Impact of short‐term climate effects and sea ice coverage variation on Japanese scallop aquaculture in Saroma Lake,Japan

Saroma Lake is the southernmost lagoon exhibiting seasonal sea ice coverage in the Northern hemisphere and one of the most important aquaculture areas for Japanese scallops (Mizuhopecten yessoensis). Under conditions of adequate food and appropriate temperature, scallops grow well from the time of ice melting in April to harvesting starting in July. However, over the past decade, Saroma Lake frequently has not been completely covered by ice in winter, and the production of Japanese scallops has shown significant changes. Therefore, this study integrated data from satellite remote sensing, buoys, and in situ observations with climatic events [the winter East Asian Monsoon (EAM) and El Niño/La Niña–Southern Oscillation events] to investigate the impact of ice coverage variations on scallop growth in Saroma Lake between 2007 and 2015. Daily ice conditions were detected using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer false colour images and an unsupervised classification method. The results indicated that EAM strongly influenced the ice coverage variation in Saroma Lake through their effects on temperature during winter. Ice coverage variations show a strong correlation with water temperature and spring phytoplankton blooms, which are the two most important environmental factors for scallop growth. In addition, extreme climate events could cause water temperature anomalies (as in 2015) which are unfavourable for scallop growth. Monitoring ice conditions should be considered when developing plans and management strategies for scallop aquaculture in Saroma Lake.     

Enriched production of N-hydroxycinnamic acid amides and biogenic amines in pepper (Capsicum annuum) flowers

The biosynthesis of N-hydroxycinnamic acid amides (HCAAs), such as feruloyltyramine, p-coumaroyltyramine, feruloylserotonin, and p-coumaroylserotonin, in pepper plants was investigated in view of the activity of their corresponding enzymes and substrate levels. Almost all HCAAs were found in flowers, whereas the enzyme activity essential for HCAA biosynthesis seemed to be expressed constitutively in all tissues tested. The highest levels of the biogenic amines tyramine and serotonin, the key amine substrates, were also found in flowers, indirectly suggesting that the amine substrates play an important regulatory role in the synthesis of HCAAs.     

Quantifying morphological and genetic variation of sympatric populations to guide conservation of endangered,micro‐endemic springsnails

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Habitat differentiation between sei (Balaenoptera borealis) and Bryde's whales (B. brydei) in the western North Pacific

Two closely related baleen whale species, sei and Bryde's whales, in the western North Pacific were studied to identify differences in habitat use. Data were obtained from May to August 2004 and 2005. This study examined the relationship between oceanographic features derived from satellite data and the distribution of sei and Bryde's whales using basic statistics. We investigated oceanographic features including sea surface temperature (SST), sea surface chlorophyll a (Chl‐a), sea surface height anomalies (SSHAs), and depth of the habitat. These two whale species used habitats with different SST, Chl‐a, and SSHA ranges. The 0.25 mg m^?3 Chl‐a contour (similar to the definition of the Transition Zone Chlorophyll Front) was a good indicator that separated the habitats of sei and Bryde's whales. Then generalized linear models were used to model the probabilities that the whale species would be present in a habitat and to estimate their habitat distribution throughout the study area as a function of environmental variables. The potential habitats of the two species were clearly divided, and the boundary moved north with seasonal progression. The habitat partitioning results indicated that SST contributed to the patterns of habitat‐use and might reflect differences in prey species between the two whales. This study showed that the habitats of the sei and Bryde's whales were clearly divided and their potential habitat‐use changed seasonally.     

Antioxidant Effect of Dietary Supplement Withania somnifera L. Reduce Blood Glucose Levels in Alloxan-Induced Diabetic Rats

The phenolic compounds and flavonoids were determined from the extracts of Withania somnifera root (WSREt) and leaf (WSLEt). The WSREt has 28.26 mg/g total phenolic compounds and 17.32 mg/g flavonoids, whereas WSLEt has 5.4 mg/g total phenolic compounds and 5.1 mg/g flavonoids. The WSREt, WSLEt and glibenclamide were orally administered daily to diabetic rats for 8 weeks. After the treatment, the levels of urine sugar, blood glucose, liver glycogen, and antioxidants like vitamin C and E in plasma and superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione-S-transferase (GST) and reduced glutathione (GSH) in liver, kidney and heart were determined. Diabetic rats showed a significant (p < 0.05) elevation in glucose and TBARS and a significant (p < 0.05) reduction in glycogen, vitamin C and E, SOD, CAT, GPx, GST, and GSH levels when compared to normal control rats. Administration of WSREt, WSLEt and glibenclamide to diabetic rats restored the levels to normal. In the light of aforesaid facts, it is suggested that the presence of phenolic compounds including flavonoids in W. somnifera root and leaf extracts and their antioxidant activity may play a vital role in reduction of blood glucose level in alloxan-induced diabetic rats.     

Preparation of acetylated wood meal and polypropylene composites II: mechanical properties and dimensional stability of the composites

Acetylated wood meals of Sugi (Cryptomeria japonica D.Don) wood were prepared by mechanochemical processing using a high-speed vibration rod mill. Weight percent gain (WPG) of the acetylated wood meals ranged from 7.0 to 35.5 %. Wood–plastic composites (WPCs) containing 50 % acetylated woods were produced by an injection molding technique. The polymer matrix used was polypropylene homopolymer. Maleic anhydride-grafted polypropylene (MAPP) was also used as a compatibilizing agent. The mechanical properties of WPCs in bending and tensile tests were independent of WPG of acetylated wood meals, and the test values for WPCs containing acetylated wood meals were lower than that of unmodified wood meal. The use of MAPP increased bending and tensile strength, but no effect on bending modulus was found. An increase in WPG significantly decreased water absorbability and thickness swelling of WPCs as measured by dimensional stability tests. These results demonstrated that mechanochemical processing is a promising technique for preparing WPC material with improved dimensional stability. The future challenge is to inhibit the decreases in mechanical properties of WPCs containing acetylated wood meals.