Using surface and deep seawater collected in the sea area of Muroto Cape (Kochi, Japan), desalinated drinking samples of about 1200 hardness were prepared and examined for the effects on the prevention of atherosclerosis in dietary induced hyperlipidemia rabbits. The plasma LDL cholesterol level was lower in the deep seawater group than in the surface seawater group. GPx activity was significan...

Inductively Coupled Plasma Atomic Emission Spectrometry (ICP) was adopted for direct analysis of silicate in seawater, eliminating necessity for pre-treatment. Via this method, the determination of silicate is rapid and easy compared with conventional methods of colorimetry. In seawater analysis, a decrease of sensitivity of about 24% was observed due to interference by coexisting elements, mai...

A novel automated off-line preconcentration system for trace metals (Al, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Zn, Cd, and Pb) in seawater was developed by improving a commercially available solid-phase extraction system SPE-100 (Hiranuma Sangyo). The utilized chelating resin was NOBIAS Chelate-PA1 (Hitachi High-Technologies) with ethylenediaminetriacetic acid and iminodiacetic acid functional groups. Parts of t...

The alewife (Alosa pseudoharengus) is a clupeid that undergoes larval and juvenile development in freshwater preceding marine habitation. The purpose of this study was to investigate osmoregulatory mechanisms in alewives that permit homeostasis in different salinities. To this end, we measured physiological, branchial biochemical and cellular responses in juvenile alewives acclimated to freshwa...

Resolution of the nitrogen (N) cycle in the marine environment requires an accurate assessment of dinitrogen (N(2)) fixation. We present here an update on progress in conducting field measurements of acetylene reduction (AR) and (15)N(2) tracer assimilation in the oligotrophic North Pacific Subtropical Gyre (NPSG). The AR assay was conducted on discrete seawater samples using a headspace analys...

A multiplex surface plasmon resonance (SPR) biosensor method for the detection of paralytic shellfish poisoning (PSP) toxins, okadaic acid (and analogues) and domoic acid was developed. This method was compared to enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) methods. Seawater samples (n=256) from around Europe were collected by the consortia of an EU project MIcroarrays for the Detection of Toxic ...

[1] The rare earth elements (REEs) with their systematically varying properties are powerful tracers of continental inputs, particle scavenging intensity and the oxidation state of seawater. However, their generally low ( pmol/kg) concentrations in seawater and fractionation potential during chemical treatment makes them difficult to measure. Here we report a technique using an automated precon...

To survive the juvenile stage, giant clam juveniles need to establish a symbiotic relationship with the microalgae Symbiodinium occurring in the environment. The percentage of giant clam juveniles succeeding in symbiosis establishment ("symbiosis rate") is often low, which is problematic for seed producers. We investigated how and why symbiosis rates vary, depending on whether giant clam seeds ...

the objective of this study was to compare growth performance and feed conversion ratios of rainbow trout (oncorhynchus mykiss) and brook trout (salvelinus fontinalis) juveniles in monoculture and duo-culture in freshwater and seawater under aquarium conditions. the fish were about 2-months old hatchery-reared brook and rainbow trout with initial weights of 0.934±0.033 (n=360) and 1.014±0.019 (...

Actinobacteria is a ubiquitous major group in coral holobiont. The diversity and spatial and temporal distribution of actinobacteria have been rarely documented. In this study, diversity of actinobacteria associated with mucus, tissue and skeleton of Porites lutea and in the surrounding seawater were examined every 3 months for 1 year on Luhuitou fringing reef. The population structures of the ...