Seasonal variation in pigmentation and anthocyanidin phenetics in commercial Eustoma flowers

The seasonal change in petal color and pigmentation of 29 commercial Eustoma cultivars was studied. The flowers are basically divided into four groups according to the major anthocyanidin phenotype in association with petal coloration, i.e., delphinidin (Dp)-based (purple flower), cyanidin (Cy)-based (reddish purple flower), pelargonidin (Pg)-based (pink flower), and none (white flower) groups. The constitution of petal anthocyanidins was not changed by forcing treatment in most of the flowers. Lightness (L^*) and chroma (C^*, color saturation) showed a change along with the increase/decrease of hue angle difference (ΔH^*), thus simultaneously the chromatic tonalities tended to move to redder and bluer, respectively. Floral pigment clustering described two flower groups in a dendrogram, based on anthocyanidin constitutions as phenetic markers, which are apparently the Dp- and Pg-based phenotypes of anthocyanidin syntheses. The Cy-based flowers made a subcluster with the Pg-based flowers, indicating a close relationship in the biosynthesis of the two anthocyanidins, and suggesting the Dp- and Pg-syntheses complement one another.     

Identification of the core rumen bacterial taxa and their population dynamics during the fattening period in Japanese Black cattle

The rumen microbiota comprises a vast range of bacterial taxa, which may affect the production of high-quality meat in Japanese Black cattle. The aim of this study was to identify core rumen microbiota in rumen fluid samples collected from 74 Japanese Black cattle raised under different dietary conditions using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. In the rumen of fattening Japanese Black cattle, 10 bacterial taxa, showing >1% average relative abundance and >95% prevalence, irrespective of the dietary conditions and the fattening periods, were identified as the core rumen bacterial taxa, which accounted for approximately 80% of the rumen microbiota in Japanese Black cattle. Additionally, population dynamics of the core rumen bacterial taxa revealed two distinct patterns: Prevotella spp. and unclassified Bacteroidales decreased in the mid-fattening period, whereas unclassified Clostridiales, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, Ruminococcus spp., and unclassified Christensenellaceae increased during the same period. Therefore, the present study reports the wide distribution of the core rumen bacterial taxa in Japanese Black cattle, and the complementary nature of the population dynamics of these core taxa, which may ensure stable rumen fermentation during the fattening period.     

A reservoir operational rule for irrigation in Japan

Operation of a reservoir for irrigation is more complicated and difficult than that for domestic water supply in Japan, owing to the fact that a requirement for irrigation takes various value depending upon effective rainfall on farmland, soil condition, and so on. Therefore, the reservoirs should be operated to correspond with demand, inflow, and unknown droughts occurring in the future. However, the reservoirs have been operated under operators' experiences without formal operational rules, because any effective theories or methods have been neither developed nor used in Japan at present.On operation of the reservoirs, there are two targets — promotion of effective release and restriction of release in preparation for droughts — conflicting with each other. It is useful to set up the operation with Required Storage for Drought Curve (RSDC) Method to achieve reasonable operation harmonizing those two targets. RSDC is composed with Target Line (TL) and Restrictive Release Lines (RRLs). TL is a target storage level to guarantee that storage will never empty until the end of the irrigation period under a certain probability. If actual storage remains above TL, effective release will be promoted. RRLs are storage levels pointing out the basis of restricting release. If actual storage falls below TL, release will be restrained in accordance with RRLs in order to get over uncertain droughts occurring in the future.In this paper, the theory of RSDC is described and the effectiveness of Rule Curve (RC) based on RSDC Method is illustrated by simulation on a single reservoir for irrigation.     

Case study on an integrated operation planning of multiple reservoirs for irrigation in Japan

In spite of several attempts at integrated operation planning, multiple reservoirs in Japan have been operated by trial and error without any formal rules. Subjects of integrated operation are not only showing optimal usage of daily storage levels as an operational policy but also providing a countermeasure for droughts.Objectives of this study are to make a formal operation rule of multiple reservoirs for irrigation using the theory of Required Storage for Drought Curve (RSDC) Method and to propose operational policy for multiple reservoirs as large water supply systems. The Iwaki river basin, on which there are four reservoirs for irrigation parallel with each other, is considered to be a model river basin with a large water system for this case study.From results of simulations using historical data, comparing an individual operation rule with an integrated operation rule on several indices, effectiveness of the latter rule is recognized. Under integrated operation, water losses are minimized and excessive water conservation can be avoided over the whole area to benefit while target river discharge is maintained at key control points because water usage from all reservoirs is well balanced in relation to water availability.     

Potential carbon stock in Japanese forest soils – simulated impact of forest management and climate change using the CENTURY model

Forest management and climate change may have a substantial impact on future soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks at the country scale. Potential SOC in Japanese forest soils was regionally estimated under nine forest managements and a climate change scenario using the CENTURY ecosystem model. Three rotations (30, 50, 100 yr) and three thinning regimes were tested: no‐thinning; 30% of the trees cut in the middle of the rotation (e.g. 15 year in a 30‐yr rotation) and thinned trees all left as litter or slash (ThinLef) and the trees from thinning removed from the forest (ThinRem). A climate change scenario was tested (ca. 3 °C increase in air temperature and 9% increase in precipitation). The model was run at 1 km resolution using climate, vegetation and soil databases. The estimated SOC stock ranged from 1600 to 1830 TgC (from 6800 to 7800 gC/m²), and the SOC stock was largest with the longest rotation and was largest under ThinLef with all three rotations. Despite an increase in net primary production, the SOC stock decreased by 5% under the climate change scenario.     

Spectral analysis of circadian rhythms in heart rate variability of dogs

OBJECTIVE: To determine characteristics of power spectral analysis of heart rate variability (HRV) during a 24-hour period in dogs and to evaluate the effects of vagal and sympathetic tone on HRV ANIMALS: 16 healthy adult Beagles. PROCEDURE: Power spectral analysis of HRV was conducted, using 24-hour ambulatory ECG recordings. Circadian rhythms were evaluated in terms of absolute units of low-frequency (LF) and high-frequency (HF) powers, their ratio (LF:HF), and their adjusted (normalized) units (LF[norm] and HF[norm]). Three or 4 dogs were used for simultaneous measurement of heart rate and respiratory waveform as well as to evaluate treatment (propranolol, atropine, or both) administered to cause blockade of the autonomic nervous system. RESULTS: Values for LF and HF powers, LF:HF, LF(norm), and HF(norm) had obvious rhythmicity in clinically normal dogs. The HF power of HRV in dogs was extremely high, compared with that of other species, and HF peaks corresponded to peaks obtained from respiratory waveforms. Blockade of the autonomic nervous system documented that HRV in dogs was mostly attributable to vagal activity. CONCLUSION AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: We determined characteristics of power spectral analysis of HRV in dogs, including circadian rhythm of the autonomic nervous system. Power spectral analysis of HRV may provide a useful noninvasive technique for assessing the effect of drugs on activity of the autonomic nervous system in dogs.     

Immunohistochemical demonstration of chromogranin A in endocrine organs of the rat and horse by use of region-specific antibodies

Chromogranin A (CgA) is an acidic glycoprotein that is co-stored with hormones or neurotransmitters in granular components of endocrine cells and neurons, and released together with them in response to adequate stimulation. In addition to acting as a packaging protein, CgA functions as a precursor molecule that yields several bioactive peptides by proteolytic cleavage. The purpose of this study is to elucidate how different the processing of CgA is among endocrine tissues by immunostaining using multiple region-specific antisera, and to evaluate the availability of region-specific antisera. When various endocrine organs of rats were immunostained with four region-specific antisera against rat CgA (CgA 1-28, 94-130, 296-314, and 359-389), all amine/peptide-secreting endocrine tissues except the pineal body were stained positively. The adrenal medulla and gastric endocrine cells were equally intensely immunoreactive to all four antisera, while the other endocrine tissues, represented by pancreatic islets, showed different staining patterns depending on the antiserum. These results suggest that the processing of CgA differs from tissue to tissue. An antiserum against horse CgA 335-365, corresponding to rat CgA 359-389 which shows the highest concentration in the plasma and urine of the rat, again stained all endocrine tissues of the horse except the pineal body. Therefore, the anti-horse CgA 335-365 serum is useful for immunohistochemical survey of horse CgA, and may make possible the establishment of a CgA assay system for the measurement of CgA in the plasma, urine and saliva.