Yukuo Abe

Inhibitory Effect of Fulvic Acid Extracted from Canadian Sphagnum Peat on Chemical Mediator Release by RBL-2H3 and KU812 Cells

Fulvic acid (FA) was extracted and purified from Canadian Sphagnum peat (CP-FA) and characterized by using an element analysis meter, Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, electron spin resonance (ESR) spectroscopy, and 13C-nuclear magnetic resonance (13C-NMR) spectroscopy. To investigate the antiallergic effect of CP-FA, we incubated rat basophilic leukemia (RBL-2H3) cells with 0.001–10.0 μg/ml of CP-FA and determined the β-hexosaminidase release inhibition at different response stages. The intracellular calcium [Ca2+] i level was also determined by using Fluo 3-AM, a calcium-specific fluorescent probe, and the cytotoxicity of CP-FA was determined by the 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results revealed that RBL-2H3 cells incubated for 48 h with 0.001–10.0 μg/ml of CP-FA did not show any decreased viability. CP-FA inhibited the β-hexosaminidase release by IgE-sensitized, antigen-stimulated RBL-2H3 cells at the antigen-antibody binding stage and the antibody-receptor binding stage. CP-FA also inhibited histamine release from A23187 plus PMA- or compound 48/80-stimulated KU812 cells. Furthermore, there was a decrease in the intracellular [Ca2+] i level in IgE-sensitized cells incubated with CP-FA and stimulated with antigen. Our results show that CP-FA may be useful for the treatment or prevention of allergic diseases.

Gram Stain Index (GSI) of Bacterial and Archaeal Cells in the Natural Microbial Communities of Slightly and Extremely Saline Environments

The use of GSI (Gram Stain Index) was studied for natural microbial cells in slightly and extremely saline environments. The GSI spectra of archaeal cells in an extremely saline environment showed unique profiles, different from those of Bacteria. These profiles can be applied for structural analysis of the microbial communities in aquatic environments.

Land Drainage with Evaporation Drainage Method

This paper summarizes the characteristics of land drainage with evaporation. Evaporation Drainage Method is used to remove excess water and salts from saturated soil through evaporation from fabric columns, called accelerators, installed in the soil or saline water. Laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the influence of accelerator length and diameter and salt concentration on water evaporation, and on salt removal. Accelerators with 8 lengths ranging from 60 to 300 mm and 4 diameters ranging from 5 to 30 mm and five saline solutions prepared by mixing KCl with water at 1%, to 10% by weight were used in the experiments. Results showed that accelerators significantly increased water evaporation and salt removal from saline solution and this increase is directly related to length, diameter of accelerator and salt concentration to a lesser degree,. A 60-mm and 300-mm long accelerators increased water evaporation by 27% and 100%, respectively compared to pan evaporation. A 300-mm accelerator increased salt removal by about 320% compared to the 60-mm long accelerator. Increasing the diameter of accelerator from 5 to 30 mm increased evaporation rate and therefore salt removal by 160%. High salt concentration slightly reduced evaporation compared to low concentration but increased salt removal from solutions.

Possibility of CO2 Fixation on Arid Land in Western Australia

Publisher Summary CO 2 fixation by afforestation is expected to be a sustainable, economical, and also low environmental burden method. Carbon fixation by afforestation is one of the few effective countermeasures against the carbon dioxide problem. In particular, afforestation of arid land is promising, because the arid land exists in large quantities in the world. The main research area was set up in the interior of Western Australia where mean annual rainfall is about 200 mm. The growth tendency of trees at the site C, where the breakage of the impermeable layer was conducted, is reported. At this site, 12 water ponding banks were developed surrounding a planting area (50 m x 50 m) to collect runoff and retain rainfall. Then, around 50 trees were planted in each planting area. Tree height, crown diameter and trunk diameter at 0.3 m and 1.3 m from ground level for several species such as Eucalyptus camaldulensis, Acacia aneura, and Casuarina obesa were measured every few months after planting. The results from other site have also been reported. Finally, an integrated simulator of plant growth, photosynthesis, transpiration, and soil water transport was developed as a platform for the competition of arid land afforestation technologies for CO 2 Fixation.