Evaluation of larval quality of viviparous scorpionfish Sebastiscus marmoratus

The aim of this study was to develop an acute test for larval quality in the viviparous scorpionfish Sebastiscus marmoratus. Rearing experiments until day 13 post parturition were conducted to investigate the survival of larvae for 13 different batches, and tolerance to starvation of larvae was examined and expressed by the survival activity index (SAI). The morphological characters, enzyme activity, and swimming behavior of larvae on day 0 and 1 were also observed, followed by the correlation analysis between SAI. Larvae with high SAI (≥26) showed significantly higher survival on day 13 than larvae with low SAI, which confirmed that SAI is a reliable index that can be used to evaluate larval quality, similar to the former findings. The esterase activity (r=−0.713, P<0.01), swim frequency (r=−0.735, P<0.01) and swimming speed (r=−0.588, P<0.05) of larvae on day 0 were significantly and negatively correlated with SAI. It was concluded that enzyme activity and behavioral characters of larvae just after parturition can be a real-time index for evaluating the larval quality of this species.     

Toluene Exposure Leads to a Change in Expression Patterns of β Defensins in the Mouse Tracheal Epithelium

Defensins are generally implicated in the quick resistance of epithelial surfaces to microbials; however, recent reports have indicated that defensins also have unknown purposes in relation to noninfectious diseases. In this study, the localization patterns of anti-microbial peptides, β defensins (BDs), in the tracheal epithelium of male C3H mice under exposure to toluene were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. Mice were exposed one to ten times to toluene for 30 min by nose-only inhalation. Expression of BDs was revealed by immunohistochemistry in serial sections of trachea after the final exposure. Expression of BD-1 was usually observed at almost the same levels in all exposure groups, and expression of BD-2 was observed in the control group; however, the signals for BD-2 decreased gradually with frequency of exposure. In the group exposed ten times, expression of BD-2 decreased to far lower than that of the control group. No expression of BD-3 was detected in any groups. Interestingly, expression of BD-4 increased to the maximum in the group exposed four times and decreased to a level lower than that of the control in the group exposed ten times. The results of the present study indicated that toluene gas might change the expression pattern of BDs in the tracheal epithelial cells. The oscillation of expression of BD-4 was quite characteristic and might contribute to morphological damage in on the epithelial cells.     

Design and evaluation of a one-operation shallow up-cut tillage sowing method for soybean production

ABSTRACT

Sowing using a rotary tiller rotating in reverse (up-cut) is a labor-saving technology for soybean production because it can perform tillage and sowing, make ridges, and bury winter crop residues in one operation. However, the power requirement of up-cut rotation is higher than of normal rotation (down-cut), resulting in lower working speeds. Shallow tillage sowing methods may be a solution to this problem. Here, we develop a shallow tillage sowing method using an up-cut rotary and a side-disk which could perform the aforementioned works in one operation and conducted field experiments in 2015 and 2016 to study the effect of our sowing method (up-cut shallow tillage; UST) on ridge shape, soil volumetric water content (VWC) and soybean growth and yield, compared to conventional sowing methods (up-cut conventional tillage; UCT, and down-cut conventional tillage; DCT). Ridge shape did not differ among sowing methods. The VWC at 10 and 20 cm depths in DCT was always higher than in UST and UCT, indicating poorer drainage. The VWC at 10 cm depth decreased quickly after rain in UST and UCT, indicating good surface-layer drainage, but at 20 cm depth in UCT, VWC was lower than in UST, especially during dry spells, indicating higher water-holding capacity in UST than in UCT. Shoot and root growth and seed yield did not differ among sowing methods, indicating that UST did not negatively affect soybean growth and yield. These results suggest that UST can be used for soybean production.     

Effect of liming using a partial mixing technique on reductions in the seed cadmium levels for soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.) under field conditions

To reduce the availability of soil cadmium (Cd) to soybeans (Glycine max (L.) Merr.), we employed a liming by partial mixing (PM) technique in two drained paddy fields on Gray Lowland soils, which had 0.1 mol L^–1 hydrochloric acid-extractable Cd concentrations as high as 1.08 and 1.40 mg kg^–1. Among the different application methods tested, PM application (PM2) using a width of 20 cm and a depth of 20 cm was found to be most appropriate for reducing the seed Cd concentration and to obtain the optimum yield at Site A. Under PM2, a liming rate of 38% of that for broadcast incorporated into the surface 15 cm layer (Bc) was suitable to reduce the seed Cd concentration at Site A, whereas the lime rate with PM2 was set at 50% of that for Bc (PM2-50) at Site B due to the higher availability of soil Cd. The root system was limited within the range of lime and fertilizer application for PM2 as well as PM2-50; thus, the lime and fertilizer were supplied successfully to the rooting zone. The soil pH value was lower under PM2 at Site A and PM2-50 at Site B compared with Bc, whereas the seed Cd concentration was lower for PM2 and PM2-50. This may be explained by the intensive uptake of calcium and magnesium with PM2 as well as PM2-50. The seed Cd concentration in the cultivar “Ryuhou” at the target pH of 6.5 was approximately 30% lower with PM2-50 than Bc at Site B. In addition, the average seed Cd concentrations in one cultivar and two lines, characterized by the lower Cd uptake with higher retention in roots and higher accumulation in leaves, were approximately 40% lower compared with “Ryuhou.” Thus, the combination of liming with PM2-50 at the target pH of 6.5 and a low-Cd cultivar (or lines) minimized the seed Cd concentration. The highest seed Cd concentration was found in the first year of soybean cultivation, which was considered to be caused by the release of Cd from organic nitrogen compounds during the nitrogen mineralization process.     

Kinetic analysis of color changes in cellulose during heat treatment

This paper deals with the kinetics of the color changes of cellulose during heat treatment. The color of cellulose heated at 90–180°C was measured by a spectrophotometer and expressed by CIELAB color parameters. The values of L* decreased and those of a*, b* and Δ E* _ab increased at all the treatment temperatures. Several kinetic models, namely, the zero-order, first-order, second-order and autocatalytic model, were applied to the changes in the color values. Furthermore, the results of kinetic analysis using the best-fit model were compared to the results obtained from conventional kinetic models. It was suggested that the kinetic analysis using the best-fit model was the better way to accurately predict color changes during heat treatment. The values of apparent activation energy calculated from the changes of L*, a*, b* and Δ E* _ab were 125, 124, 118 and 120 kJ/mol, respectively. These values were similar to the reported values calculated from other chemical or mechanical properties.     

Activation of rabbit TLR9 by different CpG-ODN optimized for mouse and human TLR9

Synthetic CpG-oligodeoxynucleotides (CpG-ODN) are potent adjuvants that accelerate and boost antigen-specific immune responses. Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9) is the cellular receptor for these CpG-ODN. Previous studies have shown species-specific activation of mouse TLR9 (mTLR9) and human TLR9 (hTLR9) by their optimized CpG-ODN. The interaction between rabbit TLR9 (rabTLR9) and CpG-ODN, however, has not been previously investigated. Here, we cloned and characterized rabTLR9 and comparatively investigated the activation of the rabbit, mouse, and human TLR9 by CpG-ODN. The complete open reading frame of rabTLR9 encodes 1028 amino acid residues, which share 70.6% and 75.5% of the identities of mTLR9 and hTLR9, respectively. Rabbit TLR9 is preferentially expressed in immune cells rich tissues, and is localized in intracellular vesicles. While mTLR9 and hTLR9 displayed species-specific recognition of their optimized CpG-ODN, rabbit TLR9 was activated by these CpG-ODN without any preference. This result suggests that rabTLR9 has a broader ligand-recognition profile than mouse and human TLR9.     

Reducing the Risk of Iron Toxicity by Imposing Unsaturated Conditions before Flooding

Unsaturated incubation (UI) of air-dried soil before flooding significantly reduced the reduction of redox potential and decreased the easily reducible iron (Fe) (ERFe). Antibacterial treatment of the soil decreased the ERFe level regardless of the moisture regime while fungicide treatment reduced the effects of UI. Treating soil under imposed UI with sucrose helped recover the ERFe to the non-UI level. The effects of UI disappeared after air-drying the soil; therefore, the decrease in ERFe—by imposing upland conditions before flooding—could be due to the decrease in the activity of iron-reducing bacteria owing to the depletion of respiratory substrates by bacterial activity during the upland conditions. These results indicate that a drastic change in soil moisture from dry to wet will increase the risk of iron toxicity by increasing the ERFe, but that maintaining an upland condition for more than one week before total submergence can reduce the risk of iron toxicity.     

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.     

3-Methylthiopropionic acid ethyl ester, isolated from Katsura-uri (Japanese pickling melon, Cucumis melo var. conomon), enhanced differentiation in human colon cancer cells

The fully ripened fruit of Katsura-uri Japanese pickling melon ( Cucumis melo var. conomon) has rarely been used for food because the midripened fruit is utilized for making pickles, but the fully ripened fruit is no longer valuable for pickles due to the fruit body being too soft. We have considered the utilization of the fully ripened Katsura-uri fruit that may be used for nonpickling products, particularly if the fully ripened fruit demonstrated health benefits such as anticarcinogenic properties. The phytochemical extract from the fully ripened fruit of Katsura-uri Japanese pickling melon was purified via a bioassay-guided fractionation scheme, which was based on the induction of differentiation in a RCM-1 human colon cancer cell line. On the criteria of two differentiation markers (duct formation and alkaline phosphatase activity), the most potent fraction contained a compound identified as 3-methylthiopropionic acid ethyl ester, based on GC retention time, EI-MS, (1)H NMR, and (13)C NMR spectra. Previously, the role of 3-methylthiopropionic acid ethyl ester was considered as an odor producing compound in many fruits, but this study indicates potential medical benefits of this compound.