A newly devised electric field screen for avoidance and capture of cigarette beetles and vinegar flies

A bifunctional electric field screen was proposed to physically exclude insect pests from warehouses. The screen consists of insulated iron wires (ICW) arranged in parallel and two earthed conductor nets placed on both sides of the ICW. A negative charge (0.1-8.0 kV) was applied to the insulated wires with a voltage generator to polarize an insulator sleeve used to cover the wire, negatively on the outer surface and positively on the inner conductor wire surface of the sleeve. The negative surface charge of the ICW caused an electrostatic induction in the earthed nets and an opposite charge on the net surfaces facing the ICW. An electric field formed in a space between the ICW and the earthed net, and the field strength increased in direct proportion to increasing voltages applied to the ICW. Adults of the test insects (cigarette beetle (Lasioderma serricorne) and vinegar fly (Drosophila melanogaster)) reaching the outer surface of the earthed net were deterred from entering the inside of the charged screen, whereas all insects immediately passed through the screen when the ICW was not charged. This avoidance was directly proportional to the increase in the voltage. In addition, the capability of the screen to capture insects that enter inside the screen was proven by introducing insects into the space between the ICW and the earthed net. Strong capture was observed when the ICW was negatively charged with more than 4.1 kV, under which conditions a short-term electric current (peaking at 0.3-0.6 μA, for 3 min) occurred transiently. This electric current was due to the release of electricity from the insects, giving a net overall positive charge to the insects, which therefore were attracted more strongly to the negatively charged ICW. A test using an attractant-set chamber showed that the insects were completely prevented from passing through the charged screen, in contrast to a rapid transfer of all insects when the screen was not charged. Thus, the present results show that the described screen is a promising physical tool for controlling insect pests in warehouses.     

Hypereosinophilic syndrome in two cats

Two cats showing chronic vomiting, diarrhea and weight loss were found to have leukocytosis with marked eosinophilia. Both cats were diagnosed with hypereosinophilic syndrome by the findings of increased eosinophils and their precursors in the bone marrow, eosinophilic infiltration into multiple organs, and exclusion of other causes for eosinophilia. Although cytoreductive chemotherapy with hydroxycarbamide and prednisolone was performed, these two cats died 48 days and 91 days after the initial presentation.     

Synthesis of haptens for development of antibodies to alkylphenols and evaluation and optimization of a selected antibody for ELISA development

The development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) based on polyclonal antibodies for a class of endocrine disrupting compounds, 4-nonylphenol, is described. The parent molecule was derivatized at the ortho position of the free phenolic hydroxyl group to obtain the hapten, NP1, and it was conjugated with keyhole limpet hemocyanin, which was used as an immunogen. Four antisera were generated and screened against three coating antigens. The most sensitive ELISA from the screening tests (antiserum NP03As, 1/1000, and coating antigen NP1-BSA, 1 microg/mL) was further optimized and characterized. The influence of various physicochemical factors (organic solvent, pH, ion strength) was investigated. Methanol as the additive organic solvent was found to be the best organic solvent for the ELISA, with optimal sensitivity observed at a concentration of 5%. The ELISA parameters were changed at more acidic or basic pH values, whereas higher ionic strengths strongly suppressed the I(50) value and the maximum absorbance. The most sensitive ELISA for 4-nonylphenol exhibited an I(50) value of 38.6 +/- 5.5 microg/L, with a dynamic range from 12 to 350 microg/L, and the lower limit of detection was 7.7 +/- 1.3 microg/L. The optimized ELISA displayed no significant cross-reaction against the parent compounds, nonylphenol ethoxylates, degradation products, carboxylates, and bisphenol A, except in 4-octylphenol.     

Investigation of lactic acid bacterial strains for meat fermentation and the product's antioxidant and angiotensin‐I‐converting‐enzyme inhibitory activities

In the lactic acid bacteria (LAB) strains screened from our LAB collection, Lactobacillus (L.) sakei strain no. 23 and L. curvatus strain no. 28 degraded meat protein and tolerated salt and nitrite in vitro. Fermented sausages inoculated strains no. 23 and no. 28 showed not only favorable increases in viable LAB counts and reduced pH, but also the degradation of meat protein. The sausages fermented with these strains showed significantly higher antioxidant activity than those without LAB or fermented by each LAB type strain. Angiotensin‐I‐converting‐enzyme (ACE) inhibitory activity was also significantly higher in the sausages fermented with strain no. 23 than in those fermented with the type strain. Higher ACE inhibitory activity was also observed in the sausages fermented with strain no. 28, but did not differ significantly from those with the type strain. An analysis of the proteolysis and degradation products formed by each LAB in sausages suggested that those bioactivities yielded fermentation products such as peptides. Therefore, LAB starters that can adequately ferment meat, such as strains no. 23 and no. 28, should contribute to the production of bioactive compounds in meat products.     

MCPB-ethyl疏花对富士苹果授粉受精及胚珠发育的影响

通过在花期用MCPB-ethyl处理,对富士苹果花粉的发芽、花粉管的伸长以及胚珠的发育等进行了形态方面的观察和探讨,以阐明MCPB-ethyl的疏花机制。结果表明,MCPB-ethyl对花粉的发芽及花粉管的伸长没有影响,整个受精过程与对照相同,没有发现异常。但受精后胚乳核只进行了数次分裂便停止生长,此后珠皮、珠心细胞迅速解体。根据以上结果,认为MCPB-ethyl的疏花效果不是通过影响花粉的发芽或花粉管的伸长阻碍受精所致,而是使胚和胚珠的发育停止,形成离层导致了落花。     

Heterotrophic respiration causes seasonal hysteresis in soil respiration in a warm-temperate forest

To assess the effect of changes in organic litter stock on seasonal changes in heterotrophic respiration (R _H), soil respiration (R _S), and total ecosystem respiration (R _E), we measured seasonal changes in leaf litter respiration (R _LL) by the chamber method and estimated the seasonal change in total R _H using the RothC model in a warm-temperate mixed deciduous?Cevergreen forest in Japan. Both R _E and R _S had seasonal hysteresis and were higher in spring than at the same temperature during autumn. Under warm and humid conditions, the rate of decomposition of newly supplied leaf litter in one?year was high (60% loss). Consequently, R _LL and R _H were higher in spring after leaf drop, when more fresh material was available, than in autumn. In this study, 42 and 88% of the difference in R _E and R _S between spring and autumn (soil temperature 16?C18°C) could be accounted for by the difference in R _H, respectively, and 71% of the difference in R _H could be accounted for by the difference in R _LL. This study showed that seasonal changes in heterotrophic respiration (R _LL and R _H) could be a major factor in the seasonal hysteresis of R _E and R _S.     

Mass propagation method from the cutting of three dipterocarp species

We developed a vegetative propagation system for mass-producing three dipterocarps species,Shorea selanica Bl.,Shorea leprosula Mig., andShorea platyclados Sloot. This system uses fog evaporative cooling inside a greenhouse to reduce the leaf-to-air vapor pressure deficit (leaf-to-air VPD) inside the propagator, even under high irradiance conditions. This cooling method has no negative influence on medium conditions such as overwetting. A plastic tent propagator combined with this cooling method was used for vegetative propagation experiments. In mass-production experiments, the annual rooting percentages from the cuttings were low in the first 2 years (1997–1998) due to operational problems of the tent propagator (S. selanica, 48–51%;S. leprosula, 56–59%;S. platyclados: 50–63%). A hard cover propagator improved the rooting percentages in the mass-production experiments in 1999 because it made operations easier (S. selanica, 70%;S. leprosula, 77%;S. platyclados, 77%). This system, which uses a combination of fog evaporative cooling and a hard plastic propagator, should be useful for the mass propagation of these dipterocarp planting stocks. This study was carried out under a joint project of the Ministry of Forestry, Indonesia and Komatsu Ltd. The project was supported by Research Association for Reforestation of Tropical Forest (RETROF) organized by Japanese Forestry Agency.