Genetic parameters for mastitis incidence and its indicators based on somatic cell score for Holsteins in Hokkaido,Japan

The objectives of this study were to estimate the heritability of mastitis incidence and genetic correlations between the mastitis and the somatic cell score (SCS) statistics, and to compare the practicability between different models. We used test‐day records with the mastitis incidence and SCS collected from Holstein cows calving from 1988 to 2015 in Hokkaido, Japan. As indicators of mastitis, the average SCS (avSCS), the standard deviation of SCS (sdSCS), and the maximum SCS (maxSCS) were calculated using test‐day records up to the first 305 days in milk within a lactation. We compared a four‐trait repeatability animal model (MTRP) with a four‐trait multiple‐lactation animal model (MTML). The heritability for mastitis was equal to or lower than 0.05 in all the models. Genetic correlations between lactations with MTML within the same trait were positive and close to 1. With MTRP, the estimated genetic correlations of the mastitis incidence with avSCS, sdSCS, and maxSCS were 0.66, 0.79, and 0.82, respectively. A joint evaluation with SCS statistics is expected to give an extra reliability for mastitis because of high and positive genetic correlations among the traits.     

Ultrasonic treatment to improve the quality of recycled pulp fiber

The effect of ultrasound on the quality of recycled fibers was investigated. Ultrasound was applied to recycled pulp fiber suspension before ink removal by conventional flotation. The ultrasonic treatment induced an increase in the sedimentation volume of the fiber, which implies that the flexibility and bulkiness of the fiber increase. The water retention value of the ultrasonically treated fiber recovered from the loss caused by the recycling. These facts are due to a beating effect of the treatment. The paper sheets prepared from the ultrasonically treated fiber suspension showed higher sheet density, tensile strength, and brightness than that from an untreated fiber suspension. The process, which consists of ultrasonic treatment for 1 min following flotation deinking, requires about 1.4 times as much energy as the conventional flotation deinking process, but it induced 20% improvement in brightness. The results indicate that the ultrasonic treatment is effective in improving recycled fiber quality.This report was presented in part at the 48th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Shizuoka, April 1998; and at the 5th Annual Meeting of the Japan Cellulose Society, Kyoto, July 1998     

Modeling of Stomatal Conductance for Estimating Ozone Uptake of Fagus crenata Under Experimentally Enhanced Free-air Ozone Exposure

We examined a performance of the multiplicative stomatal conductance model to estimate the stomatal ozone uptake for Fagus crenata. Parameterization of the model was carried out by in-situ measurements in a free-air ozone exposure experiment. The model performed fairly well under ambient conditions, with low ozone concentration. However, the model overestimated stomatal conductance under enhanced ozone condition due to ozone-induced stomatal closure. A revised model that included a parameter representing ozone-induced stomatal closure showed better estimation of ozone uptake. Neglecting ozone-induced stomatal closure induced a 20?% overestimation of the stomatal uptake of ozone. The ozone-induced stomatal closure was closely related to stomatal ozone uptake rather than accumulated concentrations of ozone exceeding 40?nmol mol^?1. Our results suggest that ozone-induced stomatal closure should be implemented to stomatal conductance model for estimating ozone uptake for F. crenata. The implementation will contribute to adequate risk assessments of ozone impacts on F. crenata forests in Japan.     

Non-steroidal inhibitors of Drosophila melanogaster steroidogenic glutathione S-transferase Noppera-bo

Insect growth regulators (IGRs) can be developed by elucidating the molecular mechanisms of insect-specific biological events. Because insect molting, and metamorphosis are controlled by ecdysteroids, their biosynthetic pathways can serve as targets for IGR development. The glutathione S-transferase Noppera-bo (Nobo), which is conserved in dipteran and lepidopteran species, plays an essential role in ecdysteroid biosynthesis. Our previous study using 17β-estradiol as a molecular probe revealed that Asp113 of Drosophila melanogaster Nobo (DmNobo) is essential for its biological function. However, to develop IGRs with a greater Nobo inhibitory activity than 17β-estradiol, further structural information is warranted. Here, we report five novel non-steroidal DmNobo inhibitors. Analysis of crystal structures of complexes revealed that DmNobo binds these inhibitors in an Asp113-independent manner. Among amino acid residues at the substrate-recognition site, conformation of conserved Phe39 was dynamically altered upon inhibitor binding. Therefore, these inhibitors can serve as seed compounds for IGR development.     

齐氏田中鳑鲏的早期发育研究

通过对齐氏田中鳑鲏(Tanakia chii)人工授精和培育(22℃恒温环境)阶段早期发育的观察,描述了其仔稚鱼发育形态特征。初孵仔鱼卵黄囊饱满,呈淡黄色,表皮布满微突;3日龄仔鱼卵黄囊两侧向上突起,尾部鳍褶延展变大;6日龄仔鱼眼囊发育;8日龄仔鱼眼囊有黑色素,晶状体形成;11日龄仔鱼口形成,脑开始发育,体上有黑色素出现;15日龄仔鱼鳃沟和肛门形成,背鳍和臀鳍的鳍基出现,尾鳍下叶鳍条形成;21日龄仔鱼头与躯干分界明显,鳔分化为前鳔和后鳔,背部和臀部鳍条数目分别为8和10枚,身体黑色素连接成条带状,虽然残存有卵黄囊,但已经开口并摄食。31-36日龄仔鱼胸鳍呈膜状鳍褶,腹鳍出现鳍条,尾鳍呈深叉形。61-66日龄稚鱼,鳞片出现,体中线后半部具一条黑色素带,稚鱼出现集群游动现象。仔鱼体长的生长呈阶段性:1-26日龄仔鱼生长较为平缓;26-81日龄生长较快。综合21日龄仔鱼卵黄囊残留很少并开口摄食的特征,我们推测在孵化后21日为自然条件下齐氏田中鳑鲏的出蚌时间。同时,仔鱼的感觉、摄食、呼吸和游泳器官在早期阶段快速发育。这些器官在仔鱼的早期快速发育,使出蚌后的仔鱼在最短的时间内获得与早期生存相关的各种能力,提高了出蚌后仔鱼的生存能力。     

High field (4.7 T) magnetic resonance imaging of feline hip joints

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a non-invasive technique widely used to investigate degenerative joint disease (DJD). In this study, we obtained magnetic resonance images of feline hip joints, using a high magnetic field MRI unit (4.7 tesla) with proton density (PD)-weighted and T2-weighted fast spin-echo (FSE). PD-weighted FSE provided detailed anatomical images of feline hip joints with superb depiction of subchondral bones of the femoral head and acetabulum. Articular cartilage (AC) was also visualized with PD-weighted and T2-weighted FSE; however, mild AC lesions noted on gross examination were not detectable with these sequences.     

Changes in photosynthesis and leaf characteristics with tree height in five dipterocarp species in a tropical rain forest

Variations in leaf photosynthetic, morphological and biochemical properties with increasing plant height from seedlings to emergent trees were investigated in five dipterocarp species in a Malaysian tropical rain forest. Canopy openness increased significantly with tree height. Photosynthetic properties, such as photosynthetic capacity at light saturation, light compensation point, maximum rate of carboxylation and maximum rate of photosynthetic electron transport, all increased significantly with tree height. Leaf morphological and biochemical traits, such as leaf mass per area, palisade layer thickness, nitrogen concentration per unit area, chlorophyll concentration per unit dry mass and chlorophyll to nitrogen ratio, also changed significantly with tree height. Leaf properties had simple and significant relationships with tree height, with few intra- and interspecies differences. Our results therefore suggest that the photosynthetic capacity of dipterocarp trees depends on tree height, and that the trees adapt to the light environment by adjusting their leaf morphological and biochemical properties. These results should aid in developing models that can accurately estimate carbon dioxide flux and biomass production in tropical rain forests.     

Ultrasonographic Characteristics of the Adrenal Glands in Dogs With Pituitary-Dependent Hyperadrenocorticism: Comparison With Normal Dogs

Ultrasonographic evaluation of the adrenal glands was performed in 10 dogs with pituitary-dependent hyperadrenocorticism (PDH) and in 10 age- and weight-matched healthy control dogs. Thickness, shape, and echogenicity were determined for each adrenal gland. Adrenal thickness in dogs with PDH (median, 10 mm-left; 8.5 mm-right) was significantly greater than thickness in control dogs (median, 6 mm-left; 6 mm-right). Other ultrasonographic characteristics associated with PDH included bilaterally symmetrical adrenomegaly and maintenance of normal adrenal shape. Adrenal echogenicity was homogeneous and less than that of the adjacent renal cortex in 8 of 10 dogs with PDH and in 10 of 10 control dogs. Heterogenous echogenicity was present in 2 of 10 dogs with PDH, and was associated with nodular cortical hyperplasia in one of those dogs. Results of this study confirm the difference in sonographic appearance between PDH-induced bilateral cortical hyperplasia and functional adrenocortical neoplasia, and show a difference in so-nographically determined adrenal size between healthy dogs and dogs with PDH. J Vet Intern Med 1996; 10:110–115. Copyright © 1996 by the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine .     

Experimental infection of pigs with different doses of the African swine fever virus Armenia 07 strain by intramuscular injection and direct contact

We experimentally infected pigs with the African swine fever virus (ASFV) Armenia 07 strain (genotype II) to analyze the effect of different dose injections on clinical manifestations, virus-shedding patterns, histopathology, and transmission dynamics by direct contact. Each three pigs and four pigs were injected intramuscularly with 0.1 fifty percent hemadsorbing doses (HAD₅₀)/ml, 10¹ HAD₅₀/ml and 10⁶ HAD₅₀/ml of ASFV Armenia 07 strain, respectively. Each two of three pigs injected with 0.1 HAD₅₀/ml and 10¹ HAD₅₀/ml died by 10 days post inoculation. All pigs had a gross lesion of splenomegaly. Perigastric and renal lymph nodes were enlarged and resembled blood clots in nine of ten pigs. It was revealed that 0.1 HAD₅₀/ml of this ASFV was sufficient to infect healthy pigs by intramuscular injection and caused sub-acute lethal disease. For the transmission study, two 8-week-old pigs were injected intramuscularly with 10³ HAD₅₀/ml of the same virus. Each of the experimentally inoculated pigs was co-housed with two 8-week-old naive pigs. All contact pigs exhibited clinical manifestations at 6 or 7 days after the experimentally inoculated pigs developed pyrexia. These findings suggest that this strain may spread slowly within a herd. Histologically, lymph nodes resembled blood clots were formed by severe blood absorption and followed hemorrhage result of disruption of the lymphoid sinus filling with absorbed red blood cells. The severity of the gross and histological lesions depended on duration after infection, regardless of the difference of injection doses in this study.     

The growth of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Larix gmelinii</Emphasis> seedlings as affected by charcoal produced at two different temperatures

Fires burn forest with spatially heterogeneous intensity and charcoals generated at various temperatures during fires exhibit variable physical and chemical characteristics. These variable properties of charcoal may, in turn, influence germination and growth of tree seedlings. To examine the effects of different charcoal properties on the growth of Gmelin larch (Larix gmelinii) seedlings, we conducted an experiment with larch-branch-derived charcoals produced at 400°C (low charcoal) and 800°C (high charcoal); charcoal was combined with sand at three different rates (5%, 20% and 50%, v/v charcoal in sand). The high charcoal had no significant effects on any measured property while the low charcoal application stimulated growth and the effect increased with the addition rate. The low charcoal application resulted in the greater available P content, a lower N/P in needles and the greater growth of seedlings than high charcoal application. The growth of seedlings was not affected by the application of the high charcoal at any rate probably because the high charcoal inhibited the seedling growth due to its high pH. These results indicate that charcoal produced at different temperatures during forest fires can affect the growth of Gmelin larch seedlings differently.