In moth, pheromone biosynthesis activating neuropeptide (PBAN) regulates pheromone biosynthesis by binding to its receptor (PBANr). In this study, we cloned a PBANr gene (Mvi-PBANr) from sex pheromone gland in M. vitrata, which encodes 475 amino acid and includes 7 transmembrane domains. As a results of phylogenetic analysis, Mvi-PBANr is clustered with lepidopteran PBANrs. Mvi-PBANr was investigated for the effect of pheromone biosynthesis via RNA interference (RNAi), gas chromatography (GC) and bioassay. Consequently, expression level of Mvi-PBANr suppressed via RNAi, resulting in decrease pheromone component (E10E12-16:Ald). Mating rate was also reduced when performing the RNAi. These results revealed that Mvi-PBANr played important role in the pheromone biosynthesis in M. vitrata, and Mvi-PBANr can be used as new pest control targets.

Honey bees are affected by a variety of factors, so they have to be thoroughly managed according to their lifestyle. The activity of the honey bee foragers represent an important parameter of the hive state. Here, the real-time and automatic monitoring system using dual infrared sensors was applied for counting the foraging activity of honey bees based on ICT. According to this study, this system is very accurate with a relative error of 3.98% / 4.43% compared to manual counting through video analysis. This system showed the scalability of the system through the internal and external temperature sensors connected through the main board and BLE module. Furthermore, the data measured through this system for one month were analyzed, the monthly average foraging activity and the number of lost foragers were measured (1.88% of outgoing bees), and at the same time, the foraging patterns according to the changes of temperature and time were analyzed. This study suggests that the development of apicultural, scientific and educational materials with more powerful real-time monitoring tools through expansion of a complex monitoring system and big data accumulation.

As world become closer and many people travel around the world, infectious diseases are likely to be prevalent, Dengue, chikungunya, Zika virus would become endemic diseases in many places in the world as climate is more likely to be fit to mosquito vectors than before. As a matter of fact, Aedes albopictus mediating these diseases became endemic species in Japan and France recently. One of the things that we employ is that we need to apply the Internet of Things concept in disease vector control soon to increase the accuracy of vector species in time as they are present unexpectedly. Here in this presentation, many lines of current state-of-the-art technologies to control the disease vectors using big data informatics application and machine learning strategies. With this trend, this presentation will add future directions of integrated vector management with new research endeavors to monitor the population of disease vectors concisely and precisely, Application of internet of things (IoT) in disease vector management will be addressed in this presentation. This will change future research and development of apparatus to monitor and control disease vectors.

There are two methods for evaluating two or more mutually exclusive projects. One is a total investment approach and the other is an incremental investment approach. The former can rank projects by the criterion of the net present value, but the latter can’t do it. An incremental investment approach is only possible when all pairwise alternatives are compared. Thus an incremental investment approach is superior in ranking them over an incremental investment approach. To do so, a principle of comparison must be established. Comparisons of profitability are reasonable when operating the same amount of investment over the same period of time. One principle is that all projects are invested in the largest of the projects. Another principle is that all projects are invested during the longest project life of the projects. In this paper, even if the principle is followed, it will be shown that the external rate of return fails to rank them. However, the productive rate of return criterion would prove to be able to rank them like the net present value standard, provided that the principle of comparison is kept. In addition, rate of returns can be assessed so that all mutually exclusive projects can be compared at once, such as on the criterion of the net present value. That is, it can be also compared with many other returns, such as the profit rates on financial investments or real investments.

To investigate effects of starvation on physiological changes, stress response, and survival of cobitid loach (Misgurnus anguillicaudatus) exposed to sodium nitrite (NaNO2), a 4- week experiment was conducted. Fewer fish survived in the starved group than those in the fed group during the experiment. Starvation resulted in growth retardation, leading to differences in body length and body depth between fed and starved groups. The fed gorup continued to grow and remained in good condition. Blood chemical analysis (plasma cortisol and glucose) showed significant differences in stress response to nitrite exposure between fed and starved groups (p < 0.05). These results suggest that all parameters employed in this study to assess effects of starvation with NaNO2 stress are useful information for researching nutritional status in cobitid loach.

The purpose of this study is to determine the effects of vibration on primary (e.g. plasma cortisol), secondary (e.g. plasma glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST), alanine aminotransferase (ALT), Na+, K+ and Cl- and tertiary (e.g. mortality) stress responses in cultured eel, Anguilla japonica. For this purpose, three groups (including one control group and two stress groups) were set up. The control group was made exposed to vibration corresponding to 48 decibel (dB, V) (produced using electric vibrators) for 15 minutes per hour every day, and the two stress groups was made exposed to vibration corresponding to 58 and 68 dB (V) (produced using the same electric vibrators), equally, for 15 minutes per hour every day. Blood was sampled at day 0 (before starting vibration stress tests, BS), and days 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11 (after starting vibration stress tests). As a result, plasma cortisol showed trend to continuously rise by consecutive stress from 4.1±0.1 ng/ml in BS. In 48 dB group (control), cortisol showed the highest level with 7.6±0.9 ng/ml after 7 days (p <0.05), but at 9 and 11 days was not significantly compared with BS level. In 58 dB group, the cortisol showed the highest level with 43.1±4.8 ng/ml after 1st day. Cortisol of 68 dB group increased significantly during the experimental period (14.4±2.3~32.0± 5.7 ng/ml) (p<0.05). In 58, and 68 dB groups during the experimental period differed significantly compared to 48 group (p <0.05). Glucose in 48 dB were increased from 42.0 ±5.7 (BS) to 52.5±2.1 (1 day), the level was not significantly from 1 to 11 days. Glucose in 58 and 68 dB groups was increased significantly than BS during experimental period (p <0.05). K+ in 68 dB increased significantly (p <0.05) from 2.3±0.2 mE/ql (BS) to 3.3± 0.5 mE/ql at 5 days. In 48 and 58 dB groups during the experimental period differed significantly (p <0.05). Na+ and Cl- levels were not differed significantly during the experimental period. AST and ALT in 58 and 68 dB groups showed trend to continuously rise by consecutive stress. At 7 and 9 days in AST, between 48, 58 and 68 dB groups differed significantly (p <0.05). In 48, 58 and 68 dB groups at 1 day, blood hematocrit increased significantly higher than BS. The 11 days after vibration stress, the mortality in 48, 58 and 68 dB groups was 1.1, 5.1 and 5.8%, respectively. The present results have shown that A. japonica exhibited ''typical'' physiological responses when exposed to chronic vibration stress. These data suggested that chronic vibration stress caused substantial stress in the fish; especially the persisting elevated plasma AST and ALT levels observed would be expected to adverse effect. In conclusion, chronic vibration stress could greatly affects the hematological characteristics in A. japonica.