Dietary lipid level affects growth performance and nutrient utilisation of Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) juveniles

Over the last few years, several aspects of Senegalese sole (Solea senegalensis) culture have been developed and optimised but the dietary lipid level for optimal growth has never been determined. Hence, five isonitrogenous diets (56 % dietary protein) with increasing dietary lipid levels (4, 8, 12, 16 and 20 % DM) were fed to satiation to triplicate groups of twenty fish (mean initial weight 10 g). Fifteen tanks were randomly assigned one of the five diets. Feed was distributed using automatic feeders, and fish were fed over a 16-week period. At the end of the experiment the fish fed on diets containing the two lowest dietary lipid levels (4 and 8 %) showed a 3-fold body-weight increase with a significantly higher daily growth index than fish fed higher lipid levels (1-2 v. 0-8). Moreover, these fish displayed a significantly lower dry feed intake (12g/kg per d) and feed conversion ratio (1-0) compared with fish fed higher lipids levels (16-19 g/kg per d; feed conversion ratio 2-0). Low dietary lipid levels (< 12 %) significantly improved nutrient retention and gain and hence growth, without major effects on whole-body composition. Despite the slight alteration in n-3 PUFA muscle content in the fish fed low-fat-diets, this fish fed low dietary lipid still remains a rich n-3 PUFA product and generally maintained its nutritional value. These results evidenced a low lipid tolerance of Senegalese sole juveniles and suggest a maximal dietary inclusion level of 8 % lipids for both optimal growth and nutrient utilisation without compromising flesh quality.IDEIA; European fund FEDERinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Plant protein blends in diets for Senegalese sole affect skeletal muscle growth, flesh texture and the expression of related genes

Author's accepted version (postprint).Available from 26/11/2017.Skeletal muscle growth and flesh quality of Senegalese sole fed diets containing increasing levels of plant protein blends to replace fishmeal were evaluated using muscle cellularity, texture profile and gene expression. A control fish meal-based diet (FM) was compared with three isonitrogenous (54%) and isolipidic (9%) diets with increasing levels of plant protein (PP) blends (50% PP50, 75% PP75 and 100% PP100). By the end of the experiment sole fed PP50 and PP75 had a final body length similar to the CTR (25 cm), but fish fed PP100 were significantly smaller (23 cm). Total FM replacement by PP sources resulted in significantly smaller muscle cross sectional area (CSA) mainly due to a decrease in the muscle fibre size as the total number of fibres did not vary significantly among treatments. The dietary incorporation of PP significantly reduced the expression of several key genes involved in myogenesis and muscle growth (mrf4, fgf6, myhc and mylc2). Fillet texture analysed instrumentally was affected by the total substitution of FM. Fish fed PP100 diet had a significantly higher modulus of elasticity, i.e. lower flesh stiffness, compared with the other groups. Muscle fibre size was moderately related (r = − 0.573) to the modulus of elasticity and positively correlated with the expression of lysyl oxidase (r = 0.495). The observed changes in muscle cellularity could not be associated with the expression of texture-related genes (capn2, ctsb, ctsd), since no significant differences were observed among diets. The present results point towards a modulation of the expression of several muscle growth related genes by increasing levels of PP sources that alter muscle cellularity and textural properties of Senegalese sole when total FM is replaced by PP

A country-wide probability sample of public attitudes toward stuttering in Portugal

Background: Negative public attitudes toward stuttering have been widely reported, although differences among countries and regions exist. Clear reasons for these differences remain obscure. Purpose: Published research is unavailable on public attitudes toward stuttering in Portugalas well as a representative sample that explores stuttering attitudes in an entire country. This study sought to (a) determine the feasibility of a country-wide probability samplingscheme to measure public stuttering attitudes in Portugal using a standard instrument (the Public Opinion Survey of Human Attributes–Stuttering [POSHA–S]) and (b) identify demographic variables that predict Portuguese attitudes. Methods: The POSHA–S was translated to European Portuguese through a five-step process. There after, a local administrative office-based, three-stage, cluster, probability sampling scheme was carried out to obtain 311 adult respondents who filled out the questionnaire. Results: The Portuguese population held stuttering attitudes that were generally within the average range of those observed from numerous previous POSHA–S samples. Demographicvariables that predicted more versus less positive stuttering attitudes were respondents’age, region of the country, years of school completed, working situation, and number of languages spoken. Non-predicting variables were respondents’ sex, marital status, and parental status. Conclusion: A local administrative office-based, probability sampling scheme generated a respondent profile similar to census data and indicated that Portuguese attitudes are generally typical

Microstructure and hard magnetic properties in bulk rods of Nd 60Fe 30Al 10 glass forming alloys

The Nd60Fe30Al10 alloy exhibits a large glass forming ability which allows to obtain relatively thick cast rods containing large volume fractions of amorphous phases. In this work the microstructure and the hard magnetic properties of as-cast rods are characterized. The alloy is processed by suction casting into a chilled copper mould to obtain cylinders 5 mm diameter and 50 mm length. This diameter is selected because it is an upper limit for this processing route, beyond which the hard properties largely deteriorate. A room temperature coercivity of 0.34 T is obtained. The sample microstructure is heterogeneous, with very different size scales near the surface and along the central zone. However, in both regions a large fraction of an amorphous ferromagnetic phase is observed; it is found that paramagnetic nanocrystalline phases, mainly Nd or Nd-rich particles embedded in the amorphous matrix, are somewhat coarser in the central zone. These larger nanocrystals, less efficient to pin domain walls, are proposed to be responsible for the lower coercive fields observed, as compared with those found in cylinders 1 to 3 mm diameter where no inhomogeneities are found. This conclusion is supported by microstructure, calorimetric and magnetic observations.Fil: Levingston, J. M.. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; ArgentinaFil: Valente, R.. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia de Física (Centro Atómico Bariloche); Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; ArgentinaFil: Ghilarducci, Ada Albertina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia de Física (Centro Atómico Bariloche); Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Fabietti, Luis Maria Rodolfo. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física. Sección Física; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Instituto de Física Enrique Gaviola; ArgentinaFil: Salva, Horacio Ramon. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Investigación y Aplicaciones No Nucleares. Gerencia de Física (Centro Atómico Bariloche); Argentina. Comisión Nacional de Energía Atómica. Gerencia del Área de Energía Nuclear. Instituto Balseiro; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Patagonia Norte; ArgentinaFil: Urreta, S. E.. Universidad Nacional de Córdoba. Facultad de Matemática, Astronomía y Física; Argentin

The Air Microwave Yield (AMY) experiment - A laboratory measurement of the microwave emission from extensive air showers

The AMY experiment aims to measure the microwave bremsstrahlung radiation (MBR) emitted by air-showers secondary electrons accelerating in collisions with neutral molecules of the atmosphere. The measurements are performed using a beam of 510 MeV electrons at the Beam Test Facility (BTF) of Frascati INFN National Laboratories. The goal of the AMY experiment is to measure in laboratory conditions the yield and the spectrum of the GHz emission in the frequency range between 1 and 20 GHz. The final purpose is to characterise the process to be used in a next generation detectors of ultra-high energy cosmic rays. A description of the experimental setup and the first results are presented.Comment: 3 pages -- EPS-HEP'13 European Physical Society Conference on High Energy Physics (July, 18-24, 2013) at Stockholm, Swede

One-Step Isolation of Monoterpene Indole Alkaloids from Psychotria Leiocarpa Leaves and Their Antiviral Activity on Dengue Virus Type-2

The leaf MeOH extract of Psychotria leiocarpa (Rubiaceae) showed in vitro non-cytotoxic and anti-dengue virus serotype 2 (DENV2) activity in human hepatocarcinoma cell lineage (HepG2). A one-step and cost-effective reversed-phase solid-phase extraction method based on high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) parameters allowed the isolation, directly from this bioactive extract, of the monoterpene indole alkaloids: N-glucopyranosyl vincosamide (1), vincosamide (2) and strictosidinic acid (3). The chemical structures were characterized based on 1D and 2D nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), UV and high-resolution mass spectra (HRMS). The methodology has also allowed yielding a polyphenolic-rich fraction that was analyzed by high-performance liquid chromatography coupled to diode array detection and electrospray ionization tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-DAD-ESI-MS/MS) revealing two fiavonol triglycosides (4, 5) and three caffeoylquinic acid isomers (6-8). Compound 3 is reported for the first time in P leiocarpa and all the phenolic compounds (4-8) are described for the first time in the genus Psychotria. Compounds 1-3 showed to be non-cytotoxic and anti-dengue active towards DENV2, highlighting vincosamide (2).This work was supported by Fundacao Carlos Chagas Filho de Amparo a Pesquisa do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (FAPERJ), processes No. E-26/111.373/2014 and E-26/203.225/2017. DGL and JOC thank Coordenacao de Aperfeicoamento de Pessoal de Nivel Superior (CAPES), finance code 001, for their fellowships. TW thanks both CAPES and FAPERJ for his fellowships. The authors thank the NMR Lab of the Instituto de Pesquisas em Produtos Naturais, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro for the NMR spectra and MSc Matheus Oliveira, Dr Marcelo M. Pereira and Dr Denise Freire for their support. Technical and staff support provided by SGIker (UPV/EHU, MICINN, GV/EJ, ESF) is also gratefully acknowledged

Convergent evolution of floral signals underlies the success of Neotropical orchids

The great majority of plant species in the tropics require animals to achieve pollination, but the exact role of floral signals in attraction of animal pollinators is often debated. Many plants provide a floral reward to attract a guild of pollinators, and it has been proposed that floral signals of non-rewarding species may converge on those of rewarding species to exploit the relationship of the latter with their pollinators. In the orchid family (Orchidaceae), pollination is almost universally animal-mediated, but a third of species provide no floral reward, which suggests that deceptive pollination mechanisms are prevalent. Here, we examine floral colour and shape convergence in Neotropical plant communities, focusing on certain food-deceptive Oncidiinae orchids (e.g. Trichocentrum ascendens and Oncidium nebulosum) and rewarding species of Malpighiaceae. We show that the species from these two distantly related families are often more similar in floral colour and shape than expected by chance and propose that a system of multifarious floral mimicry—a form of Batesian mimicry that involves multiple models and is more complex than a simple one model–one mimic system—operates in these orchids. The same mimetic pollination system has evolved at least 14 times within the species-rich Oncidiinae throughout the Neotropics. These results help explain the extraordinary diversification of Neotropical orchids and highlight the complexity of plant–animal interactions

12º Congresso Nacional de Psicologia da Saúde: Promover e Inovar em Psicologia da Saúde: Actas

Promover e inovar em psicologia da saúde é o tema proposto para o Nacional de Psicologia da Saúde, que se realiza em Lisboa, no ISPA – Instituto Universitário de Ciências Psicológicas, Sociais e da Vida, numa organização conjunta da Sociedade Portuguesa de Psicologia do Saúde e do William James Center for Research do ISPA – Instituto Universitário. Como habitualmente, o primeiro objectivo deste congresso que se realiza a cada dois anos, e juntar os investigadores e profissionais que desenvolvem a sua actividade neste extenso campo designado como de Saúde e que, cobrindo os tradicionais contextos de saúde – hospitais e centros de saúde – se espraiam depois em direcções muito diversas em que a saúde e considerada um valor de todos os dias: a educação, o mundo organizacional, as instituições de iniciativa privada, empresarial, social, de apoio e assistenciais. Claro que o juntar num mesmo espaço físico todos estes investiga - dores, académicos, professores, alunos e profissionais da psicologia permitindo interacções directas esta ao serviço daquilo que tem sido apanágio da Sociedade Portuguesa de Psicologia da Saúde nestes mais de 20 anos de actividade: a promoção e divulgação da Psicologia da Saúde e da investigação científica. Serve, sobretudo, como forma de partilha de conhecimento e de experiencias. Pretende-se, assumidamente, possibilitar a partilha do estado da arte daquilo que são as práticas, reflexões, contributos teóricos e dados de investigação em direcção ao desenvolvimento continuado e alicerçado do conhecimento científico adentro da Psicologia da Saúde. A Sociedade Portuguesa de Psicologia da Saúde junta-se na organização deste congresso o William James Center for Research do ISPA – Instituto Universitário, numa pratica já consagrada pelos muitos anos de realização de diferentes congressos e que consiste em rodar por diferentes universidades e unidades de investigação o palco desta iniciativa. Em 2018, o 12o Congresso Nacional de Psicologia da Saúde, contara com 461 comunicações, sendo 6 delas conferencias proferidas por conferencistas convidados e 455, submetidas e aceites pela Comissão Cientifica do congresso e apresentadas em simpósios e comunicações livres nos formatos orais e escritos. Das comunicações apresentadas, cujos resumos são apresentados num suplemento da revista Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças, órgão oficial da SPPS, alguns dos autores submeteram os artigos respectivos a apreciação do Conselho Cientifico que procedeu a revisão de todos os trabalhos e escolheu 29 textos para serem apresentados no 1o numero de 2018 da revista Psicologia, Saúde & Doenças e 88 para serem publicados no livro de Actas do Congresso. Algumas das comunicações submetidas, e ainda um maior numero de artigos, não foram aceites para apresentação e publicação, por diversas razoes que vão desde a não observância das normas propostas, a fragilidade teórica e/ ou metodológica, ate a impossibilidade dos autores procederem as alterações propostas no curto tempo disponível para a preparação dos textos. O desafio que a SPPS coloca a si mesma em cada novo congresso e de conseguir num tempo recorde, disponibilizar o livro de atas do congresso no primeiro dia do mesmo, exigindo da parte da Comissão Cientifica, uma notável colaboração que aqui se reconhece e agradece. Promover a Psicologia da Saúde e inovar, num tempo em que a saúde não tem sido uma prioridade dos poderes estabelecidos, e um desafio que se coloca a todos e que esperamos que este 12o Congresso Nacional de Psicologia da Saúde possa ser um marco de encontros, caminhos e soluções.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Concurrent agreement between an anthropometric model to predict thigh volume and dual-energy X-Ray absorptiometry assessment in female volleyball players aged 14-18 years

© 2016 The Author(s).Background: A variety of performance outputs are strongly determined by lower limbs volume and composition in children and adolescents. The current study aimed to examine the validity of thigh volume (TV) estimated by anthropometry in late adolescent female volleyball players. Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) measures were used as the reference method. Methods: Total and regional body composition was assessed with a Lunar DPX NT/Pro/MD+/Duo/Bravo scanner in a cross-sectional sample of 42 Portuguese female volleyball players aged 14-18 years (165.2 ± 0.9 cm; 61.1 ± 1.4 kg). TV was estimated with the reference method (TV-DXA) and with the anthropometric method (TV-ANTH). Agreement between procedures was assessed with Deming regression. The analysis also considered a calibration of the anthropometric approach. Results: The equation that best predicted TV-DXA was: -0.899 + 0.876 × log10 (body mass) + 0.113 × log10 (TV-ANTH). This new model (NM) was validated using the predicted residual sum of squares (PRESS) method (R2PRESS = 0.838). Correlation between the reference method and the NM was 0.934 (95%CI: 0.880-0.964, Sy·x = 0.325 L). Conclusions: A new and accurate anthropometric method to estimate TV in adolescent female volleyball players was obtained from the equation of Jones and Pearson alongside with adjustments for body mass