Ability of Three Temperate Grasses to Compete with \u3cem\u3ePhalaris arundinacea\u3c/em\u3e L.

Weeds with rhizomes have become an ever-increasing problem in the grasslands of Hokkaido in northern Japan. Many meadows in the Tenpoku region, located in the northernmost part of Hokkaido, have been invaded by Phalaris arundinacea L., a grass with aggressive colonising ability known as the primary and most difficult to control weed in the Tenpoku region. However, dairy farmers in the grasslands of the Tenpoku region most commonly cultivate Phleum pratense L., in spite of its low competitive ability. The Tenpoku region frequently experiences years of low rainfall or drought, but P. pratense has low tolerance to drought (Okamoto et al., 2012; Okamoto and Furudate, 2010). Lolium perenne L. and Dactylis glomerata L. are also cultivated in the Tenpoku region, where they are used as rough forages; however, they are much less commonly cultivated than P. pratense. These species are thought to possess not only higher competitive ability than other grasses, but also higher drought tolerance than P. pratense, and thus may be more suitable for cultivation in some parts of the Tenpoku region. Therefore, we suggest that farmers choose a grass species suitable for their land. To further develop this concept, it is necessary to elucidate the differences among the abilities of these species to compete with invading P. arundinacea. Therefore, the objective of this study was to evaluate and compare the competitive ability of these temperate grass species (L. perenne, D. glomerata, and P. pratense) with those of P. arundinacea

Effect of diamagnetic contribution of water on harmonics distribution in a dilute solution of iron oxide nanoparticles measured using high-Tc SQUID magnetometer

The magnetization curve of iron oxide nanoparticles in low-concentration solutions was investigated by a highly sensitive high-Tc superconducting quantum interference device (SQUID) magnetometer. The diamagnetic contribution of water that was used as the carrier liquid was observed in the measured magnetization curves in the high magnetic field region over 100 mT. The effect of the diamagnetic contribution of water on the generation of harmonics during the application of AC and DC magnetic fields was simulated on the basis of measured magnetization curves. Although the diamagnetic effect depends on concentration, a linear relation was observed between the detected harmonics and concentration in the simulated and measured results. The simulation results suggested that improvement could be expected in harmonics generation because of the diamagnetic effect when the iron concentration was lower than 72 μg/ml. The use of second harmonics with an appropriate bias of the DC magnetic field could be utilized for realization of a fast and highly sensitive detection of magnetic nanoparticles in a low-concentration solution

Magnetic thickness measurement for various iron steels using magnetic sensor and effect of electromagnetic characteristics

The diagnosis and prevention of the deterioration of iron-steel infrastructure has become an important social issue in recent years. The thickness measurement technique (extremely low-frequency eddy current testing (ELECT)) using a magnetic sensor for detecting steel corrosion at extreme frequency ranges has been previously reported. Using the calibration curves based on the correlation between the phase of the detected magnetic signal and the plate thickness, the plate thickness reduction caused by corrosion can be estimated from the detected phase signal. Iron-steel materials have large changes in electromagnetic characteristics; therefore, the reference calibration data for each type of iron-steel are required for plate thickness estimation. In this study, the effect of electromagnetic characteristics on the magnetic thickness measurement was investigated to improve the thickness estimation. Four types of iron-steel plates (SS400, SM400A, SM490A, and SMA400AW) with thicknesses ranging from 1 mm to 18 mm were measured by ELECT, and the phase change at multiple frequencies of each plate were analyzed. The shift in the phase and linearity regions of the calibration curves for each type of steel plate was observed. To analyze this shift phenomenon, the electromagnetic characteristics (permeability μ and conductivity σ) of each type of steel were measured. Compared with the permeability μ and conductivity σ of each steel plate in the applied magnetic field strength range, the product (σμ) for various steel plates decreased in the following order: SM400 > SS400 >SMA400AW > SM490A. The product of μ and σ is related to the skin depth, indicating the electromagnetic wave attenuation and eddy current phase shift in the material. Therefore, each shift in the calibration curve of each type of iron steel is explained by the changes in the parameters σ and μ

Virulence of Shigatoxigenic and Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli O80:H2 in Galleria mellonella Larvae: Comparison of the Roles of the pS88 Plasmids and STX2d Phage

peer reviewedThe invasiveness properties of Shigatoxigenic and enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (STEC and EPEC) O80:H2 in humans and calves are encoded by genes located on a pS88-like ColV conjugative plasmid. The main objectives of this study in larvae of the Galleria mellonella moth were therefore to compare the virulence of eight bovine STEC and EPEC O80:H2, of two E. coli pS88 plasmid transconjugant and STX2d phage transductant K12 DH10B, of four E. coli O80:non-H2, and of the laboratory E. coli K12 DH10B strains. Thirty larvae per strain were inoculated in the last proleg with 10 μL of tenfold dilutions of each bacterial culture corresponding to 10 to 106 colony-forming units (CFUs). The larvae were kept at 37 °C and their mortality rate was followed daily for four days. The main results were that: (i) not only the STEC and EPEC O80:H2, but also different E. coli O80:non-H2 were lethal for the larvae at high concentrations (from 104 to 106 CFU) with some variation according to the strain; (ii) the Stx2d toxin and partially the pS88 plasmid were responsible for the lethality caused by the E. coli O80:H2; (iii) the virulence factors of E. coli O80:non-H2 were not identified. The general conclusions are that, although the Galleria mellonella larvae represent a useful first-line model to study the virulence of bacterial pathogens, they are more limited in identifying their actual virulence properties

Alteration of the immune environment in bone marrow from children with recurrent B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia

Due to the considerable success of cancer immunotherapy for leukemia, the tumor immune environment has become a focus of intense research; however, there are few reports on the dynamics of the tumor immune environment in leukemia. Here, we analyzed the tumor immune environment in pediatric B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia by analyzing serial bone marrow samples from nine patients with primary and recurrent disease by mass cytometry using 39 immunophenotype markers, and transcriptome analysis. High-dimensional single-cell mass cytometry analysis elucidated a dynamic shift of T cells from naïve to effector subsets, and clarified that, during relapse, the tumor immune environment comprised a T helper 1-polarized immune profile, together with an increased number of effector regulatory T cells. These results were confirmed in a validation cohort using conventional flow cytometry. Furthermore, RNA transcriptome analysis identified the upregulation of immune-related pathways in B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells during relapse, suggesting interaction with the surrounding environment. In conclusion, a tumor immune environment characterized by a T helper 1-polarized immune profile, with an increased number of effector regulatory T cells, could contribute to the pathophysiology of recurrent B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia. This information could contribute to the development of effective immunotherapeutic approaches against B cell precursor acute lymphoblastic leukemia relapse

CD146 is a potential immunotarget for neuroblastoma

Neuroblastoma, the most common extracranial solid tumor of childhood, is thought to arise from neural crest-derived immature cells. The prognosis of patients with high-risk or recurrent/refractory neuroblastoma remains quite poor despite intensive multimodality therapy; therefore, novel therapeutic interventions are required. We examined the expression of a cell adhesion molecule CD146 (melanoma cell adhesion molecule [MCAM]) by neuroblastoma cell lines and in clinical samples and investigated the anti-tumor effects of CD146-targeting treatment for neuroblastoma cells both in vitro and in vivo. CD146 is expressed by 4 cell lines and by most of primary tumors at any stage. Short hairpin RNA-mediated knockdown of CD146, or treatment with an anti-CD146 polyclonal antibody, effectively inhibited growth of neuroblastoma cells both in vitro and in vivo, principally due to increased apoptosis via the focal adhesion kinase and/or nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway. Furthermore, the anti-CD146 polyclonal antibody markedly inhibited tumor growth in immunodeficient mice inoculated with primary neuroblastoma cells. In conclusion, CD146 represents a promising therapeutic target for neuroblastoma

Review Article : Feudalism or Absolute Monarchism?

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/68809/2/10.1177_009770049001600304.pd