Models for forecasting sandfish catch in the coastal waters off Akita Prefecture and the evaluation of the effect of a 3-year fishery closure

SUMMARY: The sandfish Arctoscopus japonicus in the coastal waters off Akita Prefecture had been landed in amounts of more than 10 000 t continuously from 1963 to 1975. From 1976, however, it began to decrease sharply and fell to only 74 t in 1984. The fishery society of Akita Prefecture closed the fishing from 1 September 1992 to 30 September 1995. Since 1995, the total allowable catch (TAC) allocated in each year has increased. However, the mechanism behind the increment of catch has not been clearly demonstrated. The aim of this study is to elucidate the mechanism behind the increase of catch using catch forecasting models constructed with past water temperature and catch data. The results were as follows: (i) the effect of water temperature in the depth strata 200–300 m, September of year t –1, t –2 and t –3 of station 1 would be important for forecasting the catch in year t; (ii) coastal catch in year t –1 and t –2 would be important for forecasting the catch in year t; (iii) the effect of a fishery closure would be significantly related to the period of the closure and the environmental condition such as water temperature; and (iv) the TAC system would be important for the recovery of stock and to avoid the depletion of abundance.     

Application of a novel carboxymethyl cellulose-based Mohs sol–gel on malignant wounds in three dogs

The preparation of modified Mohs paste, commonly used for malignant wounds, requires time and effort. Moreover, metal-containing liquid waste is generated when malignant wounds are scrubbed. Therefore, we previously changed the base material of the modified Mohs paste from zinc oxide starch powder to carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC). The novel modified Mohs paste based on CMC (moM-CMC sol) may reduce these disadvantages. In the present study, the moM-CMC sol was applied to malignant tumors in three dogs to manage bleeding and malodor. The moM-CMC sol transitioned into a gel on the tumors within an hour of application and could be easily removed. The symptoms resolved in all cases. The moM-CMC sol could be beneficial for dogs with malignant wounds.     

Influence of manufacturing conditions and crop season on the formation of 4-mercapto-4-methyl-2-pentanone in Japanese green tea (sen-cha)

4-Mercapto-4-methyl-2-pentanone is one of the most strongly contributing odorants in the volatile fraction of a Japanese green tea (sen-cha) infusion, and on the basis of the results of an aroma extract dilution analysis, the contribution of this compound to the flavor of the sen-cha infusion varied according to the degree of heating of the tea leaves during the roasting process. The concentration of this odorant in the sen-cha infusion, as with other roasty odorants, increased with the increasing roasting temperature. However, the slope of the increase curve differed with the odor compound, and even if roasting was done at a low temperature, at which the other roasty odorants hardly increased, 4-mercapto-4-methyl-2-pentanone still increased and reached a maximum at 112 degrees C. On the other hand, the amount of 4-mercapto-4-methyl-2-pentanone in sen-cha was a maximum in the first crop, then decreasing in the order of the second and third crops. These results suggested that the amount of 4-mercapto-4-methyl-2-pentanone was closely involved with the quality of sen-cha and that the concentration was dependent on the roasting conditions for the green tea leaves, which might be accompanied by an enzymatic reaction.     

Yersiniosis caused by Yersinia pseudotuberculosis in captive toucans (Ramphastidae) and a Japanese squirrel (Sciurus lis) in zoological gardens in Japan

Two captive Keel-billed toucans and a Chestnut-mandibled toucan in another zoological garden died suddenly without any pre-existing symptoms, and three months later, a Japanese squirrel died of diarrhea. All these animals showed necrotic enteritis and multifocal necrosis in the liver and spleen with Gram negative bacilli. The bacilli showed strong positive immunolabeling for Yersinia pseudotuberculosis O4 in the Keel-billed toucans, Y. pseudotuberculosis O2 in the Chestnut-mandibled toucan and Y. pseudotuberculosis O1 in the Japanese squirrel, while Y. pseudotuberculosis 4b, 2b and 1b were respectively isolated from the lesions. To our knowledge, this might be the first reported case of fatal yersiniosis in a Japanese squirrel in the world as well as in toucans in Japan.     

Potent inhibitory effects of black tea theaflavins on off-odor formation from citral

The present study was conducted to investigate the ability of black tea theaflavins to inhibit the off-odor formation from citral under acidic aqueous conditions. Acidic buffer solutions (pH 3.0) containing citral (10 mg/L) and an inhibitor (0-5 mg/L) were stored at 40 degrees C for 2 weeks. The formation of possible off-odorants p-cresol and p-methylacetophenone in the citral solutions was monitored by high-performance liquid chromatography. A mixture of the theaflavins showed inhibitory effects on the formation of both p-cresol and p-methylacetophenone with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC(50)) of 0.18 and 0.10 mg/L, respectively. Individual theaflavins and a structurally related compound, purpurogallin, also inhibited the formation of both off-odorants, with the lowest IC(50) values for theaflavin 3,3'-digallate (0.17 and 0.06 mg/L for p-cresol and p-methylacetophenone, respectively). On the other hand, a mixture of green tea catechins and its major constituent, (-)-epigallocatechin gallate, showed relatively high IC(50) values for the formation of p-methylacetophenone (1.29 and 1.28 mg/L, respectively) and showed no inhibitory effect on the formation of p-cresol. The results of the sensory evaluation showed that the off-odor intensity of the stored citral solution was significantly decreased by the addition of the theaflavin mixture at concentrations of 0.5 mg/L and above. In addition, the calculation of the odor activity values (OAVs) for the volatile compounds detected by a gas chromatographic analysis indicated that the total OAVs of the major volatile compounds in the citral solution were significantly decreased by the addition of the theaflavins.     

Clinical Study Report on Milk Production in the Offspring of a Somatic Cell Cloned Holstein Cow

This study examined two female offspring of a somatic cell cloned Holstein cow that had reproduction problems and milk production performance issues. The two offspring heifers, which showed healthy appearances and normal reproductive characteristics, calved on two separate occasions. The mean milk yields of the heifers in the first lactation period were 9,037 kg and 7,228 kg. The relative mean milk yields of these cows were 111.2% and 88.9%, respectively, when compared with that of the control group. No particular clinical abnormalities were revealed in milk yields and milk composition rate [e.g., fat, protein and solids-not-fat (SNF)], and reproductive characteristics of the offspring of the somatic cell cloned Holstein cow suggested that the cloned offspring had normal milk production.