Influence of volcanic ash sediments on spore adhesion of the red alga Gelidium elegans from the coastal seabed around Miyakejima Island, Japan

The populations of red alga Gelidium elegans along the coast of Miyakejima Island were severely damaged by a volcanic eruption in 2000. The effect of this volcanic eruption has been long lasting, and populations of this red alga still have not recovered. We investigated the effect of seabed sediment particles derived from volcanic ash on the substrate adhesion of G.?elegans spores. The analysis provides evidence that increasing amounts of sediment particles result in lower adhesion rates of G.?elegans spores, and that smaller sediment particles have a greater influence on adhesion. The amount of seabed sediment particles around Miyakejima Island was 9.3?C1815.4?mg/cm². This amount has changed greatly from year to year. The adhesion rate of G.?elegans spores in water around Miyakejima Island was 0?% at all points in 2008 and 2010, but it was estimated as 6.3?C38.6?% in 2009. These results suggest that there is significant inhibition of algal spore adhesion by seabed sediment particles derived from volcanic ash around Miyakejima Island.     

The effect of random and density‐dependent variation in sampling efficiency on variance of abundance estimates from fishery surveys

Abundance indices (AIs) provide information on population abundance and trends over time, while AI variance (AIV) provides information on reliability or quality of the AI. AIV is an important output from surveys and is commonly used in formal assessments of survey quality, in survey comparison studies, and in stock assessments. However, uncertainty in AIV estimates is poorly understood and studies on the precision and bias in survey AIV estimates are lacking. Typically, AIV estimates are “design based” and are derived from sampling theory under some aspect of randomized samples. Inference on population density in these cases can be confounded by unaccounted process errors such as those due to variable sampling efficiency (q). Here, we simulated fish distribution and surveys to assess the effect of q and variance in q on design‐based estimates of AIV. Simulation results show that the bias and precision of AIV depend on the mean q and variance in q. We conclude that to fully evaluate the reliability of AI, both observation error and variability in q must be accounted for when estimating AIV. A decrease in mean q and an increase in the variance in q results in increased bias and decreased precision in survey AIV estimates. These effects are likely small in surveys with mean q ≥ 1. However, for surveys where q ≤ 0.5, these effects can be large. Regardless of the survey type, AIV estimates can be improved with knowledge of q and variance in q.     

Quantification of DNA of citrus huanglongbing pathogen in diseased leaves using competitive PCR

A quantification system for huanglongbing pathogen using a competitive polymerase chain reaction method and image-analyzing software were developed to obtain precise results. Significant differences in the quantity of pathogen were thus determined in leaves of two citrus cultivars commonly cultivated in southern Vietnam. Less pathogen-related DNA was detected from the tissue of citrus cultivars that are believed to be more tolerant than susceptible cultivars. The quantification system will be used in studies on pathogen proliferation and movement inside citrus tissue.     

Color vision, spectral sensitivity, accommodation, and visual acuity in juvenile masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou masou

ABSTRACT:   Color vision, spectral sensitivity, accommodation, and visual acuity were examined in juvenile masu salmon Oncorhynchus masou masou to obtain fundamental information about the visual system. Two types of S-potentials were recorded from 415 horizontal cells in isolated retinas from 34 cultured freshwater masu salmon (114–219 mm standard length, SL). Although horizontal cells recording S-potentials were not identified, the horizontal cells were confirmed because their responses were maintained while the stimulus remained. The variety of chromaticity (C)-type S-potentials indicated well-developed color vision. The analysis of the luminosity (L)-type S-potentials indicated that the peak spectral sensitivity was at 522 nm. S-potentials were also recorded in response to ultraviolet light. The direction and extent of lens movement induced by electrical stimulation was measured in 12 cultured masu salmon (99.0–142.5 mm SL). The results indicated that the visual axis was upward and forward, and that the range of accommodation was from 0.79 × SL in front of the eye to infinity. In histological analysis of the retinas of five wild smolts (100–118 mm SL), the maximum cone densities (276–345 cones/0.01 mm²) were detected in the ventral to temporal regions. The visual acuities assessed by histological methods were 0.069–0.075.     

Eastern little tuna,Euthynnus affinis (Cantor, 1849) mature and reproduce within 1 year of rearing in land‐based tanks

Eastern little tuna (ELT, Euthynnus affinis) is expected to see use as a novel aquaculture species due to its rapid growth and high economic value. In this study, closing of the complete life cycle of ELT in land‐based tanks was successfully carried out. Seed production of a first generation (F1) derived from wild‐caught ELT broodstock was conducted in 2010, 2011 and 2012. Survival percentages of F1 ELT at 365 days post hatching for the 2010, 2011 and 2012 year classes were 0.9%, 0.4% and 6.3% respectively. On average, F1 ELT were approximately 40 cm in total length and weighed 1500 g by the time they reached 1 year of age. Successful artificial induction of spawning was achieved in 1‐year‐old F1 ELT using a gonadotropin‐releasing hormone analogue (GnRHa). Induction of spawning was successful at the first administration of GnRHa in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 year classes. First spawning was observed at 4 or 5 days post implantation, which indicated that oogenesis and spermatogenesis progressed within 1 year of rearing in land‐based tanks. During spawning periods, the average number of fertilized eggs and the average number of hatched larvae per spawning event in the 2010, 2011 and 2012 year classes were 20,480 eggs day^?1 and 177 larvae day^?1, 39,423 eggs day^?1 and 9347 larvae day^?1, and 819,555 eggs day^?1 and 674,445 larvae day^?1 respectively. Therefore, it was concluded that both male and female ELT reared in land‐based tanks were capable of reproduction at 1 year of age.     

Gene constitution of South-East Asian native chickens, commercial chickens and jungle fowl using polymorphisms of four calpain genes

The gene constitution of polymorphisms of the four calpain genes (µ‐calpain, m‐calpain, p94, and µ/m‐calpain) were analyzed in South‐East Asian native chickens, White Leghorn and Broiler commercial chickens, and Red and Green jungle fowl. Polymorphisms were detected at all loci in chickens and Red jungle fowl, but only for CAPN1 (µ‐calpain gene) in Green jungle fowl. CAPN2 and CAPN1.5 are linked on chicken chromosome 3, and the genotype for these loci were treated as haplotype. Some combinations of calpain loci were tested using principal component analysis, and the best combination (CAPN1, CAPN3, and CAPN1.5) was determined. The proportion of polymorphic loci (P_poly) and heterozygosity (H?) were 1.00 and 0.316–0.465 in domestic chickens and red jungle fowl, and 0.33 and 0.137 in Green jungle fowl, respectively. G_ST values suggested that the degree of subdivision among native chickens was relatively low except for Thailand, which was highest. Pair‐wise F_ST testing, dendrogram and principal component analysis from the results of calpain loci showed that the four South‐East Asian native and commercial chicken populations were close genetically.     

叶片尾缘加弯板垂直轴风力机转矩特性数值模拟

文章提出一种在叶片尾缘加装弯板改善直线翼垂直轴风力机叶片周围流场,提高风力机转矩特性的方法。选取NACA0024和NACA0012两种直线翼垂直轴风力机常用翼型,利用数值模拟计算包括不加装弯板在内具有7种弯板长度2叶片直线翼垂直轴风力机输出转矩特性和静态起动转矩特性。结果表明,在NACA系列对称翼型尾缘加弯板叶片可在一定程度上改善直线翼垂直轴风力机输出转矩特性和静态起动特性。叶片尾缘加装弯板后可在某些旋转角下改变叶片上下表面压力分布,减少涡旋和流动分离产生,提高叶片气动特性,改善风力机转矩特性。研究发现,弯板长度为弦长40%风力机转矩特性改善效果最好,最大输出转矩系数较无弯板风力机提高17%,静态平均起动转矩提高26.4%。     

Concordance between Results of Medium-term Liver Carcinogenesis Bioassays and Long-term Findings for Carcinogenic 2-Nitropropane and Non-carcinogenic1-Nitropropane in F344 Rats

This study was conducted to determine the concordance of results for a pair of structural isomers, 2-nitropropane (2-NP) and 1-nitropropane (1-NP), using the rat medium-term liver carcinogenesis bioassay (Ito test) and previously published long-term carcinogenicity tests. Male F344 rats were given a single intraperitoneal injection of DEN (200 mg/kg b.w.) to initiate hepatocarcinogenesis. After 2 weeks, they received per os 0, 0.8, 4 or 20 mg/kg/day of 2-NP or 1-NP six times a week and were subjected to two-thirds partial hepatectomy at week 3. Non-initiated groups receiving 0 or 20 mg/kg/day were also included. The animals were sacrificed for quantitative analysis of GST-P-positive foci at week 8. With the highest dose of 2-NP, significantly increased numbers and areas of GST-P-positive foci were demonstrated as compared with the respective control but were not noted with 1-NP. In the non-DEN-initiated groups, many small GST-P-positive foci of less than 0.2 mm in diameter were also induced in the rats treated with 2-NP at 20 mg/kg/day but were lacking with 1-NP. These results strongly support that 2-NP is a complete hepatocarcinogen with a potent initiation activity, whereas 1-NP is not.     

Detection of monoclonal integration of bovine leukemia virus proviral DNA as a malignant marker in two enzootic bovine leukosis cases with difficult clinical diagnosis

Monoclonal integration of bovine leukemia virus (BLV) proviral DNA into bovine genomes was detected in peripheral blood from two clinical cases of enzootic bovine leukosis (EBL) without enlargement of superficial lymph nodes. A BLV-specific probe hybridized with 1 to 3 EcoRI and HindIII fragments in these 2 atypical EBL cattle by Southern blotting and hybridization, as well as in 3 typical EBL cattle. The probe also hybridized to a large number of EcoRI and HindIII fragments in 5 cattle with persistent leukosis. These results suggest that the detection of monoclonal integration of BLV provirus into the host genome may serve as a marker of monoclonal proliferation and malignancy in difficult to diagnose EBL cattle.