The transition time from the juvenile phase to the adult phase differs in soybean cultivars ‘Enrei’ and ‘Peking’

Plants develop juvenile phase to adult phase in vegetative stage. Although soybean is a very important crop worldwide, there has been only one study of the juvenile–adult phase change. In this study, we determined that the juvenile–adult phase change occurred at different stages in two soybean cultivars that differ in their photosensitivity. Cultivar ‘Enrei’ (E1e2e3E4) is weakly photosensitive and cultivar ‘Peking’ (E1E2E3E4) is strongly photosensitive. In ‘Enrei’, the leaf size gradually increased at a constant leaf position regardless of the difference in day length. In ‘Peking’ plants transferred to short‐day conditions at several leaf development stages, leaf size gradually increased at different leaf positions. Expression of miR156 by ‘Enrei’ transferred to short‐day conditions had nearly the same pattern as that of ‘Enrei’ grown under long‐day conditions. In ‘Peking’, the expression of miR156 had different patterns in younger leaves of plants subjected to either a short‐day treatment or long‐day conditions. These results indicate that the E2 and E3 loci that regulate photosensitivity also regulate the expression of miR156 and the juvenile–adult phase change in soybean.     

Resettling,disconnecting or displacing? Attending to local sociality,culture and history in disaster settings

In many disaster settings, top‐down responses emphasise ‘expert‐led’ solutions that often involve relocating disaster‐affected communities. While the intention might be to move people from harm's way and facilitate recovery, failure to attend to local pre‐disaster circumstances as well as the interplay between power, resilience and vulnerability within and around affected communities often sees resettlement reconfigure as displacement or disconnection. This oversight may even usher in a new phase of dispossession and disadvantage for marginalised groups (particularly in colonial settings). This paper explores experiences in Australia, Japan and Taiwan to reflect on what issues of local sociality, local culture and local resilience need to be attended to in framing ‘better’ disaster responses.     

Bacterial community composition of sediments from a milkfish Chanos chanos Forsskål farm

Bacterial communities in sediments underneath milkfish cages and adjacent off‐cage areas in Bolinao, Lingayen Gulf, West Philippine Sea were characterized using PCR‐denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis to assess influence of the fish farming to the sediments. The sediments in the fish cage (FC) area showed anoxic conditions [redox potential of ?165 to ?213 mV and acid‐volatile sulphide‐sulphur (AVS‐S) of 0.55–1.88 mg g^?1 (dry weight)] compared to the relatively oxic off‐cage area [redox potential of 72–81 mV and AVS‐S of 0.09–0.14 mg g^?1 (dry weight)]. The composition of the microbial populations revealed influence of the fish feed sedimentation with higher dominance of putative sulphate‐reducing bacteria (SRB) in the FC area. Compositions of the bacterial taxa showed dominance of the Bacteroidetes group and Deltaproteobacteria. The results suggest that the fish feeds created a new suitable environment, in which reductive microorganisms such as SRB, ferric‐ion‐reducing bacteria and nitrate‐reducing bacteria can thrive. Organic load from the feed and quantity of its leftover constituents may be the key factors that influence the structure of the bacterial community in the sediments of the milkfish farms.     

小麦族10种禾草叶片可消化性及矿物质含量的差异

利用扫描电镜及能量分散型荧光X射线新技术分析小麦族10种多年生禾草叶片的可消化性和矿物质含量.结果表明,供试草种叶片可消化性的高低顺次是:老芒麦>野大麦>航道冰草=加拿大披碱草>蒙农杂种冰草>诺丹冰草>肥披碱草≥新麦草=披碱草>蒙古冰草.叶片中7种矿物元素含量变幅为:Mg 0.21%～0.57%、Si 0.90%～3.31%、P 0.27%～0.3%、S 0.3%～0.0%、Cl 0.21%～0.52%、K1.44%～3.0%、Ca 0.42%～0.98%,草种间差异显著.     

Comparison of the amount of thiotrophic symbionts in the deep-sea mussel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bathymodiolus septemdierum</Emphasis> under different sulfide levels using fluorescent in situ hybridization

Various invertebrates inhabiting hydrothermal vents harbor thiotrophic endosymbionts that provide the host with nutrients and are possibly involved in the detoxification of harmful sulfides. In this study, we first determined the partial 16S rRNA gene sequence of the thiotrophic symbiont of the deep-sea mussel Bathymodiolus septemdierum, a dominant species at hydrothermal vents in the Izu–Ogasawara (Bonin) area. We then designed a new probe, Bsob692, for fluorescent in situ hybridization (FISH) using regions completely conserved among thiotrophic symbionts of all bathymodiolin mussels and established the protocol for FISH to compare the distribution and amount of the symbiont using an image analysis program that is commercially available. We compared fluorescent intensity in the gill of the mussels collected at different sites and found a higher intensity in specimens collected from a site with higher sulfide concentration. We also compared mussels reared in the presence and absence of sulfide and found that the former had a higher fluorescent intensity.     

Habitat use and movement patterns of small (age‐0) juvenile Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis) relative to the Kuroshio

The habitat use of Pacific bluefin tuna (Thunnus orientalis; PBF) in nursery waters off the southern coast of Japan was investigated using archival tags over a 3 year study period (2012–2015), and the data were used to examine the free‐ranging habitat preferences of PBF and the relationship between their horizontal movements and the path of the Kuroshio off the Pacific coast of Japan. The path of the Kuroshio fluctuated seasonally, leading to changes in water temperature that strongly influenced the habitat use of small PBF (2–3 months after hatching). Most PBF were present in coastal waters inshore of the path of the current, and their habitat use changed in response to the distance of the current from the coast. The Kuroshio typically flowed along the coast from summer to autumn, and PBF remained in the coastal waters off Kochi Prefecture during this period. In contrast, PBF quickly moved eastward in winter when the current moved away from the coast. Throughout the winter and spring, the area of habitat use extended widely from the eastern end of the southern coast of Japan (the Boso Peninsula) to the offshore Kuroshio‐Oyashio transition region. These findings suggest that the seasonal habitat use and movement behavior of juvenile PBF are influenced by the distance of the Kuroshio axis from the coast, and the ultimate drivers are likely variations in oceanographic conditions and prey availability along the southern coast of Japan.     

Feeding habits of albacore Thunnus alalunga in the transition region of the central North Pacific

ABSTRACT:   The feeding habits of albacore Thunnus alalunga (fork length: 48.9–76.2 cm, n  = 132) were examined from late spring to early autumn in relation to its northward migration in the transition region between the subtropical and subarctic fronts in the central North Pacific. Samples were collected at night using surface gill nets or during daytime pole-and-line surveys in 2001 and 2002. During May and June, albacore fed mainly on Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus , which accounted for 27.2%, 67.0%, and 45.5% of the total stomach contents by number ( Cn ), wet weight ( WW ), and frequency of occurrence ( F ), respectively, and secondarily on the subarctic gonatid squid Gonatopsis borealis ( Cn , 15.8%; WW , 10.8%; F , 28.8%). From July to September, albacore continued to depend on Japanese anchovy ( Cn , 48.2–52.8%; WW , 79.9–95.2%; F , 27.8–85.4%). These results corresponded well with the remarkable rebound of the Japanese anchovy stock since the 1990s. Gonatopsis borealis , the main squid prey from May to June, almost disappeared from the stomachs of albacore from July to September, probably due to the northward migration of this squid to subarctic waters in summer. The feeding impact of albacore on the Japanese anchovy stock in the transition region was conservatively estimated to be from 1400 to 2100 tons per day from late spring to early autumn.     

Waxy wheat as a functional food for human consumption

Waxy wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), a type of wheat that was first developed in Japan, produces grain amylopectin. I carried out three researches. Firstly, using Japanese adults, we carried out sensory evaluation of three types of mochi (a dumpling-like cake made of steamed and pounded grains) prepared from waxy wheat, normal wheat and waxy rice, and demonstrated that waxy wheat mochi had low adhesiveness and had the greatest ease of swallowing among the samples tested. Secondly, using the members of the JSDR (the Japanese Society of Dysphagia Rehabilitation) who attended the annual meeting, we performed another texture evaluations between waxy wheat and waxy rice mochi. The respondents reported waxy wheat mochi was less sticky and thus easier to chew and swallow than waxy rice mochi.     

Bacterial DNA activates immunity in <Emphasis Type="Italic">Arabidopsis thaliana</Emphasis>

To initiate defense responses against invasion of pathogenic organisms, animals and plants must recognize microbe-associated molecular patterns (MAMPs). In this study, the elicitor activity of bacterial DNA on the model plant Arabidopsis thaliana was examined. EcoRI-digested plasmid DNA induced defense responses such as generation of reactive oxygen species and deposition of callose, whereas SmaI- and HapII-digested plasmid DNA and EcoRI-digested herring DNA did not remarkably induce these responses. Further, methylation of the CpG sequence of plasmid DNA and Escherichia coli DNA reduced the level of the defense responses. The endocytosis inhibitors wortmannin and amantadine significantly inhibited DNA-induced defense responses. These results suggest that non-methylated CpG DNA, as a MAMP, induced defense responses in Arabidopsis and that non-methylated DNA seems to be translocated into the cytoplasm by endocytosis.