Utilization of Sake lees as Broiler Feedstuff and its Effects on Growth Performance and Intestinal Immunity

Increasing food loss and waste (FLW) is a global problem, and efforts are being made to use waste food as potential livestock feed material. The amount of self-supplied feed is lower in Japan than in other countries, and the government recommends FLW use for animal feed. Sake (Japanese rice wine) is a traditional alcoholic beverage. During the sake manufacturing process, large amounts of squeezed solids or “lees” (sake lees) are generated. Sake lees are nutritious and functional, but are prone to spoilage. In this study, we investigated whether sake lees should be mixed with animal feed immediately or after drying. To assess the usefulness of sake lees as a poultry feed ingredient and determine the effect of sake lees on intestinal immunity, we performed a feeding trial with three treatments: a raw sake lees (RSL) diet, dried sake lees (DSL) diet, and control diet. Three-week-old broilers were fed these diets (n=8 per group) for two weeks. We then calculated feed efficiency and performed RT-qPCR to assess the effects of diet on intestinal immunity. The growth performance in the RSL diet group was equivalent to that in the control diet group. The DSL diet became difficult for broilers to eat, resulting in decreased growth performance. In the ileum of RSL-diet broilers, the mRNA expression levels of TGF-β1 and avian β-defensin (AvBD)12 were significantly increased compared to those of control diet broilers (p<0.05), and a significant correlation was observed between the two genes (p<0.05). Our results indicated that sake lees should not be dried and should be mixed immediately with feed, and this sake lees when fed to chicken activates the intestinal immunity. However, sake lees have a lower fat content than corn, and it is thus important to combine sake lees with high-energy feed.     

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.     

Effect of moisture content of members on mechanical properties of timber joints

To investigate the effect of moisture content (MC) of members on the mechanical properties of timber joints, bending tests of precut joints and shear tests of dowel-type joints were carried out using timbers of Japanese cedar (Cryptomeria japonica D. Don) with three moisture conditions: green, kiln-dried with a MC target of 15%, and over-kiln-dried with a MC target of 5%. For the bending test, timbers were processed with a precut processing machine into “koshikake-ari” (a kind of dovetail joint) and “koshikake-kama” (a kind of mortise and tenon joint). A pair of members was jointed together without mechanical fasteners. Bolts (diameter = 12 mm) and nails (diameter = 2.45 mm) were used as dowels in the shear test. Bolted joints were constructed with one bolt and two metal side plates. Two nails and two metal side plates were used for the nailed joint. For precut joints, no clear effect of MC was recognized on maximum moment and initial stiffness. The maximum strength of mechanical joints assembled with kiln-dried wood was changed by the degree of drying. Stiffness of the joints assembled with kiln-dried specimens was larger than that of the joints assembled with green specimens.Part of this study was presented at the 7th International IUFRO Wood Drying Conference, Tsukuba, July 2001     

Complete mitochondrial DNA sequence of the Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus

ABSTRACT: The complete nucleotide sequence of the mitochondrial genome for the Japanese anchovy Engraulis japonicus (Teleostei: Clupeiformes) was determined. The entire genome was purified by gene amplification using the long polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique, and products were subsequently used as templates for PCR with 56 fish-versatile primers that amplify contiguous, overlapping segments of the entire genome. Direct sequencing of the PCR products demonstrated that the genome (16 675 base pairs [bp]) contained the same 37 mitochondrial genes (two ribosomal RNA, 22 transfer RNA and 13 protein-coding genes) as those found in other vertebrates, with the gene order being identical to that in typical vertebrates. A major non-coding region between the tRNA^Pro and tRNA^Phe genes (1024 bp) was considered to be the control (D-loop) region, as it has several conservative blocks characteristic to this region.     

Production of Avaroferrin and Putrebactin by Heterologous Expression of a Deep-Sea Metagenomic DNA

The siderophore avaroferrin (1), an inhibitor of Vibrio swarming that was recently identified in Shewanella algae B516, was produced by heterologous expression of the biosynthetic gene cluster cloned from a deep-sea sediment metagenomic DNA, together with two analogues, bisucaberin (2) and putrebactin (3). Avaroferrin (1) is a macrocyclic heterodimer of N-hydroxy-N-succinyl cadaverine (4) and N-hydroxy-N-succinyl-putrescine (5), whereas analogues 2 and 3 are homodimers of 4 and 5, respectively. Heterologous expression of two other related genes from culturable marine bacteria resulted in production of compounds 1–3, but in quite different proportions compared with production through expression of the metagenomic DNA.     

Tree-ring-width chronology of Larix gmelinii as an indicator of changes in early summer temperature in east-central Kamchatka

We developed a 378-year tree-ring-width chronology based on 110 core samples from 55 individual trees of Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr. growing in a wide open forest close to the tree line in the Kronotsky National Park. Reflecting strong climatic control over tree growth not only within the study area but also more extensively over central Kamchatka, our chronology was well correlated with those from other larch sites. Response analysis with 10-day mean temperature revealed that the ring width was primarily controlled by the temperature of early summer, i.e., of late May through late June (40 days). While the regression models for a formal reconstruction failed to pass stringent verification tests commonly used in dendroclimatology, the relationship between tree growth and climate was statistically significant and credible. We therefore used our chronology as a proxy of early summer temperature. The chronology shows a cool period from the 1660s until the 1680s, followed by gradual warming until ca. 1800, then by a slight cooling trend extending to ca. 1910, and a warming trend continuing up to the present, with decadal fluctuations throughout the chronology. The warming trend found in our chronology over the twentieth century is generally consistent with the ones commonly appearing in higher latitudes.