Susceptibility difference between methicillin‐susceptible and methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus to a bovine myeloid antimicrobial peptide (BMAP‐28)

A bovine myeloid antimicrobial peptide antimicrobial peptide (BMAP‐28) is a member of the cathelicidin family and acts as a component of innate immunity. There are few reports of susceptibility difference of methicillin‐resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and susceptible strains (MSSA) against BMAP‐28. This study aims to clarify how a few amino acid substitutions of BMAP‐28 are related to its antimicrobial activity using four analog peptides of BMAP‐28. We also compared cellular fatty acid components of MSSA and MRSA using gas chromatography. We found that a few amino acid substitutions of BMAP‐28 do not change antimicrobial activity. It was also revealed that the percentage of cis‐11‐eicosenoic acid in total detected fatty acids of MRSA was significantly higher than that of MSSA. In addition, the percentage of palmitic acid in total detected fatty acids of MRSA tended to be lower than that of MSSA. Our results will provide new information to deal with the question of differences in bacterial susceptibility against BMAP‐28.     

Decadal change in abundance of surface migratory myctophid fishes in the Kuroshio region from 1957 to 1994

Decadal change in abundance of surface migratory myctophid fishes was examined in the Kuroshio region of the western North Pacific for the 35 yr from 1957 to 1994 in relation to the Kuroshio regime shift, indicated by changes in its transport volume and sea surface temperature in the early 1970s. Each year, samples were collected from the 0‐ to 1‐m depth layer at night, from January to March, at 83 stations on average. Ten species belonging to five genera occurred. Juveniles [standard length (SL) ≤ 40 mm] and adults (SL > 40 mm) of each species were analysed. In juveniles, Myctophum asperum, M. nitidulum, Symbolophorus evermanni and Centrobranchus brevirostris accounted for 91.1% of the total catch (7419 individuals), while M. nitidulum contributed 82.4% of the total adult catch (494 individuals). The abundance of juvenile S. evermanni, C. brevirostris and M. nitidulum showed prominent peaks in 1971, together with adult M. nitidulum. These peaks corresponded to extraordinarily high zooplankton abundance in the Kuroshio region in 1971, suggesting high recruitment success and low adult mortality in surface migratory myctophids. Smaller changes in abundance in other years were species‐specific, and the fluctuation patterns were mainly explained by year‐to‐year fluctuations in the strength of the Kuroshio and the geographical distribution of each species, i.e. an increased Kuroshio flow volume resulted in an increase in tropical species and a decrease in temperate species, but no change in the pan‐Kuroshio species.     

Depletion of naturally recruited wild Japanese eels in Okayama,Japan, revealed by otolith stable isotope ratios and abundance indices

To investigate the population dynamics of naturally recruited wild Japanese eels, fisheries data of wild individuals in Okayama Prefecture were investigated as a case study. Wild and stocked eels were discriminated using a recently developed method based on otolith stable isotopes. Of the 161 eels captured in freshwater areas where eels had been stocked, 98.1% were discriminated as stocked. In contrast, 82.8% of 128 eels captured in coastal areas where eels are not stocked were discriminated as wild. There was a significant decrease in longline and set-net catch per unit effort between 2003 and 2016 in the coastal areas where most eels were discriminated as wild, indicating ongoing depletion of wild Japanese eels in these waters.     

Effect of VRTN gene polymorphisms on Duroc pig production and carcass traits,and their genetic relationships

The thoracic vertebral number is associated with body length and carcass traits, and represents one of the most important traits in the pig industry. Recent studies have shown that vertnin (VRTN) gene is associated with variations in the vertebral number in commercial European pigs. However, the genetic relationships and effect of this VRTN gene in pig production and carcass traits remain uncertain. Therefore, we investigated the genetic relationships among traits such as vertebral numbers, carcass weight and length‐related traits, and meat production traits, and the effect of VRTN gene polymorphisms on these traits in a Duroc purebred population selected for its meat production traits. Highly positive genetic correlations were obtained between the thoracic vertebral numbers and length‐related traits (0.56 to 0.84), whereas low correlations were obtained with production traits and carcass weight (?0.16 to 0.05). VRTN gene polymorphisms indicated that the number of thoracic vertebrae and length‐related traits were significantly associated with the VRTN genotype, but had no significant effect on production traits and carcass weight. The results indicate that VRTN gene may be used as an effective selection marker to obtain pigs with high thoracic vertebral numbers and length‐related traits, without adversely affecting meat production traits.     

Structure of small lignin fragments retained in water-soluble polysaccharides extracted from birch MWL isolation residue

To analyze the structural features of lignin in the vicinity of lignin–carbohydrate linkages, water-soluble lignin–carbohydrate complex (LCC) with low lignin content was prepared from residual birch wood meal after the extraction of milled wood lignin (MWL). The molecular weight distribution of lignin in this LCC appeared together with carbohydrate in the relatively high molecular weight region of the gel permeation chromatogram. This result was consistent with our previous results obtained for the same fraction of Japanese cedar (sugi); however, after treatment with polysaccharide-degrading enzyme, the molecular weight distribution of carbohydrate and that of lignin shifted significantly to the lower region. These results demonstrated that molecular size of this LCC is determined by carbohydrates while lignin is present as a minor fragment in this fraction. The syringyl/guaiacyl (S/V) ratio of this LCC was higher than other lignin fractions. Ozonation analysis implied that this LCC has a relatively high number of β-1 structures. It is likely that lignin that exists near lignin–carbohydrate linkages has more endwise-type features than other lignin fractions.This paper was presented in part at the 48th Lignin Symposium, Fukui, Japan, October 2003 and at the 12th International Symposium on Wood and Pulping Chemistry, Madison, USA, June 2003     

Effect of climate and structure on the progression of wooden check dam decay

To gain better understanding of rates of decay of wooden check dams with different structures under different climate conditions, several dams of this type were examined under different environmental conditions over a 3 to 5-year period post-construction. Because a linear relationship was found between the mean (μ) and standard deviation (σ) of pilodyn penetration depth, mean penetration depth was taken as the indicator of deterioration, and relationships with check dam structural features and climate data recorded by AMEDAS were investigated. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that temperature, climate index (CI) computed from rain days, warmth index computed from daily and annual mean air temperature, and altitude were the climate variables with the most effect on the rate of decay. With regard to dam structural features, factors such as specific discharge rate, water through width, dam length, and dam height had the most effect. Accordingly, in an effort to summarize the effects of climatic conditions and structural features, CI, altitude, and dam height were extracted as the most significant explanatory variables, and a formula for prediction of μ was obtained for each factor for up to 5 years post construction. The results showed that by taking into consideration regional conditions and calculating CI values from AMEDAS data, it is possible to predict the extent of decay of wooden check dams.     

Development of acid soil conditioning agent from lignin by ozone treatment I

A purified softwood kraft lignin was modified by ozone treatment and its activity as an acid soil conditioning agent, mainly focusing on elimination of aluminum toxicity, was assayed by planting experiments. The growth of radish root was examined in nutrient solution containing CaCl₂ and AlCl₃ at pH 4.8 with and without modified kraft lignins. The modified kraft lignins that absorbed 1.8 and 3.9 moles of ozone per C6-C3 unit (M _w 180) showed two effects: the elimination of aluminum toxicity and the acceleration of root growth. The effect on the elimination of aluminum toxicity was observed even with modified kraft lignin that absorbed 1.0 mole of ozone per C6-C3 unit. The high molecular weight part of the modified kraft lignin that absorbed 3.9 moles of ozone per C6-C3 unit also proved to be effective not only in elimination of aluminum toxicity but also in acceleration of root growth. The acceleration effect of ozone-treated lignins on root growth was also observed under the absence of aluminum in planting experiments. This report was presented in part at the 56th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Akita, Japan, August 2006     

Effect of accelerated aging treatment on a surface property and dynamic mechanical properties of commercial wood-based panels

Changes in surface property and mechanical properties in commercial particleboards and medium density fiberboards subjected to repetitive relative humidity treatment (i.e., aging treatment) were investigated. The stylus technique was used to evaluate surface roughness and a non-destructive vibrational test was used to evaluate dynamic bending strength during aging treatment. These methods evaluated the effect of aging treatment effectively. The aging treatment increased surface roughness and loss tangent (tan δ) values, but decreased dynamic modulus of elasticity (E _d) values of the panels compared to the respective initial values. The increment of surface roughness and E _d degradations observed were larger than the tan δ degradations. Surface roughness and tan δ seemed to be relatively dependent on resin type, whereas E _d was relatively independent under the aging treatment. Overall, the medium density fiberboard bonded methylene diphenyl diisocyanate (MDF(MDI)) panel was superior among the types of panels studied under the aging treatment. There was strong correlation between average roughness (R _a) increment and E _d retention.