Effect of stocking density and protein/fat ratio of the diet on growth of Dover sole (Solea solea)

250 soles (30g initial weight) were randomly placed in 12 experimental tanks at the Discizia's aquaculture marine station. They were reared at 2 different stocking densities (2.3 and 1.3kg/m2 corresponding to 40% and 25% of the bottom surface area covered by fish) and fed on 2 diets with different protein/fat ratio (50% and 54% crude protein and 21% and 18% total lipid, respectively for diets A and B) with triplicate tanks per treatment. The trial lasted 120 days. Fish stocked at the lower density resulted in significantly higher weight gain than fish reared at 2.3 kg/m2 (29.0±7.3 g vs 20.3±8.0g; P<0.01) with a specific growth rate (SGR) of 0.54±0.09 and 0.42±0.13, respectively. Feed conversion rate (FCR) was improved at the lower density (1.8 vs 2.4, P<0.01). The chemical composition of the test diets significantly affected the growth performance of sole. Diet B led to a higher final weight (59.7 vs 50.8g; P<0.01) and better feed utilisation (FCR: 1.8 vs 2.4, P<0.01). These results confirm the necessity to ensure an adequate space for the growing sole and suggest the need for high protein diets to meet sole's requirements

Effect of mannanoligosaccharides supplementation on caecal microbial activity of rabbits

A total of 200 weaned (35 days) hybrid Hyla rabbits were randomly divided among five groups housed in bicellular cages (20 cages per group). Between 35 and 60 days of age, the groups were submitted to the following treatments: group ANT (positive control) fed a basal diet supplemented with antibiotics (colistin sulphate, 144 mg/kg; tylosin, 100 mg/kg; and oxytetracyclin, 1000 mg/kg); groups MOS-0.5, MOS-1.0 and MOS-1.5 fed the basal diet supplemented with 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg mannanoligosaccharides (MOS), respectively; another group fed the basal diet without antibiotics or mannanoligosaccarides supplementation (negative control). Along the trial, an episode of epizootyc rabbit enteropathy occurs so that in the control group mortality rate was very high (78%) and survivor rabbits showed severe symptoms of disease (diarrhoea). Thus, the control group was discarded from the trial. At 60 days of age, samples of caecal content were collected from 10 rabbits per group and used as inocula for an in vitro gas production trial. At the end of fermentation (120 h of incubation), organic matter digestibility (OMd), cumulative gas production, fermentation kinetics, pH, volatile fatty acid (VFA) and NH3 productions were measured. Inoculum from MOS-1.0 rabbits showed the significant higher values of OMd (64.21%, P &lt; 0.05), gas production (262.32 ml/g, P &lt; 0.05), acetate (96.99 mmol/g OM, P &lt; 0.05) and butyrate (26.21 mmol/g OM, P &lt; 0.05) than the other groups. Slight differences were recorded among the groups ANT, MOS-0.5 and MOS-1.5. In addition, branched chain acids, in proportion to total VFAs, were significantly higher in MOS-1.0 inoculum (0.04, P &lt; 0.05). MOS are able to affect fermentation activity of caecal micro-organism, but their activities seem not proportional to their level in the diet. Copyright © The Animal Consortium 2010

Effect of mannan oligosaccharides on rabbit performance, digestibility and rectal Bacterial anaerobic populations during an episode of epizootic rabbit enteropathy

[EN] The effect of three levels of mannan oligosaccharides (MOS at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg diet) compared to dietary antibiotic supplementation (ANT, colistin sulphate 144, tylosin 100 and oxytetracycline 1000 ppm) and to a diet without MOS or medication (control group) were studied on 5 groups of rabbits (n=342 cages/group and 2 rabbits/cage) from weaning (35 d) to 60 d of age in a farm with an anamnestic history of Epizootic Rabbit Enteropathy (ERE). Mortality rate was recorded daily. Thirty two cages per group were randomly chosen to record growth performance and rectal anaerobic microbial population. Live weight and feed intake were recorded weekly. At 49 d of age rectal swabs were collected with cotton swabs from 8 rabbits per group and the anaerobic microbial population was counted. Feed digestibility was determined per cage using acid insoluble ash as an internal marker, collecting faeces from 57 to 59 d of age. An episode of ERE occurred during the second and the third week of the trial. The control group showed a high mortality rate during the fattening period (78%) and was not considered for further measurements. Total mortality rate was higher (P<0.05) for rabbits fed antibiotics (34.2%) than for those fed MOS (17.7, 7.75 and 17.1 %, for MOS at 0.5, 1.0 and 1.5 g/kg diet, respectively), with the lowest mortality rate being for those with a 1.0 g MOS/kg diet. Medicated rabbits showed similar growth rates compared to the average of those fed MOS diets (38.6 g/d on average), but impaired feed conversion ratio (FCR) and nutrient digestibility (P<0.003). Rabbits fed MOS at 1.0 g/kg showed better growth rates, FCR and nutrient digestibility (P<0.01) than those fed 1.5 g/kg MOS. Total anaerobic and Clostridium spp. counts were higher in medicated animals compared to those fed MOS, with those fed 1 g/kg MOS showing the lowest value (P<0.001). Under critical conditions due to an episode of ERE, a concentration of 1.0 g/kg MOS in the diet, could reduce rabbit mortality and improve growth performance.Bovera, F.; Nizza, A.; Marono, S.; Mallardo, K.; Piccolo, G.; Tudisco, R.; De Martino, L.... (2010). Effect of mannan oligosaccharides on rabbit performance, digestibility and rectal Bacterial anaerobic populations during an episode of epizootic rabbit enteropathy. World Rabbit Science. 18(1):9-16. doi:10.4995/wrs.2010.18.0291618

Comparison of caecal and faeces fermentation characteristics of ostrich by in vitro gas production technique

To compare caecal and faecal fermentation characteristics, ostrich caecal content (CI) and faeces (FI) were used as inocula for an in vitro gas production trial in which four substrates (dehydrated alfalfa, alfalfa hay, maize and a commercial concentrate) were tested. The fermentation characteristics (degraded organic matter, OMd; potential gas production, A; acetate; branched chain proportion, BCP) were studied by inoculum and substrate. CI and FI showed significant differences for almost all the fermentation parameters, and CI had higher values than FI for OMd (76.83 vs. 72.79%, p&lt;0.01), A (250.3 vs. 229.3 ml/g, p&lt;0.01), acetate (57.91 vs. 53.20 mmol/l, p&lt;0.01) and BCP (0.031 vs. 0.027, p&lt;0.05). CI and FI showed differences in carbohydrates and protein fermentation, but the interaction between the tested effects was not significant. The regression equations to estimate caecal fermentation characteristics from faeces suggest the possibility to use faeces as inoculum alternative to faeces. © 2011 Taylor &amp; Francis

Effect of two different protein/fat ratios of the diet on meagre (Argyrosomus regius) traits

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of two diets with different protein/fat ratios (P/F) (diet A: P/F 2.26; diet B: P/F 3.36) on the chemical composition, fatty acid profile and some somatic indexes of meagre (Argyrosomus regius). The trial was carried out on two groups of meagre raised in two different sea cages during 15 months. At the end of the production cycle biometric measures as well as chemical-nutritional analysis of the fillets were conducted on 25 fishes per group. Diet A, with a lower P/F, furnished animals with higher percentages of mesenteric fat (0.48 vs 0.41%; P<0.01) and of fillet yield (51.21 vs 48.12; P<0.01). Moreover, the fillets obtained with the diet A showed higher percentage of fat (3.60 vs 2.41%; P<0.01), lower moisture (74.10 vs 75.42%; P<0.01), lower losses of water under pressure (16.73 vs 20.20%; P<0.01) and after 48 h of refrigeration (3.08 vs 4.23%; P<0.01). The fatty acids profile of fillets was affected by the diet. Diet A resulted in a higher level of saturated fatty acids (26.44 vs 23.17% of total lipid; P<0.01) and a lower percentage of polyunsaturated fatty acids (31.56 vs 36.08%; P<0.01) in the fillet, mainly due to the lower content of linoleic acid (13.63 vs 19.77%; P<0.01). The atherogenic (AI) and thrombogenic (TI) indexes, which resulted very low in the fish of Group B (AI=0.48 vs 0.60, P<0.01; TI=0.33 vs 0.37, P<0.01), together with the low lipid content of meat in both groups, confirmed the very high nutritional quality of meagre fillets

A Behaviour Sequence Analysis of Serial Killers’ Lives:From Childhood Abuse to Methods of Murder

The aim of the current research was to provide a new method for mapping the developmental sequences of serial killers’ life histories. The role of early childhood abuse, leading to types of serial murder and behaviours involved in the murders, was analysed using Behaviour Sequence Analysis. A large database (n = 233) of male serial killers with known childhood abuse (physical, sexual, or psychological) was analysed according to typologies and crime scene behaviours. Behaviour Sequence Analysis was used to show significant links between behaviours and events across their lifetime. Sexual, physical, and psychological abuse often led to distinct crime scene behaviours. The results provide individual accounts of abuse types and behaviours. The present research highlights the importance of childhood abuse as a risk factor for serial killers’ behaviours, and provides a novel and important advance in profiling serial killers and understanding the sequential progression of their life histories

Study of the B +→ J / ψ Λ ¯ p decay in proton-proton collisions at √s = 8 TeV

A study of the B +→ J / ψ Λ ¯ p decay using proton-proton collision data collected at s = 8 TeV by the CMS experiment at the LHC, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 19.6 fb−1, is presented. The ratio of branching fractions B(B+→J/ψΛ¯p)/B(B+→J/ψK∗(892)+) is measured to be (1.054 ± 0.057(stat) ± 0.035(syst) ± 0.011(B))%, where the last uncertainty reflects the uncertainties in the world-average branching fractions of Λ ¯ and K*(892) + decays to reconstructed final states. The invariant mass distributions of the J / ψ Λ ¯ , J/ψp, and Λ ¯ p systems produced in the B +→ J / ψ Λ¯ p decay are investigated and found to be inconsistent with the pure phase space hypothesis. The analysis is extended by using a model-independent angular amplitude analysis, which shows that the observed invariant mass distributions are consistent with the contributions from excited kaons decaying to the Λ ¯ p system. [Figure not available: see fulltext.