Evaluation of Three Soybean Products in Diets Fed to Juvenile Hybrid Striped Bass Morone saxatilis×M. chrysops

Juvenile hybrid striped bass Morone saxatilis×M. chrysops were fed practical diets containing graded levels of either solvent-extracted soybean meal, roasted soybeans, or raw, unprocessed soybeans. Two separate 10-wk studies were conducted; within each study, there were two separate evaluations of soy products. In the first study, weight gain and feed efficiency of fish fed 45% or higher levels of soybean meal were significantly lower than fish fed the positive control diet, while weight gain and feed efficiency of fish fed 30% soybean meal were not significantly different than fish fed the control diet. Fish fed the lowest level of unprocessed soybean (20%) exhibited significantly depressed weight gain and feed efficiency compared to fish fed the control diet. In the second study, weight gain and feed efficiency of fish fed 40% roasted soybeans were significantly lower than fish fed the control diet, but weight gain and feed efficiency of fish fed 20% roasted soybeans were not significantly lower than fish fed the control diet. In both studies, whole body proximate composition values were significantly different among treatments. Whole-body lipid concentrations were significantly higher in fish fed certain levels of soy products, but only at levels above those eliciting depressions in weight gain and feed efficiency. A further evaluation of solvent-extracted soybean meal was conducted with incorporation levels of 20–40% of the dry diet in gradations of 5% with a nutritionally complete mineral premix. Weight gain and feed efficiency of fish fed any level of soybean meal in that study were not significantly different from fish fed a positive control diet. Whole body proximate components were not significantly different between treatments. Unprocessed soybeans apparently have little potential as an ingredient in diets fed to juvenile hybrid striped bass; roasting, or heat treatment, improves their use. Solvent extracted soybean has the potential of supplying the majority of crude protein in diets fed to juvenile hybrid striped bass. Incorporation of complete mineral premixes seems beneficial with higher levels of solvent-extracted soybean meal.     

Eye diseases in Siberian husky dogs

A full ophthalmic examination was performed on 40 Siberian husky dogs using direct and indirect ophthalmoscopy, gonloscopy and nasolacrimal cannulation. Eight (20%) of the dogs were found to have distichia, 10 (25%) had excessive medial caruncular hairs, 8 (20%) had absence, displacement, or narrowing of the nasolacrimal puncta, 2 (5%) had bilateral corneal crystalline opacities, and 2 (5%) had unilateral areas of lateral corneal lipidosis. Fifty percent of the dogs had some abnormality of the iridocorneal (drainage) angle. However, in only one of these was the deformity severe enough to require glaucoma prophylaxis. An association between blue iris colour and malformation of the iridocorneal angle was noted.     

"Coulomb Staircase" at Room Temperature in a Self-Assembled Molecular Nanostructure

Double-ended aryl dithiols [alpha,alpha'-xylyldithiol (XYL) and 4,4'-biphenyldithiol] formed self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) on gold(111) substrates and were used to tether nanometer-sized gold clusters deposited from a cluster beam. An ultrahigh-vacuum scanning tunneling microscope was used to image these nanostructures and to measure their current-voltage characteristics as a function of the separation between the probe tip and the metal cluster. At room temperature, when the tip was positioned over a cluster bonded to the XYL SAM, the current-voltage data showed "Coulomb staircase" behavior. These data are in good agreement with semiclassical predictions for correlated single-electron tunneling and permit estimation of the electrical resistance of a single XYL molecule (approximately18 ± 12 megohms).     

Ordering of ruthenium cluster carbonyls in mesoporous silica

The anionic ruthenium cluster carbonylates [Ru6C(CO)16]2- or [H2Ru10(CO)25]2- interspersed with bis(triphenylphosphino)iminium counterions (PPN+) are incorporated from solution into the pores of MCM-41 mesoporous silica (3 nanometers in diameter), where they form tightly packed arrays. These arrays were shown by high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, Fourier transform optical diffraction, and computer simulations to be well ordered both along and perpendicular to the axis of the cylindrical pores. In their denuded state produced by gentle thermolysis, the cluster carbonylates yield nanoparticles of ruthenium that are less well ordered than their assimilated precursors but show good activity as hydrogenation catalysts for hexene and cyclooctene. In both their as-prepared and denuded states, these encapsulated clusters are likely to exhibit interesting electronic and other properties.     

Role of Fatty Acids in Energy Provision During Oocyte Maturation and Early Embryo Development

While much is known about the metabolism of exogenous nutrients such as glucose, lactate, pyruvate, amino acids by oocytes and pre-implantation mammalian embryos, the role of endogenous stores, particularly lipid, has been largely overlooked. The presence of lipid within oocytes and early embryos has been long known, and comparisons between species indicate that the amounts and types of lipid present vary considerably. Large amounts of intracellular lipid can compromise the success of cryopreservation and the removal of such lipid has been the subject of considerable effort. In this review, we present evidence that strongly suggests a metabolic role for lipid, specifically with regard to energy provision, in the late-stage oocyte and the pre-implantation embryo. We focus initially on oxygen consumption as a global indicator of metabolic activity, before reviewing different approaches that either have been designed to investigate directly, or have revealed indirectly the role of endogenous lipid in energy generation. These fall under five headings: (i) fatty acid oxidation; (ii) inhibition of triglyceride oxidation; (iii) culture in the absence of exogenous substrates; (iv) cytoplasmic organization; and (v) delipidation. On the basis of the data derived from these studies, we conclude that there is strong evidence for the utilization of endogenous lipid as an energy substrate by oocytes and early embryos.     

Development of diets for the intensive culture of Pacific lamprey

The Pacific lamprey Entosphenus tridentatus is an ancestral species of critical importance to the ecosystem and indigenous cultures in the Pacific Northwest. Conservation aquaculture has been proposed as a potential technique to restore Pacific lamprey populations. Intensive culture methods and diets for this species have not been developed. A sixteen week feeding trial tested the effects of seven diet treatments on the survival, growth, fatty acid profile and whole body lipid content of Pacific lamprey ammocoetes. Dietary treatments were: active dry yeast, yeast plus fish oil emulsion, micro‐algae, micro‐algae plus fish oil emulsion, yeast with micro‐algae, yeast with micro‐algae plus fish oil emulsion and yeast with larval fish diet. Each diet was offered to five replicate tanks stocked with 20 ammocoetes that were 51 days post hatch. Survival during the trial was not affected by diet. The greatest length and weight increases were in fish fed diets containing yeast. Growth decreased as the amount of algae in the diet was increased. Lipid retention was significantly higher in fish fed yeast with larval fish diet relative to the other treatments. Feed conversion ratio was lowest in fish fed diets containing yeast. Whole body fatty acid profiles tended to reflect the fatty acid profile of the diet. Percentages of 20:5n‐3 and 22:6n‐3 were significantly higher in fish fed diets containing fish oil emulsion. Overall, yeast with larval fish diet provided the best growth performance in larval Pacific lamprey.     

Early Pregnancy Detection of Iraqi Riverine Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) Using the BioPRYN Enzyme‐Linked Immunosorbent Assay for PSPB and the Progesterone Assay

This study was undertaken to detect pregnancy in Iraqi riverine buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) using three different methods (rectal palpation, plasma progesterone concentration and detection of the presence of pregnancy‐specific protein B (PSPB) with the BioPRYN^® enzyme‐linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) test. The aim of the study was to identify the most sensitive, early and accurate method for detecting pregnancy. Twenty‐two female riverine buffalo that were 6.0 ± 0.93 years old were used. Four blood samples per buffalo were taken via jugular venipuncture at days 22–24, 32–34, 42–44 and 58–61 post‐mating (PM) to measure the progesterone concentration (ng/ml) and to detect the presence of plasma PSPB. The rectal palpation method was employed to evaluate all buffalo on days 42–44 and 58–61 PM. The BioPRYN^® test differed (p < 0.01) from the other tests with earlier accuracy for detecting pregnant and non‐pregnant buffalo. Eighty‐eight percent of pregnant and 76.9% of non‐pregnant buffalo were distinguished early (days 22–24 PM) using BioPRYN^® and plasma PSPB‐ELISA level (2.09 ± 0.12 ng/ml) in relation to 66.7% and 53.9% detected using the progesterone assay at similar days (4.30 ± 0.40 ng/ml). In conclusion, these results described, for the first time, the early and accurate pregnancy detection of water riverine buffalo using BioPRYN^® technology and provided the plasma levels of PSPB using an ELISA test. These findings will improve the reproductive and productive efficiency of Iraqi riverine buffalo by adapting the recent management and reproductive strategies in Iraq and in the world.