Estimation of genetic parameters for carcass defects of Japanese Black cattle in Kagoshima

Cattle exhibit a range of carcass defects, including blood splash (BLS), intramuscular edema (INE), muscle steatosis (MUS), bruising (BR), trim loss (TRL) and others (OTH). These defects lower the carcass value and can result in significant economic loss to producers. We estimated the incidence, relationship with inbreeding coefficients and genetic parameters of carcass defects in Japanese Black cattle using 561 619 carcass records from Kagoshima, Japan during April 1988 through March 2011. The defect incidence ranged from 0.22% for TRL to 5.73% for BR. The incidence of MUS and BR increased from 1.21% to 6.57% and from 1.06% to 9.31%, respectively. The incidence of INE peaked at 7.44% in 1999 and decreased thereafter. We observed a positive linear relationship between the defect incidence and the inbreeding coefficients in MUS, BR and TRL (P < 0.01). The heritabilities estimated by univariate animal model with Gibbs sampling for BLS, INE, MUS, BR and TRL were 0.24, 0.06, 0.18, 0.05 and 0.02, respectively. The contribution of farm variance to phenotypic variance was negligible (0.01 to 0.04). Significant genetic correlations of TRL were estimated with MUS (0.63) and BR (0.63). Our results suggest that genetic factors contribute to the incidence of BLS and MUS.     

Tibiotarsus bone characteristics and tibial dyschondroplasia incidence of broilers fed diets supplemented with leucine and valine

Two experiments were conducted to study the effect of standardized ileal digestible (SID) leucine and valine levels on tibiotarsus bone characteristics and the incidence of tibial dyschondroplasia of broilers from day 1 to 21 (Experiment I) and day 21 to 42 post‐hatch (Experiment II). Each experimental phase was evaluated independently. In both experiments, a total of 1,500 one‐day‐old Cobb 500 male broiler chickens were distributed in a completely randomized design 5 × 5 factorial arrangement for a total of 25 treatments. The SID leucine and valine levels were ranged from 10.0 to 19.6 g/kg, and 6.0 to 12.0 g/kg from day 1 to 21 post‐hatch, respectively, while day 21 to 42 post‐hatch ranged from 10.0 to 18.0 g leucine/kg, and 5.2 to 11.2 g valine/kg. Serum calcium and phosphorus, bone concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and ash, diameter and Seedor index of the tibiotarsus were not affected (p > .05) by the treatments at 21 or 42 days of age. There was an interaction (p ≤.06) between the SID levels of leucine and valine on tibiotarsus breaking strength at 21 days, but not at 42 days of age (p > .05). Tibiotarsus breaking strength was maximized in broilers from day 1 to 21 with the dietary levels of leucine and valine at 14.2 and 9.0 g/kg respectively. Dietary leucine levels reduced linearly (p < .05) the hypertrophic zone of tibiotarsus cartilage at 21 days of age. Therefore, leucine and valine supplementation interact positively on bone strength of broilers from day 1 to 21 post‐hatch. Leucine can be a useful amino acid for reducing the hypertrophic cartilage zone in broilers from day 1 to 21, but not from day 21 to 42 post‐hatch.     

Population size estimation of the pond smelt Hypomesus nipponensis in Lake Kasumigaura and Lake Kitaura,Japan

We estimated the population size of the pond smelt Hypomesus nipponensis at the beginning of the fishing season in Lake Kasumigaura and Lake Kitaura, Japan using two DeLury methods and cohort analysis. A growth curve was estimated on the basis of monthly standard length. The relationship between standard length and weight was utilized for calculating the mean weight on the survey day in a particular month. Total monthly catches in Lake Kasumigaura and Lake Kitaura were calculated using partial monthly pond smelt catch obtained from processing plants located near the lakes between July and December. The total monthly catch was calculated from the total monthly catch weight and the monthly mean weight. The number of boats operating each month, compiled by the Kasumigaura-Kitaura Fisheries Office of Ibaraki Prefecture, was also employed. The estimated initial population sizes were compared with the population level index (PLI) estimated from survey data before the start of the fishing season. No significant differences were detected among the initial population sizes estimated by DeLury method, cohort analysis and PLI. The estimates ranged from 7.4 million to 410 million in Lake Kasumigaura, and from 7.7 million to 44 million in Lake Kitaura.     

Two New Lyngbyatoxin Derivatives from the Cyanobacterium,Moorea producens

The toxin-producing cyanobacterium, Moorea producens, is a known causative organism of food poisoning and seaweed dermatitis (also known as “swimmer’s itch”). Two new toxic compounds were isolated and structurally elucidated from an ethyl acetate extract of M. producens collected from Hawaii. Analyses of HR-ESI-MS and NMR spectroscopies, as well as optical rotations and CD spectra indicated two new lyngbyatoxin derivatives, 2-oxo-3(R)-hydroxy-lyngbyatoxin A (1) and 2-oxo-3(R)-hydroxy-13-N-desmethyl-lyngbyatoxin A (2). The cytotoxicity and lethal activities of 1 and 2 were approximately 10- to 150-times less potent than lyngbyatoxin A. Additionally, the binding activities of 1 and 2 possessed 10,000-times lower affinity for the protein kinase Cδ (PKCδ)-C1B peptide when compared to lyngbyatoxin A. These findings suggest that these new lyngbyatoxin derivatives may mediate their acute toxicities through a non-PKC activation pathway.     

日粮中添加谷氨酰胺和维生素E对肉仔鸡肠道黏膜的影响

本试验目的是评估肉鸡日粮中添加谷氨酰胺（Gln）和维生素E对其肠道黏膜形态学的作用。试验采取2×3因子（维生素E×Gln添加时间）的完全随机设计,维生素E添加水平为10和500mg/kg,Gln按3种情况向肉鸡开食日粮中的添加：即不添加、从出壳后头7d内添加和头14d内添加。肉鸡生长期日粮处理仅由维生素E两种添加水平组成。试验肉鸡共1500羽,设6个处理,每个处理分5个重复50羽肉鸡。在出壳后第7、14、21和41天,每个重复随机取2羽肉鸡扑杀,取十二指肠、空肠和回肠样本各5cm长,经处理后测定肠道黏膜绒毛高度和隐窝深度,并用方差分析所得数据,用Tukey氏检验按5%的显著水平比较平均值。结果表明,十二指肠发育最快,随后依次为空肠和回肠,出壳后第41天,日粮添加10mg/kg维生素E并再添加1%Gln,对肉鸡肠道黏膜的发育具有促进作用。     

Cardiac remodeling and angiotensin II-forming enzyme activity of the left ventricle in hamsters with chronic pressure overload induced by ascending aortic stenosis

Cardiac remodeling and angiotensin II-forming enzyme activity of the left ventricle on chronic pressure overload were studied in male Syrian hamsters, whose chymase activity is similar to that of dogs. Pressure overload was achieved by banding at the ascending aorta (aortic stenosis). Echocardiography, histological analysis, and analysis of cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme and chymase-like activities were performed. At 10 weeks after banding, concentric hypertrophy of the left ventricle was evident. At 20 weeks after banding, the ventricular weight-to-body ratio, cardiac fibrosis, and cardiac chymase-like activity were significantly increased, while cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme activity was significantly decreased. This suggests that cardiac chymase, compared with cardiac angiotensin-converting enzyme, was activated against the chronic pressure overload and was responsible for the cardiac remodeling through the formation of angiotensin II. Considering the utility of the rodents, the interspecies similarity of the Ang II-forming pathway, and the effect of chymase in the hamsters, the present model is considered useful for studies evaluating the effect of Ang II and chymase in the canine heart with chronic pressure overload.     

Evolutionary autoploidy in the sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas (L.) Lam.) and its progenitors

Summary The role of polyploidy in the evolution of the sweet potato. I. batatas (2n=6x=90), became more clear in 1971 when wild species with 30, 60, and 90 chromosomes were discovered. These species, I. leucantha (2x), I. littoralis (4x) and I. trifida (6x), are the progenitors of the sweet potato (6x), in an autopolyploid series with doubling of the I. leucantha B genome.In the present study the hypothesis of the origin of the sweet potato was confirmed by comparative studies on some plant characters, sexual compatibility, and the behavior of artificial hexaploids produced from I. leucantha (2x) and I. littoralis (4x).Since induced hexaploid I. leucantha exhibits weak growth, a few multivalents are formed at meiosis in the sweet potato, and there are differences in morphological and physiological characteristics between the artificial hexaploids and I. batatas, raw autoploidy seems unlikely, but a balanced or diploidised autoploidy could have been achieved by genic and chromosomal changes in the course of evolution. However, there is still sufficient homology so that meiotic pairing occurs usually between regular partners but also between homoeologous chromosomes in a certain situation.     

Accumulation of Zinc and Copper in an Arable Field after Animal Manure Application

An experiment was conducted to examine the accumulation and mobility of heavy metals (Zn and Cu) at different depths in three types of arable soils (Brown Lowland soil, Andosol, and Brown Forest soil) amended with cattle and pig farmyard manures for 5 years. Nitric-perchloric acid digestion was performed for the determination of the total amounts of heavy metals, and 0.1 M hydrochloric acid extraction was performed for the determination of the amounts of soluble heavy metals. Results of the soil analysis indicated that pig farmyard manure application resulted in serious contamination of arable soils with Zn and potentially Cu. Especially, the Brown Forest soil displayed a high ability to accumulate heavy metals on the soil surface. Total-Zn concentration in surface soils was considerably affected by the holding capacity of soluble-Zn traction. Although the Andosol amended with pig farmyard manure showed higher concentrations of heavy metals related to the higher ability of retention on a weight basis, the soil did not contribute to high heavy metal accumulation because of its low bulk density. Heavy metals were easily leached in sandy soils such as Brown Lowland soil, and Cu was potentially stable compared with Zn. We suggest that long-term pig farmyard manure application to the Brown Lowland soil and Andosol with a light soil texture is associated with a higher risk of groundwater pollution than the application to the Brown Forest soil.     

Simulated Acid Rain Leaching Characteristics of Acid Soil Amended with Bio-Briquette Combustion Ash

In Chongqing City, the rapid growth of the economy has accompanied an increase of sulfur dioxide emissions from coal combustion, bringing about an expansion of acid rain affected areas and acidification of soil. Recently, we reported that coal-biomass briquettes so-called bio-briquettes (BB), which are produced from pulverized raw coal, biomass, and a sulfur fixation agent (Ca (OH)₂) under 3 to 5 tons cm^?2 pressure, have high sulfur-fixation efficiency. The BB ash contains nutritive substances such as Ca and Mg, and has a large acid-neutralizing capacity. Thus, in order to improve the acid soil in the Chongqing area, we analyzed the chemical composition of the original acid soil and the ash-amended soil, and investigated their leaching characteristics under simulated acid rain (SAR). It was found that plants and crops in Chongqing area would be injured if the present acid rain continues. We carried out a SAR leaching experiment and studeid the potential toxic effects of leachate from soil containing added ash. The results indicated that the contents of most toxic elements, with the sole exception of chromium, were below the environment standard for irrigation water. Because the BB ash was highly alkaline, the leaching aluminum (Al) species would be hydroxide rather than free Al³⁺ ion.