Litter fall investigation was carried out in a natural evergreen broad-leaved forest dominated by Castanopsis cuspidata var. sieboldii Nakai which is about 250 years old and in a secondary mixed evergreen and deciduous broad-leaved forest, about 30 years old, remaining on the campus of the University of Occupational and Environmental Health, Japan (UOEH). Both forests are situated in northern Kyushu. The amount of annual total litter fall from March, 1981 to February, 1982 was 6212 kg/ha in dry weight in the natural forest and 5877 kg/ha in the secondary forest. The amount of mean annual leaf fall was 4109 kg/ha in the former and 4487 kg/ha in the latter. A maximum in litter fall was in the spring from April to May in the natural forest and the two maxima were in May and from October to December in the secondary forest. The amount of annual woody litter fall was 756 kg/ha in the natural forest and 481 kg/ha in the secondary forest. The woody litter fall was greatly influenced by wind and no seasonal variation was found in it. The amount of flower fall was 427 kg/ha in the natural forest and 131 kg/ha in the secondary forest. Seed and fruit falls in the natural forest and the secondary forest were 335 and 201 kg/ha, respectively.

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For the purpose of assessing the accuracy of the reading of birth weight, delivery records of normal live births in O-public hospital (6627 cases from 1966 to 1975) and in A-private clinic (9080 cases from 1955 to 1974) are used. In distributions of the lowest digit, the lower two digits and the lower three digits of the birth weights noted in the records were analysed. Scale used in O-hospital is a counter scale (capacity of 10 kg, minimum graduation of 1 g) and that used in A-clinic is a slanted dial spring scale (capacity of 10 kg, minimum graduation of 50 g). In both establishments the same scales were used consistently. In O-hospital the values having [0] or [5] at the lowest digit were 71.4%. In A-clinic the values having [00] or [50] at the lower two digits were 93.9%. In both establishments the rounding of the reading value were evidently recognized. When the differences of roundings by sex, parity, weight grade and years were tested, only in O-hospital did they gradually tend to increase significantly by years. The reading seems to be influenced by type, capacity and minimum graduation of a scale and criteria for reading the weight. The following were discussed: the reading of the weight of neonate was significant from the point of view of community health and the technical development of the scale appropriate for that purpose was important.

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Microsomes from both avocado mesocarps and tulip bulbs contained about six times more cytochrome P-450 than those of either potato tubers or cauliflower buds. The specific activity of trans-cinnamate 4-monooxygenase (EC 1.14.13.11) per P-450 in potato microsomes, however, was found to be 9 fold and 200 fold higher than avocado and tulip microsomes, respectively. Little activity of trans-cinnamate 4-monooxygenase was detected in microsomes of cauliflower buds, although the content of cytochrome P-450 in this tissue is comparable to potato tubers. On the other hand, trans-cinnamate 4-monooxygenase activity in Jerusalem artichoke tuber microsomes correlated with the increase of cytochrome P-450 after wounding of tuber tissues. Less heterogeneity of substrate specificity was observed among the microsomes from various plant tissues with exogenous compound, that is, benzphetamine. These results suggested the presence of multiple forms of cytochrome P-450 in plant microsomes and therefore the content of cytochrome P-450 and trans-cinnamate 4-monooxygenase activity was not proportional in a variety of plant tissues.

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Previously we have isolated the specific RNA methyltransferase from the nucleoli of Ehrlich ascites tumor cells. The purified enzyme was found to be specific for methylation of C5 position of cytosine residue in ribosomal RNA in vitro (Obara, 1982b). In the present study, we have investigated the recognition mechanisms of RNA structure by this enzyme from the points of view of both primary and secondary structures. Analysis of in vitro methylation product by ribonuclease T₁ digestion indicated the methylation-site(s) was limited to a certain number of nonanucleotide. The next experiments with either Sl nuclease or actinomycin D and ethidium bromide suggested that the enzyme modified only cytidine residue in or located close to the double stranded part of RNA. On the other hand, the characterization of analogues of cytidine residue in the RNA at molecular level showed that the methylation of rRNA was inhibited by either cytidine, CDP or CTP, but little inhibition was observed in the presence of cytosine, 5-methylcytidine and CMP.

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Alphadione, a steroidal anesthetic formulation containing alphaxalone (3α-hydroxy-5α-pregnane-11, 20-dione) and alphadolone acetate (21-acetoxy-3α-hydoroxy-5α-pregnane-11, 20-dione) in polyoxyethylated castor oil (Cremophor EL) owes its short duration of action to rapid metabolic transformation rather than the redistribution into the body fat. Treatment of rats with alphadione (1 ml/kg; intraperitoneal route) induced an increase in the cytochrome P-450 content of the liver. The difference spectra were obtained only when alphadione or alphaxalone was added to the liver microsomal suspension while neither alphadolone acetate nor Cremophor EL induced any spectral changes. The spectral dissociation constant(Ks) for alphaxalone was 2.5 X 10^-3 mM suggesting that hydroxylation of alphaxalone is a cytochrome P-450 dependent reaction.

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Serial spirograms of 121 dust workers whose chest X-rays were found to be "class l" of the diagnostic criteria for pneumoconiosis were obtained during 1978-80. Yearly changes of pulmonary function variables (% VC, FEV₁, FEV₁/FVC%, V₂₅/H, and V₅₀/V₂₅) by age, smoking habit, total years of exposure to dust, and work history were evaluated. The average age of the dust workers was 48.0±5.5 years, and the average years of exposure to dust was 21.6±6.8 years in 1978. Eighty-two dust workers smoked with the mean smoking history of 24.7 pack-years. No significant differences of spirograms were found between the smoking and non-smoking groups. Among the smokers, however, linear regression of FEV₁/FVC% by age gradually decreased during 1978-80. All the pulmonary function variables showed no correlation with smoking history as well as total years of dust exposure. All the dust workers were classified into eight types of work by their histories; crushing and quarrying operators, brick mason, foundry and grinding operators, asbestos workers, underground miners, refractory material workers, pyrites roasters, and welders. The underground miners showed lower FEV₁/FVC% and V₂₅ than the average. However, the different of such pulmonary function variables by eight types of work was not significant by analysis of variance. Since aging is the most dominant factor for pulmonary dysfunction, a longer observation on this group will be needed.

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A new apparatus was constructed for the induction of seizures in El mouse carrying inheritable epileptic features. They were rotated vertically in a drum with a 15 cm radius at the rate of two rotations per second. This procedure was repeated once a week. At the beginning of the experiment, the seizures occurred on an average of 20 rotations per mouse. This markedly decreased to only two rotations, six weeks thereafter. The acceleration which was effective for the induction of seizures in the El mouse, calculated in this apparatus, was 2369 ± 980 cm/sec². A rodent, Mongolian gerbil was also briefly described, comparing the seizure patterns with the El mouse.

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Alienation can be defined as a feeling of isolation caused by discriminatory acts. A person may feel alienated because of his race, disabilities, social standing or simply through the thoughtlessness of others. The study of the causes and results of alienation, as well as remedies, is primarily the work of philosophers, psychologists and sociologists. However, authors of novels and short stories also look at this problem from both the personal and social point of view. In this paper, through the works from Afro-American literature, we hear the cries of Negro authors for equality of the Black in a white man's society. The author then uses these works as a means of self-examination in the hope that the reader will think about his duty, as a member of society and as an individual, to help create a society free from the causes of alienation and to be always on his guard that his words and actions do not cause feelings of alienation in himself or others.

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