Genetic diversity and conservation of endangered animal species

The loss of biodiversity resulting from extinctions is receiving increasing attention. Over several thousands of animal species have been evaluated and recognized as endangered species. Inbreeding depression has been demonstrated in many wild animal speci

Growth and survival of Penaeus monodon postlarvae fed shrimp head meal and fish meal as primary animal source of protein

Although shrimp head meal alone does not provide for good growth and survival, fish meal can provide high survival rate. The addition of shrimp head improves this diet. It is suggested that cholesterol present in shrimp could have caused this difference. Composition of the test diets is tabulated, as are proximate chemical analysis of the diets, and the mean initial weights, final weights, weight gains, survival rate, feed consumed, protein consumed, of Penaeus monodon postlarvae, feed conversion and protein efficiency ratio.

Beyond words: Testing alignment among inter-organizational performance measures

Purpose: This paper seeks to measure in a quantitative way the degree of alignment among a set of performance measures between two organizations. Design/methodology/approach: This paper extends Venkatraman's test of coalignment to assess the alignment of a set of performance measures governing a contractual inter-organizational relationship. The authors applied the test and present coefficients of misalignment across three sets of measures: those used by a service provider involved in the research, those used by customers contracting the services, and those documented in 11 contracts studied. Findings: Results confirmed a high degree of alignment between target and actual operational performance in the contracts. The alignment of customers' financial objectives and contracts' operational metrics was low. Calculations show poor alignment between the objectives of the provider and the contribution received from the contracts. Research limitations/implications: Some limitations of the conclusions include the small sample of contracts used in the calculations. Further research should include not only actual contracts, but also failed ones. Practical implications: It is possible that misaligned goals, represented in misaligned performance measures, lead to tensions in intra-firm relationships. If these tensions are not addressed properly the relationship could be unstable or terminated prematurely. This method of measuring alignment could detect early potential dangers in intra-firm relationships. Originality/value: This paper extends Venkatraman's test of coalignment to assess the alignment of a set of performance measures governing a contractual inter-organizational relationship. Management researchers and business professionals may use this methodology when exploring degrees of alignment of performance measures in intra-functional and inter-firm relationships. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.

Report of the regional workshop in transboundary aquatic animal health issues, Bangkok, Thailand, 12-13 January, 2012

This workshop was implemented as part of the Transboundary Diagnostic Analysis (TDA). The main focus was on the shrimp and fish aquaculture sectors and addressed issues such as aquatic animal health and transfers of aquatic animals and plants.

Extraction, purification and analysis of conotoxin of Conus textile captured from Persian Gulf and the investigation of analgesic effects of conotoxins in an animal model

Identification of venomous species of Persian Gulf cone snails and characterization of venom composition and their features is so important from the point of medical importance. Marine cone snails from the genus Conus are estimated to consist of up to 700 species. The venom of cone snails has yielded a rich source of novel neuroactive peptides or conotoxins. The present study was aimed to study the analgesic effect of Persian Gulf Conus textile and its comparison with morphine in mouse model. The specimens of Conus textile were collected of Larak Island from depth of 7 m. The collected samples were transferred to laboratory alive and were stored at -700 c. he veno s ducts were separated and ho ogenized with deionized water he ixture centrifuged at rp for inutes upernatant was considered as extracted veno and stored at - C after lyophylization. The protein profile of venom determined by using SDS-PAGE and HPLC used to investigate the extracted venom and to evaluate the analgesic activity, formalin test was carried out. SDS-PAGE indicated several bands ranged between 6 and 250 kDa. Chromatogram of the venom demonstrated more than 44 large and small fractions. The amount of 10 ng of Conus crude venom and analgesic peptide showed the best anti-pain activity in formalin test. No death observed up to 100 mg/kg, which is 250,000 times higher than the effective dose.Venom characterization of Persian Gulf Conus textile may be of medical importance and potential for new pharmaceutical drugs as well.

Effect of adrenalectomy and corticosterone replacement on prepulse inhibition and locomotor activity in mice

1 Stress is a risk factor in psychiatric illnesses such as schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of different circulating levels of the adrenal steroid corticosterone (CORT) on locomotor hyperactivity and prepulse inhibition of acoustic startle, two behavioural animal models of aspects of schizophrenia. 2 Male C57BL/6J mice (n = 10 per group) were anaesthetised with isoflurane and sham-operated or adrenalectomised (ADX). ADX mice were implanted with 50 mg pellets consisting of 100% cholesterol, or 2, 10 or 50 mg of CORT mixed with cholesterol. CORT pellet implantation dose dependently increased plasma CORT levels 3 weeks after surgery. Starting 1 week after surgery, mice were tested for prepulse inhibition after injection of saline or 5 mg kg(-1) of haloperidol. 3 In intact mice and in mice implanted with 10 mg of CORT, haloperidol treatment significantly increased prepulse inhibition (average values from 38 - 42 to 52%). Similar results were observed when testing the mice for amphetamine-induced locomotor hyperactivity (5 mg kg(-1)). In contrast, there was no significant effect of haloperidol in mice implanted either with cholesterol or 2 or 50 mg of CORT. 4 These results in behavioural animal models of schizophrenia suggest an important role of the stress hormone CORT in modulating dopaminergic activity in this illness.

The brave new era of human genetic testing

The commercialization of 'big science' is in full swing, leading to situations in which the ethical principles of academia are beginning to be compromised. This is exemplified by the profitable business of genetic ancestry testing. The goals of this sort

Increasing the design strength of glass – fractography and stress testing

Brittleness is the unintended, but inevitable consequence of producing a transparent ceramic for architectural applications such as the soda-lime glass. Its tensile strength is particularly sensitive to surface imperfections, such as that from natural weathering and malicious damage. Although a significant amount of testing of new glass has been carried out, there has been surprisingly little testing on weathered glass. Due to the variable nature of the causes of surface damage, the lack of data on weathered glass leads to a considerable degree of uncertainty in the long-term strength of exposed glass. This paper presents the results of recent tests on weathered annealed glass which has been exposed to natural weathering for more than 20 years. The tests include experimental investigations using the co-axial ring setup as well as optical and atomic force microscopy of the glass surfaces. The experimental data from these tests is subsequently used to extend existing fracture mechanics-based models to predict the strength of weathered glass. It is shown that using an automated approach based directly on finite element analysis results can give an increase in effective design strength in the order of 70 to 100% when compared to maximum stress methods. It is also shown that by combining microscopy and strength test results, it is possible to quantitatively characterise the damage on glass surfaces.

Centrifuge modelling and dynamic testing of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills

An investigation into the seismic behaviour of municipal solidwaste (MSW) landfills by dynamic centrifuge testing was undertaken. This paper presents physical modelling of MSW landfills for dynamic centrifuge testing, with regard to the following research areas: 1. amplification characteristics of municipal solid waste; 2. tension induced in geomembranes placed on landfill slopes due to earthquake loading; 3. damage to landfill liners due to liquefaction of foundation soil. A model waste, that has engineering properties similar to MSW, is presented. A model geomembrane that can be used in centrifuge tests is also presented. Results of dynamic centrifuge tests with the model geomembrane showed that an earthquake loading induces additional permanent tension (∼25%) in the geomembrane. © 2006 Taylor & Francis Group, London.