Effect of salinity on food consumption and growth of juvenile Nile tilapia (Oreochromi niloticus L.)

The effect of salinity (0, lO and 20%o, water temperature 28 ± l oC) on food consumption and growth of juvenile Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus L. (9.94 ± 0.15 g) were investigated by feeding group of 20 fish at 2% body weight day. Individual food consumption was measured using X-radiography. There were no significant differences in growth or white muscle protein concentrations among groups. During feed deprivation, weight loss was similar for fish held at O%o and 10 %o salinity, but after 7 days over 50% of the fish maintained at 20%o salinity developed lesions covering 5-25% of the body. No significant relationships were observed between individual specific growth rates and food consumption rates within the groups. The fish in all salinity groups showed a negative correlation between specific growth rate and food conversion ratio. The coefficient of variation for wet weight specific food consumption and the mean share of meal for each fish were used as a measure of social hierarchy strength. A negative correlation was observed between coefficient of variation in food consumption and mean share of meal. The social hierarchy structure was similar in all salinities; 25% of the fish were dominant (18.29% above an equal share of meal) and 30% were subordinate (16.19% below an equal share of meal) and the remainder 45% fish fed theoretical share of meal (MSM, 5.26%).

Consumption pattern and consumer preference for value-added fish and fish products in north zone of India

Present paper attempts to analyze consumption pattern and consumer preferences towards value-added fish and fish products in north zone of India. Results reveal that socio economic variables affect consumption of value-added fish and fish products. A total of 49 percent respondents were of middle age group (35 to 50 years). All were literates except 7% from the rural area. All were purchasing fish at least once in 15 days. A total of 90% respondents in rural, 11% in semi urban and 50% in urban area were unaware of value-added fish and fish products. About 10% of respondents had consumed it, out of which most were from urban area. Demand analysis by Cobb Douglas (CD) Demand function revealed that when price of fish, price of the substitutes, income of family and family size were used as independent variables, variation in demand of fish explained by CD Demand function was about 39% in urban area, 24% in semi urban area and 22% in rural area. From Garette ranking technique major problems in fish consumption found were irregular supply, lack of fresh fish, high price and presence of bones in fish. While lack of awareness, unavailability, no preference and unacceptable taste were major problems for consumption of value-added fish and fish products.

Ultrastructural mechanical and material characterization of fossilized bone

Bone plays a key role in the paleontological and archeological records and can provide insight into the biology, ecology and the environment of ancient vertebrates. Examination of bone at the tissue level reveals a definitive relationship between nanomechanical properties and the local organic content, mineral content, and microstructural organization. However, it is unclear as to how these properties change following fossilization, or diagenesis, where the organic phase is rapidly removed and the remaining mineral phase is reinforced by the deposition of apatites, calcites, and other minerals. While the process of diagenesis is poorly understood, its outcome clearly results in the potential for dramatic alteration of the mechanical response of biological tissues. In this study, fossilized specimens of mammalian long bones, collected from Colorado and Wyoming, were studied for mechanical variations. Nanoindentation performed in both longitudinal and transverse directions revealed preservation of bone's natural anisotropy as transverse modulus values were consistently smaller than longitudinal values. Additionally, modulus values of fossilized bone from 35.0 to 89.1 GPa increased linearly with logarithm of the sample's age. Future studies will aim to clarify what mechanical and material elements of bone are retained during diagenesis as bone becomes part of the geologic milieu. © 2007 Materials Research Society.

Fishwater and agar as binders in a prawn diet

The objectives of the study were to find out the proportion of water to fish fins, skin and bones that would give a good gel and to determine the effect of a combination of fish water and commercial crude agar on the water stability of the prawn diet. Under the conditions of the experiments it was concluded: (1) Fish water and commercial agar or agar bar gave the most stable pellet, 65% water stability; (2) a strong gel is obtained when one part shark fin is boiled in 1.5 parts water; (3) more fish water can be obtained from guitar fish than from shark fish.

Effect of salinity and food ration level on the growth of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus L.)

The effect of salinity (0, 10 & 20‰, water temperature 28 ± 1°C) and food ration (3 and 4.5% bw/day) on food consumption and growth of Nile tilapia, Oreochromis niloticus (10.77 ± 0.21g) were investigated. Individual food consumption was measured using X-radiography technique. Salinities (0, 10 & 20‰) did not have significant effect on the growth rate of groups of Nile tilapia fed at different ration levels (3 & 4.5% bw/day). This study showed that the growth of all-male fish was significantly better than all-female fish for all three salinities and two rations. Salinities from 0 to 20‰ had no effect on growth performance of males or female fish. In the present study, it was evident that fish fed at 3% bw/day ration ate all the food offered and fish fed at 4.5% bw/day did not consumed all amounts. Also, growth performance did not significantly differ among fish fed at 3% bw/day ration level and reared at different salinities. Fish reared under higher salinities (20‰) and fed at higher ration (4.5% bw/day) level had skin lesions and injuries on their body. It was assumed that fish fed at higher ration under higher salinities (20‰) and maintained higher osmoregulatory costs together with osmotic stress may have a negative influence on the appetite of fish. Another possibility that may have affected the appetite could be the unionized ammonia levels that were high. The high-unionized ammonia levels combined with the osmotic stress may have been the cause, or have aided, development of skin lesions and injuries on the fish at higher salinities.

DRAMATIC CONSEQUENCES OF FOOD HANDOUTS TO MACACA-THIBETANA AT MOUNT-EMEI, CHINA

Food handouts to Macaca thibetana at Mt. Emei have had dramatic consequences for both man and monkey as tourism has increased over the last decade. Food handouts and human submissive behaviour facilitate beg-robbing by the monkeys. which can be regarded as a mixed conditioning chain. Because of their lack of understanding of primate behaviour and resulting inappropriate responses, many visitors have lost possessions and have been severely frightened or even injured; in fact there have been 1 0 deaths as an indirect result over that past 8 years. The appropriate human response proved to be the display of dominance to maintain a distance from a beg-robbing monkey. Road-ranging macaques have also been injured or killed by visitors to obtain meat or bones or merely for amusement. Attempts should be made to eliminate the negative effects of food handouts by increasing visitors' awareness of behavioural and ecological aspects and through aversive conditioning of the macaques.

Nutritive value of fishes of Lake Tanganyika: II. Mineral composition

The composition of the minerals in three economically important fish species of Lake Tanganyika was determined. From the analyses there does not appear to be significant difference in the composition for the three species. Beside the major elements: Ca, P, K, Na, Mg, Cl, Fe, Al and Zn, eighteen trace elements were determined. The presence of the bones in the fish is especially nutritionally important for the following elements: Ca, P, Br, Sr, Mn and Mg.

SCALING OF LIMB PROPORTIONS AND LIMB BONE DIAMETERS IN 3 SPECIES OF CHINESE SNUB-NOSED LANGURS (GENUS RHINOPITHECUS)

In this study, aspects of the structural mechanics of the upper and lower limbs of the three Chinese species of Rhinopithecus were examined. Linear regression and reduced major axis (RMA) analyses of natural log-transformed data were used to examine the dimensions of limb bones and other relationships to body size and locomotion. The results of this study suggest that: (1) the allometry exponents of the lengths of long limbs deviate from isometry, being moderately negative, while the shaft diameters (both sagittal and transverse) show significantly positive allometry; (2) the sagittal diameters of the tibia and ulna show extremely significantly positive allometry - the relative enlargement of the sagittal, as opposed to transverse, diameters of these bones suggests that the distal segments of the fore- and hindlimbs of Rhinopithecus experience high bending stresses during locomotion; (3) observations of Rhinopithecus species in the field indicate that all species engage in energetic leaping during arboreal locomotion. The limbs experience rapid and dramatic decelerations upon completion of a leap. We suggest that these occasional decelerations produce high bending stresses in the distal limb segments and so account for the hypertrophy of the sagittal diameters of the ulna and tibia.

Ultra-structural defects cause low bone matrix stiffness despite high mineralization in osteogenesis imperfecta mice.

Bone is a complex material with a hierarchical multi-scale organization from the molecule to the organ scale. The genetic bone disease, osteogenesis imperfecta, is primarily caused by mutations in the collagen type I genes, resulting in bone fragility. Because the basis of the disease is molecular with ramifications at the whole bone level, it provides a platform for investigating the relationship between structure, composition, and mechanics throughout the hierarchy. Prior studies have individually shown that OI leads to: 1. increased bone mineralization, 2. decreased elastic modulus, and 3. smaller apatite crystal size. However, these have not been studied together and the mechanism for how mineral structure influences tissue mechanics has not been identified. This lack of understanding inhibits the development of more accurate models and therapies. To address this research gap, we used a mouse model of the disease (oim) to measure these outcomes together in order to propose an underlying mechanism for the changes in properties. Our main finding was that despite increased mineralization, oim bones have lower stiffness that may result from the poorly organized mineral matrix with significantly smaller, highly packed and disoriented apatite crystals. Using a composite framework, we interpret the lower oim bone matrix elasticity observed as the result of a change in the aspect ratio of apatite crystals and a disruption of the crystal connectivity.

Insight into differences in nanoindentation properties of bone.

Nanoindentation provides the ideal framework to determine mechanical properties of bone at the tissue scale without being affected by the size, shape, and porosity of the bone. However, the values of tissue level mechanical properties vary significantly between studies. Since the differences in the bone sample, hydration state, and test parameters complicate direct comparisons across the various studies, these discrepancies in values cannot be compared directly. The objective of the current study is to evaluate and compare mechanical properties of the same bones using a broad range of testing parameters. Wild type C56BL6 mice tibiae were embedded following different processes and tested in dry and rehydrated conditions. Spherical and Berkovich indenter probes were used, and data analysis was considered within the elasto-plastic (Oliver-Pharr), viscoelastic and visco-elastic-plastic frameworks. The mean values of plane strain modulus varied significantly depending on the hydration state, probe geometry and analysis method. Indentations in dry bone analyzed using a visco-elastic-plastic approach gave values of 34 GPa. After rehydrating the same bones and indenting them with a spherical tip and utilizing a viscoelastic analysis, the mean modulus value was 4 GPa, nearly an order of magnitude smaller. Results suggest that the hydration state, probe geometry and the limitations and assumptions of each analysis method influence significantly the measured mechanical properties. This is the first time that such a systematic study has been carried out and it has been concluded that the discrepancies in the mechanical properties of bone measured by nanoindentation found in the literature should not be attributed only to the differences between the bones themselves, but also to the testing and analysis protocols.

Effect of dietary supplementation of vitamins A, D-3, E, and C on yearling rice field eel, Monopterus albus: Serum indices, gonad development, and metabolism of calcium and phosphorus

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of dietary vitamins A, D-3, E, and C on the gonad development, lipid peroxidation, and immune response of yearling rice field eel, Monopterus albus. A 6-wk feeding trial was designed according to an L-16(4(5)) orthogonal design, in which four vitamins, each at four supplementation levels, were arranged. Sixteen diets were mixed with the different vitamin levels and randomly assigned to 16 groups of fish. Increasing dietary vitamin E supplementation level significantly (P <= 0.05) increased the gonadosomatic index and lowered the serum content of malondialdehyde of rice field eel. Increasing dietary vitamin A and C levels also showed similar effect, but the differences were not statistically significant. Serum immunoglobulin M content increased significantly (P <= 0.01) as dietary vitamin C supplementation levels increased. The concentrations of calcium in bones showed significant (P <= 0.05) trend with vitamin D-3 and A supplementation levels, but the bone phosphorus content was not affected by the dietary vitamin levels.

The Compact Pulsed Hadron Source: A Design Perspective

During the past. decades, large-scale national neutron sources have been developed in Asia, Europe, and North America. Complementing such efforts, compact hadron beam complexes and neutron sources intended to serve primarily universities and industrial institutes have been proposed, and some have recently been established. Responding to the demand in China for pulsed neutron/proton-beam platforms that are dedicated to fundamental and applied research for users in multiple disciplines from materials characterization to hadron therapy and radiography to accelerator-driven sub-critical reactor systems (ADS) for nuclear waste transmutation, we have initiated the construction of a compact, yet expandable, accelerator complex-the Compact Pulsed Hadron Source (CPHS). It consists of an accelerator front-end (a high-intensity ion source, a 3-MeV radio-frequency quadrupole linac (RFQ), and a 13-MeV drift-tube linac (DTL)), a neutron target station (a beryllium target with solid methane and room-temperature water moderators/reflector), and experimental stations for neutron imaging/radiography, small-angle scattering, and proton irradiation. In the future, the CPHS may also serve as an injector to a ring for proton therapy and radiography or as the front end to an ADS test facility. In this paper, we describe the design of the CPHS technical systems and its intended operation.

K/E之交环境地球化学元素的演化与全球变化及恐龙绝灭的关系-以黑龙江中下游地区和俄罗斯远东地区为例

In this paper, We analyzed the geological and geographical settings of dinosaurs extinction at the end of Cretaceous, especially the effect of the change of the elements contents on dinosaurs extinction. We studied basis on the two typical sections-Cretaceous-Paleocene boundary (Baishantou section (in Jiayin, Heilongjiang province of China) and Arkhara-Boguchan Coal Mine section (in Far East of Russian)) and Longgushan section (in Jiayin, Heilongjiang province of China) mainly. This work provided some evidences for forecasting the effects of global environmental change on bio-circle. The followings are the primary gains: According to the paleo-climate indexes (CaO/MgO,Sr/Ba) and the results of Factor Analysis, we found that there were similar climate in Baishantou section and Arkhara-Boguchan Coal Mine section near the K/E boundary, and both of them took on the trend of temperature declining and precipitation heightening after transitory high-temperature and drought. There are similar change and evlution rule of the elements contents near the boundary in the both sections (Baishantou section and Arkhara-Boguchan Coal Mine section). Both iron group elements and chalcophile elements appeared obvious abnormity. There are not visible correlation between the change of elements contents and climate indexes. This shows that the elements abnormity maybe came from the factors excluding climate or the factors were too many to conceal the influence of climate. --The result of cluster analysis showed that the boundary between BST3-8 and BST3-9 may be the K/E boundary of Baishantou section, and the top of twofold coal were the K/E boundary of Arkhara-Boguchan Coal Mine section which was consistent with accepted conclusion formerly. By contrast of elements contents in dinosaur bones and general organism, in surrounding rock and general sand stone, the regulation of the change of elements contents in dinosaur bones and surrounding rock, we confirmed that dinosaur extinction in Jiayin were relative with the high abnormities of Sr, Ba, Pb, Cr and the low abnormity of Zn, at least, it was them which speeded up dinosaurs extinction. After a series of analysis, we concluded that dinosaurs extinction of this areas tied up with the relative high background values of geo-chemical elements , paleo-climate and disaster incidents. First of all, high background values provided the necessary condition for the accumulation of the elements. Secondly, the drought climate adverse to the survival of dinosaurs, and led them to extinct gradually. finally, disaster incidents, the eruption of volcano or the collision of aerolites, made them exit this planet.

Analyses of patterns of copper and lead mineralisation in human skeletons excavated from an ancient mining and smelting centre in the Jordanian desert

Grattan, J.P., Al-Saad, Z., Gilbertson, D.D., Karaki, L.O., Pyatt, F.B 2005 Analyses of patterns of copper and lead mineralisation in human skeletons excavated from an ancient mining and smelting centre in the Jordanian desert Mineralogical Magazine. 69(5) 653-666.

'Death...more desirable than life'? The human skeletal record and toxicological implications of ancient copper mining and smelting in Wadi Faynan, southwestern Jordan

Grattan, J., Huxley, S., Karaki, L. A., Toland, H., Gilbertson, D., Pyatt, B., Saad, Z. A. (2002). 'Death . . . more desirable than life'? The human skeletal record and toxicological implications of ancient copper mining and smelting in Wadi Faynan, southwestern Jordan. Toxicology and Industrial Health, 18 (6), 297-307.