Public attitudes and intentions toward engaging in reintroduction of wolves to Japan.

Reintroducing apex predators is an important approach in ecosystem restoration; however, it is challenging. Wolves (Canis lupus) were exterminated in Japan around 1900, and since then, there has been a lack of top predators throughout the country. Currently, the wild ungulate population is increasing, causing agricultural and forest damage. This has triggered an ongoing debate among researchers and nongovernmental organizations on whether wolves should be reintroduced to promote self-regulating biodiverse ecosystems. We conducted a nationwide survey to examine public attitudes toward wolf reintroduction (WR) in Japan. We sent online questionnaires to 88,318 citizens across the country. Among the 12,028 respondents, excluding those with invalid or incomplete answers and unqualified respondents, we obtained and analyzed 7500 responses that were representative of Japanese citizens in terms of some key sociodemographic attributes. More respondents disagreed with WR (39.9%) than agreed (17.1%), and many respondents (43.0%) were undecided. Structural equation modeling revealed that risk perceptions affected public attitudes, implying that the greater the perceived threat of wolf attacks, the less likely people are to support WR. In contrast, attitudes toward wolves (e.g., "I like wolves.") influenced by wildlife value orientation and beliefs about the ecological role of wolves (e.g., controlling deer populations) positively affected public attitudes toward WR. Those who had a positive attitude toward WR showed intentions to engage in behaviors that support WR. Our results suggest that the dissemination of information related to the ecological role of wolves and the development of a more mutualistic mindset in people could positively influence public support for WR in Japan.

Actitudes e intenciones públicas respecto a la reintroducción de lobos en Japón Resumen La reintroducción de superdepredadores es una estrategia importante para la restauración de los ecosistemas; sin embargo, representa muchos retos. Los lobos (Canis lupus) fueron exterminados en Japón alrededor de 1900 y desde entonces no ha habido superdepredadores en el país. Hoy en día, la población silvestre de ungulados está incrementando y ocasionando daño agrícola y forestal. Esto ha detonado un debate entre los investigadores y las organizaciones no gubernamentales sobre si se debiesen reintroducir lobos para promover ecosistemas biodiversos autorregulados. Realizamos una encuesta nacional para analizar las actitudes públicas respecto a la reintroducción de lobos (RL) en Japón. Enviamos 88,318 cuestionarios virtuales a ciudadanos de todo el país. De los 12,028 respondientes, excluyendo a aquellos con respuestas inválidas o incompletas y a los respondientes no calificados, obtuvimos y analizamos 7500 respuestas representativas del ciudadano japonés en términos de algunas características sociodemográficas importantes. Hubo más respondientes en contra (39.9%) que a favor (17.1%) de la RL y todavía más respondientes (43.0%) no estaban decididos. El modelo de ecuación estructural reveló que las percepciones de riesgo impactaron sobre las actitudes públicas, lo que implica que entre mayor sea la amenaza percibida de los ataques de lobos, es menos probable que la gente apoye la RL. Como contraste, la orientación del valor de la fauna que influyó sobre las actitudes (p. ej.: "me gustan los lobos") y las creencias sobre el papel ecológico de los lobos (p. ej.: controlar las poblaciones de venados) tuvieron un impacto positivo en las actitudes respecto a la RL. Quienes tuvieron una actitud positiva respecto a la RL mostraron intenciones de apoyarla. Nuestros resultados sugieren que la divulgación de información relacionada con el papel ecológico de los lobos y el desarrollo de una mentalidad más mutualista en las personas podrían influir positivamente en el apoyo público para la RL en Japón.

Evaluating the temporal and spatio-temporal niche partitioning between carnivores by different analytical method in northeastern Japan.

Temporal and spatio-temporal niche partitioning is an important strategy for carnivore coexistence. Camera-trap data has been analyzed through several methods to assess the temporal and spatio-temporal niche partitioning. However, different analytical approaches used to may evaluate niche partitioning detect different results. In this study, we evaluated the temporal or spatio-temporal partitioning among sympatric medium-sized carnivores, red foxes, raccoon dogs, and Japanese martens, based on three analytical methods-the temporal overlap, temporal co-occurrence, and time-to-encounter analysis-to evaluate. From May to October 2019 and 2020, we obtained the activity of the target species using camera-traps in northeastern Japan. We analyzed the data with the coefficient of temporal overlap, probabilistic co-occurrence analysis, checkerboard score, and multi-response permutation procedures. The results of the assessment of the niche partitioning differed depending on the analytical methods based on temporal and spatio-temporal partitioning. Therefore, we conclude that the choice of analytical approach is important for evaluating the temporal and spatio-temporal niche partitioning.

Spatio-temporal partitioning facilitates mesocarnivore sympatry in the Stara Planina Mountains, Bulgaria.

The top trophic level in many terrestrial food webs is typically occupied by mammalian carnivores (Order Carnivora) that broadly affect and shape ecosystems through trophic cascades. Their inter-specific interactions can further complicate effects on community dynamics as a consequence of intra-guild competition. The capacity for competitive mammalian carnivores to segregate their hunting and activity regimes is in major part a function of their similarity, in terms of body-size and dietary niche; termed the 'niche variation hypothesis'. In this study, we used camera-trapping to investigate intra-guild interactions and spatio-temporal partitioning among five mesocarnivores, the golden jackal (Canis aureus), European badger (Meles meles), red fox (Vulpes vulpes), European wildcat (Felis sylvestris) and stone marten (Martes foina), in the Stara Planina Mountains, Bulgaria. We collected a total of 444 images of golden jackals, 236 images of European badgers, 200 images of red foxes, 171 images of stone martens, and 145 images of European wildcats, from 6612 camera-days across fifteen camera-trapping stations. With respect to body size, the three smaller species (fox, wildcat and marten) were active in different time periods than the two larger competitors (jackal and badger) through both the warm and cold season. The more similar the trophic niche between species pairs (particularly relating to rodent consumption), the greater the spatio-temporal partitioning we observed within the pair; however, this adapted to seasonal dietary shifts. In conclusion, spatial and temporal (fine-scale and seasonal) niche partitioning appeared to reduce encounter probabilities and competition and may act to facilitate sympatric coexistence among this regional mesocarnivore guild.

A strategy for wildlife management in depopulating rural areas of Japan.

Former ranges of wild animals have been reestablished in many developed countries. However, this reestablishment has led to increasing human-wildlife conflict in agroforest ecosystems. In Japan, human-wildlife conflict, such as crop raiding by and ecological impacts of wild ungulates and primates, is a serious problem in depopulated rural areas due to these animal range expansions and increased abundances. Japan's human population is predicted to decline by 24% by 2050, and approximately 20% of agricultural settlements will become completely depopulated. In this scenario, anthropogenic pressures on wildlife (e.g., hunting and habitat alteration) will continue to decrease and human-wildlife conflict will increase due to increasing wildlife recovery. Japan's local governments plan to slow range recovery, prevent species reestablishment, or remove recolonizing large mammals through lethal control. This strategy, however, is not cost-effective, and workforce shortages in depopulated communities make it infeasible. Moreover, the suppression of wildlife prevents the recovery of ecological functions and thus would degrade regional biodiversity. The declining pressure on wildlife that accompanies human depopulation will prevent the restoration of any past states of human-wildlife interaction. We suggest human-used areas in rural landscapes be aggregated in compact cities and that in transition zones between human settlements and depopulated lands that land-sharing approaches be applied. Concentrating management efforts in compact cities may effectively decrease human-wildlife conflict, rather than intensifying human pressures. Reforestation of depopulated lands may lead to recovery of wildlife habitats, their ecosystem functions, and regional biodiversity due to minimization of negative anthropogenic effects (land-sparing approach). Balancing resolution of human-wildlife conflict and ecological rewilding could become a new, challenging task for regional wildlife managers.

Una Estrategia para el Manejo de Fauna en Áreas Rurales Despobladas de Japón Resumen Las distribuciones geográficas históricas de algunos animales silvestres se han reestablecido en muchos países desarrollados. Sin embargo, este restablecimiento ha derivado en un incremento del conflicto humano - fauna en los ecosistemas agroforestales. En Japón, el conflicto humano - fauna, como el asalto de cultivos y los impactos ecológicos de los primates y ungulados, es un problema serio en las áreas rurales despobladas debido a la expansión de la distribución y al incremento en abundancia de estos animales. Está pronosticado que la población humana de Japón decline en un 24% para 2050 y ∼20% de los establecimientos agrícolas estarán completamente despoblados. Bajo este escenario, las presiones antropogénicas sobre la fauna (como la caza y la alteración del hábitat) continuarán disminuyendo y el conflicto humano - fauna incrementará debido a la recuperación de la fauna. El gobierno local de Japón planea retrasar la recuperación de las distribuciones, prevenir el restablecimiento de las especies o remover a los mamíferos mayores en proceso de recolonización por medio del exterminio. Sin embargo, esta estrategia no es rentable y la escasez de mano de obra en las comunidades despobladas hace que no sea una estrategia factible. Además, la supresión de fauna impide la recuperación de las funciones ecológicas, por lo que terminaría por degradar la biodiversidad regional. La reducción de la presión sobre la fauna que va de la mano con la despoblación humana prevendrá la recuperación de cualquier estado pasado de la interacción humano - fauna. Sugerimos que las áreas usadas por humanos en los paisajes rurales queden agregadas en ciudades compactas y que se apliquen estrategias de tierras compartidas en las zonas de transición entre los asentamientos humanos y las tierras despobladas. La concentración de los esfuerzos de manejo en las ciudades compactas podría disminuir efectivamente el conflicto humano - fauna en lugar de intensificar las presiones humanas. La reforestación de las tierras despobladas podría derivar en la recuperación del hábitat de la fauna, sus funciones ambientales y de la biodiversidad regional debido a la minimización de los efectos antropogénicos (estrategia de tierra parsimoniosa). El balance entre la resolución del conflicto humano - fauna y el retorno ecológico a la vida silvestre podría convertirse en una tarea nueva y exigente para los administradores regionales de la fauna.

Two-pass dual-energy CT imaging for simultaneous detection, characterization, and volume measurement of urinary stones with excretory-phase CT urography alone: a phantom study.

PURPOSE: To evaluate if two-pass dual-energy CT imaging--i.e., simultaneous three-material and two-material decomposition analysis--can depict and characterize urinary stones in various concentrations of iodine solution in vitro. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Twelve urinary stones were scanned with a dual-source CT scanner. First, each stone (in a saline-filled tube) underwent single- and dual-energy mode CT scans in order to measure the volume of the stone. Each stone was then placed in various concentrations of contrast medium and scanned in dual-energy mode to calculate its volume via three-material decomposition analysis. Two-pass dual-energy CT imaging analysis software for the Matlab environment, which was developed specifically to process simultaneous three-material and two-material decomposition, was applied to characterize and calculate the volume of each stone. RESULTS: Although the virtual non-contrast images from three-material decomposition analysis clearly visualized all of the stones in contrast medium with up to 80 mgI/mL, the volumes of the uric acid stones were overestimated. Two-pass dual-energy CT imaging was able to depict and characterize non-uric-acid stones in diluted contrast medium with up to 80 mgI/mL, whereas uric acid stones were correctly evaluated in diluted contrast medium with 40 mgI/mL or less. CONCLUSIONS: Two-pass dual-energy CT imaging is able to depict and characterize urinary stones in contrast medium.

Molecular phylogeography of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Northeastern Asia based on analyses of complete mitochondrial DNA sequences.

To further elucidate the migration history of the brown bears (Ursus arctos) on Hokkaido Island, Japan, we analyzed the complete mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences of 35 brown bears from Hokkaido, the southern Kuril Islands (Etorofu and Kunashiri), Sakhalin Island, and the Eurasian Continent (continental Russia, Bulgaria, and Tibet), and those of four polar bears. Based on these sequences, we reconstructed the maternal phylogeny of the brown bear and estimated divergence times to investigate the timing of brown bear migrations, especially in northeastern Eurasia. Our gene tree showed the mtDNA haplotypes of all 73 brown and polar bears to be divided into eight divergent lineages. The brown bear on Hokkaido was divided into three lineages (central, eastern, and southern). The Sakhalin brown bear grouped with eastern European and western Alaskan brown bears. Etorofu and Kunashiri brown bears were closely related to eastern Hokkaido brown bears and could have diverged from the eastern Hokkaido lineage after formation of the channel between Hokkaido and the southern Kuril Islands. Tibetan brown bears diverged early in the eastern lineage. Southern Hokkaido brown bears were closely related to North American brown bears.

Comparative molecular phylogeny and evolution of sex chromosome DNA sequences in the family Canidae (Mammalia: Carnivora).

To investigate the molecular phylogeny and evolution of the family Canidae, nucleotide sequences of the zinc-finger-protein gene on the Y chromosome (ZFY, 924-1146 bp) and its homologous gene on the X chromosome (ZFX, 834-839 bp) for twelve canid species were determined. The phylogenetic relationships among species reconstructed by the paternal ZFY sequences closely agreed with those by mtDNA and autosomal DNA trees in previous reports, and strongly supported the phylogenetic affinity between the wolf-like canids clade and the South American canids clade. However, the branching order of some species differed between phylogenies of ZFY and ZFX genes: Cuon alpinus and Canis mesomelas were included in the wolf-like canid clades in the ZFY tree, whereas both species were clustered in a group of Chrysocyon brachyurus and Speothos venaticus in the ZFX tree. The topology difference between ZFY and ZFX trees may have resulted from the two-times higher substitution rate of the former than the latter, which was clarified in the present study. In addition, two types of transposable element sequence (SINE-I and SINE-II) were found to occur in the ZFY final intron of the twelve canid species examined. Because the SINE-I sequences were shared by all the species, they may have been inserted into the ZFY of the common ancestor before species radiation in Canidae. By contract, SINE-II found in only Canis aureus could have been inserted into ZFY independently after the speciation. The molecular diversity of SINE sequences of Canidae reflects evolutionary history of the species radiation.

Synergistic induction of heme oxygenase-1 by nicaraven after subarachnoid hemorrhage to prevent delayed cerebral vasospasm.

Cerebral vasospasm remains a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage. Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is an oxidative stress-inducible enzyme with multiple protective functions against vascular and neurological diseases, including delayed cerebral vasospasm. In the present study, intravenous administration (i.v.) of nicaraven (1 mg/kg/min, for 2 days after subarachnoid hemorrhage) ameliorated delayed cerebral vasospasm in rat subarachnoid hemorrhage models, marked synergistic induction of HO-1 protein (> 2.5-fold than 'subarachnoid hemorrhage with saline i.v.'), and elicited a rapid increase of cGMP accumulation in the basilar arteries. In the sham-operated rats, nicaraven could not induce HO-1 expression. Antisense HO-1 oligodeoxynucleotides abrogated this HO-1 induction and the antivasospastic effect of nicaraven. In vitro study using Hela cells, nicaraven enhanced the human HO-1 promoter (-4.5 kbp) activity, which was pre-activated with the blood component oxyhemoglobin to mimic the ability of subarachnoid hemorrhage. These results suggest that this enhanced HO-1 expression through a combination of pathological state and pharmacological agent could be an effective strategy to improve the prognosis of heme- and oxidative stress-induced diseases, such as delayed cerebral vasospasm.

Potential role for heat shock protein 72 in antagonizing cerebral vasospasm after rat subarachnoid hemorrhage.

BACKGROUND: Cerebral vasospasm can be defined as delayed-onset narrowing of the cerebral arteries that can occur after a spontaneous aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Despite a large number of experimental and clinical investigations, the exact pathophysiology of vasospasm remains unknown. Using a fluorescence differential-display system, we have identified the gene encoding heat shock protein 72 (HSP72) as being highly upregulated by cerebral vasospasm. We therefore elucidated the role of the HSP72 gene in cerebral vasospasm in a rat experimental SAH model. METHODS AND RESULTS: By angiography, cerebral vasospasm was detected from day 1, with maximal narrowing detected on day 2. Intracisternal injection of antisense HSP72 oligodeoxynucleotide led to specific inhibition of HSP72 gene expression and significantly aggravated cerebral vasospasm on days 2 and 3 of the angiographic studies. Oral administration of geranylgeranylacetone (GGA), an antiulcer drug, enhanced HSP72 induction and reduced cerebral vasospasm. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest HSP72 plays a novel role in antagonizing delayed cerebral vasospasm after SAH and that GGA provides protective effects against delayed cerebral vasospasm, at least partly via induction of HSP72.

[Pharmacogenomics and pharmainformatics].

Pharmacogenomics is defined to identify the genes which are involved in determining the responsiveness and to distinguish responders and non-responders to a given drug. Genome sequencing, transcriptome and proteome analysis are of particular significance in pharmacogenomics. Sequencing is used to locate polymorphisms, and monitoring of gene expression can provide clue about the genomic response to disease and treatment. The transcriptome analysis can be done by methods of random cDNA sequencing (expressed sequence tag project, body map project, serial analysis of gene expression, et al), mRNA display (differential display, fluorescent differential display, RNA arbitraly primed PCR, molecular indexing, gene expression fingerprinting, et al) and differential hybridization(cDNA high density filter, cDNA microarray, oligomicrochip, et al). We used transcriptome analysis to identify therapeutic target genes by studying change of gene expression in animal models of cerebral vasospasm (1) and of hypoxia/ischemia and found novel drug target candidates through this pharmacogenomic strategy (2). We found remarkable up-regulation of heme oxygenase-1(HO-1) mRNA in the basilar artery and it might be closely related to the occurrence of delayed vasospasm after subarachnoid hemorrhage. In this report, we clearly demonstrate that intrathecal administration of antisense HO-1 oligodeoxynucleotide aggravates vasospasm, suggesting HO-1 gene induction has spasmolytic effects. Furthermore, we found the protective effects of HO-1 gene induction by endogenous or clinical compounds in cerebral vasospasm. Therapeutic gene induction of HO-1 could be a novel strategy for the prevention and treatment of Hb-induced pathologic conditions including delayed cerebral vasospasm. Our results suggest that the pharmacogenomic transcriptome analysis and pharmainformatics has the potential for strategy to define novel drug targets in various diseases (3). (1) J Clin Invest 104: 59-66, 1999. (2) J Biol Chem 276: 19921-19928, 2001. (3) J Cardiovasc Pharm 36: S1-S4, 2000.