The condition of juvenile fish relates to their overall health and is a strong predictor of survival and eventual recruitment. Condition can be quantified and interpreted in a variety of ways covering different time scales and levels of biological organization. Here I (i) quantify interannual variability in the condition in Young-of-Year (YOY) Pacific herring (Clupea pallasi) in the Strait of Georgia, BC, from 2013-2016, and (ii) examine the extent to which the condition of an individual fish varies depending on which condition metric is used. Chapter 1 provides a general background on the concept of measuring condition in fish, as well as the basic biology of Pacific herring and their importance in Strait of Georgia ecosystem. In Chapter 2, I report the condition of YOY herring from 2013-2016 using six metrics: (i) Fulton’s K, (ii) the residuals from a length:weight regression, (iii) the RNA:DNA ratio, (iv) recent growth estimated via otolith microstructure analysis, (v) lipid content, and (vi) the ratio of two essential acids DHA:EPA. Four of these metrics (Fulton’s K, length:weight residuals, and growth from RNA:DNA and otolith increments) indicate a decrease in condition over the four years. In contrast, lipid content suggests an increase across the four years, while DHA:EPA suggests a decrease in 2015 but no change over the other three years. The observed interannual variability in condition can be partly linked to unfavourable changes in temperature and zooplankton community composition in 2015 and 2016, and to the propensity of juvenile fish to prioritize energy storage over somatic growth before a period of prey scarcity, such as their first winter. This dataset is further examined in Chapter 3, wherein I examine variability in condition of individual fish based on the different metrics used. Individual herring are ranked based on their scores from the six different metrics of condition, and the distribution of these rankings are examined to assess the degree of intercorrelation among the metrics. Based on this model, as well as pairwise Spearman rank correlations between the six metrics, I conclude that there is little intercorrelation between metrics, and that a fish that scores highly in terms of condition in any one metric will not necessarily score highly for the other metrics. These findings underscore the importance of choosing condition metrics carefully, based on the nature of the question being asked. / Graduate / 2019-07-04

By facilitating timely diagnosis and treatment initiation, population-wide newborn screening programs have led to important reductions in morbidity and mortality for many rare diseases, including medium-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (MCAD) deficiency and very-long-chain acyl-CoA dehydrogenase (VLCAD) deficiency. Newborn screening has also expanded the spectrum of disease severity for MCAD and VLCAD deficiencies to include a higher proportion of milder cases, raising questions about appropriate disease management. To date there has been no systematic attempt to characterize best management practices in terms of the guidance that is available to those who provide care for MCAD and VCLAD deficiencies; nor has there been an attempt to understand the extent to which current practices align with such currently available guidance. The two projects that are part of this thesis sought to address these research gaps with a particular focus on two key disease-specific management practices we identified in advance as priorities: the use of carnitine supplementation and the recommended duration of fasting. The objective of the first project was to systematically review the quality and content of clinical practice guidelines and/or recommendations for the diagnosis and management of both MCAD and VLCAD deficiencies. Two independent reviewers assessed the eligibility of citations retrieved from a comprehensive search of the peer-reviewed and grey literature. We appraised the quality of the reviewed guidance and extracted information on the content of recommendations. From the 25 guidance documents that met our inclusion criteria, only 7 incorporated evidence reviews, indicating that guidance in this field does not generally meet established methodological standards for the rigorous development of clinical practice guidelines. With respect to content, we identified unclear and inconsistent recommendations regarding fasting times and the use of carnitine supplementation. Further empirical evidence in these areas is necessary to inform the development of future rigorous guidelines. The objective of the second project was to identify actual practices in the management of MCAD deficiency. We conducted a scoping review of published literature on treatment practices around the world and a secondary analysis of data documenting treatments received by participants in a Canadian pediatric cohort study. For the scoping review, citations retrieved from our comprehensive search strategy were screened by two independent reviewers. We extracted information on study characteristics and disease management. Our secondary analysis included longitudinal data for Canadian children with MCAD deficiency, born between 2006 and 2015 and enrolled in a cohort study at one of 13 centres. For both project components, we described carnitine supplementation and fasting times, overall and according to potential indicators of disease severity (genotype, biochemical phenotype). We identified 5 relevant publications in the scoping review and analyzed data for 107 children participating in the Canadian cohort. Management practices related to carnitine supplementation and fasting times for MCAD deficiency were highly variable based on both data sources. There was some evidence of an association between genotype and carnitine use, which, based on the scoping review, may be due to a relationship between genotype and carnitine deficiency. While actual practice was in some ways aligned with the guidance we reviewed in the first project, these results underscore the need for further evidence to address areas of uncertainty that have been prioritized by patients and families, clinicians, and health researchers, including questions regarding the potential to tailor treatment to predicted disease severity and an emphasis on controversial therapies such as carnitine supplementation.

1 Abstract Acylceramides belong to the subgroup of ultralong chain ceramides. They are essential components of the extracellular lipid matrix of stratum corneum, where they play a crucial role in proper function of skin barrier (they help preventing the excessive water loss and penetration of exogenous substances and pathogens to the organism). The 32-hydroxydotriacontanoic acid is one of the fatty acids forming the backbone of all the acylceramides. In the molecule of acylceramide, the carboxyl group of this acid is bound to a primary amino group of the sphingoid base and the ω-hydroxy group is esterified with linoleic acid. In the stratum corneum, 32-hydroxydotriacontanoic acid may remain as a part of free acylceramides or it can be covalently linked to the surface of corneocytes and form the "first lamela", which then serves as a basis for the orientation of other lipids in the matrix. The recent literature describes the synthesis of 32-hydroxydotriacontanoic acid but only with relatively small overall yields. The most problematic part of the synthesis seems to be the connection of two shorter fragments leading to the ultralong chain. The main aim of this research project was to optimalise the reaction conditions to increase the yield of formation of the utralong acid, focusing on the most complicated...

Seafood represents the most important source of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) in the human diet. However, consuming fish can present risks from persistent organic pollutants (POPs) that bioaccumulate in edible tissues following dietary exposure. In farmed fish, POPs accumulate as a result of feeding diets based on fish oil (FO). Fish oil substitution can reduce POP accumulation, but also results in loss of beneficial LC-PUFAs. Fish oil-based finishing diets at the end of production can restore LC-PUFAs, but this strategy also increases POPs. The present study assessed the use of saturated fatty acid (SFA)-rich lipids to replace fish oil in grow-out feeds in conjunction with a fish oil-rich finishing diet to determine if this strategy could produce hybrid striped bass with equal production performance, equivalent LC-PUFA levels, and reduced POP concentrations. Triplicate tanks of hybrid striped bass were raised on diets containing fish oil (100% FO), fish oil spiked with additional POPs (100% FO Spike), or blends (50/50 or 25/75) of FO and coconut (CO) or palm (PO) oils (50% CO, 50% PO, 75% CO, 75% PO) with and without an eight week finishing period with the 100% FO diet prior to harvest. Production performance, fillet LC-PUFA, and POP content were assessed. Production performance was not adversely affected by any of the feeding regimens. However, fatty acid profile was altered, with fillets of fish consuming less fish oil having lower LC-PUFA and POP levels. Finishing yielded a modest increase in fillet LC-PUFAs and POPs, but POPs accumulated more readily than LC-PUFAs during finishing. However, harvest fillet POP and LC-PUFA levels in the experimental groups were lower relative to levels in the 100% FO group. Replacing fish oil in aquafeeds can produce fish with reduced LC-PUFAs, and also reduced POPs. Feeding fish oil results in more rapid accumulation of POPs than LC-PUFA. Overall, the 75% fish oil replacement feeds yielded fish with the highest ratio of LC-PUFAs to POPs. Despite lower LC-PUFA content, fillets of fish fed the 75% fish oil replacement feeds could be incorporated into a weekly meal plan with other dietary sources of LC-PUFAs to meet dietary recommendations for these essential nutrients.

Soybeans are among seeds the common plant foods that contains high protein contents and high oil. The protein provides about 35 to 38 percent of the seeds calories compared to around 20 to 30 percent in other legumes and many animal products. The quality of soy protein is notable and approaches the quality of meat and milk. Unlike many other good sources of protein, soybeans are low in saturated fat and are cholesterol-free. Its proteins provide all the important amino acids, most the amounts needed by humans (NSRL, 2010). As the most consumed vegetable oil in the world, soybean oil has been used substantially in the food industry (Soystats, 2010). Its utilization is determined by its fatty acid composition, with commodity soybean oil typically 13% palmatic acid (16:0), 4% stearic acid (18:0), 20% oleic acid (18:1), 55% linoleic acid (18:2), and 8% linolenic acid (18:3). The change of fatty acid profiles to improve soybean oil quality has been a long time goal of many researchers throughout the world. Biodiesel is an up and coming trend in energy production. Breeding effort can be undertaken in order to produce a higher energy profile soybean oil. Using ethyl-methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis effects on DNA, significant changes to the genes and gene network underlying the protein and oil profile can be achieved. These changes are hard to accomplish using standard breeding techniques. In addition, high amount of linolenic and stearic acid are very important for fuel and biodiesel production, but are not good for food production due to the fact that such oil is oxidized easily and the food goes rancid quickly. However, soybean oil with elevated amount of oleic acid is desirable for food, because this monounsaturated fatty acid improves the nutrition and oxidative stability of soybean oil compared to other oils. In order to improve the quality of soybean oil and processed foods, chemically mutagenized soybeans have been developed in this project. Seeds harvested from individual M3 and M4 plants (from 2 successive years 2012 and 2013) were analyzed for protein content, oil composition, and content. Moreover, seven phenotypic traits including oil analysis (stearic, palmitic, oleic, linolenic and linoleic), seed protein content, weight of the seeds (High yield), seeds color, stem length, germination rates, and branch architecture were collected and analyzed in this project of soybean `Forrest' mutagenized population. The result of this research showed that there were 25 significantly different lines (p< 0.05) compare to the wild type, which is useful for developing mutants with altered oil and fatty acid compositions in soybean.

Biodiesel is the most successful drop-in biofuel used in transportation. It can reduce GHG emissions in transportation by 50 to 90% depending on the type of feedstock used. Waste cooking oils and fats containing free fatty acids (FFA) are less expensive feedstocks for biodiesel production than refined vegetable oils. The major issue that limits the use of these oils as feedstock is the interference of FFAs with widely used base catalyzed reaction processes. The FFAs consume base catalyst, produce water of neutralization and form soaps that create emulsions downstream in the process reducing process yields. There is an important need to develop technologies that reduce the FFA content in these oils to below 0.5 wt%; the accepted limit for a feedstock to be processed by the base catalysed reaction. Enzymes are an efficient and environmentally friendly catalyst for FFA esterification. However, they are prone to deactivation with methanol and also catalyze the hydrolysis of esters and triglycerides to FFA. Using them to pre-treat oils and fats remains a challenge: in the presence of water, enzymes can readily produce FFAs from lipids. The objective of this work was to investigate two enzymatic processes to pre-treat acidic oil below the FFA requirement of 0.5 wt%. In this study, two different continuous systems, a packed bed reactor (PBR) and membrane reactor (MR) were used in FFA enzymatic esterification to meet the 0.5 wt% requirement, improve the reusability of enzymes and reduce catalyst cost. The esterification in the PBR was carried out using CALB immobilized on a new 2D/3D nanoplatelet support (TAN). The enzyme was covalently bonded to the TAN using a hydrophobic epoxy ligand. Acidic oil containing canola oil and 2.5 wt% FFA was used as the feedstock for the esterification. It was found that the FFA concentration met the quality specification of <0.5 wt% using CALB-TAN, while it did not using the commercial Novozym 435. The surface fluid velocity was found to have an effect on the removal of water from the PBR reactor. When the velocity was too low, water was retained in the reactor and the FFA conversion was low, when it was too high the reaction time for esterification was not sufficient. It was found that feed velocity of 3 to 6 x 10-5 m/s met the 0.5 wt% requirement. In the PBR, the use of CALB-TAN successfully eliminated the hydrolysis of TG and achieved the continuous esterification of FFA for 42 days. In the MR, acidic oil containing canola oil and 10 wt% FFA was used as the feedstock for the esterification. The enzyme adsorbed on the surface of the polar phase containing glycerol and water and was successfully retained in the reactor by a 0.2-micron ceramic membrane. The addition of glycerol increased the polarity of the dispersed phase in the reactor, bounded water, and retained the liquid enzyme in the reactor. However, the added glycerol in the reactor increased the operating pressure of the reactor. The operating pressure was reduced by adding biodiesel to the feedstock prior to treatment. The lowest level of FFA from the 10 wt% FFA feedstock was 0.68 wt%. This would require a second polishing step to reach the required 0.5 wt%. The PBR and MR using CALB are technologies that limit the hydrolysis at low FFA concentrations and are promising for the pre-treatment of acidic feedstocks in base catalysed biodiesel processes.

Doctor of Philosophy / Department of Agronomy / Charles W. Rice / Gretchen F. Sassenrath / Soil microorganisms are a critical component of ecosystem services provided by soil. Soil management drives soil physical, chemical, and biological properties. Pedogenesis and management interact to change microbial structure and function in the soil profile. Soil microbial properties may vary temporally with crop development and crop species. The objective of this study was to explore the pedogenetic and anthropogenic controls on key soil microbial properties by (i) assessing the profile of a claypan soil under conventional tillage (CT), no-till (NT), and hay meadow (HM); (ii) assessing seasonal changes of soil microbial properties in a corn/winter wheat/soybean rotation under CT and NT; and (iii) assessing vertical changes of soil microbial properties in response to long-term (28 yrs) tillage and mineral and organic fertilization. Selected microbial properties included extracellular enzyme activity, microbial structure as measured by phospholipid fatty acid (PLFA), as well as soil chemical properties. Soil C, enzyme activities, and microbial biomass were greatest in HM soils, followed by NT and then CT in the claypan soil. Wheat in the rotation increased hydrolase activity and bacterial biomass more than corn, while microbial activities were stable during soybean growth. Increased enzyme activities in the claypan layer resulted from the combination of clay-enzyme interaction and impacts from management practices. In a Mollisol soil, an increase in C-acquiring enzyme activity and microbial PLFAs in a buried A horizon was a result of root growth under no-till practice and mineral fertilization. Surprisingly, long-term mineral fertilizer applications had little effect on enzyme activities and microbial biomass. Long-term organic fertilization increased soil C, enzyme activities, and PLFAs but decreased arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) throughout the soil profile to a depth of 90 cm. Microbial properties are controlled by crop and soil management at the soil surface and by the interaction of management and pedogenetic properties deeper in the soil profile. Incorporating grasses in the crop rotation may allow nutrients to be extracted from deeper within the soil profile, enhancing the utilization of the entire soil profile and providing additional nutrient resources to cash crops. Incorporating wheat in the crop rotation supports greater microbial activity and biomass after corn harvest, especially in no-till management. Additional research is required to delineate further causative factors impacting enzyme activity in the claypan layer, a finer resolution in soil microbial community at the species level to explore the linkage between ecological function and microbiome structure, and a network analysis for the soil-plant-microbe interactions.

AMORIM, Adriany das Graças Nascimento. Efeito do grupo racial e do método de metilação sobre o perfil de ácidos graxos da carne caprina do nordeste brasileiro. 2005. 73 f. : Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal do Ceará, Centro de Ciências Agrárias, Departamento de Tecnologias de Alimentos, Fortaleza-CE, 2005 / Submitted by Nádja Goes (nmoraissoares@gmail.com) on 2016-05-30T12:42:17Z No. of bitstreams: 1 2005_dis_agnamorim.pdf: 271770 bytes, checksum: e5bd5a225548647566d21375697da45d (MD5) / Approved for entry into archive by Nádja Goes (nmoraissoares@gmail.com) on 2016-05-30T12:42:30Z (GMT) No. of bitstreams: 1 2005_dis_agnamorim.pdf: 271770 bytes, checksum: e5bd5a225548647566d21375697da45d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-05-30T12:42:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 2005_dis_agnamorim.pdf: 271770 bytes, checksum: e5bd5a225548647566d21375697da45d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2005 / This research was conducted at the Meat Laboratory, Department of Food Technology and at the Chromatography Laboratory, Department of Chemistry and Physical Chemistry, Federal University of Ceará. The objective of the study was to compare the fatty acid composition on meat from two breeds of goats from northeast Brazil (Bôer x SRD and Anglo Nubiana x SRD) analyzed by gas chromatography after two procedures (acid and alkaline hydrolysis) to prepare methyl ester derivatives. The experimental design consisted of 4 treatments including two breeds and two types of hydrolysis. Data were analyzed by the GLM procedure (SAS Institute, 2000) and the means were compared by the t-test. Results showed significant (p<0.05) differences in fatty acid composition between breeds. Main differences were detected for the saturated fatty acids C8:0, C10:0, C12:0 and C13:0 which were higher in the Anglo Nubiana x SRD meat related to the Bôer x SRD meat. Hydrolysis procedure, on the other hand, showed no significant (p<0.05) effect for most of the fatty acids except for C18:1t9 which was lower when the derivatization procedure included alkaline hydrolysis. The breed of the animals, therefore, affects the relative composition of fatty acids of the meat. It can be concluded that Anglo Nubiana x SRD goats from northeast Brazil produce meat of better quality than that from Bôer x SRD goats related to fatty acid composition. Alkaline hydrolysis does not affect the yield of most of the fatty acids but it can reduce the yield of the monounsaturated fatty acids of the trans C18 series when analyzed by gas chromatography. / A pesquisa foi desenvolvida no Laboratório de Carnes do Departamento de Tecnologia de Alimentos e no Laboratório de Cromatografia do Departamento de Química Analítica e Físico-Química da Universidade Federal do Ceará. Esse trabalho objetivou comparar a composição de ácidos graxos da carne caprina proveniente de animais de dois cruzamentos entre os grupos raciais Bôer x SRD e Anglo Nubiana x SRD característicos do nordeste brasileiro, utilizando-se a metilação por hidrólise ácida ou alcalina para a preparação das amostras. No experimento foram utilizados 4 tratamentos com 4 repetições, onde os fatores analisados foram dois cruzamentos (Bôer x SRD e Anglo Nubiana x SRD) e duas metodologias de obtenção dos ésteres metílicos dos ácidos graxos (hidrólise ácida e alcalina). A análise estatística dos dados utilizou o procedimento GLM (SAS Institute, 2000) para um modelo fatorial e a diferença entre as médias foi verificada pelo teste t. Os resultados mostraram que há diferença significativa (P<0,05) entre os cruzamentos raciais na composição dos ácidos graxos do músculo de animais caprinos; sendo que a principal diferença está na composição dos ácidos graxos saturados C8:0, C10:0, C12:0 e C14:0 no cruzamento Anglo Nubiana x SRD o qual apresentou um maior percentual dos mesmos. Por outro lado, a análise do efeito da metilação por hidrólise ácida e alcalina não apresentou diferença (P<0,05) significativa entre as médias percentuais para a maioria dos ácidos graxos exceto para o ácido trans-9-elaídico C18:1t9 em que a redução do seu percentual foi afetada pela hidrólise alcalina. O tipo genético analisado afeta, consideravelmente, a composição dos ácidos graxos dos animais caprinos estudados, influenciando na qualidade da carne. Dessa forma, o cruzamento Anglo Nubiana x SRD devido aos 13 efeitos negativos que os ácidos graxos saturados proporcionam à saúde humana produz carne de qualidade inferior a do cruzamento Bôer x SRD. O tipo de hidrólise usado para metilar os ácidos graxos, no entanto, não afetou a composição da maioria dos ácidos graxos das carnes estudadas, sendo que a hidrólise alcalina pode reduzir o percentual dos ácidos graxos monoinsaturados da série C18 de configuração trans analisados por cromatografia de gás.

In this project, the eggs of tench (Tinca tinca) were used for the evaluation of changes in fatty acid (FA) composition and lipid classes during in vitro ova ageing until the occurrence of over-ripening. Stripped ova of 6 females were collected separately and stored in sterile cell culture plates in an incubator at 20 °C for up to 24 hours post stripping (HPS). Stored ova were fertilized at 0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 and 24 HPS. Egg eyeing and hatching rates were assessed as indices of egg quality. Upon fertilization at each HPS, samples were taken separately frozen in liquid nitrogen and stored at -80°C till further analyses. Differences in the FA and lipid composition and embryo survival rates at the different fertilization times post-stripping were evaluated. The lipid fraction was extracted from the oocytes according to Hara and Radin (1978). The lipid content of the samples was determined gravimetrically from total extracted lipid. The FA were then analysed with a gas chromatograph equipped with a flame ionisation detector and PVT injector. The peaks were identified by comparing their retention times with those of authentic standards. Major lipid classes and the phospholipid classes were separated according to (Olsen and Henderson, 1989). Quantitative analysis of the separated lipid- and phospholipid classes was done by scanning the plates after derivatisation with a CAMAG TLC Scanner 3 (Camag, Switzerland). Identification of the lipid classes was performed by comparison with authentic standards applied on the same plate. In present study no significant changes were observed in lipid content and composition during storage of eggs until over-ripening. As well FA composition did not change over time indicating another reason of deterioration of oocyte quality than the proposed lipid oxidation. However individual fishes in this study showed much different fertilization rates that corresponded with their levels of cholesterol and triacylglycerols in minor degree.

Made available in DSpace on 2014-06-11T19:33:33Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 2007-02-02Bitstream added on 2014-06-13T19:23:39Z : No. of bitstreams: 1 freitas_evv_dr_jabo.pdf: 397763 bytes, checksum: 77f9e03d8e0b2816314928b05ae2baf3 (MD5) / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) / Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP) / O objetivo deste trabalho foi avaliar o efeito do fornecimento de concentrados contendo diferentes concentrações de óleo de soja sobre parâmetros bioquímicos, hematológicos e fisiológicos relacionados ao desempenho, sobre o perfil bioquímico de lípides e sobre a concentração do glicogênio muscular em eqüinos submetidos a exercício de longa duração. Vinte animais cruza árabe foram divididos em cinco grupos: 0, 6, 12, 18 e 24% de óleo de soja no concentrado. Os animais foram adaptados às dietas e submetidos a treinamento físico durante 48 dias. Após este período realizou-se teste de resistência de 80km em esteira rolante. Foram coletadas amostras de sangue antes, durante (a cada 20km) e 6h após o teste. Realizou-se biópsia muscular antes do teste e depois de percorridos 60km. Não observou-se efeito significativo da ingestão de óleo sobre as concentrações de ácidos graxos livres, triacilglicerol, colesterol, cortisol, lactato, hemoglobina, proteína total e glicose. O hematócrito, a freqüência cardíaca e a temperatura retal também não foram influenciados significativamente pela ingestão de óleo. Depois de percorridos 20 e 80km observou-se diferença significativa entre os tratamentos na concentração de insulina e apenas nos 80km nas concentrações de uréia. A ingestão de óleo não afetou significativamente as concentrações do glicogênio muscular. Embora, não se observou redução significativa do glicogênio após percorridos 60km do teste de resistência no tratamento com 24% de óleo. A economia do glicogênio muscular pode ser decisiva para a manutenção do desempenho no final das competições. / The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect supply of concentrate containing different concentrations of soy oil on parameters biochemical, hematological and physiologic related to the acting, on the biochemical profile of lípides and about the concentration of the muscular glycogen in equine submitted to exercise of long duration.de. Twenty crossbred Arabian horses were divided into 5 groups with received: 0, 6, 12, 18 and 24% of soybean oil. The animals were adapted to diets and submitted to an exercise training protocol during 48 days. After this period an 80-km simulated endurance test was performed on treadmill. Blood samples were drawn before, during (each 20 km) and 6 hours after the task. Muscular biopsies were done before and after 60km. Any significant difference was observed on plasma free fatty acid, triglycerides, cholesterol, cortisol, lactate, hemoglobin, total protein, glucose, hematocrit, heart rate and rectal temperature. Insulin concentration was the lowest in the first 20 km and at the end of the exercise for the 24% group, when compared to control (0%). The oil ingestion didn't affect the concentrations of the muscular glicogênio significantly, however, just in the treatment with 24% of oil significant reduction was not observed after having traveled 60km of the resistance test. The economy of the muscular glicogênio can be decisive for the maintenance of the performance in the end of the competitions.