Abstract: Provided are a transporter gene involved in the promotion or inhibition of Cd absorption by roots, a mutant gene thereof and a transporter protein thereof, as well as a rice plant in which Cd absorption is inhibited and a method for selecting and raising a Cd absorption-inhibiting rice plant, which are a gene encoding a transporter protein involved in the regulation of cadmium absorption, which contains the DNA nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:2, a gene encoding a transporter protein involved in the regulation of cadmium absorption, which contains the DNA nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:3, a gene encoding a transporter protein involved in the regulation of cadmium absorption, which contains the DNA nucleotide sequence shown in SEQ ID NO:4, and a transporter protein involved in the regulation of cadmium absorption, which contains the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:1.

Abstract: The present invention provides a stable complex microbial system, which simultaneously decomposes a plurality of organic contaminants even under a polluted environment with these contaminants and permits more effective decomposition of persistent organic contaminants such as PCNB and simazine. A support for holding a complexed accumulation of degrading bacteria, which contains a porous material provided as a support on which a degrading bacterium A capable of degrading at least one organic contaminant and a degrading bacterium B capable of degrading another organic contaminant are accumulated, is produced. The degrading bacterium A may be a PCNB-degrading bacterium, particularly a degrading bacterium containing a degrading bacterium having part or all of mycological characteristics of Nocardioides sp. PD653 and the degrading bacterium B may be a degrading bacterium containing a degrading bacterium having part or all of mycological characteristics of ?-Proteobacteria CDB21.

Abstract: A hazardous substance adsorbing tablet prepared by direct compression of a dry powder mixture which includes a porous particulate adsorbent having an average particle diameter of 100 ?m or less and containing 200 mesh pass particles in an amount of more than 80% by weight, and a particulate binder having an apparent specific gravity of at least 1.

Abstract: The present invention provides a stable complex microbial system, which simultaneously decomposes a plurality of organic contaminants even under a polluted environment with these contaminants and permits more effective decomposition of persistent organic contaminants such as PCNB and simazine. A support for holding a complexed enrichment of degrading bacteria, which contains a porous material provided as a support on which degrading bacteria A capable of degrading at least one organic contaminant and degrading bacteria B capable of degrading another organic contaminant are enriched, is produced. The degrading bacteria A may be a PCNB-degrading bacteria, particularly degrading bacteria containing degrading bacteria having part or all of the bacteriological characteristics of Nocardioides sp. PD653 and the degrading bacteria B may be degrading bacteria containing degrading bacteria having part or all of the bacteriological characteristics of ?-Proteobacteria CDB21.

Abstract: A method and apparatus for interactively generating data indicative of a three-dimensional free-form surface and visually displaying the surface comprising setting three-dimensional positional data representing sample points on the three-dimensional free-form surface to be generated and at least one auxiliary weight function. Then, calculating virtual data Yjm using the three-dimensional positional data and auxiliary weight function K2m. Next, calculating at least one main weight function K1j using the auxiliary weight function and virtual data so that the main weight function K1j is equal to a value other than zero at one sample point and is equal to zero at the remaining sample points. Then, calculating interpolation, values of the free-form surface using the main weight function K1j and virtual data to obtain data indicative of a modified three-dimensional free form surface.

Abstract: The object of the present invention is to restore soil and prevent contamination of ground water by decomposing an organic compound with decomposing microorganisms in soil contaminated with an agricultural chemical or other organic compound.

Abstract: It is an object of the invention to improve a conventional soil percolation technique to thereby provide a method of enriching and isolating decomposing bacteria decomposing an organochlorine agricultural chemical PCNB which is difficult to decompose, in a short time period, and to provide decomposing bacteria for efficiently processing PCNB. To practice the method, an enrichment soil layer 2 is formed by mixing a soil containing an organochlorine agricultural chemical PCNB with a fragmented porous material having an infinite number of micropores and at the same time a greater adsorptivity for adsorbing PCNB than the soil, and an inorganic salt medium 3 containing a carbon and nitrogen source, the carbon and nitrogen source being formed by only PCNB, is circulated through the enrichment soil layer 2, thereby enriching the aerobic bacteria Burkholderia cepacia in the fragmented porous material.

Abstract: A porous material having a greater adsorptivity for adsorbing organic contaminants, such as agricultural chemicals, than a target soil, is fragmented. The fragmented porous material is mixed into a soil which the decomposing bacteria inhabit, thereby forming an enrichment soil layer. Through the enrichment soil layer, there is circulated an inorganic salt medium containing carbon and nitrogen sources formed by only an organic contaminant to be decomposed, thereby rapidly enriching the decomposing bacteria in the fragmented porous material. The fragmented porous material is inoculated into new fragmented porous material to form an enrichment layer consisting of the fragmented porous material only.