The Changes of Earthworm Population and Chemical Properties of Tropical Soils under Different Land Use Systems

Hilly area Sumberjaya, West Lampung Province, South Sumatra, Indonesia, is one of the Province where deforestation  increasing in the past 30 years as a result of the implementation of agricultural systems, especially coffee plantation. it is important to study the soil fauna in these natural relicts. Six sites (3 naturals and 3 managed systems) were studied in order to identify earthworm species communities, using the hand sorthing  method and soil chemical parameters (pH, avail-P, org-C., tot-N, and cation exchange capacity (CEC). Two species were found (Pheretima sp. and Pontoscolex sp.). All land use systems had very similar soil chemical characteristics, there can be characterised as acidic (pH between 3.6 and 5.0). A high content of organic carbon was in natural sites (bush 4.0 % and primary forest 3.9 %),  and a low content was in managed sites (coffee plantation 2.1 %). Total nitogen (0.37 %) and CEC (21.84 Cmol-c kg-1) was in primary forest.  However, the earthworm densities were significantly lower under primary forest than in the other sites. The acidity component explained mainly   the lowest earthworm population at the primary forest (soil pH 3.6). The use of succession forest (bush) and mix farming showed a positive effect on soil fertilit

The Biosynthesis of Capuramycin-type Antibiotics: Identification of the A-102395 Biosynthetic Gene Cluster, Mechanism of Self-Resistence, and Formation of Uridine-5\u27-Carboxamide

A-500359s, A-503083s, and A-102395 are capuramycin-type nucleoside antibiotics that were discovered using a screen to identify inhibitors of bacterial translocase I, an essential enzyme in peptidoglycan cell wall biosynthesis. Like the parent capuramycin, A-500359s and A-503083s consist of three structural components: a uridine-5\u27-carboxamide (CarU), a rare unsaturated hexuronic acid, and an aminocaprolactam, the last of which is substituted by an unusual arylamine-containing polyamide in A-102395. The biosynthetic gene clusters for A-500359s and A-503083s have been reported, and two genes encoding a putative non-heme Fe(II)-dependent α-ketoglutarate:UMP dioxygenase and an l-Thr:uridine-5\u27-aldehyde transaldolase were uncovered, suggesting that C-C bond formation during assembly of the high carbon (C6) sugar backbone of CarU proceeds from the precursors UMP and l-Thr to form 5\u27-C-glycyluridine (C7) as a biosynthetic intermediate. Here, isotopic enrichment studies with the producer of A-503083s were used to indeed establish l-Thr as the direct source of the carboxamide of CarU. With this knowledge, the A-102395 gene cluster was subsequently cloned and characterized. A genetic system in the A-102395-producing strain was developed, permitting the inactivation of several genes, including those encoding the dioxygenase (cpr19) and transaldolase (cpr25), which abolished the production of A-102395, thus confirming their role in biosynthesis. Heterologous production of recombinant Cpr19 and CapK, the transaldolase homolog involved in A-503083 biosynthesis, confirmed their expected function. Finally, a phosphotransferase (Cpr17) conferring self-resistance was functionally characterized. The results provide the opportunity to use comparative genomics along with in vivo and in vitro approaches to probe the biosynthetic mechanism of these intriguing structures

介護老人福祉施設における虐待予防プログラムを用いた研修実施と効果検証

論文　要介護高齢者入居施設における入居者虐待は、古くから存在した社会問題であるが、近年、①要介護高齢者の急増、②要介護高齢者施設を経営する主体（法人）の多様化、③高齢者虐待の防止、高齢者の養護者に対する支援等に関する法律（以下「高齢者虐待防止法」という。）の施行による虐待実態の顕在化、さらには各種メディアによる報道等によって、多くの人々にとってより身近な社会問題として認識されるようになってきた。　本研究は、実際に介護老人福祉施設の職員として実践に携わっている専門職と協働して作成した独自の虐待予防研修プログラム（素案）を用いて施設の介護職員向け研修を実施し、当該研修プログラムの評価（プログラムの実施効果の把握および当該研修プログラムに関する改善点等に関する示唆を得る）を行うことを目的として実施した。　本研究では、まず、介護老人福祉施設における福祉サービス提供実践者とチームをつくり、先行研究や既存の文献等も踏まえながら議論を重ね、「虐待を生み出す要因を構造的に理解するための研修プログラム」と「不適切なケアを低減するための研修プログラム」の２本柱によって構成された介護老人福祉施設における虐待予防研修プログラム素案を作成することができた。また、本稿において当該プログラム素案の作成プロセスを示すことができた。　次に、当該プログラムを用いた研修を受講した方々を対象とした調査票調査の結果から、「虐待を生み出す要因を構造的に理解するための研修プログラム」と「不適切なケアを低減するための研修プログラム」をセットにした「介護老人福祉施設介護職員向けの虐待予防研修」の有用性を把握することができた。　また、今後も継続しての本プログラムの開発を進める上で、「研修を受講したことによる効果を実感できる工夫（仕組み）」、「プログラム２の図解化を成功させるための改善・工夫」、「研修受講者が『意識の変化が虐待予防につながる最も重要な効果である』ということを実感できるための工夫（仕組み）」が必要であることを明確にすることができた

In situ proliferation and differentiation of macrophages in dental pulp

The presence of macrophages in dental pulp is well known. However, whether these macrophages proliferate and differentiate in the dental pulp in situ, or whether they constantly migrate from the blood stream into the dental pulp remains unknown. We have examined and compared the development of dental pulp macrophages in an organ culture system with in vivo tooth organs to clarify the developmental mechanism of these macrophages. The first mandibular molar tooth organs from ICR mice aged between 16 days of gestation (E16) to 5 days postnatally were used for in vivo experiments. Those from E16 were cultured for up to 14 days with or without 10% fetal bovine serum. Dental pulp tissues were analyzed with immunohistochemistry to detect the macrophages and with reverse transcription and the polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) for the detection of factors related to macrophage development. The growth curves for the in vivo and in vitro cultured cells revealed similar numbers of F4/80-positive macrophages in the dental pulp. RT-PCR analysis indicated the constant expression of myeloid colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF) in both in-vivo- and in-vitro-cultured dental pulp tissues. Anti-M-CSF antibodies significantly inhibited the increase in the number of macrophages in the dental pulp. These results suggest that (1) most of the dental pulp macrophages proliferate and differentiate in the dental pulp without a supply of precursor cells from the blood stream, (2) M-CSF might be a candidate molecule for dental pulp macrophage development, and (3) serum factors might not directly affect the development of macrophages

公開シンポジウム 包括的共生概念の構築に向けて : 「共生」は胡散くささを乗り越えられるか

平成21年度和光大学教育重点充実事業｢包括的共生概念の構築｣の一環として、身体環境共生学科が、平成21年11月1日に開催したシンポジウム『「共生」は胡散くささを乗り越えられるか』における発表とシンポジウムの内容をまとめたもの『和光大学現代人間学部紀要』第３号（2010年3月発行）所収の当該部分を抜粋して製

A New Species of Coralliidae (Cnidaria: Octocorallia) Collected from Eastern Japan

A new species of Hemicorallium Gray, 1867 (Coralliidae), Hemicorallium meraboshi sp. nov., is described here. The specimen was found at a depth of 1744–1755 m, approximately 340 km east of the Honshu (mainland Japan) coast. The colony was identified by visual and microscopic observation of standard morphological characteristics (colony size, diameters of colony base and branches, diameter and height of autozooid mound, thickness of coenenchyme, sclerite sizes, etc.) along with support from molecular evidence. The unique features of this specimen are the large (more than 2 mm in diameter) autozooid mounds and the sizable sclerites in the coenenchyme (over 0.1 mm long) that are 8-radiates and multi-radiates predominantly. This new species is the northernmost record of Pacific precious corals

Morphological and molecular characterization of a new genus and new species of parazoanthid (Anthozoa: Hexacorallia: Zoantharia) associated with Japanese red coral (Paracorallium japonicum) in southern Japan

琉球大学21世紀COEプログラム「サンゴ礁島嶼系の生物多様性の総合解析」平成19年度成果発表会（平成20年3月1日開催）　招待講演会会場：理系複号棟102号室，ポスター発表会場：琉球大学50周年記念館1

Histological Examination of Precious Corals from the Ryukyu Archipelago

In this paper we examined the histology of three commercially valuable species of precious corals (Paracorallium japonicum, Corallium elatius, and C. konojoi) from the Ryukyu Archipelago. In order to observe their inner structure, samples were thin sectioned and examined with a digital light microscope. Colonies of C. konojoi had thicker coenenchyme and larger autozooids than those of C. elatius and P. japonicum. The sclerites of the three species tended to be concentrated in the outer layers of coenenchyme. The gastric cavities of autozooids of all three species were found to be relatively empty. Some symbiotic polychates were observed in the axis of P. japonicum. As well, a zoanthid (Corallizoanthus tsukaharai) was often observed living on the coenenchyme surface of P. japonicum. It is hoped our observations will provide a good foundation of future study of Japanese Coralliidae corals