Dietary fiber in brewed coffee

Coffee beans are rich in nondigestible polysaccharides (dietary fiber), which may partially pass into brewed coffee; however, to the authors' knowledge, there is not enough literature on dietary fiber in brewed coffee. A specific method to determine dietary fiber in beverages (enzymatic treatment plus dialysis) was applied to the coffees brewed by the most common methods (espresso, filter, soluble); results showed that brewed coffee contained a significantly higher amount of soluble dietary fiber (0.47-0.75 g/100 mL of coffee) than other common beverages. Coffee dietary fiber contains a large amount of associated antioxidant phenolics (8.7-10.5 mg/100 mL of brewed coffee).     

Beta-carotene isomer composition of sub- and supercritical carbon dioxide extracts. Antioxidant activity measurement

In the present work sub- and supercritical extraction conditions using carbon dioxide were studied in order to obtain extracts with different compositions from the green microalgae Dunaliella salina. Different compositions of beta-carotene isomers were identified in the extracts by using HPLC-DAD. Also, antioxidant activity of the extracts was measured using a TEAC assay. An experimental design was applied considering two factors, extraction pressure and temperature, in a wide range of values, trying to maximize the extraction yield. Higher yields were obtained at high pressures and low temperatures, that is, at higher CO2 densities. Attempts were made to correlate the antioxidant activity of the extracts with their chemical composition by means of principal component analysis. A certain relationship was found between their antioxidant activity and the isomeric composition of beta-carotenes. As a result, an original equation is proposed to predict the antioxidant activity of extracts from D. salina in terms of the ratio 9-cis-beta-carotene/all-trans-beta-carotene, the concentration of alpha-carotene, and, especially, the concentration of 9-cis-beta-carotene.     

Implications of landscape configuration on understory forage productivity: a remote sensing assessment of native forests openings

Agroforestry Systems - Sound management of native forests used for cattle grazing requires understanding the dynamics of forage productivity in the openings. Despite their importance, forage...     

Relation between lipid and fatty acid composition of eggs and larval survival in white pacific shrimp (Penaeus vannamei, Boone, 1931)

In this study, lipid classes and fatty acid composition were determinedin eggs of P. vannamei as a function of survival to zoeaIII stage. Spawns were reared individually to zoea III and grouped, accordingtotheir final survival to this larval stage, into spawns of high and lowsurvival.Eggs of individual spawns were analyzed for lipid and fatty acid composition ofneutral and polar lipids and the results were then grouped according tosurvivalto zoea III. The lipids within each group (high and low survival to zoea III)were pooled for the separation of phospholipids and the analysis of their fattyacid composition.Higher levels of triglycerides, carotenoids, and linoleic (18:2n-6) acid ineggs were associated with improved survival to zoea III. Linoleic acid washigher in spawns from the high survival group in both neutral and polarfractions and in most of the phospholipid classes analyzed. Docosahexanoic acid(DHA) was not related to survival to zoea, probably because its content washighenough (> 15% of total fatty acids) to satisfy embryo and early larvaldevelopment needs. A high content of eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) was found inphosphatidylethanolamine, lysophosphatidylethanolamine, phosphatidylserine, andphosphatidylinositol compared to other phospholipid classes, suggesting aspecific role of EPA in these lipids. These results describe the specificphospholipid composition of penaeid eggs and could (potentially) be used aspredictive indicators of larval quality for research and production purposes.     

Cholecystocutaneous fistula containing multiple gallstones in a dog

A 7-year-old dog was presented with a history of an open lesion on the right thoracic wall, discharging honey-like fluid and small stones. Ultrasonography and computed tomographic fistulography identified a cholecystocutaneous fistula; cholecystectomy was curative. Veterinarians should consider this disease in patients with long-term discharging lesions on the right thoracic or abdominal wall.     

Subependymal Reaction Secondary to Choroid Plexus Papilloma in a Horse

Choroid plexus papilloma (CPP) is a rare, benign, intracranial neoplasm. The present report described a choroid plexus papilloma of the fourth ventricle with unusual proliferative reaction of ependymal/subependymal cells in a stallion. A single, soft neoformation, red-gray in color, with an irregular surface, resembling a cauliflower, expanding from the fourth ventricle to the cerebellar peduncles was observed. Microscopically, the neoformation was composed of a single layer of simple cuboidal to columnar epithelium with a well-vascularized papillary-arboriform pattern. Multifocal subependymal aggregates forming rosettes were observed near the mesencephalic aqueduct (MA). Glial-fibrillary-acidic-protein (GFAP) was markedly positive only in the neuropil adjacent to the proliferative areas of the MA. Ependymal/subependymal reactions secondary to CPP have never been described in equine or human neuropathology. The capabilities of ependymal cells to regenerate and eventually proliferate are controversial and unclear and, thus, require additional investigation to understand the adaptive mechanisms of this rare pathogenic condition.     

Occurrence and present status of coastal dolphins (Delphinus delphis and Tursiops truncatus) in the eastern Ionian Sea

• 1. Boat surveys aimed at studying short‐beaked common dolphins and common bottlenose dolphins in eastern Ionian Sea coastal waters were conducted between 1993 and 2003. During 835 survey days, 24 771 km of total effort was distributed within an area of 480 km², resulting in 428 common dolphin and 235 bottlenose dolphin sightings.
• 2. Individual photo‐identification was performed extensively throughout this study, making it possible to monitor the number of animals seen in the study area each year and their long‐term residency patterns.
• 3. Common dolphins declined across the study period, from 2.18 encounters/100 km in 1997 to 0.40 encounters/100 km in 2003. In contrast, there was a relatively stable presence of bottlenose dolphins, some individuals showing high levels of site fidelity and others using the area only occasionally.
• 4. The local decline of common dolphins and the low density of bottlenose dolphins appeared to reflect the general status of these cetacean species in the wider Mediterranean region, where common dolphins were classified as endangered in the IUCN Red List in 2003.
• 5. Based on the available evidence, we infer that the present unfavourable status of common dolphins in eastern Ionian Sea coastal waters is largely a consequence of prey depletion.

Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Sperm Quality Over Consecutive Spermatophore Regenerations in the Pacific White Shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei

The reproductive potential of males plays an important role in the productivity of captive penaeids. Males present a large variability in their reproductive potential, and thus the selection of appropriate males for reproduction is highly desirable. The present study compares sperm quality at the beginning of the experiment (baseline values) with variations in sperm quality as a result of consecutive spermatophore regenerations. This was done to evaluate possible predictive criteria for optimal sperm quality based on morphological and biochemical criteria in pond-reared Pacific white shrimp Litopenaeus vannamei males. Sperm quality was similar between left and right spermatophore. Sperm count and proportion of normal sperm increased by 86 and 65% (P < 0.05) respectively, from baseline values to third spermatophore regeneration. Proportion of dead sperm progressively decreased with consecutive regenerations, attaining values 33% lower by the third regeneration, compared to baseline values. This indicates that no decrease in sperm quality occurs in L. vannamei during consecutive regenerations and that the existing spermatophores at stocking of males should be expelled to have higher sperm quality in regenerated spermatophores. Furthermore, this procedure allows selecting individuals with high baseline sperm quality based on significant correlations between baseline and regenerated sperm quality observed in the present work. Baseline values of glucose concentration in the hemolymph were positively correlated to baseline values of sperm count (r = 03, P < 0.05). In contrast, baseline values of several lipids in the hemolymph were negatively correlated to several traits of sperm quality at first sampling (baseline values) or at first regeneration. These results are discussed in terms of nutritional requirements of males and of possible predictive criteria of sperm quality.     

Parentage assignment of stocked black sea bream <Emphasis Type="Italic">Acanthopagrus schlegelii</Emphasis> in Hiroshima Bay using microsatellite DNA markers

The genetic contribution of 51 broodstock, comprising 29 females and 22 males, reared at Hiroshima City Marine Products Promotion Center for the production of stocked black sea bream was monitored during two consecutive years using seven microsatellite DNA loci. The high discrimination ability of these markers was reflected in the polymorphic identification content (PIC=0.831), the exclusion probability (Q≈1), and the low probability of identity index (I=3.635⁻¹⁰). The total number of breeders contributing to the mating process was estimated at 32 (62.7%) in 2000 and 30 (58.8%) in 2001. On pedigree reconstruction, 69.3% of the offspring were successfully assigned to a single broodstock pair. Loss of alleles accounted for 16.9% during seed production; nevertheless, 90.9% of males and 69.0% of females participated in the mating process. Based on microsatellite genetic tagging, 58.9% of the fish sampled during the two months after release were identified as hatchery stock, presenting no significant differences from wild conspecifics in either fork length or body weight.