Chronic myocardial infarction due to arteriosclerosis of coronary arteries followed by acute thromboembolism of caudal abdominal aorta in a cat

A 10-year-old cat with the paresis of hind limbs was initially diagnosed as a hypertrophic cardiomyopathy followed by acute thromboembolism of caudal abdominal aorta from the findings of the medical examinations. However, this case was proved to be an chronic myocardial infarction due to arteriosclerosis of coronary arteries by the pathologic diagnosis. In the left ventricular, the hypertrophy and the narrowing were slight, and a coagulative infarction was seen obviously. The intramural coronary arteriosclerosis showed thickening of the wall due to medial hyperplasia by fibrosis, and arterial stenosis. Myocardial infarction and arteriosclerosis are scarcely any reports of these lesions in cats. This case is valuable for an extremely rare case of myocardial infarction in the cat.     

Phytotoxic activity of middle-chain fatty acids I: effects on cell constituents

Phytotoxic activity of several middle-chain fatty acids, especially pelargonic acid (C9 acid) was investigated. C9–C11 acids caused strong non-selective damage to plants such as crabgrass, cucumber, velvetleaf, and tobacco, while C6 and C14 fatty acids had almost no activity. Middle-chain fatty acids caused a strong and rapid electrolyte leakage. They reached highest conductivity in 3 h in the case of cucumber cotyledons. Middle-chain fatty acids caused a decrease of the amount of polar lipids, particularly MGDG and PG, and chlorophylls. They also caused an increase of free fatty acids in 24 h after treatment. These results suggested that middle-chain fatty acids caused severe damage to cell membranes and thylakoid membranes of treated leaves. C6 volatile compounds such as cis-3-hexenal, trans-2-hexenal, and cis-3-hexenol were generated in less than 1 h after spraying pelargonic acid to tobacco leaves. The application of pelargonic acid was thought to be the trigger for linolenic acid degradation in the thylakoid membranes.     

Effects of sika deer (Cervus nippon yakushimae) population growth on saplings in an evergreen broad-leaved forest

An increase in size of sika deer populations has caused severe damage to forest vegetation in many regions of Japan. In a Natural World Heritage area on the western part of Yakushima Island, existing high densities of deer are thought to be increasing, but the impact of deer on forest vegetation has not been estimated. Roadside censuses of deer between 1988 and 2006 showed that encounter rates are continuing to increase. Long-term monitoring of individual tree saplings in a 0.13 ha area of the forest between 1992 and 2005 showed that many saplings still remain despite increases in sika deer density. However, differences in growth and mortality rates of preferred, neutral (neither preferred nor avoided) and avoided sika deer food species varied over time. As a group, preferred species continuously had a low growth rate, while their mortality rate increased through time. The growth rates of the neutral and avoided groups decreased especially in the second half of our study period at the same time that their mortality rates increased. These data suggest that in spite of food species preference, direct feeding pressures as well as indirect physical effects by increasing sika deer density are affecting growth and mortality of tree saplings. Clearly, it is difficult to predict how plant communities will respond to possible continued sika deer population growth, and it is therefore important to continue monitoring these forest communities in the interest of preserving the unique ecosystems on Yakushima Island.     

Lateral resistance of anchor-bolt joints between timber sills and foundations II. Effective lateral resistance of multiple anchor-bolt joints

Monte Carlo simulations were conducted to estimate the effective lateral resistance of multiple anchor-bolt joints with ordinary specifications of Japanese post and beam constructions. Basic lateral load-slip curves of single anchor-bolt joints required in the simulations were determined from the test results of our earlier report. The effective lateral resistance of multiple anchor-bolt joints was estimated for some combinations of loading direction, length/diameter ratio of anchor bolts, lead-hole clearance, and number of anchor bolts. The principal results of the simulations are: (1) anchor-bolt joints loaded perpendicular to lateral forces are not recommended to be counted as supplementary resisting elements because their supplementary shares are far less than those expected from their allowable lateral resistance; (2) multiple anchor-bolt joints with small length/diameter ratios have comparatively lower effective resistance ratios than multiple anchor-bolt joints with large length/diameter ratios; (3) the effective resistance of multiple anchor-bolt joints is affected not only by lead-hole clearance or number of bolts but also variance of load-slip characteristics of single anchor-bolt joints. Part of this work was presented at WCTE2004, Lahti, June 2004