Rabies and other lyssaviruses

Since rabies has not been reported in Japan for nearly the past 50 years, it has been relegated to the status of a forgotten infectious disease in this country. However,in the neighboring Asian countries, Africa, America, the number fo rabies cases had not decrease but on the contrary, seen an increasing trend. In Russia and the former Soviet Union countries (CIS countries), the number of information. Between 30,000 approximately 20,000 fatal cases of rabies in both humans and animals had been reported yearly butit was thought that the number might run up to hundred of thousands.japan, Taiwan, UK, Australia and New Zealand are rabies-free countries and should be considered the exception rather than the norm. Due to the long Lull in which rabies has not occurred in Japan,people tend to forget that the disease can infect all mammals including humans, with a mortality rate of 100% after manifestation of debilitating nervous symptoms and that is one of the most dangerous zoonotic viral diseases on earth.     

Antimicrobial and other oligopeptides of grapes

Structures and functions of about 700 oligopeptides of various plants are presently known. However, only one polypeptide has been isolated from grapes and characterized. At the same time, tens of thousands of uncharacterized amino acid sequences have been revealed in this plant, among which there can also be precursors of oligopeptide regulators. Due to the scientific and practical importance of innate immunity of agricultural plants, we have undertaken structural and functional investigation of these sequences to identify new regulatory oligopeptides including antimicrobial agents. For this purpose, we elaborated a special method of computer analysis enabling comparison of primary structures of putative precursors of grape oligopeptides with amino acid sequences of known oligopeptides of other plants. Structural similarity served as the basis for prediction of potential functional properties. As a result, over 20 new structures of antimicrobial and other grape oligopeptides have been found.     

Conversion of biomass hydrolysates and other substrates to ethanol and other chemicals by Lactobacillus buchneri*

Aims: A Lactobacillus buchneri strain NRRL B‐30929 can convert xylose and glucose into ethanol and chemicals. The aims of the study were to survey three strains (NRRL B‐30929, NRRL 1837 and DSM 5987) for fermenting 17 single substrates and to exam NRRL B‐30929 for fermenting mixed substrates from biomass hydrolysates. Methods and Results: Mixed acid fermentation was observed for all three L. buchneri strains using various carbohydrates; the only exception was uridine which yielded lactate, acetate and uracil. Only B‐30929 is capable of utilizing cellobiose, a desired trait in a potential biocatalyst for biomass conversion. Flask fermentation indicated that the B‐30929 strain can use all the sugars released from pretreated hydrolysates, and producing 1·98–2·35 g l^?1 ethanol from corn stover hydrolysates and 2·92–3·01 g l^?1 ethanol from wheat straw hydrolysates when supplemented with either 0·25× MRS plus 1% corn steep liquor or 0·5× MRS. Conclusions: The L. buchneri NRRL B‐30929 can utilize mixed sugars in corn stover and wheat straw hydrolysates for ethanol and other chemical production. Significance and Impact of the Study: These results are valuable for future research in engineering L. buchneri NRRL B‐30929 for fermentative production of ethanol and chemicals from biomass.     

Radotina and other tesserate fishes

It is shown that the stratigraphical assignment of Radotina needs considerable revision. Radotina tuberculata Gross is conspecific with Coccosteus primus Barrande and should be known as R. prima (Barrande); this species differs from its contemporary R. tesselata in the same way as extreme forms of R. kosorensis but the question of further synonymy is unsettled. The dermal bones of Radotina are considered to represent a, modified pattern closely related to that of Macropetaliehthyida; to this general grouping may be added the Rhenanida and Stensioellida. It is highly probable that the Radotinida and Acanthothoraci are synonymous.
Consideration of the tesserate condition in arthrodires suggests that this is a secondary condition in the known members. The Psammosteida also show the development of secondary tesseration among the Heterostraci. An hypothesis based on Holmgren's principle of delamination is apparently illustrated by these forms. In certain Rhenanida this delamination goes so far as to produce cartilage bones in the same position, but at a deeper level, as compared with dermal bones in earlier forms.     

Man and other introduced organisms

Man's tremendously increased migratory potention, coupled with his ability to transport any material, causes ecological revolutions on most islands of this world–Fernandina and most smaller islands of the Galapagos being fortunate exceptions to that rule. It is proposed to make distinctions between species colonizing the Galapagos We can distinguish between those immigrant species which do not profit from man as a transport medium (independent immigrants) and those who do depend on him (man-dependent immigrants). These immigrants, in turn, may or may not be able to settle and these settlers may either gain a footing with or without depending on man's direct or indirect influence on the habitat (non-settlers, primary resource-using settlers, and secondary resource-using settlers). Introduced species represent a terrible attack on the biotic uniqueness of the Galapagos ecosystems. However, it is proposed to make better use of the scientific value of these introductions. For example, a case of selective impact of an introduced on an indigenous species was investigated: lava lizards of the genus Tropidurus seem to be more wary of moving objects on islands where cats have been introduced by man than on islands free of cats.
Under the peculiar Galapagos conditions it may turn out that science's most difficult and important task is to investigate and interpret man's role in such places.