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Gene expression is controlled at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. The TACC2 gene was known to be associated with tumors but the control of its expression is unclear. We have reported that activity of the intronic promoter p10 of TACC2 in primary lesion of endometrial cancer is indicative of lymph node metastasis among a low-risk patient group. Here, we analyze the intronic promoter derived isoforms in JHUEM-1 endometrial cancer cells, and primary tissues of endometrial cancers and normal endometrium. Full-length cDNA amplicons are produced by long-range PCR and subjected to nanopore sequencing followed by computational error correction. We identify 16 stable, 4 variable, and 9 rare exons including 3 novel exons validated independently. All variable and rare exons reside N-terminally of the TACC domain and contribute to isoform variety. We found 240 isoforms as high-confidence, supported by more than 20 reads. The large number of isoforms produced from one minor promoter indicates the post-transcriptional complexity coupled with transcription at the TACC2 locus in cancer and normal cells.

Gene expression is controlled at the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels. The TACC2 gene was known to be associated with tumors but the control of its expression is unclear. We have reported that activity of the intronic promoter p10 of TACC2 in primary lesion of endometrial cancer is indicative of lymph node metastasis among a low-risk patient group. Here, we analyze the intronic promoter derived isoforms in JHUEM-1 endometrial cancer cells, and primary tissues of endometrial cancers and normal endometrium. Full-length cDNA amplicons are produced by long-range PCR and subjected to nanopore sequencing followed by computational error correction. We identify 16 stable, 4 variable, and 9 rare exons including 3 novel exons validated independently. All variable and rare exons reside N-terminally of the TACC domain and contribute to isoform variety. We found 240 isoforms as high-confidence, supported by more than 20 reads. The large number of isoforms produced from one minor promoter indicates the post-transcriptional complexity coupled with transcription at the TACC2 locus in cancer and normal cells.

A sudden onset of postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) during a cesarean delivery requires urgent hemostasis procedures, such as the B-Lynch, Hayman, or double-vertical compression sutures, when bimanual compression, uterotonic agent administration, and intrauterine balloon tamponade had failed to achieve sufficient hemostasis. However, after invasive hemostatic procedures, postoperative complications, including subsequent synechiae and infection followed by ischemia, have been reported to occur even in successful cases. To avoid these complications, we devised and performed a minimally invasive combined technique based on a “step-by-step” minimally invasive hemostatic protocol for a case of placenta accreta and severe atonic hemorrhage during a cesarean delivery. A nullipara woman with a history of systemic lupus erythematosus and treatment with prednisolone and tacrolimus underwent a cesarean section because of a nonreassuring fetal status. Severe atonic hemorrhage and placenta accreta were observed which did not respond to bimanual compression and uterotonics. Because severe uterine atony and continuous bleeding from the placental attachment area were observed even with intrauterine balloon tamponade, vertical compression sutures were placed in the uterine isthmus. However, severe uterine atony and atonic bleeding from the uterine corpus persisted; thus, a second balloon was inserted into the uterine corpus. Hemostasis was accomplished with a combination of isthmus vertical compression sutures and double balloons which is a less-invasive approach than existing compression techniques. No complications related to these procedures were observed. This step-by-step minimally invasive hemostatic technique has the potential to control PPH with less complications, especially in immunocompromised patients.

O Decreto nº 5.940/2006 determina que as instituições públicas federais implantem a Coleta Seletiva Solidária (CSS). No âmbito das universidades federais, além de uma exigência legal, trata-se da oportunidade para a formação contínua e permanente de indivíduos conscientes e responsáveis por suas obrigações como cidadãos. Na UTFPR - Londrina a CSS vem sendo realizada desde 2012, contemplando ações administrativas para o gerenciamento dos resíduos sólidos gerados na instituição, bem como ações de sensibilização e orientação da comunidade acadêmica. Deste modo, objetivou-se avaliar aspectos relacionados à sensibilização da comunidade estudantil no que se refere à CSS desenvolvida no Câmpus. Para tanto, foi aplicado um questionário online a 321 alunos dos cursos de graduação contendo questões que buscavam identificar o conhecimento dos alunos quanto à CSS e a sua importância. Foi possível observar que a CSS é bem conhecida e valorizada pelos alunos, principalmente os dos cursos diurnos. Dentre as estratégias utilizadas para a sensibilização, as ações solidárias, que associavam a questão dos resíduos com questões sociais, receberam maior destaque em termos de eficiência e adesão. No teste de conhecimentos aplicado via questionário, 52% dos alunos apresentaram mais de 70% de acertos, o que está diretamente relacionado à eficiência das estratégias de sensibilização utilizadas periodicamente pela Comissão responsável pela CSS do Câmpus.

Uterine adenomyosis is a benign disorder that often co-occurs with endometriosis and/or leiomyoma, and impairs quality of life. The genomic features of adenomyosis are unknown. Here we apply next-generation sequencing to adenomyosis (70 individuals and 192 multi-regional samples), as well as co-occurring leiomyoma and endometriosis, and find recurring KRAS mutations in 26/70 (37.1%) of adenomyosis cases. Multi-regional sequencing reveals oligoclonality in adenomyosis, with some mutations also detected in normal endometrium and/or co-occurring endometriosis. KRAS mutations are more frequent in cases of adenomyosis with co-occurring endometriosis, low progesterone receptor (PR) expression, or progestin (dienogest; DNG) pretreatment. DNG’s anti-proliferative effect is diminished via epigenetic silencing of PR in immortalized cells with mutant KRAS. Our genomic analyses suggest that adenomyotic lesions frequently contain KRAS mutations that may reduce DNG efficacy, and that adenomyosis and endometriosis may share molecular etiology, explaining their co-occurrence. These findings could lead to genetically guided therapy and/or relapse risk assessment after uterine-sparing surgery., Uterine adenomyosis often co-occurs with endometriosis or leiomyoma, but little is known about its molecular underpinnings. Here, the authors show that KRAS mutations are frequent in this disease, which might reduce sensitivity to progestin treatment via epigenetic silencing of the progesterone receptor.

Introduction/Background Lymphadenectomy in endometrial cancer should be considered depending on individual patients owing to its postoperative risks such as lymphedema. Although assessment of lymph node metastasis provides crucial information for appropriate adjuvant management, therapeutic importance of lymphadenectomy for low-intermediate risk patients is a matter of debate. Given that sentinel lymph node biopsy is a beneficial but complex method, noninvasive, simple and high-precision diagnosis method for lymph node metastatic state is highly demanded. In a previous study, we identified SEMA3D and a novel isoform of TACC2 as promising biomarkers to evaluate lymphatic metastasis based on gene expression patterns in the primary lesion. Here, we attempted to optimize sampling method considering tumor heterogeneity and to accelerate gene quantitative analysis for our biomarkers. Methodology Endometrial cancer tissues from new several patients were collected in addition to the previous 115 patients. We collected 5–13 pieces of primary tumor from each new patient. We verified gene expressions of each tissue piece by quantitative-PCR to optimize sampling method. Then we assessed whether RT-SmartAmp method, which can detect nucleic acids in one step consisting of a reverse transcription and an isothermal amplification of DNA, could quantify our biomarker RNA rapidly. We measured the speed of amplification and target specificity based on biomarker RNA as the template in one step containing reverse transcription step. Results We calculated the average expression levels by bootstrap method It suggested that even when the sampling number is two, each average expression level indicates correct diagnosis with 99%CI. Then we also succeeded to develop a promising candidate of primer set to detect the target mRNA by using SmartAmp. This candidate can detect RNA quantitatively within 30 minutes without non-specific amplification of negative control by using Eprimer as detection fluorescence. Conclusion Our findings pave the way for support clinical decisions that minimize irrelevant lymphadenectomy. Disclosure I have no COI with regard to our presentation. This work was supported by AMED under Grant Number 18cm0106433h0001 and 19cm0106452h0001, a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C) from the MEXT (15K10732, 17K11296, 18K09299), a research grant from MEXT through the RIKEN Preventive Medicine and Diagnosis Innovation Program, a research grant from MEXT to RIKEN Omics Science Center and a research grant from MEXT to RIKEN Center for Life Science Technologies (Division of Genomic Technologies).

To identify, describe and summarize evidence on residual symptoms and disease burdens in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients qualified as being in remission or low disease activity (LDA).A systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted according to Cochrane collaboration guidelines. The population of interest was adult patients with RA in remission or LDA. The reported outcomes of interest were any symptoms or burdens.Fifty-one publications were identified through an eDatabase search. Together with 17 articles found through other sources, 68 were included for full text review. The most commonly reported residual symptoms were pain (number of studies = 25), fatigue (n = 21) and morning stiffness (n = 5). Reported disease burdens included mental health (n = 15), sleep disturbances (n = 7) and work productivity (n = 5), impairment in quality of life (n = 21), and functional disability (n = 34). Substantial residual symptoms and disease burdens were found to be present in patients in remission or LDA.This is the first SLR to investigate residual symptoms and disease burdens in RA patients in remission or LDA. The results indicate that despite achieving conventional clinical targets, the disease continues to affect patients, suggesting the existence of unmet need under the current treatment paradigm.

For endometrial cancer patients, lymphadenectomy is recommended to exclude rarely metastasized cancer cells. This procedure is performed even in patients with low risk of recurrence despite the risk of complications such as lymphedema. A method to accurately identify cases with no lymph node metastases (LN−) before lymphadenectomy is therefore highly required. We approached this clinical problem by examining primary lesions of endometrial cancers with CAGE (Cap Analysis Gene Expression), which quantifies promoter-level expression across the genome. Fourteen profiles delineated distinct transcriptional networks between LN + and LN− cases, within those classified as having the low or intermediate risk of recurrence. Subsequent quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analyses of 115 primary tumors showed SEMA3D mRNA and TACC2 isoforms expressed through a novel promoter as promising biomarkers with high accuracy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, 0.929) when used in combination. Our high-resolution transcriptome provided evidence of distinct molecular profiles underlying LN + /LN− status in endometrial cancers, raising the possibility of preoperative diagnosis to reduce unnecessary operations in patients with minimum recurrence risk.

Background Needlestick injury (NSI) is one of the most burdensome professional hazards in any medical setting; it can lead to transmission of fatal infectious diseases, such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and human immunodeficiency virus. In the United States, the annual cost burden was estimated as somewhere between $118 million to $591 million; in the United Kingdom it is approximated to be £500,000 (US$919,117.65) per the National Health Service. Method This is the first published paper on the national cost burden of NSIs in Japan. A systematic literature review was conducted to review previous study design in global studies and to extract parameter values from Japanese studies. We conducted abstract searches through PubMed and the Japan Medical Abstracts Society (Ichushi), together with grey literature and snowball searches. A simple economic model was developed to calculate cost burden of NSIs from a societal perspective over a one-year time horizon. We assumed all NSIs are reported and perfect adherence in post NSI management that presented in the labour compensation scheme. Local guidelines were also referenced to extract resource utilization. Lastly, a deterministic sensitivity analysis was conducted and a scenario analysis which considered a payer perspective was also included. Result and conclusion The national cost burden of in-hospital NSIs is estimated as ¥33.4 billion (US$302 million) annually, based on an average cost per NSI of ¥63,711 (US$577) and number of NSIs at 525,000/year. 70% of the cost is due to initial laboratory tests, followed by productivity loss, estimated at 20% of the total cost. Cost of contaminated NSIs remains at 5% of the total cost. Change in number of NSIs significantly influences outcomes. Variation in post-exposure management practices suggests a need for NSI specific National guidelines and holistic labour compensation scheme development in Japan.

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Background/Aims: Polyethylenimine-coated polyacrylonitrile (AN69ST) membrane is expected to improve the outcomes of critically ill patients treated by continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT). Methods: Using a Japanese health insurance claim database, we identified adult patients receiving CRRT in intensive care units (ICUs) from April 2014 to October 2015. We used a multivariable logistic regression model to assess in-hospital mortality and Fine and Gray's proportional subhazards model to assess the ICU length of stay (ICU-LOS) accounting for the competing risks. Results: Of 2,469 ICU patients, 156 were treated by AN69ST membrane. Crude in-hospital mortality was 50.0% in the AN69ST group and 54.0% in the non-AN69ST group. Adjusted odds ratio (OR) of AN69ST membrane use for in-hospital mortality was 0.65 (95% CI 0.45-0.93). The use of AN69ST membrane was also independently associated with shorter ICU-LOS. Conclusion: This retrospective observational study suggested that CRRT with AN69ST membrane might be associated with better in-hospital outcomes.

We propose a new construct (implicit normative evaluations) that purports to measure automatic associations about societal evaluations. We develop a new measure of this construct based on a modification of the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and describe how it is related to but not redundant with implicit attitudes and explicit normative evaluations. Study 1 provided evidence that implicit normative evaluations and implicit attitudes uniquely predicted evaluations measured by the traditional IAT. Study 2 demonstrated that Asian-Canadian immigrants' implicit normative evaluations toward older people became more negative the longer they were in Canada. Study 3 found that engineering students' (both men and women) implicit normative evaluations toward female engineers became more negative as they were exposed to engineering and that for women these negative normative evaluations predicted their intention to drop out of engineering. Study 4 demonstrated that implicit normative evaluations predicted the speed at which participants decide to “shoot” an African Canadian target on a shooter bias task (Correll, Park, Judd, & Wittenbrink, 2002). Finally, in Study 5, an experimental manipulation of an audience's reaction to racist jokes targeting people from the Middle East affected implicit normative evaluations about this group and that these implicit normative evaluations in turn affected discrimination. The implications of these results for the importance of social influence and culture in shaping thoughts and behavior are discussed.

We have recently developed a new target plate (BLOTCHIP®) for MALDI-MS. An advantage of this procedure is that it does not require the lowering of protein concentrations in test samples prior to analysis. Accordingly, this new technology enables the detection of peptides present in blood samples, including those that would otherwise be adsorbed to abundant blood proteins and would thus escape detection. Using this technology, we analyzed the peripheral blood of patients with pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH; the most common serious complication of pregnancy) to test a potential utility of the technology for monitoring of the pathophysiological status. In the present study, we found 23 characteristic peptides for PIH in the blood serum of pregnant women. Offline LC-MALDI MS/MS identified 7 of the 23 peptides as fragments derived from kininogen-1 (three peptides), fibrinogen-α, complement component C4-A/B, α-2-HS-glycoprotein and inter-α-trypsin inhibitor heavy chain H4. 2-D scatter plots with combinations of the peptides found in the present study can be grouped for pregnant women with/without PIH, which would be satisfactory reflected for their status. Additionally, the levels of most of these peptides found were significantly decreased by albumin/IgG depletion prior to BLOTCHIP® analysis in accordance with conventional proteomics procedures. These results indicated that BLOTCHIP® analysis can be applied for discovery study of PIH biomarker candidates.

Past research suggests that members of devalued groups recognize their groups are discriminated against. Do the implicit responses of members of these groups demonstrate the same pattern? We argue that they do not and that this is due to a motivated protection of members of devalued groups' social identity. Study 1 demonstrates that, at an explicit level African-Canadians recognize that their group is discriminated against, but at an implicit level African-Canadians think that most people like their group to a greater extent than do European-Canadians. Study 2 replicates this implicit finding with Muslim participants while demonstrating that, when affirmed, this group difference disappears. Study 3 demonstrates that implicit normative regard can predict collective action over and above implicit attitudes and explicit normative regard. The implications for changing the status quo are discussed.

It is considered to be difficult to detect tetracycline antibiotics in all-at-once simultaneous analysis with other drugs by liquid chromatography with tandem mass spectrometry, because tetracycline antibiotics chelate with bivalent metal ions such as calcium in samples. Therefore, we studied simultaneous determination of tetracycline antibiotics after removal of calcium with disodium ethylenediaminotetraacetate (EDTA-2Na). Tetracycline antibiotics could be assayed in all-at-once analysis by adding EDTA-2Na during the extraction procedure. It was possible to determine 65 veterinary drugs in milk, 70 in yogurt, 59 in whipped cream, 67 in cheese and 60 in ice cream. Recovery ranged from 70 to 120%, with a coefficient of variation of less than 25% and with a quantification limit of 0.01 microg/g (S/N>or=10).

We previously demonstrated that a novel hydrophilic gamma-tocopherol (gamma-Toc) derivative, gamma-tocopherol-N,N-dimethylglycinate hydrochloride (gamma-TDMG) converts to gamma-Toc in the mouse skin and has a higher bioavailability than gamma-Toc itself. In the present study, we determined whether gamma-TDMG could reduce photo-inflammation in mouse skin, and compared its effectiveness to that of alpha-Toc acetate (alpha-TA). Topical pre- or post-application of 5% gamma-TDMG significantly reduced the formation of edema and tempered the increase in cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)-catalyzed synthesis of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) that were induced by a single dose of UV irradiation of 2 kJ/m2 (290-380 nm, maximum 312 nm). The pre-treatment of mouse skin with 10% alpha-TA had the same anti-inflammatory effect as did gamma-TDMG. In spite of same having the ability to reduce PGE2 levels, the effect of gamma-TDMG pre-treatment on the inhibition of COX-2 mRNA/protein expression was less than that seen with 10% alpha-TA. In contrast, the increase in COX-2 activity seen after UV exposure was reduced more by gamma-TDMG than by alpha-TA, suggesting that the reduction in PGE2 levels might have been due to the direct inhibition of COX-2 activity by gamma-TDMG-derived gamma-Toc. Both Toc derivatives strongly suppressed inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) mRNA expression and nitric oxide (NO) production, both of which play important roles in UV-induced inflammation. Both derivatives also significantly reduced lipid peroxidation in response to UV exposure, though gamma-TDMG's ability in this regard was less than that seen with alpha-TA, which correlated with their abilities to suppress COX-2 expression. Thus, the gamma-TDMG-derived gamma-Toc acts as an antioxidant, suppresses iNOS expression and directly inhibits COX-2 activity, all of which likely play a role in mediating its suppressive effects on photo-inflammation. Our data further suggest that the topical application of gamma-TDMG, a novel hydrophilic gamma-Toc derivative, may be efficacious in preventing and reducing UV-induced inflammation in humans.

魚介類中に残留するキノロン系抗菌剤ミロキサシン（MLX）及びその主代謝物M-1の高速液体クロマトグラフィー（HPLC）を用いた定量法を構築した．MLXは光に対して不安定であり，比較的速やかに脱メトキシ体であるM-1に分解される．魚介類中のMLX及びM-1は，0.2％ メタリン酸-アセトニトリル（6 : 4，v/v）で抽出し，Oasis HLBカートリッジ（60 mg）で精製した．HPLC条件は，分離カラムにWakosil II 5C18-RS（150 × 4.6 mm），移動相に25 mMリン酸緩衝液（pH 2.5）-アセトニトリル（70 : 30，v/v）を用い，流量0.6 ml/minで送液した．また，検出には蛍光検出器を用い，波長は励起波長325 nm及び蛍光波長365 nmに設定した．本法による添加回収率（0.1 μg/g）はいずれも80.0% 以上であり，定量限界は0.01 μg/gであった．本法はミロキサシン及び代謝物の同時分析法として日常検査に用いることができる有用な分析法の一つと考える．

Two coping strategies-problem solving and social support seeking-were hypothesized to differentially moderate the effects of intergenerational family conflict on well-being and adjustment in a college sample of 117 Asian American young adult children. Results indicated that social support served as a protective-stabilizing factor that buffered the effects of family conflict on positive affect and somatic distress. Problem-solving coping served as a protective-reactive factor that had a positive effect on positive affect when family conflict was low and a negative effect when family conflict was high. The potential implications of these findings for counseling and conducting research on Asian American college students are discussed.

1. To clarify the possible role of tissue catecholamines in the development of hypertension, we investigated the effect of bilateral renal denervation on the catecholamine contents of central and peripheral tissues in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). 2. Norepinephrine (NE) content in renal cortex, renal medulla, and adrenal gland was higher in 7 week old SHR than age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Dopamine (DA) content in the brainstem and hypothalamus was also higher in SHR, but NE and epinephrine (EPI) content in these areas were not different between strains. Similar differences in catecholamines were observed in 9 week old rats in which a sham operation of bilateral renal denervation was performed 2 weeks previously. 3. Bilateral renal denervation produced an almost complete reduction of NE content in the kidney in both strains and prevented the development of hypertension. DA content in the brainstem was also decreased by renal denervation in SHR but not in WKY. NE and EPI content in central tissues were not affected by renal denervation. 4. These results suggest that DA content in brainstem area, as well as NE content in the kidney, have a relationship in the development of hypertension in SHR.

Development of rapid and high accuracy analysis, and tightening of regulations for veterinary drugs are required because many examples of detection of veterinary drugs in many kinds of processed food have been reported. In this study, we constructed an improved method for simultaneous determination of veterinary drugs, based on the glass bead homogenization method with EDTA-2Na and batch purification for QuEChERS analysis. Our extraction procedure is suitable for handling multiple samples quickly and easily. Furthermore, our improved extraction solvent allowed simultaneous determination of tetracyclines in processed food. In a test of 69 veterinary drugs, recovery of over 60 ranged from 70 to 120%, with a coefficient of variation of less than 25% and with quantification limits of 0.01 µg/g (S/N≥10 ). This improved method is expected to be useful for quick simultaneous determination of multiple residues.

A camomila é uma planta herbácea e anual. Suas flores são usadas na medicina popular como droga vegetal e também como aromatizante. Realizaram-se dois experimentos com o objetivo de avaliar o tempo de armazenamento e a temperatura na porcentagem e velocidade de germinação das sementes de camomila. O primeiro experimento utilizou sementes de camomilas produzidas no Horto Medicinal da Universidade Estadual de Londrina, PR. Elas foram beneficiadas, acondicionadas em sacos de papel e armazenadas em câmara fria por um, dois, três e quatro anos. O teste de germinação foi realizado em temperatura alternada 15-25°C e fotoperíodo de 8 horas. Avaliou-se a porcentagem e o índice de velocidade de germinação (IVG), em oito repetições de 100 sementes cada uma. As sementes de camomila utilizadas no segundo experimento foram comerciais. Os tratamentos foram: temperaturas constantes de 10°C e 15°C e temperaturas alternadas de 10-15°C e 10-20°C, com fotoperíodo de 12 horas. As avaliações foram realizadas no sétimo e no décimo quarto dia após a semeadura (DAS). O potencial de germinação e o índice de velocidade de germinação das sementes foram mantidos nos dois primeiros anos de armazenamento. A germinação das sementes foi reduzida para 3,3% com a temperatura de 10oC ao sétimo DAS. As temperaturas constantes de 10oC e 15oC e alternadas de 10-15°C e 10-20°C proporcionaram germinação das sementes superior a 80% ao final do décimo quarto DAS. Chamomile is an annual herbaceous species. Its flowers are used in popular medicine and as a vegetable flavour. It propagates for seeds. The objective of these trials was to evaluate the ideal temperature, packing time on the percentage and germination speed of chamomile. The first trial used seeds from a medicinal vegetable garden from Universidade Estadual de Londrina, Paraná, Brazil. They were treated, packed in paper bags and kept in refrigerate chamber during one, two, three and four years. In germination test it was used 25°C with 10 hours of light and 14 hours of dark. It was evaluated the percentage and germination speed index (GSI) in 8 replicates with 100 seeds each one. The seeds used in the second trial were commercial ones. The tested treatments were: constant temperatures of 10°C and 15°C with 12 hours of photoperiod, and alternated temperatures of 10°C/15°C and 10°C/20°C with 10 hours of photoperiod. The evaluations were made at 7th and 14th days after seeding. The seeds packed until 2 years showed greatest percentage and germination speed index. The temperature of 10°C reduced the germination for 3.3% at 7 DAS. The constant temperature of 10°C and 15°C, and alternated in 10°C/15°C and 10°C/20°C provided germination of the seeds superior to 80% in the end of 14th day.

This paper deals with the relationship between tobacco growth and organic matter content of soil in the sand-dune field in Yonago from 1964 to 1966. Results obtained were as follows; (1) The cultivation without manure reduced the yield of fluecured tobacco by about 10% in the non-manured fields for a year, and about 15% in the non-manured fields for two years as compared with the manured fields. (2) Fifty to sixty percent of added organic material was consumed for a year. Consumption of organic matter in the non-manured fields for one year was about 10% less than in the manured fields. Added organic matter in the non-manured fields was consumed perfectly for two years. (3) Organic nitrogen content in the soil varied according to organic matter content, NO3-N in the soil markedly decreased by early summer regardless of manure. The level of NO3-N in the manured soil was slightly higher than those without manure in the latter half stage of growth. (4) In the case without manure, nitrogen and magnesium uptake by tobacco plant were markedly decreased in the latter half stage of growth, and also dry weight of tobacco plant varied in parallel with nitrogen absorption. It is concluded that the manure serves as an important source of mineral nitrogen in the latter half stage of growth.

Tobacco plants were grown on the following three kinds of ridges. Soil temperature, soil moisture and growth of tobacco of these ridges were studied. The first was the high ridge thoroughly covered with polyethylene film (thoroughly mulched ridge), the second was the conventionally mulched ridge of normal height (mulched ridge), and the third was bare ridge of normal height (non-mulched ridge) .Maximum and average soil temperatures were the highest at the thoroughly mulched ridge, and the lowest at non-mulched one.At thoroughly mulched ridge water vapor evaporated at the soil surface was forced to go downward into the soil and the latent heat in the water vapor was changed into the sensible heat in the soil and raised soil temperature. At mulched ridge the downward movement of water vapor was not so large as at thoroughly mulched ridge, and the temperature raising effect of mulched ridge was relatively small. At non-mulched ridge water vapor ran into air and gave small influence on soil temperature.The influence of soil moisture increase on the thermal diffusivity was conspicuous at thoroughly mulched ridge.Average soil moisture during the tobacco cultivating period was the lowest at thoroughly mulched ridge and the change of soil moisture was the least at thoroughly mulched ridge.The quality of cured tobacco leaves was the best at thoroughly mulched ridge, and the worst at nonmulched ridge.

Numerous new palladium(II) complexes, Pd-(Aca.R)2, have been synthesized with β-ketoamines derived from acetylacetone and amines, where R represents methyl, ethyl, n-propyl, n-butyl, benzyl, phenyl, o-, m- and p-tolyl, and o, o′-xylidyl. It should be noted that when R denotes n-propyl or n-butyl, the palladium(II) complexes have been prepared successfully, although the free ligands can not be isolated in a pure form. This may be regarded as an example of the stabilization of a molecular configuration through co-ordination with a metal ion. The visible and ultraviolet spectra indicate that the palladium(II) complexes prepared in the present paper, which are considered to be square-planar in non-donor solvents as well as in the solid state, combine no additional pyridine molecules, even in pyridine. This is contrary to the previous observation that Ni(Aca.R)2 complexes combine two molecules of pyridine to form a sexaco-ordinated complex in pyridine.

Nickel(II) and copper(II) complexes of β-ketoamines derived from acetylacetone or benzoylacetone and aromatic amines have been newly synthesized and characterized. The aromatic amines included aniline, o-, m- and p-toluidine, o,o′-dimethylaniline, o,o′-diethylaniline, o-, m- and p-chloroaniline, and α- and β-naphthylamine. The configurations of these complexes in pyridine have been examined and compared with those in non-donor solvents. All these complexes are considered to be square-planar in non-donor solvents and in the solid state. The nickel-(II) complexes of the o,o′-disubstituted derivatives do not combine with pyridine molecules, whereas the corresponding copper(II) complexes readily combine with the pyridine molecule. The difference between nickel(II) and copper(II) ions is discussed in terms of the bonding nature of the metal ions. The β-ketoamines and salicylideneimines are also compared.

Co(II), Ni(II), Cu(II), Pd(II) and Pt(II) complexes of N-substituted salicylideneimines [I] and β-ketoimines [II], including a number of new compounds, have been prepared and their configuration examined mostly on the basis of their electronic spectra. The main results of the examination, which are summarized as follows, are understood in terms of the nature of the metalligand bond and of the electronic structure of the metal ions.