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Although variation among habitats in the ratio of gametophytes to sporophytes has been reported in various gigartinacean species, factors controlling the phase ratio remain poorly understood. Over 18 months, we examined the phase ratio of Chondrus ocellatus at three sites: a sheltered intertidal site, Hiruga A; an exposed intertidal site, Hiruga B; and a subtidal site, Shikimi. The mean proportion of gametophytes at Hiruga A (73.1%) was significantly higher than that at Shikimi (51.2%) and Hiruga B (44.7%). Due to a significantly higher water retention ability of the gametophytes, it was expected that the gametophytes would exhibit higher desiccation tolerance. After dehydration treatments, however, neither the photosynthetic rate of vegetative blades nor the survival rate of spores was significantly different between the phases. Measurements of blade strength indicated that the sporophytic blades were less stiff and more flexible, and a culture experiment revealed that the sporophytic germlings showed a significantly higher growth rate. Flexible blades and fast-growing germlings are considered advantageous for colonizing wave-swept intertidal habitats, so these properties may have caused the different fluctuation pattern of phase ratio among the sites. The present data demonstrate that biomechanical and physiological differences between the two phases of C. ocellatus make one phase advantageous in certain environmental conditions, and that these differences likely cause an unequal ratio of isomorphic phases.

Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the safety and efficacy of sheathless guide catheters in transradial percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) for ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Background Transradial PCI for STEMI offers significant clinical benefits, including a reduced incidence of vascular complications. As the size of the radial artery is small, the radial artery is frequently damaged in this procedure using large-bore catheters. A sheathless guide catheter offers a solution to this problem as it does not require an introducer sheath. However, the efficacy and safety of sheathless guide catheters remain to be fully determined in emergent transradial PCI for STEMI. Methods Data on consecutive STEMI patients undergoing primary PCI at the Sendai Kousei Hospital between September 2010 and May 2013 were analyzed. The primary endpoint was the rate of acute procedural success without access site crossover. Secondary endpoints included door-to-balloon time, fluoroscopy time, volume of contrast, and radial artery stenosis or occlusion rate. Results We conducted transradial PCI for 478 patients with STEMI using a sheathless guide catheter. Acute procedural success was achieved in 466 patients (97.5%). The median door-to-balloon time was 45 min (range, 15–317 min). The median fluoroscopy time was 16.4 min (range, 10–90 min). The median volume of contrast was 134 mL (range, 31–431 mL). Radial stenosis or occlusion developed in 14 (3.8%) of the 370 evaluable patients. Conclusions This study showed that use of a sheathless guide catheter taking a transradial approach was effective and safe in primary PCI for STEMI. © 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

A novel system for monitoring methane emission from a flooded paddy field was developed in order to quantify the greenhouse gas emission in near-natural conditions. A paddy field planted with rice was covered by a semi-open vinyl tunnel (1.8 × 10 × 2.5 m), and the methane concentrations inside and outside the tunnel were measured continuously from the booting stage to the ripening stage (August–September) using a methane gas detector. Methane emission rates were calculated on an hourly basis from the differences between the internal and external methane concentrations and the natural diffusion rates determined using a tracer gas method. The results indicated that the paddy field emitted 0.41–1.32 g methane m−2 day−1 during the two growth stages. The vinyl tunnel had no adverse effect on the growth and yield of rice plants inside. Despite the disadvantage of non-accurate estimation under windy conditions, the technique is considered to be of potential value for evaluating methane emissions from a flooded paddy field.

The ring-opening metathesis polymerization (ROMP) of norbornene derivatives bearing five- or six-membered cyclic carbonate (2 or 3) was carried out with a typical ruthenium catalyst [bis(tricyclohexylphosphine)benzylidene ruthenium(IV) dichloride], the so-called first-generation Grubbs catalyst, under various reaction conditions, to smoothly obtain the corresponding polyalkenamers (5 and 6) along with volume expansion. The number-average molecular weights (Mn's), 10% weight loss decomposition temperatures, glass-transition temperatures (Tg's), and volume expansion ratios of the resulting products depended on the polymerization conditions. The degree of volume expansion was mainly affected by Mn, Tg, and the cis/trans configuration of the exocyclic double bonds of the resulting polymers. The volume expansion was confirmed to specifically occur during the polymerization of the monomer bearing cyclic carbonate moieties, and similar ROMPs of monomers without cyclic carbonate, such as norbornene itself, the monomer 5,5-bis(methoxymethyl)bicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-ene, and the monomer endo-N-methylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-5-ene-2,3-dicarboxylimide, proceeded along with volume shrinkage. Furthermore, an investigation of another type of polymerization, a vinyl-type one, of monomer 2 suggested that the volume expansion specifically took place in the ring-opening type of polymerization. In addition, the Sc(OTf)3-mediated cationic ring-opening reaction of the cyclic carbonate moiety of polyalkenamer 5 smoothly proceeded along with volume expansion or nearly zero volume shrinkage to yield the corresponding networked polymer. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Polym Sci Part A: Polym Chem 44: 395–405, 2006

We experienced an entrapped rotablator burr that could not be retrieved even by deep seating of the guiding catheter. We successfully retrieved the burr by balloon inflation after the tapered tip of a Conquest wire managed to penetrate the quite hard plaque and pass through the outer lumen of the burr.

Cationic ring-opening copolymerizations of various cyclic ether compounds with volume expanding monomers bearing norbornene backbones [norbornene-spiro orthocarbonate (N-SOC) and norbornene-cyclic carbonate (N-CC)] were carried out in the presence of a thermally latent initiator 1. The 10% weight loss decomposition temperatures (T d10 ) and the volume changes on the copolymerizations were measured for these resultant products. In the comparison between copolymerizations of bifunctional epoxide 2 with N-SOC and with N-CC, it was found that N-CC served as a more useful volume controllable comonomer than N-SOC. The copolymerizations with N-CC yielded the products with a decrease in the volume change (volume shrinkage) and with an increase in the monomer feed ratio of N-CC; T d10 was relatively similar to the homopolymer of epoxide 2 and was observed except when the proportion of N-CC was more than 20% in the monomer feed ratio of N-CC. In contrast, similar copolymerizations with N-SOC did not exhibit such tendencies, probably because of the low efficiency of the copolymerization derived from the low miscibility of N-SOC for the epoxide. The other copolymerization systems of other bi- and monocyclic ether compounds (3-6 and phenyl glycidyl ether) with N-CC also indicated an almost similar tendency toward that of the copolymerization with epoxide 2.

How plant seeds secure root penetration into soil to obtain good seedling establishment is one of the basic ecological problems. In this study, seminal root growth was investigated to clarify the cause of varietal difference of seedling establishment in direct seeding of rice in flooded paddy fields, with special reference to root tip rotation. In a field experiment, seedling establishment percentage had a weak correlation with seminal root elongation rate but was not correlated with apparent seedling weight in water, which has been reported to be the cause of floating seedlings resulting in poor seedling establishment. Root tip rotation was analyzed for indoor-grown seedlings using spectrum analysis: the maximum entropy method (MEM) was used. Maximum entropy method power spectrum analysis clarified that maximum MEM power density (practically corresponds to spiral angle) detected in the frequency range above 0.1 cycles mm-1 was highly and positively correlated to seedling establishment percentage in the field experiment. Maximum MEM power density in high correlation with seedling establishment was mostly found around frequencies of 0.2 cycles mm–1, which corresponded to 2.0–3.4 cycles of root tip rotation per day. From these results, root tip rotation (circumnutation) with a larger spiral angle was suggested to play an important role in the establishment of rice seedlings on flooded and very soft soil. A possible explanation for why a larger spiral angle was advantageous for seedling establishment is that if buoyancy and seedling weight are constant, a larger pushing force of the seminal root is available without causing floating of a seedling, due to the upward force being a reaction of the seminal root pushing force.

Normal and brown midrib mutant (bmr) maize (Zea mays L) were examined for variations in their morphological composition. The degradability of the leaf blade, leaf sheath and stem, proportional area of specific tissues in leaf blade, and the ultraviolet (UV) absorption spectra of cell walls were measured and related to variations in cell wall degradability by rumen microorganisms. The UV and infrared (IR) absorption spectra of the lignins isolated from leaf blades of both types, before and after reduction with sodium borohydride, were recorded. The bmr3 maize had higher dry matter (DM) and neutral detergent fibre (NDF) degradabilities for leaf blade, leaf sheath, and stem than the normal counterpart. Approximately 35% and 26% of the observed difference in DM degradability was attributed to the difference in DM degradability of stem and leaf blade, respectively, and 39% to the difference in DM composition of stem. Distinct differences in tissue degradation of the leaf blades were observed for mesophyll cell walls in the midrib portion, which were thinner and of greater number in the bmr3 maize. Sclerenchyma cells were present only in the vascular bundles in the bmr3 leaf blade, while in the normal type those cells were underneath the epidermis tissue. The bmr3 plant also had large epidermal cells. UV microspectrometry of mesophyll cell walls of the bmr3 maize showed their lower UV absorbance around 320 nm compared to that of the normal, but not at 280 nm. Considerable increase in the UV absorbance at 280 nm was observed for the isolated lignins after reduction, suggesting a lesser degree of lignification in the bmr3 maize tissues. Lowered UV absorbance of the isolated lignin around 320 nm after reduction was associated with the removal of the IR bands at 1730, 1660, 1600, and 1250 cm−1.

The reactions of 3-iodotropolone with styrenes (styrene, p-methoxystyrene, and 2-vinylpyridine), methyl acrylate, and allylic compounds (methyl 3-butenoate, 3-butenenitrile, 1-allyl-3,4-dimethoxybenzene, and 1-allyl-3,4-methylenedioxybenzene) were carried out, according to the modified Heck’s procedure, to give 3-styryl-, 3-(2-carboxyvinyl)-, and 3-(3-substituted 1-propenyl)tropolones, respectively. Similarly, 4-bromo- or 5-bromotropolone was made to react with these olefins to yield 4-styryltropolone or the corresponding 5-(2-substituted vinyl)- and 5-(3-substituted 1-propenyl)tropolones. Substitution of 2-chlorotropone by styrenes produced 2-styryltropones. Extension of the vinylation to 2-amino-6-bromoazulenes, ethyl 3-bromo-1-azulenecarboxylate, and diethyl 2-chloro-1,3-azulenedicarboxylate resulted in a similar substitution.

Background: In patients with atrial flutter (AF), a complete block line of cavotricuspid isthmus (CTI) is identified by a continuous corridor of double potentials (DP) separated by an isoelectric interval. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with typical AF underwent radio-frequency (RF) catheter ablation during coronary sinus pacing. Initially, we anatomically delivered sequential point-by-point RF application in the CTI. If complete block line was not created, then we tried to assess the sequence of DP recorded by the decapolar electrode placed along the initial ablation line. Since the terminal component (DPt) reflects the persistent conduction through the initial ablation line, we hypothesized that earliest DPt with reversal of initial polarity in adjacent DPt would indicate the point of gap conduction. Results: CTI conduction was successfully interrupted by initial linear ablation in six patients (one-line group). Among other 23 patients, DPt-guided gap conductions were identified in nine patients (another one-point group). In eight of these patients, a single application of RF energy successfully interrupted CTI conduction. One-line and another one-point groups had significantly shorter application time and fluoroscopic duration compared with those of remaining 14 patients. Conclusions: Decapolar electrode placed along the block line crossing the CTI is useful to detect gap conduction which can avoid repeat scanning and lead to target ablation.

(±)-Pterocarpin (8) and other chromanocoumarans were synthesized in one step by the reaction of 2H-chromens with o-chloromercuriphenols in the presence of lithium chloropalladite.

The reaction of 1,2-dihydronaphthalene, indene, and acenaphthylene with phenylpalladium chloride prepared in situ from phenylmercuric chloride and lithium chloropalladate in aqueous acetone afforded 2-phenyltetrarol, 2-phenylindanol, and 2-phenylacenaphthenol respectively, accompanying by the corresponding phenylated olefins. Acetoxyphenylation products were also obtained in the reactions in acetic acid. The configurations of these oxyphenylated compounds were determined to be trans.

trans-Isoflavan-4-ol was synthesized from chromene with phenylpalladium chloride in one step. Treatment of the alcohol with NBS gave isoflavone.

Anhand von NMR-Untersuchungen werden fur die Isoflavane bzw. Chromane (I)-(IV) die angegebenen Strukturen als bevorzugte Konformationen ermittelt.