An Ecological Foodniche Concept as a Proxy for Fish-Pond Stocking Rates in Integrated Aquacultural Farming for Malaysia

The merits of integrated aquaculture farming (IAF) as a strategy for bolstering income for the rural poor have been recognized, but the economic efficiency and sustainability are yet to be determined. The effects of one species on another and the economic benefits, net of government support, have not been critically evaluated. The concept of a foodniche for alternative species in an aquatic environment has not been properly tested in an economic setting. Thus, this report reflects the results of applying the technique of mixed integer linear programming to determine the optimum combination of species within the context of a foodniche. The objective also included maximizing revenues, with minimal external input requirements, for a representative small Malaysian wet-rice farm. It was found that the foodniche concept permitted flexibility in stocking rates, and that farmers could actually stock species at the exact rate that was optimal for profit, instead of standard fixed rates. Also, government subsidies for pond construction were essential for IAF success. The net revenues from IAF were low without interest-free loans for pond construction.     

A multivariable prognostic model for equine colic patients

A survey of 1965 equine colic cases was conducted from August 1985 to July 1986 ten equine referral hospitals located througout the U.S.A. Two-thirds of the cases were randomly selected for model development (1336), while the remaining cases (629) were used only for subsequent validation of the model. The following outcomes were defined: (1) died or killed prior to discharge from the hospital; or (2) alive at the time of discharge. Only variables which were significant (P<0.05) in an initial bivariate screening procedure and for which there were less than 400 missing values were considered in the multivariable modelling. A multivariable logistic regression model was constructed using a stepwise algorithm. The model used 666 cases and included the following variables: peripheral pulse (normal or weak), pulse rate, surgical or medical treatment, packed cell volume, self-inflicted trauma (absent or present) and capillary refill time. For each horse in the validation data set which had the appropriate variables recorded (n=335), the estimated expected probability of death (expected value) was calculated using the logistic regression equation. Using Bayes theorem, the post-test probability was calculated from the expected value (an estimate of the test odds) and the present probability (the case-fatality rate at each institution). Nomograms of predictive values for different case-fatality rates and expected values were constructed. Hosmer-Lemeshow goodness-of-fit statistics indicated that the model fitted the model data set well but the validation set poorly. However, when the observed case-fatality rates were compared with the average post-test probabilities for 0.10 increments of post-test probability, qualitatively, the model's performance was better.     

Effects of atmospheric ammonia on pulmonary bacterial clearance in the young pig.

Young pigs were exposed to an aerosol of a nonpathogenic strain of Escherichia coli and then were retained in air-pollutant exposure chambers for a 2-hour clearance period. In series 1 (n = 80 pigs), 40 exposed young pigs (principals; 15.5 days of age) were placed in an atmosphere of filtered room air + 50 ppm of atmospheric NH3 during the clearance period; control pigs were exposed to filtered room air without added NH3. In series 2 (n = 24 pigs), 12 exposed young pigs (principals; 6.2 days of age) were similarly maintained, but at a lower concentration of atmospheric NH3 (75 ppm). At the end of the clearance period pigs were killed and pulmonary bacterial clearance was determined. Pigs kept in the NH3-contaminated atmospheres (either concentration) harbored more bacteria, on the average, in their lungs than did the controls. If series 1 and 2 data were combined, pigs kept in the NH3-contaminated atmospheres had 51% more bacteria in their lungs than did the controls. Pulmonic weight and ratio of pulmonic weight to body weight of pigs kept in the NH3-contaminated atmosphere were greater than those of the controls in series 1, but not in series 2. Gross and histopathologic examinations of lung tissue generally revealed no differences between controls and principals in either series 1 or 2.     

Melatonin reduces apoptotic cells,SOD2 and HSPB1 and improves the in vitro production and quality of bovine blastocysts

Effects of adding different concentrations of melatonin (10^?7, 10^?9 and 10^?11 M) to maturation (Experiment 1; Control, IVM  + 10^?7, IVM  + 10^?9, IVM  + 10^?11) and culture media (Experiment 2; Control, IVC  + 10^?7, IVC  + 10^?9, IVC  + 10^?11) were evaluated on in vitro bovine embryonic development. The optimal concentration of melatonin (10^?9 M) from Experiments 1–2 was tested in both maturation and/or culture media of Experiment 3 (Control, IVM  + 10^?9, IVC  + 10^?9, IVM /IVC  + 10^?9). In Experiment 1, maturated oocytes from Control and IVM  + 10^?9 treatments showed increased glutathione content, mitochondrial membrane potential and percentage of Grade I blastocysts (40.6% and 43%, respectively). In Experiment 2, an increase in the percentage of Grade I blastocysts was detected in IVC  + 10^?7 (43.5%; 56.7%) and IVC  + 10^?9 (47.4%; 57.4%). Moreover, a lower number and percentage of apoptotic cells in blastocysts were observed in the IVC  + 10^?9 group compared to Control (3.8 ± 0.6; 3.6% versus 6.1 ± 0.6; 5.3%). In Experiment 3, the IVC  + 10^?9 treatment increased percentage of Grade I blastocysts with a lower number of apoptotic cells compared to IVM /IVC  + 10^?9 group (52.6%; 3.0 ± 0.5 versus 46.0%; 5.4 ± 1.0). The IVC  + 10^?9 treatment also had a higher mRNA expression of antioxidant gene (SOD 2) compared to the Control, as well as the heat shock protein (HSPB 1) compared to the IVM  + 10^?9. Reactive oxygen species production was greater in the IVM /IVC  + 10^?9 treatment group. In conclusion, the 10^?9 M concentration of melatonin and the in vitro production phase in which it is used directly affected embryonic development and quality.