拖拉机驾驶员作业强度对其生理负荷的影响

驾驶拖拉机作业时,驾驶员的作业强度与生理负荷随着拖拉机的转向机构的不同而有较大的差别.该研究基于拖拉机两种不同的转向机构,对被测试人员实际作业时的心率和氧气的消耗量等指标进行测试,获得了不同的转向机构下被测试人员的心理和生理的变化规律.结果表明,被测人员随着不同转向机构其作业的强度也发生了变化.试验结果为设计新型的拖拉机的各系统提供了驾驶人员自身的数据,同时为改进现有的拖拉机的各系统提供重要的理论参考.     

Effects of Whole Grain Wheat Bread on Visceral Fat Obesity in Japanese Subjects: A Randomized Double-Blind Study

Metabolic syndrome is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases and has become increasingly common in Japan. Epidemiological studies show inverse associations between intake of whole wheat grains and metabolic syndrome, but few dietary intervention trials have investigated the effect of whole wheat grain consumption. It was investigated whether a diet in which refined wheat bread (RW diet) was substituted by whole grain wheat bread (WW diet) would reduce visceral fat obesity in Japanese subjects. A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled intervention study was conducted in 50 Japanese subjects with body mass index (BMI)?≥?23 kg/m². Subjects were randomly assigned WW (WW group) or RW diets (RW group) for 12 weeks. Blood samples and computed tomography scans were obtained every 6th week. The WW group showed decrease (?4 cm²) in visceral fat area (VFA) (p <?0.05), whereas the RW group showed no significant changes. These time-dependent changes were significantly different between the groups. WW diet led to significant and safe reductions in VFA in subjects with BMI?≥?23 kg/m². WW diet may contribute to preventing visceral fat obesity.     

Estimates of genetic parameters for chemical traits of meat quality in Japanese black cattle

Genetic parameters for 54 carcass and chemical traits, such as general composition (moisture, crude fat and crude protein), fatty acid composition and water‐soluble compounds (free amino acids, peptides, nucleotides and sugars) of 587 commercial Japanese Black cattle were assessed. Heritability estimates for carcass traits and general composition ranged between 0.19–0.28, whereas those for fatty acid composition ranged between 0.11–0.85. Most heritability estimates for water‐soluble compounds were lower than 0.30; these traits were affected by aging period. Moderate heritability was observed for glutamine, alanine, taurine, anserine, inosine 5′‐monophosphate (IMP), inosine and myo‐inositol. In particular, heritability estimates were the highest (0.66) for taurine. Traits with moderate heritability were unaffected by aging period, with the exception of IMP, which was affected by aging period but exhibited moderate heritability (0.47). Although phenotypic correlations of water‐soluble compounds with carcass weight (CW), beef marbling standard (BMS) and monounsaturated fatty acid were generally low, genetic correlations between these traits were low to high. At the genetic level, most of the water‐soluble compounds were positively correlated with monounsaturated fatty acid but negatively correlated with CW and BMS. Thus, our results indicate that genetic variance and correlations could exist and be captured for some of the water‐soluble compounds.     

Horizontal and vertical variations in survival rates of juvenile bivalves,Anadara kagoshimensis (Tokunaga, 1906), Ruditapes philippinarum (Adams & Reeve, 1850) and Atrina sp., experimentally caged in the inner area of the Sea of Ariake,Japan

International Aquatic Research - In the inner area of the Sea of Ariake, rearing experiments were conducted to examine how the survival rates of juveniles of three bivalve species (Anadara...     

Postharvest anthracnose on Satsuma mandarin orange caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Colletotrichum fioriniae</Emphasis>

In early January 2015–2017, anthracnose was detected on Satsuma mandarin orange (SMO) (Citrus unshiu) fruits kept in farmers’ storage rooms in Saga Prefecture, Japan. Three single-spore isolates from rotten fruits reproduced the postharvest anthracnose symptoms in wound-inoculated SMO fruits and were re-isolated from lesions. The isolates were identified as Colletotrichum fioriniae based on conidial morphology, culture characteristics, rDNA-ITS, and beta-tubulin-2 gene sequences. This is the first report of postharvest anthracnose on SMO caused by C. fioriniae.     

Quantitative structure-activity studies of substituted benzyl chrysanthemates: 1. Correlations between symptomatic and neurophysiological activities against American cockroaches

A number of substituted benzyl (1R)-trans-chrysanthemates and related compounds were synthesized. Their symptomatic activities in terms of levels which induce convulsions as well as cause death in American cockroaches were determined by injection with and without application of synergists as inhibitors of metabolism. The neuroexcitatory and neuroblocking activities were also determined in terms of minimum effective concentrations to induce repetitive train of impulses and conduction blockage, respectively, to central nerve cords excised from the cockroaches and immersed in Ringer's solution. Correlations between symptomatic and neurophysiological activities were analyzed quantitatively with the aid of molecular hydrophobicity parameter and regression analysis. Each symptomatic activity from which the effect of metabolism is eliminated was found to be analyzable by means of a linear combination of indices for two types of neurophysiological activity when the transport factor is separated by using the hydrophobicity parameter. A closer correlation was found between neuroblocking activity and the “convulsive” effect than between neuroexcitatory activity and the “convulsive” effect, whereas both neurophysiological effects operate together on the cockroaches resulting in paralysis and death.     

Inverse correlation between mRNA levels in GFP-silenced transgenic Nicotiana benthamiana and resistance to Potato virus X engineered to contain GFP sequence

Nicotiana benthamiana was transformed with a green fluorescent protein (GFP) gene driven by cauliflower mosaic virus 35S promoter. A GFP-silenced line and a nonsilenced line were selected after ultraviolet irradiation. GFP short-interfering RNAs (siRNAs) were detected in the silenced line but not in the nonsilenced line. T₁ progeny of the silenced line varied in GFP suppression patterns and were grouped into three types (I, II, III) based on the GFP suppression pattern. With Northern blot analysis, different levels of GFP mRNA accumulated, from a very low level in type I and II to an intermediate level in type III, in contrast to a much higher level in the nonsilenced line. Plants were also inoculated with Potato virus X engineered to contain the GFP sequence to evaluate the levels of virus resistance. None to a few GFP spots were observed on inoculated leaves in types I and II, whereas numerous spots and systemic infection appeared in type III. These results showed that virus resistance was inversely correlated with the levels of mRNA, suggesting that the strength of RNA silencing determines the extent of virus resistance.     

Comparative observations of the growth changes of the histochemical properties and collagen architecture of the iliotibialis lateralis muscle from Silky, layer and meat type cockerels

Growth‐related changes in the histochemical property and collagen architecture of the iliotibialis lateralis muscle were compared among Silky, layer and meat cockerels. Histochemical and immunohistochemical methods were employed to observe the collagen architecture. The total intramuscular collagen was also determined. The muscle consisted of type IIA, IIB and IIC myofibers, of which type IIB occurred at the highest frequency. The diameter of type IIB myofibers in each week was largest in the layer, followed by the meat, and was smallest in the Silky. The total amount of collagen reached 3.38 mg/g in the meat bird, 3.03 mg/g in the layer and 2.71 mg/g in the Silky by 30 weeks of age, respectively. In the perimysium, the collagen bundles increased in size and density of fibrils with growth. At 30 weeks of age the layer had compact collagen platelets while the Silky had loose collagen bundles. In the meat bird, the collagen bundles were moderately compact. The endomysial collagen network had a large mesh size at 1 week and thereafter accumulated many collagen fibrils to form a felt‐like fabric of fibrils at 30 weeks of age. From these results it appears that growth‐related changes in the iliotibialis lateralis muscle are not necessarily causally affected by the different growth rates of chicken breeds.