A wind-forced weakly nonlinear weakly dispersive evolution model is derived for a continuously stratified circular lake of slowly varying depth under the effect of the Earth's rotation. The model was numerically integrated to investigate the evolution of long internal waves of vertical mode one for various sets of environmental parameters. It is demonstrated that the Kelvin wave steepens as it propagates, and the steepened front subsequently generates a train of oscillatory waves. It is demonstrated that Poincaré waves do not steepen, but their amplitude is modulated in an oscillatory manner with time, exhibiting a pseudo recurrence character. The model was applied to the wind forced problem, confirming that Kelvin and Poincaré waves are the dominant response. Energy partition among Kelvin and Poincaré wave modes is estimated as a function of wind-forcing parameters. For large lakes, the most significant wave amplitude is found in the Kelvin wave mode, but the gross field energy is most significantly contained in Poincaré wave modes.

The generation and energy downscaling of wind-forced long internal waves in strongly stratified small-to-medium sized narrow lakes are studied. A two-layer nonlinear model with forcing and damping is employed. Even though the wave field is fundamentally bidirectional in nature, a domain folding technique is employed to simulate the leading-order internal wave field in terms of a weakly nonlinear weakly dispersive model equation of Korteweg–deVries type. Parametric effects of wind-forcing and environmental conditions, including variable topography and variable basin width, are examined. Energy downscaling from basin-scale waves to shorter scales are quantified by means of a time evolution of the wave energy spectra. It is demonstrated that an internal wave resonance is possible when repetitive wind-forcing events arise with a frequency near the linear seiche frequency. An attempt is made to apply the model to describe the shoaling of long waves on sloping endwall boundaries. Modelling of the energy loss and energy reflection during a shoaling event is calibrated against laboratory experiments.

Soil samples from an 85-cm-long continuous section (PY608ES) were collected from an island in Lake Pumoyum Co (southeastern Tibetan Plateau, ∼5020 m asl) in August 2006. To estimate past environmental conditions of Lake Pumoyum Co during the Holocene, we analyzed radiocarbon ages, stable carbon isotope compositions, and total organic carbon/total nitrogen (TOC/TN) atomic ratios of the soil samples. The 14C measurements were performed with the Tandetron accelerator mass spectrometry system at the Center for Chronological Research, Nagoya University. The 14C concentration in the surface layer (101 pMC; 5–10 cm soil depth) was nearly modern. A 14C chronology of the sequence indicated that continuous soil development began on the island in Lake Pumoyum Co at ∼5800 cal BP (at 63 cm soil depth, the top of a gravel layer). These results may reflect a decrease in the lake level in the middle Holocene. The age of the obvious lithologic boundary (∼5800 cal BP) corresponds to the end of Holocene climate optimum.

Mastitis is the most frequent and prevalent production disease in dairy herds in developed countries. Based on a milk somatic cell count (SCC) of either >300 000 or <200 000 cells/ml in this study, we defined the quarter as either inflamed or uninflamed, respectively. The electrical conductivity (EC) of milk was used as an indicator of udder epithelial cell damage. We determined the amount of H2O2 produced by utilizing a small molecular weight compound in milk, and examined the characteristics of H2O2 production and EC in milk from inflamed and uninflamed quarters. In cows with milk of delivery grade (control population), H2O2 production and EC were 3·6±1·3 nmol/ml and 5·4±0·4 mS/cm (mean±sd), respectively. In 37 inflamed quarter milk samples, the production of H2O2 was 1·9±1·0 nmol/ml and was significantly smaller than that in the control population (P<0·01). Production of H2O2 was moderately but significantly correlated with EC (r<−0·71). In 20 cows with inflamed quarters, the production of H2O2 in milk from inflamed quarters was significantly smaller than that in milk from uninflamed quarters (P<0·01). In 18 out of 20 cows, milk from inflamed quarters showed the smallest H2O2 production among all tested quarters in each cow. We conclude that inflammation caused a decrease in H2O2 production in milk. In this study, we present parameters for evaluating the lactoperoxidase/H2O2/thiocyanate antibacterial defence system in bovine milk.

Using an ultrafiltration membrane (molecular cut-off, 3000), low molecular weight compounds in bovine milk were collected (YM-3 filtrate). A hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-like substance was generated in the YM-3 filtrate. This substance was undetected at 0 h, but increased in a time-dependent manner, peaking after 2 h of incubation at 38°C. After incubating the YM-3 filtrate with catalase and lactoperoxidase, the signal showing the presence of this substance disappeared. The substance was quantified using one chemiluminescence and three colorimetric H2O2 detection systems. In all systems, their estimates were within the same range. The amount of substance, as estimated by the chemiluminescence H2O2 detection system, was correlated with that estimated by the other three colorimetric systems (r=0·98, 0·95 and 0·87). The substance was eluted at the same position as H2O2 by gel filtration on Superdex 30. Thus, the substance had the same characteristics as H2O2. An H2O2-generating substance in either the YM-3 filtrate or whey had a molecular mass of about 600. In this study, we clarify that bovine milk is capable of generating H2O2 by utilizing a low molecular weight compound. Thus, we present a new type of H2O2-supplying system in bovine milk.

The current epidemic of diabetes likely reflects marked changes in environmental factors, although genetic susceptibility plays a powerful role in the occurrence of diabetes in certain populations. We investigated whether long-term sucrose-drinking causes hyperglycaemia in male Wistar-Imamichi littermates (n 32), which are not genetically susceptible to diabetes or obesity. Each litter was divided equivalently into two groups, the sucrose group and the control group. The sucrose group received 300 g/l sucrose water and the control group received regular water until 42 weeks of age. Rats were weighed every 1 or 2 weeks. Oral glucose tolerance tests were performed at 28 and 36 weeks of age. Plasma glucose and insulin concentrations were measured. Body weights were significantly greater in the sucrose group than in the control group in 18-week-old rats (P<0·05), and the difference between the two groups reached 163 g by the end of the study (P<0·01). The 120 min post-load plasma glucose concentration in the sucrose group was 11·4 (sd 2·8) mmol/l in 28-week-old rats and 12·7 (sd 2·2) mmol/l in 36-week-old rats, while that of the control group remained approximately 7·3–7·7 mmol/l. In the sucrose group, the plasma insulin peak occurred 30 min post-load at 28 weeks of age; but the peak disappeared and hyperinsulinaemia was prolonged at 36 weeks of age. In conclusion, long-term sucrose-drinking causes increased body weight and glucose intolerance in normal male rats.