Diel changes in the vertical distribution of larval cutlassfish Trichiurus japonicus

Diel vertical migration of the cutlassfish Trichiurus japonicus larvae were investigated by consecutive 24-h collections at 3-h intervals at a station in the central Seto Inland Sea, Japan in June and September. Only one larva was collected in June 2017, while 224 and 40 larvae were collected in September 2016 and 2017, respectively. Larvae were present only at depths of ≥ 11 m during the day, whereas they were present at depths of 1, 6, 11 and 16 m during the night. Migration was observed in larvae in which swim bladder formation was completed. A similar pattern, namely nocturnal occurrence at shallow depths only of the developed larvae, was observed in another 24-h survey, suggesting that the swim bladder regulates the upward movement of larvae at night.This work was partly supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (S-13) granted by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan

Winter longitudinal variation in the body size of larval fishes in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan

This study revealed the spatial variation in abun-dance and body size of larval fishes in the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, in January 2014 and 2015. Fish larvae were col-lected by a 1.3-m-diameter ring net towed at the surface and at 10-m depth at 21 stations. The most dominant spe-cies was the sandlance Ammodytes japonicus, constituting 82% of total larval fish caught. The body size of A. japoni-cus was greater [ca. 9 mm total length (TL) in 2014] in eastern areas than in western areas (ca. 5 mm TL in 2014). This trend was also observed in rockfishes (Sebastiscus marmoratus and Sebastes inermis species complex), sug-gesting a common phenomenon in this region. Because the water temperature was lower in eastern areas, it is likely that the longitudinal differences in larval body size are attributable to earlier spawning in eastern areas caused by different temperature conditions.This work was partly supported by the Environment Research and Technology Development Fund (S-13) granted by the Ministry of the Environment, Japan.Electronic supplementary material: The online version of this article (doi:10.1007/s12562-017-1076-2) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.アクセプト後にアブストラクト・キーワードの変更あり

Modes of Aβ toxicity in Alzheimer’s disease

Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is reaching epidemic proportions, yet a cure is not yet available. While the genetic causes of the rare familial inherited forms of AD are understood, the causes of the sporadic forms of the disease are not. Histopathologically, these two forms of AD are indistinguishable: they are characterized by amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide-containing amyloid plaques and tau-containing neurofibrillary tangles. In this review we compare AD to frontotemporal dementia (FTD), a subset of which is characterized by tau deposition in the absence of overt plaques. A host of transgenic animal AD models have been established through the expression of human proteins with pathogenic mutations previously identified in familial AD and FTD. Determining how these mutant proteins cause disease in vivo should contribute to an understanding of the causes of the more frequent sporadic forms. We discuss the insight transgenic animal models have provided into Aβ and tau toxicity, also with regards to mitochondrial function and the crucial role tau plays in mediating Aβ toxicity. We also discuss the role of miRNAs in mediating the toxic effects of the Aβ peptide

Combined Tevatron upper limit on gg->H->W+W- and constraints on the Higgs boson mass in fourth-generation fermion models

Report number: FERMILAB-PUB-10-125-EWe combine results from searches by the CDF and D0 collaborations for a standard model Higgs boson (H) in the process gg->H->W+W- in p=pbar collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at sqrt{s}=1.96 TeV. With 4.8 fb-1 of integrated luminosity analyzed at CDF and 5.4 fb-1 at D0, the 95% Confidence Level upper limit on \sigma(gg->H) x B(H->W+W-) is 1.75 pb at m_H=120 GeV, 0.38 pb at m_H=165 GeV, and 0.83 pb at m_H=200 GeV. Assuming the presence of a fourth sequential generation of fermions with large masses, we exclude at the 95% Confidence Level a standard-model-like Higgs boson with a mass between 131 and 204 GeV.We combine results from searches by the CDF and D0 collaborations for a standard model Higgs boson (H) in the process gg→H→W+W- in pp̅ collisions at the Fermilab Tevatron Collider at √s=1.96  TeV. With 4.8  fb-1 of integrated luminosity analyzed at CDF and 5.4  fb-1 at D0, the 95% confidence level upper limit on σ(gg→H)×B(H→W+W-) is 1.75 pb at mH=120  GeV, 0.38 pb at mH=165  GeV, and 0.83 pb at mH=200  GeV. Assuming the presence of a fourth sequential generation of fermions with large masses, we exclude at the 95% confidence level a standard-model-like Higgs boson with a mass between 131 and 204 GeV.Peer reviewe

Seasonal Changes in the Fish Fauna in the Coastal Area of Yashiro Island, Seto Inland Sea, Japan

中間温帯区に含まれる瀬戸内海西部屋代島（山口県周防大島町）の伊予灘に面した転石帯・ガラモ場・砂地において，SCUBA潜水による浅海魚類相調査を2018年1月から2019年1月まで実施した。ライントランセクト法（30 m×2 m）による月1回調査により，合計31科61魚種の出現を記録した。各調査月の記録種数は水温と正の相関を示し，冬場の低水温が出現を制限する大きな環境要因になっていることが示唆された。しかしながら，屋代島より北部に位置する倉橋島や鹿島など安芸灘エリアでは越冬しないとされていたアイゴ科アイゴSiganus fuscescensの越冬を示唆する観察結果が得られた。さらに，暖温帯区を生息分布の中心とするカジカ科オビアナハゼPseudoblennius zonostigmaが周年に渡り観察された。これは，屋代島が中間温帯区の中でも，南方からの影響を受けやすい地理的環境にあることを示す調査結果である。We conducted a field census of the shallow-water fish fauna in the boulder zone, sargassum bed, and sandy bottom of Yashiro Island (Suo-Oshima, Yamaguchi Prefecture) in the western section of the Seto Inland Sea, Japan, from January 2018 to January 2019 using SCUBA. A total of 61 species from 31 families were recorded in monthly surveys using line transects (30m × 2m). The species number correlated with water temperature, suggesting that winter’s low water temperature was a major limiting environmental factor for fish fauna. However, some species (e.g., mottled spinefoot, Siganus fuscescens) that may not overwinter in the Aki-nada area (waters on the north side of Yashiro Island) remained on Yashiro Island in winter. In addition, Pseudoblennius zonostigma, an endemic species of Japan, mainly found in the more southern warm temperate region, was observed in this location year-round. The results indicate that Yashiro Island is in a geographical environment that is sensitive to southern influences, even in the intermediate temperate region

A novel and specific fluorescence reaction for uracil.

Facile and specific methods to quantify a nucleobase in biological samples are of great importance for diagnosing disorders in nucleic acid metabolism. In the present study, a novel fluorogenic reaction specific for uracil has been developed. The reaction was carried out in an alkaline medium containing benzamidoxime and K(3)[Fe(CN)(6)] which were heated for 2.0 min. Under the optimum reaction conditions, strong fluorescence was produced only from uracil, not from other many biogenic compounds tested such as cytosine, thymine, adenine, guanine, nucleobases, nucleosides, nucleotides, amino acids, saccharides, creatine, creatinine and urea. The sensitivity of this method was compared with a known fluorogenic reaction using phenacylbromide which does not react with uracil but reacts with cytosine, adenine and their analogues. The proposed uracil-specific reaction showed approximately 400-fold higher sensitivity than the phenacylbromide reaction. The lower detection limit of uracil by the present method was 100 pmol mL(-1), and a good linearity of the calibration curve was obtained up to 100 nmol mL(-1) uracil. Due to its high sensitivity and specificity, the quantitative determination of uracil was possible by the proposed fluorimetric method

Systematic Screening and Expression Analysis of the Head Organizer Genes in Xenopus Embryos

AbstractWe describe here a systematic screen of an anterior endomesoderm (AEM) cDNA library to isolate novel genes which are expressed in the head organizer region. After removing clones which hybridized to labeled cDNA probes synthesized with total RNA from a trunk region of tailbud embryos, the 5′ ends of 1039 randomly picked cDNA clones were sequenced to make expressed sequence tags (ESTs), which formed 754 tentative unique clusters. Those clusters were compared against public databases and classified according to similarities found to other genes and gene products. Of them, 151 clusters were identified as known Xenopus genes, including eight organizer-specific ones (5.3%). Gene expression pattern screening was performed for 198 unique clones, which were selected because they either have no known function or are predicted to be developmental regulators in other species. The screen revealed nine possible organizer-specific clones (4.5%), four of which appeared to be expressed in the head organizer region. Detailed expression analysis from gastrula to neurula stages showed that these four genes named crescent, P7E4 (homologous to human hypothetical genes), P8F7 (an unclassified gene), and P17F11 (homologous to human and Arabidopsis hypothetical genes) demarcate spatiotemporally distinct subregions of the AEM corresponding to the head organizer region. These results indicate that our screening strategy is effective in isolating novel region-specific genes

Influence of Partial Pressure of Sulfur and Oxygen on Distribution of Fe and Mn between Liquid Fe-Mn Oxysulfide and Molten Slag

The authors proposed an innovative process for recovering Mn from steelmaking slag. The process starts with the sulfurization of steelmaking slag to separate P from Mn by the formation of a liquid sulfide phase (matte). Then, the obtained matte is weakly oxidized to make a Mn-rich oxide phase without P. High-purity Fe-Mn alloys can therefore be produced by the reduction of the Mn-rich oxide phase. However, to the authors' knowledge, the sulfurization of molten slag containing P and Mn has not been sufficiently investigated. It was recently found that P was not distributed to the matte in equilibrium with the molten slag. To gain knowledge of the process's development, it is important to investigate the influence of the partial pressures of sulfur and oxygen on the equilibrium distribution of Mn and Fe between the matte and the molten slag. In the current work, a mineralogical microstructure analysis of the matte revealed that the existence of the oxysulfide and metal phases was dependent on the partial pressure of sulfur and oxygen. The Mn content of the matte increased with partial pressure of sulfur while the O content of the matte decreased. In contrast, the ratio of Mn/Fe in the matte was constant when the metal phase of the matte was observed at a log below -11. These results also corresponded to the relationship between the activity coefficient ratio of MnS/FeS and the mole fraction of MnS/FeS in the matte. The gamma (MnS)/gamma (FeS) value decreased exponentially as the mole fraction of MnS/FeS increased.open1111sciescopu

Thermodynamic Assessment of MnO and FeO Activities in FeO-MnO-MgO-P2O5-SiO2(-CaO) Molten Slag

The activity coefficients of MnO and FeO in an FeO-MnO-MgO-P2O5-SiO2(-CaO) slag system were measured on the basis of the equilibrium between Ag and molten slag at 1 673 K under a controlled atmosphere. On the basis of experimental results, the activity coefficients of MnO and FeO in this multicomponent slag were evaluated using a regular solution (RS) model, FactSage, and an empirical formula. In the case of the RS model, the interaction energies and conversion factors to fit the calculated values to experimental results were reassessed. By the used of the empirical formula, FactSage and the regular solution model of present work, the activity coefficient ratio of MnS and FeS in a Fe-Mn-O-S matte that was equilibrated with a FeO-MnO-MgO-P2O5-SiO2 slag system was evaluated. When the RS model was used to calculate the gamma(MnO)/gamma(FeO) ratio, the gamma(MnS)/gamma(FeS) ratio decreased slightly with an increase in the X-MnS/X-FeS ratio. In contrast, when the empirical formula and FactSage were used, the gamma(MnS)/gamma(FeS) ratio was almost constant when the X-MnS/X-FeS ratio was increased.X1176sciescopu

Living on the wedge: female control of paternity in a cooperatively polyandrous cichlid

Theories suggest that, in cooperatively breeding species, female control over paternity and reproductive output may affect male reproductive skew and group stability. Female paternity control may come about through cryptic female choice or female reproductive behaviour, but experimental studies are scarce. Here, we show a new form of female paternity control in a cooperatively polyandrous cichlid fish (Julidochromis transcriptus), in which females prefer wedge-shaped nesting sites. Wedge-shaped sites allowed females to manipulate the siring success of the group member males by spawning the clutch at the spot where the large males were just able to enter and fertilize the outer part of the clutch. Small males fertilized the inner part of the clutch, protected from the large aggressive males, leading to low male reproductive skew. Small males provided more brood care than large males. Multiple paternity induced both males to provide brood care and reduced female brood care accordingly. This is, to our knowledge, the first documented case in a species with external fertilization showing female mating behaviour leading to multiple male paternity and increased male brood care as a result