Growth, Morphology and Respiratory Cost Responses to Salinity in the Mangrove Plant Rhizophora Stylosa Depend on Growth Temperature.

Mangrove plants, which have evolved to inhabit tidal flats, may adjust their physiological and morphological traits to optimize their growth in saline habitats. Furthermore, the confined distribution of mangroves within warm regions suggests that warm temperature is advantageous to their growth in saline environments. We analyzed growth, morphology and respiratory responses to moderate salinity and temperature in a mangrove species, Rhizophora stylosa.

The flower does not open in the city: evolution of plant reproductive traits of Portulaca oleracea in urban populations.

Background And Aims: The impact of urbanization on plant evolution, particularly the evolution of reproductive traits, remains largely unknown. In this study, we aimed to investigate the consequences of urbanization on the reproductive traits of Portulaca oleracea in the Kantō region of Japan. Portulaca oleracea has a unique cleistogamous reproductive system, which consists of genetically determined chasmogamous (open, CH) and cleistogamous (closed, CL) plants.

Diazotrophic nitrogen fixation through aerial roots occurs in Avicennia marina: implications for adaptation of mangrove plant growth to low-nitrogen tidal flats.

Nitrogen limitation of primary production is common in coastal ecosystems. Mangrove trees maintain high levels of nitrogen fixation around their roots. The interior aerial space of mangrove roots, in which atmospheric gas is supplied through lenticels, could be efficient sites for nitrogen fixation.

Applicability of on-site disinfection of personal protective equipment by ozone gas.

On-site disinfection techniques are beneficial during a pandemic when there is a marked shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE), as experienced during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak. Ozone gas has been considered an alternative on-site disinfectant during a pandemic because it has antimicrobial activities, can be produced from air by electricity without the need for storage, and can be easily deactivated after use. However, ozone gas might become distributed at the lower layer because it has a larger molecular weight than air.

[The relationship between physical activity and sleep status among older adults requiring nursing care in the community].

Aim: We investigated the relationship between physical activity and sleep status among older adults requiring nursing care in the community.

Method: We included 45 participants ≥65 years old (33 females; mean age, 83.2±4.

Temperature dependence of O respiration in mangrove leaves and roots: implications for seedling dispersal phenology.

Seasonal differences in diaspore dispersal of three mangrove species, Kandelia obovata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza and Rhizophora stylosa, suggest that respiratory energy production and demand may differ as a result of interspecific differences in temperature dependence of growth and maintenance processes during seedling establishment. We analyzed growth, temperature dependencies of respiratory O consumption and amounts of respiratory chain enzymes in seedlings of these species grown at various temperatures. Respiration rates measured at the low reference temperature, R , were highest in leaves of 15°C-grown K.

Temporal and interspecific dietary variation in wintering ducks in agricultural landscapes.

Farmlands are becoming more important as waterfowl foraging habitats, while natural wetlands are being lost globally. However, it is unclear how waterfowl coexist in agricultural landscapes by resource partitioning. We evaluated the diets of seven sympatric dabbling ducks foraging in rice paddy and lotus fields around Lake Kasumigaura, the second largest lake in Japan, during two wintering seasons (from November to February) by faecal DNA metabarcoding using chloroplast trnL and mitochondrial CO1 region sequences.

Biometric palm vein authentication of psychiatric patients for reducing in-hospital medication errors: a pre-post observational study.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate a biometric palm vein authentication system to prevent medication administration errors in psychiatric hospitals.

Design: This is a pre-post observational study.

Setting: Conventionally, the medication was distributed after a double check.

Growth temperature affects O consumption rates and plasticity of respiratory flux to support shoot growth at various growth temperatures.

The temperature dependence of respiration rates and their acclimation to growth temperature vary among species/ecotypes, but the details remain unclear. Here, we compared the temperature dependence of shoot O consumption rates among Arabidopsis thaliana ecotypes to clarify how the temperature dependence and their acclimation to temperature differ among ecotypes, and how these differences relate to shoot growth. We examined growth analysis, temperature dependence of O consumption rates, and protein amounts of the respiratory chain components in shoots of twelve ecotypes of A.

Distinct responses of growth and respiration to growth temperatures in two mangrove species.

Background And Aims: Mangrove plants are mostly found in tropical and sub-tropical tidal flats, and their limited distribution may be related to their responses to growth temperatures. However, the mechanisms underlying these responses have not been clarified. Here, we measured the dependencies of the growth parameters and respiration rates of leaves and roots on growth temperatures in typical mangrove species.

Theoretical analysis of a temperature-dependent model of respiratory O consumption using the kinetics of the cytochrome and alternative pathways.

Temperature dependence of plant respiratory O -consumption has been empirically described by the Arrhenius equation. The slope of the Arrhenius plot (which is proportional to activation energy) sometimes deviates from a constant value. We conducted kinetic model simulations of mitochondrial electron flow dynamics to clarify factors affecting the shape of the Arrhenius plot.

Phenolic constituents and anticancer properties of Morus alba (white mulberry) leaves.

Flavonoids are by far the most dominant class of phenolic compounds isolated from Morus alba leaves (MAL). Other classes of compounds are benzofurans, phenolic acids, alkaloids, coumarins, chalcones and stilbenes. Major flavonoids are kuwanons, moracinflavans, moragrols and morkotins.

Mangrove-diazotroph relationships at the root, tree and forest scales: diazotrophic communities create high soil nitrogenase activities in Rhizophora stylosa rhizospheres.

Background And Aims: The tidal flats on which mangrove plants grow tend to have low soil nitrogen contents because nitrogen-containing litter is repeatedly washed offshore by ebb tides. Under such circumstances, it is unclear how mangrove plants acquire the nitrogen required to support their vigorous growth. In the present work, chemical and biological characteristics of diazotrophy around mangrove plant roots were surveyed under natural conditions to elucidate mangrove-diazotroph relationships.

Tracking the route of atmospheric nitrogen to diazotrophs colonizing buried mangrove roots.

Nitrogen-fixing activity has been observed in the rhizosphere of mangrove ecosystems, suggesting a close mangrove-diazotroph relationship. In regularly flooded soil, however, the pathway by which atmospheric nitrogen reaches the diazotrophs in the rhizosphere is unknown. This study provides evidence that mangrove aerial roots serve as pathways that supply nitrogen gas to the diazotrophs colonizing buried roots.

Inpatient Enhanced Multidisciplinary Care Effects on the Quality of Life for Parkinson Disease: A Quasi-Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objectives: To compare the effects of inpatient enhanced multidisciplinary care (EMC) and multidisciplinary rehabilitation (MR) on the symptoms and quality of life (QOL) of patients with Parkinson disease (PD) and to clarify the relation between reduction in symptoms and the improved QOL.

Methods: This study was a quasi-randomized controlled (alternate allocation), assessor-blinded, single-center study. We recruited 80 patients with idiopathic Parkinson disease, Hoehn and Yahr stage 2 to 4, on stable medication.

Evaluation of plant contamination in metabarcoding diet analysis of a herbivore.

Fecal DNA metabarcoding is currently used in various fields of ecology to determine animal diets. Contamination of non-food DNA from complex field environments is a considerable challenge to the reliability of this method but has rarely been quantified. We evaluated plant DNA contamination by sequencing the chloroplast trnL P6 loop region from food-controlled geese feces.

Captan-induced increase in the concentrations of intracellular Ca and Zn and its correlation with oxidative stress in rat thymic lymphocytes.

Captan, a phthalimide fungicide, is considered to be relatively nontoxic to mammals. There is a possibility that captan affects membrane and cellular parameters of mammalian cells, resulting in adverse effects, because of high residue levels. To test the possibility, we examined the effects of captan on rat thymic lymphocytes using flow-cytometry with appropriate fluorescent probes.

Real-time in-situ Simultaneous Monitoring of Dissolved Oxygen and Materials Movements at a Vicinity of Micrometers from an Aquatic Plant by Combining Deflection of a Probe Beam and Fluorescence Quenching.

It is desirable to be able to monitor the intake or release of the components at different organs of aquatic plants in real time and in-situ. Here, we report a novel optical detection system that allows for real-time in-situ simultaneous monitoring of the dissolved oxygen and material movements at a vicinity of micrometers from the aquatic plant surface. A blue semiconductor diode-laser was used as the light source of both the probe beam and excitation light for fluorescence.

Merr. (Fukugi): A multipurpose coastal tree with promising medicinal properties.

In this short review, the current knowledge on the botany, ecology, uses, and medicinal properties of the multipurpose (Fukugi) is updated. As yet, there are no reviews on this indigenous and heritage coastal tree species of the Ryukyu Islands in Japan, which has ethnocultural, ecological, and pharmacological significance. Planted by the Okinawan people some 300 years ago, Fukugi trees serve as windbreaks and accord protection against the destructive typhoons.

Application of ozone gas for decontamination of nucleoside anticancer drugs.

Background: Exposure to anticancer drugs is hazardous and may lead to chromosomal abnormalities and spontaneous abortion in healthcare workers. Guidelines recommend surface decontamination and cleaning in order to minimize the occupational exposure to anticancer drugs, although no single process has been found to deactivate all currently available hazardous drugs. Ozone gas is oxidative and a decontaminant for bacteria; its characteristic as a gas has advantages in that it does not need to be wiped off or neutralized after use.

[Validation of ELISA Kits for Pesticide Residue Analysis in Vegetables and Fruits].

Five kinds of commercially available ELISA kits (acetamiprid, azoxystrobin, chlorothalonil, fenitrothion and imidacloprid) were validated for determination of pesticide residues in vegetables and fruits. The reaction characteristics were also examined to evaluate their influence on the determinations. The trueness value was 91-162%, the repeatability was 2.

Approaches to Quality Risk Management When Using Single-Use Systems in the Manufacture of Biologics.

Biologics manufacturing technology has made great progress in the last decade. One of the most promising new technologies is the single-use system, which has improved the efficiency of biologics manufacturing processes. To ensure safety of biologics when employing such single-use systems in the manufacturing process, various issues need to be considered including possible extractables/leachables and particles arising from the components used in single-use systems.

Comparative Studies on Effects of Acid Solutions on Aquatic Plants by Beam Deflection and Absorbance Spectroscopy Methods.

The beam deflection method and absorbance spectroscopy were applied to study effects of acid solutions on aquatic plants, and their results were compared. Aquatic plants Egeria densa and Ceratophyllum demersum L were used as model plants. In absorbance experiments, a piece of the plants was put in a beaker with 20 mL HCl solution, and absorbance of the HCl solution was measured every 30 min.

Effect of acid solutions on plants studied by the optical beam deflection method.

The optical beam deflection method was applied to study the effects of acid solution on both a terrestial and aquatic plants Egeria and Cerastium, which are common aquatic plant and terrestial weed respectively. A probe beam from a He-Ne laser was passed through a vicinity of a leaf of the plants, which were put in culture dishes filled with acid solutions. Deflection signals of the probe beam were monitored and compared for acid solutions with different pH values.