A molecular phylogeny of wild and cultivated Echinochloa in East Asia inferred from non-coding region sequences of trnT-L-F

The phylogenetic relationship among 30 accessions belonging to nine species of the genus Echinochloa Beauv. was studied on the basis of the sequence of three non-coding regions ( trn T-L, trn L-F intergenic spacers, and trn L intron) of chloroplast DNA (cpDNA). A strict consensus parsimonious tree of the three most parsimonious trees derived from 25 polymorphic sites (six indels and 19 substitutions) in the total sequences, ranging from 1715–1760 bp, represented five groups: (i) Echinochloa oryzicola Vasing. and Echinochloa stagnina Beauv. from Thailand; (ii) Echinochloa crus-galli Beauv. complex; (iii) Echinochloa crus-pavonis Schult; (iv) Echinochloa colonum Link. and Echinochloa frumentacea Link.; and (v) the African species, Echinochloa obtusiflora Stapf and Echinochloa stagnina . Japanese barnyard millet ( Echinochloa esculenta H. Scholz) and various weedy varieties of E. crus-galli and Echinochloa oryzoides Fritsch had quite similar sequences and formed the E. crus-galli complex, which was characterized by six substitutions. A cultivated form of E. oryzicola (Mosuo barnyard millet) and various morphological and agronomical forms of E. oryzicola were characterized by two indels. Indian barnyard millet ( E. frumentacea ) and its wild counterpart ( E. colonum ) were characterized by five substitutions. Domestication as millets and adaptation to paddy environments as mimic weeds might occur after the divergence of species in the Asian Echinochloa .     

Identification of the core rumen bacterial taxa and their population dynamics during the fattening period in Japanese Black cattle

The rumen microbiota comprises a vast range of bacterial taxa, which may affect the production of high-quality meat in Japanese Black cattle. The aim of this study was to identify core rumen microbiota in rumen fluid samples collected from 74 Japanese Black cattle raised under different dietary conditions using 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing. In the rumen of fattening Japanese Black cattle, 10 bacterial taxa, showing >1% average relative abundance and >95% prevalence, irrespective of the dietary conditions and the fattening periods, were identified as the core rumen bacterial taxa, which accounted for approximately 80% of the rumen microbiota in Japanese Black cattle. Additionally, population dynamics of the core rumen bacterial taxa revealed two distinct patterns: Prevotella spp. and unclassified Bacteroidales decreased in the mid-fattening period, whereas unclassified Clostridiales, unclassified Ruminococcaceae, Ruminococcus spp., and unclassified Christensenellaceae increased during the same period. Therefore, the present study reports the wide distribution of the core rumen bacterial taxa in Japanese Black cattle, and the complementary nature of the population dynamics of these core taxa, which may ensure stable rumen fermentation during the fattening period.     

Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) mortality in relation to the winter mixed layer depth in the Kuroshio Extension region

A drastic population change in Japanese sardine (Sardinops melanostictus) has been noted as being related to winter sea surface temperature (SST) in the Kuroshio Extension region. The former studies suggest two possible explanations. One is that temperature itself affects sardine. The other is that SST represents the environmental change of the Kuroshio Extension region and other causes directly affecting sardine. In this study, we found that sardine mortality from post‐larva to age 1 negatively correlated with the winter mixed layer depth (MLD) in the Kuroshio Extension region from 1979 to 1993. During the period of a deep winter mixed layer (during the early 1980s), sardine mortality was low, whereas mortality was high when the winter mixed layer was shallow (during the late 1980s to early 1990s). By using a lower trophic‐level ecosystem model forced by the observed time series of MLD, SST, light intensity and nutrient data, we found that the estimated spring zooplankton density drastically varies from year to year and has a significant negative correlation with sardine mortality. The inter‐annual variation of spring zooplankton density is caused by the winter MLD variation. During the deep winter mixed layer years, a phytoplankton bloom occurs in spring, whereas during the shallow winter mixed layer years, the bloom occurs in winter. The results of our study suggest that the decline in the Japanese sardine population during the late 1980s to early 1990s was due to an insufficient spring food supply in the Kuroshio Extension region where sardine larvae and juvenile are transported.     

Anaphylaxis after vaccination for cats in Japan

Severe adverse reactions in cats after vaccination were examined from 316 cases reported to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) in Japan during 15-year period from April 2004 to March 2019. We found that 130 (41%) showed anaphylaxis, and 99 (76%) of the 130 cases of anaphylaxis resulted in death. Veterinarians should be well prepared to deal with vaccine-associated anaphylaxis in cats. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) as indicator of purification was detected at high levels in commercially available feline vaccines. BSA might derive from fetal calf serum in culture media. This study provides useful information about anaphylaxis including critical details of the potential clinical signs associated with adverse events to feline vaccination.     

Two-decadal trends in aboveground litterfall and net primary production in self-thinning Pinus banksiana stands in Wood Buffalo National Park,NWT, Canada

We estimated the aboveground net primary production (ANPP) in five self-thinning jack pine (Pinus banksiana) stands in Wood Buffalo National Park, NWT, Canada. The stands (11 to ca.175 years old) were selected to examine the relationship between stand density and tree size and its effect on carbon dynamics. Aboveground litterfall was collected from each stand from 1997 to 2012. Stand biomass was estimated by measuring tree size every 5 years and estimating the individual mass using allometric relationships. ANPP was then estimated by summing the litterfall mass, dead stem mass increment and stand biomass increment. We determined the proportional contribution of each organ to the total litter and the seasonal pattern of needle litterfall. There was a lower turnover rate of aboveground biomass in older stands than younger stands. The ANPP increased in the youngest stand (<30 years old) showed a decreasing trend in stands >50 years old. The maximum ANPP was estimated to be ca. 500?g m^?2 year^?1 in dry matter, which was found in 30–50 year-old stands.     

Herbicidal and fungicidal activities and identification of potential phytotoxins from Bidens pilosa L. var. radiata Scherff

This study was carried out to examine the possibility of utilizing Bidens pilosa , a weed widely distributed in the subtropics and the tropics, for weed and plant fungus control. The extract of B. pilosa shows strong phytotoxic action against the growth of Raphanus sativus and Echinochloa crus-galli and antifungal activity against phytopathogens in bioassays. The extract of the roots exhibited plant growth inhibitory activity more than those of the leaves and stems. Fifteen phenolic compounds, including pyrocatechin, salicylic acid, p -vinylguaiacol, dimethoxyphenol, eugenol, 4-ethyl-1,2-benzenediol, iso- vanillin, 2-hydroxy-6-methylbenzaldehyde, vanillin, vanillic acid, p -hydroxybenzoic acid, protocatechuic acid, p -coumaric acid, ferulic acid, and caffeic acid were identified by gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. Caffeic acid was in the highest amount among the detected substances. Dimethoxyphenol and vanillic acid were found only in the roots of B. pilosa . Ferulic acid and p -hydroxybenzoic acid were higher in the roots than in the leaves and stems. These identified constituents might be responsible for the phytotoxic and fungitoxic activities of B. pilosa.     

Combination of serum phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit and hyperintensity of intramedullary T2W on magnetic resonance imaging provides better prognostic value of canine thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prognostic value of concurrent measurement of serum phosphorylated neurofilament heavy subunit (pNF-H) concentration and intramedullary T2W hyperintensity in paraplegic to paraplegic dogs. Our hypothesis was that concurrent measurement of these would provide a more accurate prediction of functional outcome in dogs with thoracolumbar intervertebral disc herniation (IVDH). A prospective case-control clinical study was designed using 94 dogs with acute onset of thoracolumbar IVDH. The association of serum pNF-H concentration, T2W hyperintensity on sagittal MRI (T2H/L2), deep pain perception and surgical outcome were evaluated with logistic regression analysis after three months for all 94 surgically treated dogs. Sensitivity to predict non-ambulatory outcome was compared among pNF-H and T2H/L2 and combination of both. Logistic regression analysis indicated that serum pNF-H concentration and T2H/L2 were significantly correlated with surgical outcome (P<0.05); however, deep pain perception was not (P=0.41). The results of logistic regression analysis indicated that the odds ratios of unsuccessful long-term outcome were 2.6 for serum pNF-H concentration, 1.9 for T2H/L2 and 2.3 for deep pain sensation. The sensitivity and specificity to predict non-ambulatory outcome for using serum parameter pNF-H>2.6 ng/ml, using T2H/L2 value of>0.84 and using both serum pNF-H and T2H/L2, were 95% and 75.7%, 65% and 86.5%, and 90.0% and 97.5%, respectively. Therefore, combined measurements of serum pNF-H and T2H/L2 might be useful for predicting long-term outcome in dogs with thoracolumbar IVDH.