Degradation of a Terephthalate-containing Polyester by Thermophilic Actinomycetes and <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus</Emphasis> Species Derived from Composts

We intended to find thermophilic degraders of terephthalate-containing Biomax^® films. Films in mesh bags were buried in composts (inside temperature: approximately 55–60 °C), resulting in the degradation of them in 2 weeks. Fluorescent microscopy of films recovered from composts showed that microorganisms gradually covered the surface of a film during composting. DGGE analysis of microorganisms on the composted film indicated the presence of Bacillus species as main species (approximately 80% of microbial flora) and actinomycetes (approximately 10–20%) as the second major flora. Isolation of Biomax^®-utilizing bacteria was focused on these two genera: two actinomycetes and one Bacillus species were isolated as pure best degraders from the composted polymer films, which were fragmented into small pieces. All the strains were thermophilic and identified, based on their 16S rDNA analyses. Degradation of polymer films was confirmed by (1) accelerated fragmentation of films in composts, compared with a control (no inoculum) and resultant decrease in molecular weights, (2) growth in a powdered Biomax^® medium, compared with a control without powdered Biomax^®, and (3) production of terephthalate in a powdered Biomax^® medium. In this way, we concluded that these bacteria were useful for degradation of thermostable Biomax^® products.     

A basic study with feasibility of applying clean development mechanism to the transport projects

In the transport sector, few projects applied Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) or Joint Implementation (JI) projects. This study will examine the feasibility of applying CDM to the transport sector from viewpoints of validation of processes and funding. A number of greenhouse gas emission reduction projects, as well as traffic management project within existing transport infrastructures, can be implemented as CDM projects. New transport infrastructure projects can be validated by transportdemand forecasting and traffic simulation methods, though application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) technologies. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

Stimulation of staphylokinase production by mitomycin C

The Science of Nature -     

Soil frost control: agricultural adaptation to climate variability in a cold region of Japan

In the northernmost region of Japan (Hokkaido Island), earlier onsets of thick snowcover in recent years (post 1980) have reduced the penetration depth of soil frost, resulting in over-winter survival of unharvested small potato (Solanum tuberosum) tubers that emerge as weeds in the spring in rotation crop fields. To prevent the occurrence of potato weeds, a method was developed to manipulate soil-frost depths by artificially controlling snowcover thickness, guided by a simple numerical model that simulates soil freezing-thawing processes using daily mean air temperature and snowcover thinckness as input variables. The method involves removal of snowcover to expose the soil surface in the beginning of winter until the soil freezes to a sufficient depth. After that time, snow is deposited back or allowed to accumulate naturally to prevent further penetration of frost, which may cause undesirable delay in the seeding of spring crops. Field trials indicated that the model predicted frost depths within several centimeters of observed values, when measured temperature and snowcover thickness were used as model input. Based on the field and laboratory data, a soil temperature of −3°C is necessary for complete elimination of potato tubers. To achieve this temperature in potato-burial zones without causing excessive freezing, an optimal frost depth is 0.3 to 0.4 m. The method is being adopted by progressive potato producers in the region, who use tractor-mounted snow ploughs to manipulate snowcover over a large scale. This is an emerging new technology for agricultural adaptation to climate variability.     

Effects of different mobilities of leaf and woody litters on litter carbon dynamics in arid ecosystems in Western Australia

Afforestation of arid land is a promising countermeasure against global warming. We had previously found, through modeling and mass balance analyses of an arid land afforestation experimental project in Western Australia, that a significant amount of litter could have been physically removed from the floors of natural forests. In order to analyze litter carbon dynamics in depth, we investigated the actual mobility of litter in several natural forests in Sturt Meadows in an arid region of Western Australia, and estimated the difference between the removal rate of leaf and woody (twigs and branches) litter on the forest floor. Then we redeveloped a litter carbon dynamics model by incorporating physical removal of litter to show the different mobilities of leaf and woody litters. We also analyzed carbon balances and the effect of differential litter mobility on litter carbon dynamics. Except for twigs in one plot in a high density forest, 29–100% of leaf litter and 10–100% of woody litter was removed annually, demonstrating the physical removal of litter in these natural forests. The main cause of litter removal was wind, not flooding. Decreases in leaf and woody litters could be approximated as first order decay functions in most plots; first order decay or disappearance rate constants were then determined. Estimated disappearance rate constants of leaf and woody litter ranged from 0.19 to 11 and 0.11–12 year⁻¹, respectively; most of the constants ranged from 0.19 to 2.0 and 0.11–0.74 year⁻¹, respectively. Based on the disappearance rate constant, the mobility of woody litter was estimated to be roughly 20% that of leaf litter, confirming that climatic factors move leaves more easily than twigs. The improved model, which took into account the different mobilities of leaf and woody litters, showed that annual physical removal of litter reached 70–82% of the annual litter fall in Acacia aneura forests, and that roughly 40–60% of the existing litter was removed annually from all sites. Incorporating into the model the difference in mobilities of leaf and woody litters showed that the ratio of annual litter removal to annual litter fall increased about 10% points compared with the assumption of that both litter types had equal mobility.