Development of a Simple Method for Evaluation of Water Absorption Rate and Capacity of Rice Flour Samples

A simple method employing a commercially available canister was developed for the determination of mode of water absorption of rice flour samples. The samples prepared by four different grinding methods were used to analyze water absorption. The total amount of water in a flour sample was described by using an exponential model. Capacity and rate of water absorption of the samples were determined, and the relationship to baking quality of partially substituted rice bread was investigated. The water absorption was highly dependent on the method of grinding. Flours produced by wet jet‐milling of the grains, which absorbed a small amount of water at high speed, were most suitable for rice bread. The method was applicable to other food powders, provided that flour particles do not stick together or swell immediately upon contact with water.     

The transition time from the juvenile phase to the adult phase differs in soybean cultivars ‘Enrei’ and ‘Peking’

Plants develop juvenile phase to adult phase in vegetative stage. Although soybean is a very important crop worldwide, there has been only one study of the juvenile–adult phase change. In this study, we determined that the juvenile–adult phase change occurred at different stages in two soybean cultivars that differ in their photosensitivity. Cultivar ‘Enrei’ (E1e2e3E4) is weakly photosensitive and cultivar ‘Peking’ (E1E2E3E4) is strongly photosensitive. In ‘Enrei’, the leaf size gradually increased at a constant leaf position regardless of the difference in day length. In ‘Peking’ plants transferred to short‐day conditions at several leaf development stages, leaf size gradually increased at different leaf positions. Expression of miR156 by ‘Enrei’ transferred to short‐day conditions had nearly the same pattern as that of ‘Enrei’ grown under long‐day conditions. In ‘Peking’, the expression of miR156 had different patterns in younger leaves of plants subjected to either a short‐day treatment or long‐day conditions. These results indicate that the E2 and E3 loci that regulate photosensitivity also regulate the expression of miR156 and the juvenile–adult phase change in soybean.     

Resettling,disconnecting or displacing? Attending to local sociality,culture and history in disaster settings

In many disaster settings, top‐down responses emphasise ‘expert‐led’ solutions that often involve relocating disaster‐affected communities. While the intention might be to move people from harm's way and facilitate recovery, failure to attend to local pre‐disaster circumstances as well as the interplay between power, resilience and vulnerability within and around affected communities often sees resettlement reconfigure as displacement or disconnection. This oversight may even usher in a new phase of dispossession and disadvantage for marginalised groups (particularly in colonial settings). This paper explores experiences in Australia, Japan and Taiwan to reflect on what issues of local sociality, local culture and local resilience need to be attended to in framing ‘better’ disaster responses.     

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.     

Feeding habits of albacore Thunnus alalunga in the transition region of the central North Pacific

ABSTRACT:   The feeding habits of albacore Thunnus alalunga (fork length: 48.9–76.2 cm, n  = 132) were examined from late spring to early autumn in relation to its northward migration in the transition region between the subtropical and subarctic fronts in the central North Pacific. Samples were collected at night using surface gill nets or during daytime pole-and-line surveys in 2001 and 2002. During May and June, albacore fed mainly on Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus , which accounted for 27.2%, 67.0%, and 45.5% of the total stomach contents by number ( Cn ), wet weight ( WW ), and frequency of occurrence ( F ), respectively, and secondarily on the subarctic gonatid squid Gonatopsis borealis ( Cn , 15.8%; WW , 10.8%; F , 28.8%). From July to September, albacore continued to depend on Japanese anchovy ( Cn , 48.2–52.8%; WW , 79.9–95.2%; F , 27.8–85.4%). These results corresponded well with the remarkable rebound of the Japanese anchovy stock since the 1990s. Gonatopsis borealis , the main squid prey from May to June, almost disappeared from the stomachs of albacore from July to September, probably due to the northward migration of this squid to subarctic waters in summer. The feeding impact of albacore on the Japanese anchovy stock in the transition region was conservatively estimated to be from 1400 to 2100 tons per day from late spring to early autumn.     

Lignan production inDaphne odora cell cultures

Lignan production in callus and cell suspension cultures ofDaphne odora is reported for the first time. The cell suspension culture produced pinoresinol, lariciresinol, secoisolariciresinol, matairesinol, and wikstromol. The production of matairesinol in the cell suspension culture was much higher than that inDaphne odora stem tissues.Part of this report was presented at the 51th annual meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Tokyo, April 2001     

New lignan, isoactifolin, fromChamaecyparis obtusa cv. Breviramea

A new lignan isoactifolin was isolated from young shoots (with leaves) ofChamaecyparis obtusa cv. Breviramea. The structure of the compound was determined based on spectroscopic evidence.Parts of this report were presented at the 44th lignin symposium, Gifu, October 1999     

Stereochemistry of matairesinol formation by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Daphne</Emphasis> secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase

Secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase activity was detected for the first time from Daphne odora and Daphne genkwa (Thymelaeaceae), which are known to produce optically pure (+)-matairesinol. In sharp contrast, (–)-matairesinol was formed selectively over the (+)-antipode by the secoisolariciresinol dehydrogenase preparation from both D. odora callus and D. genkwa shoots.     

Effects of Rice Flour Blends on Bread Texture and Staling

The effects of blending rice flour with wheat flour on bread texture and staling were investigated with three rice varieties with different amylose contents. For the texture analysis of bread crumb, the compression test, puncture test, and tensile test were performed. A flour blend containing rice flour suppressed the recovery of the crumb after compression. For the puncture test, blends with rice flour increased the distance to penetrate the crumb. The rupture strain measured with the puncture test decreased with staling of the bread crumb for all samples tested. The fresh bread crumb sample containing waxy rice flour had much greater extensibility in the tensile test than the other samples tested, but it was dramatically decreased after one day of storage. Endothermic enthalpies corresponding to retrograded amylopectin, which is part of the staling process, were also measured. The enthalpy of bread crumb from the blended flour was lower than that of wheat flour bread up to three days but was higher on day 4. A blend of rice flour thus reduced amylopectin retrogradation during early storage, but it was accelerated later. Bread blended with waxy rice flour showed the lowest enthalpy during storage.     

Habitat use and movement patterns of small (age‐0) juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) relative to the Kuroshio

The habitat use of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis; PBF) in nursery waters off the southern coast of Japan was investigated using archival tags over a 3 year study period (2012–2015), and the data were used to examine the free‐ranging habitat preferences of PBF and the relationship between their horizontal movements and the path of the Kuroshio off the Pacific coast of Japan. The path of the Kuroshio fluctuated seasonally, leading to changes in water temperature that strongly influenced the habitat use of small PBF (2–3 months after hatching). Most PBF were present in coastal waters inshore of the path of the current, and their habitat use changed in response to the distance of the current from the coast. The Kuroshio typically flowed along the coast from summer to autumn, and PBF remained in the coastal waters off Kochi Prefecture during this period. In contrast, PBF quickly moved eastward in winter when the current moved away from the coast. Throughout the winter and spring, the area of habitat use extended widely from the eastern end of the southern coast of Japan (the Boso Peninsula) to the offshore Kuroshio‐Oyashio transition region. These findings suggest that the seasonal habitat use and movement behavior of juvenile PBF are influenced by the distance of the Kuroshio axis from the coast, and the ultimate drivers are likely variations in oceanographic conditions and prey availability along the southern coast of Japan.