Growth and fry production of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.), on different feeding schedules

The effect of scheduled use of high‐protein and low‐protein diets on body weight and fry production of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (L.), was determined. A preliminary feeding trial was first conducted on fingerlings. These were fed a high‐protein diet (H, 25% protein) or a low‐protein diet (L, 18% protein) daily, or diet H for 1–3 days followed by diet L for 1–4 days. Final body weight was significantly higher (P < 0.05) in fish fed diet H daily and in fish fed diet H for 2–3 days followed by diet L for 1 day (2H?1L and 3H?1L). Fingerlings on 1H?1L and 3H?2L had slightly lower growth. Based on the response of the fingerlings, five feeding schedules were tested with the broodstock. A high‐protein diet (HP, 40%) and a low‐protein diet (LP, 25%; same as H for fingerlings) were used. Feeding schedules significantly influenced body weight of female but not the male fish. Fry production was not significantly affected by the feeding schedule for broodstock. When growth, fry production and saving in feed cost were all considered, the broodstock on 1HP?1LP and 3HP?2LP feeding schedules both gave the highest overall performance. These findings give fish farmers an option in the management of feeding of tilapia broodstock.     

Tracking the flow of information

By using words transmitted and words attended to as common denominators, novel indexes were constructed of growth trends in 17 major communications media from 1960 to 1977. There have been extraordinary rates of growth in the transmission of electronic communications, but much lower rates of growth in the material that people actually consume, representing the phenomenon often labeled information overload. Growth in print media has sharply decelerated, and a close relationship is found between the cheapness of a medium and its rate of growth.     

Associations between use,activities and characteristics of the outdoor environment at workplaces

Today, office work in western societies is more sedentary and more mentally demanding than ever before. This way of working plays a role in the increase in lifestyle diseases related to sedentary routines and stress. Green outdoor environments have been found to motivate physical activity and reduce stress levels. In this study, we therefore considered these environments to have a positive affect on work force health and wellbeing. However, research on the workplace outdoor environment is still limited. To investigate how and why the workplace outdoor environment is used by office workers and the impact of these environments on office workers’ health and wellbeing, five research questions were formulated. The questions addressed the use of the outdoor environments; the outdoor activities; encouragement and impediments for going outdoors; characteristics of the outdoor environment, and the impact of workplace outdoor environments on employees’ health, job satisfaction and work performance. In order to answer these research questions, we conducted a web-based questionnaire, completed by (N) 402 office workers from six Danish companies. The results show that 37.8% of the respondents spent time outdoors during their working day, and that the proportion of men spending time outdoors was higher than the proportion of women. Eight outdoor activities were identified, and significant relationships between the outdoor activities and perceived sensory dimensions (PSD) of the outdoor environment were found, indicating that the presence of the dimension ‘serene’ increased the odds for respondents going outdoors and that five of the eight activities would be performed. Only few significant relationships between outdoor environment use and employee health, job satisfaction and work performance were identified.     

Intimal thickening of coronary arteries in the rabbitfish,Chimaera monstrosa L. (Chondrichthyes: Holocephali)

This study is the first to report the occurrence of intimal thickening of coronary arteries in a holocephalan, namely the rabbitfish, Chimaera monstrosa. The sample studied consisted of five hearts from rabbitfish with body weights ranging between 12 g and 1116 g. The specimens were fixed in formalin, in methanol:acetone:water (MAW), or in paraformaldehyde and were examined by brightfield and polarization light microscopy. Coronary arteries from three larger animals displayed focal intimal thickenings, which were located in the left main coronary artery trunk, at the level of the cono‐ventricular junction, and in several intramyocardial ventricular arteries. The vascular changes were characterized by myointimal proliferation, breakage or absence of the inner elastic lamina, and, in one case, by increased collagen within the myointimal proliferation. Taking into account the severity of the coronary arterial changes, their location, and the body weight of the affected animals, we conclude that (1) these changes are age‐related in the rabbitfish and (2) local intense mechanical tension seems to be an important factor in their formation in this species.     

Protein content,distribution and retention during milling of brown rice

Brown rice of IR36 and IR42 check samples from the 1982 dry and wet season yield trials showed good correlation of milled-rice protein and brown-rice protein (r=0.97**,n=40) with 10% bran-polish removal by an emery abrasive mill. Among selected grain samples of both varieties, 80 to 86% of brown-rice protein was retained in the milled rice with both friction and abrasive mills. Stereological morphometry of 1-µm-thick sections showed that endosperm storage protein decreases in amount with increasing distance from the aleurone layer. A similar protein gradient was found in both average-protein and high-protein samples. Milling removed all of the pericarp, seed coat and nucellus, and virtually all of the aleurone layer and embryo, but removed very little of the nonaleurone endosperm, except from the lateral ridges.     

Amylopectin Staling of Cooked Milled Rices and Properties of Amylopectin and Amylose

Starches of waxy rices that showed varietal differences in hardness testing of cooked rice after amylopectin staling and high-amylose content (AC) rices differing in gel consistency (GC) and starch gelatinization temperature (GT) were studied to determine the factors related to varietal differences in amylopectin staling of cooked rice. Intermediate- and high-GT starches showed greater amylopectin staling of gelatinized rice by hardness testing values or differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) endotherm than did low-GT starches in both waxy and nonwaxy rices. Isoamylase-debranched amylopectins of waxy rices differed in the ratio of weight-average degree of polymerization (DP_w) fractions, but these fraction ratios were not simply related to differences in amylopectin staling of cooked rice. Among high-AC rices, amylopectin from low-GT starch was confirmed to have higher iodine affinity (2.3–2.5%) than amylopectin from intermediate-GT starches (1.7–1.8%), regardless of GC. Within high-AC starch of the same GT type, soft-GC rice corresponded with more A + B₁ DP_w 16–18 and less B₃ DP_w 150–200 fractions of debranched amylopectin and low DP_w of amylose. Amylopectin of amylose extender mutant of IR36 was confirmed to have a longer chain length than ordinary rice amylopectin: the debranched amylopectin has more B₂ DP_w 47–51 fraction, less A + B₁ DP_w fraction, but no B₄ fraction with DP_w > 200. Only high-AC amylopectin had debranched fraction with DP_w >120.     

Germplasm Innovation of Heat Tolerance in Rice for Irrigated Lowland Conditions in the Philippines

Heat-tolerant varieties, such as N22 and Dular, which were used in this study, usually have low yield potential and undesirable plant characteristics but combining them with high yielding and improved rice varieties, new heat-tolerant rice genotypes with high yield potential can be achieved. In this study, phenotyping and selecting desirable materials from various crosses were performed under high temperature conditions during the reproductive stage. Screening was performed in the field and glasshouse to select individuals with heat tolerance and high yield potential. Several advanced breeding lines from Gayabyeo/N22 cross produced desirable individuals with heat tolerance, resistance to pests and diseases, and high yield potential. The genetic variation in percent sterility among the selected backcross populations grown in high temperature environments showed that large number of plants can be identified and selected with lower percent sterility.     

Disseminated Rhodococcus equi in an Anglo‐Nubian goat

Disseminated Rhodococcus equi infection was diagnosed in an Anglo‐Nubian goat presenting for non‐weight bearing lameness of the right pelvic limb. Radiographs showed a moth‐eaten osteolytic lesion in the proximal tibia suggestive of an aggressive bone lesion. Two pulmonary nodules were also present on thoracic radiographs. Initial antemortem cytology of the tibial lesion was suggestive of Rhodococcosis and the goat was sent to necropsy. Necropsy and bacterial culture confirmed the diagnosis of disseminated R. equi infection in the right tibia, lungs, and liver.     

Effect of treatment on composition and protein and energy utilization of rice and mung bean by rats

Yellow rice derived from stack-burned unthreshed grains had lower lysine content than white milled rice. Stack burning did not affect energy digestibility in growing rats but decreased true nitrogen digestibility and net protein utilization (NPU). Increasing parboiling time from 20 to 60 min had no adverse effect on energy and protein utilization of parboiled milled rice. Defatting of rice bran-polish with petroleum ether at 50°C had no effect on protein utilization but decreased energy content and utilization. Mechanical dehulling of mung bean (Vigna radiata [L.] Wilczek) reduced fiber content, increased energy and protein digestibility but decreased biological value (BV) and NPU. Toasting and winnowing the bean reduced lysine content, improved digestible energy but decreased BV and NPU. Cooking the bean preparations improved the biological value only in mechanically dehulled bean with resultant higher NPU than that of whole bean.     

A case of hypercalcemia in a heifer presumably due to mammary carcinoma bovine hypercalcemia of malignancy

Mammary carcinoma is rare in cattle with only a handful of cases found in the literature, and none have reported an associated hypercalcemia. An 8‐year‐old Holstein‐Friesian heifer was presented to the Purdue University Veterinary Teaching Hospital's Large Animal Hospital with a 3‐month history of lethargy. Laboratory abnormalities included ionized hypercalcemia and hypophosphatemia (2.28 mmol/L and 1.8 mg/dL, respectively). Physical examination revealed a mammary mass that was cytologically described as a suspected mammary carcinoma, which was later confirmed by histologic evaluation. On surgical removal of the mass, calcium initially decreased rapidly, and within a few days was within the RI, further supporting a diagnosis of hypercalcemia of malignancy in a heifer. However, attempts to confirm this using hormone profiles (parathyroid hormone [PTH], parathyroid hormone‐related protein [PTHrp], and calcitriol) were inconclusive due to the lack of validated assays and RIs for cattle. Immunohistochemical staining for PTHrP showed scattered cytoplasmic staining among the neoplastic cells, suggesting PTHrP production by these cells.