Dietary phosphorus requirement of juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmo salar L.

The objective of this study was to determine the dietary phosphorus (P) requirement of juvenile Atlantic salmon, Salmon salar L. Triplicate groups of fish (mean initial weight 1.4 g) were fed semipurified, casein-gelatine-based diets containing one of five levels of P (4, 8, 10, 15 and 25 g kg⁻¹) from Ca(H₂PO₄)₂·H₂O, or a commercial feed (17 g kg⁻¹ P) for 9 weeks. Weight gains did not differ significantly among treatment groups fed the experimental diets but were slightly less than gains in fish fed the commercial feed. Feed efficiency (wet weight gain/dry feed consumed) was similar in all groups, averaging 1.45. Availability of dietary P, estimated from apparent retention and apparent digestibility, was 86%. Whole-body P concentrations declined in fish fed diets containing less than 10 g kg⁻¹ P. Fitting a logistic curve to dietary P vs. whole-body P concentrations indicated that a minimum of 11 g kg⁻¹ dietary P (9 g kg⁻¹ digestible P) was required by juvenile Atlantic salmon to maintain whole-body P concentrations at initial levels. Calculation of a dietary requirement using a simple factorial model which incorporated measurements of P availability, feed efficiency and normal whole-body P concentration indicated that the dietary requirement was approximately 10 g kg⁻¹. The dietary requirement established in this study (10–11 g kg⁻¹) is higher than previously reported for Atlantic salmon or other fishes. Possible reasons for the wide range of reported dietary P requirements in fishes are discussed.     

Effect of lameness on milk yield in dairy cows

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between lameness and milk yield in dairy cows. DESIGN: Cohort study. ANIMALS: 531 dairy cows. PROCEDURE: Cows affected with lameness were classified into 1 of 3 groups on the basis of type of diseases or lesions observed, including interdigital phlegmon (foot rot), papillomatous digital dermatitis (foot warts), or claw lesions. Cows not affected with lameness were classified as healthy. From Dairy Herd Improvement Association records, 305-day mature equivalent milk yield data were collected at the end of lactation or when the cow left the herd. Milk yield was compared between cows affected with lameness and healthy cows. RESULTS: 167 (31%) cows were affected with lameness during lactation. Lame cows had claw lesions (60%), papillomatous digital dermatitis (31%), or interdigital phlegmon (9%). Milk yield in lame cows with interdigital phlegmon (mean, 17,122 lb) was significantly less, compared with healthy cows (19,007 lb). CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE: In this herd, interdigital phlegmon was associated with a 10% decrease in milk production. Lame cows with claw lesions or papillomatous digital dermatitis produced less milk than healthy cows, but the difference was not significant.     

Micromechanical "Trampoline" magnetometers for use in large pulsed magnetic fields

A silicon micromechanical magnetometer was constructed and successfully used in 60-tesla pulsed magnetic fields of less than 100-millisecond duration. The device is small, inexpensive to fabricate, and easy to use. It features a fast mechanical response (up to 50,000 hertz) and extremely high sensitivity yet is relatively robust against electrical and mechanical noise. Quantum oscillations in the magnetization of a 1-microgram sample of an organic superconductor, kappa-[bis(ethylenedithio)tetrathiafulvalene]2Cu(NCS)2, have been observed with this device.     

Effective concentration of phosphite in controlling Phytophthora cinnamomi following stem injection of Banksia species and Eucalyptus marginata

The effect of phosphite concentration on lesion development by Phytophthora cinnamomi in stems and roots of Banksia grandis and Eucalyptus marginata and in stems of Banksia coccinea was assessed during a 4.3 year period after stem injection of phosphite. Lesion length 6 weeks after inoculation was significantly less in roots of B. grandis trees that had been stem injected with three concentrations of phosphite (50, 100 and 200 g phosphite/l) at two rates (1 and 2 ml/cm of stem circumference) compared with the not‐injected control. With the exception of B. grandis trees injected with 50 g phosphite/l, lesion length for the high rate was not significantly different to the low rate. In roots of E. marginata, lesion development in response to phosphite was different to that in roots of B. grandis; lesion length in roots did not differ significantly between phosphite concentration and rate. Lesion length and girdling in stems of B. grandis and E. marginata was significantly less in those injected with phosphite than in not injected stems. One year after injection, callus tissue had contained lesions in stems injected with phosphite. By 4.3 years after injection of both hosts there was a steep significant negative linear relationship between phosphite concentration and either lesion length or girdling, with greatest lesion development in not injected stems and least in stems injected with 100 g phosphite/l. Recovery of P. cinnamomi from lesion margins 1 year after injection, was significantly less in trees injected with phosphite than in not injected trees. The amount of plant death reflected containment of lesion extension and girdling, and reduction of recovery of P. cinnamomi with phosphite concentration; 4.3 year after injection there was a steep significant negative linear relationship between phosphite concentration and percentage of plant death. In contrast to B. grandis and E. marginata, there was a U‐shaped non‐linear relationship between phosphite concentration and effectiveness of phosphite in controlling lesion extension and girdling in B. coccinea. Containment of lesion extension and girdling with time was greatest for B. coccinea stems injected with 25 g phosphite/l, least for stems not injected, and intermediate in stems injected with 50 and 100 g phosphite/l. As in B. grandis and E. marginata, containment of lesion extension and girdling in B. coccinea with phosphite concentration was reflected in the amount of plant death. The non‐linear response to phosphite of some plant species indicated that injected concentration for B. coccinea should not exceed 50 g phosphite/l, whereas injected concentrations of up to 100 g phosphite/l could be recommended for B. grandis. Longevity of action of phosphite for 4–5 years in native plant species after one injection makes phosphite injection a practical control option for the control of P. cinnamomi disease front extension and the protection of threatened flora. Research into the effect of factors affecting longevity of action of phosphite would facilitate optimization of timing of injection.     

Capacity for digestive hydrolysis and amino acid absorption in Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed diets with soybean meal or inulin with or without addition of antibiotics

This experiment was done to study the effects of dietary soybean meal (SBM) and inulin (a prebiotic) on the capacity for digestive hydrolysis and amino acid absorption by Atlantic salmon, and how a dietary supplement of the broad-spectrum antibiotic oxytetracycline (OTC) modulated these responses. A control diet (FM) was made from fish meal, fish oil and extruded wheat. Two similar diets were made with 250 g soybean meal (SBM) or 75 g inulin kg^− 1. Each diet was made with or without a supplement of 3 g OTC kg^− 1. All six diets contained yttrium oxide for estimation of apparent nutrient absorption. Each diet was fed to two groups of 172 g salmon kept in 1 m² tanks with 9 °C saltwater for 3 weeks. Intestinal organs were then sampled and weighed. Gastrointestinal tracts (GIT) were sectioned for analyses of brush border alkaline phosphatase (ALP) and leucine aminopeptidase (LAP) activities. Tissue from the distal intestine (DI) was also fixed for histological examination. Digesta from the different sections were freeze dried for estimation of trypsin and amylase activities, and of apparent absorption of amino acids (AA), nitrogen (N), and sulphur (S). About 85% of the trypsin activity, 70% of the amylase activity, 85% of the ALP activity, and 82% of the LAP activity were found in the proximal (PI) and mid (MI) intestine of fish with functional DI, and the absorption of AA, N, and S was quantitatively completed in the MI. Dietary OTC resulted in lower relative liver weight, but apart from increased ALP and LAP activities in DI when feeding OTC in combination with inulin, OTC did not modify the responses to dietary SBM or inulin. Dietary SBM resulted in lower relative liver weight, and induced pathomorphological changes in the DI mucosa, thus lower the ALP and LAP activities in the DI. SBM also stimulated absorption of AA, N, and S in the PI, but at the same time increased the activities of trypsin and amylase in the DI, indicating reduced re-absorption and increased faecal losses of these endogenous enzymes. Dietary inulin did not damage the DI, and stimulated intestinal growth and higher relative mass of the GIT. Inulin without OTC did not affect the hydrolytic and absorptive capacity of the salmon GIT.     

The effect of water-borne magnesium on the dietary magnesium requirement of the rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss) (mean initial weight 0.84 g) were fed diets containing graded levels of magnesium (Mg) (78 to 725µg/g) while being exposed to one of several levels in the rearing water (1.4 to 1000 mg/l). Uptake of Mg from the water, in Mg-deficient fish, was linearly related to the water Mg concentrated. It appears that the fish's Mg requirement can be met from either or both the diet or water. Under the experimental conditions, a water-borne concentration of 46 mg/l was calculated to be sufficient to meet the Mg requirement of the fish fed a Mg-free diet.     

Concentration of manganese in the tissues of cycling and anestrous ewes.

A wide range of variation in concentration of manganese was found in the blood of 51 cycling ewes although no significant differences were evident (P less than 0.05) between days 4, 11 and 15 (day 0 = day of estrus) of the estrous cycle. In addition, no differences (P less than 0.05) were found in the manganese concentrations of various soft tissues of 15 ewes, killed on day 4 (five animals), day 11 (five animals) or during anestrus (five animals). The highest concentration of manganese was present in the liver, pancreas and kidney cortex, tissues which are rich in mitochondria. Among the tissues of the reproductive tract, the corpus luteum showed the highest manganese concentration and the level increased significantly (P less than 0.01) between days 4 and 11 suggesting that this trace element may be closely related to the metabolic and possible functional characteristics of this endocrine gland. Uterine horn and caruncles contained greater manganese concentrations than other components of the reproductive tract. The significance of these findings in relation to the effect of manganese intake on ewe fertility remains to be assessed.     

Anesthetic effects of different volumes of lidocaine for spermatic cord block in cattle

Objective

To evaluate three volumes of lidocaine for spermatic cord block to perform castration in cattle.