Search

Treatment with rumen fluid improves methane production from non-degradable lignocellulosic biomass during subsequent methane fermentation; however, the kinetics of xylanases during treatment with rumen fluid remain unclear. This study aimed to identify key xylanases contributing to xylan degradation and their individual activities during xylan treatment with bovine rumen microorganisms. Xylan was treated with bovine rumen fluid at 37°C for 48 h under anaerobic conditions. Total solids were degraded into volatile fatty acids and gases during the first 24 h. Zymography showed that xylanases of 24, 34, 85, 180, and 200 kDa were highly active during the first 24 h. Therefore, these xylanases are considered to be crucial for xylan degradation during treatment with rumen fluid. Metagenomic analysis revealed that the rumen microbial community's structure and metabolic function temporally shifted during xylan biodegradation. Although statistical analyses did not reveal significantly positive correlations between xylanase activities and known xylanolytic bacterial genera, they positively correlated with protozoal (e.g., Entodinium, Diploplastron, and Eudiplodinium) and fungal (e.g., Neocallimastix, Orpinomyces, and Olpidium) genera and unclassified bacteria. Our findings suggest that rumen protozoa, fungi, and unclassified bacteria are associated with key xylanase activities, accelerating xylan biodegradation into volatile fatty acids and gases, during treatment of lignocellulosic biomass with rumen fluid.

A probiotic is considered a live microbial feed supplement that has beneficial effects on the host. In this study, the probiotic property by which Enterococcus faecium HS-08 strengthens the immune system was investigated. Using a murine model, we evaluated the abilities of this strain to increase intestinal short-chain fatty acid contents and to induce the production of mucosal immunoglobulin A (IgA), which are crucial for mucosal immune systems. Various amounts (0%, 0.0038%, 0.038%, or 0.38%) of strain HS-08 cells were administered to BALB/cAJcl mice, which resulted in a dose-dependent increase of fecal IgA levels. A qRT-PCR analysis of Peyer’s patch cells revealed that the gene expression of retinal-dehydrogenase, interleukin 6, B-cell-activating factor, and a proliferation-inducing ligand were increased, which leads to IgA secretion via a T-cell-independent mechanism. The administration of 0.038% and 0.38% of strain HS-08 cells also increased fecal acetate levels, which plays an important role for maintaining immune functions. This cecal floral analysis and the stability of strain HS-08 against gastrointestinal digestion suggest that this strain can inhabit the host intestine. In conclusion, the administration of E. faecium HS-08 increased intestinal acetate levels and enhanced IgA secretion, which may result in strengthening of the mucosal immune system.

We had developed a new pretreatment system using cow rumen fluid to improve the methane production from lignocellulosic substrates. However, the pretreatment conditions differ from the in-situ rumen environment, therefore different microbes may be involved in plant cell wall decomposition. In the current study, shotgun metagenomic analysis using MiSeq platform was performed to elucidate the bacteria which produce cellulase and hemicellulase in this pretreatment system. The rumen fluid which contained waste paper pieces (0.1% w/v) were incubated at 37°C during 120 h. The fluid samples were collected from the reactor at each time-point and analyzed for chemical properties. Rumen microbial DNA was extracted from 0-h and 60-h samples and subjected to shotgun-metagenomic analysis. After pretreatment, approximately half of cellulose and hemicellulose contents of the waste paper were decomposed and some volatile fatty acids were accumulated. Clostridia (e.g., Ruminococcus and Clostridium) were the predominant bacteria before and after 60-h pretreatment, and their relative abundance was increased during pretreatment. However, Prevotella and Fibrobacter, one of the most dominant bacteria in-situ rumen fluid, were observed less than 3% before incubation and they were decreased after pretreatment. Genes encoding cellulase and hemicellulase were mainly found in Ruminococcus, Clostridium, and Caldicellulosiruptor. Calicellulosiruptor, which had not been previously identified as the predominant genus in lignocellulose decomposition in in-situ rumen conditions, might be considered as the main fibrolytic bacterium in this system. Thus, this study demonstrated that the composition of fibrolytic bacteria in this system was greatly different from those in the in-situ rumen.

Rumen microorganisms produce various fibrolytic enzymes and degrade lignocellulosic materials into nutrient sources for ruminants; therefore, the characterization of fibrolytic enzymes contributing to the polysaccharide degradation in the rumen microbiota is important for efficient animal production. This study characterized the fibrolytic isozyme activities of a rumen microbiota from four groups of housed cattle (1, breeding Japanese Black; 2, feedlot Japanese Black; 3, lactating Holstein Friesian; 4, dry Holstein Friesian). Rumen fluids in all cattle groups showed similar concentrations of total volatile fatty acids and reducing sugars, whereas acetic acid contents and pH were different among them. Predominant genera were commonly detected in all cattle, although the bacterial compositions were different among cattle groups. Zymograms of whole proteins in rumen fluids showed endoglucanase activities at 55 and 57 kDa and xylanase activity at 44 kDa in all cattle. Meanwhile, several fibrolytic isozyme activities differed among cattle groups and individuals. Treponema, Succinivibrio, Anaeroplasma, Succiniclasticum, Ruminococcus, and Butyrivibrio showed positive correlations with fibrolytic isozyme activities. Further, endoglucanase activity at 68 kDa was positively correlated with pH. This study suggests the characteristics of fibrolytic isozyme activities and their correlations with the rumen microbiota.

Rumen fluid has been applied to lignocellulosic biomass digest for methane production, and various feed supplements have been shown to improve ruminant digestion of lignocellulosic biomass. Therefore, we investigated the effects of sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS) on the pretreatment of lignocellulosic biomass with rumen fluid and subsequent methane fermentation. SDS was mixed with rumen fluid at concentrations of 0.1, 0.2, 0.4, and 0.8 g/L. After SDS addition, the waste paper was pretreated with rumen fluid at 37 °C for 6 h. SDS addition decreased the number of surviving rumen ciliates after pretreatment. SDS addition increased the dissolved chemical oxygen demand during pretreatment; however, SDS addition did not increase the volatile fatty acid concentration. After pretreatment, batch methane fermentation of pretreated waste paper was performed at 35 °C for 45 days. SDS addition at 0.1 and 0.2 g/L shortened the waste paper digestion time and enhanced methane gas production compared to the control. By contrast, SDS addition at 0.4 and 0.8 g/L remarkably inhibited methane production from waste paper. These findings suggest that low concentrations of SDS can improve the efficiency of lignocellulosic biomass pretreatment with rumen fluid, and can enhance methane production from waste paper.

The land crabs, Chiromantes haematocheir (Akate-gani) and Chiromantes dehaani (Kurobenkei-gani) inhabit seaside forests in Japan. The crabs mainly consume plant material and its detritus. Therefore, they are expected to possess the ability to degrade the major components of biomass, cellulose and lignin in order to digest plant materials. In this study, we analyzed biomass-degrading activities of the land crabs, especially guaiacol oxidation activity, which seems to be related to lignin degradation. Cellulase activity was detected from almost all gut samples including the stomach, midgut gland and intestine of all dissected crabs. Conversely, high guaiacol oxidation activity was detected in the midgut gland of all C. dehaani and several female C. haematocheir crabs. This is consistent with a previous study showing that female crabs were more herbivorous than male crabs were and observation that C. dehaani crabs are more herbivorous than C. haematocheir. Guaiacol oxidation activity might play an important role in the herbivorous behavior of land crabs.

Ecosystem functions are threatened by continuing global loss of biodiversity. We simultaneously investigated three ecosystem functions and forage nutrient values following potential species extinction scenarios (dominant species removal, rare species removal, end-member species removal and random species removal) in a Mongolian grassland. ANPP, forage nutrient values, litter decomposition, and soil respiration were measured one and/or two years after plant removal. DNA samples of microorganisms extracted from the soil were subjected to metagenomics analysis. Finally, we calculated the multifunctionality, and examined the relationship of multifunctionality with plant and microorganism diversity. Among ecosystem functions, ANPP and litter decomposition rate decreased under random and rare species extinction scenarios, respectively, and forage quality increased when only dominant species had been removed. Diversity and species composition of soil microorganism were not affected by plant species richness or removal scenario. Only genus-level diversity of bacteria and ANPP were significantly and positively correlated with microbial diversity. Taken together, decreasing species richness of plants and soil organisms rarely impaired multifunctionality. Ecosystem functions were relatively robust to realistic disturbances and species extinction in natural grasslands. However, as each function responded differently to the different sets of species removed, the consequences of a realistic non-random extinction scenario for multiple ecosystem functions should be critical to the management of biodiversity loss caused by different disturbances.

Herbivorous land crabs such as Chiromantes haematocheir and C. dehaani show biomass-degrading activities. In this study, we performed RNA-seq analysis to detect biomass-degrading enzymes. A de novo transcriptome assembly in the midgut glands of molting and non-molting C. haematocheir crabs was constructed using RNA sequencing. Illumina sequencing generated 44,937,002 and 44,394,310 reads from the two midgut glands. In total, 178,710 contigs with an average length of 750 bp and an N50 value of 1,235 bp were assembled, of which 37,890 contigs were annotated using BLASTx search against the NCBI database. We identified 22 contigs (11 genes) belonging to the laccase family and 44 contigs (22 genes) belonging to the peroxidase family. Sixteen contigs (three genes) belonging to the GH9 cellulase family were also detected. We selected the gene accounting for the majority of expressed laccase and analyzed its properties. The 24131-laccase transcript (2465 bp) had one complete open reading frame, nt 149-1987, encoding a protein of 613 amino acids with a deduced molecular mass of 67.708 kDa. The enzyme was shown to belong to the multicopper oxidase family. The 24131-laccase protein was confirmed to have oxidation activity against 2,6-dimethoxyphenol by ectopic expression in Escherichia coli. Laccase activity was significantly enhanced by feeding land crabs with plant diets. These data suggest that the enzyme plays an important role in the digestion of lignin in the guts of land crabs.

It is necessary to preserve rumen fluid for transport from slaughterhouses to the pretreatment facilities for use in treating lignocellulosic biomass. In this study, we investigated how the preservation of rumen fluid at various temperatures affects its use in hydrolysis of waste paper. Rumen fluid was preserved anaerobically at 4, 20, and 35 °C for 7 days. The number of protozoa and fibrolytic enzyme activity after preservation at 4 °C were significantly higher than that after preservation at either 20 or 35 °C. Waste paper was subsequently treated with preserved rumen fluid at 37 °C for 48 h. Preservation at 20 °C remarkedly decreased the hydrolysis of waste paper. Xylanase activity in rumen fluid preserved at 35 °C increased during the treatment, which enhanced the solubilization of waste paper as comparable to the control and preservation at 4 °C. Pretreatment of waste paper with rumen fluid preserved at 4 °C showed that the fluid retained high fibrolytic activity, and reduced the loss of organic carbon as substrate for methanogens. Our results suggest that preservation of rumen fluid at 4 °C is most suitable for efficient pretreatment and methane fermentation of waste paper.

The pretreatment of lignocellulosic substrates with cattle rumen fluid was successfully developed to increase methane production. In the present study, a 16S rRNA gene-targeted amplicon sequencing approach using the MiSeq platform was applied to elucidate the effects of the rumen fluid treatment on the microbial community structure in laboratory-scale batch methane fermenters. Methane production in fermenters fed rumen fluid-treated rapeseed (2,077.3 mL CH4 reactor−1 for a 6-h treatment) was markedly higher than that in fermenters fed untreated rapeseed (1,325.8 mL CH4 reactor−1). Microbial community profiling showed that the relative abundance of known lignocellulose-degrading bacteria corresponded to lignocellulose-degrading enzymatic activities. Some dominant indigenous cellulolytic and hemicellulolytic bacteria in seed sludge (e.g., Cellulosilyticum lentocellum and Ruminococcus flavefaciens) and rumen fluid (e.g., Butyrivibrio fibrisolvens and Prevotella ruminicola) became undetectable or markedly decreased in abundance in the fermenters fed rumen fluid-treated rapeseed, whereas some bacteria derived from seed sludge (e.g., Ruminofilibacter xylanolyticum) and rumen fluid (e.g., R. albus) remained detectable until the completion of methane production. Thus, several lignocellulose-degrading bacteria associated with rumen fluid proliferated in the fermenters, and may play an important role in the degradation of lignocellulosic compounds in the fermenter.

A probiotic is considered a live microbial feed supplement that has beneficial effects on the host. In this study, the probiotic property by which

The concept of ambidextrous organizations, allowing exploration and exploitation activities to coexist within an organization, has attracted considerable interest. We aim to advance the framework of ambidextrous organizations by incorporating the concept of product substitutability. We initially focus on the substitutability of an exploratory product for an existing core product, propose cannibalistic and complementary types of ambidextrous organizations, and discuss their effective management. This is followed by an in‐depth case study of Fujifilm, illustrating how distinguishing between two types of an ambidextrous organization explains effectively the corporate transformation process of Fujifilm.

We attempted to develop a pretreatment method for methane fermentation of lignocellulosic biomass using cattle rumen fluid, treated as slaughterhouse waste. When rapeseed (Brassica napus L.) was added to the methane fermentation after being solubilized with rumen fluid, 1.5 times more methane was produced compared with untreated rapeseed. Analysis of the bacterial flora during rumen fluid treatment using the MiSeq next-generation sequencer showed that the predominant phylum shifted from Bacteroidetes, composed of amylolytic Prevotella spp., to Firmicutes, composed of cellulolytic and xylanolytic Ruminococcus spp., in only 6 h. In total, 7 cellulolytic, 25 cello-oligosaccharolytic, and 11 xylanolytic bacteria were detected after investigating the most abundant sequences of detected taxa. The relative abundance of two Ruminococcus species (Ruminococcus albus and R. flavefaciens), known as cellulolytic, cello-oligosaccharolytic, and xylanolytic bacteria, increased with increasing cellulose and hemicellulose degradation rates, and, finally, comprised 48% of all operational taxonomic units. The chronological observation of enzyme activities showed that cellulolytic and xylanolytic activities increased 6 h later, and that oligosaccharolytic activity increased 24 h later. This study detected six bacteria that participate in the degradation of aromatics derived from lignin, which have rarely been reported in rumen fluid. The constitution of the detected bacteria suggests that the aromatics were converted into acetate via benzoate. The list of microbes that cover all lignocellulose-degrading candidates will provide fundamental knowledge for future studies focusing on rumen microbes.

We recently reported on the capsular polysaccharide (CP) synthesis (cps) genes of the oral streptococci, Streptococcus anginosus. In this study, we investigate the effects of carbon dioxide (CO2), bicarbonate (HCO3-) and unsaturated fatty acids (UFAs) on CP synthesis of S. anginosus. We found that CP production increased when bacteria were exposed to high concentrations of CO2. This increase was similarly observed in the presence of sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3) under atmospheric condition. Since ectopic expression of carbonic anhydrase, which converts CO2 to HCO3-, eliminated the requirement for CO2 in CP production and growth of S. anginosus lacking this enzyme, it seemed that HCO3- is an essential factor for CP production. Furthermore, UFAs also stimulated the CP production. Promoter-reporter assay and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) analysis confirmed that stimulation of CP production occurs at the transcription level. The results of the promoter assays suggest that the expression and stimulation of cps genes by HCO3- or UFAs require the cpsA gene, which is located in the first position of the cps operon. With respect to the relationship between HCO3−and UFAs, HCO3- may stimulate UFA synthesis pathway at transcription level. Therefore, it is possible that UFAs are definitive signals for the CP production in S. anginosus.

Large volumes of rumen fluid are continuously discharged from slaughterhouses, which are typically transported to facilities for treatments of lignocellulosic biomass. Recovery of fibrolytic microorganisms from the rumen fluid enables to reduce the load for wastewater treatment and transportation of rumen fluid. However, there is no standardized method for recovering ruminal microorganisms. Here, we established a flocculation-based method with an optimized flocculant concentration required to recover ruminal microorganisms with fibrolytic activity. Rumen fluid was flocculated with poly-ferric sulfate at 0.4%, 0.7%, 1.0%, and 2.0% and with an inorganic neutral flocculant at 13.0%. Poly-ferric sulfate at 0.4%, 0.7%, and 1.0% effectively recovered ruminal microorganisms, which resulted in an 85.6%, 77.3%, and 75.6% reduction in rumen fluid volume, respectively. These recovered microorganisms retained the endoglucanase activity at 52 kDa and 53 kDa in size. In addition, recovery of ruminal microorganisms allowed for substantial reductions in the solids and organic compound concentrations of the filtrates after the flocculation. As a practical demonstration of this method, tomato leaves were treated with the flocculated rumen fluid at 37 °C for 48 h. Hydrolysis of the tomato leaves using the rumen fluid flocculated with 0.7% poly-ferric sulfate demonstrated elevated endoglucanase activity at 37 kDa, 46 kDa, 57 kDa, 61 kDa, and 66 kDa in size during treatment. Therefore, 0.7% poly-ferric sulfate is the optimal concentration for recovering ruminal microorganisms while maintaining their fibrolytic activity. This is the first study which suggest a novel method to efficiently recover ruminal microorganisms from huge amounts of rumen fluid offers a practical and sustainable solution to reduce the load for wastewater treatment at slaughterhouses and in the transportation of rumen fluid.

Increasing evidence indicates that molecular hydrogen-dissolved alkaline electrolyzed water (AEW) has various physiological activities such as antioxidative activity. Gut microbiota are deeply associated with our health through a symbiotic relationship. Recent reports have described that most gastrointestinal microbial species encode the genetic capacity to metabolize molecular hydrogen, meaning that molecular hydrogen might affect the gut microbial composition. Nevertheless, AEW effects on gut microbiota remain unknown. This study investigated AEW effects on the intestinal environment in mice, including microbial composition and short-chain fatty acid contents. After mice were administered AEW for 4 weeks, 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses revealed their fecal microbiota profiles. Organic acid concentrations in cecal contents were measured using an HPLC system. Compared to the control group, AEW administration mice had significantly lower serum low-density lipoprotein cholesterol level and alanine aminotransferase activity. Organic acid concentrations of propionic, isobutyric, and isovaleric acids were higher in AEW-administered mice. Results of 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses showed that the relative abundances of 20 taxa differed significantly in AEW-administered mice. Although the definitive role of gut microbes of AEW-administered mice remains unknown, our data demonstrate the possibility that AEW administration affects the gut microbial composition and that it has beneficial health effects in terms of cholesterol metabolism and liver protection.

Because paper sludge discharged from the waste paper recycling process contains high levels of lignin and ash, it is not hydrolyzed effectively during anaerobic digestion. In this study, we investigated the effects of pretreatment with rumen fluid on paper sludge and on the methane fermentation process. Paper sludge was pretreated with rumen fluid at 37 °C for 6 h. Following pretreatment, 4.5% of the total solids in paper sludge were degraded and converted, and the dissolved chemical oxygen demand and volatile fatty acid concentration increased. Batch methane fermentation was conducted at 37 °C for 20 days. During methane fermentation, the degradation and hydrolysis of paper sludge were enhanced by pretreatment with rumen fluid. The amounts of total methane production from pretreated paper sludge (excluding methane generated from rumen fluid), rumen fluid and untreated paper sludge were 650.4, 819.9 and 190.8 ml, respectively. The volume of methane gas produced from pretreated paper sludge was 3.4 times larger than that from untreated paper sludge. These results indicate that pretreatment with rumen fluid enhances methane production from paper sludge.

Gut microbiota are deeply associated with the prevalence of obesity. Agarose is hydrolyzed easily to yield oligosaccharides, designated as agaro-oligosaccharides (AGO). This study evaluated the effects of AGO on obese phenotype and gut microbial composition in mice. Mice were administered AGO in drinking water (AGO-receiving mice). 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses revealed their fecal microbiota profiles. Serum bile acids were ascertained using a LC-MS/MS system. Compared to the control group, AGO administration significantly reduced epididymal adipose tissue weights and serum non-esterified fatty acid concentrations, but the cecal content weights were increased. Data from the serum bile acid profile show that concentrations of primary bile acids (cholic acid and chenodeoxycholic acid), but not those of secondary bile acids (deoxycholic acid, lithocholic acid, and ursodeoxycholic acid), tended to increase in AGO-receiving mice. 16S rRNA gene sequencing analyses showed that the relative abundances of 15 taxa differed significantly in AGO-receiving mice. Of these, the relative abundances of Rikenellaceae and Lachnospiraceae were found to be positively correlated with epididymal adipose tissue weight. The relative abundances of Bacteroides and Ruminococcus were correlated negatively with epididymal adipose tissue weight. Although the definitive role of gut microbes of AGO-received mice is still unknown, our data demonstrate the possibility that AGO administration affects the gut microbial composition and inhibits obesity in mice.

The modern science system relies on intense evaluation of scientific publication, in which scientific impact is highly emphasized, but its contribution to the progress of science has been controversial. Focusing on two aspects of the science system, resource allocation and academic career design, this study explores whether these policies, presumably aiming at high-impact research, actually achieve the goal. Drawing on in-depth interviews and econometric analyses of Japanese biology professors, this study first shows that merit-based resource allocation can result in biased resource allocation, and that excessive resource concentration can facilitate low-impact publications. Second, results show that a lack of mobility, in particular inbreeding, increases low-impact publications, while international mobility decreases it. The latter effect is found to be mediated by fewer publications in low-impact journals, and thus, internationally mobile academics seem to decide the publication destination more strategically.

A university laboratory is a fundamental unit of scientific production, but optimizing its organizational design is a formidable task for lab heads, who play potentially conflicting roles of manager, educator, and researcher. Drawing on cross-sectional data from a questionnaire survey and bibliometric data on Japanese biology professors, this study investigates task allocation inside laboratories. Results show a general pattern that lab heads play managerial roles and members (e.g., students) are engaged in labor-intensive tasks (e.g., experiment), while revealing a substantial variation among laboratories. Further examining how this variation is related to lab-level scientific productivity, this study finds that productive task allocation differs by context. In particular, results suggest that significant task overlap across status hierarchies is more productive for basic research, and that rigidly separated task allocation is more productive in applied research. However, optimal task allocation, with regard to scientific productivity, might conflict with other goals of academic organizations, particularly training of future scientists. The paper concludes with a discussion of the policy implications of these findings.

The use of Japanese cedar charcoal as a support material for microbial attachment could enhance methane production during anaerobic digestion of crude glycerol and wastewater sludge. Methane yield from a charcoal-containing reactor was approximately 1.6 times higher than that from a reactor without charcoal, and methane production was stable over 50 days when the loading rate was 2.17 g chemical oxygen demand (COD) L(-1) d(-1). Examination of microbial communities on the charcoal revealed the presence of Uncultured Desulfovibrio sp. clone V29 and Pelobacter seleniigenes, known as 1,3-propandiol degraders. Hydrogenotrophic methanogens were also detected in the archaeal community on the charcoal. Methanosaeta, Methanoregula, and Methanocellus were present in the charcoal-containing reactor. The concentration of propionate in the charcoal-containing reactor was also lower than that in the control reactor. These results suggest that propionate degradation was enhanced by the consumption of hydrogen by hydrogenotrophic methanogens on the charcoal.

This report is the first to consider methane production energy balance from crude glycerol at a practical rather than a laboratory scale. Crude glycerol was added to the plant progressively at between 5 and 75 L glycerol/30 m(3)-day for 1.5 years, and the energy balance was positive at a loading rate of 30 L glycerol/30 m(3)-day (1 ml/L-day). At this loading rate over one year, an energy output equivalent to 106% of the energy input was achieved. The surplus energy was equivalent to transport for 1200 km, so the proper feedstock-transportation distance was within a 12.5-km radius of the biogas plant. In addition, the digested sludge contained fertilizer components (T-N: 0.11%, P2O5: 0.036%, K2O: 0.19%) that increased grass yield by 1.2 times when applied to grass fields. Thus, crude glycerol is an attractive bioresource that can be used as both a feedstock for methane production and a liquid fertilizer.

This study uses a sample of Japanese university scientists in life and materials sciences to examine how academic entrepreneurship has affected the norms and behaviors of academic scientists regarding sharing scientific resources. Results indicate that high levels of academic entrepreneurship in a scientific field are associated with less reliance on the gift-giving form of sharing (i.e., generalized exchange) traditionally recommended by scientific communities, and with a greater emphasis on direct benefits for givers (i.e., direct exchange), as well as a lower overall frequency of sharing. We observe these shifts in sharing behavior even among individual scientists who are not themselves entrepreneurially active; this suggests a general shift in scientific norms contingent on institutional contexts. These findings reflect contradictions inherent in current science policies that simultaneously encourage open science as well as commercial application of research results, and they suggest that the increasing emphasis on commercial activity may fundamentally change the normative structure of science.

Japanese cedar ( Cryptomeria japonica ) shares around 60% of plantation forests in Japan, and there is a growing demand for thinning of the forest. However, the softwood is one of the most recalcitrant wood species for hydrothermal and thermochemical pretreatments for enzymatic saccharification. In the present paper, we applied combined pretreatments by solvolysis and cultivation with white rot fungi to develop environmentally benign pretreatment system applicable to recalcitrant softwood. Due to the recalcitrance of the softwood, enzymatic saccharification yield from ethanolysis pulp was 10.2%, based on the weight of holocellulose. To increase the sugar yield, the softwood was treated with selective white rot fungi prior to the ethanolysis. Treatment of the softwood with a biopulping fungus, Ceriporiopsis subvermispora FP-90031 and a new fungal isolate Phellinus sp. SKM2102 for 8 weeks increased the sugar yield to 35.7 and 40.8%, respectively. The best pretreatment conditions in terms of overall sugar yield including a soluble fraction were obtained by ethanolysis after the fugal treatment with Phellinus sp. SKM2102, resulting in production of 42.2 g of total reducing sugars per 100 g of the fungus-pretreated biomass. After the combined pretreatment, simultaneous saccharification and fermentation of the water-insoluble pulp fraction were carried out using Saccharomyces cerevisiae . Ethanol production from undecayed Japanese cedar wood was negligible but pretreatments with the two fungi significantly increased the ethanol production, in combination with ethanolysis. The combined pretreatment with solvolysis and Phellinus sp. SKM2102 is attractive for biorefinery of the recalcitrant softwood.

This study examines the sharing of research tools among academic scientists in the life sciences and materials sciences in Japan. First, this study investigates material transfer, or the sharing of research tools, based on individual-level negotiation. Statistical analyses suggest that supplier-side scientists decide whether or not to fulfill requests for material transfer on the basis of: expected return from consumer-side scientists (e.g., co-authorship), previous collaborative relationships, and the likelihood of scientific competition. Although studies in the US have indicated that the trend of academic capitalism or commercialization deters material transfer, our results show limited negative impact in this regard. Second, this study examines the use of central repositories of research tools as a means to the wider dissemination of such tools. The results suggest that entrepreneurial scientists and scientists in public research organizations are more willing to provide their research tools through this publicly accessible system. Copyright , Beech Tree Publishing.

Radical, breakthrough innovations create not only great industrial possibilities, but also great social uncertainties. When a breakthrough medical technology is discovered, the question arises as to whether to accept the possible risks involved, or to defer implementing the innovation until more data is available, and, specifically, until others have taken up the innovation and demonstrated both its efficacy, its relative safety and market acceptance. Specifically, when a firm discovers a new candidate substance for a first in its class drug, how to evaluate the potential risks becomes a key predicament for management. This paper focuses on the role of a firm's social networks and national innovation system context in influencing the social epistemology around potential breakthrough innovations. Through an examination of the processes of drug development related to the same candidate substance in a Japanese firm and an American firm, we suggest that, in addition to organizational capabilities at the corporate level, social capital, specifically formed under a certain innovation system, plays a key role in leading to the successful introduction of breakthrough innovations.

This article aimed to identify the effect of university-industry collaborations on the innovative performance of firms operating in the advanced materials field, and it proposed an original classification of the research organization partners. The main contribution resides in the estimation of the role played by collaborations with differently experienced corporate researchers. In the advanced materials industry the most effective collaborations are driven by "core researchers," who have been involved in authoring scientific papers, in addition to applying sizeable patents. The results of the case study focusing on partner firms collaborating with "Pasteur scientists" such as Fujishima and Hashimoto of the University of Tokyo confirm the idea that core researchers have the quality to work as boundary spanners between science and technology, and that their becoming heavy-weighted project leaders pushed the firms' R&D towards commercialization.

難分解性の針葉樹にも対応できる低環境負荷酵素糖化前処理法の開発を目指し，スギ材に対して，リグニンを高選択的に分解する白色腐朽菌処理と，乳酸，酢酸などの有機酸とエタノール，グリセロール，プロピレングリコールなどの溶媒系の組み合わせからなるマイクロ波ソルボリシス複合処理を試みた。白色腐朽菌Phellinus sp. SKM2102は，エタノリシス後酵素糖化によって得られる還元糖の収率を最大で5倍以上増加させた。バイオマスからの生産が可能な安全性が高い有機酸，アルコールの組み合わせでは，エタノールと乳酸を組み合わせたソルボリシスが最も高い酵素糖化前処理効果を示した。

The objective of this research is to analyze the geographical distribution of the research and development (R&D) collaboration of Japanese multinational enterprises (MNEs) in China. We analyze location strategies of overseas R&D activities on a regional instead of a national level. We first discuss the linkage of foreign direct investment (FDI) and ensue knowledge spillovers from MNEs to a host country, and further analyze how the knowledge spillovers influence MNEs in making their decisions on location choices in China. Using conditional logit estimation from U.S. patent data, we find that Japanese MNEs are in proximity to the R&D-intensive locations and to the clustering of Japanese MNEs, but have a tendency to keep a distance from R&D-competitive locations that would be endangered by outward knowledge spillovers. In addition, small and medium MNEs are influenced more by location factors, such as R&D and FDI, than large MNEs. So are capital-intensive MNEs than non-capital-intensive MNEs.

This article aimed to identify the effect of university–industry (U–I) collaborations on the innovative performance of firms operating in the advanced materials field, and by doing so, it proposed an original classification of the research organization partners. The main contribution resides in the estimation of the role played by collaborations with differently experienced scientists. In contrast with previous studies, whose empirical setting was the life science industry, in the advanced materials industry the most effective collaborations are not with “Star scientists”, but with “Pasteur scientists”. The latter concept was empirically tested first by the authors of this article, to deepen the present understanding of industrial heterogeneity in innovation processes and to offer new insights for the formulation of corporate innovation strategies. The results of the estimation of a negative binomial regression model applied to a sample of 455 firms active in the photocatalysis in Japan confirm the idea that engaging in research collaborations, measured as co-invention, with “Pasteur scientists” increases firms’ R&D productivity, measured as number of registered patents. In contrast, we found that firms’ collaborations with “Star scientists” exert little impact on their innovative output.

In this paper, we propose a multi lead users model for the transfer of technology into households through an empirical analysis of the development and diffusion of induction heating (IH) cookery. Even if big firms successfully develop a technology such as IH, a new cooking paradigm based upon a special cooking device or special recipes is necessary when introducing a new technology to households. We postulate that two types of lead users play crucial roles in the task: reasoning-based lead users with technological expertise contribute to the development of functionality; sensitivity- based lead users having little expertise contribute to diffusion by making product socially trendy and authentically attractive. When introducing advanced technologies such as robots that have not been successfully diffused into households, forming flexible networks between the multi lead users and other stakeholders becomes highly indispensable.

Using Stokes's (1997) "quadrant model of scientific research", this paper deals with how the entrepreneurial orientation of scientists affects their scientific performance by considering its impact on scientific production (number of publications), scientific prestige (number of forward citations), and breadth of research activities (interdisciplinarity). The results of a quantitative analysis applied to a sample of 1,957 scientific papers published by 66 scientists active in advanced materials research in Japan found that (i) entrepreneurial scientists publish more papers than traditional scientists do, (ii) the papers published by Bohr scientists (traditional scientists with a stronger intention to fundamentality) demonstrate better citation performance than those published by Pasteur scientists (entrepreneurial scientists with a stronger intention to fundamentality) do, on average; (iii) if the focus is confined to high-impact papers, their prestige (i.e., forward citation counts) is favored by the authorship of Pasteur scientists; and (iv) the portfolio interdisciplinarity of papers authored by Pasteur scientists is higher (more diverse) than that of Bohr scientists.

Since the mid‐1990s, Japan has instituted a series of policy reforms in order to encourage greater university participation in commercial activity. Using data from a survey of scientists in engineering and biomedical fields in Japanese universities, we find that there has been a significant increase in commercial activity during this period, in particular, links to small‐ and medium‐sized enterprises. We also find that scientists are increasingly considering business potential when choosing projects. However, we find little evidence of the increasing commercialization leading to barriers to access to research tools. We also find that, despite the growing importance of formalized university–industry ties, university–industry linkages continue to be dominated by informal ties and gift‐exchange.

The thermal stability of mixed-solvent electrolytes used in lithium cells was investigated by differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) through the use of airtight containers. The electrolytes used were propylene carbonate (PC) and ethylene carbonate (EC)+PC, in which was dissolved 1 M LiPF 6 , 1 M LiBF 4 , 1 M LiClO 4 , 1 M LiSO 3 CF 3 , 1 M LiN(SO 2 CF 3 ) 2 , or 1.23 M LiN(SO 2 CF 3 )(SO 2 C 4 F 9 ). The influence of lithium metal or the Li 0.5 CoO 2 addition on the thermal behavior of these electrolytes was also investigated. The peak temperature of PC-based electrolytes increased following the order of LiPF 6 4 4 2 CF 3 ) 2 3 CF 3 2 CF 3 )(SO 2 C 4 F 9 ). The order of peak temperature of EC–PC-based electrolytes shows a similar tendency to that of EC–PC-based electrolytes, with the exception of the LiN(SO 2 CF 3 ) 2 electrolyte. The EC–PC-based electrolytes with Li metal show a more stable profile compared with the DSC curves of the PC-based electrolytes with the Li metal. The solid electrolyte interphase (SEI) covers the surface of the Li metal and prevents further reduction of the electrolytes. EC may form a better SEI compared with PC. The PC-based electrolytes of LiSO 3 CF 3 , LiN(SO 2 CF 3 ) 2 and LiN(SO 2 CF 3 )(SO 2 C 4 F 9 ) with the coexistence of Li 0.49 CoO 2 show a broad peak at around 200 °C, which may be caused by the reaction of the Li 0.49 CoO 2 surface and electrolytes. The PC-based electrolytes of LiPF 6 , LiClO 4 and LiBF 4 with Li 0.49 CoO 2 show exothermic peaks at higher temperatures than 230 °C. The peak temperatures of the EC–PC-based electrolytes with the coexistence of Li 0.49 CoO 2 are nearly the same temperature as the EC–PC-based electrolytes.

It is well known that charged LixCoO2 (x

This paper addresses the issue of developing innovative software with a case study of the emerging prototyping methods used in an innovative game in the Japanese game software industry. Software has traditionally been seen as an efficiency-driven process. But in innovative software, there are other important issues, such as the need to allow for radical redesign in development cycles, and the need to resolve tensions between creative and controlling processes. The paper addresses the broader design issue by documenting the emerging prototyping practices in design-driven and originality-oriented product development. We term this an "outward spiral" software development model, in which the completion of an initial prototyping cycle may lead to significant revisions in design and code, and the possible scrapping of large chunks of code. This model is compared with the development processes used for other types of software and in creative industries like the music industry.

Environmentally conscious design support systems need to help multiple designers to clarify variety and complicated requirements over the product life cycle in early design stages. To build such an environmentally conscious design support framework, requirement-centered design information structure and requirement clarification process which is called the ReqC (RequirementCentered) model was proposed in the preliminary report. In this paper, the GLC (Green Life-Cycle) model based on the ReqC model has been developed for supporting multiple designers to understand their design discussion in which product requirements are considered over the product life cycle. The Green Browser system is implemented in Java and CORBA based on these models. The system has been applied to an actual design session during environmentally conscious design. An Interview to designers proved the system to be useful for them.