Water use of rice and mung bean cultivations in a downstream area of an irrigation system in South Sulawesi in the 2nd dry season

Paddy and Water Environment - This paper revealed the irrigation rate by groundwater, evapotranspiration (ET), total water balance and yield in the experimental rice and mung bean fields in a...     

Polysaccharide-induced protection of carp, Cyprinus carpio L., against bacterial infection

Abstract. The efficacy of 10 polysaccharides (curdlan, inulin, krestin, laminaran, lentinan, levan, schizophylian, selerogiucan, yeast glucan and zymosan) to enhance protection of carp, Cyprinus carpio L., against bacterial infection was investigated. Carp were intraperitoneally injected with the polysaceharides (2–l0 mgkg^-1) on days 1 and 4, and challenged with Edwardsiella tarda on day 7. Among the polysaccharides tested, lentinan, schizophyllan and scleroglucan, which are l,6-branchcd-β-l,3-glucans, significantly increased the survival rate. They also induced a protective effect against Aeromonas hydrophila at a dose of 5 mg kg^-1. The ability of the polysaccharides to activate the alternative complement pathway (ACP) was examined by incubating the polysaccharides with carp serum and measuring the residual ACP activity. At a final concentration of 0.l mgml^-1, l,6-branched-β-1,3-glucans greatly reduced (76–77%) the ACP activity. Therefore, it is suggested that the protective effect of the l,6-branched-β-1,3-glucans may be associated with the activation of ACP.     

Metabarcoding of feces and intestinal contents to determine carnivorous diets in red-crowned cranes in eastern Hokkaido,Japan

The red-crowned crane Grus japonensis in Hokkaido, Japan forms a closed population as a residence that is independent of the mainland population. Based on observations of a limited number of individuals as well as cranes in captivity, red-crowned cranes are omnivores and eat fish, worms, insects and plants in their own territories except in winter, when they are fed with dent corn that is supplied in eastern Hokkaido. DNA metabarcoding based on high throughput sequencing was carried out using universal primer sets for cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene. Feces from 27 chicks collected in June and July in the period from 2016 to 2018 and intestinal contents from 33 adult and subadult cranes that were found dead almost throughout year in 2006–2013 in the field in eastern Hokkaido were used. Although compositions varied considerably in the cranes, both insects and fish were found in adults and subadults to the same extents, while insects were predominant in chicks. Both insects and fish were detected in all seasons for adults and subadults. Horse flies, scarab beetles and weevils accounted for the most of the insects regardless of the life stage. Dace, stickleback, flatfish and sculpin were the major fish species in adults, while chicks ate almost only stickleback. The results provide the first comprehensive data on carnivorous diets in wild red-crowned cranes in eastern Hokkaido as basis for conservation of red-crowned cranes, for which the life style and area continue to change.     

Effects of pre-feeding of a corn silage-based supplement on the feed intake, milk production and nitrogen utilization of grazing dairy cows

Four Holstein cows were used to determine the effect of timing of the feeding of a corn silage (CS)‐based supplement on the feed intake, milk production and nitrogen utilization of grazing dairy cows. The cows were fed the supplement 2 h before grazing (pre‐grazing) or immediately after grazing (post‐grazing). Cows were grazed for 5 h per day under a rotational grazing system. There was no difference in the herbage and total feed intake between treatments. The milk protein yield for pre‐grazing tended to be higher than that for post‐grazing, whereas the milk yield did not differ between treatments. The total nitrogen intake for pre‐grazing tended to be higher than that for post‐grazing (P = 0.06). There was no difference in the urinary nitrogen output between treatments, whereas the proportion of urinary nitrogen output : total nitrogen intake for pre‐grazing tended to be lower than that for post‐grazing (P = 0.06). The milk nitrogen output and nitrogen retention for pre‐grazing tended to be higher than that for post‐grazing (milk nitrogen, P = 0.06; nitrogen retention, P = 0.05). Nitrogen utilization of grazing dairy cows was improved by feeding a CS‐based supplement before grazing.     

Establishment of a new canine cell line (CCT) originated from a cutaneous malignant histiocytosis

A new canine cell line, named CCT, was established from the cutaneous malignant histiocytosis in a 4-year-old male Borzoi. CCT proliferated with loose adherence and doubling time was approximately 30 hr. When co-cultured with latex beads, CCT phagocytized beads vigorously. Lysozyme and vimentin were positive by immunostaining, and non-specific esterase and acid phosphatase were positive by cytochemical staining. These features indicated the cells had a histiocytic nature. Furthermore, by subcutaneous injection to nude mice CCT could successfully form tumors with the morphological and immunohistochemical features similar to the original tumor.     

Increase in oxidized proteins in Theileria sergenti-infected erythrocyte membrane

As a part of the elucidation of the pathogenesis of anemia in Theileria sergenti infection, oxidized-erythrocyte membrane proteins (OEMPs) collected from T. sergenti-infected calves were examined. The amount of OEMPs were seen to increase with the progress of the anemia and showed a maximum value around the crisis period of the infection. The increase of OEMPs coincided with band Nos. 1, 2, 2.1, 3, 4.1, 5, 6, and 7. The majority of them was located at the Triton X-100 un-extractive phase, and was confirmed as cytoskeletal proteins. This evidence indicates the enhancement of erythrocytic oxidation, and suggests that it might be one of the aggravating factors of anemia in T. sergenti infection.     

Isolation and antimicrobial susceptibility of Plesiomonas shigelloides from great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo hanedae) in Gifu and Shiga Prefectures,Japan

Plesiomonas shigelloides is a causal agent of gastroenteritis, sepsis and meningitis in humans. We examined the prevalence of P. shigelloides among great cormorants (Phalacrocorax carbo hanedae) in Japan and the antimicrobial susceptibility of isolates. P. shigelloides was isolated from 33 (47.8%) of 69 fecal samples from great cormorants in 2014. All 33 isolates were subjected to antimicrobial susceptibility testing using broth microdilution methods, which showed resistance to ampicillin (31 isolates, 93.9%), tetracycline (two isolates, 6.1%) and trimethoprim (one isolate, 3.0%). The high prevalence of P. shigelloides in the great cormorants implicates the possible microbiological risk to public health.     

Weak activity of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase toward Bisphenol analogs in mouse perinatal development

Bisphenol A (BPA) is a widely used industrial chemical that disrupts endocrine function. BPA is an endocrine disrupting chemical (EDC) that has been demonstrated to affect reproductive organ development, brain development, metabolic disease and post-natal behavior. Accordingly, Bisphenol analogs, Bisphenol F (BPF, bis (4-hydroxyphenyl) methane) and Bisphenol AF (BPAF, 4,4-hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphenol) are used as replacements for BPA. BPA is mainly metabolized by UDP-glucuronosyltransferase (UGT), UGT2B1, but this effective metabolizing system is weak in the fetus. In the present study, we demonstrated that hepatic UGT activity toward BPAF was very weak, in comparison with BPA and BPF, in the fetus, pups and dams. Conversely, hepatic UGT activity toward BPF was very weak in the fetus and newborn pups, and was increased to the same level as BPA post-partum. In conclusion, BPAF possibly tends to accumulate in the fetus, because of weak metabolism during the perinatal period, suggesting that the metabolism of individual Bisphenol analogs requires assessment to properly gauge their risks.