Interspecific variation in vessel size, growth and drought tolerance of broad-leaved trees in semi-arid regions of Kenya

In semi-arid regions, trees often wither during the dry season. Withering is sometimes manifest as die-back, whereby whithering results in shoot death, which progresses downward from the uppermost part of the crown. In this study, we measured the relationships between height growth and diameter at breast height, die-back frequency and severity, vessel size and specific hydraulic conductivity of four evergreen (Senna siamea (Lamk) H.S. Irwin & Barneby, Jacaranda mimosifolia D. Don, Azadirachta indica A.H.L. Juss and Acacia gerrardii Benth.) and one deciduous (Melia volkensii Gürke) plantation tree species in Kenya, which has a conspicuous dry season. Die-back occurred readily in some species, but not in others. Senna siamea showed the highest specific hydraulic conductivity and the highest growth rate among the five species and was quite susceptible to die-back. Among species, height growth and specific hydraulic conductivity were positively correlated with vessel size and negatively correlated with die-back frequency, suggesting a trade-off between growth rate and drought tolerance. This implies that an adaptation to rapid growth under humid conditions leads to low drought tolerance. However, the deciduous tree Melia volkensii showed high specific hydraulic conductivity and growth, with no symptoms of die-back, implying that a mechanism associated with the deciduous habit results in drought avoidance by reducing the requirement for water during the dry season.     

The antifungal activity of polyoxin B and iprodione against phytopathogenic fungi recently isolated from diseased plants in Japan

A comparison was made of the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) of polyoxin B and iprodione against Alternaria mali, A. kikuchiana and Botrytis spp. isolalated from diseased plants from various regions of Japan. Several of these fungal isolates differ markedly in their sensitivity to iprodione and polyoxin B. A study was made of the relationship between the MIC values of polyoxin B and iprodione against several isolates and disease control obtained when these materials were applied to plants infected with the same isolates.     

冻结条件下冻藏温度对鲢鱼肉肌原纤维蛋白冷冻变性的影响

本研究探讨了不同冻结终温、冻结速率以及冻结贮藏温度下鲢鱼肉肌原纤维蛋白ATPase活性的变化。结果表明，冻结终温和冻结速率肌球蛋白变性的影响较小，即使在慢速冻结（从0℃经过72h冻结到－40℃）下，样品肌原纤维蛋白的Ca^2＋－、Mg^2＋－、EDTA－ATPase活性的变化都很小。在贮藏过程中，贮藏温度越低肌原纤维蛋白越稳定，而慢冻和快冻对于其后冻藏过程中肌原纤维蛋白变性的差异也不显著。与冻结速率和浆结终温相比，冻结贮藏温度的影响明显。     

Relationships between immunoglobulin and fat‐soluble vitamins in colostrum of Japanese Black multiparous cows

Data from 19 Japanese Black multiparous cows were collected to clarify the relationships among immunoglobulin (Ig) G, IgA, β‐carotene, vitamin A and α‐tocopherol contents in colostrum of cows in order to evaluate the role of fat‐soluble vitamins on colostral IgG and IgA production. Mean colostral IgG was 141 mg/mL, ranging from 65 to 208 mg/mL, whereas mean colostral IgA was 8.7 mg/mL, ranging from 1.0 to 34.6 mg/mL. Colostral IgG increased with aging in multiparous cows. There were positive correlations between colostral IgG and colostral vitamin A or colostral α‐tocopherol in cows, and the higher adjusted R² was obtained in the prediction model of colostral IgG from age and colostral vitamin A. Colostral vitamin A was positively correlated with colostral β‐carotene or colostral α‐tocopherol in cows, but there were no relationships between colostral IgA and colostral IgG or colostral fat‐soluble vitamins. These results indicate that fat‐soluble vitamin contents in colostrum of cows may change in similar patterns and high colostral vitamin A is related with high colostral IgG.     

Cytopathogenicity of classical swine fever viruses that do not show the exaltation of Newcastle disease virus is associated with accumulation of NS3 in serum-free cultured cell lines

Pestiviruses can be distinguished as two biotypes, cytopathogenic (cp) and noncytopathogenic (noncp), by the morphological changes that they induce during growth in cultured cells. In this study, the cp phenotype of several classical swine fever viruses (CSFV) was evaluated by the detections of the nonstructural proteins NS2-3 and NS3 using immunoprecipitation and Western blotting in different porcine cell lines. Most CSFVs that showed the exaltation of Newcastle disease virus (END) phenomenon (END(+) viruses) did not induce cytopathic effect (CPE) in any cell line, and detections of NS2-3 and NS3 showed a strong signal for NS2-3 in the END(+) virus-infected cells. However, clear CPE was observed in serum-free cultured cells (FS-L3 and CPK-NS) infected with viruses that induce intrinsic interference but did not show the END phenomenon (END(-) viruses), and signal of NS3 was strongly detected than that of NS2-3 in these cells at 72 hr after infection. As the results of the analysis of FS-L3 cells infected with ALD (END(+) virus) and ALD-END(-) virus (END(-) virus) at several incubations, the signal of NS3 detected was strengthened with CPE that become evident progressively. These results suggest that CPE is associated with the accumulation of NS3, which is promoted in serum-free cell lines infected with END(-) viruses. Thus, indicating there is a close relationship between CPE and the quantity of NS3 produced in END(-) CSFV infection.     

Immunological characteristics and response to lipopolysaccharide of mouse lines selectively bred with natural and acquired immunities

Genetic improvement of resistance to infectious diseases is a challenging goal in animal breeding. Infection resistance involves multiple immunological characteristics, including natural and acquired immunity. In the present study, we developed an experimental model based on genetic selection, to improve immunological phenotypes. We selectively established three mouse lines based on phagocytic activity, antibody production and the combination of these two phenotypes. We analyzed the immunological characteristics of these lines using a lipopolysaccharide (LPS), which is one of the main components of Gram‐negative bacteria. An intense immunological reaction was induced in each of the three mouse lines. Severe loss of body weight and liver damage were observed, and a high level of cytokine messenger RNA was detected in the liver tissue. The mouse line established using a combination of the two selection standards showed unique characteristics relative to the mouse lines selected on the basis of a single phenotype. Our results indicate that genetic selection and breeding is effective, even for immunological phenotypes with a relatively low heritability. Thus, it may be possible to improve resistance to infectious diseases by means of genetic selection.     

THORACOLUMBAR INTRADURAL DISC HERNIATION IN EIGHT DOGS: CLINICAL,LOW‐FIELD MAGNETIC RESONANCE IMAGING,AND COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHIC MYELOGRAPHY FINDINGS

Intradural disc herniation is a rarely reported cause of neurologic deficits in dogs and few published studies have described comparative imaging characteristics. The purpose of this retrospective cross sectional study was to describe clinical and imaging findings in a group of dogs with confirmed thoracolumbar intradural disc herniation. Included dogs were referred to one of four clinics, had acute mono/paraparesis or paraplegia, had low field magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and/or computed tomographic myelography, and were diagnosed with thoracolumbar intradural disc herniation during surgery. Eight dogs met inclusion criteria. The prevalence of thoracolumbar intradural disc herniation amongst the total population of dogs that developed a thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation and that were treated with a surgical procedure was 0.5%. Five dogs were examined using low‐field MRI. Lesions that were suspected to be intervertebral disc herniations were observed; however, there were no specific findings indicating that the nucleus pulposus had penetrated into the subarachnoid space or into the spinal cord parenchyma. Thus, the dogs were misdiagnosed as having a conventional intervertebral disc herniation. An intradural extramedullary disc herniation (three cases) or intramedullary disc herniation (two cases) was confirmed during surgery. By using computed tomographic myelography (CTM) for the remaining three dogs, an intradural extramedullary mass surrounded by an accumulation of contrast medium was observed and confirmed during surgery. Findings from this small sample of eight dogs indicated that CTM may be more sensitive for diagnosing canine thoracolumbar intradural disc herniation than low‐field MRI.     

Establishment of a reverse genetics system for rabies virus strain Komatsugawa

The rabies virus strain Komatsugawa isolated from a dog in Tokyo in the 1940s retains biological properties as a field strain, providing an effective model for studying rabies pathogenesis. To facilitate molecular studies on the pathogenesis, this study aimed to establish a reverse genetics system for the Komatsugawa strain. By transfecting the full-length genome plasmid of this strain, infectious virus with artificially introduced genetic markers in its genome was rescued. The recombinant strain had biological properties similar to those of the original strain. These findings indicate that a reverse genetics system for the Komatsugawa strain has successfully been established.