Cation Permeability in Soybean Aleurone Layer

The permeation of water and ions into bean seeds is essential for processing and cooking of beans. The permeability of cations, K, Na, Ca, and Mg ions, into soybean seed tissue, especially aleurone layer, during water uptake was investigated to characterize the ion permeation into soybeans. Aleurone layers and seed coats contained relatively high concentration of endogenous K and Ca ions, and endogenous Ca ion, respectively. The amounts of Ca ion entered seed coats and aleurone layers were greater than those of other ions, respectively. Ion contents per dried aleurone layer and dried seed coat were almost same from each other. The release of Ca and Mg ions toward the inside tissue from the aleurone layer was observed during water uptake. The cell wall column of aleurone layers adsorbed more K and Na ions than Ca and Mg ions. These results suggest that the Ca ion entered soybean seeds is actively transported from the seed coat to the embryo through the aleurone layer. The active migration of Ca to soybean embryos would be greatly usefull for producing foods enriched with Ca in processing and cooking of soybeans

マウス接種法および螢光抗体法による屠殺豚からのToxoplasma gondiiの検出について

Ninety five pigs suspicious of Toxoplasma-infection were selected from 18,867 ones killed at Isahaya City Slaughterhouse and used for the isolation of T. gondii with mouse inoculations of their hilar or hepatic lymph nodes and also for the microscopic detection of the parasite in the lymph nodes with direct fluorescent antibody technic. In the mouse inoculation method, Toxoplasma hemagglutination test was carried out with sera of mice killed 6 weeks after the inoculation of the lymph nodes into the mice. Further, T. gondii strains newly isolated were subinoculated into mice and hamsters to investigate their virulence. The isolation rate of T. gondii was 8/95 or 8.4%, while 33 of 95 (34.7%) were positive in hemagglutination test. Fluorescent antibody technic indicated a positive response in 19 of 95 pig lymph nodes (20.0%). Eight T. gondii strains were isolated and demonstrated a high virulence for mice and hamsters. In this paper, the methods used and the above mentioned results are stated in detail and discussed.長崎県諫早市立屠場に1966年12月より1967年3月までに搬入された豚18,867頭より,屠場獣医師の協力により選抜されたトキソプラズマ症の疑いある病変豚(肺水腫,肝壊死斑,腸充血など)95頭の肝または肺門リンパ腺の螢光抗体法(直接法)により原虫検出,マウス接種法による原虫分離,および接種マウスのHA抗体価を測定し,それらの成績を比較検討した.また分離された株の毒性についてもRH株と比較し検討した.1.マウス接種法によるトキソプラズマ原虫分離は95例中8例(原虫分離率8.4%)で,いずれも栄養型が検出された.分離8株中5株は継代初期においては,シスト型も検出された.2.マウス接種法によるHA抗体価陽性(256倍以上陽性)は95例中33(陽性率34.7%)であった.原虫分離8株はいずれもHA陽性であった.3.豚の肝または肺リンパ腺の割面スタンプ標本の,螢光抗体法(直接法)によるトキソプラズマ原虫の検出率は95例中19例(検出率20.0%)であった.この19例中4例からマウス接種法により原虫が分離できた.4.分離株のマウスおよびハムスターに対する毒性はRH株と同じ程度かやや弱毒であった

屠場の低温室内におけるToxoplasma gondiiの生存期間に関する研究

Examination was made of the survival period of Toxoplasma gondii in the low temperature rooms of a slaughterhouse. Materials for the examination were the mouse bodies themselves and the organs, such as the liver and brain, of mice infected with the RH or Beverley strain. These materials were stored in both of the refrigerating and the cold-storage rooms, then taken out of the rooms one after another at a short interval and examined on the existence of live Toxoplasma in them with the intraperitoneal inoculation into healthy mice. In the first experiment, it was revealed that the survival of the proliferative form of Toxoplasma in an infected mouse body was 8 days in the refrigerating room and 4 days in the cold-storage room, but a putrefactive sign was manifesting slowly in the mice stored more than 13 days in the refrigerating room and 6 days in the other. In the following experiment, the livers excised from RH-infected mice and the brains from Beverley-infected ones were stored only in the refrigerating room. It was recognized as the result that cysts were capable of survival for as long as 67 days and proliferative forms could survive for 11 days in the room. A control experiment was attempted on the resistance of T. gondii to -14℃ in a freezer and it was shown that both forms of this protozoa in the infected mouse organs could remain alive more than an hour but did not for 3 hours in a freezer of -14℃. Temperatures in both rooms were continuously measured by auto-recording thermometers. In the refrigerating room, it was 0.47℃ in average and the cold-storage room always had 3 to 4℃ higher temperature than the refrigerating room.Toxoplasma gondiiの低温に対する抵抗性についての報告は少なくない。しかし、これらの研究では、実験室内の冷蔵庫またはフリーザーなどの精確に調節された温度条件下に実施されたものである。屠畜肉やその内臓中に潜在する本原虫が、もっとも重要な感染源と見なされている現在では、屠場の低温室中で畜肉中の本原虫が、どれ程の期間生存しつづけるかが疫学上重要な意味を持つことはいうまでもない。事実、屠場の冷却室あるいは冷蔵室の温度は、頻回の扉の開閉や大量の温かい大動物肉塊の搬入などのため、相当な変動を受けることが予測され、実験室の冷蔵庫内温度条件とはかなり異なるものであると考えられた。　本研究は、以上の趣旨に沿って長崎市営屠場内の低温室を利用し、T. gondiiの増殖型および？子の生存期間を検討した。被検材料は、大動物肉塊や内臓を用いることができなかったので、RHおよびBeverley株感染マウスおよびその臓器を使用した。　第1実験では、PH株感染マウス自体を冷却室および冷蔵室に保存した。以後、毎日または隔日に保存マウス体を取り出し、その肝および脾乳剤を健常マウス腹膣内接種し、そのマウスからの原虫検出を試みた。接種ご30日以内に死亡したマウスは即時に、それ以上生存したものは屠殺して、その腹膣液および脳中の原虫の有無を顕微鏡下に検討した。その成績では、マウス体内のRH株増殖型は冷却室中で8日間、冷蔵室中で4日間生存することを認めた。しかし、保存マウスの腹膣内臓器の腐敗が冷却室では13日め以降から、また冷蔵室では6日めから認められたことから、その成績にはマウスの腐敗が影響を及ぼしていることが想像された。実験中の室温は、冷却室では平均0.9℃、最高2.5℃、最低-1.1℃、冷蔵室では平均4.2℃、最高低巾は5.1～3.2℃であった。　第2実験では、RH株感染マウス肝とBeverley株感染マウス脳を冷却室中に保存し、一定期間毎に取り出し、乳剤として健常マウスに接種した。本実験によりマウス肝中のRH株増殖型は11日間、マウスの脳中のBeverley株囊子は実に67日間冷却室で生存することが判明した。実験期間中の冷却室温度は平均0.47℃、最高低巾は3.2～-3.5℃におよんだ。対照実験として、-14℃のフリーザーの中で第2実験と同一材料を用いて検査したが、その結果、囊子、増殖型とも、1時間保存材料中に生存することを認めたが、3時間材料からは証明できなかった。　以上の実験で、屠場冷却室中で囊子は67日間、増殖型は11日間生存し、かつ、感染力を保有していることが判明したが、大動物肉塊や臓器中では、より長時間生存することが想定された

Factors Affecting Water Permeability of Aleurone Layer in Soybean Seeds

The effect of the immersion condition of soybean seeds on the water permeability in aleurone layer was investigated to clarify the water permeability at the initial stage of water sorption. The amounts of water absorbed in seeds coated with only aleurone layer (embryos uncovered with seed coat) and untreated seeds (embryos covered with seed coat and aleurone layer; intact seeds) were compared under several conditions of temperature, pH, ion species, and salt concentration. The relative weight in both types of seeds increased with the rise of soaking temperature, but it decreased after 180min at 50℃. Whereas both water uptakes were inclined to be little affected by soaking pH, the remarkable increase in the water uptake of seeds coated with only aleurone layer was observed only by soaking in sodium acetate buffer (pH 4.0). Although a lower concentration of KCl (0.01M) stimulated both water uptakes compared with water, a higher concentration of KCl (0.1M and 0.2M) depressed inversely them. The rates of water uptake in both types of seeds changed depending upon ionic strength rather than ion species. From these results, it was found that the state of water sorption in soybean seeds having the aleurone layer scarcely changed even if the seed coat was removed. It is suggested that the water permeability of soybean seeds is mainly due to the characteristics of aleurone layer

Development, Characteristics and Durability of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cell

The DSSC 120 x 120 mm square sub-module with high conversion efficiency, excellent high temperature durability was fabricated using the new ruthenium-complex dye J2 which was developed by us, most appropriate Ti02 nano-particles, suited electrolyte containing iodine, the improved sealant, protective material of collecting grids. By assembling many sub-modules, large size of modules and also see-through type DSSC modules were developed. By the study of characteristics of DSSC on the incident angle of light and temperature, the advantage of DSSC has been discussed comparing with other Si solar cells

ROCK-I regulates closure of the eyelids and ventral body wall by inducing assembly of actomyosin bundles

Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) I mediates signaling from Rho to the actin cytoskeleton. To investigate the in vivo functions of ROCK-I, we generated ROCK-I–deficient mice. Loss of ROCK-I resulted in failure of eyelid closure and closure of the ventral body wall, which gave rise to the eyes open at birth and omphalocele phenotypes in neonates. Most ROCK-I−/− mice died soon after birth as a result of cannibalization of the omphalocele by the mother. Actin cables that encircle the eye in the epithelial cells of the eyelid were disorganized and accumulation of filamentous actin at the umbilical ring was impaired, with loss of phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (MLC) at both sites, in ROCK-I−/− embryos. Stress fiber formation and MLC phosphorylation induced by EGF were also attenuated in primary keratinocytes from ROCK-I−/− mice. These results suggest that ROCK-I regulates closure of the eyelids and ventral body wall through organization of actomyosin bundles

A Shock-Induced Pair of Superbubbles in the High-Redshift Powerful Radio Galaxy MRC 0406-244

We present new optical spectroscopy of the high-redshift powerful radio galaxy MRC 0406$-$244 at redshift of 2.429. We find that the two extensions toward NW and SE probed in the rest-frame ultraviolet image are heated mainly by the nonthermal continuum of the active galactic nucleus. However, each extension shows a shell-like morphology, suggesting that they are a pair of superbubbles induced by the superwind activity rather than by the interaction between the radio jet and the ambient gas clouds. If this is the case, the intense starburst responsible for the formation of superbubbles could occur $\sim 1 \times 10^9$ yr ago. On the other hand, the age of the radio jets may be of the order of $\sim 10^6$ yr, being much shorter than the starburst age. Therefore, the two events, i.e., the starburst and the radio-jet activities, are independent phenomena. However, their directions of the expanding motions could be governed by the rotational motion of the gaseous component in the host galaxy. This idea appears to explain the alignment effect of MRC 0406$-$244.Comment: 4 pages (emulateapj.sty), Fig. 1 (jpeg) + Fig.2 (eps). Accepted for publications in ApJ (Letters

Dielectrophoresis Conditions for Pearl Chain Formation and Effect of Pulse Field Strength on Protoplast Breakdown of Hericium erinaceum

The fusion method using PEG as a fusogenic agent has a number of disadvantages in comparison with the newly developed electrical fusion method. However, there has been little application yet of this electrical fusion method to the fusion of protoplasts of mushrooms. In this report, we describe the pearl chain formation and effect of pulse field strength on protoplast breakdown of protoplasts prepared from Hericium erinaceum. The protoplasts density favorable for pearl chain formation was about 10^8protoplasts/ml, and the yield of single pairs was maximum (30%) after 60sec dielectrophoresis at 100V/cm and 1MHz. The field intensity required to decompose half of the protoplast from H. erinaceum was 8kV/cm in a 0.7M mannitol solution

Effect of culture broths from various microorganisms on fruiting of Pleurotus ostreatus W0001

We report the effect of culture broths from various microorganisms on fruiting of Pleurotus ostreatus W0001. P. ostreatus W0001 has been grown on sterile sawdust medium containing culture broths from various microorganisms with good yields in small scale experiments. The spawning to first yield obtained for a period of 10 days was 9.7% of the moistened medium on the sawdusts medium containing culture broth from Saccharomyces cerevisiae AKU 4100

Effect of Culture Broths from Various Microorganisms on Fruiting of Pleurotus ostreatus

We report the effect of culture broths from various microorganisms on fruiting of Pleurotus ostreatus. P. ostreatus has been grown on sterile sawdust medium containing culture broths from various microorganisms with good yields in small scale experiments. The spawning to first yield obtained for a period of 10 days was 5.9% of the moistened medium on the sawdusts medium containing culture broth from Bacillus cereus