Improvement in recruitment of Japanese sardine with delays of the spring phytoplankton bloom in the Sea of Japan

To evaluate the impact of temporal variation of primary productivity on the recruitment of Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) in the Sea of Japan, the phenology of sea surface phytoplankton abundance was estimated from 8 day multiple satellite (SeaWiFS, MODIS‐Aqua, MERIS, and VIIRS) derived sea surface chlorophyll (SSChl) a concentrations from January 1998 to December 2015. Because relationships between SSChl a and in situ chlorophyll a concentrations were significantly different among periods based on the satellite combinations used, maximum and minimum SSChl a concentrations of 1 year were relativized as 1 and 0, respectively. Spatio‐temporal variation of relativized SSChl a concentrations was determined by using empirical orthogonal function (EOF) analysis. Scores in the first EOF mode denoted the basin‐scale variations of SSChl a concentrations in the Sea of Japan, and the major peak from the end of February to the end of May displayed the spring bloom. The logarithm of recruitment per spawner (LNRPS) for sardine was positively affected by delays in the start and end dates of the spring phytoplankton bloom. The delay of the date of the lowest sea surface temperature contributed to the delay of the end of the spring bloom during the period 1998–2015 and elevated the LNRPS during the period 1982–2015. Sardine spawns in the southern Sea of Japan from April to May, hence, delays of the spring bloom prolonged its overlap with sardine larval periods, and thus improved the recruitment of Japanese sardine in the Sea of Japan.     

Treatment of lead poisoning in wild geese.

Twenty-seven wild geese (Anser albifrons) suffering from lead poisoning caused by ingestion of lead shot were treated with disodium calcium ethylenediaminetetraacetate. The concentration of lead in blood ranged from 0.4 to 23.0 micrograms/ml, with a mean concentration of 5.6 micrograms/ml. In 22 of the birds, 1 to 48 lead pellets (mean, 10.5 pellets/bird) were seen on radiographs of their gizzards. Eleven of 27 birds recovered 3 to 8 weeks after the initiation of treatment. In the birds that recovered, the lead pellets were rapidly eroded as the birds recovered their appetites in response to treatment, and disappeared radiographically between treatment days 17 and 52. The birds that did not survive died within 4 weeks, despite decreased concentrations of lead in blood. Of these 16 birds, 15 had radiographic evidence of impaction of the proventriculus at the first examination and no evidence of resolution of the impaction at the time of death. In contrast, only 2 of the 11 geese that recovered had impaction of the proventriculus at the time of admission. Thus, the condition of the proventriculus seems to be the first consideration to evaluate in the prognosis of lead poisoning in geese.     

Growth of Glucose-uptake-deficient Mutant of Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae in Rice Leaves

We isolated Xanthomonas oryzae pv. oryzae mutants deficient in the phosphoenolpyruvate : carbohydrate phos-photransferase system, a major glucose transport system in bacteria, using the glucose analogue 3-deoxy-3-fluoro-d-glucose (3FG). Glucose uptake by the mutants was decreased to 15–35% of the parental strain, and growth greatly decreased in synthetic media containing glucose as a sole sugar source. Growth of the mutants in rice leaves was, however, similar to the wild type. These findings suggest that glucose is not necessarily a major carbohydrate source for X. o. pv. oryzae in rice leaves. Received 11 August 2000/ Accepted in revised form 15 December 2000     

Effect of water‐soluble carbohydrate content in orchardgrass pasture on grazing time and rumen fermentation in dairy cows

Two experiments were conducted to clarify the effect of water‐soluble carbohydrate (WSC) content in orchardgrass pasture on the diurnal distribution of grazing time. Six ruminally cannulated, non‐lactating dairy cows were grazed on either of two pastures with different orchardgrass cultivars containing low WSC (LWSC; cultivar: ‘Hokkai 28’) or high WSC (HWSC; cultivar: ‘Harunemidori’). The cows were grazed in morning and evening sessions in experiment 1, whereas the cows were grazed throughout the day in experiment 2. In experiment 1, grazing time of the cows on HWSC was longer than that of the cows on LWSC (P < 0.01). This difference was larger in the morning session than in the evening session (pasture × grazing session: P < 0.05). Effects on herbage intake were similar to those on grazing time. In experiment 2, daily total grazing time was longer for the cows on HWSC than for those on LWSC (P < 0.05). The cows on HWSC spent a longer time grazing than those on LWSC in the morning between 03.00 and 09.00 hours (P < 0.01). The results indicated that prolonged grazing time in the period between dawn and early morning could increase daily herbage intake in cows grazed on pastures of orchardgrass cultivars with high‐WSC content.     

Two‐Year Follow‐Up Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Spectroscopy Findings and Cerebrospinal Fluid Analysis of a Dog with Sandhoff's Disease

A 13‐month‐old female Toy Poodle was presented for progressive ataxia and intention tremors of head movement. The diagnosis of Sandhoff's disease (GM2 gangliosidosis) was confirmed by deficient β‐N‐acetylhexosaminidase A and B activity in circulating leukocytes and identification of the homozygous mutation (HEXB: c.283delG). White matter in the cerebrum and cerebellum was hyperintense on T2‐weighted and fluid‐attenuated inversion recovery magnetic resonance images. Over the next 2 years, the white matter lesions expanded, and bilateral lesions appeared in the cerebellum and thalamus, associated with clinical deterioration. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy showed progressive decrease in brain N‐acetylaspartate, and glycine‐myo‐inositol and lactate‐alanine were increased in the terminal clinical stage. The concentrations of myelin basic protein and neuron specific enolase in cerebrospinal fluid were persistently increased. Imaging and spectroscopic appearance correlated with histopathological findings of severe myelin loss in cerebral and cerebellar white matter and destruction of the majority of cerebral and cerebellar neurons.     

Grain-filling response of winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) to post-anthesis shading in a humid climate

To assess the impacts of clouds during the grain-filling period on the leaf senescence and yield of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.), we conducted a 4-year plot shading experiment in a well-drained Andosol in northern Japan. Plants were shaded after the beginning of anthesis in mid-June, which corresponds to a naturally cloudy period in the study region. The effect of shading depended on its synchronization with soil drying, which affected leaf senescence. Grain yield was determined by solar radiation at the beginning of the grain-filling period, except in 2015, which was a dry year. Later anthesis in 2016 and 2017 significantly reduced the number and weight of individual grains in the shading treatments. Moreover, “Kitahonami”, with late anthesis, showed a significantly slower increase in the individual-grain weight during the grain-filling process after shading than “Yumechikara”. When the duration between anthesis and shading was short, shading significantly reduced the number and weight of grains, and later anthesis makes it more likely that regional reduced light levels are encountered, resulting in fewer grains; the sensitivity of individual-grain weight to shading synchronized with an increase in grain protein contents. Our results suggest that in wet years, later anthesis makes it easier to encounter regional reduced light and fewer grains; in addition, insufficient light limits photosynthesis under shade and decreases yield.     

Effect of feeding non-fibrous carbohydrate before grazing on intake and nitrogen utilization in dairy cows throughout the grazing season

Ten lactating cows were used to determine the effect of feeding non-fibrous carbohydrate (NFC) supplement before grazing on feed intake and nitrogen (N) utilization throughout a grazing season. The experiment was conducted from June to September. Cows grazed twice a day (2.5 h × 2) under a set stocking system and were fed NFC supplement (1 kg/4 kg of milk yield) 2 h before grazing (PRE) or immediately after grazing (POST). Cows were also fed a grass and corn silage mixture ad libitum. Herbage dry matter intake (DMI) was greater for PRE than for POST throughout the experiment and decreased from June to September. Conversely, silage DMI was less for PRE than for POST throughout the experiment and increased over the grazing season. Consequently, total DMI for PRE did not differ from that for POST. Milk urea-N concentration and urinary urea-N excretion in June did not differ between the treatments, whereas that after July was higher for PRE than for POST. Proportion of urinary N excretion to absorbed N intake in June was lower for PRE than for POST, but that after July was higher for PRE than for POST. Feeding NFC supplement before grazing would improve N utilization when cows eat large amounts of herbage high in N.     

Screening of Indonesian plants for tyrosinase inhibitory activity

In our efforts to find new tyrosinase inhibitory materials, we investigated 44 Indonesian plants belonging to 24 families for tyrosinase inhibitory activity. The extracts of 5 Artocarpus woods showed potent tyrosinase inhibitory activity (over 80% at 100 μg/ml) similar to a positive control, kojic acid. In Artocarpus woods, the extracts of the sapwoods showed stronger inhibitory activity than those of the heartwoods. Chlorophorin was isolated as one of the active compounds in the sapwood of Artocarpus heterophyllus. The content of chlorophorin in sapwood was higher than that in heartwood. Part of this paper was presented at the 53rd (Fukuoka, March 2003) and 54th (Hokkaido, August 2004) Annual Meetings of the Japan Wood Research Society, and the 5th International Wood Science Symposium (Kyoto, September 2004)     

Presence of surfactant proteins in the uteri and placentae of pregnant mares

Immunohistochemical investigations of the expression of surfactant protein A (SP-A) and surfactant protein D (SP-D) in the uterine and placental tissues of 13 pregnant mares were performed using anti-horse monoclonal primary antibodies. Strong positive reactions for both SP-A and SP-D were observed in the trophoblasts in the microcotyledons of the placentae at 182 to 314 days of gestation; in uterine glandular epithelial cells, faint-to-weak reactions were observed during gestation. This study describes, for the first time, the changes in the SP-A and SP-D expression levels in the endometrium of mares during gestation; the SP-A and SP-D expression levels increased after the second trimester of gestation.