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The breeding numbers of seabirds, including Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, Japanese Cormorant, Phalacrocorax capillatus, Black-tailed gull, Larus crassirostris, and Slaty-backed gull, Larus schistisagus along the coastline from Cape Soya to Shari Town was censused. Confirmed were 462 nests of Great Cormorant on the nearshore bank at 4 sites, 312 nests of Japanese Cormorant at 7 sites, only one nest of Black-tailed Gull, except for the Menashidomari colony, and 1,523 nests of Slaty-backed Gull at 19 sites of which 84.5% were found on the nearshore bank. Breeding number of Slaty-backed Gulls increased between 2014 and 2019 at 4 sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The breeding ecology of the Great Cormorant, Phalacrocorax carbo, was surveyed by using color marking and trail cameras at a cormorant breeding colony in Horonobe, northern Hokkaido from 20152019. In May 2015 cormorants abandoned their nests, although the process from courtship to incubation was recorded by trail cameras. Hence color marking was not conducted. In April 2016, cormorants also abandoned nests, and one raccoon, Procyon lotor, was photographed only at night when cormorants appeared at the colony. No cormorants were confirmed at the breeding colony from 2017 to 2019. Nesting abandonment in 2015 and 2016 probably occurred as a result of disturbance by raccoons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and Purpose: The purpose of this study was to determine the distribution of 4-borono-2-18F-fluoro-phenylalanine (18F-BPA) and L-[methyl-11C] methionine (11C-Met) in normal organs and tumors and to evaluate the usefulness of 11C-Met/PET in screening potential candidates for boron neutron capture therapy (BNCT).Material Methods: Seven patients who had at least one histologically confirmed head and neck tumor were included in this study. They underwent both whole-body 18F-BPA-PET/CT and 11C-Met-PET/CT within a span of 6 months. Uptake was evaluated using the maximum standardized uptake value (SUVmax). Regions of interest (ROIs) were placed within the tumors and target organs of brain, thyroid, submandibular gland, lung, liver, esophagus, stomach pancreas, spleen, muscle, and bone marrow.Results: The tumor SUVmax of FBPA and 11C-Met showed strong correlation (r 2 = 0.72, P = 0.015). Although 18F-BPA and 11C-Met showed markedly different uptake in some organs (submandibular gland, liver, heart, stomach pancreas, spleen, and bone marrow), the uptake of 11C-Met was consistently higher than that of 18F-BPA in these cases.Conclusion: 11C-Met PET/CT might be used instead of 18F-BPA PET/CT to predict the accumulation of 10B in tumors and to select candidates for BNCT. However, it would not be suitable for evaluating accumulation in some normal organs. Therefore, the 18F-BPA-PET study remains a prerequisite for BNCT. This is the first report of the correlation between 18F-BPA and 11C-Met accumulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The majority of aerosol data are obtained from daytime measurements, and there are few datasets available for studying nighttime aerosol characteristics. In order to estimate the aerosol optical depth (AOD) and the precipitable water vapor (PWV) during the nighttime using the moon as a light source, a skyradiometer POM-02 (Prede Ltd., Japan) was modified. The amplifier was adjusted so that POM-02 could measure lower levels of input irradiance. In order to track the moon based on the calculated values, a simplified formula was incorporated into the firmware. A new position sensor with a four-quadrant detector to adjust tracking of the sun and the moon was also developed. The calibration constant, which is the sensor output for the extra-terrestrial solar and lunar irradiance at the mean earth-sun distance, was determined by using the Langley method. The measurements for the Langley calibration were conducted at the NOAA/MLO in October and November 2017. By assuming that the relative variation of the reflectance of the Robotic Lunar Observatory (ROLO) irradiance model is correct, the calibration constant for the lunar direct irradiance was successfully determined using the Langley method. The ratio of the calibration constant for the moon to that for the sun was often greater than 1; the value of the ratio was 0.95 to 1.18 in the visible near-infrared wavelength region. This means that the ROLO model often underestimates the reflectance. In addition, this ratio depended on the phase angle. In this study, this ratio was approximated by a quadratic expression of the phase angle. By using this approximation, the reflectance of the moon can be calculated to within an accuracy of 1 % or less. In order to validate the estimates of the AOD and PWV, continuous measurements with POM-02 were conducted at MRI/JMA from January 2018 to May 2018, and the AOD and PWV were estimated. The results were compared with the AOD and PWV obtained by independent methods. The AOD was compared with that estimated from NIES High Spectral Resolution Lidar measurements (wavelength: 532 nm), and the PWV was compared with the PWV obtained from a radiosonde and the Global Positioning System. As a result, the estimations of the AOD and the PWV using the moon as the light source were made with the same degree of precision and accuracy as the estimates using the sun as the light source. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Targeted microbubbles (TMBs) that specifically accumulate on target sites via biochemical bonds have been studied for using ultrasound diagnoses and therapies (e.g., ultrasound molecular imaging) in the research field. To understand the specific interactions between TMBs and their target molecules, a biosensor system with a quartz crystal microbalance (QCM) was constructed. In this system, TMBs become absorbed on their target molecule, which was fixed to the QCM surface via a self-assembled monolayer. Our previous studies showed that the system allowed the evaluation of the interaction between biotinylated MBs and the target molecule, streptavidin, by monitoring changes in the resonant frequency of QCM [Muramoto et al., Ultrasound Med. Biol., 40(5), 1027-1033 (2014)]. This paper investigates how the amount of streptavidin relates to the amount of absorbed biotinylated MBs. The amount of streptavidin on the QCM surface was evaluated by measuring the difference in its resonant frequency before and after the fixation of streptavidin. After which, the amount of absorbed MBs was also evaluated by measuring the frequency shift during the interaction between MBs and the target molecule. Our results showed a weak correlation between the amounts of bound MB and the density of streptavidin (correlation coefficient, r=0.44), suggesting that the area density of target molecule can be evaluated by estimating the number density of TMBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The improved reagent for measuring estradiol (E2), the ST AIA-PACK iE2 reagent, has a higher specificity for the measurement of E2 levels than the original ST AIA-PACK E2 reagent, because of its lower cross-reactivity with estrone (E1). As we had E2 data obtained with either of the reagents, we analyzed changes in E1 and E2 levels during follicle development. Methods: The study included 14371 serum hormone measurements from 4412 patients who underwent oocyte retrieval or frozen/thawed embryo transfer in natural cycle in vitro fertilization in Shinbashi YUME clinic, Tokyo, between June 2011 and May 2014. The age of the patients ranged from 24 to 48 year (mean and standard deviation, 39.8 ±4.0 year). Patients were categorized into three age groups (<38 year, 38-40 year, and >40 year) and into 10 groups of largest follicle diameter from 11 to 20 mm, with 1-mm intervals. Serum E2 levels were measured in the follicular phase with either the ST AIA-PACK E2 reagent or the ST AIA-PACK iE2 reagent, and the data were compared. Also, for 26 randomly selected samples, E2 was measured using both reagents, together with E1 and E3, and the E1/E2 ratios were compared. Results: E2 concentrations measured with the ST AIA-PACK iE2 reagent were significantly lower than those measured with the ST AIA-PACK E2 reagent in the largest follicle diameter category of 11-17 mm in the <38year group, in the largest follicle diameter category of 11-18 mm in the 38-40 year group, and in the largest follicle diameter category of 11-15 mm in the >40 year group. The serum E1/E2 ratio in the 26 samples was 3.4 ± 1.1 and 0.7 ± 0.1 in the early follicular phase and in the ovulatory phase, respectively. Conclusions: The difference between the E2 concentrations measured with the ST AIA-PACK E2 reagent and the ST AIA-PACK iE2 reagent tended to decrease as the follicle diameter increased, particularly in the older patients, which suggests E1 secretion is more abundant in the early follicular phase and in younger patients than in the ovulatory phase and in older patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Flight paths of echolocating Japanese house bats, Pipistrellus abramus, were tracked during insect hunting in a natural setting using a 32-microphone array. The array surrounded the foraging area, locating each bat, and determined the directional aim of the sonar beam. Successive interceptions, indicated by feeding "buzzes" and post-buzz pauses, occurred singly at intervals from over 20 s down to multiple interceptions at 2-3 s intervals. Bats flew on looping, curved paths. Turning radius tightened as rate of interceptions increased, keeping the bat in a smaller area of higher capture density. Broadcast beams shifted direction during search, often alternating between the direction of flight and another direction where, moments later, the next interception would occur. Broadcasts also shifted direction between the current target and the next target. Bats time-share biosonar attention between objects by alternating acoustic gaze. During search, most interpulse intervals (IPIs) were 70-120 ms, but bats interspersed long IPIs up to 200 ms when the rate of interception was low and flight paths followed broad curves. Mathematical modeling of search paths demonstrated that circular flight-paths with occasional long IPIs would be more effective for target search than either random, correlated random, or linear flights. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The echolocation behavior of Pipistrellus abramus during exposure to artificial jamming sounds during flight was investigated. Echolocation pulses emitted by the bats were recorded using a telemetry microphone mounted on the bats' backs, and their adaptation based on acoustic characteristics of emitted pulses was assessed in terms of jamming-avoidance responses (JARs). In experiment 1, frequency-modulated jamming sounds (3 ms duration) mimicking echolocation pulses of P. abramus were prepared. All bats showed significant increases in the terminal frequency of the frequency-modulated pulse by an average of 2.1-4.5 kHz when the terminal frequency of the jamming sounds was lower than the bats' own pulses. This frequency shift was not observed using jamming frequencies that overlapped with or were higher than the bats' own pulses. These findings suggest that JARs in P. abramus are sensitive to the terminal frequency of jamming pulses and that the bats' response pattern was dependent on the slight difference in stimulus frequency. In experiment 2, when bats were repeatedly exposed to a band-limited noise of 70 ms duration, the bats in flight more frequently emitted pulses during silent periods between jamming sounds, suggesting that the bats could actively change the timing of pulse emissions, even during flight, to avoid temporal overlap with jamming sounds. Our findings demonstrate that bats could adjust their vocalized frequency and emission timing during flight in response to acoustic jamming stimuli. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We previously reported that cleistogamy/chasmogamy (CL/CH) of barley (Hordeum vulgare L.) is controlled by either two tightly linked genes or one gene with multiple alleles. To clarify the morphological and physiological mechanisms of barley CL, we analysed the lodicule size and auxin response of two cultivars whose CL/CH was controlled by two different genes, cly1 and Cly2. In both cases, lodicules of the CL parent were smaller than those of the CH parent. Analyses of lodicule size and flowering phenotype of f1 plants and segregation analyses of the mapping population indicated that lodicule size co-segregated with the flowering phenotype. Indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) and other synthetic auxins, such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, induced abnormal flowering in CH ears, in which florets remained open for a few days instead of the normal hour or so, but not in CL ears. This auxin effect also co-segregated with the flowering phenotype. Analyses of auxin-related compounds in the floret organs revealed that the anther contained high levels of IAA, whereas indole-3-carboxylic acid, a putative decarboxylated metabolite of IAA, accumulated only in lodicules of CH plants just at flowering. These results indicate that lodicule size and auxin response are pleiotropic effects of the CL gene, which may play a role in auxin response or metabolism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]