Non-destructive neutron activation analysis of particle size fractions and soil extracts

Non-destructive instrumental neutron activation analysis was examined. Using long-lived isotopes, La, Sm, Ce, Sc, Fe, Co, Cs, Th, Cr, Hf, and Tb, and using short-lived isotopes, Al, V, Na, and Mn in various particle size Tractions of clay, silt, fine sand, and coarse sind, and the oxalic acid extracts of the soil were determined. Relative standard deviations (CV) were in the range of 1.7 to 12%. The reliability of the analysis was also examined. Recovery percentages ere in the range of 87 to 120%. The analytical results of geochemical reference samples of JG-1 and JB-1 showed general agreement with the other worker's results.

Distribution patterns of those elements among the six fractions of highly weathered and ively unweathered soils were briefly discussed in relation to weathering processes.     

A comparison of carotenoid content and total antioxidant activity in catsup from several commercial sources in the United States

Samples of catsup from 13 commercial sources, representing at least 10 U.S. manufacturers, were analyzed for carotenoid content, antioxidant activity, and percentage solids. The solids content of these catsup brand samples varied from 26.31 to 38.06% solids. The lycopene content ranged from 59.42 to 183.36 microg, and total carotenoids were as high as 216.6 microg/g fresh weight, respectively. In addition, both hydrophilic and lipophilic antioxidant activities were measured using the Trolox equivalent antioxidant capacity (TEAC) assay. These measurements of samples of the various catsup brands ranged from 176.5 to 356.8 total TEAC units.     

Fatty acid and carotenoid composition of gac (Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng) fruit

In this study, we analyzed fatty acid and carotenoid composition of fruit tissues, including seed (which are surrounded by a bright red, oily aril) of Momordica cochinchinensis Spreng, known as gac in Vietnam. Carotenoid content was analyzed by reversed-phase HPLC, using a C(30) column and a method separating cis- and trans-isomers of the major carotenoids in this fruit. Mean values obtained in aril tissues were 1342 microg trans-, 204 microg cis-, and 2227 microg total lycopene; 597 microg trans-, 39 microg cis-, and 718 microg total beta-carotene; and 107 microg alpha-carotene/g FW. Mesocarp contained 11 microg trans-, 5 microg cis-beta-carotene/g FW, trace amounts of alpha-carotene, and no lycopene. Gac aril contained 22% fatty acids by weight, composed of 32% oleic, 29% palmitic, and 28% linoleic acids. Seeds contained primarily stearic acid (60.5%), smaller amounts of linoleic (20%), oleic (9%), and palmitic (5-6%) acids, and trace amounts of arachidic, cis-vaccenic, linolenic, and palmitoleic, eicosa-11-enoic acids, and eicosa-13-enoic (in one fruit only) acids.     

Study on aquifer hydraulic properties using tidal response method for future groundwater development

Paddy and Water Environment - The hydraulic properties of an island’s aquifers were studied using a tidal response method. Groundwater is the principal water resource on the studied island,...     

Integrated field- and model-based study of hydro-environmental aspects of a small, endangered wetland in eastern Hokkaido, Japan

The hydro-environmental aspects of a small, endangered wetland (Totsuru wetland), located in eastern Hokkaido, Japan, are investigated, and the efficacy of a proposed engineering strategy for restoring the wetland is examined. Taking ²²²Rn as a target tracer and building a static ²²²Rn mass balance equation, the share of groundwater-genetic surface water in yielding the entire surface water in the wetland is appraised. The share is also appraised by using a different approach based on a non-static, site-specific water balance model. Both approaches yielded nearly the same percentage share, and therefore, it is concluded that 70% or more of the surface water entering the Totsuru swamp through the natural rivers is groundwater genetic. Using the water balance model, it is deduced that the reverse flow from the Uenbetsu drainage river is not less than 30% of the entire surface water flow entering the swamp, and therefore contributes considerably to mitigating the shrinkage of the swamp. Finally, through numerical experiments, it is shown that raising the water level of the Uenbetsu drainage river with a constructed weir to enhance the reverse flow is efficacious for restoring the wetland.     

Altered mitogen response of peripheral blood lymphocytes in different stages of feline immunodeficiency virus infection

To elucidate relationship between disease progress and immunologic alteration in feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) infection, we classified naturally infected cats into clinical stage groups using the working criteria modified from those for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Among the five distinct stages described for HIV infection, the three phases; asymptomatic carrier (AC), AIDS related complex (ARC), and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), were evaluated for concanavalin A (Con A)-induced lymphocyte blastogenic activities by using glucose consumption assay. There was a significant decrease of lymphocyte response in AC phase. The loss of response became marked as the disease progressed to ARC and AIDS, with an almost complete loss of mitogen response in AIDS phase. In addition to the loss of a lymphocyte function, AIDS in FIV infection was characterized by marked emaciation, anemia or pancytopenia, and postmortem evidences of opportunistic infections and lymphoid depletion.     

Effect of Freeze‐Thaw Cycles on the Gluten Fibrils and Crumb Grain Structures of Breads Made from Frozen Doughs

The effects of freeze damage on the crumb grain and on the underlying gluten fibrils of baked breads were studied using scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Sweet and white bread doughs were stored at ‐20°C and subjected to freeze‐thaw cycles. SEM images of grain pore walls that were washed with distilled water (20°C) clearly showed that gluten fibrils forming the skeletal framework of pore walls were cut and became coarse and nonuniform strings and that many knots were generated on gluten fibrils from freeze damage. An increase in the number of freeze‐thaw cycles increased both the coarseness of the gluten fibrils and the size of the knots, although the apparent damage was not clearly detected on the crumb grain with MRI.     

不同品种柿树果实发育中期的单宁细胞观察

以君迁子和美国柿为对照,在果实发育中期,对41个柿品种、45个样品的果实内单宁细胞,进行了组织学镜检。结果表明,一般甜柿较涩柿的单宁细胞数目少,个小,横径/纵径指数小。从果实顶部到基部,单宁细胞的横径变化不显著,但纵径从小到大,横径/纵径指数由大到小,甜柿一般较涩柿变化明显。作为砧木的君迁子和美国柿,果实内单宁细胞数量为普通柿的3～7倍,横径/纵径指数在0.7以上,但果实不同部位差异很小。     

Glyphosate‐resistant Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum) on rice paddy levees in Japan

The rapid range expansion of naturalized Italian ryegrass (Lolium multiflorum Lam.) in farmland is a serious problem in Fukuroi city in Shizuoka Prefecture, Japan. Glyphosate has been used to control Italian ryegrass in the levees of rice paddy fields and wheat fields for ～20 years, but this weed in Fukuroi city is poorly controlled by glyphosate. In order to elucidate the level of resistance to glyphosate in Italian ryegrass populations, seed bioassays and a foliar application experiment, using seeds collected from 16 wild populations in and around Fukuroi city and from three susceptible cultivars, were conducted. For the susceptible cultivars and one population from a site where glyphosate had not been applied for >10 years, the shoot length in the seed bioassays was greatly suppressed at a glyphosate concentration of 10 mg ai L^?1 and no seedling survived after the foliar application of glyphosate at a rate of 2.3 kg ai ha^?1. Nine wild populations from levees in the southern part of Fukuroi city showed vigorous shoot growth at a glyphosate concentration of 10 mg ai L^?1 and had at least a 78% survival rate after the application of glyphosate at 2.3 kg ai ha^?1. Four wild populations from levees in the northern part of Fukuroi city showed a slight suppression of the shoot growth as a result of the glyphosate treatment and their survival rates ranged from 20 to 64%. The results suggested that resistance to glyphosate has evolved in the wild populations of Italian ryegrass that are growing on the levees. This is the first report of a glyphosate‐resistant weed in Japan.