Rapid discrimination of two cryptic species within Brontispa longissima (Gestro) (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) by PCR–RFLP

Brontispa longissima (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) is a serious invasive pest of coconut palm (Cocos nucifera) supposedly originating from Indonesia and New Guinea. It has recently invaded Southeast and East Asia, where it has caused serious damage to coconut plants. Brontispa longissima as currently defined contains two cryptic species: we herein referred to one as the “Asian clade”, which is distributed over a wide area, including Asia and the Pacific region; and we referred to the other one as the “Pacific clade”, which is found in a limited area in the Pacific region. We developed a PCR–RFLP method for differentiating the two clades. Digestion of the PCR product of a 1,014-bp region within the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase I gene (COI) with BslI, HpyCH4III, or NlaIV resulted in clade-specific patterns as estimated by the sequence data. We applied the method to specimens newly obtained from various locations to investigate the geographical distribution of B. longissima. Although B. longissima collected from Samoa in April 2003 had been placed in the Pacific clade, specimens collected from the same island in April 2010 were placed in the Asian clade, suggesting that the predominant clade may have been changing from the former to the latter. On Timor, specimens included both clades in apparently segregated habitats.     

Pathological characteristics of thyroid glands from Japanese Black Cattle living in the restricted area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident

To study the effect of ionizing radiation on thyroid glands, 66 Japanese Black cattle residing in the restricted area of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in 2013–2017 were pathologically examined. There were no clinical symptoms of thyroid disease in these cattle. Three cases of goiter and seven of atrophy were found in two among the four farms examined. Cases of goiter exhibited normal morphological structure without mass or nodule formation in thyroid glands. Cellular atypia or capsular invasion of the follicular epithelium was absent. The estimated integrated dose of external radiation in goiter cases ranged from maximum 797 mSv to minimum 24 mSv. All lobules in the seven atrophic thyroid glands were affected, but pathological findings, such as inflammatory cell infiltration or stromal fibrosis, were not observed. The estimated integrated dose of external radiation in atrophic thyroids ranged from maximum 589 mSv to minimum 8 mSv. Immunohistochemical analysis of anti‐nitroguanosine and the TUNEL method in goiter and atrophic thyroid glands did not reveal any positive findings. The present study indicates that there was no significant relationship between a radiation effect and pathological findings in any thyroid glands.     

Comparison of urine and blood as a convenient and practical sample for estimating the contamination level of live cattle with radioactive cesium

Blood and urine were compared to clarify which is a better sample for estimating the concentration of radioactive cesium in muscles of live cattle. The most probable concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in muscles was 21.0 times that in blood, and the error of this estimation was 28%. The concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in blood was estimated accurately using urine samples. The estimation error did not increase so much (33%), even when the concentration of ¹³⁷Cs in muscles was estimated using urine samples. On the other hand, the maximum volume of blood that can be collected with one syringe is 50 ml, whereas it is easy to collect 1,000 ml of urine. It took at least 360 min to confirm that a cow meets the legal standard by inspecting 50 ml of blood. However, with 1,000 ml of urine, a 20 min measurement time was sufficient for this purpose. This difference in the required measurement time is critically important for practical use. In addition, urine can be collected by farmers themselves, whereas the blood collection requires a veterinarian. Therefore, urine is a more convenient and practical sample for estimating the contamination level of live cattle with radioactive cesium.     

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.     

Oxidative stress and bovine liver diseases: role of glutathione peroxidase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase

This article summarizes the different types of free radicals, antioxidants and the effect of oxidative stress on the activities of glutathione peroxidase and glucose 6-phosphate dehydrogenase in bovine liver diseases. A growing body of evidence suggests that the formation of reactive oxygen species is a common occurrence associated with most if not all disease processes. The overall importance of reactive oxygen species to the progression and severity of various disease states varies greatly depending on the conditions and whether the disease is acute or chronic. Free radical researches in animals are in progress and further investigations are needed to establish the involvement of reactive oxygen species in diseases affecting different animal species and the pathology they produce.     

Effect of fatty acids added to the milk replacer on white scour and excretion of fatty acids in Holstein calves

In order to examine the relationship between white scour and fatty acids, we added fatty acids to the milk replacer. Twenty healthy Holstein calves were divided into 4 groups, five calves per group; a control group with no fortified fatty acid, and 3 groups fed either with oleic, stearic, or palmitic acid, respectively. The calves were fed milk replacer (5% of the calf's body weight) twice a day but the fatty acids (2 wt % of milk replacer) were added only once. The fecal and blood samples were obtained at 0, 12, 24, 36, and 48 h after feeding of the acids. All five calves in the palmitic acid group, and 3 out of 5 calves each in the stealic and the oleic acid groups had whitish feces after feeding fatty acid. The stearic acid group had a significantly elevated stearic acid concentration in the feces during 24–36 h compared to the pre-feeding level. The fecal concentration of palmitic acid increased significantly at 24–36 h in the palmitic acid group. We concluded that the long-chain saturated fatty acids are one of the causes of white scour in calves.     

Chemically and biologically activated biochars slow down urea hydrolysis and improve nitrogen use efficiency

Biochar is considered a potential technology to enhance chemical fertilizer use efficiency through intensification of the interactions between nutrients and the functional groups on biochar surfaces. However, little is known about how the application of activated biochars mixed with urea influences nitrogen(N) mineralization and crop performance in paddy fields. Here, a sawdust-derived fresh biochar (FBC)(ca. 400?C) was activated chemically with 15%hydrogen peroxide and biologically with a nutri...     

Effects of land-use type and nitrogen addition on nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide production potentials in Japanese Andosols

Land-use type and nitrogen (N) addition strongly affect nitrous oxide (N₂O) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) production, but the impacts of their interaction and the controlling factors remain unclear. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of both factors simultaneously on N₂O and CO₂ production and associated soil chemical and biological properties. Surface soils (0–10 cm) from three adjacent lands (apple orchard, grassland and deciduous forest) in central Japan were selected and incubated aerobically for 12 weeks with addition of 0, 30 or 150 kg N ha^–1 yr^–1. Land-use type had a significant (p < 0.001) impact on the cumulative N₂O and CO₂ production. Soils from the apple orchard had higher N₂O and CO₂ production potentials than those from the grassland and forest soils. Soil net N mineralization rate had a positive correlation with both soil N₂O and CO₂ production rates. Furthermore, the N₂O production rate was positively correlated with the CO₂ production rate. In the soils with no N addition, the dominant soil properties influencing N₂O production were found to be the ammonium-N content and the ratio of soil microbial biomass carbon to nitrogen (MBC/MBN), while those for CO₂ production were the content of nitrate-N and soluble organic carbon. N₂O production increased with the increase in added N doses for the three land-use types and depended on the status of the initial soil available N. The effect of N addition on CO₂ production varied with land use type; with the increase of N addition doses, it decreased for the apple orchard and forest soils but increased for the grassland soils. This difference might be due to the differences in microbial flora as indicated by the MBC/MBN ratio. Soil N mineralization was the major process controlling N₂O and CO₂ production in the examined soils under aerobic incubation conditions.     

Dairy cattle behavior classifications based on decision tree learning using 3‐axis neck‐mounted accelerometers

Demand has been increasing recently for an automated monitoring system of animal behavior as a tool for the management of livestock animals. This study investigated the association between the behavior of dairy cattle and the acceleration data collected using three‐axis neck‐mounted accelerometers, as well as the feasibility of improving the precision of behavior classifications through machine learning. In total 38 Holstein dairy cows were used, and kept in four different farms. A logger was mounted to each collar to obtain acceleration data for calculating the activity level and variations. At the same time the behavior of the cattle was observed visually. Characteristic acceleration waves were recorded for eating, rumination, and lying, respectively; and the activity level and variations were significantly different among these behaviors (p < 0.01). Decision tree learning was performed on the data set from Farm A and validated its precision; which proved to be 99.2% in cross‐validation, and 100% in test data sets from Farms B to D. This study showed that highly precise classifications for eating, rumination, and lying is possible by using decision tree learning to calculate the activity level and variations of cattle based on the data obtained by three‐axis accelerometers mounted to a collar.