高対塩性オオムギ品種の選抜

In order to select higher salt tolerant cultivars of barley,solution culture experiments were carried out with 500 barley cultivars, which were preliminarily selected from 4581 cultivars by exposure to 1-2% of sodium chloride(MaCl) during the germinating stage. The concentrations of NaCl used in the experiments were 2 (control), 150 and 300 mM in nutrient solution.From the results of five solution culture experiments, each of which was carried out with about 100 cultivars, 105 cultivars of barley were selected as relatively about 100 cultivars. Then the final selection was carried out on those 105 cultivars, and it was found that more than 10 cultivars were highly salt tolerant, mainly based on the comparisons of shoot yields under the supply of 300 mM of NaCl.High salt tolerant barley cultivars mentioned above showed 42-86% and 17-30% of the control in shoot yield under the condition of 150 and 300 mM of NaCl, respectively.On three groups of barley,each having more than 10 cultivars, which are high, moderate and low in salt tolerance, ion contents of the plants were analyzed.The results suggest that potassium(K) uptake was comparatively larger in the high salt tolerant goup of barley cultivars,through there was a big variation in sodium(Na) and K contents even within the same group.耐塩性品種を選抜するため、500品種のオオムギを用い、水耕栽培実験を行った。培地の塩化ナトリウム濃度は2（対照区）、150および300mMとした。用いた品種500品種は、4581品種のオオムギから、発芽時の耐塩性の高い品種として選抜されたものである。1回に約100品種を用い、5回の水耕栽培実験で耐塩性の高い105品種を選抜した。この105品種を同一時期に水耕栽培し、主として塩化ナトリウム300mMでの地上部収量を比較することにより、最終選抜を行った。その結果、10余品種の高対塩性オオムギが得られた。これらの高対塩性オオムギ品種では、塩化ナトリウム150mMの場合に、対照区の42～86％、300mMの場合に対照区の17～30％の地上部収量が得られた。これらの実験に用いたオオムギ品種から、対塩性の高いもの、中程度のもの、および低いものを各々10数品種選び、それらのイオン含量を測定した。その結果、同一グループ内でもイオン含量にかなりの変動が見られるが、対塩性の高いグループでは、オオムギのナトリウム吸収に比較し、カリウム吸収の大きい傾向を認めた

Tectonic Evolution of the Sambagawa Schists and its Implications in Convergent Margin Processes

The Sambagawa schists as high P /T metamorphic rocks are a member of Mesozoic accretionary complexes developed in the southern front of the Kurosegawa-Koryoke continent of Southwest Japan. The Mesozoic accretionary complexes are divided into four megaunits developed as nappes, Chichibu megaunit II, Sambagawa megaunit, Chichibu megaunit I and Shimanto megaunit in descending order of structural level. The Chichibu megaunit II consists of three accretionary units developed as nappes, late early Jurassic unit, late middle Jurassic unit and latest Jurassic unit (Mikabu unit) in descending order of structural level. The Chichibu megaunit I consists of five accretionary units developed as nappes, late middle Jurassic unit (Niyodo unit), late Jurassic unit, Valanginian unit, Barremian unit and Albian unit in descending order of structural level. The Shimanto megaunit, which just underlies the Chichibu megaunit I, is Cenomanian-Turonian accretionary unit and Coniacian-Campanian accretionary unit. The schists, which underlie the Chichibu megaunit II, all have been so far called the Sambagawa schists. These are divided into six units, Saruta unit, Fuyunose unit, Sogauchi unit, Sakamoto unit, Oboke unit and Tatsuyama unit in descending order of structural level, which show different tectono-metamorphic history and different radiometric ages from each other. The Sakamoto unit, Oboke unit and Tatsuyama unit have been assumed with reference to their radiometric ages and structural relations to belong to the late middle Jurassic accretionary unit of the Chichibu megaunit I (high pressure equivalent of the Niyodo unit), the Cenomanian-Turonian accretionary unit of the Shimanto megaunit and the Coniacian-Campanian accretionary unit of the Shimanto megaunit respectively in this paper. The upper member of the Sambagawa schists, Saruta unit, Fuyunose unit and Sogauchi unit, is therefore called the Sambagawa megaunit in this paper. The northern half and the southern half of the Sambagawa megaunit are intercalated as nappes between the Chichibu megaunit II and the Oboke unit and between the Chichibu megaunit II and the Sakamoto unit respectively. The constituent units of the Chichibu megaunit II, Sambagawa megaunit and Shimanto megaunit clearly show a downward younging age polarity, as compared with each other with reference to the oldest one of radiometric ages ( = metamorphic ages) of each unit. The Chichibu megaunit II and the Chichibu megaunit I show the same radiometric ages as compared between them with the same fossil age. The Saruta unit, Fuyunose unit and Sogauchi unit have therefore been assumed to be high pressure equivalent of Valanginian unit, that of Barremian unit and that of Albian unit of the Chichibu megaunit I respectively. These high pressure units were exhumed, separating the Chichibu supermegaunit into the Chichibu megaunit II and the Chichibu megaunit I and thrusting up onto the Chichibu megaunit I. On the basis of the growth history of amphibole in hematite-bearing basic schists of the Sambagawa megaunit, it has been assumed that the highest temperature metamorphism of the Fuyunose unit occurred, when it had been coupled with the Saruta unit which was exhuming, and that of the Sogauchi unit did through its coupling with the Fuyunose and Saruta units which were exhuming. In the subduction zone which was responsible for the formation of the Sambagawa megaunit, namely, the peak metamorphism of a newly subducted unit appears to have occurred when it had been coupled with previously subcreted units which were exhuming. It has been also clarified that the subduction of a new unit occurred mixing the lower pressure part of the pre-existing subcretion unit as tectonic blocks. There is a distinct difference in the oldest one of radiometric ages between constituent units of the Sambagawa schists, showing a downward younging age polarity. The oldest one of radiometric ages of each unit appears to approximate to the age of the ending of peak metamorphism and to the age (Eh age) of the beginning of its exhumation. Such the tectonics of the Sambagawa megaunit would be explained in term of two-way street model. Because the age (Sub age) of the beginning of the subduction of each unit can be assumed from its fossil age, the average velocity of the subduction and that of the exhumation of the Sambagawa megaunit in Shikoku have roughly been estimated to be ca. 0.9 mm/year and ca. 2.0 mm/year respectively. Deformation of quartz, whose style depends strongly upon strain rate, resulted in type I crossed girdle without conentration in Y even in the depth part of more than 10kb of the subduction zone, which was placed under temperature condition of much higher than 500°C, unlike the cases of magma-arcs where quartz c-axis fabrics with maximum concentration in Y are found in gneisses produced under temperature condition of lower than 500°C. Quartz deformation in the depth part of 15-17kb of the subduction zone appears to have occurred as dominant prism slip. The hanging wall of the Kurosegawa-Koryoke continent, which was placed at the depth of ca. 15-17 kb, thrust onto the Saruta unit at the depth of ca. 10-11 kb, accompanying intermingling of constituent rocks of the former and the latter and also mixing of various depth parts of the latter. The highest temperature metamorphism of the Saruta unit, which appears to have occurred under metamorphic condition of lower P /T than under that related to the formation of the general type of high P /T type metamorphic rocks, is ascribed to a contact metamorphism related to the overthrusting of the Kurosegawa-Koryoke continent. The thrusting of the Kurosegawa-Koryoke continent is ascribed to its collision with the Hida continent. The coupling of the previously subcreted Saruta unit with the newly subcreted Fuyunose unit occurred accompanying nearly isobaric cooling of the former. The great exhumation of the Saruta nappe (I + II) and Fuyunose nappe schists with great volume began together with the subcretion of the Sogauchi unit. The beginning age of the exhumation of the Sambagawa schists with great volume appears to coincide with that of the subduction of the Kula-Pacific ridge in Kyushu-Shikoku, which has been assumed by Kiminami et al. (1990). Namely, their great exhumation occurred with the progress of the subduction of the Kula-Pacific ridge with an eastward younging age polarity. The exhumation units, which were developed after the Mikabu unit, clearly show an eastward younging age polarity. Namely, these comparable with the Saruta unit, Fuyunose unit and Sogauchi unit are not found in central Japan and the Kanto Mountains. Rock deformation in the deformation related to the exhumation of the Sambagawa schists and their underlying schists appears to have commonly been of flattened type in mean strain. During the Ozu phase when the Kula-Pacific ridge subducted to the greater depth, the collapse of the Kurosegawa-Koryoke continent took again place, accompanying that of the pile nappe structures of the Sambagawa megaunit, Chichibu megaunit I and Oboke unit, and the thermal gradient along the plate boundary greatly changed, giving rise to medium P/T type metamorphism in the subduction zone (formation of the Tatsuyama nappe schists). The geological structures of the Sambagawa megaunit consist thus of two types of pile nappe structures, pre-Ozu phase pile nappe structures and Ozu phase pile nappe structures. The former is structures related to the coupling of the exhuming units ( = previously subcreted units) with the newly subcreted unit. The latter is structures showing the collapse of the former. The Ozu phase pile nappe structures are further divided into the pile nappe structures formed during the earlier stage (Tsuji stage) of the Ozu phase and these formed during the later stage (Futami stage). The former is disharmonic with reference to movement picture with the latter: The deformation related to the formation of the former, accompanying exhumation of the Oboke nappes, appears to contain a component of northward displacement, while that for the latter does a component of southward displacement. After the Ozu phase deformation the Sambagawa megaunit suffered the Hijikawa-Oboke phase folding, forming a series of sinistral en echelon upright folds. The relationship between the above-mentioned tectonic events of the Sambagawa megaunit and its surroundings and their radiometric ages is summarized as follows: [Original table is skipped. For more details, please refer to the full text.

〈実践報告〉発達障害学生支援における学生自身による効果評価の試み

大学の障害学生支援部署で修学支援を受ける発逹蹄害のある学生9名を対象に、学生による修学支援の効果評価を予備的に実施した。研究の目的は、修学支援の効果を肯定的に評価した学生および修学支援の効果が見られなかった学生の特徴を明らかにすることであった。各学生に対して支援開始前(4～6 月）および支援を行った後（翌年1～3月）において修学支援の効果に関するアンケートヘの回答を依頼した。その結果、修学支援の後にアンケート得点の有意な増加が見られた。修学支援の効果を肯定的に評価した学生の特徴として「音声の聞き取り」や「時間管理」に関する課題を有していたことが明らかとなった。一方で、支援の効果が見られなかった学生では「請義の出席」に関する課題を有していた。今後は、講義に出席すること自体に困難を有する学生への修学支援のあり方について検討すること、修学支援の効果評価における信頼性や妥当性を向上させることが課題として挙げられた。Characteristics of college students with developmental disabilities who evaluated the effects of learning support positively and those that considered the support was not effective were investigated. Preliminary evaluation of the effects of learning support was conducted by students with developmental disabilities (N=9). They were receiving support from the office for students with disabilities in university. A questionnaire on tbe effects of learning support was conducted before and after learning supports. The results indicated a significant increase in the scores after receiving support. Students that positively evaluated the effects had problems in listening and time management. On the other hand, students that considered the support was not effective had problems in attending lectures. In the future, it would be necessary to examine learning support for students with difficulties in attending class. Furthermore, it is suggested that the reliability and validity of evaluating the effects of learning support should be improved

Research on Spent Fuel Storage and Transportation in CRIEPI (Part 2 Concrete Cask Storage)

Concrete cask storage has been implemented in the world. At a later stage of storage period, the containment of the canister may deteriorate due to stress corrosion cracking phenomena in a salty air environment. High resistant stainless steels against SCC have been tested as compared with normal stainless steel. Taking account of the limited time-length of environment with certain level of humidity and temperature range, the high resistant stainless steels will survive from SCC damage. In addition, the adhesion of salt from salty environment on the canister surface will be further limited with respect to the canister temperature and angle of the canister surface against the salty air flow in the concrete cask. Optional countermeasure against SCC with respect to salty air environment has been studied. Devices consisting of various water trays to trap salty particles from the salty air were designed to be attached at the air inlet for natural cooling of the cask storage building. Efficiency for trapping salty particles was evaluated. Inspection of canister surface was carried out using an optical camera inserted from the air outlet through the annulus of a concrete cask that has stored real spent fuel for more than 15 years. The camera image revealed no gross degradation on the surface of the canister. Seismic response of a full-scale concrete cask with simulated spent fuel assemblies has been demonstrated. The cask did not tip over, but laterally moved by the earthquake motion. Stress generated on the surface of the spent fuel assemblies during the earthquake motion were within the elastic region

Effect of soy protein on the muscle in human

Background : In recent years, the number of bedridden people is rapidly increasing due to aging or lack of exercise in Japan. This problem is becoming more serious, since there is no countermeasure against it. In the present study, we designed to investigate whether dietary proteins, especially soy, had beneficial effects on skeletal muscle in 59 volunteers with various physical activities. Methods : We subjected 59 volunteers with various physical activities to meal intervention examination. Persons with low and high physical activities were divided into two dietary groups, the casein diet group and the soy diet group. They ate daily meals supplemented with 7.8 g of powdered casein or soy protein isolate every day for 30 days. Bedridden patients in hospitals were further divided into three dietary groups : the no supplementation diet group, the casein diet group and the soy diet group. They were also subjected to a blood test, a urinalysis, magnetic resonance imaging analysis and muscle strength test of the knee before and after the meal intervention study. Results : Thirty-day soy protein supplementation significantly increased skeletal muscle volume in participants with low physical activity, compared with 30-day casein protein supplementation. Both casein and soy protein supplementation increased the volume of quadriceps femoris muscle in bedridden patients. Consistently, soy protein significantly increased their extension power of the knee, compared with casein protein. Although casein protein increased skeletal muscle volume more than soy protein in bedridden patients, their muscle strength changes by soy protein supplementation were bigger than those by casein protein supplementation. Conclusions : The supplementation of soy protein would be one of the effective foods which prevent the skeletal muscle atrophy caused by immobilization or unloading

The whole blood transcriptional regulation landscape in 465 COVID-19 infected samples from Japan COVID-19 Task Force

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19患者由来の血液細胞における遺伝子発現の網羅的解析 --重症度に応じた遺伝子発現の変化には、ヒトゲノム配列の個人差が影響する--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-23.Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a recently-emerged infectious disease that has caused millions of deaths, where comprehensive understanding of disease mechanisms is still unestablished. In particular, studies of gene expression dynamics and regulation landscape in COVID-19 infected individuals are limited. Here, we report on a thorough analysis of whole blood RNA-seq data from 465 genotyped samples from the Japan COVID-19 Task Force, including 359 severe and 106 non-severe COVID-19 cases. We discover 1169 putative causal expression quantitative trait loci (eQTLs) including 34 possible colocalizations with biobank fine-mapping results of hematopoietic traits in a Japanese population, 1549 putative causal splice QTLs (sQTLs; e.g. two independent sQTLs at TOR1AIP1), as well as biologically interpretable trans-eQTL examples (e.g., REST and STING1), all fine-mapped at single variant resolution. We perform differential gene expression analysis to elucidate 198 genes with increased expression in severe COVID-19 cases and enriched for innate immune-related functions. Finally, we evaluate the limited but non-zero effect of COVID-19 phenotype on eQTL discovery, and highlight the presence of COVID-19 severity-interaction eQTLs (ieQTLs; e.g., CLEC4C and MYBL2). Our study provides a comprehensive catalog of whole blood regulatory variants in Japanese, as well as a reference for transcriptional landscapes in response to COVID-19 infection

DOCK2 is involved in the host genetics and biology of severe COVID-19

「コロナ制圧タスクフォース」COVID-19疾患感受性遺伝子DOCK2の重症化機序を解明 --アジア最大のバイオレポジトリーでCOVID-19の治療標的を発見--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2022-08-10.Identifying the host genetic factors underlying severe COVID-19 is an emerging challenge. Here we conducted a genome-wide association study (GWAS) involving 2, 393 cases of COVID-19 in a cohort of Japanese individuals collected during the initial waves of the pandemic, with 3, 289 unaffected controls. We identified a variant on chromosome 5 at 5q35 (rs60200309-A), close to the dedicator of cytokinesis 2 gene (DOCK2), which was associated with severe COVID-19 in patients less than 65 years of age. This risk allele was prevalent in East Asian individuals but rare in Europeans, highlighting the value of genome-wide association studies in non-European populations. RNA-sequencing analysis of 473 bulk peripheral blood samples identified decreased expression of DOCK2 associated with the risk allele in these younger patients. DOCK2 expression was suppressed in patients with severe cases of COVID-19. Single-cell RNA-sequencing analysis (n = 61 individuals) identified cell-type-specific downregulation of DOCK2 and a COVID-19-specific decreasing effect of the risk allele on DOCK2 expression in non-classical monocytes. Immunohistochemistry of lung specimens from patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia showed suppressed DOCK2 expression. Moreover, inhibition of DOCK2 function with CPYPP increased the severity of pneumonia in a Syrian hamster model of SARS-CoV-2 infection, characterized by weight loss, lung oedema, enhanced viral loads, impaired macrophage recruitment and dysregulated type I interferon responses. We conclude that DOCK2 has an important role in the host immune response to SARS-CoV-2 infection and the development of severe COVID-19, and could be further explored as a potential biomarker and/or therapeutic target