PHENOLOGICAL TRAITS OF MANGROVE Kandelia obovata GROWN IN MANKO WETLAND, OKINAWA ISLAND, JAPAN

Phenological traits of Kandelia obovata (S., L.) Yong was investigated on the basis of seasonal leaf recruit, leaf death and leaf growth. The seasonal leaf growth was estimated using the logistic growth curve. Leaf recruitment, leaf death and reproductive cycle were obtained by survey data. This study results showed that new leaf recruitment occurred during the year indicating high productivity of mangrove Kandelia obovata forest. The highest leaf recruit was in July, while it was the lowest in January. However, the highest leaf death was in August, whereas it was the lowest in January. Growth pattern of leaves varied among seasons as of winter leaves are taken longger time to get their maximum size, while other season leaves are taken short time to get their maximum size. Period from flowering to mature propagules of K. obovata trees is considered to be around 12 months, while most the propagules become mature in the next spring season (April and May), which indicated shorter reproduction cycle

Canopy Multilayering and Woody Species Diversity of a Subtropical Evergreen Broadleaf Forest, Okinawa Island.

v. ill. 23 cm.QuarterlyWoody species diversity and the spatial distribution of trees in a subtropical evergreen broadleaf forest on a silicate substrate, Okinawa Island, were investigated to determine the forest’s architectural stratification. The forest stand consisted of four architectural layers. The values of Shannon’s index H0 and Pielou’s index J 0 tended to increase from the top layer downward, except for the bottom layer. The lower layers contained many species relative to their smaller height ranges. High woody species diversity of the forest depended on small trees. This trend of species diversity was different from that of forest on a limestone substrate on Okinawa Island, where high woody species diversity depended on large trees. Conservation of small trees in the lower layers, especially the bottom layer, is indispensable to maintain diversity in Okinawan evergreen broadleaf forests. Castanopsis sieboldii (Mak.) Hatusima had the highest importance value in all layers, indicating that it is typically a facultative shade species as well as a climax species. The spatial distribution patterns of trees were found to be random in the lower three layers, but in the top layer clumping seemed to occur at three spatial scales. A high degree of overlapping in spatial distributions of trees among the layers suggested that light cannot penetrate easily into the lower layers. As a result, most species in the lower layers must be shade-tolerant. Mean weight index decreased from the top toward the bottom layer, and tree density increased from the top downward. This trend resembled the mean weight-density trajectory of self-thinning plant populations

Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) axial transmission method reflects anisotropy in micro-arrangement of apatite crystallites in human long bones: A study with 3-MHz-frequency ultrasound

Anisotropic arrangement of apatite crystallites, i.e., preferential orientation of the apatite c-axis, is known to be an important bone quality parameter that governs the mechanical properties. However, noninvasive evaluation of apatite orientation has not been achieved to date. The present paper reports the potential of quantitative ultrasound (QUS) for noninvasive evaluation of the degree of apatite orientation in human bone for the first time. A novel QUS instrument for implementation of the axial transmission (AT) method is developed, so as to achieve precise measurement of the speed of sound (SOS) in the cortex (cSOS) of human long bone. The advantages of our QUS instrument are the following: (i) it is equipped with a cortical bone surface-morphology detection system to correct the ultrasound transmission distance, which should be necessary for AT measurement of long bone covered by soft tissue of non-uniform thickness; and (ii) ultrasound with a relatively high frequency of 3 MHz is employed, enabling thickness-independent cSOS measurement even for the thin cortex by preventing guide wave generation. The reliability of the proposed AT measurement system is confirmed through comparison with the well-established direct transmission (DT) method. The cSOS in human long bone is found to exhibit considerable direction-dependent anisotropy; the axial cSOS (3870 ± 66 m/s) is the highest, followed by the tangential (3411 ± 94 m/s) and radial (3320 ± 85 m/s) cSOSs. The degree of apatite orientation exhibits the same order, despite the unchanged bone mineral density. Multiple regression analysis reveals that the cSOS of human long bone strongly reflects the apatite orientation. The cSOS determined by the AT method is positively correlated with that determined by the DT method and sensitively reflects the apatite orientation variation, indicating the validity of the AT instrument developed in this study. Our instrument will be beneficial for noninvasive evaluation of the material integrity of the human long-bone cortex, as determined by apatite c-axis orientation along the axial direction.Ishimoto T., Suetoshi R., Cretin D., et al. Quantitative ultrasound (QUS) axial transmission method reflects anisotropy in micro-arrangement of apatite crystallites in human long bones: A study with 3-MHz-frequency ultrasound. Bone, 127, 82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2019.05.034

Mixed HCV Infection of Genotype 1B and Other Genotypes Influences Non-response during Daclatasvir + Asunaprevir Combination Therapy

Daclatasvir (DCV) + asunaprevir (ASV) combination therapy has become available for patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) serogroup 1 infection. We studied the efficacy of this therapy by focusing on the factors associated with sustained virological responses (SVR) including resistance-associated variants (RAVs) and mixed infection of different HCV genotypes. We enrolled 951 HCV serogroup 1-positive patients who received this combination therapy at our hospital or affiliated hospitals. The presence of RAVs in non-structural (NS) regions 3 and 5A was analyzed by direct sequencing. HCV genotypes were determined by PCR with genotype-specific primers targeting HCV core and NS5B regions. SVR was achieved in 91.1% of patients. Female sex, age > 70 years, and RAVs were significantly associated with non-SVR (p<0.01 for all). Propensity score-matching results among the patients without RAVs regarding sex, age, and fibrosis revealed that mixed HCV infection determined by HCV NS5B genotyping showed significantly lower SVR rates than 1B-mono infection (p=0.02). Female sex and RAVs were significant factors associated with treatment failure of this combination therapy for patients with HCV serogroup 1 infection. Mixed HCV infection other than 1B-mono infection would be useful for predicting treatment failure

The Efficacy and Safety of Steroids for Preventing Postembolization Syndrome after Transcatheter Arterial Chemoembolization of Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Steroids are often administered at the time of transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE), a standard treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), with the expectation of preventing postembolization syndrome. Here we investigated the precise effects of steroids on TACE. We prospectively enrolled 144 HCC patients from 10 hospitals who underwent TACE. Three hospitals used steroids (steroid group, n=77) and the rest did not routinely use steroids (control group, n=67). The occurrence of adverse events and the algetic degree at 1-5 days post-treatment were compared between the groups. Fever (grades 0-2) after TACE was significantly less in the steroid group (56/21/0) compared to the control group (35/29/3, p=0.005, Cochran-Armitage test for trend). The suppressive effect of steroids against fever was prominent in females (p=0.001). Vomiting (G0/G1/ G2-) was also less frequent in the steroid group (70/5/2) versus the control group (53/10/3), but not significantly (p=0.106). The algetic degree and the grade of hematological adverse events, including hyperglycemia, did not differ between the groups. We conclude that the administration of steroids was useful for the prevention of adverse events after TACE in patients with HCC

Canopy Multi-layering and Woody Species Diversity in a Subtropical Evergreen Broadleaf Forest in Okinawa Island, Japan

国際共同シンポジウム: International Joint Symposium: Tropical Island Ecosystems and Sustainable Development (Moorea, French Polynesia), DATE:December 2-7, 2006, PLACE: Moorea, French Polynesia, CO-SPONSORS: Centre de Recherches Insulaires et Observatoire de l’Environnement (CRIOBE) / Richard B. Gump South Pacific Research Station (University of California Berkeley) / 21st COE Program of University of the Ryukyu

Time-trajectory of Mean Phytomass and Density in Self-thinning Plant Populations

Reconciling the competition-density (C-D) effect observed at a particular moment in time with the 3/2 power law of self-thinning observed over time, a model for describing the time-trajectory of mean phytomass w and density p (briefly, the w-p trajectory) during the course of self-thinning is theoretically derived. The model gives a consistent, full explanation of the w-p trajectories of populations starting with any initial density. The larger value of the relative mortality rate with respect to biological time of a population, which is governed by the 3/2 power law of self-thinning, plays an important role in relieving the C-D effect, so that the w-p trajectories asymptotically approach the self-thinning line on logarithmic coordinates at the earlier stage of growth. The survivorship curve is divided into three types owing to initial density: logistic, exponential and cologistic types of decrease. All populations tend to decrease exponentially in number at the same rate of relative mortality after a sufficient lapse of time, irrespective of their initial density. The populations decreasing exponentially in number follow the 3/2 power law of self-thinning. The carrying capacity of yield is explicitly defined as a function of biological time, so that it is concluded that the carrying capacity increases exponentially with increasing biological time. An approximated expression of the model for the w-p trajectory is proposed and is confirmed to mimic well the time-trajectories of mean stem volume and density during the development of eastern white pine (Pinus strobus L.) plantations

Tree Size in a Mature Dipterocarp Forest Stand in Sebulu, East Kalimantan, Indonesia

この論文は国立情報学研究所の学術雑誌公開支援事業により電子化されました。The forest plant size, especially tree size, was examined in a mature dipterocarp forest stand in Sebulu, East Kalimantan, Indonesia. One hundred and ninety-one living trees 1.3m high and higher, three lianas living on dead trees, one small standing liana, and one palm were felled, and their sizes were measured using the stratified clip technique and recorded. Of these sample plants, the largest was a Shorea laevis tree : total height was 70.7m; stem diameter at the terminal of its buttresses, 4.6m high, was 130.5cm; stem volume was 41.1m^3; stem dry weight was 33129.768kg; branch dry weight was 9586.120kg; leaf dry weight was 107.614kg; leaf area was 767.372m^2. The plant mass of dependent plants living on independent plants was also measured using the stratified clip technique. The aboveground biomass in a narrow 0.125ha sampling spot was calculated by summing the plant mass values of individual sample plants. It totaled 872.949t/ha in dry weight for all living plants and 7.962ha/ha in leaf area, although these values were too large to represent the mean biomass of the dipterocarp forest in the study area because that forest patch included the huge emergent tree