Isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility of Plesiomonas shigelloides from great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo hanedae) in Gifu and Shiga Prefectures,Japan

Plesiomonas shigelloides is a causal agent of gastroenteritis, sepsis and meningitis in humans. We examined the prevalence of P. shigelloides among great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo hanedae) in Japan and the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates. P. shigelloides was isolated from 33 (47.8%) of 69 fecal samples from great cormorants in 2014. All 33 isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using broth microdilution methods, which showed resistance to ampicillin (31 isolates, 93.9%), tetracycline (two isolates, 6.1%) and trimethoprim (one isolate, 3.0%). The high prevalence of P. shigelloides in the great cormorants implicates the possible microbiological risk to public health.     

cDNA cloning and characterization of the warm-temperature-acclimation-associated protein Wap65 from carp, Cyprinus carpio

We determined full-length cDNA of carp warm-temperature-acclimation-associated 65-kDa protein (Wap65). It encoded 439 amino acid residues with a signal peptide of 22 residues and showed an amino acid sequence identity of 88% to that of goldfish reported before (J. Biol. Chem. 1995. 270: 17087–17092). The number of potential N-linked glycosylation sites of carp Wap65 was two in contrast to three for goldfish. In addition, molecular mass determined by SDS-PAGE was apparently different from that of goldfish. These results suggest that the amount of oligosaccharide is different between the carp and goldfish protein. As in goldfish, carp Wap65 mRNA showed marked accumulation in hepatopancreas of the 30 °C- acclimated fish, which was 8-fold higher than that of the 10 °C-acclimated fish. Carp Wap65 showed 30% amino acid identity to mammalian hemopexins, which appeared to be considerably low in comparison with those among mammalian hemopexins (72 to 80%), or among carp Wap65 and rainbow trout hemopexin-like protein (70%). However, although mammalian hemopexins contain residues comprising the heme binding pocket, carp Wap65 lacked one of the two histidine residues to serve as heme axial ligands in hemopexins. Our data on carp protein substantiates the previous observation for goldfish and indicates that Wap65 might have some important functions in warm-temperature-acclimation of fish.     

Magnetic properties of the lunar crystalline rock and fines

Magnetic measurements have shown that nondiamagnetic minerals in a lunar crystalline rock of type B are (free Fe(2)+ in paramagnetic pyroxenes) : (antiferromagnetic FeSiO(3)) : (antiferromagnetic FeTiO(3)) : (ferromagnetic iron) = 4.3 : 7 : 20 : 0.08 in weight percentage. The abundance of ferromagnetic Fe in the lunar fines is about 7.5 times its abundance in the crystalline rock. The natural remanent magnetization of the crystalline rock of 7.5 x 10(-6) emu/ g in intensity may not be attributable to its thermoremanent magnetization.     

Subaru telescope observations of Deep Impact

The impact cratering process on a comet is controversial but holds the key for interpreting observations of the Deep Impact collision with comet 9P/Tempel 1. Mid-infrared data from the Cooled Mid-Infrared Camera and Spectrometer (COMICS) of the Subaru Telescope indicate that the large-scale dust plume ejected by the impact contained a large mass (approximately 10(6) kilograms) of dust and formed two wings approximately +/-45 degrees from the symmetric center, both consistent with gravity as the primary control on the impact and its immediate aftermath. The dust distribution in the inner part of the plume, however, is inconsistent with a pure gravity control and implies that evaporation and expansion of volatiles accelerated dust.     

Prediction from ultrasonographic measurements of the expected delivery date in two species of bottlenosed dolphin (Tursiops truncatus and Tursiops aduncus)

Ultrasonographic measurements were made at least once a month during 14 gestations in seven Tursiops truncatus and 12 gestations in five Tursiops aduncus (bottlenosed dolphins). The 121 measurements of the fetal biparietal diameter and 139 measurements of the fetal thoracic diameter in T truncatus and the 97 measurements of the biparietal diameter and 97 measurements of the thoracic diameter in Taduncus were used to establish regression lines for the increases in the diameter of the head and thorax of the fetus with time. From these relationships an easy-to-use computer program was developed to predict the date of birth of the two species of bottlenosed dolphin, and its predictions were compared with the actual dates of birth of other calves of both species. The births occurred within the range of predicted dates, and even when only a few measurements were available, the program provided accurate predictions.