Effect of rice straw application on CH4 emission from paddy fields

The effect of rice straw (RS) incorporated at the time of plowing in the previous cr–p season on CH₄ emission from rice paddies was investigated in a pot experiment. Rice straw that incorporated just before transplanting of rice seedlings (June) into a paddy field was collected after the harvest (October) and at the beginning of the next cropping period (May). Methane emission rates from the rice-planted pots with the application of fresh RS, RS collected in October. and RS collected in Mayas well as the pots without RS application were measured using the chamber method. The composition of organic constituents in the three kinds of RS was estimated by the proximate analysis. The cumulative amount of CH₄ emitted during the first 50–d period was lower in the order of the pots with RS collected in May, pots with RS collected in October, and pots with fresh RS. The cumulative amount of CH₄ emitted throughout the rice growth period from the pots with fresh RS and with RS collected in October was significantly larger while that from the pots with RS collected in May did not differ statistically compared with the total CH₄ emission from the pots without RS. These results suggested that there was an overall decrease in the amount of organic constituents in RS based on the large differences in T-C content and similar composition of organic constituents between the fresh RS and RS collected in May. Significant effect of RS continuously applied during the previous cropping period on the increase in CH₄ emission was discussed.     

Collaborative non-self recognition system in S-RNase-based self-incompatibility

Self-incompatibility in flowering plants prevents inbreeding and promotes outcrossing to generate genetic diversity. In Solanaceae, a multiallelic gene, S-locus F-box (SLF), was previously shown to encode the pollen determinant in self-incompatibility. It was postulated that an SLF allelic product specifically detoxifies its non-self S-ribonucleases (S-RNases), allelic products of the pistil determinant, inside pollen tubes via the ubiquitin-26S-proteasome system, thereby allowing compatible pollinations. However, it remained puzzling how SLF, with much lower allelic sequence diversity than S-RNase, might have the capacity to recognize a large repertoire of non-self S-RNases. We used in vivo functional assays and protein interaction assays to show that in Petunia, at least three types of divergent SLF proteins function as the pollen determinant, each recognizing a subset of non-self S-RNases. Our findings reveal a collaborative non-self recognition system in plants.     

Teleportation of nonclassical wave packets of light

We report on the experimental quantum teleportation of strongly nonclassical wave packets of light. To perform this full quantum operation while preserving and retrieving the fragile nonclassicality of the input state, we have developed a broadband, zero-dispersion teleportation apparatus that works in conjunction with time-resolved state preparation equipment. Our approach brings within experimental reach a whole new set of hybrid protocols involving discrete- and continuous-variable techniques in quantum information processing for optical sciences.     

Influence of volcanic ash sediments on spore adhesion of the red alga Gelidium elegans from the coastal seabed around Miyakejima Island, Japan

The populations of red alga Gelidium elegans along the coast of Miyakejima Island were severely damaged by a volcanic eruption in 2000. The effect of this volcanic eruption has been long lasting, and populations of this red alga still have not recovered. We investigated the effect of seabed sediment particles derived from volcanic ash on the substrate adhesion of G.?elegans spores. The analysis provides evidence that increasing amounts of sediment particles result in lower adhesion rates of G.?elegans spores, and that smaller sediment particles have a greater influence on adhesion. The amount of seabed sediment particles around Miyakejima Island was 9.3?C1815.4?mg/cm². This amount has changed greatly from year to year. The adhesion rate of G.?elegans spores in water around Miyakejima Island was 0?% at all points in 2008 and 2010, but it was estimated as 6.3?C38.6?% in 2009. These results suggest that there is significant inhibition of algal spore adhesion by seabed sediment particles derived from volcanic ash around Miyakejima Island.     

Species diversity of the marine diatom genus Skeletonema in Japanese brackish water areas

The genus Skeletonema includes phytoplankton species that are important primary producers in marine food chains. Brackish waters have been reported to be one of the important habitats of some species of Skeletonema. To elucidate the species diversity of Skeletonema in brackish waters, we investigated three Japanese brackish bodies of water: the coastal waters of Toyama Bay, a tidal area of the Chikugo River, and a constructed reservoir in Isahaya Bay. We used molecular analysis based on large subunit rDNA and fine morphological structure to identify species. Skeletonema costatum s.s. (sensu stricto) was isolated at salinities as low as 0.6, but Skeletonema dohrnii, Skeletonema subsalsum, and Skeletonema tropicum were not found at salinities below 11.0. S. costatum s.s. could survive transfer from a medium with a salinity of 15 to a salinity of 2, but S. dohrnii did not survive in the same experiment. Only S. costatum s.s. germinated from the sediment of a reservoir in which the salinity was 0.1–1.4; incubation conditions included temperatures of 10, 15, 20, 25, and 30 °C and salinities of 5 and 30. Skeletonema costatum s.s. was identified as the species most adaptable to low-level salinity variations throughout its lifecycle.     

Species identification method for <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scombrops boops</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Scombrops gilberti</Emphasis> based on polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis of mitochondrial DNA

ABSTRACT:   Gnomefish Scombrops boops and Scombrops gilberti are commercially important fishes in Japan, but these species are often confused in the markets because of their morphological similarity. To identify these two species, we performed nucleotide sequencing and restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis on 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA) gene and the control region in mitochondrial DNA. Five and 12 nucleotide substitutions were observed between species in the 777-bp 16S rRNA gene and 471-bp control region, respectively. Diagnostic restriction sites for discriminating between S. boops and S. gilberti were found in the 16S rRNA gene, but not in the control region. Polymerase chain reaction (PCR)–RFLP analysis using two enzymes, Eco NI and Mva I, clearly discriminated between S. boops and S. gilberti identified by meristic characters. The PCR–RFLP analysis identified most of the 168 Scombrops young caught in the coastal waters of the Izu and Miura peninsulas as S. boops , suggesting that S. gilberti juveniles are rare in this area.     

Temperature characteristics in seed germination and growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Zostera japonica</Emphasis> Ascherson &; Graebner from Ago Bay,Mie Prefecture,central Japan

The optimal water temperature in seed germination and the upper critical water temperature in seedling growth were determined for Zostera japonica collected from Ago Bay, Japan. The relationship between the seed germination rates and seed storage period (0, 30, and 60 days) at 0°C was also examined. The optimal water temperature in seed germination was in the range 15–20°C regardless of the storage period, in which germination rates were up to 14%. Seedlings, grown from seeds up to 10 cm in total length, were cultured for 1 week at various water temperatures to measure their relative growth rates. The optimal water temperature in early growth was in the range 20–25°C; relative growth rates ranged from 3.8 to 4.2%. Seedlings could survive up to a water temperature of 29°C, but most seedlings withered at 30 or 35°C. The optimal water temperatures for seed germination and seedling growth were related to the seasonal changes of water temperature in the sampling site. Although seedlings were hardly observed in Ago Bay in summer, Z. japonica might extend its distribution as far as where the summer water temperature is lower than 29°C.     

External factors that regulate movement in the marine rotifer Brachionus plicatilis

Fisheries Science - There are two types of movement pattern in the Brachionidae (rotifers), swimming and attachment, although the factors that induce a shift between them have not been adequately...     

cDNA cloning and complete primary structures of myosin heavy chains from brushtooth lizardfish Saurida undosquamis and wanieso lizardfish S. wanieso fast skeletal muscles

ABSTRACT:   The complete cDNA sequences encoding predominant types of myosin heavy chain (MYH) in the fast skeletal muscle were determined for brushtooth lizardfish Saurida undosquamis and wanieso lizardfish S. wanieso , which are used as materials for preparing high-quality surimi-based products. The cDNA consisted of 5973 and 5987 bp, respectively, and both encompassed an open reading frame encoding a polypeptide of 1936 amino acid residues. Brushtooth and wanieso lizardfish MYH showed the amino acid sequence identity of 92–93% to white croaker MYH, which was higher than that of 90% to walleye pollack MYH. The putative binding sites for ATP, actin, and regulatory and essential light chains in the subfragment-1 region of brushtooth lizardfish MYH exhibited a high identity with white croaker counterparts as well as the sequences of subfragment-2 and light meromyosin. In contrast, phylogenetic tree, constructed by the neighbor-joining method based on mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene, revealed that the two lizardfish species formed a cluster with walleye pollack, which was paraphyletic with white croaker. Therefore, a good reputation for lizardfish and white croaker to have a high thermal-gel forming ability seemed to be reflected by MYH rather than biological similarity as revealed by the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene.