The characterization of low pathogenic avian influenza viruses isolated from wild birds in northern Vietnam from 2006 to 2009

Due to concerns that wild birds could possibly spread H5N1 viruses, surveillance was conducted to monitor the types of avian influenza viruses circulating among the wild birds migrating to or inhabiting in northern Vietnam from 2006 to 2009. An H5N2 virus isolated from a Eurasian woodcock had a close phylogenetic relationship to H5 viruses recently isolated in South Korea and Japan, suggesting that H5N2 has been shared between Vietnam, South Korea, and Japan. An H9N2 virus isolated from a Chinese Hwamei was closely related to two H9N2 viruses that were isolated from humans in Hong Kong in 2009, suggesting that an H9N2 strain relevant to the human isolates had been transmitted to and maintained among the wild bird population in Vietnam and South China. The results support the idea that wild bird species play a significant role in the spread and maintenance of avian influenza and that this also occurs in Vietnam.     

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.     

Estimation of nitrogen and phosphorus flows in livestock production in Dianchi Lake basin,China

We assessed the nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) flows in intensified livestock production systems by investigating nutrient budgets and cycling in the basin of Dianchi Lake, one of the most eutrophic lakes in China. We conducted field surveys based on feed samplings and interviews of livestock farmers. The N and P in local and external feeds, animal body retentions, animal products and excretions were calculated at the individual level for dairy cattle, fattening pigs, breeding sows, broilers and laying hens. The N and P flows in the total livestock production system in the area were estimated by multiplying the individual N and P budgets by the number of animals. For the dairy and fattening pig productions, N and P supplied from local crops or by‐products accounted for large parts of the inputs. For the other livestock categories, most of the N and P inputs depended on external resources. The N and P outputs through animal manure into the cropland were 287 and 66 kg/ha/year, respectively, which were higher than the N and P inputs into the livestock production systems from the cropland. The N and P loads from manure should be reduced for the establishment of sustainable agricultural production systems.     

Allelic frequencies and association with carcass traits of six genes in local subpopulations of Japanese Black cattle

Marker‐assisted selection (MAS) is expected to accelerate the genetic improvement of Japanese Black cattle. However, verification of the effects of the genes for MAS in different subpopulations is required prior to the application of MAS. In this study, we investigated the allelic frequencies and genotypic effects for carcass traits of six genes, which can be used in MAS, in eight local subpopulations. These genes are SCD, FASN and SREBP1, which are associated with the fatty acid composition of meat, and NCAPG, MC1R and F11, which are associated with carcass weight, coat color and blood coagulation abnormality, respectively. The frequencies of desirable alleles of SCD and FASN were relatively high and that of NCAPG was relatively low, and NCAPG was significantly associated with several carcass traits, including carcass weight. The proportions of genotypic variance explained by NCAPG to phenotypic variance were 4.83 for carcass weight. We thus confirmed that NCAPG is a useful marker for selection of carcass traits in these subpopulations. In addition, we found that the desirable alleles of six genes showed no negative effects on carcass traits. Therefore, selection using these genes to improve target traits should not have negative impacts on carcass traits.     

Diversity and fluctuation in ciliate protozoan population in the rumen of cattle

The purpose of this study was to investigate the diversity and fluctuation in the ciliate protozoan population in the rumen of cattle. DNA was extracted from the rumen of three ruminally cannulated, crossbred cattle and a polymerase chain reaction (PCR)‐derived clone library was constructed, using a specific primer set targeting 18S ribosomal RNA genes of ciliate protozoa. DNA fragments of seven selected clones were validated for standard DNA of the protozoa‐specific real‐time PCR assay. Furthermore, population fluctuation of ciliate protozoa and methanogens in the cattle rumen was determined by real‐time PCR. A total of 60 clones were sequenced, phylogenetically analyzed, and classified into 24 operational taxonomic units (OTUs) based on a 99% similarity criterion. More than 80% sequences were phylogenetically placed in the genus Entodinium. The rest of the sequences were placed in the genus Diploplastron (5%), Dasytricha (8.3%) and Isotricha (3.3%). The results suggest that Entodinium was the dominant group in the rumen of cattle used in this study. The ciliate protozoan population showed no significant change in numbers during the monitoring period and reached a peak at 3 h after feeding. Changes in the protozoa population were lower than those of the methanogens.     

The composition of volatiles from tatami mats containing hinoki (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Chamaecyparis obtusa</Emphasis>) wood-wool and its decline over the long term

Volatiles inside tatami mats containing hinoki (Chamaecyparis obtusa) wood-wool as padding were analyzed. Volatiles were collected with solid-phase microextraction (SPME) fibers in a small chamber prepared in tatami mats and assayed by gas chromatography. Most of the detected compounds are typically found in hinoki extractives. Monoterpenes rapidly decreased at the beginning of the experiment, while the dispersion of sesquiterpenes that contain hydroxyl groups was observed to last more than 1 year. These sesquiterpenes, T-cadinols, and α-cadinols may play a role in the suppression of house dust mites. Part of this report was presented at the 55th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society in Kyoto, March 2005     

Treatment of sugi （Cryptomeria japonica D.） sapwood with aqueous solution of acetic acid

Sugi sapwood samples were processed with aqueous solution of acetic acid in order to find the response of the weight of sugi sapwood and the treatment of aqueous solution of acetic acid. The result showed that loss of weight for the treated sugisapwood was about equal to yield of extracts from sugi sapwood, and increased with the increment of the concentration of aqueous solution of acetic acid. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy spectra changes of the treated sugi wood and extracts from sugi sapwood were analyzed by FT-IR spectroscopic technique. Increasing tendency of absorption intensities of the stretching vibration at 3 400 cm^-1 of hydroxyl group (OH) and C=C in lignin stretching vibration at 1510 cm^-1 of benzene ring inlignin were observed from FT-IR of the treated sugi sapwood. From FT-IR spectra of extracts from sugi sapwood by aqueoussolution of acetic acid, the dissolution of lignin was observed during the treatment with 30% acetic acid solution aqueous.     

The crown shape of an evergreen oak,Quercus glauca, in a hardwood community

The spatial pattern of the crown spread ofQuercus glauca in a hardwood community was investigated in order to consider the effect of the patterns on its survival in a secondary hardwood community. The shape of a crown was defined by the spatial spread of the leaves (PCM crown), and by the spread of their branches (elliptic cylinder crown). The stem volume growth rate of a tree was strongly correlated with the corresponding total leaf area, which was then significantly correlated with the defined crown volume. This indicated that the stem volume growth depended on the crown volume as well as the total leaf area. An increase in leaf area was largely attained by the spatial volume of the crown, not by an increase in the leaf area density. The leaves inside the crown began to spread horizontally relative to the crown size as the total leaf area and tree size increased. On the other hand, for the crowns representing the branch spread, the crown shape (crown width/depth ratio) did not differ by internal leaf area and tree size. Such a spatial pattern was likely to be adaptive for a species that dominates at a mid-stage of secondary sere.