The International Committee on Taxonomy of Viruses (ICTV) recently accepted Endornavirus as a new genus of plant dsRNA virus. We have determined the partial nucleotide sequences of the RNA-dependent RNA polymerase regions from the large dsRNAs (about 14 kbp) isolated from barley (Hordeum vulgare), kidney bean (Phaseolus vulgaris), melon (Cucumis melo), bottle gourd (Lagenaria siceraria), Malabar spinach (Basella alba), seagrass (Zostera marina), and the fungus Helicobasidium mompa. Phylogenetic analyses of these seven dsRNAs indicate that these dsRNAs are new members of the genus Endornavirus that are widely distributed over the plant and fungal kingdoms.

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The cathodic electrolysis of propylene carbonate containing lithium perchlorate was studied by means of an in-situ quartz crystal microbalance technique. A lithium compound was deposited at about +1.5 V vs. Li/Li+ and dissolved at about +4.0 V vs. Li/Li+. In constant potential electrolysis at +0.9 V vs. Li/Li+, the deposition process was divided into two stages. In the first stage, in which lithium carbonate was most probably deposited, an electrode reaction of ferrocene which was added to the solution was gradually retarded. In the second stage, in which some chemical reaction proceeded dominantly, the electrode reaction of ferrocene was almost completely blocked. A cathodic charge of +3.0 mC cm−2 was necessary for almost complete blocking.

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Electrochemical deposition of silver from a 1 mM AgNO3 aqueous acidic solution at 20 μA cm−2 was monitored by means of in-situ quartz crystal impedance (QCI) technique, in-situ quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) technique, ex-situ QCI technique and atomic absorption spectroscopy. However, the mass evaluated from the data obtained in the in-situ QCI and QCM measurements on the basis of Sauerbrey equation deviated from intrinsic mass of the deposited silver because of a low deposition efficiency, liquid viscously or rigidly coupled with the resonator and/or stress generated in the deposited layer. Thus one must pay attention to these factors when one calibrates a quartz crystal microbalance on the basis of electrochemical deposition of a metal. In-situ QCI method utilizing a network analyzer is shown to be a powerful technique for simultaneous and qualitative monitoring of mass and surface structure changes. For the quantitative mass measurements, the mass sensitivity must be calibrated using another direct method such as atomic absorption spectroscopy.