An evaluation of the impact of a school nutrition programme in Vietnam

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a school nutrition programme on the weight gain and growth of Vietnamese schoolchildren. DESIGN: A proximate cluster evaluation of children in seven schools, in which fortified milk and biscuits supplying 300 kcal of energy were being given on school days, compared with children in 14 nearby schools with no feeding. All children were dewormed. SETTING: Twenty-one primary schools in Dong Thap Province, Vietnam. SUBJECTS: A cohort of 1080 children in grade 1 of 21 primary schools, and a cross-sectional interview of 400 children in grade 3. RESULTS: The programme gave children the equivalent of 90 kcal day- 1 over 17 months. t-Tests showed a small but statistically significant difference between groups in their average gain in weight and height: 3.19 versus 2.95 kg (P < 0.001) and 8.15 versus 7.88 cm (P = 0.008). A multiple-level model showed that the programme was statistically significant after controlling for clustering of children in schools, sex, age and initial underweight (P = 0.024). A significant impact on height was also seen in a regression model, but not when controlling for school. The most undernourished children tended to gain the least weight. There was no evidence of substitution. CONCLUSION: The programme had a small but significant effect on weight gain, but the most undernourished children benefited the least. Methods need to be developed to target them. This design may offer a means of estimating the impact of school feeding on growth in other programme settings.     

Environmental conditions alter the effect of organic acid salts on digestibility and intestinal morphology in Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

The impact of two dietary organic acids (OAs) on nutrient digestibility and intestinal morphology was determined in Nile tilapia under conditions of dissolved oxygen in the water: normoxia and hypoxia. Four diets designated as control (0 g/kg organic acid salt), KDF (2 g/kg potassium diformate), CAB (2 g/kg calcium butyrate) and their combination (4 g/kg of a mixture of KDF and CAB, ration 1:1) were formulated with 520 g/kg of soybean meal in order to produce soybean meal enteritis‐like symptoms. The four diets were tested first under normoxic conditions (6 mg/L) for a period of 5 weeks, followed by a test period under hypoxic conditions (3 mg/L). The results showed that OAs were unable to significantly improve growth and nutrient digestibility under normoxic conditions but under hypoxic conditions, there was a significant enhancement of the growth and nutrient digestibility. Fish fed OA‐supplemented diets showed improvements in the intestinal morphology under the normoxic conditions, and these effects were more pronounced under the hypoxic conditions. Experimental findings suggest that OAs can improve the nutrient digestibility and intestinal morphology under hypoxic conditions. A synergistic effect by the combination of formic and butyric acid on growth, digestibility and intestinal morphology was not found.     

Screening of quinalphos,trifluralin and dichlorvos residues in fresh water of aquaculture systems in Mekong Delta,Vietnam

To develop an easy and reliable method for detecting pesticides and their residues in the Mekong Delta, a GC‐MS analytical method was developed and validated according to European guidelines (SANTE/11945/2015) for the determination of residues of three pesticides (quinalphos, trifluralin and dichlorvos) in water. The limit of detection (LOD) and the limit of quantification (LOQ) were 0.002 and 0.007 μg/L, respectively, for quinalphos and trifluralin, and 0.016 and 0.053 μg/L, respectively, for dichlorvos and quinalphos. The repeatability, the within‐laboratory reproducibility as well as the trueness met the European criteria. The recovery rate ranged between 72% (for dichlorvos and quinalphos) and 82% (for trifluralin). The developed method was then applied for the analysis of 33 water samples, collected in April 2013, at the beginning of the rainy season in the Mekong Delta in Vietnam. Thirteen samples were from rice field, 10 were collected from cat fish ponds and from red tilapia cages. Results showed that only 9% of total water samples analysed contained residues of pesticides, but only in water from rice fish systems. From the 13 samples taken in these systems, quinalphos was detected in three samples. The other two pesticides were not detected. A comparison between analytical results obtained from GC‐MS and an alternative method, that is GC‐ECD indicated that GC‐ECD is less sensitive than GC‐MS, with LOQ ranging from 0.37 to 1.18 (depending on the pesticide). However, for samples with concentrations above these LOQ, no significant difference was observed between the results obtained from the two analytical methodologies.     

Effects of dietary supplementation of Astragalus membranaceus,Codonopsis pilosula,and Glycyrrhiza uralensis extract mixture on growth performance,haematological parameters and hepatopancreatic performance in juvenile Pacific white shrimp (Litopenaeus vannamei)

Pacific white shrimp is the major farmed shrimp species in the world. It is known to be very sensitive to the environmental and management changes such as intensification, which is one of the primary necessities to increase shrimp production, but represents a stressful condition, and needs to be managed properly to diminish its negative effects in aquaculture. In this study, juvenile Pacific white shrimp were fed diets supplementing with equal quantities of Astragalus membranaceus, Codonopsis pilosula and Glycyrrhiza uralensis extracts in different concentrations (0, 1.0, 2.0 and 3.0 g/kg) for 8 weeks. We subsequently estimated the effects of supplemented diets on growth performance, haematological parameters, and histological changes of hepatopancreas. Results revealed that the supplemented mixture had no benefits on growth and survival rate, but had favourable effects on haemocyte count, number of granulocytes, and hemocyanin concentration in the haemolymph (p > 0.05). We observed that R cells and B cells were increased in hepatopancreatic tubules of shrimps fed on supplemented diets. Besides, a diet containing 2.0 g/kg of extract mixture maintained the decreased levels of alanine aminotransferase (p < 0.05) and aspartate aminotransferase (p > 0.05). Among the used concentrations, 2.0 g/kg seemed to be the most suitable concentration.     

The use of machine learning to predict acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) in shrimp farmed on the east coast of the Mekong Delta of Vietnam

Fisheries Science - Predicting the outbreak of disease is essential when managing shrimp farms. Acute hepatopancreatic necrosis disease (AHPND) caused by Vibrio parahaemolyticus is a serious...     

Effects of dietary protein and lipid levels on growth,feed utilization and body composition in red‐tailed catfish juveniles (Hemibagrus wyckioides,Chaux & Fang 1949)

A feeding trial was conducted in a recycling water system during 10 weeks to determine the optimal protein to lipid ratio in Asian red‐tailed catfish (Hemibagrus wyckioides). Six diets of two protein levels (390 and 440 g kg^?1) with three lipid levels (60, 90 and 120 g kg^?1) were formulated. Fish (1.96 g) were fed six diets with four replicates to apparent satiation at a stocking density of 50 fish per tank (500 L). Faeces were collected in cultured tanks at the end of the feeding trial for digestibility measurement. Significantly, improved growth performances (P < 0.01) and higher feed utilization (P < 0.001) were observed in fish fed with higher lipid diets. However, higher protein diets did not significantly improve fish growth but they reduced FCR (P < 0.001) and protein efficiency ratio (P < 0.01). Higher lipid diets also resulted in significantly increased adipose‐somatic index, carcass fat and reduced moisture of the fish. The study revealed the protein sparing effect of dietary lipid in the catfish and highest growth performance was found by fish fed 390 g kg^?1 protein and 120 g kg^?1 lipid diet with P/E ratio of 20.48 mg protein kJ^?1. DP/DE ratio for maximal growth rate in diets was 21.48 mg protein kJ^?1.     

Effects of early weaning strategies on growth,survival and digestive enzyme activities in cobia (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Rachycentron canadum</Emphasis> L.) larvae

The effects of weaning strategies of cobia (Rachycentron canadum L.) larvae to commercial microdiets, either from rotifers or from Artemia, on growth, survival and enzymatic digestive capacity, were investigated. In the first experiment, cobia larvae were weaned from rotifers by co-feeding with a microdiet (Otohime) from 8, 13 or 20 days post-hatching (dph). The larvae in the control treatment were fed rotifers (2–12 dph), Artemia nauplii from 7 dph, and co-fed with the microdiet from 20 dph. In the second experiment, the larvae were weaned from Artemia, which was fed to the larvae from 7 dph, by co-feeding with a microdiet (NRD) from 8, 13 or 18 dph. The larvae in control treatment were fed rotifers, then Artemia to the end of the experiment (28 dph). Weaning of cobia larvae onto a microdiet directly from rotifers significantly reduced growth, survival and digestive capacity of the larvae and did not lead to larval acceptance of the microdiet, compared to those weaned from Artemia in the first experiment. Early weaning of cobia larvae onto NRD microdiet (on 8 or 13 dph) from Artemia in the second experiment also reduced growth, survival rate and gut maturation index, compared to those fed live feed. With available microdiets, weaning of cobia larvae could start from Artemia at around 18 dph in order to obtain comparable growth, survival and gut maturation to larvae fed live feed.     

Influence of rolled erosion control systems on temporal rainsplash response—a laboratory rainfall simulation experiment

Reduction of erosion and sediment-related pollution from urban construction sites or other degraded hillslopes often relies on the initial application of suitable rolled erosion control systems (RECS) before natural vegetation cover can be established. However, research has not clearly explained why some RECS perform better than others, or under what particular conditions one system is more suitable than another. An important link between the application of the most suitable RECS and better product design is process-based studies relating the physical properties of products to the reduction of erosion subprocesses. This study investigates time-varying reduction of rainsplash detachment and transport by 13 commonly used RECS. The results indicate that product differences in the protection they provide against splash processes vary over the duration of a rain event, and that this variation is related to individual product properties, especially surface coverage and thickness. These results should aid in the design of more effective erosion control products and in the selection of the most suitable RECS for particular hillslope applications. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

A long-term observation for ecology of pathogenic Yersinia in wild rodents living in Fukushima Prefecture,Japan

From 2012 to 2021, prevalence of pathogenic Yersinia in wild rodents captured in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan was investigated twice a year to clarify the ecology of this pathogen in wild rodent populations. Pathogenic Yersinia enterocolitica O8 was isolated from 13 (1.7%) of 755 wild rodents. The Y. enterocolitica O8 isolates harbored three virulent genes (ail, fyuA, and virF). This pathogen was isolated repeatedly from wild rodents in April 2015, 2016, and 2017, in June and November 2020, and in April 2021, which was 6 of 19 times of observations. All Y. enterocolitica O8 isolates showed the same PFGE patterns. These results indicated that the same clone of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica O8 has been maintained in wild rodent populations in Fukushima Prefecture. Therefore, wild rodent populations contribute substantially to the continuous transmission of Y. enterocolitica O8 and its persistence in the ecosystem. This is the first report on the isolation of pathogenic Y. enterocolitica O8 in wild rodents in Fukushima Prefecture, Japan.