Cryptic occurrence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Chattonella marina</Emphasis> var. <Emphasis Type="Italic">marina</Emphasis> in mangrove sediments in Probolinggo,East Java Province,Indonesia

Mangrove forests and adjacent creeks are known to be highly productive estuaries, which are partly supported by benthic microalgae that grow on the sediments. During surveys investigating the microalgal floras of mangrove swamps in the eastern part of Java Island, a mud sample unexpectedly included large numbers of a notorious fish killer, Chattonella-like motile cells, and its resting cysts. These motile cells were established as clonal cultures for further identification and physiological tests. The cysts were examined through palynological and molecular biological means. Identification based on light microscopy and ribosomal RNA gene sequences confirmed that these cells and cysts were Chattonella marina var. marina. While the strains were genetically identical to the temperate strains isolated from Japan and China, temperature experiments showed that the Indonesian strains possessed a high maximum quantum yield of photosystem II even after exposure to 34 °C, a temperature at which the Japanese strain could not survive. Salinity experiments showed adaptation of the strains to a salinity of 15. These findings, together with the discovery of populations of cysts in the mangrove sediment, highlight the tough and unique nature of the Indonesian strains, which are likely adapted to wide fluctuations of temperature and salinity in mangrove swamps, and pose a potential risk to fisheries in Indonesia.     

Factors affecting the adoption of agroforestry practices by farmers in Cameroon

This paper presents empirical evidence on the impact of socio-economic factors on the adoption of agroforestry practices in Cameroon. The analysis uses primary farm-level data collected from June to December 1996. Three major provinces of the country were covered, namely Centre, Southwest and Northwest Several agroforestry technologies have been promoted among farmers in the zone, including alley farming, improved fallow, live fencing, cut-and-carry fodder and apiculture. The status of adoption of each agroforestry practice is described and factors that affect adoption identified. These are gender of farmer, household family size, level of education, farmer’s experience, membership within farmers’ associations, contact with research and extension, security of land tenure, agroecological zone, distance of the village from nearest town, village accessibility and income from livestock. Research findings indicate that since factors affecting farmers’ adoption of agroforestry practices differ across techniques, generalisation is to be avoided.     

Union dyeing of the photografted PET/wool blend fabrics with dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide

Dimethylaminopropyl methacrylamide (DMAPMA) was grafted onto PET/wool blend fabrics by continuous UV irradiation. Union dyeing of the photografted fabrics was investigated using three reactive dyes of α-bromoacrylamide reactive groups. The influence of grafting yield, DMAPMA concentration, NaCl amount, pH value, and dyeing temperature on the dyeability was evaluated. The dyeability of both PET and wool components was improved significantly by the DMAPMA photografting and successive reactive dyeing. Although the dyeability of the PET component in the blend substantially was improved with higher grafting, equal dyeability between PET and wool was difficult to achieve due to more facile grafting and higher reactivity of the wool component compared with the modified PET component. However, the color fastness of the PET/wool blend fabric was excellent for all three colors. This study may offer a way to achieve union dyeing of PET/wool blend fabrics.     

Value-per-recruit analysis of bighand thornyhead <Emphasis Type="Italic">Sebastolobus macrochir</Emphasis> caught off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu,Japan

The yield-per-recruit (YPR) analysis has been used to assess growth overfishing of exploited fish stocks. Since the ex-vessel price per weight widely depends on the size of the fish, the result of the YPR does not imply the revenue. The value-per-recruit (VPR) analysis, which is an economic expansion of the YPR analysis, was conducted for bighand thornyhead Sebastolobus macrochir caught off the Pacific coast of northern Honshu, Japan. The results showed that, for the current age at first capture (t _c = 3), the current fishing mortality (F = 0.12) was close to the optimum level. However, for the current F, optimum t _c in the VPR model was 8 years and would lead to a 47% increase compared to the current revenue. The maximum YPR was obtained at t _c = 6 years, but the revenue at t _c = 6 only gave a 20% increase in the maximum revenue. The difference was caused by the size dependency of the ex-vessel price per weight. The VPR model would generate fisheries management plans with both economical and biological consideration and would help in making general consensus of fisheries management strategies.     

Decreased blood cell counts were not observed in cattle living in the “difficult‐to‐return zone” of the Fukushima nuclear accident

White blood cells, especially lymphocytes, are susceptible to radiation exposure. In the present study, red blood cell, total white blood cell, and lymphocyte counts were repeatedly measured in cattle living on three farms located in the “difficult‐to‐return zone” of the Fukushima nuclear accident, and compared with two control groups from unaffected areas. Blood cell counts differed significantly between the two control groups, although almost all the values fell within the normal range. The blood cell counts of the cattle in the “difficult‐to‐return zone” varied across sampling times even on the same farms, being sometimes higher or lower than either of the two control groups. However, neither a statistically significant decrease in blood cell counts nor an increase in the rate of cattle with extremely low blood cell counts was observed overall. The estimated cumulative exposure dose for the cattle on the most contaminated farm was within a range of 500–1000 mSv, exceeding the threshold for the lymphopenia. Because of the low dose rate on these farms, potential radiation damages would have been repaired and have not accumulated enough to cause deterministic effects.     

Effect of feeding wood kraft pulp on the growth performance,feed digestibility,blood components,and rumen fermentation in Japanese Black fattening steers

This study aimed to examine the effects of feeding kraft pulp (KP) on the growth performance, feed digestibility, and rumen fermentation of Japanese Black fattening steers. Ten Japanese Black fattening steers (aged 26 months) were randomly divided into control and KP groups. The control group (n = 5) was fed concentrate feed without KP, and the KP group (n = 5) was fed concentrate feed containing 10% KP. Both the groups were provided rice straw as roughage. The experiment was conducted over a period of 12 weeks. There was no significant difference in dry matter intake, daily body weight gain, and nutrient digestibility between both groups. No difference was observed in the ruminal concentrations of volatile fatty acids among the groups. At weeks 8 and 12 after the onset of the experiment, the acetate‐to‐propionate ratio in the ruminal fluid of the KP group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The average daily pH of ruminal fluid and activity of ruminal lipopolysaccharide did not differ between the groups. Our results suggested that the growth performance and feed digestibility in the Japanese Black fattening steers were not influenced by replacing concentrate feed with KP.     

Evaluation of bone toxicity in various bones of aged rats

The aim of the present study was to provide a method for evaluating bone toxicity induced by drugs in various bones in aged rats. Male Crl:CD (SD) rats at 46 weeks of age were administered 15 mg/m(2) body surface area of doxorubicin, which effects the growth plate in weanling rats, weekly for 9 weeks by intravenous injection, and the femur, sternum, humerus and tibia were examined histopathologically. In the doxorubicin-treated group, thinning of the growth plate was remarkably observed in the proximal tibia and humerus; however, these changes were not observed in other regions. In addition, the osteoclast number per bone perimeter in the proximal tibia was significantly higher than others in control aged rat. Thus, recognizing the various histological reactions related to the time of epiphyseal closure is important for evaluating bone toxicity in aged rats.     

Synergistic effects of Miconazole and Polymyxin B on microbial pathogens

The therapeutic value of antibiotics depends on the susceptibility of the infecting microorganism and the pharmacological profile of the drugs. To assess the value of an antibiotic combination of polymyxin B and miconazole this study examined the in vitro synergistic potential of the two drugs on Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria and yeast. Antifungal and antibacterial activity was tested by minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of broth macrodilution and urea broth microdilution, by fluorescence microscopy and flow cytometry. Synergism was calculated using the fractional inhibitory concentration index (FICi). With Staphylococcus intermedius as target we found up to an eightfold reduction of the individual MICs when both drugs were combined. However, the FICi was 0.63 suggesting no real interaction between the two drugs. With Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Malassezia pachydermatis as targets the antimicrobial drug combination reduced the MICs of polymyxin B and miconazole from fourfold to hundredfold resulting in FICi between 0.06 and 0.5 which defines a synergistic action. Thus, if polymyxin B and miconazole are combined their effect is greater than the sum of the effects observed with polymyxin B and miconazole independently, revealing bactericidal and fungicidal synergism. Our results indicate a strong therapeutic value for the combination of these antimicrobial agents against Gram-negative bacteria and yeast and a weaker value against Gram positive bacteria for clinical situations where these pathogens are involved.