Effects on growth and welfare of Atlantic salmon parr, feed diets with 10% BSFL meal, with different inclusions of BSFL stickwater.

To achieve sustainable growth in aquaculture, it is important to develop feed from more sustainable sources. Black soldier fly larvae meal (BSFL) is a novel ingredient approved by the EU legislation to be used in aquaculture feed. In the process of creating BSFL meal, the BSFL are pressed by a hydraulic press, and becomes a presscake and liquid is removed, the liquid is known as stickwater (SW). SW has a high content of free amino acids and water-soluble proteins, though there is still insufficient knowledge about the properties of SW in diets for salmon. BSFL meal has several challenges, including high levels of chitin and manganese (Mn). BSFL SW has a very low content of Mn and adding BSFL SW in diets for salmon could be beneficial. Would diets with high content of Mn, have a negative effect on fish welfare? In this study, the BSFL SW was recovered back in the BSFL meal. Four experimental feeds were made, containing 10% BSFL meal with different inclusions of SW, and one control formulated to be similar to commercial diets for Atlantic salmon. There were three tanks per diet, each tank containing 100 Atlantic salmon parr. The feeds were formulated to have similar nutritional value and apparent digestibility coefficient (ADC). We saw no significant differences between the different dietary treatments, and all fish preformed similarly. BSFL meal contains high amounts of dietary Mn, and the diets with most Mn contained 120mg/kg of this essential trace mineral. There were seen no sign of Mn oversaturation in the fish, nor reduced welfare. Fish feed all experimental diets, preformed as well as those fed control diet. There was no sign of increased growth or welfare from inclusions of BSFL SW, nor any sign of negative impact of high levels of dietary Mn

Perceptions of institutional teaching culture by tenured, tenure-track, and sessional faculty

The Institutional Teaching Culture Perception Survey (ITCPS) was used to investigate beliefs of tenured, tenure-track, and sessional faculty members (N=576) about the teaching culture within three large research-intensive universities in Canada. As predicted, we found significant differences between these three groups of faculty members’ perceptions of their institutions’ teaching cultures. Sessional faculty perceived that their universities rewarded effective teaching less than their tenured or tenure-track colleagues. Tenured faculty were less likely than the tenure-track and sessional faculty to believe it was important to encourage, recognize, or assess effective teaching. These results have important implications for the quality of teaching and, ultimately, student learning, as sessional faculty are teaching an increasing number of students and tenured faculty are the primary decision-makers in setting the priorities for their institutions

Cues to deception : eye blinking

Previous studies have suggested that blink rate is an indicator of deception. However, there has been debate over the question of how blink rate changes during deception. Some research has concluded that blink rate decreases during deception (Leal & Vrij, 2008, 2010; Leal, Vrij, Fisher, & van Hooff, 2008; Mann, Vrij, & Bull, 2002) while other research has found that blink rate increases during deception (Fukuda, 2001; Porter & ten Brinke, 2008; Seymour, Baker, & Gaunt, 2013; ten Brinke & Porter, 2012; Thonney, Kanachi, Sasaki, & Hatayama, 2005). Studies that observed a decrease in blink rate typically examined blink rate when participants lied while orally answering questions. On the other hand, studies that observed an increase in blink rate typically examined deception using guilty knowledge tasks involving computerized questions. The goal of the present study was to determine if the lie scenarios in previous literature influenced the differences found in the results. The following study examined blink rate during two different deception scenarios and attempted to bridge the gap within the literature by including elements from both sets of blink rate research. Participants truthfully and deceptively answered the same set of questions in two scenarios: a computer scenario and an interview scenario. Findings indicated that blink rate decreased when participants lied while answering computerized questions but did not significantly change when participants lied while answering interview questions. The results provided preliminary support for the prediction that blink rate changes as a result of the scenario in which the lie was told

Epidemiology of mammal bite injuries: 5 year review of a level II regional referral hospital in Mexico city

Background: Animal bites are a common cause of primary care and emergency department attention worldwide. However, the incidence of this pathology among Mexican population is not well known. Plastic surgeons are at the forefront of initial attention and final outcome of these destructive wounds in our country. The aim of this study was to describe the epidemiology of animal bites over a 5 year period at a level II general hospital in Mexico city. Objective of current study was to determine the incidence of animal bites in hospital “Rubén Leñero” in Mexico city over a 5-year periodMethods: Retrospective study; records of emergency room of all adult patients who sustained animal bites between January 2016 to December 2020 were collected. Details about age, gender, and location of the injuries were recorded and analyzed.Results: From a total of 277 cases, 273 were dog bites (98.56%) and 4 cat bites (1.44%), 173 males (62.45%) and 104 females (37.55%) were affected. The two most injured places in the human body were the hand with 98 cases (35.37%), followed by the lips in 45 cases (16.25%).Conclusions: Animal bites are a frequent injury in the primary care unit, representing a health issue in our country. Proper patient evaluation and treatments are essential to prevent further complications and subsequent infections. Further investigation will be required to establish risk factors for this pathology

Catalase vs Peroxidase Activity of a Manganese(II) Compound: Identification of a Mn(III)-(μ-O)2-Mn(IV) Reaction Intermediate by Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectroscopy

Herein, we report reactivity studies of the mononuclear water-soluble complex [Mn(II)(HPClNOL)(η1-NO3)(η2-NO3)] 1, where HPClNOL ) 1-(bis-pyridin-2-ylmethyl-amino)-3-chloropropan-2-ol, toward peroxides (H2O2 and tertbutylhydroperoxide). Both the catalase (in aqueous solution) and peroxidase (in CH3CN) activities of 1 were evaluated using a range of techniques including electronic absorption spectroscopy, volumetry (kinetic studies), pH monitoring during H2O2 disproportionation, electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), electrospray ionization mass spectrometry in the positive ion mode [ESI(+)-MS], and gas chromatography (GC). Electrochemical studies showed that 1 can be oxidized to Mn(III) and Mn(IV). The catalase-like activity of 1 was evaluated with and without pH control. The results show that the pH decreases when the reaction is performed in unbuffered media. Furthermore, the activity of 1 is greater in buffered than in unbuffered media, demonstrating that pH influences the activity of 1 toward H2O2. For the reaction of 1 with H2O2, EPR and ESI(+)-MS have led to the identification of the intermediate [Mn(III)Mn(IV)(μ- O)2(PClNOL)2]+. The peroxidase activity of 1 was also evaluated by monitoring cyclohexane oxidation, using H2O2 or tert-butylhydroperoxide as the terminal oxidants. Low yields (<7%) were obtained for H2O2, probably because it competes with 1 for the catalase-like activity. In contrast, using tert-butylhydroperoxide, up to 29% of cyclohexane conversion was obtained. A mechanistic model for the catalase activity of 1 that incorporates the observed lag phase in O2 production, the pH variation, and the formation of a Mn(III)-(μ-O)2-Mn(IV) intermediate is proposed

Multicentre comparison of biological and functional properties of mesenchymal stromal cells from different sources cultivated using a harmonised manufacturing workflow

AbstractBackgroundMesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), commonly sourced from adipose tissue, bone marrow and umbilical cord, have been widely used in many medical conditions due to their therapeutic potential. Yet, the still limited understanding of the underlying mechanisms of action hampers clinical translation. Clinical potency can vary considerably depending on tissue source, donor attributes, but importantly, also culture conditions. Lack of standard procedures hinders inter-study comparability and delays the progression of the field. The aim of this study was A-to assess the impact on MSC characteristics when different laboratories performed analysis on the same MSC material using harmonised culture conditions and B-to understand source-specific differences.MethodsThree independent institutions performed a head-to-head comparison of human-derived adipose (A-), bone marrow (BM-), and umbilical cord (UC-) MSCs using harmonised culture conditions. In each centre, cells from one specific tissue source were isolated and later distributed across the network to assess their biological properties, including cell expansion, immune phenotype, and tri-lineage differentiation (part A). To assess tissue specific function, angiogenic and immunomodulatory properties and the in vivo biodistribution were compared in one expert lab (part B).ResultsBy implementing a harmonised manufacturing workflow, we obtained largely reproducible results across three independent laboratories in part A of our study. Unique growth patterns and differentiation potential were observed for each tissue source, with similar trends observed between centres. Immune phenotyping verified expression of typical MSC surface markers and absence of contaminating surface markers. Depending on the established protocols in the different laboratories, quantitative data varied slightly. Functional experiments in part B concluded that conditioned media from BM-MSCs significantly enhanced tubulogenesis and endothelial migration in vitro. In contrast, immunomodulatory studies reported superior immunosuppressive abilities for A-MSCs. Biodistribution studies in healthy mice showed lung entrapment after administration of all three types of MSCs, with a significantly faster clearance of BM-MSCs.ConclusionThese results show the heterogeneous behaviour and regenerative properties of MSCs as a reflection of intrinsic tissue-origin properties while providing evidence that the use of standardised culture procedures can reduce but not eliminate inter-lab and operator differences.HighlightsIn this study, we have:-Provided a harmonised manufacturing workflow that has demonstrated reproducible results across three independent laboratories when expanding MSCs.-Defined a multi-assay matrix capable of identifying functional differences in terms of angiogenesis, wound healing abilities and immunosuppressive properties.-Demonstrated similar in vivo biodistribution properties regardless of cell origin.</jats:sec

Can understanding reward help illuminate anhedonia?

Purpose of review: The goal of this paper is to examine how reward processing might help us understand the symptom of anhedonia. Recent findings: There are extensive reviews exploring the relationship between responses to rewarding stimuli and depression. These often include a discussion on anhedonia and how this might be underpinned in particular by dysfunctional reward processing. However, there is no specific consensus on whether studies to date have adequately examined the various sub-components of reward processing or how these might relate in turn to various aspects of anhedonia symptoms. Summary: The approach to understanding the symptom of anhedonia should be to examine all the sub-components of reward processing at the subjective and objective behavioural and neural level, with well validated tasks that can be replicated. Investigating real life experiences of anhedonia and how theses might be predicted by objective lab measures is also needed in future research