Use of Linear Spectral Mixture Model to Estimate Rice Planted Area Based on MODIS Data

MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) is a key instrument aboard the Terra (EOS AM) and Aqua (EOS PM) satellites.Linear spectral mixture models are applied to MOIDS data for the sub-pixel classification of land covers.Shaoxing county of Zhcjiang Province in China was chosen to be the study site and early rice was selected as the study crop.The derived proportions of land covers from MODIS pixel using linear spectral mixture models were compared with unsupervised classification derived from TM data acquired on the same day,which implies that MODIS data could be used as satellite data source for rice cultivation area estimation,possibly rice growth monitoring and yield forecasting on the regional scale.     

Major microbiota of lactic acid bacteria from Matsoni, a traditional Georgian fermented milk

A total of 26 samples of Matsoni were collected in Georgia. From these samples 80 strains of lactic acid cocci and 173 strains of lactobacilli were isolated. The number of lactic acid bacteria varied between 10⁵ and 10¹⁰ colony forming unit (CFU)/mL. All the isolated lactic acid bacteria were thermophilic bacteria that could grow at 45°C. The predominant lactic acid bacteria were Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii spp. bulgaricus in 25 samples of Matsoni, while Lactobacillus helveticus was also a predominant species, together with the two previous species in one sample of Matsoni. We showed there was diversity in both S. thermophilus and L. delbrueckii spp. bulgaricus at the strain level by randomly amplified polymorphic DNA analysis.     

Herpes Simplex Virus Type 1 Infection in Two Pet Marmosets in Japan

An 8-month-old common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) was presented with tic-like symptoms, and a 2-year-old pigmy marmoset (Callithrix pygmaea) was presented with dyspnea and hypersalivation. Both monkeys died within a few days, and necropsies were performed. Histopathological examinations revealed ulcerative stomatitis with epithelial cell swelling and eosinophilic intranuclear inclusion bodies in the oral epithelium of both cases. In the central and peripheral nervous systems, neuronal cell degeneration with intranuclear inclusion bodies was observed. Immunohistochemical examination using anti-herpes simplex virus type 1 antibody revealed virus antigens in both cases. Both animals had been kept as pets with limited exposure to the ambient environment except via their owners. Therefore, herpes simplex virus type-1 was probably acquired from close contact with their owners.     

Common variable immune deficiency in a Pomeranian with Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia

A Pomeranian dog, 1 year- and 8 month-old neutered female, was presented with persistent respiratory distress and recurrent generalized demodicosis. Physical examination revealed cyanosis, rough respiratory sounds, multifocal alopecia and dermal erosions on the dorsal side of the forelimbs, perineal area and skin around the eyes. A severe diffuse interstitial lung pattern was observed on thoracic radiographs. The blood examination revealed neutrophilia and hypoglobulinemia. Serum immunoglobulin concentrations of IgG and IgA were low. Histopathological examination revealed severe diffuse interstitial pneumonia with Pneumocystis carinii infection. Severe lymphoid depletion was observed in the spleen and other organs with lymphoid follicles consisted mainly of CD3-positive T cells and few cells of B-cell lineage. B-cell hypoplasia with subsequent antibody deficiency was suspected.     

Expression of cell adhesion molecules in canine choroid plexus tumors

Choroid plexus tumor (CPT) is a primary intracranial neoplasm of the choroid plexus epithelium in the central nervous system. In the current World Health Organization classification, CPT is classified into two categories; choroid plexus papilloma (CPP) and carcinoma (CPC). In the present study, we investigated immunohistochemical expressions of N-cadherin, E-cadherin and β-catenin in 5 canine CPT cases (1 disseminated CPC, 2 CPCs and 2 CPPs). One CPP case was positive for N-cadherin and β-catenin, but negative for E-cadherin. The disseminated CPC case was positive for E-cadherin and β-catenin, but negative for N-cadherin. The other cases were positive for the three molecules examined. These results suggest that loss of the N-cadherin expression might associate with the spreading of CPC cells.     

Changes in the coagulation parameters in dogs with protein-losing enteropathy between before and after treatment

Protein-losing enteropathy (PLE) is known to induce hypercoagulability and resultant thromboembolism in dogs. We hypothesized that hypercoagulability would improve if remission was obtained in dogs with PLE after treatment. This study aimed to evaluate the changes in the coagulation parameters after treatment in dogs diagnosed with PLE. As coagulation parameters, prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT), fibrinogen, thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT), D-dimer, and antithrombin (AT) were measured. In addition to these parameters, rotational thromboelastometry (ROTEM), which evaluates the comprehensive coagulation and fibrinolysis reactions of whole blood, was conducted and the data of clotting time (CT), clot formation time (CFT), α angle (α), maximum clot firmness (MCF) and lysis index at 60 min (LI60) were obtained. Eleven of the 14 dogs diagnosed with PLE were classified as responders to the treatment based on the changes in their plasma albumin (ALB) concentration after treatment. Significant increase in CFT and decrease of α and MCF indicating the resolution of hypercoagulability were found after treatment in responder dogs; however, there was no significant change in the coagulation and fibrinolysis parameters other than those measured by ROTEM. This study demonstrated that the hypercoagulability detected by ROTEM was significantly improved after treatment in dogs with PLE.     

Association between intestinal lymphangiectasia and expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase in dogs with lymphoplasmacytic enteritis

Intestinal lymphangiectasia (IL) is a common complication in dogs. Since nitric oxide (NO) is known to relax the lymphatic vessel, we evaluated inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression using immunohistochemistry in 13 dogs with lymphoplasmacytic enteritis (LPE) with or without IL. The duodenal iNOS expressing cells were significantly increased in dogs with IL-negative or IL-positive LPE dogs (P=0.025, P=0.007) compared with control dogs. However, there was no significant difference in iNOS expression between IL-positive and IL-negative tissues. Based on these results, there is no clear evidence for the NO overproduction in the pathogenesis of IL in dogs with LPE. Factors other than NO could, thus, contribute to IL in dogs with LPE.     

Effects of feeding dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) on meat quality at the late stage of the fattening period of Holstein steers

Feeding dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) during the late stage of the fattening period of Holstein steers was studied in regard to the influence on meat quality. Sixteen Holstein steers approximately 18 months old were used in this study. Eight animals were fed commercial concentrated feed for the entire fattening period. The other eight animals were fed 15% DDGS in the concentrated feed for 3 months before slaughtering. The moisture, ether extract and crude protein from both groups was approximately the same. The thiobarbituric acid reactive substance (TBA) value of storage for 7 days at 5°C from the animals fed DDGS showed a tendency to be lower (P = 0.059). The change in the TBA value during storage was also lower for the animals not fed DDGS (P < 0.05). There were no differences in the subcutaneous fat color between the two groups. The a*(measure of redness) and b*(measure of yellowness) of the M. longissimus from the animals fed DDGS showed a tendency to be lower (P = 0.051, 0.070). The fatty acid composition of the M. longissimus, subcutaneous and perirenal fat were not widely influenced by the feeding of DDGS. It is suggested that feeding 15% DDGS during the late stage of the fattening period for Holstein steers reduced the oxidation of the beef.