Fishmeal replacement research for shrimp feed in Australia

The global expansion and intensification of aquaculture has brought with it an increasing requirement for formulated feeds. Feeds for carnivorous fish and shrimp contain a large proportion ingredient of marine origin, particularly fishmeal. However, despite the continuing increase in demand for fishmeal, world fishmeal production is unlikely to increase further. The identification and development of alternative feed ingredients that can replace fishmeal is recognised as an international research priority. A nationally coordinated research program in Australia has evaluated a wide range of ingredients produced by Australia’s agricultural industries. Information has been obtained on the chemical composition, apparent digestibility (AD) and subsequent assimilation and utilisation of each of the ingredients evaluated. The research focused on three key warmwater species endemic to Australia: the omnivorous marine crustacean, black tiger shrimp Penaeus monodon; the euryhaline carnivorous fish, barramundi or Asian seabass Lates calcarifer and the freshwater omnivorous fish, silver perch Bidyanus bidyanus. Across the three key species, the AD for crude protein was highest for fishmeal though the more refined, high-protein ingredients of plant origin were equally well digested. The AD of energy was relatively low in ingredients with a high carbohydrate or fibre content. Dehulled lupins (L. angustifolius) and high-protein, low-ash meat meals were found to have the greatest potential to replace fishmeal in shrimp diets. Meat meal can replace about half of the digestible crude protein, and dehulled lupins can replace a quarter of the digestible crude protein, in a shrimp diet without significantly affecting biological performance, provided that the balance of the crude protein in the diet comes predominantly from high quality ingredients of marine origin. When the diets contain these ingredients of marine origin at inclusions of at least 50 g.kg-1, specific feeding effectors do not appear to necessary to maintain the palatability of the diets

Achievement goals and motivational responses in tennis: Does the context matter?

Objectives: This study examined: (a) whether athletes’ goal orientations differ across training and competition; (b) whether goal orientations predict effort, enjoyment, and psychological skill use differently in training and competition; and (c) whether goal orientations predict perceived improvement in training and perceived performance in competition. Method: Participants were 116 competitive tennis players (mean age = 19.99, SD = 5.82), who completed questionnaires measuring goal orientations, effort, enjoyment, and psychological skill use in training and competition, perceived improvement in training, and perceived performance in competition. Results: Dependent t-tests revealed that athletes reported higher task orientation in training than in competition and higher ego orientation in competition than in training, while Pearson product-moment correlations revealed a high cross-contextual consistency for both task and ego goal orientations between training and competition. Regression analyses indicated that task orientation predicted positively effort, enjoyment, self-talk, and goal setting in both contexts, perceived improvement in training, and perceived performance in competition. An interaction effect also emerged whereby ego orientation predicted positively effort in competition only when task orientation was low or average. Conclusions: The findings suggest that goal orientations may differ between training and competition; task orientation is the goal that should be promoted in both contexts; and the context may affect the relationship between goal orientations and effort, enjoyment, and goal setting

Understorey plant community and light availability in conifer plantations and natural hardwood forests in Taiwan

Questions: What are the effects of replacing mixed species natural forests with Cryptomeria japonica plantations on understorey plant functional and species diversity? What is the role of the understorey light environment in determining understorey diversity and community in the two types of forest? Location: Subtropical northeast Taiwan. Methods: We examined light environments using hemispherical photography, and diversity and composition of understorey plants of a 35‐yr C. japonica plantation and an adjacent natural hardwood forest. Results: Understorey plant species richness was similar in the two forests, but the communities were different; only 18 of the 91 recorded understorey plant species occurred in both forests. Relative abundance of plants among different functional groups differed between the two forests. Relative numbers of shade‐tolerant and shade‐intolerant seedling individuals were also different between the two forest types with only one shade‐intolerant seedling in the plantation compared to 23 seedlings belonging to two species in the natural forest. In the natural forest 11 species of tree seedling were found, while in the plantation only five were found, and the seedling density was only one third of that in the natural forest. Across plots in both forests, understorey plant richness and diversity were negatively correlated with direct sunlight but not indirect sunlight, possibly because direct light plays a more important role in understorey plant growth. Conclusions: We report lower species and functional diversity and higher light availability in a natural hardwood forest than an adjacent 30‐yr C. japonica plantation, possibly due to the increased dominance of shade‐intolerant species associated with higher light availability. To maintain plant diversity, management efforts must be made to prevent localized losses of shade‐adapted understorey plants

On religion and cultural policy: notes on the Roman Catholic Church

This paper argues that religious institutions have largely been neglected within the study of cultural policy. This is attributed to the inherently secular tendency of most modern social sciences. Despite the predominance of the ‘secularisation paradigm’, the paper notes that religion continues to promote powerful attachments and denunciations. Arguments between the ‘new atheists’, in particular, Richard Dawkins, and their opponents are discussed, as is Habermas’s conciliatory encounter with Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI). The paper then moves to a consideration of the Roman Catholic Church as an agent of cultural policy, whose overriding aim is the promotion of ‘Christian consciousness’. Discussion focuses on the contested meanings of this, with reference to (1) the deliberations of Vatican II and (2) the exercise of theological and cultural authority by the Pope and the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). It is argued that these doctrinal disputes intersect with secular notions of social and cultural policy and warrant attention outside the specialist realm of theological discourse

Mesoscopic models for DNA stretching under force: new results and comparison to experiments

Single molecule experiments on B-DNA stretching have revealed one or two structural transitions, when increasing the external force. They are characterized by a sudden increase of DNA contour length and a decrease of the bending rigidity. It has been proposed that the first transition, at forces of 60--80 pN, is a transition from B to S-DNA, viewed as a stretched duplex DNA, while the second one, at stronger forces, is a strand peeling resulting in single stranded DNAs (ssDNA), similar to thermal denaturation. But due to experimental conditions these two transitions can overlap, for instance for poly(dA-dT). We derive analytical formula using a coupled discrete worm like chain-Ising model. Our model takes into account bending rigidity, discreteness of the chain, linear and non-linear (for ssDNA) bond stretching. In the limit of zero force, this model simplifies into a coupled model already developed by us for studying thermal DNA melting, establishing a connexion with previous fitting parameter values for denaturation profiles. We find that: (i) ssDNA is fitted, using an analytical formula, over a nanoNewton range with only three free parameters, the contour length, the bending modulus and the monomer size; (ii) a surprisingly good fit on this force range is possible only by choosing a monomer size of 0.2 nm, almost 4 times smaller than the ssDNA nucleobase length; (iii) mesoscopic models are not able to fit B to ssDNA (or S to ss) transitions; (iv) an analytical formula for fitting B to S transitions is derived in the strong force approximation and for long DNAs, which is in excellent agreement with exact transfer matrix calculations; (v) this formula fits perfectly well poly(dG-dC) and $\lambda$-DNA force-extension curves with consistent parameter values; (vi) a coherent picture, where S to ssDNA transitions are much more sensitive to base-pair sequence than the B to S one, emerges.Comment: 14 pages, 9 figure

HLA-A*32:01 is strongly associated with vancomycin-induced drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms

Background Vancomycin is a prevalent cause of the severe hypersensitivity syndrome drug reaction with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms (DRESS) which leads to significant morbidity and mortality and commonly occurs in the setting of combination antibiotic therapy which impacts future treatment choices. Variations in human leukocyte antigen (HLA) class I in particular have been associated with serious T-cell mediated adverse drug reactions which has led to preventive screening strategies for some drugs. Objective To determine if variation in the HLA region is associated with vancomycin-induced DRESS. Methods Probable vancomycin DRESS cases were matched 1:2 with tolerant controls based on sex, race, and age using BioVU, Vanderbilt’s deidentified electronic health record database. Associations between DRESS and carriage of HLA class I and II alleles were assessed by conditional logistic regression. An extended sample set from BioVU was utilized to conduct a time-to-event analysis of those exposed to vancomycin with and without the identified HLA risk allele. Results Twenty-three individuals met inclusion criteria for vancomycin-associated DRESS. 19/23 (82.6%) cases carried HLA-A*32:01 compared to 0/46 (0%) of the matched vancomycin tolerant controls (p=1x10-8) and 6.3% of the BioVU population (n=54,249) (p=2x10-16). Time-to-event analysis of DRESS development during vancomycin treatment among the HLA-A*32:01 positive group indicated that 19.2% developed DRESS and did so within four weeks. Conclusions HLA-A*32:01 is strongly associated with vancomycin DRESS in a population of predominantly European ancestry. HLA-A*32:01 testing could improve antibiotic safety, help implicate vancomycin as the causal drug and preserve future treatment options with co-administered antibiotics

IMMUNOPATHOLOGICAL STUDIES OF ORTHOTOPIC HUMAN LIVER ALLOGRAFTS

Twenty-six specimens obtained from twenty human orthotopic liver allografts 10-968 days after transplantation were studied by light microscopy, electron microscopy, and immunofluorescence. The main lesions consisted of mononuclear-cell infiltration around the portal tracts, centrilobular cholestasis, liver-cell atrophy and reticulin collapse, obliterative intimal thickening of hepatic arteries, and fibrosis. Moderate amounts of IgG and/or IgM and complement (β1C/β1A globulin or C'lq) were observed in four of the liver samples and smaller deposits were present in another five. A further three specimens contained IgG without complement. IgA was detected in only one of the samples. The immunoglobulins were found in the walls of the portal and central veins and of the sinusoids in all thirteen positive liver samples, in the walls of branches of the hepatic artery in three, and in the cytoplasm of some of the mononuclear cells infiltrating the portal tracts in nine of the specimens. Fibrinogen was seen in eight of the samples, usually in the spaces of Disse. Accumulations of immunoglobulins and complement were less frequent in liver than in kidney and heart allografts. These findings suggest that in the failure of human liver allografts cell-mediated immunity and non-immunological factors may be more important than humoral antibody. © 1972

Untangling the complexities of processing and analysis for untargeted LC-MS data using open-source tools

Untargeted metabolomics is a powerful tool for measuring and understanding complex biological chemistries. However, employment, bioinformatics and downstream analysis of mass spectrometry (MS) data can be daunting for inexperienced users. Numerous open-source and free-to-use data processing and analysis tools exist for various untargeted MS approaches, including liquid chromatography (LC), but choosing the ‘correct’ pipeline isn’t straight-forward. This tutorial, in conjunction with a user-friendly online guide presents a workflow for connecting these tools to process, analyse and annotate various untargeted MS datasets. The workflow is intended to guide exploratory analysis in order to inform decision-making regarding costly and time-consuming downstream targeted MS approaches. We provide practical advice concerning experimental design, organisation of data and downstream analysis, and offer details on sharing and storing valuable MS data for posterity. The workflow is editable and modular, allowing flexibility for updated/changing methodologies and increased clarity and detail as user participation becomes more common. Hence, the authors welcome contributions and improvements to the workflow via the online repository. We believe that this workflow will streamline and condense complex mass-spectrometry approaches into easier, more manageable, analyses thereby generating opportunities for researchers previously discouraged by inaccessible and overly complicated software

Efeito do tratamento com aminoetoxivinilglicina (AVG) na queda pré-colheita e na maturação dos frutos em macieiras

ABSTRACTApple trees cultivars Gala and Fuji were sprayed four weeks before commercial harvest with aminoethoxyvinilglycine (AVG), at doses of 0, 125, or 250 mg L-1, and assessed for preharvest fruit drop, fruit growth, and maturation on tree. In 'Gala', 64 days after AVG spraying, fruit drop for control treatment was 85%, and AVG (at 125 and 250 mg L-1) reduced it to 10%. In 'Fuji', 64 days after AVG spraying, fruit drop for control was 6%, while treatments with AVG (at 125 and 250 mg L-1) increased fruit drop to 10%. AVG was a powerful retardant of fruit maturation for 'Gala' but not for 'Fuji'. In 'Gala', the most affected attribute was the skin background color, followed, in decreasing order, by soluble solids content, the starch index, skin red color, the flesh firmness, and titratable acidity. In 'Gala', only flesh firmness retention was improved by increasing AVG dose from 125 mg L-1 to 250 mg L-1. The AVG at 250 mg L-1 inhibited "Gala" late fruit growth but not 'Fuji'. __________________________________________________________________________________ RESUMOMacieiras, das cultivares Gala e Fuji, foram pulverizadas quatro semanas antes do início da colheita comercial dos frutos com aminoetoxivinilglicina (AVG), nas concentrações de 0; 125 ou 250 mg L-1, e avaliadas quanto à queda de frutos na pré-colheita, o crescimento e maturação dos frutos. Na cultivar Gala, 64 dias após a pulverização com AVG, a queda pré-colheita no tratamento-controle era de 85%, mas os tratamentos com AVG (125 e 250 mg L-1) reduziram esta queda para 10%. Na cultivar Fuji, 64 dias após a pulverização com AVG, a queda de frutos no tratamento-controle era de 6%, e os tratamentos com AVG (125 e 250 mg L-1) aumentaram esta queda para 10%. Tratamentos com AVG retardaram substancialmente a maturação dos frutos da cultivar Gala, mas não da 'Fuji'. Na cultivar Gala, o atributo mais afetado foi a cor de fundo da casca, seguido, em ordem decrescente, pelo conteúdo de sólidos solúveis totais, índice de iodo-amido, cor vermelha da casca, firmeza de polpa e acidez titulável. Na cultivar Gala, apenas a retenção de firmeza de polpa foi significativamente aumentada com o aumento na concentração de AVG de 125 mg L-1 para 250 mg L-1. A concentração de 250 mg L-1 inibiu o crescimento final de frutos na cultivar Gala, mas não na 'Fuji'