Formation of zinc protoporphyrin IX in Parma-like ham without nitrate or nitrite

Zinc protoporphyrin IX (ZPP) is a characteristic red pigment in meat products that are manufactured without the addition of a curing agent such as nitrate or nitrite. To examine the effects of impurities such as mineral components in sea salt on the formation of ZPP, we manufactured Parmatype dry-cured hams that were salted with refined salt or sea salt and examined the involvement of oxidation-reduction potential (ORP) in the formation of ZPP. The content of ZPP was increased drastically after 40 weeks. Microscopic observation showed strong fluorescence caused by ZPP muscle fiber after 40 weeks. Conversely, heme content varied considerably during processing. ORP increased during processing. However, there was no obvious difference between ham salted with refined salt and that salted with sea salt. Therefore, it was concluded that impurities in sea salt were not involved in the formation of ZPP.     

Distribution and stem growth patterns of mangrove species along the Nakara River in Iriomote Island, Southwestern Japan

We examined variations in stand structure and tree growth of a mangrove forest along two gradients: from the river mouth to upper stream and from the riverside to inland, along the Nakara River, Iriomote Island, Japan. Bruguiera gymnorrhiza (L.) Lamk. occurred throughout the intertidal area, though Rhizophora stylosa Griff. and Kandelia candel (L) Druce did not occur upstream. Basal area and maximum tree height of B. gymnorrhiza decreased downstream. The growth rate in stem diameter of B. gymnorrhiza decreased downstream in relation with the soil salinity. The basal area and the maximum tree height of B. gymnorrhiza increased with the distance from the riverside. R. stylosa increased in stem diameter and growth rate toward the riverside.     

Anguilla huangi Teng, Lin, and Tzeng, 2009, is a junior synonym of Anguilla luzonensis Watanabe, Aoyama, and Tsukamoto, 2009

Anguilla luzonensis and A. huangi were each described in 2009 using eels obtained from northern Luzon Island. We examined the taxonomic status of these two groups of eels using morphological and molecular genetic characters. There were no significant differences in two vertebrae counts between eels of A. luzonensis and A. huangi. Mitochondrial 16S ribosomal RNA and cytochrome b genes sequences were obtained and compared among 28 specimens of A. luzonensis, the holotypes of A. luzonensis and A. huangi, and one specimen of the other 15 anguillid species. The specimens of A. luzonensis exhibited almost identical sequences, including the holotype, with only a few site differences, and the genetic difference between the holotypes of A. luzonensis and A. huangi was within the range of differences of specimens of A. luzonensis. The other anguillid species were genetically very different from A. luzonensis and A. huangi, although A. interioris is a closely related species. It is clear that A. luzonensis and A. huangi are the same species, and according to the principle of priority in zoological nomenclature, A. luzonensis Watanabe, Aoyama, and Tsukamoto, 2009 is the valid species name, and A. huangi Teng, Lin, and Tzeng, 2009 is a junior synonym of A. luzonensis.     

Interaction between myostatin and extracellular matrix components

Myostatin, a member of the TGF-β superfamily, is a negative regulator of skeletal muscle mass. We have recently demonstrated that decorin binds to myostatin in vitro , and that immobilized decorin within the collagen matrix prevents myostatin-mediated inhibition of myoblast proliferation. However, little is known about other ECM molecules that bind to myostatin and modulate its activity. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the interaction of several other ECM molecules with myostatin. We here show that fibromodulin, fibronectin and laminin bind to myostatin in the presence of Zn²⁺ with a dissociation constant ( K_D ) of 10⁻¹⁰∼10⁻⁸ mol/L. Fibromodulin shows the highest affinity for myostatin among them. These results suggest that these ECM molecules may modulate myostatin activity like decorin does.     

Growth analysis of the competition–density effect in non-self-thinning Populus deltoides and Populus?×?euramericana plantations

The competition–density (C–D) effect for non-self-thinning Populus deltoides and Populus × euramericana plantations from 3 to 9 years was analyzed using the reciprocal equation of the C–D effect. The C–D effect was well described by the reciprocal equation, and with the progress of time the C–D curve, on logarithmic coordinates, of the P. × euramericana plantations shifted upward faster than that of the P. deltoides plantations. With increasing physical time t, the biological time τ, i.e. the integral from zero to t of the coefficient of growth λ(t) in the general logistic curve with respect to t, increased rapidly during early growth stages and the increases in τ gradually became slow during later growth stages. This trend was more evident in the P. deltoides plantations than in the P. × euramericana plantations. The coefficients A and B included in the reciprocal equation were calculated at each growth stage. With increasing τ, the coefficient A, the reciprocal of which means the asymptote of yield (=wρ) at a given growth stage, increased abruptly to a maximum value and then tended to decrease gradually to a constant level. On the other hand, the coefficient B, the reciprocal of which means the asymptote of mean stem volume at a given growth stage, decreased exponentially and tended to be close to zero with increasing τ. The λ(t) decreased with increasing stand age, whereas the final yield Y(t) defined as W(t) ρ, where W(t) is the asymptote of w in the general logistic growth curve, increased gradually with increasing stand age. The differences in coefficients A, B, and λ(t) between the two species were reported.     

中日水稻品种的食味比较

近年来日本稻米品质和食味研究取得了举世瞩目的成就。在中国,由于经济快速发展,稻米食味研究逐渐展开,为了给中国优质食味品种选育提供理论依据,从1998年开始对中日品种进行食味比较研究,以食味理化特性及品尝鉴定试验研究结果为依据,分析了中国水稻品种食味特性,即低直链淀粉含量和低蛋白质含量兼备的品种很少,结果导致食味品尝试验各项目的平衡性不好,综合评价不如日本优良食味品种。     

Physiological and behavioural effects of an intracerebroventricular injection of corticotropin releasing hormone in goats

This study investigated the effects of an intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) on physiological and behavioural responses in goats. In Experiment 1, saline (control) or saline plus 25 microg of ovine CRH was injected into the third ventricle of castrated male goats. CRH increased plasma cortisol (Cor) levels markedly within 15 min, but had little effect on plasma glucose (Glu). Compared with saline injected goats, CRH decreased the total duration of lying behaviour but increased its frequency, and suppressed rumination and self-grooming. In Experiment 2, the effects of an intravenous (IV) injection of human adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) (1-24) (0.1mg) were examined and an IV injection of saline was used as control. ACTH increased plasma Cor levels markedly, but did not change any behaviour compared with controls. It was concluded that CRH mediated the response of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis and behaviour following stress in goats, although the CRH-induced behavioural changes were independent of the HPA axis and seemed to be the result of direct action within the central nervous system.     

Changes in the relationship between tree size and aboveground respiration in field-grown hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa) trees over three years

Respiration measurements of aerial parts of 18-year-old hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa (Sieb. et Zucc.) Endl.) trees were made under field conditions over three years to study changing relationships with tree age between respiration and phytomass, phytomass increment, and leaf mass. The relationship between annual respiration (r(a)) and phytomass (w(T)) was approximated by a proportional function (r(a) = aw(T)), where the proportional constant (a) decreased year by year. The effect of time on the relationship between annual respiration and phytomass of each sample tree was fitted by a power function. Respiration of the tree suppressed by the canopy decreased year by year, but respiration of the other trees increased slightly with age. The relationship between annual respiration and leaf mass was also approximated by a generalized power function. Excluding the suppressed tree, the relationship between annual respiration (r(a)) and the annual increment of aboveground phytomass (Deltaw(T)) was described by a proportional function (r(a) = 2.27Deltaw(T)), where the proportional constant, 2.27, was independent of sample tree and year, indicating that about 2.3 times of the annual aboveground phytomass increment equivalent was respired annually. For any tree, the time constant relationships between annual respiration and leaf mass and phytomass increment for different-sized trees were similar to the corresponding time continuum relationships. In contrast, the time continuum relationship between annual respiration and phytomass differed from the time constant relationship, indicating that respiration of less active woody tissue contributed significantly to aboveground respiration. Based on the relationship between tree size and annual respiration, annual aboveground stand respiration was estimated to be 25.0, 26.9, and 25.8 Mg(dm) ha(-1) year(-1) for the three consecutive years, respectively, and the corresponding aboveground stand biomass was 60.0, 69.0, and 76.8 Mg(dm) ha(-1).     

Wind tunnel study on aerodynamic characteristics of shrubby specimens of three tree species

With the popularization of green roofing systems, their wind resistant performance is becoming more and more important especially in typhoon areas. A prerequisite study was carried out to determine the aerodynamic characteristics of suitable trees to provide basic scientific data. Shrubby specimens of three tree species appropriate for intensive green roofs with different aerodynamic forms were tested through a boundary layer wind tunnel experiment, including one deciduous tree, one coniferous tree and one broadleaf evergreen tree. Drags and overturning moments under different wind speeds were measured; wind-speed-specific frontal areas and tip displacements were recorded. After initial tests, trees were pruned to investigate the effect of crown porosity, and the effects of view angle and turbulence intensity were also considered. The results showed that even considering frontal area reduction due to increasing wind speeds, drag coefficients decreased with increase in wind speed for deciduous and coniferous trees. Drag coefficient characteristics for different trees agreed well with those obtained from previous researches. The effect of crown porosity varied among tree species, but view angle and turbulence intensity did not significantly affect it.     

Complete mitochondrial genome sequence of Brassica oxyrrhina and comparative analysis of the region containing orf108, a male sterility gene for mustard (Brassica juncea), among B. oxyrrhina,Diplotaxis erucoides and Sinapis species

To date, several cytoplasms of wild species have been introduced to Brassica juncea, for inducing cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS). One of the causal genes of CMS is orf108, which is widely distributed in Brassicaceae including Brassica oxyrrhina. To further understand the origin of orf108, we assembled the complete mitochondrial genome sequence of B. oxyrrhina. We also determined the DNA sequences upstream of atp1 including orf108 for D. erucoides and five Sinapis species. The orf108 was definitively placed in the mitochondrial genome of B. oxyrrhina consisting of 247,936 bp. In S. alba, previously reported to possess orf108, the gene was not present, whereas Sinapis arvensis and Sinapis turgida contained orf108. The orf108 sequence in the two Sinapis species showed a novel nucleotide substitution compared to D. erucoides. Northern hybridization suggested, furthermore, that orf108 mRNA was processed in the two species similarly to that in B. oxyrrhina. The results clarified the interspecific differentiation of orf108‐apt1 region in Sinapis.