Fermentation of mannitol, lactose, and galactose in 5 isolates of oral staphylococci was studied calorimetrically with bromothymol blue (BTB) as a pH indicator. As expected, mannitol fermentation was demonstrated in two coagulase-positive (Staphylococcus aureus) strains, but not in three coagulase-negative (S. epidermidis) ones. The S. aureus strains fermented both lactose and gelactose, which is consistent with the finding that these strains possess lactoe (gelactose)-specific phosphoenolpyruvate : sugar phosphotransferase system (Lac PTS ; Fujisawa, A. this Bulletin 9 : 15-18,1987). Two S. epidermidis strains fermented lactose with rates comparable to those found in S. aureus strains. One of them also fermented galactose efficiently, whereas little fermentation of this sugar was observed in the other strain. The third S. epidermidis strain fermented galactose, but not lactose at all. These findings, as well as those reported previously that no or little Lac PTS activity was demonstrated in these three strains, strongly suggest that, in S. epidermidis, lactose and galactose are metabolized via a different pathway or pathways from that operating in S. aureus.

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A method for the purification of an alkaline ribonuclease from pig liver is reported. A 480-fold increase in specific activity has been achived. The enzyme has a pH optimum between 7.7 and 8.0,and the molecular weight is approximately 14,000. The immunological properties of pig liver alkaline ribonuclease are different from those of rat liver alkaline ribonuclease.

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One hundred forty-three species, 1 subspecies 9 varieties and 1 form of mosses, and 49 species, 5 subspecies, and 2 varieties of liverworts were collected in the Tengukogen highland, Yanadani-mura, Kamiukena-gun, Ehime Pref., Shikoku, during the 7th foray organized by the Bryological Society of Japan on Aug. 23-25,1978. Collections of these bryophytes were made by our twelve members mostly in deciduous forests dominated by Fagus crenata and Quercus mongolica var. grosseserrata and partly in open fields with scattered limestone outcrops. Elevations in this area are between 1000m and 1300m. All the known species of bryophytes from this area are listed with collector's names (abbreviated) and specimen numbers.

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The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects which the caries teeth (C-T) of deciduous teeth at the age of four give to the occurrence of C-T of permanent teeth (16,26,36,46,th teeth) at the age of six. Our subjects are 170 children of the kindergarten attached to Kochi University. We obtained some points of view about the occurrence of C-T and the prevention of C-T of permanent teeth at the age of six by counting the numbers of occurrence of C-T by means of the classification into dental series, inmaxillary and mandible and by investigating the results statistically.

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In January 1976,The Mental Health Center of Miyagi prefecture carried out an investigation using mails regarding "Group Treatment" (except meeting for temperance) on mental patients of concerned public health centers and of competent municipal, town & village offices, with the object of 890 main and branch offices of public health centers over the nation. As results of the investigation, 60% of objective public health centers responded to our inquiry and it revealed that 71 groups of 73 public health centers (ratio of cerring out, 13.7%) and 18 groups of 17 municipal, town & villabe offices (2.1%) carry out "Group Treatment" on mental patients in a narrow sense of which we think of our object. Toward the public health centers, cities, towns and villages where "Group Treatment" is carried out, we inquired into the year of start of the treatment, the number of groups, name of the group, frequency of meetings, the time of one meeting, with or without the limit to the treatment, length of term of the treatment if limited, the number of participators, with or without of the limit to the number of participators, range of the number if limited, kinds of diseases, sex ratio, average academic backgrounds, differences of academic backgrounds, process to participate, of paricipators, sorts of jobs and the number of staffs related, purpose, contents, problems of programs and prospects in future. In the other hand, toward public health centers, municipal, town and village offices, we inquired into whether they have intentions to carry out it in the future. In this paper, we reported the results obtained from investigated items of this inquiry.

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1. Parmelia parahypotropa W. Culb. Is reported from the Uotsuri Isl., Senkaku Retto, Okinawa (Ryukyu), southern Japan. This is the first record of this species from Japan. 2. Galbinic acid was isolated from the thallus of Parmelia parahypotropa. Crystal forms of galbinic acid with oT, An, and KK were described. 3. Crystals of the complex potassium salts of galbinic acid are compared with those of salazinic acid and of norstictic acid, respectively. The reddish crystal formation of galbinic acid with KK is considerd as an additional example to support the following Asahina's assumption. The formation of reddish complex potassium crystals requires the presence of a free phenolic hydroxyl in an ortho position of the aldehyde group and a lactol grouping in the other nucleus such as salazinic acid and its derivatives (Asahina, 1935).

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The purpose of this study was to ascertain the angle of the hip joint where the subject can exert maximum effort while performing knee extension. Eight normal subjects (three men and five woman) were tested for maximum isokinetic contraction of right knee extensor muscles while their hips were at angles of zero and ninety degrees. The subject was positioned on the table in supine and sitting, with legs hanging over edge of the table and the hands grasping the table edge. In utilizing the Cybex, the isokinitic torque was recorded for each position at velocities of three, nine and fifteen revolutions per minute. At each of three speeds, no significant difference in peak torque of knee extension was found between the hip angles of zero and ninety degrees. Therefore, the hip extention position did not facilitate the force that can be generated by the rectus femoris. In supine, the peak torque value elicited at velocities of nine revolutions per minute was significantly smaller than of three revolutions per minute. On the other hand, in sitting, the peak torque value elicited at velocities of fifteen revolutions per minute was significantly smaller than that of nine revolutions per minute.

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