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This article documents the addition of 238 microsatellite marker loci to the Molecular Ecology Resources Database. Loci were developed for the following species: Alytes dickhilleni, Arapaima gigas, Austropotamobius italicus, Blumeria graminis f. sp. tritici, Cobitis lutheri, Dendroctonus ponderosae, Glossina morsitans morsitans, Haplophilus subterraneus, Kirengeshoma palmata, Lysimachia japonica, Macrolophus pygmaeus, Microtus cabrerae, Mytilus galloprovincialis, Pallisentis (Neosentis) celatus, Pulmonaria officinalis, Salminus franciscanus, Thais chocolata and Zootoca vivipara. These loci were cross-tested on the following species: Acanthina monodon, Alytes cisternasii, Alytes maurus, Alytes muletensis, Alytes obstetricans almogav- arii, Alytes obstetricans boscai, Alytes obstetricans obstetricans, Alytes obstetricans pertinax, Cambarellus montezumae, Cam- barellus zempoalensis, Chorus giganteus, Cobitis tetralineata, Glossina fuscipes fuscipes, Glossina pallidipes, Lysimachia japonica var. japonica, Lysimachia japonica var. minutissima, Orconectes virilis, Pacifastacus leniusculus, Procambarus clarkii, Salminus brasiliensis and Salminus hilarii

The production of manganese peroxidase (MnP) by the hyper-ligninolytic fungus IZU-154 was performed by batch and filter-cultivation using a conventional stirred fermentor. A maximum MnP activity of 9.7 nkat/ml (nano katal/ml) was obtained after 44 h in the batch cultivation, and that of 8.1 nkat/ml was observed after 20 h in the filter-cultivation. Culture parameters, such as redox potential and pH, were investigated in the batch cultivation. We also investigated a novel parameter, the nonenzymatic 2,6-dimethoxyphenol oxidation (NEOX) level, which seems to reflect the amount of Mn(III) oxidized from Mn(II) by MnP. The swift rise of the redox potential, the synchronous gradual rise of pH, and the saturation of the NEOX level were significantly correlated to the MnP production. The production of MnP and the onset of the profiles of parameters were apparently in response to Mn(II) addition to the culture fluid. Furthermore, we investigated the content of organic acids during the MnP production in the filter-cultivation. Tartrate contained in the culture medium was consumed coincidentally at the onset of MnP production, and oxalate and formate were newly produced in the culture fluid at the same time.

Humic acids (HAs) extracted from woody composts by a two-step fermentation procedure (lignin degradation as the 1st step and humification as the 2nd step) were analyzed by a number of chemical (elemental and functional groups analysis) and spectroscopic methods (UV and VIS, and 1?-NMR). Lignin degradation through the 1st step fermentation led to a more complex configuration, a larger amount of functional groups containing oxygen and a lower value of H/C ratio in the HAs after humification, indicating the acceleration of humification. The differences between the humic acids from woody composts obtained after fermentation of wood powders by the lignolytic fungi, Coriolus versicolor, and by the strain IZU-154 were as follows: (1) HAs from the products of fermentation by C. versicolor contained a larger amount of oxygen and showed a higher O/C value than the HAs from the products of fermentation by IZU-154. (2) The content of the OH groups in the HAs from the products of fermentation by C. versicolor...

A two-step composting process was applied for converting rice straw into compost with a high cation exchange capacity and humic acid content. The 1st step of fermentation (hereafter refered to as istSF) involved lignin degradation using white-rot fungus Coriolus versicolor, and the 2nd step of fermentation (2ndSF) involved a general composting process. The amount of lignin decreased by 4.1 and 10.1% during the second and fourth weeks of the IstSF by C. versicolor, respectively. The cation exchange capacity of the compost from fermented rice straw which after 4 weeks was 28 meq/100 g at the initial stage of the 2ndSF increased to 74 meq/100 g after the 2ndSF for a period of 4 weeks using sewage sludge as seed source. On the other hand the cation exchange capacity increased from 25 meq/100 g at the initial stage of the 2ndSF to 60 meq/100 g when only 2ndSF was applied. Humic acid content after the 2ndSF for a period of 4 weeks was 7.3% in the compost from fermented rice straw and 6.0% in the unferm...

A novel process has been developed for converting woody resources into compost with high cation exchange capacity and humic acid content by two-step fermentation. The 1st step consists of lignin degradation with Coriolus versicolor, while the 2nd step is a general composting procedure. The influence of the degradation conditions (initial C/N ratio, temperature and moisture content) on the degradation of beech wood lignin by C. versicolor was studied in order to develop a composting process from woody resources. The lignin degradation rate, which was maximal with no added nitrogen source, was 23% and 31% after 4 weeks and 8 weeks of fermentation, respectively. The fulvic acid fraction increased as lignin degradation progressed, indicating that the precursor of humic acid was formed and accumulated as the result of lignin degradation. The cation exchange capacity and humic acid content of the compost after two-step fermentation reached 93 meq/100 g and 5.3%, respectively, as compared to 65 meq/100 g and 3.0%, respectively in fermentation using the 2nd step alone.

We have developed a novel flying magnetic readout Lead based on the concept of magneto-optical transfer. A special feature of this head is that its slider is made of a GGG substrate itself. To improve the readout characteristic of this head, the optical system was adjusted and the grooves were formed on a magnetic garnet film. The readout waveform and signal envelope became stable and the maximum CNR obtained was 52 dB (RBW=30 kHz). The CNR was almost constant for the recorded track width from 80 /spl mu/m to 2.7 /spl mu/m.

Over 2 × 107/ml protoplasts were obtained from mycelia of hyper lignolytic fungus (nomenclatured as strain IZU-154) by treatment with the lytic enzyme NovoZym 234 in the presence of 0.05 M maleic acid buffer (pH 5.6) containing 0.6 M MgSO4. The protoplasts regenerated at more than 10% of frequency on solid 2% agar medium containing 0.6 M sucrose as an osmotic stabilizer overlaid with 0.5% agar containing the stabilizer. In the determination of the lignolytic activities of 50 regenerants from protoplasts, 2 strains which degraded more than 56% of the lignin during incubation for 30 d and showed activity higher than the parent were found. The regeneration from protoplasts of this fungus was suggested to be useful for the breeding of strains having higher lignolytic activity than this fungus.

A nylon-degrading enzyme found in the extracellular medium of a ligninolytic culture of the white rot fungus strain IZU-154 was purified by ion-exchange chromatography, gel filtration chromatography, and hydrophobic chromatography. The characteristics of the purified protein (i.e., molecular weight, absorption spectrum, and requirements for 2,6-dimethoxyphenol oxidation) were identical to those of manganese peroxidase, which was previously characterized as a key enzyme in the ligninolytic systems of many white rot fungi, and this result led us to conclude that nylon degradation is catalyzed by manganese peroxidase. However, the reaction mechanism for nylon degradation differed significantly from the reaction mechanism reported for manganese peroxidase. The nylon-degrading activity did not depend on exogenous H 2 O 2 but nevertheless was inhibited by catalase, and superoxide dismutase inhibited the nylon-degrading activity strongly. These features are identical to those of the peroxidase-oxidase reaction catalyzed by horseradish peroxidase. In addition, α-hydroxy acids which are known to accelerate the manganese peroxidase reaction inhibited the nylon-degrading activity strongly. Degradation of nylon-6 fiber was also investigated. Drastic and regular erosion in the nylon surface was observed, suggesting that nylon is degraded to soluble oligomers and that nylon is degraded selectively.

The biodegradation of nylon by lignin-degrading fungi was investigated. The fungus IZU-154 significantly degraded nylon-66 membrane under ligninolytic conditions. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis showed that four end groups, CHO, NHCHO, CH3, and CONH2, were formed in the biodegraded nylon-66 membranes, suggesting that nylon-66 was degraded oxidatively.

We have developed a new type of flying readout magnetic head based on the concept of magnetooptical transfer ( MOT ) head. The slider of the head was made of a GGG substrate itself. Bi-substituted magnetic garnet film grown on the GGG substrate was used as a transfer readout layer. When 3.5 inch hard disk was rotated at a linear velocity of 10m/s, a carrier to noise ratio of more than 40dB was obtained for a recorded wavelength of 4 μ m.

of miso, mutants incapable of oxidizing linoleic acid were isolated by treatment with N-methyl-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and the properties of the mutants were examined in comparison with those of their parents. i)The results of the effects of pH and temperature on the growth of 35 strains of the mutants showed most of them to behave similarly to their parents. ii)The mutants incapable of oxidizing linoleic acid could still oxidize glucose, fructose and ethanol, indicating that they lack specific properties for the oxidation of linoleic acid. iii)By gas-liquid chromatography, 24 strains of the mutants showed different patterns in their composition of fatty acids from those of their parents. ix)Among 35 strains of the mutants, 20 strains showed lower activity in acyl-CoA synthetase than their parents. v)From the result of examination of respiratory deficient yeasts, 12 strains of the mutants seemed to have received some changes in their respiration, not observed in normal strains.