Acoustic evaluation of the vertical distribution of dwarf ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis in Lake Biwa     

Kunio Shirakihara  Masahiko Yoshida  Machiko Nishino  Yoshimi Takao  Kouichi Sawada 《Fisheries Science》2001,67(3):430-435

SUMMARY: The vertical distribution of dwarf ayu Plecoglossus altivelis altivelis in the pelagic waters of Lake Biwa was evaluated from June to September in 1995–97 from eight acoustic surveys using a quantitative echosounder. In each survey, echoes from a depth range of 3 m to the sea bottom were collected at a station every 2.7 s for 24 h together with measurements of vertical profiles of water temperature and chlorophyll-a. The ayu's echoes were identified using an underwater video camera. The ayu were observed near the maximum chlorophyll-a depth and above the thermocline. Their density was highest at depths of 4–11 m with 2–4 individuals/m ³ and was almost zero below 20 m. Echo signs were recorded as having a frequent duration of more than 1 h at night, whereas were of a shorter duration in the day. The fish stay in the epilimnion during the day without any clear vertical migration, but are distributed more uniformly at night. The advantages of remaining in the epilimnion are discussed in terms of food availability and predator avoidance.  相似文献   

Search for regulatory factors of the pituitary-specific transcription factor PROP1 gene     

Naoto NISHIMURA  Hiroki UEHARU  Hiroto NISHIHARA  Shiori SHIBUYA  Saishu YOSHIDA  Masashi HIGUCHI  Naoko KANNO  Kotaro HORIGUCHI  Takako KATO  Yukio KATO 《The Journal of reproduction and development》2016,62(1):93-102

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

Hiroto Miura  Takuya Hashimoto  Yukiko Kawanishi  Hiroki Kawauchi  Ryo Inoue  Noriaki Shoji  Kunihiko Saito  Mario Sekiya  Yosuke Saito  Jumpei Yasuda  Chiemi Yonezawa  Tetsushiro Endo  Hirotaka Kasuya  Yutaka Suzuki  Yasuo Kobayashi  Satoshi Koike 《Animal Science Journal》2021,92(1):e13601

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.  相似文献   

Seasonal changes in semen characteristics, composition of seminal plasma and frequency of acrosome reaction induced by calcium and calcium ionophore A23187 in Large White boars     

Murase T  Imaeda N  Yamada H  Miyazawa K 《The Journal of reproduction and development》2007,53(4):853-865

This study attempted to explain the mechanisms regulating boar fertility by examining seasonal changes in semen characteristics, the composition of seminal plasma and responsiveness of sperm acrosomes to Ca(2+) and the Ca(2+) ionophore A23187 (Ca(2+)/A23187). Sperm-rich and sperm-poor fractions were separately collected from 3 mature fertile Large White boars once a month over a one-year period. During the period of study, ambient temperature and relative humidity were recorded for within the stall in which the boars were kept and the semen characteristics, composition of the seminal plasma of sperm-rich fractions, and occurrence of the acrosome reaction in response to Ca(2+) (3 mM)/A23187 (0.3 microM) were examined. The highest mean maximum and minimum ambient temperatures were recorded in August-September, whereas the lowest mean maximum and minimum ambient temperatures were recorded in December and January, respectively. There was a moderate peak in relative humidity from July to October. The lowest percentages of motile spermatozoa and of spermatozoa with intact acrosomes and highest percentage of spermatozoa with abnormal morphology and strongest agglutination were seen in August-September. The total protein and albumin concentrations were lowest in August-September. Testosterone levels increased gradually as day length decreased after the summer solstice (June) and peaked in October-November. The percentage of acrosome reactions in response to Ca(2+)/A23187 was highest with the quickest response in August-September, as shown by the shortest time required for 50% of relative acrosome reactions. The farrowing rates were lowest in these same 2 months. These results suggest that seasonal infertility in Large White boars may be due, at least in part, to a combination of low motility, abnormal morphology including acrosomal abnormality, and early occurrence of the acrosome reaction in response to stimulus, possibly resulting from a decrease in acrosomal stabilizing proteins in the seminal plasma during summer. These changes may be modulated by heat/humidity stress and/or photoperiod-regulated testosterone.  相似文献   

Lignin-degrading activity of edible mushroom <Emphasis Type="Italic">Strobilurus ohshimae</Emphasis> that forms fruiting bodies on buried sugi (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Cryptomeria japonica</Emphasis>) twigs     

Hiroto Homma  Hirofumi Shinoyama  Yukihiro Nobuta  Yoshie Terashima  Seigo Amachi  Takaaki Fujii 《Journal of Wood Science》2007,53(1):80-84

Strobilurus ohshimae is an edible mushroom, and it specifically forms its fruiting bodies on buried sugi (Cryptomeria japonica) twigs. In this research, we studied lignindegrading activity of S. ohshimae. We isolated 18 strains of S. ohshimae from various regions of Japan, and determined their lignin degradation rates on sugi wood meal medium. All the strains of S. ohshimae degraded approximately 6%–12% of sugi lignin in 30 days, and these lignin degradation rates were 1.5–3 times higher than those of Trametes versicolor, which is a typical lignin-degrading fungus. Among the three main lignin-degrading enzymes, activity of lignin peroxidase and manganese peroxidase was not observed, while 4340U/g of laccase was produced in 30 days. To investigate the effect of wood species on lignin degradation by S. ohshimae, the lignin degradation rate and laccase productivity on sugi wood meal medium were compared with those on beech (Fagus crenata). In T. versicolor, both lignin degradation rate and laccase productivity were higher on beech than on sugi. Conversely, in S. ohshimae, lignin degradation rate and laccase productivity were higher on sugi than on beech. Therefore, it was suggested that coniferous lignin is not always difficult to degrade for the fungi that inhabit softwood. Part of this article presented at the 54th Annual Meeting of the Japan Wood Research Society, Sapporo, August 2004  相似文献   

Antitumor activity of compounds isolated from leaves of Eriobotrya japonica   总被引：3，自引：0，他引：3  

Ito H  Kobayashi E  Li SH  Hatano T  Sugita D  Kubo N  Shimura S  Itoh Y  Tokuda H  Nishino H  Yoshida T 《Journal of agricultural and food chemistry》2002,50(8):2400-2403

In a search for possible antitumor agents from natural sources, megastigmane glycosides and polyphenolic constituents isolated from the leaves of Eriobotrya japonica (Rosaceae) were found to inhibit the 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA)-induced activation of Epstein-Barr virus early antigen in Raji cells. Roseoside and procyanidin B-2 were among the active compounds found in an in vitro assay; these compounds were further assessed for antitumor activity in vivo in a two-stage carcinogenesis assay on mouse skin. Roseoside significantly delayed carcinogenesis induced by peroxynitrite (initiator) and TPA (promoter), and its potency was comparable to that of a green tea polyphenol, (-)-epigallocatechin 3-O-gallate, in the same assay.  相似文献   

Validation of a food-frequency questionnaire for cohort studies in rural Japan     

Ogawa K  Tsubono Y  Nishino Y  Watanabe Y  Ohkubo T  Watanabe T  Nakatsuka H  Takahashi N  Kawamura M  Tsuji I  Hisamichi S 《Public health nutrition》2003,6(2):147-157

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Soil nitrogen dynamics of forest ecosystems under environmental changes     

Hideaki Shibata  Hiroto Toda  Yoshiyuki Inagaki  Ryunosuke Tateno  Keisuke Koba  Takeshi Tange 《Journal of Forest Research》2011,16(5):331-332

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Comparative Evaluation on Nitrogen Saturation of Forest Catchments in Japan and Northeastern United States     

Nobuhito Ohte  Myron J. Mitchell  Hideaki Shibata  Naoko Tokuchi  Hiroto Toda  Goro Iwatsubo 《Water, air, and soil pollution》2001,130(1-4):649-654

To analyze the differences in the status and processes of nitrogen saturation in Japan and northeastern United States, we examined the hydrobiogeochemistry of nitrogen of forested watersheds in these regions. Two distinct differences were found between watersheds in Japan compared with those in US. 1) In Japanese watersheds, marked decreases of NO₃ ^? concentration in surface waters during the summer growing season were not found and NO₃ ^? concentrations sometimes increased especially in the summer at nitrogen saturated sites. This contrast with watersheds in US where decreases in NO₃ ^? concentration during the summer are commonly observed except those watersheds in advanced stages of nitrogen saturation. These differences in NO₃ ^? concentration relationships can be attributed to climatic differences, with Japan having high precipitation and high discharge during the summer, while in many regions of North America lowest discharges are found in the summer. The climatic regime in Japan leads to high rates of mineralization and the rapid transport of NO₃ ^? to streams in summer. 2) Japanese watersheds, even those with high NO₃ ^? concentrations in surface waters, show little evidence of acidification. This is in contrast to sites in US where increased NO₃ ^? concentrations, especially during episodic events, result in surface water acidification.  相似文献   

Aureusidin synthase: a polyphenol oxidase homolog responsible for flower coloration   总被引：1，自引：0，他引：1  

Nakayama T  Yonekura-Sakakibara K  Sato T  Kikuchi S  Fukui Y  Fukuchi-Mizutani M  Ueda T  Nakao M  Tanaka Y  Kusumi T  Nishino T 《Science (New York, N.Y.)》2000,290(5494):1163-1166

Aurones are plant flavonoids that provide yellow color to the flowers of some popular ornamental plants, such as snapdragon and cosmos. In this study, we have identified an enzyme responsible for the synthesis of aurone from chalcones in the yellow snapdragon flower. The enzyme (aureusidin synthase) is a 39-kilodalton, copper-containing glycoprotein catalyzing the hydroxylation and/or oxidative cyclization of the precursor chalcones, 2',4',6',4-tetrahydroxychalcone and 2',4',6',3,4-pentahydroxychalcone. The complementary DNA encoding aureusidin synthase is expressed in the petals of aurone-containing varieties. DNA sequence analysis revealed that aureusidin synthase belongs to the plant polyphenol oxidase family, providing an unequivocal example of the function of the polyphenol oxidase homolog in plants, i.e., flower coloration.  相似文献