Is It Possible to Use 90Sr and 137Cs As Tracers for the Aeolian Dust Transport?

A noble approach for the estimation of the deposition of the Asian dust over Japan by using atmospheric anthropogenic radioactivity, ⁹⁰Sr and ¹³⁷Cs, is proposed. Those radioactivities once deposited globally onto the ground by the past nuclear test, etc. are resuspended along with the surface soil particles in the air by the storm and deposited again on the ground. The difference in ¹³⁷Cs/⁹⁰Sr activity ratios in the surface soil between dry and wet climatic conditions gives a clue to know about the source of the dust. It was found that the average activity ratio in the deposited material (average: 2.1, n=82) at MRI, Tsukuba in the 1990s is not close to that of the surface soil taken in neighborhood (median: 6.8, n=8), which had been considered as the primary source. While, it is close to that of the soil samples taken in the arid area in the Asian continent (median: 2.0, n=4), which is the one of the source regions of the aeolian dust. Thus we can reasonably assume that deposited dust in Tsukuba is brought not only from the neighboring fields, etc. but also from the arid area in the continent. Using a simple two-component model it was estimated that the Asian dust may transport about 90% of ⁹⁰Sr and 70% of ¹³⁷Cs depositions observed in Tsukuba in the 1990s. Also, Asian dust may transport about 2/3 of the dust deposited in Tsukuba.     

Moisture distribution of soaked rice grains observed by magnetic resonance imaging and physicochemical properties of cooked rice grains

Moisture distribution in individual polished rice grains was observed during soaking by magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, and a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) signal intensity profile (SI-profile) was generated from the MR image. The water penetration pattern during soaking roughly showed dissimilar trends between different varieties of japonica and japonica-indica hybrid rice. NMR signal intensity at the completion of water absorption varied within each grain; high at the periphery and the central region and low in the area between the periphery and the central region. High moisture content within the central region is due to loosely packed starch granules. The SI-profile was congruent for grains of the same variety harvested in different regions and years and characterized a grain moisture distribution for each variety. Moisture distribution was compared using SI-profiles for varieties with different amylose contents and new varieties bred for specific end-uses in Japan. The NMR signal intensity, which is related to the moisture content, at the surface of soaked grain was negatively correlated to the grain amylose content. The NMR signal intensities at the surface of soaked grain negatively correlated with the overall hardness of the cooked rice grain as measured by the single-grain low-high compression test.     

Biological control of Fusarium wilt by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Bacillus amyloliquefaciens</Emphasis> IUMC7 isolated from mushroom compost

Bacillus amyloliquefaciens IUMC7 isolated from mushroom compost inhibited growth of Fusarium oxysporum f. sp. lycopersici (FOL) on culture plates, and a culture supernatant of IUMC7 inhibited in vitro germ tube elongation of FOL. When compared with control soils, mushroom compost inoculated with IUMC7 significantly reduced disease severity caused by FOL in tomato plants. PCR tests for expression of PR genes indicated that IUMC7 did not induce resistance in tomato plants. These results suggested that the suppression of disease was mainly caused by antimicrobial compounds produced by IUMC7.     

Composition and distribution of freshwater eels <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anguilla</Emphasis> spp. in Vietnam

A sampling survey to determine the composition and distribution of freshwater eel species was conducted in 12 provinces along the coast of Vietnam from October 2014 to February 2015. The sampled provinces spanned the country from central Vietnam to the south, but freshwater eels were only found in the central part of Vietnam. Species identification of 77 specimens, collected from different habitats (rivers and estuaries), was performed by analysis of both morphological characters and nucleotide sequences of mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I (COI). The 77 specimens were morphologically and genetically identified as 58 Anguilla marmorata, 17 A. bicolor pacifica, and two A. japonica. This is the first definitive survey about the composition and distribution of freshwater eels in Vietnam where distribution has been hitherto unknown.     

Supplementing transglucosidase with a high-fiber diet for prevention of postprandial hyperglycemia in streptozotocin-induced diabetic dogs

Indigestible oligosaccharides have been shown to normalize blood glucose and insulin concentration thereby promoting good health and preventing diseases, such as diabetes. Transglucosidase (TG, α-glucosidase, enzyme code (EC) 3.2.1.20) is an enzyme capable of converting starch to oligosaccharides, such as iso-malto-oligosaccharides from maltose, via the action of amylase. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether oral administration of TG with maltose or dextrin is capable of reducing post-prandial serum glucose concentration in experimentally streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic dogs fed on a high-fiber diet. Five healthy and five STZ-induced diabetic dogs were employed in this study. TG supplementation with dextrin or maltose had no detrimental effect in healthy dogs. In fact, TG and dextrin exhibited a flatlined serum glucose pattern, while reducing mean post-prandial serum insulin and glucose concentration as compared to control diet alone. When TG supplementation was tested in STZ-induced diabetic dogs under the context of a high fiber diet, a 13.8% and 23.9% reduction in mean glucose concentration for TG with maltose and dextrin, respectively was observed. Moreover, TG with dextrin resulted in a 13% lower mean post-prandial glucose concentration than TG with maltose, suggesting that dextrin may be a more efficient substrate than maltose when used at the same concentration (1 g/kg). Our results indicate that TG supplementation with diet can lead to lower postprandial glucose levels versus diet alone. However, the efficacy of TG supplementation may depend on the type of diet it is supplemented with. As such, TG administration may be useful for preventing the progression of diabetes mellitus and in its management in dogs.     

Growth and survival of eel leptocephali (Anguilla japonica) in low-salinity water

We investigated the effects of low-salinity water on the growth, survival, and activity of artificially reared Japanese eel larvae (Anguilla japonica), proceeding from the assumption that such water quality saves energy due to lower cost for osmoregulation. We reared 5-day-old larvae in 0%, 10%, 30%, 50%, 70%, and 100% seawater (SW) with or without diet for 13 days. All larvae reared in 0% and 10% SW died within 6 days, while larvae in 70% and 100% SW survived until 9 days. Larvae in 30% and 50% SW further survived until 13 days without diet. Significant growth in body depth was observed in 30% and 50% SW after 7 days rearing with diet (0.65 ± 0.02 and 0.62 ± 0.02 mm, respectively) as compared with the initial size (0.49 ± 0.03 mm), while no significant growth was observed under the other salinity conditions examined. Larvae swam actively in the light (about 2000 lx) in 50%, 70%, and 100% SW, while they were apparently inactive in 0%, 10%, and 30% SW. The long-term rearing trial showed a 2.2-fold higher 2-month cumulative survival rate in 50% SW (18.2%) than in 100% SW (8.2%). The body depth of larvae in 50% SW (1.58 ± 0.47 mm) was also significantly larger than in 100% SW (1.32 ± 0.35 mm). These findings indicate that the intermediate salinity can result in better growth and survival performance in Japanese eel larvae.     

Effect of temperature decrease on oocyte development,sex steroids,and gonadotropin β-subunit mRNA expression levels in female Japanese eel <Emphasis Type="Italic">Anguilla japonica</Emphasis>

To improve understanding of the mechanism of early ovarian development in eels, the effects of water temperature decrease on oocyte development, plasma levels of sex steroids [estradiol 17β (E2), testosterone (T), 11-ketotestosterone (11-KT)], and gonadotropin β-subunit [follicle-stimulating hormone (FSHβ), luteinizing hormone (LHβ)] messenger RNA (mRNA) expression levels were investigated. A total of 27 female Japanese eels Anguilla japonica were divided into initial, control, and test (water temperature decrease) groups. Starting on 22 September 2009, eels in the test group were reared in a tank with gradual temperature decrease from 25°C to 15°C over 39 days, while the control group was maintained at 25°C. The test group accumulated more oil droplets in their oocytes than did the other groups. Levels of sex steroids, especially 11-KT, were higher in the test group. In contrast, FSHβ and LHβ mRNA expression levels were lower in the test group. These results suggest that water temperature decrease only induced an early stage of ovarian development that was partly affected by an 11-KT increase. For further maturation, other environmental factors related to induction of gonadotropin increase appear to be needed.