Estimation of transport distance of fine particulate organic matter in relation to channel morphology in tailwaters of the Lake Biwa and reservoir dams

Knowledge on transport and deposition of fine particulate organic matter (FPOM) from reservoir dams is increasingly required for habitat management and restoration of dam tailwater ecosystems. Variations in the transport distance of FPOM, however, have never been studied well, particularly in relation to channel morphology, due to channel size restrictions of artificial tracers such as corn pollen when applied to larger river channels. This study aims to show the relations between FPOM retention efficiency and channel morphology in dam tailwaters using lentic plankters as tracers. We estimated the mean transport distance, S _p, by calculating downstream reduction ratios of lentic tracer plankters and calculated the deposition velocity, v _dep. Suspended FPOM samples were collected in tailwaters of two river channels below reservoir dams and two artificial canals below Lake Biwa in the Yodo River system. The longest S _p (19.2 km) and the shortest one (2.2 km) were recorded in the deep canal and shallow canal, respectively, showing a positive correlation with channel hydraulic radius. The values of v _dep were 4.7–6.4 times higher in river channels than in artificial canals. These results indicate that increasing complexity of bed morphology can minimize S _p, whereas bed degradation and armored bed materials may lead to increased S _p. Advantages of lentic plankters as tracers for estimating distance ranges of reservoir dam impact on river ecosystems are also discussed.     

Anaerobic biodegradability of polyvinyl alcohol

Summary Biodegradability of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) under anaerobic conditions was demonstrated using anaerobic river sediments and anaerobically treated activated sludge from a sewage treatment plant. PVA having molecular weights of 2000 and 14000 was over 60% biodegraded as determined by TOC.     

Prophages integrating into prophages: A mechanism to accumulate type III secretion effector genes and duplicate Shiga toxin-encoding prophages in Escherichia coli

Bacteriophages (or phages) play major roles in the evolution of bacterial pathogens via horizontal gene transfer. Multiple phages are often integrated in a host chromosome as prophages, not only carrying various novel virulence-related genetic determinants into host bacteria but also providing various possibilities for prophage-prophage interactions in bacterial cells. In particular, Escherichia coli strains such as Shiga toxin (Stx)-producing E. coli (STEC) and enteropathogenic E. coli (EPEC) strains have acquired more than 10 prophages (up to 21 prophages), many of which encode type III secretion system (T3SS) effector gene clusters. In these strains, some prophages are present at a single locus in tandem, which is usually interpreted as the integration of phages that use the same attachment (att) sequence. Here, we present phages integrating into T3SS effector gene cluster-associated loci in prophages, which are widely distributed in STEC and EPEC. Some of the phages integrated into prophages are Stx-encoding phages (Stx phages) and have induced the duplication of Stx phages in a single cell. The identified attB sequences in prophage genomes are apparently derived from host chromosomes. In addition, two or three different attB sequences are present in some prophages, which results in the generation of prophage clusters in various complex configurations. These phages integrating into prophages represent a medically and biologically important type of inter-phage interaction that promotes the accumulation of T3SS effector genes in STEC and EPEC, the duplication of Stx phages in STEC, and the conversion of EPEC to STEC and that may be distributed in other types of E. coli strains as well as other prophage-rich bacterial species.     

Simultaneous Determination of Oxidized and Reduced Forms of Plastoquinone A in Spinach Chloroplasts by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography with an Electrochemical Detector

A method for determination of the redox level of plastoquinoneA in spinach chloroplasts is described. Plastoquinone A andits reduced form plastoquinol A were extracted from chloroplastson a sample-preparation cartridge (SEP-PAK C₁₈ Cartridge, WatersAssoc. Inc.) with a mixture of ethanol and diethyl ether ( 1: 1, vv). Extracts were separated by reversed-phase high-performanceliquid chromatography and examined with an electrochemical detectorequipped with dual electrodes. Plastoquinone A was determinedby its reductive current on one electrode, and plastoquinolA by its oxidative current on the other electrode. This method was applied to the determination of the redox potentialof plastoquinone A in chloroplasts. The midpoint potential atpH 7.8 of plastoquinone A was +20 mV with an n number of 2. (Received March 30, 1987; Accepted August 3, 1987)     

The action of two classes of pyrethroids on the inhibition of brain Na-Ca and Ca + Mg ATP hydrolyzing activities of the American cockroach

Ca2+-stimulated ATP hydrolyzing activities (i.e. Na-Ca ATP hydrolysis and Ca + Mg ATP hydrolysis) measured in cockroach brain tissue were highly sensitive to the action of pyrethroid insecticides under in vitro conditions. Non-cyano-containing pyrethroids inhibited Na-Ca ATP hydrolysis to a greater extent than their cyano-containing counterparts. The reverse is true for pyrethroid action on Ca + Mg ATP hydrolysis. Nonmitochondrial Ca + Mg ATP hydrolysis of disrupted synaptosomes was the most sensitive activity examined. Ca2+-stimulated ATP hydrolyzing activities were inhibited in cockroaches poisoned by permethrin in vivo. In vivo poisoning occurred in the presence of a similar amount of bound [14C]permethrin which had been determined to cause a substantial amount of inhibition to Ca2+-stimulated ATP hydrolyzing activities in vitro.