Life Cycle Plasticity in and in the Arctic and the Temperate Zone.

ceae Jülich is one of the cold-adapted fungal families in basidiomycetes. The representative genera, (Pers.) Fr.

Taxonomic revision of the complex.

and the related fungi were separated into three biological species by morphological and physiological characteristics, as well as DNA sequences and mating reactions. We propose that the complex should be divided into three species (, and ) and two varieties ( var. and var.

Dry dechlorination of polychlorinated biphenyls in contaminated soil by using nano-sized composite of metallic Ca/CaO and its mechanism.

Soil contamination by PCBs is still known as a serious problem across the world, and the development of new technologies or the improvement of existing ones (e.g. higher efficiency, shorter processing time, lower input energy) are more and more important.

Isolation and identification of psychrotrophic lactic acid bacteria in godo, the traditional fermented soy food in Japan.

Godo is a traditional fermented soy food made in Aomori prefecture, Japan. It is mainly made of soybeans, rice koji, and salt. Since godo ripens during the long and severe winter in northeast Japan, it is assumed that lactic acid bacteria inhabiting godo have cold tolerance.

Identification and Isolation Pattern of spp. from a Moss Colony in Ny-Ålesund, Spitsbergen Is., Norway from 2006 to 2018.

spp. are soil-inhabiting oomycetes distributed worldwide, including in polar regions. Some species of the genus are known as important plant pathogens.

Basidiomycetous Yeast, Forming Frost-Columnar Colonies on Frozen Medium.

The basidiomycetous yeast, , was isolated from various terrestrial materials collected from the Sôya coast, East Antarctica, and formed frost-columnar colonies on agar plates frozen at -1 °C. Thawed colonies were highly viscous, indicating that the yeast produced a large number of extracellular polysaccharides (EPS). was then cultured on frozen media containing red food coloring to observe the dynamics of solutes in unfrozen water; pigments accumulated in frozen yeast colonies, indicating that solutes were concentrated in unfrozen water of yeast colonies.

Hepatic estrogen-responsive genes relating to oogenesis in cutthroat trout (Oncorhynchus clarki): The transcriptional induction in primary cultured hepatocytes and the in vitro promoter transactivation in responses to estradiol-17β.

Estradiol-17β (E2) regulates transcription of estrogen-responsive genes via estrogen receptors (Esr). In many teleost species, choriogenin (chg), vitellogenin (vtg) and esr genes are transactivated by E2 in the liver. This study aimed i) to compare expression properties of all subtypes of these genes (chg: chgHα, chgHβ, chgL; vtg: vtgAs, vtgC; esr: esr1a, esr1b, esr2a, esr2b) in response to estrogen stimulation, and ii) to confirm how each of four Esr subtypes is involved in the transcriptional regulation of these estrogen-responsive genes in cutthroat trout hepatocytes.

Data on swan arrival, departure, and population size on the Asadokoro tidal flat, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, from 1956 to 2010.

The arrival and departure dates and the daily maximum populations of migrating swans () on the Asadokoro tidal flat, Hiranai town, Aomori Prefecture, Japan, were recorded by elementary school students for more than 50 years between 1956 and 2010. The Asadokoro tidal flat, which lies along the coast of Mutsu Bay, has been designated a National Special Natural Monument, known as "The swans of Kominato and their migration grounds." This long history of observation unfortunately came to an end with the closure of the elementary school in 2012.

Detection of Clostridium perfringens in tsunami deposits after the Great East Japan Earthquake.

The Great East Japan Earthquake struck off the Tohoku and caused a tsunami in 2011. Most of the microbial characteristics of tsunami-affected soil remain unknown and no published study has shown how a tsunami affects the risk of infection by Clostridium perfringens living in soil. In 2011 and 2015, C.

Influence of Electron Beam Irradiation on Electrical Insulating Properties of PLA with Soft Resin Added .

Polylactic acid (PLA), a bioplastic, is a hard resin, and requires softening in order to be used in electric wire sheaths. A soft resin was added to PLA in order to soften it, but this caused the electric breakdown strength () to decrease. In this study, PLA with soft resin added was irradiated with an electron beam and the influence of the electron beam irradiation on was examined.

Intestinal Bacteria as Powerful Trapping Lifeforms for the Elimination of Radioactive Cesium.

In March 2011, an accident at the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant led to major problems, including the release of radionuclides such as Cesium (Cs)-137 into the environment. Ever since this accident, Cs-137 in foods has become a serious problem. In this study, we determined the concentration of Cs-137 in the feces, urine, and ruminal contents of cattle and demonstrated the possibility of its elimination from the body by intestinal bacteria.

Preparation of Exopolysaccharide Synthesized by Lactic Acid Bacteria.

Polysaccharides produced by lactic acid bacteria are divided into two classes based on their biosynthesis and structure. Nevertheless, the procedures for isolation, purification, and chemical analysis of these polymers are very similar. This chapter introduces the techniques that are used to prepare exopolysaccharides from lactic acid bacteria; both large- and small-scale preparation methods are described.

Characteristics of Relative Age Effects and Anthropometric Data in Japanese Recreational and Elite Male Junior Baseball Players.

Background: The mechanisms underlying the relative age effect (RAE), a biased distribution of birth dates, in sport events have been investigated for more than two decades. The present study investigated the characteristics of the RAE in baseball and anthropometric data (height and weight) among recreational junior baseball players as well as elite players, using data extracted from national surveys.

Methods: Birth and anthropometric data were obtained from 4464 Japanese students as elementary school, junior high school, and high school players.

Development of specific chemiluminescent immunoassays for three subtypes of vitellogenin in grey mullet (Mugil cephalus).

Chemiluminescent immunoassays (CLIAs) were developed for each of three subtypes of vitellogenin (VtgAa, VtgAb and VtgC) in grey mullet, primarily for use in monitoring estrogenic pollution of the environment. The working range of VtgAa-CLIA and VtgAb-CLIA was from 0.975 to 1,000 ng/ml, while that of VtgC-CLIA was from 0.

Anomalous diffusion on the servosphere: A potential tool for detecting inherent organismal movement patterns.

Tracking animal movements such as walking is an essential task for understanding how and why animals move in an environment and respond to external stimuli. Different methods that implemented image analysis and a data logger such as GPS have been used in laboratory experiments and in field studies, respectively. Recently, animal movement patterns without stimuli have attracted an increasing attention in search for common innate characteristics underlying all of their movements.

Screening micro-organisms for cadmium absorption from aqueous solution and cadmium absorption properties of Arthrobacter nicotianae.

To obtain basic information on how microbial cells absorb cadmium from aqueous solution, we examined cadmium absorption in various micro-organisms. Of 51 micro-organism strains tested, we found that some Gram-positive bacteria, such as, Arthrobacter nicotianae and Bacillus subtilis, and some actinomycetes, such as, Streptomyces flavoviridis and S. levoris were highly capable of absorbing cadmium from an aqueous solution.

Investigation of CNT growth by substrate temperature control using thermal CVD method.

Influence of metal catalyst (Fe) surface condition was investigated for the growth of carbon nanotubes (CNTs). Surface condition of 5 nm thick Fe coated on Si substrate was changed by varying substrate temperature during the CNTs synthesis in a thermal CVD method. Acetylene and argon were used as precursor and carrier gas, respectively, for the synthesis of CNTs.

Community structures and activities of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in industrial wastewater-treating biofilms.

The bacterial community structure, in situ spatial distributions and activities of nitrifying and denitrifying bacteria in biofilms treating industrial wastewater were investigated by combination of the 16S rRNA gene clone analysis, fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) and microelectrodes. These results were compared with the nitrogen removal capacity of the industrial wastewater treatment plant (IWTP). Both nitrification and denitrification occurred in the primary denitrification (PD) tank and denitrification occurred in the secondary denitrification (SD) tank.

Use of microelectrodes to investigate the effects of 2-chlorophenol on microbial activities in biofilms.

In order to assess the applicability of using microelectrodes as a tool for inhibition tests, temporal and spatial inhibitory effects of 2-chlorophenol (2-CP) on O(2) respiration and nitrification activities in municipal wastewater biofilms were investigated using microelectrodes for O(2) and NH(4)(+). The time-course microelectrode measurements demonstrated that 2-CP inhibited O(2) respiration and nitrification activities within 6-18 min. The microbial activities were inhibited only in the upper 400 microm of the biofilms by 2-CP, and the bacteria present in the deeper parts of the biofilms were still active, probably due to limited penetration of 2-CP.

Adsorption of lead and mercury by rice husk ash.

An attempt at the use of rice husk ash, an agricultural waste, as an adsorbent for the adsorption of lead and mercury from aqueous water is studied. Studies are carried out as a function of contact times, ionic strength, particle size, and pH. Rice husk ash is found to be a suitable adsorbent for the adsorption of lead and mercury ions.

Control of planula migration by LWamide and RFamide neuropeptides in Hydractinia echinata.

Planula larvae of Hydractinia echinata (Cnidaria) settled on a substratum migrate toward light. We observed that planula migration is not a continuous process. Instead, it consists of repeating cycles of active migration (about 8 min on average) and inactive resting periods (about 26 min on average).

Macroscale and microscale analyses of nitrification and denitrification in biofilms attached on membrane aerated biofilm reactors.

A membrane aerated biofilm reactor (MABR), in which O(2) was supplied from the bottom of the biofilm and NH(4)(+) and organic carbon were supplied from the biofilm surface, was operated at different organic carbon loading rates and intra-membrane air pressures to investigate the occurrence of simultaneous chemical oxygen demand (COD) removal, nitrification and denitrification. The spatial distribution of nitrification and denitrification zones in the biofilms was measured with microelectrodes for O(2), NH(4)(+), NO(2)(-), NO(3)(-) and pH. When the MABR was operated at approximately 1.

Effect of oxygen concentration on nitrification and denitrification in single activated sludge flocs.

Simultaneous nitrification and denitrification (SND) was investigated in the single aeration tank of a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Microelectrode measurements and batch experiments were performed to test for the presence of SND. Microelectrodes recorded the presence of O(2) concentration gradients in individual activated sludge flocs.

Evaluation of the impact of bioaugmentation and biostimulation by in situ hybridization and microelectrode.

Three rotating disk biofilm reactors were operated to evaluate whether bioaugmentation and biostimulation can be used to improve the start-up of microbial nitrification. The first reactor was bioaugmented during start-up period with an enrichment culture of nitrifying bacteria, the second reactor received a synthetic medium containing NH(4)(+) and NO(2)(-) to facilitate concomitant proliferation of ammonia- and nitrite-oxidizing bacteria, and the third reactor was used as a control. To evaluate the effectiveness of bioaugmentation and biostimulation approaches, time-dependent developments of nitrifying bacterial community and in situ nitrifying activity in biofilms were monitored by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) technique and microelectrode measurements of NH(4)(+), NO(2)(-), NO(3)(-), and O(2).

8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine levels in white blood cell DNA and ex vivo oxidation resistance of plasma in smokers.

Oxidative DNA damage in peripheral white blood cell of smokers were estimated in accordance with the levels of 8-Hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) in nuclear DNA and the antioxidant status of these smokers' plasma was investigated in terms of the ex vivo oxidation resistance of plasma. In a survey of 12 smokers (4 women) aged 22 to 48, the mean level of 8-OHdG was 3.79+/-0.