Response of spinach and kidney bean plants to nitrogen dioxide

Different responses of spinach and kidney bean plants to various concentrations of NO(2) in the light and in the dark were shown. Spinach is more resistant than NO(2) than kidney bean. It is not only due to its greater tolerance to NO(2)(-) accumulated in leaves, but also to its stronger ability to metabolize NO(2)(-). The injury of spinach induced by the exposure to high concentration NO(2) in the light was not caused by the accumulation of NO(2)(-), but concerned the large amount of accumulated NH(3). The primary causes of NH(3) accumulation were that the activity of nitrite reductase was not affected by the fumigation on the one hand, and the activities of glutamine synthetase and glutamate synthase were inhibited on the other.     

Effects of washing with water on enzymatic saccharification and d-lactic acid production from steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse

This study investigated the production of d-lactic acid from unutilized sugarcane bagasse using steam explosion pretreatment. The optimal steam pressure for a steaming time of 5?min was determined. The steam-exploded sugarcane bagasse was hydrolyzed using cellulase (Meicelase) and then the hydrolyzate was subjected to fermentation substrate. By enzymatic saccharification using Meicelase, the highest recovery of glucose from raw bagasse, 73.7?%, was obtained at a steam pressure of 20?atm. For extracted residue with water after steam explosion, the glucose recovery increased up to 94.9?% at a steam pressure of 20?atm. These results showed that washing with water is effective in removing enzymatic reaction inhibitors. After steam pretreatment (steam pressure of 20?atm), d-lactic acid was produced by Lactobacillus delbrueckii NBRC 3534 from the enzymatic hydrolyzate of steam-exploded bagasse and washed residue. The conversion rate of d-lactic acid obtained from the glucose concentration was 66.6?% for the hydrolyzate of steam-exploded bagasse without washing with water and 90.0?% for that derived from the extracted residue with water after steam explosion. These results also demonstrated that the hydrolyzate of steam-exploded bagasse (without washing with water) contains fermentation inhibitors and washing with water can remove them.     

Age-Dependent Factors Affecting Thoracic Response: A Finite Element Study Focused on Japanese Elderly Occupants

Objectives: The ultimate goal of this research is to reduce thoracic injuries due to traffic crashes, especially in the elderly. The specific objective is to develop and validate a full-body finite element model under 2 distinct settings that account for factors relevant for thoracic fragility of elderly: one setting representative of an average size male and one representative of an average size Japanese elderly male.

Methods: A new thorax finite element model was developed from medical images of a 71-year-old average Japanese male elderly size (161cm, 60 kg) postmortem human subject (PMHS). The model was validated at component and assembled levels against original series of published test data obtained from the same elderly specimen. The model was completed with extremities and head of a model previously developed. The rib cage and the thoracic flesh materials were assigned age-dependent properties and the model geometry was scaled up to simulate a 50th percentile male. Thereafter, the model was validated against existing biomechanical data for younger and elderly subjects, including hub-to-thorax impacts and frontal impact sled PMHS test data. Finally, a parametric study was conducted with the new models to understand the effect of size and aging factors on thoracic response and risk of rib fractures.

Results: The model behaved in agreement with tabletop test experiments in intact, denuded, and eviscerated tissue conditions. In frontal impact sled conditions, the model showed good 3-dimensional head and spine kinematics, as well as rib cage multipoint deflections. When properties representative of an aging person were simulated, both the rib cage deformation and the predicted number of rib fractures increased. The effects of age factors such as rib cortical thickness, mechanical properties, and failure thresholds on the model responses were consistent with the literature. Aged and thereby softened flesh reduced load transfer between ribs; the coupling of the rib cage was reduced. Aged costal cartilage increased the severity of the diagonal belt loading sustained by the lower loaded rib cage.

Conclusions: When age-specific parameters were implemented in a finite element (FE) model of the thorax, the rib cage kinematics and thorax injury risk increased. When the effect of size was isolated, 2 factors, in addition to rib material properties, were found to be important: flesh and costal cartilage properties. These 2 were identified to affect rib cage deformation mechanisms and may potentially increase the risk of rib fractures.     

Viral Interference as a Factor of False-Negative in the Infectious Adenovirus Detection Using Integrated Cell Culture-PCR with a BGM Cell Line

Food and Environmental Virology - This study investigated the influence of viral interference on the detection of enteric viruses using the integrated cell culture (ICC)-PCR with a BGM cell line....     

Predation on Euphausia pacifica by demersal fishes: predation impact and influence of physical variability

The importance of Euphausia pacifica Hansen to the demersal fish community off Sendai Bay, northern Japan, was studied based on a total of 256 trawl samples collected during May, October and November, from 1989 to 1992. The samples were classified into 16 assemblages according to year, month and depth. The importance of E. pacifica to the total diet of each of the assemblages was measured using an index considering both fish diet and species composition. A total of 24 fish species out of 87 were found to ingest E. pacifica. Of these, Gadus macrocephaus and Theragra chalcogramma had the highest predation impact due to their dominance in the fish assemblages and the high proportion of E. pacifica in their diets. The contribution of E. pacifica to the total diet of the fish assemblage was highest in the shallow (≤300 m) regions during May, accounting for an average of 38.5% for the 4 years. However, during May 1990, when the warm Kuroshio Extension prevailed, the contribution was higher in the deep (>300 m; 22.6%) region, reflecting active and/or passive movements of E. pacifica. The average predation impact was maximal in the May/shallow assemblage (mean ± SE; 4.6 ± 1.4 kg wet wt km² d⁻¹) and was minimal in the November/shallow assemblage (0.4 ± 0.3). Annual estimates of consumption by demersal fish fishes ranged from 43 to 128 metric tons, representing 15 to 64% of the annual commercial catch of E. pacifica by local fisheries. It is therefore suggested that the fisheries on E. pacifica have the potential to considerably impact the demersal fish assemblages. Received: 3 December 1997 / Accepted: 10 June 1998     

Broadcast urea reduces N2O but increases NO emissions compared with conventional and shallow-applied anhydrous ammonia in a coarse-textured soil

Despite the importance of anhydrous ammonia (AA) and urea as nitrogen (N) fertilizer sources in the United States, there have been few direct comparisons of their effects on soil nitrous oxide (NO) and nitric oxide (NO) emissions. We compared N oxide emissions, yields, and N fertilizer recovery efficiency (NFRE) in a corn ( L.) production system that used three different fertilizer practices: urea that was broadcast and incorporated (BU) and AA that was injected at a conventional depth (0.20 m) (AAc) and at a shallower depth (0.10 m) (AAs). Averaged over 2 yr in an irrigated loamy sand in Minnesota, growing season NO emissions increased in the order BU < AAc < AAs. In contrast, NO emissions were greater with BU than with AAc or AAs. Emissions of NO ranged from 0.5 to 1.4 kg N ha (50-140 g N Mg grain), while NO emissions ranged from 0.2 to 0.7 kg N ha (20-70 g N Mg grain). Emissions of total N oxides (NO + NO) increased in the order AAc < BU < AAs. Despite having the greatest emissions of NO and total N oxides, the AAs treatment had greater NFRE compared with the AAc treatment. These results provide additional evidence that AA emits more NO, but less NO, than broadcast urea and show that practices to reduce NO emissions do not always improve N use efficiency.     

Assessing energy efficiencies and greenhouse gas emissions under bioethanol-oriented paddy rice production in northern Japan

To establish energetically and environmentally viable paddy rice-based bioethanol production systems in northern Japan, it is important to implement appropriately selected agronomic practice options during the rice cultivation step. In this context, effects of rice variety (conventional vs. high-yielding) and rice straw management (return to vs. removal from the paddy field) on energy inputs from fuels and consumption of materials, greenhouse gas emissions (fuel and material consumption-derived CO(2) emissions as well as paddy soil CH(4) and N(2)O emissions) and ethanol yields were assessed. The estimated ethanol yield from the high-yielding rice variety, "Kita-aoba" was 2.94 kL ha(-1), a 32% increase from the conventional rice variety, "Kirara 397". Under conventional rice production in northern Japan (conventional rice variety and straw returned to the paddy), raising seedlings, mechanical field operations, transportation of harvested unhulled brown rice and consumption of materials (seeds, fertilizers, biocides and agricultural machinery) amounted to 28.5 GJ ha(-1) in energy inputs. The total energy input was increased by 14% by using the high-yielding variety and straw removal, owing to increased requirements for fuels in harvesting and transporting harvested rice as well as in collecting, loading and transporting rice straw. In terms of energy efficiency, the variation among rice variety and straw management scenarios regarding rice varieties and rice straw management was small (28.5-32.6 GJ ha(-1) or 10.1-14.0 MJ L(-1)). Meanwhile, CO(2)-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions varied considerably from scenario to scenario, as straw management had significant impacts on CH(4) emissions from paddy soils. When rice straw was incorporated into the soil, total CO(2)-equivalent greenhouse gas emissions for "Kirara 397" and "Kita-aoba" were 25.5 and 28.2 Mg CO(2) ha(-1), respectively; however, these emissions were reduced notably for the two varieties when rice straw was removed from the paddy fields in an effort to mitigate CH(4) emissions. Thus, rice straw removal avers itself a key practice with respect to lessening the impacts of greenhouse gas emissions in paddy rice-based ethanol production systems in northern Japan. More crucially, the rice straw removed is available for ethanol production and generation of heat energy with a biomass boiler, all elements required for biomass-to-ethanol transformation steps including saccharification, fermentation and distillation. This indicates opportunities for further improvement in energy efficiency and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions under whole rice plant-based bioethanol production systems.     

Determination method of singlet oxygen in the atmosphere by use of α -terpinene

A chemical determination method of singlet oxygen in the atmosphere was established. The method employs a specific reaction of α -terpinene with singlet oxygen to produce the single product, ascaridole. Amberlite XAD-2 coated with α -terpinene was packed into a glass tube shielded from light and sample air was passed through the tube. Ascaridole formed was extracted with hexane from Amberlite XAD-2 and was determined by gas chromatography. The amount of singlet oxygen was calculated from that of ascaridole. Ascaridole was not formed by oxidation of α -terpinene with ozone, hydrogen peroxide and hydroxyl radical, and ascaridole formed by singlet oxygen was stable against these oxidants. The method was applied to actual polluted air and diurnal variations in the singlet oxygen were observed.     

Vertical distribution of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Todarodes pacificus</Emphasis> (Cephalopoda: Ommastrephidae) paralarvae near the Oki Islands,southwestern Sea of Japan

The diel vertical distribution patterns of Japanese common squid, Todarodes pacificus, paralarvae were examined using a Multiple Opening Closing Net and Environmental Sensing System (MOCNESS) in the southwest Sea of Japan near the Oki Islands (Japan) during five late-autumn surveys in 1998–2002. A total of 1,511 paralarvae ranging in mantle length (ML) from 0.7 to 7.3 mm were collected at 63 of the 68 stations surveyed. Most (84%) were collected above 75 m depth and in the mixed layer. The vertical distribution patterns varied little between day and night. Hatchling-sized (<1.0 mm ML) paralarvae were abundant at 0–25 m depth, and paralarval ML increased with increasing sampling depth. Our results suggest that T. pacificus paralarvae do not exhibit large diel vertical migration patterns, but as they increase in size, paralarvae gradually descend in the water column and the variability in depth increases with ontogeny.