■　REVIEW

Beneficial Biofilm Formation by Industrial Bacteria Bacillus subtilis and Related Species.
Masaaki Morikawa　

Molecular Cloning and Characterization of Gene Encoding Novel Puromycin-Inactivating Enzyme from Blasticidin S-Producing Streptomyces morookaensis.
Motohiro Nishimura, Kayo Ikeda, and Masanori Sugiyama　

ENZYMOLOGY, PROTEIN ENGINEERING, AND ENZYME TECHNOLOGY

Novel Cholesterol Esterase Secreted by Streptomyces Persists during Aqueous Long-Term Storage.
Hongyu Xiang, Naoki Takaya, and Takayuki Hoshino.

Production of Catalase by Fungi Growing at Low pH and High Temperature.
Kimiyasu Isobe, Nobuaki Inoue, Yuuki Takamatsu, Kiyohiro Kamada, and Norio Wakao

Solution-Stirring Method Improves Crystal Quality of Human Triosephosphate Isomerase.
Hiroaki Adachi, Ai Niino, Takayoshi Kinoshita, Masaichi Warizaya, Riyo Maruki, Kazufumi Takano, Hiroyoshi Matsumura, Tsuyoshi Inoue, Satoshi Murakami, Yusuke Mori, and Takatomo Sasaki 　

MICROBIAL PHYSIOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY

Effect of Duration of Osmotic Downshock and Coexisting Glutamate on Survival and Uptake of Ectoine in Halotolerant Brevibacterium sp. JCM 6894.
Shinichi Nagata and Chenxiang Wang

Involvement of Oxidative Stress Induction in Na⁺ Toxicity and Its Relation　to the Inhibition of a Ca²⁺-Dependent but Calcineurin-Independent Mechanism in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.
Toshio Tanaka, Kyoichi Nishio, Yoshinosuke Usuki, and Ken-ichi Fujita 　

BREWING AND FOOD TECHNOLOGY

Characterization of Low-Acetic-Acid-Producing Yeast Isolated from 2-Deoxyglucose-Resistant Mutants and Its Application to High-Gravity Brewing.
Akihiro Mizuno, Hideaki Tabei, and Masahumi Iwahuti

ENVIRONMENTAL BIOTECHNOLOGY

Microbial Communities in the Garbage Composting with Rice Hull as an Amendment Revealed by Culture-Dependent and -Independent Approaches.
Hiroaki Takaku, Shoko Kodaira, Ayumi Kimoto, Masayuki Nashimoto, and Masamichi Takagi

Production and Characterization of Biodegradable Terpolymer Poly(3-Hydroxybutyrate-co-3-Hydroxyvalerate-co-4-Hydroxybutyrate) by Alcaligenes sp. A-04.
Suchada Chanprateep and Songsri Kulpreecha

Possibility of Anoxic Ferric Ammonium Oxidation.
Shigeki Sawayama

Purification and Characterization of Fenitrothion Hydrolase from Burkholderia sp. NF100.
Kanako Tago, Sumiko Yonezawa, Toshihide Ohkouchi, Masayuki Hashimoto, and Masahito Hayatsu 　

BIOCHEMICAL ENGINEERING

Scale-Up of L-Lactic Acid Production by Mutant Strain Rhizopus sp. MK-96-1196 from 0.003 m³ to 5 m³ in Airlift Bioreactors.
Tiejun Liu, Shigenobu Miura, Masaaki Yaguchi, Tomohiro Arimura, Enock Y. Park, and Mitsuyasu Okabe

Increase of Xylitol Productivity by Cell-Recycle Fermentation of Candida tropicalis Using Submerged Membrane Bioreactor.
Soun-Gyu Kwon, Seung-Won Park, and Deok-Kun Oh

High-Cell-Density Fermentation for Ergosterol Production by Saccharomyces　cerevisiae.
Fei Shang, Shaohong Wen, Xi Wang, and Tianwei Tan　

CELL AND TISSUE ENGINEERING

Effect of Oxygen on In Vitro Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells.
Hiroshi Kurosawa, Masaki Kimura, Tomozumi Noda, and Yoshifumi Amano