No abstract

We examined the recovery of vegetation in seminatural grassland in central Japan after eliminating grazing by sika deer (Cervus nippon) by fencing. By 2012, after 5 years of fencing for exclusion of sika deer, the species composition of quadrats within the enclosure reverted to the original species composition in 1981, not browsed by sika deer. Conversely, outside the fence was different from the baseline quadrats in 1981. Iris sanguinea, a prominent flower in the area, recovered within the enclosure, while it continued to decrease with grazing outside the fence. Nevertheless, the I. sanguinea cover had not recovered to the 1981 levels in the enclosure. Fencing can effectively restore vegetation as the species composition within the enclosure gradually reverts to the original vegetation. Preventing grazing in intensively grazed seminatural grassland might lead to different successional pathways. Since I. sanguinea did not recover fully within the enclosure and the species composition differed slightly from the original vegetation, this suggests that the vegetation within the enclosure will change to an alternative state. Therefore, different management is needed to promote the correct succession pathways for ecological restoration, perhaps by enhancing the colonization of target species, to prevent restored sites from giving rise to alternative states.

No abstract

To investigate the effect of nocturnal autonomic nervous activity on subjective sleep reports, a combined recording using an actigraph and a wristwatch-type pulse wave sensor was carried out. The participants included 19 healthy menopausal women (mean age: 57.3 Ϯ 3.85 years) without menopausal syndrome. Total sleep time (TST) and wake time after sleep onset (WASO) data were acquired from the actigraph. Indices of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous activity (high frequency [HF] and percentile of low frequency [%LF]) during sleep were calculated by the pulse frequency demodulation method. Subsequently, we investigated the correlations between the averaged values and the subjective report (OSA-MA) scores that were obtained on waking. The strong relationship between the subjective sleep reports on waking and the indices of actigram and pulse rate variability was demonstrated by a positive correlation between the subjective feeling of refreshment and HF during sleep. Therefore, vagal nerve activities could serve as a simple and useful indicator for evaluating subjective sleep quality which is difficult to detect from polysomnography or actigraphy in postmenopausal women.

Abstract. Biochemical investigations have shown the presence of the enzyme phenylethanolamine N-methyltransferase (PNMT), which converts norepinephrine (NE) to epinephrine (E) in human pregnant tissues, e.g. myometrium and fetal membranes. The enzymatic activity of PNMT in myometrium is known to decrease during labor. In the present study, PNMT activity in chorio-decidua was measured and the effect of labor and prostaglandins (PG) on PNMT activity was determined. A cytosol fraction of chorio-decidua was incubated with [ 14C]-S-adenosyl-L-methionine and normetanephrine for 60 min to measure PNMT activity. Fetal membranes were obtained at elective Cesarean section and normal vaginal delivery from full term pregnant women, and the activity of PNMT in chorio-decidua was compared. Significantly lower activity in chorio-decidua obtained from normal vaginal delivery than that from elective Cesarean section was observed. The concentration of 13, 14-dihydro-l5-keto-prostaglandin F2a (DHK-PGF2a) in amniotic fluid obtained at normal vaginal delivery were measured by RIA, and the relationship of the DHK-PGF2a level to PNMT activity was studied. There was a significantly negative correlation between the concentration of DHK-PGF2a in amniotic fluid and PNMT activity in chorio-decidua. When various concentrations of PGF2a were pre-incubated with minced chorio-decidua for 2 h, PNMT activity was decreased in a dose dependent manner. These results indicated that PGF2a might affect the bioconversion of NE to E in fetal membranes. The presence of this enzyme in fetal membranes may play an important role in regulating the concentration of catecholamines during pregnancy and parturition.