ASSESSMENT OF RESPIRATION‐INDUCED DISPLACEMENT OF CANINE ABDOMINAL ORGANS IN DORSAL AND VENTRAL RECUMBENCY USING MULTISLICE COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY

Respiratory‐induced organ displacement during image acquisition can produce motion artifacts and variation in spatial localization of an organ in diagnostic computed tomography (CT) examinations. The purpose of this prospective study was to quantify respiratory‐induced abdominal organ displacement in dorsal and ventral recumbency using five normal dogs. All dogs underwent CT examinations using 64 multidetector row CT (64‐MDCT). A “3‐dimensional (3D) apneic CT exam” of the abdomen was acquired followed by a “4‐dimensional (4D) ventilated CT exam.” The liver, pancreas, both kidneys, both medial iliac lymph nodes, and urinary bladder were delineated on the 3D‐apneic examination and the organ outlines were compared to the maximum alteration in organ position in the 4D‐ventilated examination. Displacement was measured in dorsal‐to‐ventral (DV), right‐to‐left (RL), and cranial‐to‐caudal (CC) directions. Respiratory‐induced displacement of canine abdominal organs was not predictable and showed large variability in the three directions evaluated. For most canine abdominal organs, dorsal recumbency provided overall the least amount of displacement among all directions evaluated except for liver and urinary bladder. For liver, a large variability was found for all directions and a statistically significant difference was found only in the RL direction with ventral recumbency exhibiting less displacement (P = 0.0099). For the urinary bladder, ventral recumbency also provided less displacement but this was statistically significant only in the RL direction (P < 0.0001). Findings from this study indicated that dorsal recumbency may be preferred for minimizing respiratory motion artifacts in whole abdomen studies, but ventral recumbency may be preferred for liver and urinary bladder studies when respiration cannot be controlled.     

High frequency somatic embryogenesis with a pampeana-derived genotype of alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.)

Summary Somatic embryos of genotype R11 of the alfalfa variety Pampeana were produced from embryogenic calli derived from leaf sections. They were induced by an auxin shock and its development was attempted on six different media. The best condition for somatic embryo production was inducing callus on MS medium plus 10 M 2,4-D and 4,6 M KIN and transferring them, after the auxin shock, to MS with 10–20 mM NH₄ ⁺ and 30 mM proline. More than 500 somatic embryos per plate were produced. Embryos were grown to plants on MS or half strength MS media and all regenerated plants resembled the original R11 genotype. This technique could be useful in alfalfa Pampeana improvement using genetic modification.     

Ecological niche modeling,niche overlap,and good old Rabinowitz’s rarities applied to the conservation of gymnosperms in a global biodiversity hotspot

Landscape Ecology - Biodiversity hotspots harbor 77% of endemic plant species. Patagonian Temperate Forest (PTF) is a part of a biodiversity hotspot, but over the past centuries, has been...     

Berry distributions on coffee trees cultivated under high densities modulate the chemical composition of respective coffee beans during one biannual cycle

ABSTRACT

Coffee trees show the fluctuation in production related to biannual phenological development. We aimed to quantify the berry distribution over the vertical profile and relate the chemical composition of coffee beans during few subsequent harvests in each of two production years (PY). The analyzed coffee productions followed severe pruning of plants grown in different planting designs. In the second PY, coffee plants loaded roughly fourfold more berries than the first PY. In the first PY, berry distribution in zones of plagiotropic axes that passed all physiological phases was characterized by random maturation over three harvests, while in the second PY, berry maturation over the orthotropic and plagiotropic axes differed between two harvests, suggesting higher impact of local light microclimate and, consequently, local source–sink relations. Proteins, sucrose, and lipids were the most sensitive studied chemical components when modifications in coffee beans composition were analyzed, considering the impacts of PY, harvest time, planting design, and berry position. Sucrose content increased in latter harvests, indicating better berry maturation compared to the first harvest in both PY. Protein and caffeine contents increased and lipids decreased in higher density and low plant layer during the second PY, suggesting that deposition of those components was modified by self-shading and maturation time related to the berry position over the plant profile.     

Effect of Marcela Extract (Achyroclines satureiodes) on the Shelf Life of Minced Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) Sausages

The effect of marcela extract (ME) on the shelf life of minced tilapia sausages was evaluated in this study. The level of phenolic compounds in the ME was 114.1 ± 2.9 mg GAE/g extract, and the DPPH free radical scavenging activity was 94.95 ± 1.34%. The ME protected the samples from color changes during storage. The addition of 0.5 and 0.75% ME significantly decreased lipid oxidation and microbial growth. The ME did not impact the sausages’ sensory quality, and the addition of 0.75% prevented sensory rejection during storage.     

Effects of salinity on sexual maturity and reproduction of Poecilia velifera

Poecilia velifera is a popular fish in freshwater aquarism that naturally inhabits aquatic habitats with a wide range of salinities. Nonetheless, the effects of different salinities on the reproductive success and sex ratio of the species remain unknown. Male sex characters, sex ratio and reproductive success of P. velifera were evaluated by maintaining 160 juveniles (0.078 ± 0.011 g) in four different salinities (0; 12; 24; 36 g/L), with four replicates. The only modification observed in males was the formation of a copulatory organ from the anal fin, which was used to distinguish them from females. Timing of the formation of the male copulatory organ, and the weight and total length of males when it occurred, were recorded. Twenty‐eight fish from each treatment were euthanized after 150 day to examine the gonads and confirm sex. Eight females and four males from each treatment were then kept in their respective salinity treatments for 65 days to examine the effects of salinity on reproduction. Males were kept with females in the different treatments for 15 days, at which point they were removed. Salinity was negatively correlated with male weight and length. Salinity also affected the sex ratio, with the percentages of males and females being 32.5 and 67.5%, and 27.5 and 72.5% in the salinities of 24 and 36 g of salt/L, respectively. Fifty percent of the females kept in freshwater reproduced, while there was no reproduction in the other treatments. The maintenance of P. velifera in freshwater promoted greater reproductive success and precocity, as well as larger males.     

Productive performance of brown mussels Perna perna (Linnaeus, 1758) cultivated on ropes at low densities in Caraguatatuba,Brazil

In Brazil, mussel seed are not a plentiful natural resource, and so the efficient use of seeds by reducing stocking densities should be considered. There are very few studies addressing the relationship between seeding density and growth of mussels in tropical conditions. This work aimed to determine the influence of low seeding densities on the productive performance of Perna perna (Linnaeus) mussels cultivated on ropes in Caraguatatuba, Brazil. In October 2014, 12 ropes, one metre in length each, were seeded at the densities of 200, 300 and 400 mussels/m (four ropes for each density) and suspended on a long line. After 226 days of growing, mussels were harvested and their performance at each density was evaluated in terms of mean weight and length, production, culture efficiency, condition index, survival, amount of recruited seed, amount of fouling on the ropes and morphometric relationships. We observed no significant differences (p > .05) for these indicators among the densities tested, except for mussel biomass, which was significantly higher (p < .05) at the greater densities. A partial budget analysis showed that the density of 400 m^?1 showed better profitability and should be recommended, even in case of seed shortage.     

Phloem sugars and amino acids as potential regulators of hordein expression in field grown malting barley (Hordeum vulgare L.)

The commercial quality of malting barley is dependent on the content and composition of grain proteins which are subjected to nitrogen (N) and sulfur (S) control. In nutrient deficient soils, grain protein content is mainly a consequence of the remobilization efficiency. In order to evaluate the effect of N and S soil availability on phloem amino acid and sugar export rates and B- and C-hordein gene expression during grain filling, a factorial combination of N and S fertilization assay was carried out under field conditions. Besides, several carbon (C) and N metabolites were analyzed in leaves and spikes. We observed that, even under soil N and S availabilities that do not limit yield, N and S fertilization induced significant changes in N and C metabolism. N phloem remobilization was promoted by S fertilization independently of N fertilization and C remobilization was also promoted by S fertilization but only in N fertilized plants. The B- and C-hordein gene expression correlated positively with sugar and amino acid exudation rate, respectively. Our results suggest an important role of the export rate of sugars and amino acids in the regulation of grain prolamine expression.     

Performance of Farfantepenaeus paulensis (Pérez-Farfante, 1967) broodstock in tanks with sand and hard substrate

This study evaluated the reproductive performance, physical condition and tissue biochemical composition of wild‐caught Farfantepenaeus paulensis kept for 50 days in maturation tanks provided with sand or hard substrate. The use of sand in F. paulensis maturation tanks had limited impact on the performance and biochemical composition of broodstock. Females in the hard‐bottom tank produced more spawns and more eggs in total, but those kept in the presence of the sand substrate produced a larger number of nauplii because an improvement in mating success was observed. An increased survival of females was also related to the presence of the sand substrate, which agrees with improvements in water quality and the physical condition of females. On the other hand, sourcing mature females was more difficult and time consuming in sand‐bottom tanks. The decision on whether or not to use sand substrates in F. paulensis maturation tanks must take into account not only productivity and animal welfare but also considers ease of operation and costs. These findings may have implications for the design of maturation systems for closed thelycum species.