Minimizing marine resource utilization in diets of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar): effects on growth performance and muscle, liver, and head kidney chemical composition

Due to the limited availability of fish meal and fish oil resources and their high costs in producing aquafeeds for the aquaculture industry, it is important to conduct research on possible replacements that are sustainable sources of protein and lipids. In this study, seven different diets containing various protein and lipid sources were formulated to feed farmed Atlantic salmon, and their effects on growth performance, tissue lipid class, fatty acid, and elemental composition were examined. Growth performance results showed that the diet containing the lowest level of fish meal and fish oil led to the lowest weight gain, followed by the diet with the highest content of animal by-products. The lipid class analysis for the three examined tissues (muscle, liver, and head kidney) showed no statistical difference in the total lipid content using the seven dietary treatments. However, there was a statistical difference between the main lipid classes; triacylglycerols, phospholipids, and sterols. The elemental analysis of the three tissues revealed a higher ratio of carbon to nitrogen (C/N) in head kidney tissues compared to muscle and liver tissues, which consequently resulted in the highest level of total lipids in head kidney tissues. The carbon and nitrogen analysis of the liver tissues showed that diet with 1.4% ω3 long chain fatty acids (ω3LC1.4) resulted in a higher nitrogen concentration and a lower C/N ratio than when other dietary treatments were used. In terms of essential fatty acids, liver and head kidney tissues of fish fed the diet with lowest amount of fish meal and fish oil had the lowest EPA and DHA and the highest ARA levels. Diets with low levels of fish meal and a medium level of fish oil, resulted in as high a level of ω3 fatty acids in the examined tissue as when diets containing high levels of fish meal and fish oil were used. This study suggests that fish meal can be reduced to 5% without affecting growth as long as there is a minimum of 5% fish oil, and animal by-products do not exceed 26% of diet. It was concluded that reducing fish meal and fish oil to less than 10% in diets of farmed Atlantic salmon affects growth performance, as well as elemental, lipid, and fatty acid compositions of the muscle, liver, and head kidney tissues

An electronic service quality transactional model of attraction, trust and loyalty for interactive healthcare portal

Interactive Health Portals (IHPs) are portals of healthcare providers which offer e-services for patients to assist them in obtaining required health information, communicate easily and access all services offered. The quality of e-services provided by the IHP is a critical concern since it serves as a gateway to patients to interact with a respective healthcare provider. IHPs are well developed in US and Europe, but developing countries such as Malaysia are still lagging behind this trend. IHPs are very important for private hospitals whose aim include servicing patients from other countries. Previous studies have investigated how to attract patients, to increase their trust and to make them loyal to IHPs within developing countries, however they were studied in a segregate manner. The relationship among them have yet been explored in the context of healthcare and as a transaction model for patients’ loyalty on IHP is not studied yet. The aim of this study is to identify the e-service quality (e-SQ) factors that may influence attraction, trust and loyalty on IHP and thus propose an e-SQ transactional model of attraction, trust and loyalty for IHP. A survey method was employed to examine the influence of the identified e-SQ factors on three components of attraction, trust and loyalty in the proposed model. Questionnaires were distributed targeting patients at three private hospitals who had experience in using e-services in which two hundred and three patients responded to the survey. Collected data were analysed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. The results showed that e-SQ factors of usability, information quality, virtual training, IHP services, and cost savings positively influenced patients’ attraction. Trust of patients was positively influenced by security, privacy, reliability, and policy of IHPs. Finally, the e-SQ factors of compensation, responsiveness and hospitality affected patient loyalty in a positive manner. The Importance-Performance Matrix Analysis indicated that the top priority to be addressed to attract patients are IHP services and cost saving. Next, attraction, reliability and privacy are the most important factors to gain patients’ trust, while hospitality and trust are most significant to make patients loyal. The e-SQ transactional model as an outcome of this study is hoped to assist Malaysian IHP providers to better understand patients’ demands and allow them to design more patient-centric portals. This study is especially beneficial to private hospitals which receive no governmental financial aids and are in close competition with other private hospitals

Navigating the housing crisis: A comparison of international students and other newcomers in a mid-sized Canadian city

This article investigates the housing experiences of international students in comparison to other newcomers in the mid-sized Canadian city of St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, with a focus on how they navigate housing crises. Drawing on recent literature on housing justice, a quantitative survey of 188 participants, and 30 qualitative interviews, the findings reveal that international students and other newcomers are at different stages of their housing careers, have different needs and goals, and are experiencing the affordability crisis differently. Housing discrimination is a pressing concern, especially for international students who are subjected to intersectional prejudice, exploitation by landlords, and amplified challenges due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The article argues for inclusive housing and immigration policies that acknowledge international students as part of the Canadian housing market and ensure their rights to housing

Fabrication of chitosan-polyvinyl alcohol and silk electrospun fiber seeded with differentiated keratinocyte for skin tissue regeneration in animal wound model

Hybrid fibrous mat containing cell interactive molecules offers the ability to deliver the cells and drugs in wound bed, which will help to achieve a high therapeutic treatment. In this study, a co-electrospun hybrid of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA), chitosan (Ch) and silk fibrous mat was developed and their wound healing potential by localizing bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)-derived keratinocytes on it was evaluated in vitro and in vivo. It was expected that fabricated hybrid construct could promote wound healing due to its structure, physical, biological specifications. The fabricated fibrous mats were characterized for their structural, mechanical and biochemical properties. The shape uniformity and pore size of fibers showed smooth and homogenous structures of them. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) verified all typical absorption characteristics of Ch-PVA + Silk polymers as well as Ch-PVA or pure PVA substrates. The contact angle and wettability measurement of fibers showed that mats found moderate hydrophilicity by addition of Ch and silk substrates compared with PVA alone. The mechanical features of Ch-PVA + Silk fibrous mat increase significantly through co-electrospun process as well as hybridization of these synthetic and natural polymers. Higher degrees of cellular attachment and proliferation obtained on Ch-PVA + Silk fibers compared with PVA and Ch-PVA fibers. In terms of the capability of Ch-PVA + Silk fibers and MSC-derived keratinocytes, histological analysis and skin regeneration results showed this novel fibrous construct could be suggested as a skin substitute in the repair of injured skin and regenerative medicine applications. © 2020, The Author(s)

Changes in the liver transcriptome of farmed Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) fed experimental diets based on terrestrial alternatives to fish meal and fish oil

Dependence on marine natural resources threatens the sustainability of Atlantic salmon aquaculture. In the present study, Atlantic salmon fed for 14 weeks with an experimental diet based on animal by-products and vegetable oil (ABP) exhibited reduced growth performance compared with others fed a fish meal/fish oil based experimental diet (MAR) and a plant protein/vegetable oil-based experimental diet (VEG). To characterize the molecular changes underlying the differences in growth performance, we conducted a 44 K microarray study of the liver transcriptome of the three dietary groups

A transactional model for online healthcare organization: using actor network theory

Recently in switching the information between patients, staffs and hospitals, the Healthcare Web Portals (HWP) play a crucial role as a media tool to attain the challenging objectives of the quality of patient care and controlling operating costs. Looking wisely at literature shows that most prior researches have only focused on dimensions of e-service quality as the non-human actors. However, due to socio-political reasons, online HOs are positioned in a heterogeneous network, the social and technical or in other words human and nonhuman actors are equally important in the network. The main objective of this research is to propose a model for the online Healthcare Organizations (HO) with the view to make patients more attractive, trust and loyal to the online HO. Therefore, based on the extend review of literature, the initial research model adapted from the online shopping context and will extend to the online HO context. The initial research model is divided into three transaction stages such as pre-HO transaction, HO transaction and post-HO transaction stage. In addition, at each transaction stage human and non-human actors may influence patients’ satisfaction and as a result, make patients more attractive, trust and loyal to the online HO. In terms of human actors, at each transaction stage, friends and family members impact on patients’ satisfaction. In terms of non-human actors, dimensions of e-service quality influence patients’ satisfaction. For example, at pre-HO transaction stage (1) information, (2) usability and (3) efficiency, at HO transaction stage (1) security, (2) system availability, (3) fulfilment, (4) privacy and (5) reliability and at post-HO transaction stage (1) responsiveness, (2) empathy, (3) compensation and (4) contact impact on patients satisfaction and make patients more attract, trust and loyal to the online HO accordingly

Numerical investigation of laminar forced convection heat transfer in rectangular channels with different block geometries using nano-fluids

This research investigates the laminar steady-forced convection heat transfer of a Cu-water nanofluid in a 2-D horizontal channel with different block geometries attached to the bottom wall. The block geometries assumed in this research are triangular and curve blocks. The governing equations associated with the required boundary conditions are solved using finite volume method based on the SIMPLE technique and the effects of Reynolds number, nanofluid volume fraction, block geometry, and the numbers of blocks on the local and average Nusselt numbers are explored. The obtained results show that nanoparticles can effectively enhance the heat transfer in a channel. Furthermore, the local and average Nusselt number distribution is strongly dependent on the block geometry. As observed, the heat transfer augments with the increase in the Reynolds number and nanofluid volume fraction for both block geometries. It is also concluded that the average Nusselt number of the curve block is higher than that of the triangular block for different Reynolds numbers which declares the importance of the block geometry in the heat transfer enhancement

The Effect of blended Method of education on Students` Satisfaction

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