Age estimation of the wild population of Japanese mantis shrimp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Oratosquilla oratoria</Emphasis> (Crustacea: Stomatopoda) in Tokyo Bay,Japan, using lipofuscin as an age marker

ABSTRACT:   In this study, the age composition of the Japanese mantis shrimp, Oratosquilla oratoria , in Tokyo Bay, central Japan, was investigated using lipofuscin, an autofluorescent pigment, as an age marker. Lipofuscin in a histological section of protocerebral bridge cell mass (PBCM) in the brain was identified by confocal microscopy, and its concentration was quantified by image analysis. Modal analysis of the lipofuscin concentration showed four regularly-spaced modes that could each be regarded as a distinct age group. This implied a constant lipofuscin accumulation in PBCM at a 6.5 × 10⁻²% volume fraction per year; it also implied the existence of individuals that are at least 4 years old. The lipofuscin concentration was found to be a more appropriate index than body length for estimating the age of O. oratoria , because the modal analysis on the body–length histogram failed to detect apparent age groups. This was probably a result of the declining growth rate with age and the individual variations in growth through molting leading to considerable overlap in the size between different age groups. The lipofuscin analysis suggested that fast-growing individuals in each cohort are recruited to the fishery, and most individuals attain the exploitable size between 2 and 3 years of age.     

The effects of vitamin E on non-specific immune response of the juvenile soft-shelled turtle <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pelodiscus sinensis</Emphasis>

ABSTRACT:   This study was conducted to determine the effect of dietary vitamin E supplements on non-specific immune responses in juvenile soft-shelled turtles. Turtles were fed diets supplemented with vitamin E at 0 (control), 50, 250, 500, 1000 and 5000 mg/kg, respectively, for 4 weeks. Results showed that blood cell phagocytosis and serum bactericidal activity were significantly improved in turtles from two diets (250 and 500 mg/kg vitamin E supplementation), while had no significant improvement in turtles from the three remaining diets (50, 1000 and 5000 mg/kg vitamin E supplementation) when compared to turtles from the control group. Serum bacteriolytic activity in turtles from diets with 50, 250, 500 and 1000 mg/kg vitamin E supplementation were higher than activity levels quantified for the control group, but no significant difference was observed between the 5000 mg/kg vitamin E supplementation diet and the control diet. The results suggest that vitamin E has an upper and lower threshold for improving non-specific immune function in soft-shelled turtles, and the optimal supplementation may be between 250 and 500 mg/kg.     

Measurements of auditory sensitivity in common carp <Emphasis Type="Italic">Cyprinus carpio</Emphasis> by the auditory brainstem response technique and cardiac conditioning method

ABSTRACT:   Recently, the non-invasive auditory brainstem response (ABR) technique has been applied to the determination of hearing sensitivity in fish. The technique has some advantages over, and methodological differences from, the classical techniques. The auditory thresholds of common carp were measured by the ABR technique. The classical method was applied to measure cardiac response by electrocardiogram (ECG) after conditioning with electric shock. The most sensitive frequency obtained by ABR was 505 Hz, and by ECG, 1000 Hz. The shapes of the audiogram obtained by ABR and ECG were similar, though threshold levels in both audiograms differed from each other. Furthermore, audiograms obtained by using behavioral techniques were compared with those taken by the ABR and ECG techniques to assess the validity of the ABR technique for testing fish hearing sensitivity. The measured threshold levels increased in the order of behavioral, ABR, and ECG techniques, in the range below 1000 Hz.     

The effects of less-expensive plant protein sources replaced with soybean meal in the juvenile diet of grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idella): growth, nutrient utilization and body composition

In this study, the effects of less-expensive protein sources replaced with soybean meal on growth performance, nutrient utilization and body composition of juvenile grass carp were investigated. For this purpose, a control diet containing 42% soybean meal was prepared. Cotton seed meal (CSM), sunflower meal (SFM) and corn meal (CM) were added to the experimental diets by replacing 100% of the soybean meal protein used in the control diet. All diets were iso-nitrogenous (40% crude protein) and iso-caloric (19.5?MJ?kg^?1 gross energy). Each treatment had three replicates, and 20 juvenile grass carps (3.5?±?0.1?g, initial weight) were located in per replicate. The fish were fed to satiety three times in a day during 3?months at 26°C of water temperature in glass aquarium (45 l). The results of the study showed that the weight gain (308.6?C448.6%), specific growth rate (1.56?C1.89%/day), feed conversion rate (1.2?C1.9), protein efficiency ratio (1.32?C2.08), and apparent digestibility coefficients of protein (80.5?C89%) or sum of amino acids (80.5?C88.9%) were not significantly affected by the experimental diets, except diet CM. All of these values obtained for the diet CM were significantly lower than those of fish fed on the control, CSM and SFM diets. However, there were no significant differences between the lipid digestibility of the diets, and crude protein, lipid, and gross energy contents in the whole body of fish in experiments. In conclusion, CSM and SFM diets were highly utilized by juvenile grass carp, but not CM diet. These results combined with the remarkable acceptability of diets containing high levels of plant protein ingredients with identical growth performances of juvenile grass carp show clearly that dietary soybean meal level can be considerably reduced without any adverse consequence in terms of somatic growth and nitrogen utilization.     

The relationship between water intake rates,paddy ponding depth,and farmers’ water management techniques

Japanese farmers manage their irrigation water based on their past experiences and preferences, considering such factors as weather and available water (hereafter defined as empirical water management). They elaborately control the intake and drainage rates of their own paddy fields to maintain optimal ponding depths. But these well-managed systems will drastically change because of the decreasing number of farmers. Therefore, it is necessary to clarify if the optimal ponding depth will be maintained within the limits of traditionally-allowed water intake rate from the main river. The first objective of this study was the quantification of actual water use in the paddy fields, resulting from the farmers water management on the basis of their experience. The significance of the present water intake rate under empirical water management was studied for a paddy field command area of about 230 ha. Water intake rates and the water requirements of the whole area were investigated by measuring the flow rate at 17 points of irrigation and drainage canals. Characteristics of the farmers empirical water management were investigated by measuring the hourly changes in inflow and outflow rates for a sub-area using an automatic measurement system, and an inferential method of determining water management patterns for the paddy fields was proposed. The newly-proposed inferential method was introduced in the tank model, which expresses the characteristics of water management in the command area. The Shuffled Complex Evolution Algorithm (SCE-UA) method was used for optimizing the model parameters. It was proven that the model accuracy improved when the farmers empirical water management was taken into account. The optimal amount of water to be applied to the command area was quantified by the simulation. The second objective was to predict the effect of the decreasing number of farmers on future water use conditions. The simulated result indicates the difficulty of maintaining optimal ponding depth for the whole command area when the farmers empirical water management is not maintained. In other words, results indicated that efficient water use requires an automatic water management system or a new pipeline system to replace the farmers present empirical water management.     

Biochar improves sediment microbial fuel cell performance in low conductivity freshwater sediment

Purpose

The low conductivity of sediments for mass and electron transport is the most severe limiting factor in sediment microbial fuel cells (SMFCs), so that sediment ameliorations yielded more remarkable effects than electrode improvements. The objective of this research was to enhance the electricity generation of SMFCs with amendments of biochar to freshwater sediments for conductivity enhancement.

Materials and methods

Laboratory-scale SMFCs were constructed and biochars were produced from coconut shells at different temperatures. Variations in the power output, electrode potential, internal resistance, total organic carbon (TOC) content, and microbial communities were measured.

Results and discussion

Amending with biochar reduced the charge transfer resistances of SMFCs and enriched the Firmicutes (mainly Fusibacter sp.) in the sediment, which improved the SMFC power generation by two- to tenfold and enhanced the TOC removal rate by 1.7- to fourfold relative to those without the amendment.

Conclusions

The results suggested that biochar amendment is a promising strategy to enhance SMFC power production, and the electrical conductivity of biochar should be considered important when interpreting the impact biochar has on the electrical performance of soil or freshwater sediment MFCs.

     

Kinetics of a bioactive compound (caffeine) mobility at the vicinity of the mechanical glass transition temperature induced by gelling polysaccharide

An investigation of the diffusional mobility of a bioactive compound (caffeine) within the high-solid (80.0% w/w) matrices of glucose syrup and κ-carrageenan plus glucose syrup exhibiting distinct mechanical glass transition properties is reported. The experimental temperature range was from 20 to -60 °C, and the techniques of modulated differential scanning calorimetry, small deformation dynamic oscillation in shear, and UV spectrometry were employed. Calorimetric and mechanical measurements were complementary in recording the relaxation dynamics of high-solid matrices upon controlled heating. Predictions of the reaction rate theory and the combined WLF/free volume framework were further utilized to pinpoint the glass transition temperature (T(g)) of the two matrices in the softening dispersion. Independent of composition, calorimetry yielded similar T(g) predictions for both matrices at this level of solids. Mechanical experimentation, however, was able to detect the effect of adding gelling polysaccharide to glucose syrup as an accelerated pattern of vitrification leading to a higher value of T(g). Kinetic rates of caffeine diffusion within the experimental temperature range were taken with UV spectroscopy. These demonstrated the pronounced effect of the gelling κ-carrageenan/glucose syrup mixture to retard diffusion of the bioactive compound near the mechanical T(g). Modeling of the diffusional mobility of caffeine produced activation energy and fractional free-volume estimates, which were distinct from those of the carbohydrate matrix within the glass transition region. This result emphasizes the importance of molecular interactions between macromolecular matrix and small bioactive compound in glass-related relaxation phenomena.     

A bayesian model for the analysis of lactation curves of dairy goats

This article aims to determine the effect of certain covariates, such as season of kidding, parity, and time of kidding on the characteristics of the lactation curve of Saanen dairy goats. Characteristics investigated are peak milk yield, time of peak milk yield, total milk production, persistency, and the relationship between fat and protein in milk composition, as well as between lactation curves of the same animal in successive years. The analysis is carried out using a hierarchical Bayesian approach, together with Wood’s model, to model lactation. Posterior distributions of quantities of interest are obtained by means of the Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) methods. These clearly illustrate the significant effect of especially parity, but also season and time of kidding on the characteristics of the lactation curve. Total and peak milk yield increase with increasing parity up to about the third or fourth parity, while peak yield is later for first than for later parities. The analysis also enables estimation of lactation characteristics of untested animals, prediction of future characteristics and identification of exceptional animals.