Growth and yield of self-compatible and hybrid common buckwheat lines pollinated with and without flies

Common buckwheat is a self-incompatible, insect-pollinated allogamous plant. This study examined growth and yield of the common buckwheat self-compatible and hybrid lines pollinated with and without flies. Self-compatible ‘IH3’, hybrid ‘IP2/IH3’, and standard self-incompatible ‘Kitawasesoba’ were used in field and pot experiments. Self-compatibility of ‘IH3’ was shown to be of high purity. Approximately 10% segregation of pin plants from ‘IP2/IH3’ was observed. The harvest index of ‘Kitawasesoba’ pollinated without flies was considerably lower than that pollinated with flies in both field and pot experiments. The harvest index values of ‘IH3’ and ‘IP2/IH3’ were hardly affected by the presence or absence of flies. The morphological traits of ‘IH3’ were significantly lower than those of the other two genotypes. Large differences in these traits between ‘IP2/IH3’ and ‘Kitawasesoba’ were not observed in either the field or pot experiments. The seed yield of ‘Kitawasesoba’ pollinated without flies tended to be lower than that pollinated with flies. The seed yield of ‘IP2/IH3’ tended to be higher than that of ‘IH3’. The hybrid line ‘IP2/IH3’ showed a high fertilization rate, which was nearly as high as that of ‘IH3’. Rate of fertilization and percentage of ripe seeds were higher in ‘IH3’ and ‘IP2/IH3’, wherein they were hardly affected by the presence or absence of flies, than in ‘Kitawasesoba’. The ‘IP2/IH3’ hybrid line will be useful for understanding the stable high-yielding ability of self-compatibility common buckwheat.     

Relationships between body size and secondary sexual characters,and sperm characters in male Dolly Varden char (Salvelinus malma)

In Salmonidae, subordinate males are exposed to higher risks of sperm competition than dominant males and thus are expected to improve the sperm characteristics (sperm concentrations, sperm velocity and sperm longevity). In this study, we investigated the relationships between body size and secondary sexual characters (breeding colour, hump height and snout length), and sperm characteristics of one‐year‐old (newly matured) Dolly Varden char. Small males displayed higher sperm concentrations than large males. Moreover, males with dull breeding colours, but not with lesser snout length and hump height, displayed an increased sperm velocity compared to males with bright colours, suggesting a trade‐off between sperm quantity and the investment in breeding colour. In addition, sperm longevity decreased as sperm swimming velocity increased. These findings indicate that small males with dull breeding colours improve the quantity and quality of their sperm to a great extent to enhance their chances of reproductive success.     

Conservation of small hairtail <Emphasis Type="Italic">Trichiurus japonicas</Emphasis> by using hooks with large artificial bait: effect on the trolling line fishery

Overfishing has reduced the stock of hairtail Trichiurus japonicus around the Bungo Channel, Japan. To determine whether using larger bait in the trolling line fishery could avoid catching small/undersize hairtail, we developed and trialled a new large artificial bait (a soft plastic bait, 6 inches long). A traditional lure with natural bait (type-1), a new lure of the new artificial bait hook without natural bait (type-2), and a new lure with natural bait (type-3) were tested in fishing operations around the Bungo Channel. Compared with type-1, type-2 and type-3 caught fewer undersized and immature female individuals. The number of fish caught, yield, and composition of commercial size grades per recruitment were calculated from field data for each lure and compared. The catch sizes (number of fish per recruitment) were smaller for type-2 and type-3 than for type-1, but yield per recruitment was higher for type-3 than for type-1. Compared with type-1, type-2 and type-3 caught more large individuals, which are more valuable. The newly developed artificial bait conserves hairtail stocks by targeting larger fish, which is economically beneficial for the hairtail trolling line fishery.     

Effect of trehalose supplementation in milk replacer on the incidence of diarrhea and fecal microbiota in preweaned calves

Trehalose, a nonreducing disaccharide consisting of d-glucose with α,α-1,1 linkage, was evaluated as a functional material to improve the gut environment in preweaned calves. In experiment 1, 173 calves were divided into two groups; the trehalose group was fed trehalose at 30 g/animal/d with milk replacer during the suckling period, and the control group was fed nonsupplemented milk replacer. Medication frequency was lower in the trehalose group (P < 0.05). In experiment 2, calves (n = 20) were divided into two groups (control group [n = 10] and trehalose group [n = 10]) based on their body weight and reared under the same feeding regimens as in experiment 1. Fresh feces were collected from individual animals at the beginning of the trial (average age 11 d), 3 wk after trehalose feeding (experimental day 22), and 1 d before weaning, and the fecal score was recorded daily. Fecal samples were analyzed for fermentation parameters and microbiota. The fecal score was significantly lower in the trehalose group than in the control group in the early stage (at an age of 14 to 18 d; P < 0.05) of the suckling period. Calves fed trehalose tended to have a higher proportion of fecal butyrate on day 22 than calves in the control group (P = 0.08). Population sizes of Clostridium spp. were significantly lower (P = 0.036), whereas those of Dialister spp. and Eubacterium spp. tended to be higher in the feces of calves in the trehalose group on day 22 (P = 0.060 and P = 0.083). These observations indicate that trehalose feeding modulated the gut environment and partially contributed to the reduction in medication frequency observed in experiment 1.     

Regression of venous thrombus after trans-sphenoidal hypophysectomy for pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism in a dog

An 8.0-kg 8-year-old male dachshund was presented for surgical treatment of suspected pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism with portal vein thrombosis. Advanced diagnostic imaging revealed a thrombus in the splenic and portal veins. For the portal vein thrombus, CT angiography showed an enhanced timing delay in the lateral right and caudate liver lobes. Blood tests showed a marked increase in the liver panel, including total bile acid. Brain MRI revealed a pituitary mass, suggesting pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism. The mass was completely resected. The preoperative antithrombotic therapy of rivaroxaban (0.66 mg/kg, PO, once per day) and clopidogrel sulphate (1.66 mg/kg, PO, once per day) was continued postoperatively. Six months after resection of the pituitary mass, the thrombus had disappeared. Further studies are required to prove a causal association between the disappearance of the thrombus and the treatments provided.     

Suppression of influenza virus infection by the orf virus isolated in Taiwan

Orf virus (ORFV), a member of parapoxvirus, is an enveloped virus with genome of double-stranded DNA. ORFV causes contagious pustular dermatitis or contagious ecthyma in sheep and goats worldwide. In general, detection of viral DNA and observing ORFV virion in tissues of afflicted animals are two methods commonly used for diagnosis of orf infection; however, isolation of the ORFV in cell culture using virus-containing tissue as inoculum is known to be difficult. In this work, the ORFV (Hoping strain) isolated in central Taiwan was successfully grown in cell culture. We further examined the biochemical characteristic of our isolate, including viral genotyping, viral mRNA and protein expression. By electron microscopy, one unique form of viral particle from ORFV infected cellular lysate was demonstrated in the negative-stained field. Moreover, immunomodulating and anti-influenza virus properties of this ORFV were investigated. ORFV stimulated human monocytes (THP-1) secreting proinflammatory cytokines IL-8 and TNF-α. And, pre-treatment of ORFV-infected cell medium prevents A549 cells from subsequent type A influenza virus (IAV) infection. Similarly, mice infected with ORFV via both intramuscular and subcutaneous routes at two days prior to IAV infection significantly decreased the replication of IAV. In summary, the results of a current study indicated our Hoping strain harbors the immune modulator property; with such a bio-adjuvanticity, we further proved that pre-exposure of ORFV protects animals from subsequent IAV infection.     

Therapeutic antibodies: their mechanisms of action and the pathological findings they induce in toxicity studies

Antibodies can swiftly provide therapeutics to target disease-related molecules discovered in genomic research. Antibody engineering techniques have been actively developed and these technological innovations have intensified the development of therapeutic antibodies. From the mid-1990’s, a series of therapeutic antibodies were launched that are now being used in clinic. The disease areas that therapeutic antibodies can target have subsequently expanded, and antibodies are currently utilized as pharmaceuticals for cancer, inflammatory disease, organ transplantation, cardiovascular disease, infection, respiratory disease, ophthalmologic disease, and so on. This paper briefly describes the modes of action of therapeutic antibodies. Several non-clinical study results of the pathological changes induced by therapeutic antibodies are also presented to aid the future assessment of the toxic potential of an antibody developed as a therapeutic.     

Leaf-lamina conductance contributes to an equal distribution of water delivery in current-year shoots of kudzu-vine shoot, Pueraria lobata

Leaf-lamina resistance, R(L), accounts for a large fraction of branch resistance across a wide range of plant species. This work hypothesized that large R(L) is essential for distributing water equally to leaves on the shoot, and tested this hypothesis through theoretical analyses and measurements using over 10-m-long current-year shoots of kudzu vine, Pueraria lobata [Willd.] Ohwi. First, the hydraulic architecture and the distribution of the motive force achieving equal distribution of water delivery were theoretically obtained by simulating water flow through a hypothetical shoot comprising an axial pathway and several lateral pathways as a stem and leaves, respectively, in a kudzu-vine shoot. The model predicts that large resistance of the lateral pathway relative to that of the axial pathway is associated strongly with small variation in the hydraulic conductance of a pathway from the base of the axial pathways to the lateral pathway among the nodes, rendering water delivery to each lateral pathway equal under small variation in motive force for water flow. For the kudzu-vine shoot, the measured ratio of the lateral (a petiole) to the axial (a stem) resistance was 115. When R(L) was added to the lateral pathway, the ratio increased to 1136. According to the model prediction, these values imply that the hydraulic conductance of a pathway comprising a stem and a petiole, K(BP), is favored strongly at the basal nodes, while the hydraulic conductance of a pathway including a stem, a petiole and a lamina, K(SL), is slightly different across the nodes. For the shoots with leaf lamina, the diurnal change in transpiration rate was not different between the leaves on the three nodes dividing the shoot into four parts. K(SL) was not related significantly to node number. Conversely, K(BP) at the distal node was ~0.06-fold that at the basal node. Furthermore, the motive force for water flow should vary by 6.64-fold among nodes to compensate for the favored distribution of K(BP), which is an unrealistic value. These results indicate that R(L) contributes largely to an equal distribution of water delivery in a shoot, supporting our hypothesis.     

Vertical profiles of environmental factors within tropical rainforest, Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia

Environmental factors, such as global solar radiation, wind speed, air temperature, humidity, and CO₂ concentration, were measured above and within the canopy of a tropical rainforest in Lambir Hills National Park, Sarawak, Malaysia. Few data concerning the environment of this forest have been reported. Intensive observations were carried out in 1998, 1999, and 2000 with the following results: (1) The fraction of global solar radiation reaching the upper layer of the canopy varied with global solar radiation above the canopy. Even though the global solar radiation above the canopy fluctuated, the fraction of that reaching the lower canopy and the ground was constantly approximately 5%. (2) The fraction of wind speed reaching each layer of the canopy increased with wind speed above the canopy. Little wind was usually present at the lower canopy. (3) The daytime air temperature at the canopy top was higher than that near the ground. The maximum difference between the air temperature at the canopy top and that at the ground was about 5°C, and the diurnal temperature ranges at the canopy top and those at the ground were about 8°C and about 5°C, respectively. The highest daytime water vapor pressure occurred within the canopy and particularly near the ground. Vertical gradients of water vapor pressure during the day were steep, probably because of high transpiration. (4) In the 1998 observation the minimum and the maximum CO₂ concentrations were 360 ppm in the day and 450 ppm at night, while in the 2000 observation the minimum and the maximum CO₂ concentrations were 350 ppm in the day and 540 ppm at night. The higher CO₂ concentration in the daytime and the lower concentration at night observed during the 1998 observation period were probably due to reduced photosynthesis and soil respiration caused by exceptional dry conditions during the observation period.     

Assessing raindrop impact energy at the forest floor in a mature Japanese cypress plantation using continuous raindrop-sizing instruments

The raindrop size distribution of throughfall and open rainfall was monitored continuously during a rainfall event using laser raindrop-sizing instruments (LD gauges), in order to calculate the raindrop impact energy in a plantation of mature Japanese cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa), where surface erosion at the forest floor had been a problem. Data from two rainfall events were analyzed. The LD gauges recorded qualitative raindrop size distribution, and the capture rate during each rainfall event was used to manipulate raindrop data quantitatively. Throughfall and open rainfall comparisons revealed several important differences. First, throughfall raindrops were fewer in number and larger in size than open rainfall drops. In one rainfall event, for example, throughfall raindrops were less than one-fifth as frequent as open rainfall raindrops; in addition, the maximum throughfall raindrop diameter was 6.35mm compared to 3.31mm for open rainfall raindrops. Second, throughfall raindrops that were larger than the largest open rainfall raindrops comprised 63.8% of the throughfall precipitation by volume. Third, total raindrop impact energy from throughfall was over twice that of open rainfall. Moreover, comparison of throughfall events implied that throughfall raindrops did not always have a uniform distribution between different events or among different periods of time in one rainfall event, in contrast to findings in previous studies which showed that throughfall raindrops had a uniform size distribution independent of rainfall intensity. It is possible that an abrupt transition of throughfall intensity from low to high changes the distribution of throughfall raindrops.