Liquid penetration of precompressed wood VI: Anatomical characterization of pit fractures

Pit fractures of refractory coniferous heartwoods caused by precompression in the radial direction were investigated and are discussed in terms of improved liquid penetration. Small cracks appeared at the boundary between the torus and margo, along the outer margin of the margo, and on the torus when specimens were compressed and deformation was fixed by drying. The remarkable cracks were generally observed for Cryptomeria japonica D. Don. Pseudotsuga menziesii Franco showed peculiar detachment of the torus from the pit border, and Larix leptolepis Gordon exhibited only small cracks on the torus. These fractures patterns were clearer when the precompressed specimens were recovered by water impregnation and then redried.This report was presented at the 46th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Kumamoto, April 1996     

Role of Tween 80 in biobleaching of unbleached hardwood kraft pulp with manganese peroxidase

The role of Tween 80 in biobleaching of unbleached hardwood kraft pulp (HWKP) with manganese peroxidase (MnP) was investigated. Among the surfactants (e.g., Tween 80, Tween 20, CHAPSO) the most significant brightness increase was obtained with Tween 80. Tween 80 and Tween 20 exhibited several effects, such as dispersion of degraded lignin and activation of MnP, that partly contributed to the brightening of HWKP during MnP treatment. However, these characteristics did not explain the most appreciable effect on the brightness increase by Tween 80. Lipid peroxidation of surfactants during MnP biobleaching was determined by measuring the peroxide value (POV). The order of the POV increase was consistent with that of the brightness increase of pulp during MnP treatment in the presence of various surfactants or linolenic acid. However, radicals and peroxides derived from lipid (linolenic acid) peroxidation by lipoxidase hardly brightened the HWKP by themselves. These results suggested that Tween 80 was peroxidized by Mn(III), and that Mn(III) and lipid peroxidation of Tween 80 synergistically brightened HWKP.This study was presented in part at the 43rd lignin symposium, Fuchu, Tokyo, Oct. 26–27, 1998 and the 49th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Tokyo, April 2–4, 1999     

Screening method for wood extractives: direct cellulose thin-layer chromatography plate

A method for screening wood extractives was developed using cellulose thin-layer chromatography plate (Cell-TLC) separation and was directly applied to bioassays. Wood meal (60 mesh) from nangka (Artocarpus heterophyllus Lamk) heartwood was extracted with hot methanol. The crude extract was separated using a Cell-TLC plate (50 × 50mm). Two broad bands with R_f values of 0.46 and 0.96 were found, and the bands showed completely different effects against the pest termite Coptotermes formosanus Shiraki and the decay fungus Fomitopsis palustris. The band with R_f 0.46 was preferentially consumed by workers of C. formosanus, and it did not show any growth inhibition against F. palustris when the Cell-TLC plate was directly exposed to the organism. In contrast, the band with R_f 0.96 appeared to repel strongly the feeding by C. formosanus and inhibited the growth of F. palustris. It was concluded that the Cell-TLC system was applicable for screening wood extracts consisting of many compounds.     

A novel control strategy for dry-wood termite <Emphasis Type="Italic">Incisitermes minor</Emphasis> infestation using a bait system

Three types of experiments were designed to evaluate the performance of a bait system intended to control Incisitermes minor (Hagen). In the first type of experiment, Type I, the effectiveness of the bait in a small wood specimen was evaluated. In the second type, Type II, the bait effectiveness was evaluated in a larger wood specimen. Feeding arena lumber with artificial galleries was prepared for the Type III experiment so that the response of the insects to the gel could be observed. In general, the average percentage of termites that died after being exposed to the gel formulation in all three types of experiment was more than 60%, and in the gel control the average percentage of live termites was more than 95% in Types I and III, and more than 75% in Type II. These results suggest that the gel bait system used in this study has the potential to eliminate I. minor colonies. Further investigation will be necessary to increase the reliability of the bait system as a control measure against dry-wood termites.     

Improving the antibacterial activity against Staphylococcus aureus of composite sheets containing wasted tea leaves by roasting

We used various kinds of wasted tea leaves to develop composite sheets with antibacterial properties. Antibacterial tests showed that the number of viable bacterial cells for the sheet containing wasted green tea leaves was around 10:⁶–10⁷ CFU/ml after 18 h culture compared to 108 CFU/ml for a tea-free sheet. This indicates that cell growth was signifi cantly inhibited. For sheets containing other types of tea leaves (oolong, black, hojicha, and pu-erh), living cells were not found, indicating that these sheets had superior antibacterial effects. Living cells were also not found in sheets containing wasted black tea leaves or roasted tea leaves at a concentration of 60% by weight after 6 h cultivation. Therefore, roasting treatment of wasted green tea leaves was examined to improve the antibacterial activity of the sheet. In particular, the focus was on structural conversion of catechins by heating.     

Difference between sprouting traits of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cercidiphyllum japonicum</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">C. magnificum</Emphasis>

Cercidiphyllum japonicum and C. magnificum are deciduous tree species that produce large numbers of sprouts. They are found mainly in riparian and/or disturbed areas. C. japonicum is distributed in the montane zone in Japan, whereas C. magnificum is distributed mostly in the subalpine zone of central Japan. However, the two species sometimes coexist, e.g., on the talus slope at the valley head of the Chichibu Mountains. We investigated differences in sprouting traits in these two species by comparing class distributions of sprout diameter at breast height (DBH) and heights of individuals on the talus slope. Sprout DBH and individual height were smaller in C. magnificum as compared to C. japonicum. Moreover, the analysis of the DBH-class distribution of each species indicated that C. magnificum had numerous small sprouts and experienced high mortality, whereas C. japonicum had fewer small sprouts and low mortality. It is likely that the sprouting traits of C. magnificum make it more adapted to severe conditions in the subalpine zone than those of C. japonicum.     

吸波材料辅助发泡蓝莓果浆微波冷冻干燥的试验研究

针对常规冷冻干燥时间长、能耗高的问题,试验研究了吸波材料辅助的发泡蓝莓果浆微波冷冻干燥过程,并对产品质量进行了评价。制备了未发泡与发泡两种冷冻样品,分别使用石英和碳化硅底盘进行了常规和微波冷冻干燥试验。结果表明,采用石英底盘在30 ℃、15 Pa下,发泡物料的冷冻干燥时间相比于未发泡物料缩短了39.1%。采用碳化硅底盘在相同条件和2 W微波功率下,发泡物料微波冷冻干燥时间比发泡与未发泡物料常规冷冻干燥分别缩短了14.3%和47.8%;当功率提高至4 W时,干燥时间分别缩短了25.0%和54.3%。常规和微波冷冻干燥产品质量相当,总单体花色苷和总多酚的保留率相比于原果浆均分别在80%和75%以上。结果表明,吸波材料辅助的发泡物料微波冷冻干燥能够大幅度缩短干燥时间、提高干燥过程经济性。     

配施硫基肥对夏玉米镉铅累积的阻控效应

该文以府河流域污灌区农田为研究对象,通过田间小区试验研究了5种施肥措施对土壤重金属镉(Cd)、铅(Pb)有效性以及夏玉米(Zea mays L.)对Cd、Pb富集和转运能力的影响。结果表明:与农民常规施肥(CK)相比,尿素、磷酸二铵和氯化钾配施(N-P-K)以及腐殖酸复合肥、尿素和磷酸二铵配施(HA-N-P)的表层土壤Cd、Pb有效性以及夏玉米对Cd、Pb的富集和迁移能力差异均不显著(P0.05)。然而,腐殖酸复合肥、硫酸铵和磷酸二铵配施(HA-S-P)以及硫酸铵、磷酸二铵和硫酸钾配施(S-P-K)2种施肥措施的表层土壤有效Cd含量分别比CK降低了10.60%和6.36%,表层土壤有效Pb含量分别比CK降低了11.49%和6.00%。此外,HA-S-P处理和S-P-K处理夏玉米Pb转运系数分别比CK降低了50.33%和77.10%,且夏玉米籽粒Pb含量分别比CK降低了59.75%和80.43%(P0.05),但各处理间夏玉米对Cd的转运和富集能力差异并不显著,这说明施用硫基肥可有效抑制夏玉米对Pb的富集和转运,但并未影响其对Cd的富集和转运。综上所述,该污灌区轻度Cd、Pb复合污染农田土壤种植夏玉米建议硫酸铵、磷酸二铵和硫酸钾配施,或者腐殖酸复合肥、硫酸铵和磷酸二铵配施。     

Isolation and characterization of aminopeptidase (Jc-peptidase) from Japanese cedar pollen (Cryptomeria japonica)

An aminopeptidase, Jc-peptidase, was purified from Japanese cedar pollen by seven steps, including precipitation with ammonium sulfate, ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration, hydrophobic interaction chromatography on phenyl-agarose, and high-performance liquid chromatography. Purified Jc-peptidease has a molecular weight of 42 kDa and hydrolyzes the synthetic substrates of L-phenylalanyl-4-methylcoumaryl-7-amide (Phe-MCA) with Km = 5 x 10(-5) M, Tyr-MCA with Km = 7 x 10(-4) M, Leu-MCA with Km = 1 x 10(-3) M, and Met-MCA with Km = 1 x 10(-3) M. Other MCA analogues such as Arg-MCA or Glu-MCA failed to serve as its substrates. The activity was inhibited in the presence of phebestin, [(2S,3R)-3-amino-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutanoyl-L-valyl]-L-phenylalanine, with Ki = 4.7 x 10(-5) M, or bestatin, [(2S,3R)-3-amino-2-hydroxy-4-phenylbutanoyl]-L-leucine, with Ki = 1.1 x 10(-4) M. According to amino acid sequence analysis, the N-terminal amino group seems to be blocked. The physiological function of the aminopeptidase (Jc-peptidase) has not been clarified in vivo.