Ovarian activity and pregnancy in the Siberian tiger, Panthera tigris altaica, assessed by fecal gonadal steroid hormones analyses

Feces were collected from two female and one male Siberian tigers, Panthera tigris altaica. Steroid hormones were extracted from lyophilized feces and quantified by enzyme immunoassay. The fecal contents of estradiol-17beta (E(2)) and testosterone in the females and male, respectively, changed markedly throughout the year. The fecal E(2) contents of females Nos. 179 and 238 increased at 26.4 +/- 8.0 and 28.0 +/- 14.2 day intervals, respectively. However, the fecal contents of progesterone (P(4)) in the female kept alone did not change. In contrast, the other female, which was kept with a male, had increased fecal P(4) contents after copulation. The fecal progesterone levels of the pregnant female remained high during her 106-day pregnancy.     

生物质资源高压连续输送的研究

建立了近中试规模的生物质资源高压连续输送装置，通过将生物质资源与水混成浆料的方法实现了生物质资源的高压连续输送、浆料的固含量可达10％（wt)以上，压力可达40MPa，最大浆料供应量为2．4L／h。     

Identification and phylogenetic analysis of Babesia parasites in domestic dogs in Nigeria

The present study examined the presence of Babesia parasites in 104 domestic dogs in Nigeria. Sequentially, Babesia parasites infecting domestic dogs underwent genetic and phylogenetic analyses. The results of nested PCR based on the Piroplasmida 18S rRNA gene illustrated that 13.5% (14/104) of the samples were positive. The obtained positive samples determined the nucleotide sequences of the 18S rRNA genes. In the genetic and phylogenetic analyses, four of five nucleotide sequences were similar to Babesia canis rossi, and one sample exhibited a close similarity to a Babesia sp. isolated from a raccoon in Hokkaido, Japan. The present study revealed the widespread presence of B. canis rossi among domestic dogs in Nigeria.     

Regression tree analysis of the relationship between the concentrations of antimicrobial components and the microbiota of normal milk from dairy cows

The purpose of this study was to determine the concentrations of antimicrobial components (immunoglobulin A (IgA), lactoferrin (LF), lingual antimicrobial peptide (LAP), and S100A7) in normal milk and their relation to host factors (Age, somatic cell count (SCC), days in milk, richness, and alpha diversity of the milk microbiota) in dairy cows using multivariate regression tree analyses, and to clarify how the milk microbiota is related to the obtained results. Thirty normal milk samples were collected from a commercial dairy farm in June 2020. The thresholds that predicted the concentration of each antimicrobial component in milk were obtained by regression tree analysis, and the beta-diversity of the milk microbiota composition between groups divided according to each threshold was compared by an analysis of similarities test. The IgA and LF concentrations were mainly predicted by the SCC (177,500 and 70,000 cells/ml, respectively), and the LAP and S100A7 concentrations were predicted by Age (29.667 and 40.3 months, respectively). No relationship was observed between the concentration of IgA, LAP, or S100A7 and the milk microbiota composition between the groups divided by the threshold for prediction, but the milk microbiota composition was significantly different between the groups divided by the threshold for predicting the LF concentration. Our results indicated that the LF concentration in normal milk may be associated with the milk microbiota composition.     

GM1 gangliosidosis in a Japanese domestic cat: a new variant identified in Hokkaido,Japan

A male Japanese domestic cat with retarded growth in Hokkaido, Japan, showed progressive motor dysfunction, such as ataxia starting at 3 months of age and tremors, visual disorder and seizure after 4 months of age. Finally, the cat died of neurological deterioration at 9 months of age. Approximately half of the peripheral blood lymphocytes had multiple abnormal vacuoles. Magnetic resonance imaging showed bisymmetrical hyperintensity in the white matter of the parietal and occipital lobes in the forebrain on T2-weighted and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery images, and mild encephalatrophy of the olfactory bulbs and temporal lobes. The activity of lysosomal acid β-galactosidase in leukocytes was negligible, resulting in the biochemical diagnosis of GM1 gangliosidosis. Histologically, swollen neurons characterized by accumulation of pale, slightly granular cytoplasmic materials were observed throughout the central nervous system. Dysmyelination or demyelination and gemistocytic astrocytosis were observed in the white matter. Ultrastructually, membranous cytoplasmic bodies were detected in the lysosomes of neurons. However, genetic analysis did not identify the c.1448G>C mutation, which is the single known mutation of feline GM1 gangliosidosis, suggesting that the cat was affected with a new variant of the feline disease.     

Study on the glass transition for several processed fish muscles and its protein fractions using differential scanning calorimetry

ABSTRACT:   The glass transition behavior of processed fish muscles (bonito, tuna, mackerel, sea bream, cod) and its muscle protein fractions (sarcoplasmic and myofibrillar proteins) were studied using differential scanning calorimetry. Each dried processed fish muscle and the extracted protein fractions showed clear glass transition phenomenon. The T _g values of muscles and myofibrillar proteins from red muscle fishes tended to be lower than those from white muscle fishes though there was no difference on T _g of sarcoplasmic proteins. The T _g value of whole muscle was considerably lower than that of extracted protein fractions because of the plasticizing effects of low molecular weight materials contained in the muscle.     

Gonadal morphogenesis and sex differentiation in cultured chub mackerel,Scomber japonicus

The timing of primordial germ‐cell (PGC) migration with regard to the gonadal anlagen, gonad formation and sex differentiation was examined histologically in the chub mackerel (Scomber japonicus) at 5–190 days post hatching (dph). At 5 dph, PGCs appeared on the peritoneal epithelium surface or in the mesentery, on the dorsal side of the abdominal cavity. By 10 dph, stromal cells around the PGCs proliferated. The gonadal primordium was formed by 15 dph. The gonadosomatic index was 0.01% at 30 dph and increased thereafter (0.32% in females and 0.04% in males at 160 dph). Ovarian differentiation occurred at 30–40 dph, indicated by ovarian cavity formation (elongation and fusion of the upper and lower ovarian edges). Meiosis was subsequently initiated. A few meiotic oocytes surrounded the cavity at 50 dph; most were in the perinucleolus stage at 60 dph and attained a diameter of 60–70 μm at 190 dph. Testicular differentiation occurred at 30 dph, indicated by the formation of the sperm duct primordium. Spermatogonia gradually proliferated, developing into spermatocytes at the chromatin–nucleolus stage (after 90 dph) and subsequently into spermatids and spermatozoa (160 dph). These data could aid the development of seeding and cell‐engineering technologies for scombrid fish.     

Genetic variability and stock structure of red tilefish Branchiostegus japonicus inferred from mtDNA sequence analysis

Sequence analysis based on the anterior part of the mitochondrial DNA control region was carried out to reveal the genetic diversity, stock structure, and historical demography of the red tilefish. Nucleotide sequences of 388 bp in length were determined for 280 individuals taken from eight localities. The molecular diversity, haplotype diversity, and nucleotide diversity were relatively high (average h = 0.929 ± 0.011; average π = 0.008 ± 0.005). The mismatch distribution was not significantly different from the expected distribution for a rapidly expanding population (P = 0.453). The minimum spanning network connecting with full-sequence haplotypes contained star-like topologies derived from multiple ancient lineages, supporting the mismatch distribution analysis. No significant genetic differentiation was observed among eight localities (maximum pairwise F _ST = 0.023, reduced-sequence data set). Our results suggest a large panmictic population of the red tilefish along the coast of Honshu to the East China Sea.     

Growth Complementation of hrpXo Mutants of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae by Virulent Strains in Rice Cultivars Resistant and Susceptible to the Parental Strain

Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae (X. o. pv. oryzae) T7174 is virulent on rice cultivar IR24 and avirulent on IR-BB2. From recent reports, some virulence and avirulence factors of plant pathogenic bacteria are transferred to plant cells through the hrp-dependent type III secretion system. In this study, we investigated the involvement of hrp genes in the compatible and the incompatible interactions between rice and X. o. pv. oryzae after co-inoculation with hrpXo mutants derived from T7174 and virulent strains. Growth of the mutants, named 74ΔHrpXo and 76ΔHrpXo, was repressed in IR24 when the mutants were applied alone. However, growth of the mutants was complemented by co-inoculation with virulent strains. Growth of bioluminescent hrpXo mutant 76ΔHrpXo in IR24 and its growth in IR-BB2 after co-inoculation with T7133, which is virulent on both cultivars, was equally complemented, as detected by bioluminescence from the mutant. On the other hand, only partial complementation of growth of T7174L76, which is a bioluminescent and pathogenic derivative of T7174, by T7133 was observed in IR-BB2. Thus, growth of the hrpXo mutant of X. o. pv. oryzae was complemented by virulent strains in both susceptible and resistant rice leaves with the parental strain. Received 21 July 2000/ Accepted in revised form 26 October 2000     

Effects of acid extracts of tomato (Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and carrot (Daucus carota L.)wastes from the food industry on the growth of some crops and weeds

The effects of acid extracts of tomato ( Lycopersicon esculentum Mill.) and carrot ( Daucus carota L.) juice wastes from the food industry on the growth of five species of crops and four weeds were examined. The acid extract of the tomato juice waste promoted the shoot and root growth of tomato, Chinese cabbage, corn, and radish, but not the growth of oat seedlings. The extract did not promote the shoot growth of weeds tested, and it inhibited the root growth of the weeds that included barnyardgrass ( Echinochloa oryzicola Ohwi), southern crabgrass ( Digitaria ciliaris Koel.) and Japanese barnyard millet ( Echinochloa utilis Ohwi). The carrot juice waste was also examined as another waste from the food industry. The effect of the acid extract of carrot juice waste showed significant promoting effects on the root growth of Chinese cabbage; however, the effects on other plants were lower than that of tomato juice waste. It also did not inhibit the growth of weeds. These results suggested that the acid extract from tomato juice waste is useful as plant-growth substances because they have a promoting effect on the shoot and root growth of crops, and an inhibitory effect on the root growth of some weeds.