported concentrations in sediment. Based on these results, Sea-Nine 211 may have toxic effects on some sensitive species residing in the coastal areas of Japan, but the ecological risk posed by Sea-Nine 211 would appear to be confined to a limited area of Japanese coastal waters.     

Decline of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pinus thunbergii</Emphasis> Parlat. stands due to excess soil moisture caused by a buried andosol layer at a coastal sand site in Hokkaido,northern Japan

To demonstrate the effect of excess soil moisture on the decline of a coastal Pinus thunbergii stand in Oshamanbe, southwestern Hokkaido, Japan, soil moisture content was monitored for 4 years. The saturated hydraulic conductivities (K _S) of different soil types (coastal sand, supplied topsoil, and buried concreted andosol) and the distribution of the buried concreted andosol layer were investigated. We also examined needle length to verify the real-time response of P. thunbergii to excess soil moisture. Soil moisture content at the heavily damaged site was more heterogeneous than that at the slightly damaged site, and a sensor near the ground always reported a higher soil moisture content at the heavily damaged site than at the slightly damaged site. The buried concreted andosol layer was always found at the heavily damaged site. The K _S of the andosol layer was 10⁻⁵, suggesting that this layer is less permeable to water, leading to excess soil moisture at this site. P. thunbergii needles from the heavily damaged site were shorter than those from the slightly damaged site, possibly because of water stress. Together with other symptoms observed at the study sites, i.e., crown dieback and intense lateral growth, this information leads us to conclude that the decline of P. thunbergii stands at the heavily damaged site in Oshamanbe was caused by excess soil moisture due to the less permeable buried concreted andosol layer.     

Meteorological factors affecting seroconversion of Akabane disease in sentinel calves in the subtropical Okinawa Islands of Japan

Tropical Animal Health and Production - Akabane virus, the pathogen-causing Akabane disease, is an arthropod-borne virus (arbovirus) transmitted by the Culicoides biting midge. A nationwide...     

Molecular cloning, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of inflammatory cytokines of swamp type buffalo contrasting with other bubaline breeds

The current research concerned in the cloning, sequencing and phylogenetic analysis of inflammatory cytokine (IL-1alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6 and TNF-alpha) genes from swamp buffalo and two bubaline breeds, CB (cross between swamp and riverine type buffalo) and the Bulgarian Murrah buffalo. Multiple sequence comparison showed a high homology between the bubaline breeds, which ranged from 99.3% to 100.0% similarity, whereas from 98.6% to 99.0% compared to cattle. The phylogenetic analysis had confirmed and justified the degree of relationship between these bubaline species and their distinctness to each other by the bootstrap value (%) generated. These findings were discussed with particular attention to the diversity of the inflammatory cytokine proteins within closely related species. The result of this study concluded that a small difference in the cytokine structures might be the reason behind or has a contributory factor on the previous reports about the existence of disease resistance. However, in-depth study is necessary to further qualify these findings.     

Histopathological changes in the pancreas due to decreased pancreatic blood flow in a canine tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy model

In dogs, pancreatic acinar cell injury is thought to be caused by decreased pancreatic blood flow due to heart failure. In previous our report, it demonstrated that decreased heart function causes a significant decrease in pancreatic blood flow in heart failure dog model caused by rapid ventricular pacing (RVP). However, the types of histopathological changes remain unclear. We aimed to verify the types of histopathological changes occurring in the pancreatic tissue due to decreased heart function. After RVP for 4 weeks, atrophy of pancreatic acinar cells, characterized by a decrease in zymogen granules, was observed in all areas of the pancreas. In conclusion, the result of this study suggests that attention should be paid to ischemia/hypoperfusion injury in the pancreas.     

Distinguishable staining with neutral red for GFP-marked and GFP-nonmarked <Emphasis Type="Italic">Fusarium oxysporum</Emphasis> strains simultaneously colonizing root surfaces

 Green fluorescent protein (GFP)-marked Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. melonis and nonmarked F. oxysporum f. sp. fragariae were stained with neutral red. The neutral red stained vacuoles of the fungi without disturbing GFP fluorescence in the cytoplasm. GFP-marked fungi showed fluorescent hyphae with dark-stained vacuoles, whereas nonmarked fungi were detected as nonfluorescent hyphae with dark-dotted vacuoles. Root colonization by these two fungi was monitored using this method. Microconidia attached similarly to the root surface and elongated vegetative hyphae. Only the pathogenic fungi invaded, causing necrosis at the inoculation site. Thus, the present method enabled us to track simultaneously the various formae speciales of F. oxysporum colonizing the root surface. Received: March 25, 2002 / Accepted: September 27, 2002