The Effect of Eating Sea Cucumber Jelly on Candida Load in the Oral Cavity of Elderly Individuals in a Nursing Home

We conducted a double-blind randomized controlled study of elderly individuals in a nursing home to investigate the effect of the consumption of jelly containing sea cucumber on their oral Candida load. The jelly contained a hydrolysate of the sea cucumber Stichopus japonicus, which contained triterpene glycosides called holotoxins. The holotoxins worked as a fungicide, and their minimum inhibitory concentrations for Candida albicans were 7 µg/mL. Eight individuals in the nursing home took the sea cucumber jelly for a week and their oral Candida were counted before and after the intervention. Nine individuals took a control jelly without S. japonicus. The sea cucumber jelly showed inhibitory effects on the oral Candida. Thus, daily consumption of the S. japonicus jelly has the potential to reduce the oral Candida load in the elderly in nursing homes.     

Characterization of the neurotoxin produced by isolates associated with avian botulism

Several varieties of birds are affected by type C botulism. We conducted neutralization tests of culture supernatants of isolates from cases of avian botulism. Whereas the toxin produced by isolates derived from mammalian botulism was neutralized only with type C antitoxin, the toxins of all isolates related to avian botulism were neutralized with both type C and D antitoxins. An analysis of nucleotide sequences with several strains revealed that the neurotoxin gene in the isolates from avian botulism comprises two thirds of the type C neurotoxin gene and one third of the type D neurotoxin gene. This indicates that the neurotoxin of avian isolates is a mosaic of type C and D neurotoxins. We prepared three sets of primers to differentiate the gene for the mosaic form from the conserved genes of type C and D neurotoxins. The results of polymerase chain reaction with these primers indicated that all avian botulism-related isolates and specimens possess the gene for the mosaic form of the neurotoxin. The toxins purified from avian and mammalian isolates exhibited the same degree of lethality in mice, but the former showed greater toxicity to chickens than the latter. These results indicate that the mosaic neurotoxin is probably a pathogenic agent causing some forms of avian botulism.     

Distribution of actin filaments in the seminiferous epithelium of the Habu,Trimeresurus flavoviridis

The distribution of actin filaments was examined in the seminiferous epithelium of the Habu (Trimeresurus flavoviridis; snake), by transmission electron microscopy and fluorescence histochemistry. By transmission electron microscopy, actin filaments were clearly found only at the site between Sertoli cell and spermatid without a lattice‐like structure. Fluorescence histochemistry showed a weak labelling of actin filaments in the seminiferous epithelium, whereas these findings seem to be common among reptiles, they are different from those in mammals. Additionally, the bundles of actin filaments adjacent to the plasma membrane of Sertoli cells, appeared in other reptiles, were not observed in the Habu.     

The occurrence of coral spot of Japanese persimmon caused by <Emphasis Type="Italic">Nectria cinnabarina</Emphasis> (Tode: Fries) Fries

A twig canker disease of Japanese persimmon with characteristic coral spots was found in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The causal fungus was identified as Nectria cinnabarina, which causes coral spot disease on many host plants. This is the first report of the disease caused by N. cinnabarina on Japanese persimmon in Japan.     

Addition of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Pestalotiopsis </Emphasis>spp. to leaf spot pathogens of Japanese persimmon

 In June 1996, a leaf spot disease widely occurred in Japanese persimmon (Diospyros kaki) orchards in Tottori Prefecture, Japan. The main diagnostic symptom was ring spot on the leaves and calyxes of young fruits; in severe cases, lesions developed on more than half of the area of the leaf, resulting in early defoliation. Based on morphological and pathological studies of the isolated fungi, it was shown that Pestalotiopsis longiseta, P. glandicola, P. acaciae, and P. crassiuscula were responsible for the diseases. These fungi, except P. longiseta, were found to be new pathogens of the disease. Received: May 20, 2002 / Accepted: July 25, 2002     

First report of downy mildew of carnation caused by Peronospora dianthicola in Japan

Yellowish lesions with downy, gray growth developed on the leaves of carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) in a greenhouse in Hokkaido Prefecture, Japan, in March 2011. We identified the fungus on diseased plants as Peronospora dianthicola on the basis of the morphologies of the conidia, conidiophores, and oospores. To confirm pathogenicity of the fungus, we inoculated healthy plants with a conidial suspension of the fungus, and the plants developed the same signs and symptoms as the naturally infected plants. We then reidentified P. dianthicola from the diseased lesions. This is the first report of downy mildew of carnation in Japan.     

表层有效土壤水分参数化及冠层下土面蒸发模拟

通过观测田间微气象数据、土壤表层水分变化状况及荞麦作物冠层下土面蒸发等资料,引进一个表面体积含水率的函数,构建了基于表层有效土壤水分的土壤蒸发模型。该模型包含了土面蒸发的2个过程:水蒸气从土壤孔隙中扩散到地表面及水蒸气由地表面传输到大气中。模型中表层有效土壤水分参数不仅取决于表层土壤含水状况,而且受风速影响。采用波文比能量平衡法及微型蒸发器观测荞麦地实际蒸腾蒸发量及冠层下土面蒸发的变化规律,并验证模型精度。结果表明,所构建模型可以成功预测冠层下土面蒸发,其平均相对误差为13.5%。该研究对于实现土壤蒸发及作物蒸腾的分离估算,减少无效水分消耗具有重要意义。     

Comparison of histological responses and tissue damage expansion between resistant and susceptible Pinus thunbergii infected with pine wood nematode Bursaphelenchus xylophilus

Pine wilt disease caused by the pine wood nematode (PWN), Bursaphelenchus xylophilus, has been epidemic and has had disastrous impacts on pine forests and forest ecosystems in eastern Asia. Many pine species in this area are susceptible to this disease. Pinus thunbergii is particularly susceptible. In Japan, tree breeders have selected surviving trees from severely damaged forests as resistant candidates, and have finally established several resistant varieties of P. thunbergii. However, this breeding procedure requires much time and effort due to the lack of physiological and phenotypical information about resistance. To investigate the resistance mechanisms of selected P. thunbergii, we compared histochemical responses, tissue damage expansion, and PWN distribution in resistant and susceptible clones of P. thunbergii after PWN inoculation. The results suggested that the mechanisms of resistance are as follows: damage expansion in the cortex, cambium, and xylem axial resin canals are retarded in resistant trees soon after inoculation, probably due to the induction of wall protein-based defenses. Suppression of PWN reproduction was particularly caused by inhibition of damage expansion in the cambium. The slow expansion of damage in each tissue provides time for the host to complete the biosynthesis of lignin in the walls of cells that surround the damaged regions. This lignification of cell walls is assumed to effectively inhibit the migration and reproduction of the PWNs. The mechanism of initial damage retardation is presumed to be a key for resistance.     

Health and mineral nutrition status of yaks in southern Mustang,Nepal

Biochemical values and mineral concentrations in blood plasma were investigated to evaluate the statuses of health and mineral nutrition among yaks in Mustang District, Nepal. In total, 118 plasma samples of female yaks collected in April and September/October of 2013–2015 were offered. Seventy‐four percent of yaks showed lower plasma total‐cholesterol concentrations than the lowest limit of reference range (100 mg/dL) and the values in spring (83.41 mg/dL) were lower (P < 0.05) than those in autumn (95.05 mg/dL). All the yaks had lower plasma albumin concentrations than the lowest limit of reference range (3.0 g/dL) and 66% of yaks showed lower plasma inorganic phosphorus concentrations than the critical level of phosphorus deficiency (4.5 mg/dL). Thirty‐five percent of yaks showed lower plasma calcium concentrations than the lowest limit of normal range (8 mg/dL) and the concentrations were lower in spring than in autumn (P < 0.01). Seventy‐five percent of yaks presented lower copper concentrations than the critical level (0.65 mg/L) and the concentrations were lower in spring than in autumn (P < 0.01). Since the low plasma total‐cholesterol might have indicated shortage of dry matter and energy intake, attention should be paid to the nutritional statuses of energy, phosphorus, calcium and copper in winter and early spring.     

Predicting the price of Vietnamese shrimp products exported to the US market using machine learning

Accurately predicting the price of exported fishery products is an important task for fisheries because it will enable market trends to be determined, leading to the development of high-quality fishery products. In this study, we predicted prices in selected base periods (2, 3, 6, and 12 months) to investigate how historical data influenced the Vietnamese export price. A dataset (from May 1995 to May 2019) was collected from the US Department of Agriculture (USDA). We initially hypothesized that the dependent variable, Vietnamese export price, was affected by 33 independent variables, but ultimately used 15 key variables, which were chosen on the basis of Akaike information criterion (AIC) to train the models. A tree-based machine learning technique, including the random forest and gradient boosting tree algorithms, was applied for predictions. It was found that the random forest algorithm performed well for historical data for periods of more than 6 months, while the gradient boosting tree algorithm was better over short durations of less than 6 months.