Toxic effects of dichloromethane and trichloroethylene on the growth of three planktonic green algae, Chlorella vulgaris 227, Selenastrum capricornutum 35, and Volvulina steinii 545, were examined. The two organic solvents at concentrations of up to a hundred-fold the Japanese national effluent standards did not affect the growth of the former two algae, but at just a tenth of the concentration of the standards were fatal to the latter. Even water with a relatively low concentration of pollutants, which meets the effluent standards for human health, is not necessarily harmless to the natural ecosystem.

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Cyanobacteria are a morphologically and physiologically diverse group of bacteria, which contains unicellular and multicellular filamentous strains. Some filamentous cyanobacteria, such as Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120, form a differentiated cell called a heterocyst. The heterocyst is a specialized cell for nitrogen fixation and is differentiated from a vegetative cell in response to depletion of combined nitrogen in the medium. In Anabaena PCC 7120, it has been demonstrated that hetR, which encodes a transcriptional regulator, is necessary and sufficient for heterocyst differentiation. However, comprehensive genomic analysis of cyanobacteria has shown that hetR is present in non-heterocyst-forming cyanobacteria. Almost all filamentous cyanobacteria have hetR, but unicellular cyanobacteria do not. In this study, we conducted genetic and biochemical analyses of hetR (

39_C03480) of the non-heterocyst-forming cyanobacterium Arthrospira platensis -39. HetR of A. platensis was able to complement the hetR mutation in Anabena PCC 7120 and recognized the same DNA sequence as Anabaena HetR. A search of the A. platensis genome revealed the HetR-recognition sequence within the promoter region of 39_O04230, which encodes a protein of unknown function. Expression from the 39_O04230 promoter could be suppressed by HetR in Anabaena PCC 7120. These data support the conclusion that 39_O04230 is regulated by HetR in A. platensis -39.

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The cyanophage Ma-LMM01, specifically-infecting Microcystis aeruginosa, has an insertion sequence (IS) element that we named IS607-cp showing high nucleotide similarity to a counterpart in the genome of the cyanobacterium Cyanothece sp. We tested 21 strains of M. aeruginosa for the presence of IS607-cp using PCR and detected the element in strains 90, 112, 604, and RM6. Thermal asymmetric interlaced PCR (TAIL-PCR) revealed each of these strains has multiple copies of IS607-cp. Some of the ISs were classified into three types based on their inserted positions; IS607-cp-1 is common in strains 90, 112 and 604, whereas IS607-cp-2 and IS607-cp-3 are specific to strains 90 and RM6, respectively. This multiplicity may reflect the replicative transposition of IS607-cp. The sequence of IS607-cp in Ma-LMM01 showed robust affinity to those found in M. aeruginosa and Cyanothece spp. in a phylogenetic tree inferred from counterparts of various bacteria. This suggests the transfer of IS607-cp between the cyanobacterium and its cyanophage. We discuss the potential role of Ma-LMM01-related phages as donors of IS elements that may mediate the transfer of IS607-cp; and thereby partially contribute to the genome plasticity of M. aeruginosa.

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The aerobic carbon monoxide-oxidizing bacterium Comamonas compransoris is noticeable by containing a low molecular weight catalase with hyperbolic substrate saturation kinetics and high specific activity. The catalase has been purified from extracts of pyruvate-grown cells. The molecular weight is 150, 000, it consists of two identical subunits of 75, 000. The isoelectric point is 4.86. The absorption spectra of the native enzyme and of the reduced pyridine hematochrome resemble the corresponding spectra of bovine liver catalase. The catalase from Comamonas compransoris apparently contains two heme IX-groups per molecule. The substrate (H₂O₂)-saturation curve shows Michaelis-Menten kinetics with a K_m of 1.93mM and a turn-over number of 1.4× 10⁶/min. The pH optimum is 6.5, the dependence on temperature is weak. Imidazole increases the catalatic activity. The catalase peroxidizes pyrogallol, catechol and guajacol. In an open system with continuous substrate flow the enzyme is quickly inactivated.

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Studies on medicinal herbs employed in hypertension have been recognized as being very important, but in Chinese. Medicine there is no word corresponding to hypertension so that the search for such become difficult. Fortunately, however, there is the word ‘hsüeh pi’, which means impairment of the circulation, and there are also statements of symptoms that may presumably be taken as those referring to hypertension. The writer therefore, collected materials based on the above, and investigations were first made on Panax Shinseng , var. Notoginseng Burkill, and the results are indicated herein.
According to Pen Ts‘ao Kang Mu, Panax Shinseng , var. Notoginseng Burkill is a product of Kuang Shi Shên (China), and was employed as a medicine not much earlier than the time that Li Shi-Chên (1) first wrote about it in Pen Ts‘ao Kang Mu. Hence in books on Chinese Medicine earlier than this time there is no mention made of it.
The assertions of Chinese Medicine are based on a special hypothetical theory of Yüng Yang, and the medicinal effects of Panax Shinseng , var. Notoginseng Burkill also conform to this, so that a verbatin translation of this into English is difficult. The writer accordingly will dwell only on those aspects related to the application of this drug in blood congestion and hypertension.
The writer has not yet actually seen this herb in its original form, but according to Ishidoya (2) the drug sold in the market is the dried root of Panax Shinseng , var. Notoginseng Burkill. Also regarding studies on this drug, there is only the work of Nozu (3) in the literature, which states that :
1) Alcoholic extracts of the drug lower the blood pressure in rabbits.

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本論文は, 4国における出生力転換の主な人口学的,社会経済的,文化的要因を探ることにより. の出生力転換が既存の諸理論に何を示唆し,付け加えることができるかを考えることを目的とする。TFRと年齢別出生率の推移及び結婚の年齢パターンと有配偶出生力の変化の出生力への影響を分析することにより, 1960年代以降のにおける急激な出生力低下は,女子の晩婚化と(特に20代から30代の)女子の有配偶出生力の強力な抑制によるものであることが見いだされる。特に後者の影響は強く,これは高効果な避妊方法と家族計画の概念が時宜を得て導入され急速に広まったことと,避妊失敗の際のバックアップとして人工妊娠中絶が比較的容易に受けられる社会的状況に因ると考えられる。またその社会・文化的背景として,出生力転換過程初期及びそれ以前に初等教育が普及し,乳児死亡率も低下していたこと,また儒教,仏教及び道教の宗教文化的伝統も家族計画を受容する上で障害とはならず,むしろ人口的及び社会経済的変化に適応する形で変化する柔軟なものであったことも見逃せない。そして一旦出生力低下が始まると,これが中・高等教育の普及や若い女性の労働力参加の増加等と連関し,更なる出生力抑制と晩婚化をもたらしたと考えられる。従って,これらのの出生力転換の諸要因の分析から,ある程度の社会経済発展があれば,効率良く組織された家族計画プログラムは出生力低下の重要な一因となり得るし,また一旦出生力低下が起れば,それが更なる社会経済発展と価値観の変容を引き起すという相互作用の可能性が示唆される。

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In the contemporary sociology, Newly Industrializing Economies () are one of the most relevant research subjects. This paper attempts to analyze the social basis in the formation of . First of all, both endogenous factors, which are class relations, state intervention and ideology, and exogenous factors, which are determined by the world-system, are specified by focusing on the formation process of indigenous capitals in and how have been able to develop in the world-system is explained. Secondly, the differences between east Asian and Latin American are clarified and to what extent are likely to be a model of other developing countries is discussed.

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The new simulation of Martian general circulation based on CCSR/ AGCM has been performed and the numerical results analyzed. We attempt to reproduce the atmospheric states of Mars which havebeen observed by the Mars Global Surveyor, and Viking by introducing three kinds of time- and latitude- dependent dust opacity scenarios which are made to be consistent with the past observational results, as the observed dust distribution during spring and summer in south hemisphere varies largely at eachyear and so does observed atmospheric conditions. The model with TES2 dust scenario, which is the dustdistribution based on the observation by the Mars Global Surveyor in 1999, generally reproduces distributions of temperature and zonal wind observed by the Mars Global Surveyor in 1999, though the temperature tends to be lower at high altitude. The maximum value of CO₂ ice thickness at polar regions relatively reproduces the observation, but the edge of the northern and southern seasonal caps are outside of the observational results during spring, which results in lower surface pressure especially in northern spring. Annual variations of the amplitudes of the diurnal and semidiurnal tide are qualitatively comparable between our model with VIK1 dust scenario, which is the dust distribution based on the observation by Viking Orbiter in 1977, and observation by Viking Lander 1 in 1977. The baroclinic waves with consistent periods, wavenumbers and phase speeds with observational results by Viking Lander 2 in 1977 are reproduced in the autumn, though in the winter, during the second dust storm, and in the spring, the phase speeds are faster than observation.

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ノストック属のシアノバクテリアは、陸棲で高い乾燥耐性を持ち、窒素固定能を持つことで知られている。我々は、これまでにノストック属やアナベナ属などを中心にカロテノイド組成を解析し、その生合成遺伝子の機能を確認してきた。その結果、カロテノイド組成にも生合成遺伝子の有無にも多様性があることを見いだした。
今回、我々はNostoc commune -24 (= IAM M-13)の色素を抽出後、C₁₈-HPLCの溶出時間・吸収スペクトル、また精製してMS、NMR、CDの解析から同定した：β-カロテン 50%（モル%）、β-クリプトキサンチン 1%、ゼアキサンチン 2%、カロキサンチン 5%、ノストキサンチン 11%、エキネノン 20%、カンタキサンチン 2%、ミクソール・フコシド 4%、2-OH-ミクソール・フコシド 5%。カロテノイドの種類は、これまで調べられたシアノバクテリアの中でも特に多く、多種類の遺伝子が機能していると考えられる。2-OH-ミクソール・フコシドが見られたのは、Thermosynechococcus elongatus BP-1 に次ぎ2番目である。一方、ノストック、アナベナ属によく含まれているケトミクソール配糖体は観察されなかった。ケトミクソールの分布は、16S rDNA による系統解析とは相関が見られない。

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Perchlorate ion (ClO₄^-) has been recognized as a new environmental pollutant. The concern about ClO₄^- stems from the fact that it displaces iodide in the thyroid gland. Iodine-containing thyroid hormones are essential for proper neural development from the fetal stage through the first years of life. In this study, we determined the concentrations of ClO₄^- in aerosols collected at Cape Hedo Atmosphere Aerosol Monitoring Station of National Institute of Environmental Studies (-CHAAMS) Okinawa Island, Japan. Aerosols were collected on quartz filters by using a high-volume air sampler. The ClO₄^- concentrations were determined by ion chromatography (ICS-2000, DIONEX). About 60% of the weekly-collected aerosols contained detectable level of ClO₄^-, and the highest ClO₄^- concentration for the samples collected at -CHAAMS was 1.8ng m^-3. Back trajectory analysis showed that ClO₄^- concentrations were higher when air mass came from Asian continent, suggesting that ClO₄^- found at -CHAAMS was probably due to long-range transport from Asian continent.

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糸状態の窒素固定性シアノバクテリアAnabaena cylindricaを宿主として,水田土壌からのシアノバクテリア溶解細菌のスクリーニングを行った。その結果,細菌学的性状の異なる2種類の溶解細菌CL-105株およびCL-106株を分離した。両菌株とも、A. cylindrica -19の細胞を唯一の炭素源として増殖することができた。2つの菌株間では溶菌活性を示すシアノバクテリアの種類が異なっていた。A. cylindrica -19, A. variabilis -23, Plectonema boryanum M-101は両菌株によって溶解されたが,A. variabilis M-3, Tolypothrix tenuis -37はCL-106株のみが溶解活性を示し,Nostoc muscorum M-131はCL-105株のみで溶解活性が認められた。また,この溶菌活性はシアノバクテリア特異的であり,緑藻や細菌に対する溶解活性は認められなかった。この結果は,調査した水田には少なくとも2種類の宿主範囲の異なるシアノバクテリア溶解細菌が生息することを示している。

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In the continuous studies of enzyme inhibitors from cyanobacteria, we have found that Nostoc minutum (-26) and N. linckia (-25, 28) were a rich source of novel enzyme inhibitors. Here we report the isolation and structure elucidation of novel enzyme inhibitors form N. minutum and N. linckia. N. minutum (-26) and N. linckia (-25, 28) were obtained from the -collection (Microbiol Culture Collection, the National Institute for Environmental Studies, Japan) and cultured in 10L glass bottles containing CB medium. The 80% methanol extracts of lyophilized cyanobacteria were subjected to solvent partitions, ODS column chromatography followed by ODS HPLC to yield nostopeptin-type peptides (1-10). Their structures were determined by FABMS and 2D NMR spectra. The absolute stereochemistries of usual and N-Me amino acids were determined to be all L-form by the HPLC analysis of the acid hydrolyzates derivatized with Marfey's reagent. 1, 2, 5, 6, and 8 inhibited elastase and chymotrypsin but 3, 4, and 7 had no elastase and chymotrypsin inhibitory activities. The 80% methanol extracts of lyophilized cyanobacteria [N. minutum (-26) and N. linckia (-25, 28)] were subjected to solvent partitions, ODS column chromatography followed by ODS HPLC to yield miutumamides A-D (12-15). Their structures were determined by FABMS and 2D NMR spectra. The absolute stereochemistries of usual amino acids were determined to be all L-form by the HPLC analysis of the acid hydrolyzates derivatized with Marfey's reagent. The absolute stereochemistries of Amopa and Hmp remains to be defined. 12-15 inhibited tyrosinase with the IC_<50> of 30μg/mL.

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The East Asian countries experienced an extremely wet summer in 1998. More than 150% of normal rainfall has been observed over a large portion of East Asia extending from southern China, Korean peninsula to Japan. A record-breaking flood occurred over the Changjiang River basin of China, and lasted for almost three months. Heavy rainfalls hit northern and eastern Japan, and the Korean peninsula in July and August. Observational studies indicate that the 1998 East Asian summer monsoon was characterized by suppressed convection and persistent low-level anticyclonic circulation anomalies over the subtropical western Pacific. It is confirmed by a moisture budget analysis that the seasonal mean, rather than transient, component of the moisture transport anomaly contributed mainly to the wet summer in East Asia. An atmospheric general circulation model (AGCM) was integrated with observed sea surface temperature anomalies to study the 1998 East Asian summer monsoon. The large-scale features over the East Asian monsoon region were well reproduced by the model. Experiments indicate that SST anomalies over the two key regions, the southeastern Indian Ocean and the equatorial eastern Pacific, were most influential in forming the subsidence anomaly over the subtropical western Pacific and associated low-level anticyclonic anomaly. It is indicated that high SSTs over the southeastern Indian Ocean enhanced local convection and weakened the local Hadley circulation, and that associated subsidence contributed to strengthen the low-level anticyclonic anomaly over the subtropical western Pacific. On the other hand, SSTAs over the equatorial eastern Pacific helped enhance the local convective activity and weaken the Walker circulation. The AGCM experiments indicated that the dual effect made the persistent and strong low-level anticyclonic anomaly in the subtropical western Pacific, and thereby was responsible for the anomalous 1998 East Asian summer monsoon.

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UTEX 664 [Navicula pelliculosa (Kütz.) Hilse], widely used for algal growth inhibition tests, is no longer available in algal culture collections. Two strains (UTEX 661=

-4280 and UTEX B 673=-4281) listed as the same species with the same isolator are candidate alternatives to UTEX 664. We re-evaluated the two strains by scanning electron microscopy and a molecular phylogenetic analysis. We identified -4280 as a new taxon, Mayamaea pseudoterrestris sp. nov. and identified -4281 as M. terrestris. We also report Mayamaea permitis from freshwater rivers in Japan.

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