Combination of serum phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit and hyperintensity of intramedullary T2W on magnetic resonance imaging provides better prognostic value of canine thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of concurrent measurement of serum phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit (pNF-H) concentration and intramedullary T2W hyperintensity in paraplegic to paraplegic dogs. Our hypothesis was that concurrent measurement of these would provide a more accurate prediction of functional outcome in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH). A prospective case-control clinical study was designed using 94 dogs with acute onset of thoracolumbar IVDH. The association of serum pNF-H concentration, T2W hyperintensity on sagittal MRI (T2H/L2), deep pain perception and surgical outcome were evaluated with logistic regression analysis after three months for all 94 surgically treated dogs. Sensitivity to predict non-ambulatory outcome was compared among pNF-H and T2H/L2 and combination of both. Logistic regression analysis indicated that serum pNF-H concentration and T2H/L2 were significantly correlated with surgical outcome (P<0.05); however, deep pain perception was not (P=0.41). The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds ratios of unsuccessful long-term outcome were 2.6 for serum pNF-H concentration, 1.9 for T2H/L2 and 2.3 for deep pain sensation. The sensitivity and specificity to predict non-ambulatory outcome for using serum parameter pNF-H>2.6 ng/ml, using T2H/L2 value of>0.84 and using both serum pNF-H and T2H/L2, were 95% and 75.7%, 65% and 86.5%, and 90.0% and 97.5%, respectively. Therefore, combined measurements of serum pNF-H and T2H/L2 might be useful for predicting long-term outcome in dogs with thoracolumbar IVDH.     

Impact of winter‐to‐spring environmental variability along the Kuroshio jet on the recruitment of Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus)

Winter‐to‐spring variability in sea surface temperature (SST) and mixed layer depth (MLD) around the Kuroshio current system and its relationship to the survival rate (ln [recruit per spawning stock biomass], LNRPS) of Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) were investigated based on a correlation analysis of data from 1980 to 1995. The data were from a high‐resolution ocean general circulation model using the ‘Kuroshio axis coordinates’, in which the meridional positions are relocated to a latitude relative to the Kuroshio axis at each longitude, rather than the geographically fixed coordinates. A significant positive (negative) correlation between LNRPS and winter MLD (winter–spring SST) was detected near the Kuroshio axis from areas south of Japan (where eggs are spawned) to the Kuroshio Extension (where larvae are transported). This result is in contrast to previous studies using geographically fixed coordinates, which showed a significant correlation predominantly in the area south of the Kuroshio Extension in winter, where at this time few larvae have been found. From the late 1980s to early 1990s, when the survival rate was remarkably low, MLD around the axis was shallow and SST was high. Although MLD and SST show a significant correlation, significant partial correlations were also observed between February MLD and LNRPS when the contribution of SST was excluded, and between March SST and LNRPS when the contribution of MLD was excluded. We presume that MLD shoaling reduced the nutrient supply from deep layers, resulting in less productivity in the spring, and SST warming could have a negative influence on larval growth.     

Effect of fatty acids added to the milk replacer on white scour and excretion of fatty acids in Holstein calves

In order to examine the relationship between white scour and fatty acids, we added fatty acids to the milk replacer. Twenty healthy Holstein calves were divided into 4 groups, five calves per group; a control group with no fortified fatty acid, and 3 groups fed either with oleic, stearic, or palmitic acid, respectively. The calves were fed milk replacer (5% of the calf's body weight) twice a day but the fatty acids (2 wt % of milk replacer) were added only once. The fecal and blood samples were obtained at 0, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h after feeding of the acids. All five calves in the palmitic acid group, and 3 out of 5 calves each in the stealic and the oleic acid groups had whitish feces after feeding fatty acid. The stearic acid group had a significantly elevated stearic acid concentration in the feces during 24–36 h compared to the pre-feeding level. The fecal concentration of palmitic acid increased significantly at 24–36 h in the palmitic acid group. We concluded that the long-chain saturated fatty acids are one of the causes of white scour in calves.     

Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) mortality in relation to the winter mixed layer depth in the Kuroshio Extension region

A drastic population change in Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) has been noted as being related to winter sea surface temperature (SST) in the Kuroshio Extension region. The former studies suggest two possible explanations. One is that temperature itself affects sardine. The other is that SST represents the environmental change of the Kuroshio Extension region and other causes directly affecting sardine. In this study, we found that sardine mortality from post‐larva to age 1 negatively correlated with the winter mixed layer depth (MLD) in the Kuroshio Extension region from 1979 to 1993. During the period of a deep winter mixed layer (during the early 1980s), sardine mortality was low, whereas mortality was high when the winter mixed layer was shallow (during the late 1980s to early 1990s). By using a lower trophic‐level ecosystem model forced by the observed time series of MLD, SST, light intensity and nutrient data, we found that the estimated spring zooplankton density drastically varies from year to year and has a significant negative correlation with sardine mortality. The inter‐annual variation of spring zooplankton density is caused by the winter MLD variation. During the deep winter mixed layer years, a phytoplankton bloom occurs in spring, whereas during the shallow winter mixed layer years, the bloom occurs in winter. The results of our study suggest that the decline in the Japanese sardine population during the late 1980s to early 1990s was due to an insufficient spring food supply in the Kuroshio Extension region where sardine larvae and juvenile are transported.     

Transport of subarctic large copepods from the Oyashio area to the mixed water region by the coastal Oyashio intrusion

The lateral transport of organic carbon in large grazing copepods ( Neocalanus cristatus, Neocalanus flemingeri, Neocalanus plumchrus and Eucalanus bungii ) from the Oyashio area to the mixed water region (MWR) by the coastal Oyashio intrusion was estimated using the data of VMPS (vertical multiple plankton sampler) and 1500 dbar-referred geostrophic transport from the CTD (conductivity temperature depth sensor) data of five cruises during June 2001 to April 2002 on a repeat observation section OICE (Oyashio Intensive observation line off Cape Erimo), which extends southeastward from Hokkaido Island, Japan. The transport to MWR by the coastal Oyashio intrusion was estimated to be 5.3 × 10¹¹ g C for the four species. Data from profiling floats also indicated that the copepods were advected from OICE to MWR by the coastal Oyashio intrusion within about 2 months. This transport is considered to be one of the significant sources of organic carbon in MWR as it is larger than the amount of large zooplankton consumed by Pacific saury ( Cololabis saira ) in MWR, one of the dominant copepod predators in this region.     

Transport and environmental temperature variability of eggs and larvae of the Japanese anchovy (Engraulis japonicus) and Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) in the western North Pacific estimated via numerical particle-tracking experiments

Numerical particle-tracking experiments were performed to investigate the transport and variability in environmental temperature experienced by eggs and larvae of Pacific stocks of the Japanese anchovy ( Engraulis japonicus ) and Japanese sardine ( Sardinops melanostictus ) using high-resolution outputs of the Ocean General Circulation Model for the Earth Simulator (OFES) and the observed distributions of eggs collected from 1978 to 2004. The modeled anchovy individuals tend to be trapped in coastal waters or transported to the Kuroshio–Oyashio transition region. In contrast, a large proportion of the sardines are transported to the Kuroshio Extension. The egg density-weighted mean environmental temperature until day 30 of the experiment was 20–24°C for the anchovy and 17–20°C for the sardine, which can be explained by spawning areas and seasons, and interannual oceanic variability. Regression analyses revealed that the contribution of environmental temperature to the logarithm of recruitment per spawning (expected to have a negative relationship with the mean mortality coefficient) was significant for both the anchovy and sardine, especially until day 30, which can be regarded as the initial stages of their life cycles. The relationship was quadratic for the anchovy, with an optimal temperature of 21–22°C, and linear for the sardine, with a negative coefficient. Differences in habitat areas and temperature responses between the sardine and anchovy are suggested to be important factors in controlling the dramatic out-of-phase fluctuations of these species.     

Acoustic identification of isada krill, Euphausia pacifica Hansen, off the Sanriku coast, north-eastern Japan

In this study, the feasibility of identification and abundance estimation of isada krill, Euphausia pacifica , was examined using a two-frequency (38 and 120 kHz) method. The acoustic survey and midwater trawling were conducted off the Sanriku coast, northern part of Honshu, Japan. In one pattern, the SV difference between the two frequencies was large, and in the other, the SV difference was small. These results were interpreted by scattering models, and showed that discrimination between isada krill and walleye pollock was possible.     

On the relationship between the Oyashio front and saury fishing grounds in the north-western Pacific: a forecasting method for fishing ground locations

The relationships between fishing ground locations of Pacific saury (Cololabis saira) and the two Oyashio fronts, the offshore front between 146^oE and 155^oE and the coastal Oyashio intrusion, before the saury fishing season, were examined using data from 1971 to 1991. Interannual geographical shifts of both the offshore Oyashio front and saury fishing grounds had a dominant interdecadal fluctuation. In years when the offshore front shifted north (south), the fishing grounds were formed relatively nearshore (offshore). When the offshore front shifted north, the fishing grounds were formed further nearshore in years the coastal Oyashio intrusion extended south. When the offshore front shifted south, on the other hand, the southward extension of the coastal intrusion did not necessarily cause formation of coastal fishing grounds. These results showed that locations of the fishing grounds depend not only on local and instantaneous oceanographic environments around the fishing grounds, but also on oceanographic conditions over an extensive range of the Oyashio area. This might indicate that the ecology of the saury's northward migration, through mixed water regions between the Kuroshio and Oyashio fronts in spring and summer, has a close relation to the shift of the offshore Oyashio front over a time range of months. A practical forecasting method for locations of saury fishing grounds is proposed based on the oceanography before the fishing season.