Distribution of different fractions of cadmium,zinc, lead,and copper in unpolluted and polluted soils

McLaren and Crawford's method for fractionating soil Cu was modified, and used to fractionate soil Cd, Zn, Pb, and Cu in 38 soil samples from 11 soil profiles from industrially polluted and nearby unpolluted areas. Pollutant metals, especially Cd and Zn, were more soluble than the native soil metals. On average, approximately 45% of Cd was present in the CaCl₂ soluble (CA) fraction, whereas corresponding values for the other metals were below 10%. The percentages of each metal in the CA fraction followed the order Cd > Zn > Pb > Cu. The same order was observed for the acetic acid soluble (AAC) fraction. Approximately 30% of total Pb and Cu were present in the pyrophosphate soluble (PYR) fraction, and only 10% of total Cd and Zn. Approximately 20% of total Zn or Pb and 10% of Cd or Cu were present in the free oxide (OX) fraction. Only 20% of Cd and between 40–50% of the other 3 metals were present in the residual (RES) fraction. The results show that Cd is more labile than the other 3 metals.     

The global circulation of seasonal influenza A (H3N2) viruses

Antigenic and genetic analysis of the hemagglutinin of approximately 13,000 human influenza A (H3N2) viruses from six continents during 2002-2007 revealed that there was continuous circulation in east and Southeast Asia (E-SE Asia) via a region-wide network of temporally overlapping epidemics and that epidemics in the temperate regions were seeded from this network each year. Seed strains generally first reached Oceania, North America, and Europe, and later South America. This evidence suggests that once A (H3N2) viruses leave E-SE Asia, they are unlikely to contribute to long-term viral evolution. If the trends observed during this period are an accurate representation of overall patterns of spread, then the antigenic characteristics of A (H3N2) viruses outside E-SE Asia may be forecast each year based on surveillance within E-SE Asia, with consequent improvements to vaccine strain selection.     

Effect of dietary addition of seaweed and licorice on the immune performance of pigs

In pig production, dietary additive antibiotics are usually used for growth stimulation and disease prevention, although there is public concern about the increased incidence of resistant antibiotics and food safety. It is possible that such antibiotics might be replaced by naturally derived products such as seaweed and licorice. In this study, we evaluated the effect of dietary addition of seaweed and licorice on enhancing the immune function in swine. The animals of each group (eight animals per group) were sensitized at day 42 and 49, and the immunoglobulin production and the expression of cytokines were detected by the ELISA and real‐time PCR. As the results, saliva IgA production of the seaweed‐treated group increased around five times compared to that of control (day 56). Delayed hypersensitivity reaction and IgG production of the seaweed‐treated group increased around 1.8–2.0 times. In addition, enhanced saliva IgA production was detected at day 50 (around two times) and day 51 (around five times) by the licorice treatment, and lower expression level of tumor necrosis factor‐α messenger RNA at day 51 (around 1/25) was observed in the licorice treatment. We conclude that the replacement of antibiotics by naturally derived dietary additives might be feasible for immune system enhancement.     

Evaluation of genetic trends and determination of the optimal number of cumulative records of parity required in reproductive traits in a Large White pig population

Genetic improvement of the reproductive performance of pigs is important for pig breeding despite their low heritabilities. The objectives of this study were to investigate the effectiveness of selection concerning reproductive traits and to determine the optimal number of parity records required for accurate estimation of breeding values (BVs) in the open population of a commercial pig breeding company. The study used records of 2220 purebred Large White pigs (9845 litters) farrowed between 1998 and 2009 in the two herds of the Pacific Ocean Breeding Co. Ltd. The traits studied included farrowing interval (FI), total number of piglets at birth (TNB), average weaning weight per litter (AWW), and raising rate (RR). A statistical model was applied to the 4‐trait repeatability animal model. The heritabilities of FI, TNB, AWW and RR were low. The genetic trends in TNB (h² = 0.09) showed approximately 1.0 increase in 6 years from 2003 to 2008. The predicted error variances indicated that up to fourth parity records are necessary for accurate genetic evaluation. The present study results indicated that even reproductive traits with low heritability can be improved.     

Changes in oxidative status in periparturient dairy cows in hot conditions

We investigated the changes in the plasma concentrations of oxidative stress markers in periparturient dairy cows in hot conditions. This study was performed on 10 cows from day ?5 to day 10 after parturition. The experimental duration was divided into three periods: period 1 (5 days before parturition); period 2 (5 days after parturition); and period 3 (from day 6 to day 10 after parturition). The average rectal temperature in the cows during the experimental period was more than 39°C. Plasma aspartate aminotransferase activities in periods 2 and 3 were higher than that in period 1 (P < 0.05). Blood urea nitrogen concentration in period 3 was lower than those in periods 1 and 2 (P < 0.05). The total ascorbic acid concentration in the plasma in period 2 was greater than those in periods 1 and 3 (P < 0.05). Thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) concentrations in periods 2 and 3 were greater than that in period 1 (P < 0.05). TBARS concentration was positively correlated with aspartate aminotransferase activity (P < 0.05). These results suggested that oxidative stress increased in cows after parturition under hot climatic conditions.     

Background level of indium and gallium in soil with special reference to the pollution of the soils from zinc and lead smelters

The mean and range of indium content in unpolluted soils (Humic Andosols, Eutric Fluvisols, and Mollic Gleysols) was found to be 0.037 (0.016–0.078) μg/g dry wt. In soils polluted by common heavy metals, elevated values of indium up to 1.92 μg/g dry wt were observed together with an increase of cadmium, zinc, and lead. In contrast to indium, gallium content in polluted soils was nearly the same as that in unpolluted soils throughout the profiles. The mean and range of gallium content in all unpolluted and polluted samples was 14.2 (12.8–16.3) μg/g dry wt. The indium and gallium contents in 4 Canadian reference soils were also analyzed.