Influence of Body Weight and Food Density on Kinetics of Ammonia Excretion by the Brine Shrimp Artemia franciscana

This study was undertaken to quantify the relationships between the rate of ammonia excretion by brine shrimp and dry weight (body size) and food density. Measurements of the rate of ammonia excretion of the brine shrimp were made at 25 C in darkness. Under these conditions, the excretion rate of ammonium-nitrogen can be generalized as a function of body weight and food (Nannochloropsis sp.) density. The relationship between the body weight (W) and excretion rate of ammonium nitrogen (E_N) is expressed as E_N=α W^γ, where α is the metabolic level. The parameter α is dependent on ration, such that α=α_o±α_r where α_o= metabolic level in starvation and α_r= the metabolic level which increased with feeding or changed with the food density. In experiments in which the animal starved, the equation above becomes E_N=α_oW^γ, and the values of α and γ were 0.22 and 0.93, respectively. The rate of ammonium excretion rose from 5.42 × 10^?4 to 2.28 × 10^?1μg N/animal/h as dry weight measured from 1.57 × 10^?3? 1.04 mg dry weight per animal. Next, it is convenient to express α_r as α_r=α_fmax= (1 ? 10^?kc), where α_fmax is the maximum rate of α_f at saturated level of food density, C is the mean cell density, and k is a constant defining the rate of change of the metabolic rate with cell density. Therefore, the rate of ammonia excretion by brine shrimp could be expressed as E_N=α_o [1 ? a(l ? 10^?kC)]W^γ, and a =α_fmax/α_o. The values of the kinetics parameters obtained from experiments where shrimp were fed were a = 2.3 and k = 0.15×10^?7. Consequently, the maximum rate of ammonia excretion at a saturated food density is equivalent to 3.3 times the rate of animals that are not fed.     

Differences in lectin-binding properties between the common mucosal epithelium and follicle-associated epithelium in the rabbit small intestine

Differences in sugar distribution between the villous epithelium and follicle-associated epithelium (FAE) were compared using lectins in the rabbit small intestine. In every portion, villous columnar epithelial cells primarily exhibited a positive reaction to the GalNAc, GlcNAc, galactose, and oligosaccharide. In the ileal Peyer's patch (PP), whereas microvillous epithelial cells exhibited positive reactions, M cells tended to be negative. The villous epithelial reaction to the fucose group was negative, but M cells and microvillous epithelial cells showed a positive to the fucose. No epithelium had a positive reaction to the mannose and glucose. The variety of lectin-binding properties of villous epithelial cells and M cells may reflect specificity for the recognizing luminal substances such as antigenic molecules and bacterial elements.     

Estrone sulfate and progesterone profiles during late gestation in recipient cows transferred embryos produced by nuclear transfer and in vitro fertilization

The aim of present experiment was to evaluate the plasma concentrations of estrone sulfate (E(1)S) and progesterone (P(4)) during late gestation in recipient cows transferred embryos produced by nuclear transfer (NT) and in vitro fertilization (IVF). Blood samples were collected from recipients transferred embryos produced by NT (n=9) and IVF (n=13) at 160, 220, 240, 260 and 270 d of gestation and then at 5 d intervals until parturition. Plasma samples were analyzed for E(1)S and P(4) by ELISA. One NT and three IVF cows aborted between days 220 and 260 of gestation. Two NT and one IVF cow had prolonged gestation (over 290 d). One IVF cow had an overweight fetus (50 kg) after abortion (257 d). The patterns of changes in the concentrations of E(1)S during late gestation in the NT and IVF cows were almost identical. The NT and IVF cows that aborted had prolonged gestation and much higher E(1)S concentrations than the average. One NT cow aborted after 220 d of gestation and had a sudden high increase in its E(1)S concentration from 160 d to 220 d of gestation. The NT and IVF cows that had prolonged gestation also had significantly higher (P<0.05) P(4) concentrations than the average. These results raise the possibility that the E(1)S and P(4) profiles can be used to monitor some late gestational problems, such as higher birth weight, abortion and prolonged gestation.     

A GIS-aided two-phase grey fuzzy optimization model for nonpoint source pollution control in a small watershed

A method for allocating allowable ranges of total nitrogen (TN) load to nonpoint (diffuse pollution) sources in a watershed has been developed by adopting the two-phase grey fuzzy optimization approach. Competing goals of water quality management authorities and TN load dischargers at nonpoint sources such as paddy field, upland crop field, and residential area are described with linear imprecise membership functions including interval numbers. TN load discharged from each cell of the nonpoint sources is assumed to be transported along with surface, subsurface, and river flow under the conventional first-order kinetic removal with respect to distance. The travel length of the load is estimated with a digital elevation model in a geographic information system (GIS). Uncertainty of river discharge and self-purification coefficients appearing in the TN transport model is also expressed with interval numbers. The GIS-aided grey fuzzy optimization model developed here is applied to the Seimei River watershed, Japan. By solving the optimization model, the allowable load represented by an interval number at each cell is procured, which would be a scientific base for effluent control regarding nonpoint sources in the area.     

Variable response of growth and arbuscular mycorrhizal colonization of maize plants to preceding crops in various types of soils

The effects of the preceding crops, sunflower (mycorrhizal host) and mustard (nonhost), on arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) colonization and growth of succeeding maize were examined in 17 soils in an attempt to clarify the influence of soil characteristics on the effects of preceding crops. Shoot weight and P uptake of maize planted after sunflower were much higher than those after mustard in 14 soils, although the preceding crop had little effect on soil-P availability. AM colonization of maize after sunflower was much higher than that after mustard. The effect of the preceding crop was eliminated by soil sterilization. These results suggested that the differences in maize growth were caused by differences in the AM colonization. Correlation analysis of the effect of the preceding crop and soil properties showed that the difference in the effects on maize growth could not be explained by soil chemical properties, but only by the AM colonization of the preceding sunflower crop. In one of the 17 soils, however, the effect was not evident despite the higher AM colonization of sunflower. This soil was sterilized, and the effect of inoculation by AM fungi (AMF) on maize was examined. However, it was found that the inoculation increased AM colonization but did not improve maize growth at any P level, suggesting that the effect of AMF was unusually inhibited in this soil by unknown soil physicochemical properties. In most soils, however, the preceding mycorrhizal host crop, sunflower, improved the growth and AM colonization of maize depending on the AM colonization of sunflower.     

Dietary apigenin suppresses IgE and inflammatory cytokines production in C57BL/6N mice

Flavonoids ubiquitously exist in plants, vegetables, fruits, and teas. We evaluated the effect of dietary apigenin, one of the well-known flavonoids, on the immune system in C57BL/6N mice. Mice were fed experimental diets containing apigenin for 2 weeks. After the experimental period, there was no significant difference in body and organ weights between the control and the apigenin group. The total immunoglobulin (Ig) E levels in mice fed apigenin were significantly suppressed, whereas levels of IgG, IgM, and IgA were not affected. We also examined the effect of the apigenin diet on cytokine expression in mice sera using a cytokine array. The production of regulated upon activation normal T cell expressed and secreted (RANTES) and soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor I (sTNFRI) in mice sera was down-regulated by the apigenin diet. These results suggest that a diet containing apigenin can reduce serum IgE and inflammatory cytokines such as RANTES and sTNFRI in mice.     

自溶法回收鱼类加工废弃物中蛋白质成分(英文)

鱼头和鱼内脏为鱼类在加工过程中废弃的主要组织,其中含有丰富的蛋白质和脂肪等有益成分,有必要进行回收利用。双鳍舵鲣鱼的头部和内脏约占其鱼体重量的30％,富含蛋白质(14.4％-22.6％)。为了将这些废弃物中的蛋白质进行回收,分别采用双鳍舵鲣鱼内脏本身含有的内源性蛋白酶(自溶)和四种外源性的商业蛋白酶Papain W-40(E1),Pancidase NP-2(E2),Sumichiimu FP(E3)和Protease M(E4)对废弃物中的蛋白质进行水解(50℃,1～4h),考察自溶和不同酶解方法对蛋白质的回收率以及对回收液氨基酸组成的影响。结果显示,自溶法对废弃物中蛋白质的回收效果最好。当水解温度为50℃,水解时间为2h时,自溶法的蛋白质回收率最高,达到76％;其次为E2酶解法,回收率达到70％;E3酶解法效果最差,回收率为63％。进一步研究表明,自溶回收液(AE)的氨基酸总量也最高,达到11756 mg/100g,而采用E1、E2、E3和E4水解方法得到的酶解回收液(EE1、EE2、EE3和EE4)中氨基酸含量分别仅为10294、10642、8750、10121 mg/100g。感观评定结果表明,自溶回...