Wide genetic variation in phenolic compound content of seed coats among black soybean cultivars

Black soybeans have been used as a food source and also in traditional medicine because their seed coats contain natural phenolic compounds such as proanthocyanidin and anthocyanin. The objective of this research is to reveal the genetic variation in the phenolic compound contents (PCCs) of seed coats in 227 black soybean cultivars, most of which were Japanese landraces and cultivars. Total phenolics were extracted from seed coats using an acidic acetone reagent and the proanthocyanidin content, monomeric anthocyanin content, total flavonoids content, total phenolics content, and radical scavenging activity were measured. The cultivars showed wide genetic variation in PCCs. Each of the contents was highly correlated with one another, and was closely associated with radical scavenging activity. PCCs were also moderately associated by flowering date but not associated by seed weight. Cultivars with purple flowers had a tendency to produce higher PCCs compared with cultivars with white flowers, suggesting that the W1 locus for flower color can affect phenolic compound composition and content. Our results suggest that developing black soybean cultivars with high functional phenolic compounds activity is feasible.     

Development of an optimizing method for the operation rule curves of a multipurpose reservoir in a Southeast Asian watershed

Paddy and Water Environment - Water scarcity and flooding constitute major problems for developing countries located within the tropical climatic region of Southeast Asia. In addition, regional...     

Inhibition of hepatitis C virus replication and viral helicase by ethyl acetate extract of the marine feather star Alloeocomatella polycladia

Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a causative agent of acute and chronic hepatitis, leading to the development of hepatic cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma. We prepared extracts from 61 marine organisms and screened them by an in vitro fluorescence assay targeting the viral helicase (NS3), which plays an important role in HCV replication, to identify effective candidates for anti-HCV agents. An ethyl acetate-soluble fraction of the feather star Alloeocomatella polycladia exhibited the strongest inhibition of NS3 helicase activity, with an IC(50) of 11.7 μg/mL. The extract of A. polycladia inhibited interaction between NS3 and RNA but not ATPase of NS3. Furthermore, the replication of the replicons derived from three HCV strains of genotype 1b in cultured cells was suppressed by the extract with an EC(50) value of 23 to 44 μg/mL, which is similar to the IC(50) value of the NS3 helicase assay. The extract did not induce interferon or inhibit cell growth. These results suggest that the unknown compound(s) included in A. polycladia can inhibit HCV replication by suppressing the helicase activity of HCV NS3. This study may present a new approach toward the development of a novel therapy for chronic hepatitis C.     

Analysis of water management structures of an Integrated Water User Group in the Chao Phraya Delta, Thailand

An Integrated Water User Group (IWUG) plays an important role assisting an irrigation project to control water distribution, expand the cropping area, operate and maintain irrigation facilities, and disseminate crucial information about the water situation to all farmers based on water supply from an irrigation agency. In this article, we present our analysis of the management of a newly established IWUG, based on a field survey in Thailand. We attempt to clarify the characteristics of irrigation management in the IWUG, while focusing on four functional processes: decision, operation, monitoring, and feedback. Thus, we analyze the water management structure and provide suggestions for better management of the IWUG. The main results of our analysis are as follows: (1) the current state of the IWUG 18R canal is not fully successful. There are second generation problems that need to be solved; (2) The upstream farmers dominate the use of the IWUG 18R canal because the establishment process of downstream WUGs was loosely performed because of a limited budget for on-farm irrigation development; (3) Water distribution structure and membership charging are not simple and uniform along the lateral irrigation canal because of the water availability of return flow from the downstream area. Such structure should be recognized and discussed to improve the future water distribution in relation to membership fees.     

The polar neutral and basic taxoids isolated from needles and twigs of Taxus cuspidata and their biological activity

Twelve basic taxoids and 22 neutral taxoids were isolated from basic and polar neutral fractions of the extracts of needles and twigs of Taxus cuspidata. Among them, taxine NA-13, 3,11-cyclotaxinine NN-1, taxinine NN-6, 11(15→1)abeo-taxinine NN-1, taxine NA-8, and taxine NA-4 were isolated first from natural sources by us. The cytotoxic activity of isolated compounds was evaluated against three human cell lines: normal human fibroblast cells (WI-38), malignant tumor cells induced from WI-38 (VA-13), and human liver tumor cells (HepG2). 7-Epitaxol, 7-epicephalomannine, taxinine NN-6, taxine NA-2, taxuspine H, and taxagifine were active toward VA-13 cells and 7-epitaxol, 7-epicephalomannine, taxinine NN-1, 9,10-deacetyltaxinine, and taxagifine were active toward HepG2 cells. The multidrug-resistant (MDR) cancer reversal activity of isolated compounds was evaluated on the basis of the amount of vincristine (VCR) accumulated in MDR human ovarian cancer 2780 AD. Taxine NA-8, taxine NA-2, 5-cinnamoyl-10-acetyltaxicin II, and taxinine NN-1 indicated stronger MDR cancer reversal activity than verapamil. The result of primary screening based on 39 human cancer cell lines suggests that taxinine NN-1 belongs to a new mechanistic class and is a new anticancer agents. 7-Epicephalomannine was found to be an effective anticancer agent with tubulin as its molecular target, which is the same as paclitaxel. Part of this work was presented at the 74th Annual Meeting of the Chemical Society of Japan, Tanabe, March 1998, and the 41st Symposium on the Chemistry of Terpenes, Essential Oils, and Aromatics, Gifu, December 1998. The results of this work were also presented as patent documents at PCT Int: Appl WO 2001007040 A1, February 2001; Appl WO 2000-Jp 5036, 27 July 2000. Priority: JP 1999-214273, 28 July 1999; JP 1999-224652, 6 August 1999; JP 2000-76404, 14 March 2000     

Structure-Activity Relationship and in Vivo Anti-Tumor Evaluations of Dictyoceratin-A and -C,Hypoxia-Selective Growth Inhibitors from Marine Sponge

Oral dictyoceratin-C (1) and A (2), hypoxia-selective growth inhibitors, showed potent in vivo antitumor effects in mice subcutaneously inoculated with sarcoma S180 cells. Structurally modified analogs were synthesized to assess the structure–activity relationship of the natural compounds 1 and 2 isolated from a marine sponge. Biological evaluation of these analogs showed that the exo-olefin and hydroxyl and methyl ester moieties were important for the hypoxia-selective growth inhibitory activities of 1 and 2. Thus far, only substitution of the methyl ester with propargyl amide in 1 was found to be effective for the synthesis of probe molecules for target identification.     

Fishery characteristics of barfin flounder Verasper moseri in southern Tohoku,the major spawning ground,after the start of large-scale stock enhancement in Hokkaido,Japan

Commercial landings of a rare pleuronectid flatfish, barfin flounder Verasper moseri, recovered drastically after large-scale stock enhancement in Hokkaido conducted since 2006. This study investigated commercial landings, fishing grounds, size distributions, and sex and age compositions of barfin flounder during 2007–2011 in southern Tohoku, their major spawning ground, which is over 700 km south of Hokkaido. Landings, mostly comprising stocked fish, increased drastically in southern Tohoku: from 2.0 tons in 2007 to 20.8 tons in 2010. Over 98 % of them were landed during January–April, with the peak period during February–March. Fishing logbook data of offshore bottom-trawl vessels during 2007–2010 revealed the upper continental slope off southernmost Tohoku as the main fishing ground (35°40′–36°50′N, annual weighted mean depth 267–299 m). Two size modes in the landings consisted of males (ca. 40 cm) and females (ca. 60 cm). The main age at fishery recruitment in southern Tohoku was younger for males (age 2+) than for females (ages 3+ and 4+), the result of which was that the female percentage was lowest at 1.5 % in 2009 and highest at 7.9 % in 2011. Our results showed clearly how the effectiveness of large-scale stock enhancement in Hokkaido extended to southern Tohoku in association with spawning migration of stocked barfin flounder.     

基于微通道乳化技术的单分散大豆分离蛋白乳状液制

以大豆分离蛋白为乳化剂,采用微通道乳化技术制备单分散乳状液,研究乳状液粒子的成粒特性.结果表明:当大豆分离蛋白的pH值为6～8时,微通道乳化技术能够成功制备单分散的乳状液,但是随着pH值的增大,粒子的单分散性增强.当pH值为7时,单分散乳状液的粒子平均粒径为43.4 μm,变异系数为4.3%.大豆分离蛋白的微通道乳化特性与其等电点相关,当pH值低于等电点时,蛋白质分子的正电性与微通道板的负电性相互作用影响蛋白质溶液的乳化特性,导致乳化不成功.分散相流速明显影响制备乳状液粒子的粒径和分散性,当分散相的流速从0.6 L/(m2·h)增加至12 L/(m2·h)时,乳状液粒子的粒径增大,单分散性降低.     

Experimental study on the influence of dissolved organic matter in water and redox state of bottom sediment on water quality dynamics under anaerobic conditions in an organically polluted water body

To understand aquatic environmental deterioration due to the anoxic state in an organically polluted water body, water quality dynamics under anaerobic conditions were examined through beaker-scale water quality monitoring. This study focused on the dynamic properties of NO₃–N, NH₄–N, PO₄–P, and sulfide from the biochemical reactions point of view, and based on anaerobic respiration activities, such as denitrification, iron reduction, and sulfate reduction. The specific aims of this study were to quantitatively estimate the impacts of the oxidative/reductive state of the sediment surface and the high/low concentrations of dissolved organic matter on the dynamic properties of water quality under anaerobic conditions. The beaker-scale water quality monitoring was carried out through continuous measurements of dissolved oxygen and oxidation–reduction potential (ORP), as well as periodic observations of water quality parameters for six cases that are composed from combinations of three experimental conditions: (1) concentration of dissolved organic carbon (DOC); (2) redox state of the sediment; and (3) concentration of NO₃–N. As a result, the temporal changes in ORP under anaerobic conditions exhibited a five-step process of decline without these conditions. Also, high DOC concentrations and oxidative states of the bottom mud accelerated the release of PO₄–P and sulfide generation through promoting biological iron reduction and sulfate reduction, because these conditions increase respiratory substrates for anaerobic microorganisms, such as iron and sulfate-reducing bacteria. It was concluded that our results would provide important information about the mechanisms of aqueous environmental deterioration due to organic pollution in closed water bodies.