Matrinxã larviculture in tanks of different colors

O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito de diferentes cores de tanques na larvicultura de Brycon  orthotaenia, durante os primeiros dez dias de criação. Foram avaliados tanques de cores claras (branco, azulclaro e verde claro) e escuras (marrom e preto). Como alimento, utilizaram-se larvas de Prochilodus costatus, até o quinto dia de alimentação, e a partir do terceiro dia foi também fornecida ração comercial com 55% de proteína bruta. Foram analisados: o crescimento, a sobrevivência e o fator de condição de Fulton. Aos cinco dias,tanto o peso como o comprimento total e a taxa de crescimento específi co (TCE) foram semelhantes entre os tratamentos. No entanto, aos dez dias, animais mantidos em tanques de cores escuras apresentaram menor peso e comprimento total, porém, com TCE semelhante apesar das diferentes cores de tanque. O fator de condição de Fulton, ao fi nal do experimento, foi menor nos animais mantidos em tanques escuros. A sobrevivência foi menor em tanques de cor preta, aos cinco e dez dias de criação. Os maiores valores foram registrados nos tanques de cores marrom, verde claro e branco. Tanques claros são recomendados para a larvicultura de B. orthotaenia, pelo melhor desempenho e sobrevivência dos animais.The objective of this work was to evaluate the effect of different color tanks on Brycon orthotaenia larviculture, during the fi rst ten days of rearing. Light color tanks (white, light blue and light green) and darktanks (brown and black) were evaluated. The fi shes were fed with Prochilodus costatus larvae until the 5th day and, from the 3rd day on, commercial dry feed with 55% crude protein was also supplied. The growth, survival and Fulton’s condition factor were evaluated. At fi ve days of feed, the weight, total length and specifi c growthrate (SGR) were similar among treatments. However, after ten days, the animals kept in dark tanks showed the lowest weight and total length; but the SGR was similar despite the different color tanks. The Fulton’scondition factor, observed at the end of the experiment, was lower in animals reared in dark tanks. The survival was lower in black tanks, at fi ve and ten days of rearing. The best survival, at the end of the experiment, was observed in brown, light green and white tanks. Light tanks are recommended for B. orthotaenia larviculture, for animals’ best development and survival

Prediction of free-stall occupancy rate in dairycattle barns through fuzzy sets

The goal of this study was to develop a fuzzy model to predict the occupancy rate of free-stalls facilities of dairy cattle, aiding to optimize the design of projects. The following input variables were defined for the development of the fuzzy system: dry bulb temperature (Tdb, °C), wet bulb temperature (Twb, °C) and black globe temperature (Tbg, °C). Based on the input variables, the fuzzy system predicts the occupancy rate (OR, %) of dairy cattle in free-stall barns. For the model validation, data collecting were conducted on the facilities of the Intensive System of Milk Production (SIPL), in the Dairy Cattle National Research Center (CNPGL) of Embrapa. The OR values, estimated by the fuzzy system, presented values of average standard deviation of 3.93%, indicating low rate of errors in the simulation. Simulated and measured results were statistically equal (P>0.05, t Test). After validating the proposed model, the average percentage of correct answers for the simulated data was 89.7%. Therefore, the fuzzy system developed for the occupancy rate prediction of free-stalls facilities for dairy cattle allowed a realistic prediction of stalls occupancy rate, allowing the planning and design of free-stall barns

Can the essential oil of Aloysia triphylla have anesthetic effect and improve the physiological parameters of the carnivorous freshwater catfish Lophiosilurus alexandri after transport?

The Lophiosilurus alexandri is an important species to the Brazilian aquaculture. Moreover, the studies about the effects of essential oil (EO) of Aloysia triphylla in fish are almost absent. Thus, the aims of this study were: 1) to investigate the anesthetic effect of the EO of A. triphylla and, 2) if this EO improves the physiological parameters of L. alexandri after transport. The experiment was divided in three steps: 1) the anesthesia induction with the EO of A. triphylla (in mu L/L): 25, 50, 100, 200, or 400; 2) transport for 4 h with the fish separated into three groups: control and two EO concentrations of A. triphylla (in mu L/L): 12.5 and 25; and, 3) determination of the ventilatory frequency (VF) in fish exposed to this EO at 12.5 or 25 mu L/L. The results showed that the increasing concentration of A. triphylla EO proportionally decreased the time required for sedation and anesthesia induction and increased recovery time. After transport, some alterations in water and blood parameters were observed independently of the treatment and lower VF was found in fish exposed to 25 mu L/L of A. triphylla EO. Taken together these results indicated that this EO decreased fish metabolism. Finally, A. triphylla EO was an efficient anesthetic in L. alexandri, mainly at 400 mu L/L and, both EO concentrations used in the transport contributed to improve water and physiological parameters.Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Cientifico e Tecnologico (CNPq)Fundacao de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado de Minas Gerais (FAPEMIG)CAPES-BrazilCNPq [246702/2012-5

Potential of mucoadhesive nanocapsules in drug release and toxicology in zebrafish.

Mucoadhesive polymeric nanocapsules have attracted interest of researchers from different fields from natural sciences because of their ability to interact with the mucosa and increase drug permeation. Anesthesia by immersion causes absorption through the skin and gills of fish, so it is important to evaluate the exposure of these organs to drug nanosystems. Benzocaine (BENZ) is one of the most popular anesthetic agents used in fish anesthesia, but it has drawbacks because of its low bioavailability, resulting in weak absorption after immersion. Here we describe method developed for preparing and characterizing chitosan-coated PLGA mucoadhesive nanoparticles containing BENZ (NPMAs) for zebrafish immersion anesthesia. We determined the lowest effective concentration, characterized the interaction of the mucoadhesive system with fish, measured the anesthetic efficacy, and evaluated possible toxic effects in embryos and adults exposed to the nanoformulations. This study opens perspectives for using nanoformulations prepared with BENZ in aquaculture, allowing reduction of dosage as well as promoting more effective anesthesia and improved interaction with the mucoadhesive system of fish