The relative importance of benthic and pelagic primary production for demersal fish and some invertebrates in the western Seto Inland Sea of Japan was examined using carbon and nitrogen stable isotope analyses. A few fishes, such as juvenile black rockfish Sebastes inermis and large Japanese anchovies Engraulis japonicus, had isotopic carbon signatures similar to pelagic particulate organic matter (Ϫ20.1 Ϯ 1.7‰), which indicates that their food was derived from production in the water column. However, 92% of the 401 demersal fish that were analyzed had ␦ 13 C signatures (Ϫ17.0 to Ϫ13.0‰) similar to those of benthic crustaceans, epilithic microphytobenthos, and macroalgae and unlike the signature of pelagic particulate organic matter or zooplankton. These results suggest that in the Seto Inland Sea there is not a tight coupling between pelagic primary production and the food web of demersal fishes, but rather that these fishes are dependent on carbon from benthic primary production.

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Laboratory experiments and field measurements were conducted to examine the effect of tide on the organic carbon mineralization rate in sediments under aerobic conditions of an intertidal estuary. Core samples of surface sediments were collected from an intertidal estuary of the Kurose River, Hiroshima, Japan. To mimic low and high tide in the intertidal estuary, organic carbon mineralization rates in the samples were measured in the laboratory under both air-exposed and submerged conditions. Mineralization rates under air-exposed conditions were two to five times higher than those under submerged conditions. Field measurements of the rate of CO 2 emission from the sediment surface revealed a rapid increase in the rate as the sea level fell during ebb tide. The estimated amount of daily organic carbon mineralization assuming a constantly submerged condition was 30% less than that estimated when considering the semi-diurnal fluctuation in sea level. These results indicate that tide has a marked impact on the organic carbon mineralization rate in sediments under aerobic conditions on an intertidal estuary, and tidal effects need to be considered when the amount of mineralized organic carbon is estimated.

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The clinical, electrographic and reported neuropsychological features of 50 children with non-convulsive status epilepticus (NCSE) were reviewed and the children's progress followed for one to five years. NCSE occurred in a variety of epilepsies, especially the Lennox-Gastaut syndrome. Clinical manifestations ranged from obvious mental deterioration to subtle changes. The condition had often been overlooked or misinterpreted and many children had experienced repeated episodes over long periods. Following diagnosis, immediate treatment was often not attempted or was not successful. Further episodes of NCSE occurred in the majority of children during the follow up period. Failure to recognise NCSE and to treat episodes promptly, and the high rate of recurrence, is of particular concern in view of fears that repeated exposure to this condition might be brain damaging. At least 28 children in the present series showed evidence of intellectual or educational deterioration over the period during which NCSE had occurred, although the exact cause was difficult to determine.

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