Seasonal variations in the total cholesterol content of the liver of cat fish Heteropnuestes fossilis (Bloch)

Variations in the total liver cholesterol content of Heteropnuestes fossilis followed well defined seasonal cycle. A decline was recorded during the period when the gonads were passing through the peak ripe stage. The highest value of the cholesterol was however attained before this phase of gonad maturation. Concentration pattern of liver cholesterol seemed related to variations in the cholesterol metabolism of the fish, necessitated, besides other factors, by the demand for sex hormones. A possibility of the influence of feeding intensity on liver cholesterol content has also been indicated.

Association of early growth response-1 gene polymorphisms with total IgE and atopy in asthmatic children

Early growth response-1 (Egr-1) is expressed in human airways and found to modulate tumor necrosis factor, immunoglobulin E (IgE), airway responsiveness, and interleukin-13-induced inflammation in mice. We investigated the effects of Chinese-tagging singl

On the eye diameter-total length relationship of the Indian mackerel Rastrelliger kanagurta (Cuvier)

Results of studies of chemical, bacteriological and organoleptic quality of cured fish collected from four major curing centres along the Tamil Nadu coast are reported. Only 32.43% of the samples had moisture level below 35%, 0.9% had salt 25% and above. None of the samples showed acid insoluble ash below 1.5%. The main defects were unhygienic processing, inadequate salting, use of poor quality salt and incomplete drying. Recommendations for improvement of quality are given.

Incubation temperature for total bacterial count of frozen sea foods

Effect of incubation temperatures of 37°C ambient and 5-10°C on total plate count of commercial frozen prawns, squids, cuttle fish and froglegs were studied. Results indicate that incubation at ambient temperature gives the best results.

Length-weight and tail length-total length relationship in Panulirus homarus Linnaeus on the south-west coast of India

Length-weight relationships of Panulirus homarus caught from the Kanniyakumari coast was found to be W=0.000566 L super(2-50). The relationship between tail length and total length was also investigated and compared with that of Panulirus polyphagus. Same relationship did not hold good for the two sexes as in the case of P. polyphagus. For a given tail length, the head length, the total length and the weight appear to be relatively larger for females of small sizes of P. homarus.

Study of effect Rosmarinus officinalis oil and nisin on the growth of Streptococcus iniae in lab conditions and fillets of rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss)

Fish are an important part of a healthy diet since they contain high quality protein, but typically present a low fat percent when compared to other meats. Fish is an extremely perishable food commodity. On the other hand, food borne diseases are still a major problem in the world, even in well-developed countries. The increasing incidence of food borne diseases coupled with the resultant social and economic implications means there is a constant striving to produce safer food and to develop new antimicrobial agents concerns over the safety of some chemical preservatives and negative consumer reactions to preservatives they perceive as chemical and artificial, have prompted on increased interest in more ‘‘naturalgreen’’ alternatives for the maintenance or extension of product shelf-life. Particular interest has focused on the potential applications of plant essential oils. However, to establish the usefulness of natural antimicrobial preservatives, they must be evaluated alone and in combination with other preservation factors to determine whether there are synergistic effects and multiple hurdles can be devised. In this study, were evaluated the effects of different concentrations of Rosmarinus officinalis and nisin and storage time (15 days) on growth of Streptococcus iniae GQ850377 in a lab conditions and a food model system (fillets of rainbow trout) in 4 and 8 °C. In addition, we also studied multi factorial effects of four different concentration of rosemary, three different concentrations of nisin, two different levels of pH in 3 temperature 4,15 and 37 °C on log% of S.iniae during 43 days in BHI broth. The results on growth of S. iniae were evaluated using SPSS 20.0 statistical software and analyzed the logarithm of total count of the bacterial by Tukey Test. Results were considered statistically significant when P<0.05. MIC and MBC values of rosemary and nisin were 0.03, 0.075 % and 5, 40 μg/mL, respectively. The growth of S. iniae was effected significantly (P<0.05) by rosemary and nisin and also combination of rosemary and nisin in 4 and 8 °C. Samples treated with 0.135 and 0.405 % of rosemary showed a significant decrease on the growth of the bacteria compared with control sample(P<0.05). The most ١٤٦ inhibitory effects were seen in samples treated with 0.135 and 0.405% of rosemary until 9 days after storage. Also, the synergism effects of rosemary and nisin on the growth rate of bacteria was significant (P<0.05) compared with untreated samples and samples treated with the rosemary or nisin, only. Synergistic effects was observed at concentration of 0.405% rosemary and 0.75 μg/mL nisin in both temprature. Results of this study showed that different concentration of rosemary a significant inhibitory effect (P<0.05) on log% of S. iniae, in BHI broth in pH 5.5 and 7 in 4,15 and 37 °C during 43 days. In concentration of 0% rosemary (control) in pH 5.5 and 7 and 37°C, log% were 1.099 and 3.15, whereas in concentration of 0.015% rosemary were -4/241 and 1.454, respectively. The use of essential oils may improve food safety and overall microbial quality. If essential oils were to be more widely applied as antibacterials in foods, the organoleptic impact would be important. In addition, it is recommended to apply essential oils or their compounds as part of a hurdle system and to use it as an antimicrobial component along with other preservation techniques. Thus essential of R. officinalis with high antibacterial activity selected in this study could be a potential source for inhibitory substances against some food-borne pathogens and they may be candidates for using in foods or food-processing systems.

Propofol facilitates the development of long-term depression (LTD) and impairs the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of anesthetized rats

Memory is sensitive to the short-acting anesthetic (2,6-diisopropylphenol) propofol, but the underlying mechanism is little known. Here, we have examined the effects of propofol on synaptic plasticity in the CA1 region of the hippocampus of anesthetized rats. We found that low dose of propofol (20 mg/kg, i.p.) did not affect the basal transmission, but enhanced prominently the development of long-term depression (LTD) and impaired the maintenance of long-term potentiation (LTP). The impairment of LTP maintenance and enhancement of LTD development may contribute to propofol-induced deficits in memory following propofol anesthesia. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Irregular morphine administration affects the retention but not acquisition of conditioned place preference in rats

Drug addiction is increasingly viewed as the expression of abnormal associative learning following repeated exposures to the drugs of abuse Previous I studies have demonstrated that the patterns of repetition such as frequency and spacing are important to many kinds of learning and memory retention We hypothesized that drug repetition pattern might affect the reward-related learning although the total doses of the drug were the same. In the present study, we tested morphine-induced place preference following either regular or irregular pattern of morphine pairing in rats Regular morphine group received morphine administration daily at a regular time with the same dose Irregular morphine groups received morphine administration either at the same time but irregular doses, irregular time but same dose, or irregular time and irregular doses. We found that rats, who received irregular morphine pairing, exhibited similar acquisition of peace preference but different preference retentions compared with regular morphine-treated rats after the same total dose of morphine Rats, who received morphine administration at the same time but irregular doses and at irregular time and irregular doses, showed rapid disruption of place preference than the regular morphine group. Rats, who received morphine at irregular time but the same dose, showed similar retention of place preference to regular morphine group Our results suggest that the pattern of drug pairing plays an important role in the retention of reward-related memory This study may provide new evidence to broaden our understanding of the development and maintenance of drug craving (C) 2009 Elsevier B V. All rights reserved

Maintenance of Multifemale Social Organization in a Group of Nomascus concolor at Wuliang Mountain, Yunnan, China

Many short-term studies have reported groups of black crested gibbons containing >= 2 adult females (Nomascus concolor). We report the stability of multifemale groups in this species over a period of 6 yr. Our focal group and 2 neighboring groups included 2 breeding females between March 2003 and June 2009. We also habituated 1 multifemale group to observers and present detailed information concerning their social relationships over a 9-mo observation period. We investigated interindividual distances and agonistic behavior among the 5 group members. The spatial relationship between the 3 adult members (1 male, 2 females) formed an equilateral triangle. A subadult male was peripheral to the focal group, while a juvenile male maintained a closer spatial relationship with the adult members. We observed little agonistic behavior among the adult members. The close spatial relationship and lack of high rates of agonistic behavior among females suggest that the benefits of living in a multifemale group were equal to or greater than the costs for both females, given their ecological and social circumstances. The focal group occupied a large home range that was likely to provide sufficient food sources for the 2 females and their offspring. Between March 2003 and June 2009, 1 adult female gave 2 births and the other one gave 1 birth. All individuals in the focal group survived to June 2009. A long-term comparative study focused on females living in multifemale groups and females living in pair-living groups would provide insight into understanding the evolutionary mechanisms of the social system in gibbons.

Total acquisition cost of overseas outsourcing/sourcing: A framework and a case study

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to develop a framework of total acquisition cost of overseas outsourcing/sourcing in manufacturing industry. This framework contains categorized cost items that may occur during the overseas outsourcing/sourcing process. The framework was tested by a case study to establish both its feasibility and usability. Design/methodology/approach - First, interviews were carried out with practitioners who have the experience of overseas outsourcing/sourcing in order to obtain inputs from industry. The framework was then built up based on combined inputs from literature and from practitioners. Finally, the framework was tested by a case study in a multinational high-tech manufacturer to establish both its feasibility and usability. Findings - A practical barrier for implementing this framework is shortage of information. The predictability of the cost items in the framework varies. How to deal with the trade off between accuracy and applicability is a problem needed to be solved in the future research. Originality/value - There are always limitations to the generalizations that can be made from just one case. However, despite these limitations, this case study is believed to have shown the general requirement of modeling the uncertainty and dealing with the dilemma between accuracy and applicability in practice. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.