Catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose in sulfolane with some acidic catalysts

Catalytic pyrolysis of cellulose in sulfolane (tetramethylene sulfone) with sulfuric acid or polyphosphoric acid gave levoglucosenone, furfural, and 5-hydroxymethyl furfural (5-HMF) up to 42.2%, 26.9%, and 8.8% (as mol% yield based on the glucose unit), respectively. Pyrolysis behaviors of the intermediates indicated the conversion pathways, and the conversion: levoglucosenone → furfural was found to require water. The control of the water content in the pyrolysis medium was quite effective in controlling the product selectivity between levoglucosenone and furfural: mild vacuum conditions to remove the product water dramatically enhanced the levoglucosenone yield, while steam distillation conditions increased the furfural and 5-HMF yields.     

Distribution of lignin interunit bonds in the differentiating xylem of compression and normal woods of Pinus thunbergii

The lignification process and lignin distribution at different stages of cell wall differentiation in the secondary xylem of compression and normal woods of Pinus thunbergii were investigated by thioacidolysis and subsequent desulfuration. We prepared 50-µm-thick, contiguous tangential sections of pine shoots, cut from the cambial zone through to mature xylem. In compression wood, uncondensed guaiacyl (G) and p-hydroxyphenyl (H) lignins were deposited simultaneously from early to late stages of lignification. The various types of G-G, G-H, and H-H dimers were detected in compression wood, and the ratio of G-H and H-H dimers to total dimers increased as lignification proceeded. In contrast, uncondensed and condensed H units were detected in trace amounts in normal wood. Significant differences in the relative distributions of lignin interunit linkages were not observed between compression and normal woods or between differentiating and mature xylems in either compression or normal woods.Part of this report was presented at the 10th International Symposium on Wood and Pulping Chemistry, Yokohama, June, 1999     

转型中的亚洲林业

在过去的20年里,亚洲林业经历了引人注目的转型,包括从计划经济到市场经济的转变,从天然林供给木材到人工林供给木材的转变,木材替代品与非木质林产品的增加,地方分权与当地群众的参与,生态时代的发展与生态系统管理。在促进亚洲可持续森林资源管理中,市场工具、社区参与和环境服务都得到了应用。亚洲林业的转型表现出多样化,其森林、社会与环境之间的联系是丰富多彩的。     

Identification of low-molecular weight glutenin subunits of wheat associated with bread-making quality

Although it is known that the compositions of low‐molecular weight glutenin subunits (LMW‐GSs) are important factors for bread‐making quality of wheat, it is still not clear which LMW‐GSs confer improved bread‐making quality and how those LMW‐GSs interact with high‐molecular weight (HMW) GSs. Using a hard red winter wheat line with good bread‐making quality and a Japanese wheat cultivar with poor quality as well as their progeny we identified LMW‐GSs associated with the bread‐making quality. One such LMW‐GS, KS2, which had a molecular weight of 42 kDa and was allelic to HS1, was associated with bread‐making quality. Furthermore, by using four recombinant inbred lines with different HMW‐GS and LMW‐GS combinations, KS2 and HMW‐GS 5+10 showed interaction effects on the bread‐making quality. Two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis (Page) analysis showed that KS2 consists of two protein components and that HS1 is composed of three components. The N‐terminal amino acid sequences of the five components were identical to the most frequently analysed sequence of LMW glutenin components.     

Anthocyanins from new red leaf tea 'Sunrouge'

New red leaf tea cultivar 'Sunrouge' (Camellia taliensis × Camellia sinensis), for which an application for registration was made in 2009, is an anthocyanin-rich tea. The anthocyanin content of 'Sunrouge' was the highest among 4 tea cultivars, and was 8.4 times higher than that of 'Yabukita'. We purified and isolated 6 anthocyanins from 'Sunrouge' by chromatography, and identified them by LC/MS/MS and NMR analysis. As a result, the four anthocyanins were identified as delphinidin-3-O-β-D-(6-(E)-p-coumaroyl)galactopyranoside (2), delphinidin-3-O-β-D-(6-(E)-p-coumaroyl)glucopyranoside (3), cyanidin-3-O-β-D-(6-(E)-p-coumaroyl)galactopyranoside (4), and cyanidin-3-O-β-D-(6-(E)-p-coumaroyl)glucopyranoside (5), and the other two were estimated as delphinidin-(Z)-p-coumaroylgalactopyranoside (1), petunidin-(E)-p-coumaroylgalactopyranoside (6). Compound 3 was found in tea for the first time. In general, anthocyanins have various bioactivities, including relieving eyestrain and antioxidative effects, so it is expected that drinking 'Sunrouge' tea brings in similar bioactivities.     

Genetic characterization and susceptibility on poultry and mammal of H7N6 subtype avian influenza virus isolated in Japan in 2009

From February to March 2009, six strains of H7N6 subtype avian influenza virus were isolated from quails in three farms in Aichi prefecture in Japan. The isolates were shown to be low pathogenic for chicken by the examination performed using the "Manual of Standards for Diagnostic Tests and Vaccines" by World organisation for Animal Health (OIE). The deduced amino acid sequence at the cleavage site was PE (I/Q/L) PKRR (nucleotide sequences were cct gaa (a/c) (t/a) a cc (a/g) aaa aga aga), suggesting persistence in domestic poultry for some time. The direct putative ancestor strain could not be elucidated by phylogenetic analysis of all genome segments of the quail isolates. Diverged date from a putative common ancestor in a non-rooted phylogenetic tree among quail viruses was estimated between March 2002 and July 2004. Three putative N-linked glycosylation sites resided in the vicinity of the receptor binding pocket of HA1 region. They are considered to decrease the reactivity of neutralizing antibody against the virus. Experiments for the infectivity and pathogenicity of a quail strain to poultry indicated that the quail isolate had higher infectivity to quails than chickens and ducks. Direct and dust-borne and/or droplet-borne transmissions among quail were proven in quails with and without direct contact with experimentally infected quails. The virus is seldom transmitted among chickens either directly or indirectly, and indirect transmission from infected quails to chickens was not observed. The pathogenicity of the quail strain for mammalian, pig and mouse was low, although it could replicate in those animals.     

Cloned cows with short telomeres deliver healthy offspring with normal-length telomeres

Dolly, the first mammal cloned from a somatic cell, had shorter telomeres than age-matched controls and died at an early age because of disease. To investigate longevity and lifetime performance in cloned animals, we produced cloned cows with short telomeres using oviductal epithelial cells as donor cells. At 5 years of age, despite the presence of short telomeres, all cloned cows delivered multiple healthy offspring following artificial insemination with conventionally processed spermatozoa from noncloned bulls, and their milk production was comparable to that of donor cows. Moreover, this study revealed that the offspring had normal-length telomeres in their leukocytes and major organs. Thus, cloned animals have normal functional germ lines, and therefore germ line function can completely restore telomere lengths in clone gametes by telomerase activity, resulting in healthy offspring with normal-length telomeres.     

Isolation of Staphylococcus aureus from raw fish in relation to culture methods

Five hundred and fifty fish samples from various stages in the course of distribution in Hyogo Prefecture (209 retailed in super markets, 173 obtained from fishery cooperatives at a harbor, 91 caught by trawling and 77 caught by rod fishing) were examined for contamination with Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus). S. aureus was detected in 41 (19.6%) of the retail fish samples and 46 (26.6%) of the samples from the fishery cooperatives. No S. aureus was isolated from the live fish (91 trawled and 77 fished by rod). With regard to the retail fish, the contamination rate of processed fish (26.0%) was significantly higher than that of unprocessed fish (14.2%). For 88 samples, the efficacy of the selective medium was compared using Baird-Parker agar and mannitol salt agar supplemented with egg yolk (MSEY agar) by the direct plate and enrichment culture methods. Using the direct culture method, the S. aureus positive rate with the Baird-Parker agar (30.7%) was significantly higher (P<0.01) than that with the MSEY agar (6.8%). The enrichment culture method remarkably raised the S. aureus detection rate. Seventy-eight (85.7%) of 91 isolates belonged to the human ecovar. Sixty-two (68.1%) of the 91 isolates had some enterotoxin genes, including 44 (48.4%) with the sea gene. These data showed that the fish were contaminated with S. aureus after landing and that Baird-Parker agar had an advantage in detecting S. aureus with a direct plate culture.     

In-straw cryoprotectant dilution for bovine embryos vitrified using Cryotop

The aim of this study was to develop an in-straw dilution method suitable for 1-step bovine embryo transfer of vitrified embryos using the Cryotop vitrification-straw dilution (CVSD) method. The development of embryos vitrified using the CVSD method was compared with those of embryos cryopreserved using in-straw vitrification-dilution (ISVD) and conventional slow freezing, outside dilution of straw (SFODS) methods. In Experiment 1, in vitro-produced (IVP) embryos cryopreserved using the CVSD method were diluted, warmed and exposed to the dilution solution at various times. When vitrified IVP embryos were exposed to the dilution solution for 30 min after warming, the rates of embryos developing to the hatched blastocyst stage after 72 h of culture (62.0-72.5%) were significantly lower (P<0.05) than those of embryos exposed to the solution for 5 and 10 min (82.4-94.3%), irrespective of supplementation with 0.3 M sucrose in the dilution solution. In Experiment 2, the rate of embryos developing to the hatching blastocyst stage after 48 h of culture in IVP embryos cryopreserved using the SFODS method (75.0%) was significantly (P<0.05) lower than those of embryos cryopreserved using the CVSD and ISVD methods (93.2 and 97.3%, respectively). In Experiment 3, when in vivo-produced embryos that had been cryopreserved using the CVSD, ISVD and SFODS methods and fresh embryos were transferred to recipient animals, no significant differences were observed in the conception and delivery rates among groups. In Experiment 4, when IVP embryos derived from oocytes collected by ovum pick-up that had been cryopreserved using the CVSD and ISVD methods and fresh embryos were transferred to recipient animals, no significant differences were observed in the conception rates among groups. Our results indicate that this simplified regimen of warming and diluting Cryotop-vitrified embryos may enable 1-step bovine embryo transfer without the requirement of a microscope or other laboratory equipment.     

Obesity induced changes to plasma adiponectin concentration and cholesterol lipoprotein composition profile in cats

Feline obesity generally results in aberrations to plasma metabolite levels, such as lipid concentrations and lipoprotein composition. This study sought to investigate the resultant effect of obesity on cholesterol lipoprotein composition and circulating adiponectin concentrations in cats. Plasma glucose, lipids (triglyceride, cholesterol and free fatty acid), insulin and adiponectin concentrations, and cholesterol lipoprotein composition were measured and compared between body condition score (BCS) determined normal healthy control and obese cats. Although the obese group demonstrated higher levels of plasma cholesterol, glucose, and triglycerides, as compared to healthy controls, the difference was insignificant thus indicating that the BCS determined obese cats may have been overweight and not morbidly obese. Plasma insulin levels were significantly higher (25–30%) versus healthy control animals thereby possibly hinting at the ensuing emergence of obesity induced insulin resistance. However, the BCS determined obese cat demonstrated a significant reduction (p < 0.05) in plasma adiponectin concentration and a significant increase (p < 0.05) in LDL-cholesterol % as compared to age matched healthy control animals. This would indicate that changes in plasma adiponectin concentration and cholesterol lipoprotein composition may be good early indicators of obesity in cats.