Chapters 2 and 3 are the peer reviewed version of the following articles, respectively: Anzai H, Wang L, Oishi K, Irbis C, Li K, Kumagai H, Inamura T, Hirooka H. 2015. Estimation of nitrogen and phosphorus flows in livestock production in Dianchi Lake basin, China. Animal Science Journal. Amachika Y, Anzai H, Wang L, Oishi K, Irbis C, Li K, Kumagai H, Inamura T, Hirooka, H. 2015. Estimation of potassium and magnesium flows in animal production in Dianchi Lake basin, China. Animal Science Journal. , which have been published in final forms at http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/asj.12390 and http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/asj.12518, respectively These articles may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Self-Archiving.Chapter 4 is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Anzai H, Oishi K, Li K, Irbis C, Hirooka H, Inamura T, Kumagai H. 2011. Dietary nitrate loads on cows in dairy farms near Lake Dian, Kunming city, Yunnan Province, China. Trace Nutrient Research 28, 54-57., which has been published in final form at http://www.jtnrs.com/sym28/P-07.pdf. / 京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・課程博士 / 博士(農学) / 甲第19768号 / 農博第2164号 / 新制||農||1040(附属図書館) / 学位論文||H28||N4984(農学部図書室) / 32804 / 京都大学大学院農学研究科応用生物科学専攻 / (主査)教授 廣岡 博之, 教授 松井 徹, 教授 稲村 達也 / 学位規則第4条第1項該当 / Doctor of Agricultural Science / Kyoto University / DFAM

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Abiotic stresses cause extensive losses to agriculture production worldwide. Cotton (Gossypium hirsutum L.) is an important fiber crop grown widely in subtropical region where temperature, water and nutrients are the common factors limiting crop production. Such losses could be more severe in the future climate as intensity and frequency of those stresses are projected to increase. The overall goal of this study was to evaluate effects of abiotic stresses on cotton reproductive performance and develop functional algorithms for fiber properties in response to different stress factors. Three experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects of temperature, water, and nitrogen in naturally-lit growth chambers. Influence of potassium nutrition was conducted in outdoor pot culture facility. In all experiments, upland cotton cultivar TM-1, a genetic standard, was used by imposing treatments at flowering. In all experiments, growth and photosynthesis measurements were recorded frequently during the treatment period. Biomass of various plant- and boll-components determined at harvest when 80% bolls were opened. Boll developmental period was tracked by daily tagging of flowers and open bolls. Bolls were grouped on the basis of onset of anthesis and lint samples were pooled together for fiber analysis. Fiber quality was assessed using High Volume Instrumentation and Advanced Fiber Information System. Total plant biomass, boll weights, and numbers significantly declined for plants grown under low and high temperature, severe water stress and nitrogen and potassium deficient conditions compared to optimum conditions for the respective stresses. Gas exchange processes were severely affected by moisture, nitrogen, and potassium deficient conditions. Time required from flower to open boll was mostly affected by growing temperature but not modified by other stresses. Fiber micronaire was most the responsive to changes in temperature, followed by strength, length and uniformity. Water limiting conditions and nitrogen defficiency severely affected strength and micronaire, whereas potassium deficiency had significant effect on fiber micronaire. This study was used to develop functional algorithms between abiotic stresses and fiber properties, once integrated into the crop simulation model. The improved crop model will be useful assist producers in optimizing planting dates, scheduling irrigation and fertigation to improve and fiber quality.

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This study attempted to form some conception, through the analysis of a representative group of plants in the vicinity of Denton, of the amount of the three essential elements in the leaves as compared with the amount in the woody portions. The comparison of leaf with stem as to the quantity of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is explained.

Soil analysis for small acreage farms in developing countries is often inconvenient and prohibitively expensive using current procedures, yet the information gained from these soil tests could have economical and environmental benefits. The pressurized hot-water (PHW) extraction coupled with colorimetric or turbidimetric analyses shows promise as an alternative to current procedures. Accepted methods of colorimetric analysis for NO3-N and P exist but an alternative method to atomic absorption spectrometry for K analysis is needed. Of the many possible methods to quantify K, tests performed in the Brigham Young University (BYU) laboratory found sodium tetraphenylborate to be unsatisfactory and sodium cobaltinitrite to be simple, inexpensive and consistent. Test results on 38 arid-zone soils from the Western United States encourage adoption of sodium cobaltinitrite as an acceptable procedure for K quantification in conjunction with PHW extraction [r2 of 0.90 compared to atomic absorption (AA) analysis and r2 of 0.67 compared to values extracted with ammonium acetate and measured with AA]. Two hundred twenty-eight soils varying widely in soil parameters from different areas of Guatemala and Morocco were analyzed for NO3-N, P and K using standard methods (water-CTA, Olsen-molybdic acid and ammonium acetate-atomic absorption, respectively) and correlated to values obtained from the PHW extraction coupled with colorimetric or turbidimetric analytical procedures at BYU. The correlations between the values for these tests were good (r2 of 0.96, 0.71 and 0.52 for NO3-N, P, and K; respectively). Soils from each country were simultaneously analyzed for NO3-N and P in laboratories in Guatemala and Morocco and these results correlated with those from BYU. Correlations between BYU values and those from other laboratories gave generally positive results with the Guatemala laboratory showing overall closer correlation with BYU values than data from the Morocco laboratory. The results suggest that the PHW extraction and accompanying simplified analyses present a viable, less expensive alternative to current soil nutrient extraction and analysis procedures for the range of soils tested from Morocco and Guatemala.

A research project assessing the effectiveness of potassium permanganate (KMnO4) for the treatment of iron (Fe) and manganese (Mn) has been conducted by the University of Central Florida (UCF) on behalf of the United States Navy with regards to the water supply on the island of Guam, located in the Marianas Islands. The study consisted of three basic investigative components: one that examined the use of potassium permanganate for iron and manganese control for Fena Lake, a second that examined the existing unit operations that comprised the Navy's water treatment plant (NWTP), and a third that examined iron and manganese field sampling analytical procedures. In the first and primary component of the research, surface water from Fena Lake located within the Naval Magazine in proximity of Santa Rita, Guam was collected at several different lake depths and initially analyzed for iron and manganese using inductively coupled plasma. Subsequent aliquots of Fena Lake collected at the various water depths were transferred to jars then dosed with varying amounts of potassium permanganate after which iron and manganese content was determined. The jars were covered to simulate actual lake to plant transfer conditions experienced at the Navy's on-island facilities. A portion of the jars was dosed with potassium permanganate prior to metals analysis in order to allow for comparisons of baseline conditions. To represent conventional treatment processes, the water samples were then coagulated with aluminum sulfate prior to filtration to remove the oxidized manganese and iron formed from the addition of the potassium permanganate. Coagulated aliquots were filtered and collected to evaluate residual dissolved iron and manganese content. Based on the results of the jar tests it was determined that manganese was reduced by 95% or greater and that iron was completely removed to below the analytical detection limit (0.001 mg/L). It was determined that the potassium permanganate dose required for oxidation of iron was 0.94 mg/mg iron and for manganese was 1.92 mg/mg manganese. It was also observed that when the jars containing aliquots that turned brown in color after potassium permanganate dosing meant that iron and manganese were present and were being oxidized; however, water samples that turned pink were found to be over-dosed with potassium permanganate. The pink water is an undesired characteristic and could result in customer complaints when distributed to the system. The second component of research focused on NWTP existing conditions. Water samples were collected after each key unit operation within the NWTP and analyzed for iron and manganese. This was to determine if pre-chlorination at Fena Lake was effective at removing iron and manganese that could be present in the source water. Analysis was conducted where pre-chlorination at Fena Lake was practiced as well as when no pretreatment was practiced prior to the NWTP. It was determined that the iron and manganese were not detected downstream of the coagulation unit operation within the NWTP even when pre-chlorination was not practiced. Consequently pre-chlorination of Fena Lake source water was not required for controlling iron and manganese under the conditions experienced in this study. A third study was also implemented to confirm that 0.1-micron filters are appropriate for use in preparing samples for analytical determination of iron and manganese analysis at various points within the NWTP. The filtration step is important to delineate between dissolved and suspended iron and manganese forms. Standard Methods 3120B recommends the use of 0.45-micron filters, although based on literature it has been shown that oxidized manganese particles may be smaller than a 0.45-micron pore size. Unless a coagulant was used, the oxidized manganese may not be fully removed via the 0.45-micron filter. To verify the effectiveness of using a 0.1-micron filter, a jar test was conducted to compare the use of a 0.1-micron filter, a 0.45-micron filter, and a 0.45-micron filter after the sample has been coagulated. It was found that the use of a 0.1-micron filter was superior to the use of 0.45-micron filters even with coagulant addition when directly comparing between dissolved and suspended iron and manganese forms. It is recommended that 0.1-microns be utilized in lieu of historically recommended 0.45-micron filters for sample preparation procedures.

<p> Voltage-gated potassium, sodium, and calcium channels play fundamental roles in cell physiology. They are targets for numerous drugs that are used to treat pain, cardiovascular, autoimmune, and other disorders. Atomic-resolution structures of ion channels and their complexes with ligands are necessary to understand the mechanisms of drug action of ligands. Electrophysiological and crystallographic studies have advanced our understanding of ion channels, but the binding sites, access pathways, and the mechanism of state-dependent action of medically important drugs remain unclear. During my graduate studies, I investigated the structure-function relationships of voltage-gated ion channels and their complexes with drugs by using energy calculations with experimental constraints. My work has helped resolve controversial interpretations of experiments addressing structural similarity between prokaryotic and eukaryotic K+ channels. Our model of the open Shaker K+ channel was confirmed by the later published X-ray structure of Kv1.2. Our Cav2.1 model reinterprets substituted-cysteine accessibility experiments, validates the proposed alignment between K+ and Ca2+ channels, and suggests a similar folding of voltage-gated K+ and Ca2+ channels. These results allowed me to model eukaryotic K+ and Na+ channels in the resting and open/slow-inactivated states, and to predict the binding sites of local anaesthetics, correolide, and chromanol 293B. In these studies, we proposed the involvement of metal ions in the binding of nucleophilic drugs and suggested that the deficiency of permeating ion(s) in the outer pore of the slow-inactivated channels stabilizes the ligands. Simultaneous studies of K+, Na+, and Ca2+ channels were advantageous because the information acquired from one family of ion channels was relevant to other families. My studies contributed to the growing knowledge about ion channels by offering structural information and suggesting mechanisms for the action of drugs. </p> / Thesis / Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)