Survival and growth of hatchery-produced postlarvae and spat of the Caribbean scallops Argopecten nucleus and Nodipecten nodosus

A study was made of the growth and survival of postlarvae and spat of Argopecten nucleus and Nodipecten nodosus produced in the laboratory and exposed to different conditions of settlement and culture. An evaluation was made of the different types of collection substrates (onion-bags, artificial-grass, fibreglass-plates), two types of settlement inducers (epinephrine, low temperature), and two culture environments (sea, laboratory). The results showed that larger numbers of postlarvae were obtained in artificial-grass collectors than on fibreglass-plates or in the onion-bags. The growth of the A. nucleus postlarvae was not affected by the collector type, while that of N. nodosus was higher on fibreglass-plates, and lesser in the onion-bags. Both thermal and chemical stimulation of the competent larvae resulted in recovery of a greater percentage of postlarvae. The growth of postlarvae of A. nucleus was better in groups exposed to the two methods of settlement induction, while those of N. nodosus remained unaffected by this treatment. The survival of the postlarvae and spat was greater in the laboratory than at sea except in the case of A. nucleus postlarvae attached to collectors, whose survival was similar in both environments. The growth of postlarvae and spat was greater in the sea than in the laboratory.     

Influence of the type of collector and collector preparation periods on the settling rate of the scallop Nodipecten nodosus L. in the laboratory

We analysed the settling rate of Nodipecten nodosus L. scallop spats during winter and spring, testing different types of collectors and collector preparation periods. Larval rearing was conducted with water exchange every 48 h, density at 2 larvae mL⁻¹ and feeding between 0.5 and 2 × 10⁴ microalgae cellsmL⁻¹. The recovery larvae based on D-larvae produced were 31.6% (Winter Trial) and 47.2% (Spring Trial), without any antibacterial additives. The mean settling rates obtained in Winter Trial were from 0.04% to 0.79% withstand in Spring Trial were 24.99–48.65%. In the Winter Trial, there was no statistical difference between the settling rate of collectors prepared for 6 or 12 days. The settling rates of the netlon collectors with pine leaves were up to 19 times higher than those of the other types of collectors. In the Spring Trial, there was no statistical difference between the settling rates of the netlon and plastic net fruit collectors. Collectors with pine leaves produced a yield of spats up to 48.65%, more than those without pine leaves ( P <0.01). The efficiency of larval rearing and settling obtained in spring, pine leaves and low-cost local material indicate the feasibility to improve and facilitate regular production of N. nodosus spats for promotion of the growth of scallop culture in Brazil.     

Experimental larval culture of the Caribbean scallops Argopecten nucleus and Nodipecten nodosus

Several experiments were performed examining the effect of different culture variables on the growth and survival of Argopecten nucleus and Nodipecten nodosus larvae. Higher growth and survival values were obtained at a low density (1 larvae mL^?1) than at a high density (5 larvae mL^?1), except for N. nodosus's survival, which was not affected by density. Higher growth was obtained when feeding the larvae a diet of Isochrysis galbana, similar results occurred with the diet of Isochrysis galbana+Chaetoceros calcitrans in A. nucleus and with I. galbana combined with the lipid emulsion EmDHA in N. nodosus. Higher survival was obtained when the diet included a mixture of microalgae than when EmDHA was supplemented. Growth and survival of the larvae of A. nucleus were greater when fed continuously, while N. nodosus grew and survived better when food was given discontinuously. Higher growth and survival values were recorded at lower food concentrations ranging from 20 to 40 cells μL^?1 of I. galbana. Higher growth was observed with increasing temperature between 22 and 28 °C, although there was a simultaneous decrease in survival. No significant effects on larval production parameters were found when the culture water was changed totally or partially, but higher larval growth of N. nodosus was verified when a partial renewal of water was performed.     

Radiographic evaluation of cardiac size in flying fox species (Pteropus rodricensis, P. hypomelanus, and P. vampyrus).

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a relatively common pathology in captive flying foxes (Pteropus spp.). The goal of this study was to establish quantitative reference range measurements that could be used to support a diagnosis of cardiac disease in these animals. Lateral and ventrodorsal thoracic radiographs from apparently healthy flying foxes (n = 66) of three species (Rodriguez island flying fox, P. rodricensis, n = 18; small island flying fox, P. hypomelanus, n = 16; and Malaysian flying fox, P. vampyrus, n = 32) were evaluated objectively to describe the cardiac appearance. Absolute and relative cardiac dimensions also were measured. The same methods were used to evaluate radiographs from flying foxes (n = 9) with known dilated or acute cardiomyopathy. The following ratios were most appropriate for categorizing normal cardiac silhouette size. In the ventrodorsal projection, heart width to thoracic width and heart width to clavicle length were the preferred measurements. In the lateral projection, heart width compared with thoracic height was the preferred measurement. From radiographs of the bats with known dilated and acute cardiomyopathy, the apicobasilar heart length compared with thoracic height and heart width compared with thoracic height on lateral films were the most sensitive ratios for diagnosing cardiomegaly.     

Comparative performance of the red flour beetle Tribolium castaneum (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) on different plant diets

Tribolium castaneum is a pest of stored foods that causes serious economic losses. Understanding insect nutritional requirements and the effects of different diets on insect development can provide tools for developing strategies to control insect and integrated pest management systems. In this work we studied the performance of the T. castaneum on different plant diets composed of Vigna unguiculata, Phaseolus vulgaris and wheat flours. The diets interfered differentially with development and insect survival. Larvae size was reduced about 60 % in larvae fed with V. unguiculata flour. A delay in pupae formation was also observed. The larval mortality of 100 % was observed in the P. vulgaris diet. Carbohydrate and triglyceride showed variations during development and with different diets. Larvae fed with wheat diets showed a high concentration of carbohydrates 21 days after hatching (DAH) and triglyceride at 15 and 21 DAH. Larvae fed with wheat diets showed α-amylase activity during development. At 15 DAH the activity of larvae fed with V. unguiculata increased about 50 %. Cysteine protease activity in larvae fed with wheat remained high throughout development. Serine protease activity also varied according to diets. These results show that the nutritional state of developing larvae varies greatly with respect to triglycerides, carbohydrate and digestive enzymes depending on the diet and larval stage. Altogether, these results show that changes in dietary nutrients can interfere with insect physiology. Therefore changes in diet composition that may deprive insects of essential nutrients or include toxic compounds might be a good control strategy for stored product pests.     

Performance of the Santa Ines breed raised on pasture in semiarid tropical regions and factors that explain trait variation

This study aimed to evaluate sex, the number of lambs per birth, and the family effects on production traits in the Santa Ines breed of sheep by estimating the least square means and coefficient of variance for those traits. A total of 484 lambs were evaluated for the following traits: weight at birth, at weaning, and at 240 days of age; weight gain during the pre-weaning and post-weaning periods; height, width, and length of different body regions; and rib eye area and fat thickness between the 12th and 13th ribs. We observed coefficients of variation higher than 10 % for several traits. Generally, males were larger than females (P?P?P?ANOVA.     

Changes of Circulating Total and Free Iodothyronine in Horses After Competitive Show Jumping With Different Fence Height

The effect of exercise on circulating T₃, T_4, free (f) T₃, and fT₄ concentrations were studied before and after competitive show jumping in 24 trained jumper horses with an age range of 11–13 years and having the same level of show experience. All horses, randomly divided into three groups paired by gender, participated in three competition levels with the same circuit design over 10 fences, with five upright and five cross-pole fences .The three fence height groups were group I (n = 8), 1.10 m; group II (n = 8), 1.20 m; and group III (n = 8), 1.30 m. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed a statistically significant effect of competitive exercise on fT₃ changes in all groups, whereas the effect of competitive exercise on T₃ changes was exclusively seen in group III. Two-way repeated measures analysis of variance showed that the effect of fence height (P = .0002) and performance results were significant (P = .0486) only for T₃ changes. Performance also affected fT₃ changes (P = .0152). No significant correlation was found between total and free iodothyronines. These results suggest a dependence of T₃ and fT₃ changes on exercise-related variables and performance results and that the thyroid response is different with respect to the different exercise-related variables, such as the varying level of difficulty and performance results.     

High-quality binary protein interaction map of the yeast interactome network

Current yeast interactome network maps contain several hundred molecular complexes with limited and somewhat controversial representation of direct binary interactions. We carried out a comparative quality assessment of current yeast interactome data sets, demonstrating that high-throughput yeast two-hybrid (Y2H) screening provides high-quality binary interaction information. Because a large fraction of the yeast binary interactome remains to be mapped, we developed an empirically controlled mapping framework to produce a "second-generation" high-quality, high-throughput Y2H data set covering approximately 20% of all yeast binary interactions. Both Y2H and affinity purification followed by mass spectrometry (AP/MS) data are of equally high quality but of a fundamentally different and complementary nature, resulting in networks with different topological and biological properties. Compared to co-complex interactome models, this binary map is enriched for transient signaling interactions and intercomplex connections with a highly significant clustering between essential proteins. Rather than correlating with essentiality, protein connectivity correlates with genetic pleiotropy.