Dual effects of reversed winter–spring temperatures on year‐to‐year variation in the recruitment of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus)

To clarify the effects of temperature on the recruitment of chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) in the North Pacific, we investigated the influence of winter surface temperature (WST) on spawners at the time of maturity around the spawning grounds and the influence of ambient spring temperature on larvae using estimated temperature (ET) obtained from particle tracking experiments. We found a significant positive correlation between ET approximately 10 days following hatching and the recruitment per spawning stock biomass (RPS) after 2000. The closer (more meandering) the Kuroshio Current (KC) axis was in relation to the spawning ground, the higher (lower) the spring surface temperature and the higher (lower) RPS was in the spawning ground. In contrast, WST inside KC near the maturity/spawning ground was significantly negatively correlated with RPS. A significant negative correlation between the temperatures in winter and spring was detected in the area after 2000, when the conditions of the Pacific decadal oscillation index and the stability of the Kuroshio Extension were synchronous, indicating that KC shifted northward during this time. The reversed temperature pattern was consistent with the winter–spring movement of KC axis in the offshore direction and was correlated with the winter–spring difference in the intensity of the Aleutian low. These results suggest that the annual variation in chub mackerel recruitment after 2000 was strongly affected by the combined effects of ambient temperature because of the reversal of conditions that occurred between winter and spring around the maturity/spawning ground, which was related to the KC path.     

Infection of bovine immunodeficiency virus and bovine leukemia virus in water buffalo and cattle populations in Pakistan

A survey of antibodies to bovine immunodeficiency virus (BIV) known as bovine lentivirus and bovine leukemia virus (BLV) was conducted with samples from water buffalo and cattle populations in Pakistan. A total of 370 water buffaloes and 76 cattle were tested, and 10.3% and 15.8%, respectively, were found positive for anti-BIV p26 antibodies determined by Western blotting, while 0.8% of water buffaloes and no cattle were positive for anti-BLV antibodies determined by immunodiffusion test. BIV-seropositive water buffaloes and cattle were found to have BIV proviral DNA in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells determined by nested polymerase chain reaction. This is the first report of BIV infections in water buffaloes.     

Oxygen isotopic compositions of asteroidal materials returned from Itokawa by the Hayabusa mission

Meteorite studies suggest that each solar system object has a unique oxygen isotopic composition. Chondrites, the most primitive of meteorites, have been believed to be derived from asteroids, but oxygen isotopic compositions of asteroids themselves have not been established. We measured, using secondary ion mass spectrometry, oxygen isotopic compositions of rock particles from asteroid 25143 Itokawa returned by the Hayabusa spacecraft. Compositions of the particles are depleted in (16)O relative to terrestrial materials and indicate that Itokawa, an S-type asteroid, is one of the sources of the LL or L group of equilibrated ordinary chondrites. This is a direct oxygen-isotope link between chondrites and their parent asteroid.     

Precipitation chemistry in Japan 1989–1993

Precipitation chemistry in Japan was discussed on a wet-only sample database obtained in a nationwide survey from April 1989 to March 1993. Wet-only samples were collected at 29 stations over Japan on a biweekly basis. Commonly determined chemical parameters were measured in laboratories. The volume-weighted annual mean pH at each site ranged from 4.50 to 5.83 with a mean of 4.76. Concentration ranges and means (parenthesized) on an equivalent basis for major ions were as follows: nss-SO₄ ^2–; 5.2–58.9 (38.6), NO₃ ^–; 1.8–25.0 (14.1), NH₄ ⁺; 0.55–29.8 (18.3), nss-Ca²⁺; 2.0–34.5(14.2), Na⁺; 6.4–275.3 (49.1), Cl^–; 13.7–322.4 (63.5) eq L^–1. Acid-base relationships for Phase-II records were quantitatively discussed in terms of three measures: pH, fractional acidity, and our proposed pA_i.     

Freeze–thaw cycles on rock surfaces below the timberline in a montane zone: Field measurements in Kobugahara,Northern Ashio Mountains,Central Japan

Rock-surface temperatures were measured on a tor and a large block located below the timberline in the Kobugahara Highlands, an upland plateau composed of granodiorite in central Japan (36°N, E139°, 1300 m a.s.l.). Many blocks in the region originate from core stones distributed on the plateau, and there are several block streams in the valley bottoms. The tor is situated at the upper end of one of these block streams. The large block appears to have detached from another tor. The mean air temperature of the coldest month is − 4 °C. Rock-surface temperatures were recorded continually every 30 min from December 1, 2002 through December 13, 2004 by thermistor probes connected to miniature data loggers. The diurnal and the annual freeze–thaw cycles and effective freeze–thaw cycles were recorded at each site. The freezing index of rock-surface temperature showed a marked variability from year to year. In addition, differences in local conditions at observation sites within a given area greatly affected the rock-surface temperature. These are important considerations in relation to local weathering below the timberline.     

RAPD标记在日本兵库县20个酒米品种类群划分中的应用

应用ＲＡＰＤ分子标记对日本兵库县２０个酒米品种的类群进行了研究。筛选出对不同基因型酒米品种ＤＮＡ扩增具有较好多态性的引物１１个,它们分别是Ａ０２、Ａ０８、Ｂ１８、Ｃ１５、Ｄ０３、Ｄ０８、Ｇ０５、Ｍ１１、Ｑ１６、Ｓ１３和Ｔ０６。根据这些随机引物对不同品种总ＤＮＡ具有特性性的扩增谱带,建立不同品种的ＲＡＰＤ多态性标准模式图,可以快速鉴别品种和进行纯度分析;依据扩增谱带建立０、１型数据,计算２０个酒米品     

Molecular self-assembly and nanochemistry: a chemical strategy for the synthesis of nanostructures

Molecular self-assembly is the spontaneous association of molecules under equilibrium conditions into stable, structurally well-defined aggregates joined by noncovalent bonds. Molecular self-assembly is ubiquitous in biological systems and underlies the formation of a wide variety of complex biological structures. Understanding self-assembly and the associated noncovalent interactions that connect complementary interacting molecular surfaces in biological aggregates is a central concern in structural biochemistry. Self-assembly is also emerging as a new strategy in chemical synthesis, with the potential of generating nonbiological structures with dimensions of 1 to 10(2) nanometers (with molecular weights of 10(4) to 10(10) daltons). Structures in the upper part of this range of sizes are presently inaccessible through chemical synthesis, and the ability to prepare them would open a route to structures comparable in size (and perhaps complementary in function) to those that can be prepared by microlithography and other techniques of microfabrication.