Feed and water deprivation has a negative but transient effect on the rumen kinetics of Bos indicus steers

The effects on rumen kinetics after feed and water had been deprived for 72 hr were studied using four fistulated Bos indicus steers. The animals were assigned in a 2 × 4 crossover design with two treatments: feed and water ad libitum (control) and no feed and water for 72 hr (deprived) with four steers per treatment over two time periods. Feed and water deprivation caused decreases in the numbers of cellulolytic bacteria (1.4 vs. 0.4 cfu × 10⁶/ml; p = .001), live (23.7 vs. 0.8 × 10⁹/ml; p = .001), dead (12.7 vs. 0.5 × 10⁹/ml; p = .001) and total bacterial counts (36.4 vs. 1.4 × 10⁹/ml; p = .001) at day 0, compared with the control treatment. However, the deprived group had greater numbers of cellulolytic bacteria (2.7 vs. 50.1 cfu × 10⁶/ml; p = .001), live (18.3 vs. 42.2 × 10⁹/ml; p = .001), dead (6. 5 vs. 19.1 × 10⁹/ml; p = .001) and total bacterial counts (24.8 vs. 61.3 × 10⁹/ml; p = .001) from rumen fluid on day 4, compared with the control treatment. The numbers of protozoa in rumen fluid from the deprived group were less than (551.2 vs. 2.4 × 10³/ml; p = .001) the control group on day 0. However, the deprived treatment had fewer protozoa in rumen fluid than the control treatment on day 4 (p = .001) and day 9 (p = .001). Volatile fatty acids and in vitro gas production as functional measurements of rumen fluid followed the same trend as the bacterial and protozoa populations. These results indicate that feed and water deprivation would have a negative but transient effect on the rumen kinetics of Bos indicus steers.     

Using near-infrared hyperspectral images on subalpine fir board. Part 2: Density and basic specific gravity estimation

Abstract

Wood density (ρ_MC) and basic specific gravity (BSG) are important properties in several forest products manufacturing processes. In this study, near-infrared hyperspectral images were tested to produce two-dimensional (2D) ρ_MC and BSG images of subalpine fir (Abies lasiocarpa Hook) board. A total of 107 cubic samples with the size of 4 cm were prepared from 14 boards. All samples were dried to various moisture contents (MCs) during several steps until being completely dried. The resulting MCs ranged from 1% to 137% (dry basis). After the last drying step, the samples were soaked in water to determine BSG. Hyperspectral images and weight measurements were acquired over each sample at each drying step. ρ_MC was also estimated at each MC level. Partial least squares (PLS) models were developed for estimating both ρ_MC and BSG from the near-infrared hyperspectral imaging (NIR-HSI) system absorbance spectra acquired over all the samples during each drying step. The ρ_MC model provides a reasonable accuracy with the validation data-set (R² = 0.81, RMSE = 39 kg/m³, and RPD = 2.3). For BSG, only models built with samples having MC of less than 12% are significant. The calibration data-set provides similar accuracy as the ρ_MC model (RMSE = 0.004, R² = 0.82, and RPD = 2.28), but the accuracy is lower with the validation data-set (RMSE = 0.007, R² = 0.53, and RPD = 1.39). Our data-set has BSG values varying only from 0.326 to 0.374, and further work is needed to apply these methods to a data-set that includes a more extended range of BSG variations for improving estimation accuracy.     

Virtual international experiences in veterinary medicine: an evaluation of students' attitudes toward computer-based learning

While many studies have evaluated whether or not factual information can be effectively communicated using computer-aided tools, none has focused on establishing and changing students' attitudes toward international animal-health issues. The study reported here was designed to assess whether educational modules on an interactive computer CD elicited a change in veterinary students' interest in and attitudes toward international animal-health issues. Volunteer veterinary students at seven universities (first-year students at three universities, second-year at one, third-year at one, and fourth-year at two) were given by random assignment either an International Animal Health (IAH) CD or a control CD, ParasitoLog (PL). Participants completed a pre-CD survey to establish baseline information on interest and attitudes toward both computers and international animal-health issues. Four weeks later, a post-CD questionnaire was distributed. On the initial survey, most students expressed an interest in working in the field of veterinary medicine in another country. Responses to the three pre-CD questions relating to attitudes toward the globalization of veterinary medicine, interest in foreign animal disease, and inclusion of a core course on international health issues in the veterinary curriculum were all positive, with average values above 3 (on a five-point scale where 5 represented strong agreement or interest). Almost all students considered it beneficial to learn about animal-health issues in other countries. After students reviewed the IAH CD, we found a decrease at four universities, an increase at one university, and no change at the remaining two universities in students' interest in working in some area of international veterinary medicine. However, none of the differences was statistically significant.     

First Isolation of a Rabid Bat Infected with European Bat Lyssavirus in Luxembourg

Rabid bats are regularly reported in Europe, especially in countries that have implemented a bat surveillance network. In May 2013, bat rabies was evidenced for the first time in Luxembourg (southern city of Differdange). The rabies virus, an EBLV‐1b strain, was diagnosed in a serotine bat that bit a 29‐year‐old male person while he was asleep. The man received rapidly a post‐exposure RABV treatment and was put under strict medical supervision.     

Differential effects of potassium and molybdenum deficiency and fertilization on nitrogen metabolism in Norway spruce (Picea abies)

A field study on mineral nutrition of 12 year old Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) Karst.) was carried out on a Lower Triassic region in the Eifel mountains in a plantation where the juvenile trees exhibited marked visual differences on adjacent plots, thus indicating a patchy pattern concerning the fertility status of the soil. This was confirmed by geological, pedological and chemical analyses, including X-ray diffraction analyses of the clay minerals and soil water as well as needle element analyses. A combined K and N deficiency was diagnosed for those trees, which exhibited growth retardation and small, rigid, and yellowish-green needles. Chlorophyll and protein content and glutamine synthetase activity were reduced while triphenyltetrazoliumchloride (TTC) reduction was enhanced in the sick trees as compared to adjacent healthy looking trees of the same age and provenance. A diagnostic fertilization treatment with K and Mo, respectively, yielded the following results. One year after administration of Mo a marked increase in total N content of the needles was observed, due to an increase of the storage pools for soluble (nonprotein) nitrogen, namely the basic amino acids arginine, histidine and lysine and also of ornithine. Yet, no visual recovery of the trees was observed. On the other hand, K fertilization caused an improvement of all biochemical parameters, except protein content and soluble N storage pools. The relationships between Mo dependent nitrate reduction, potassium content and nitrogen metabolism are discussed.     

Phenotypic Variation of Agromorphological Traits of the Shea Tree, Vitellaria paradoxa C.F. Gaertn., in Mali

Forty-one shea tree populations were sampled, spanning the main climatic zones of Vitellaria paradoxa Gaertn. in Mali and 10–35 adult trees were chosen randomly in the agroforestry parklands of each area. A total of 12 morphological traits, related to tree morphology, fruit size and leaf form were measured. The variance components showed that variation among populations represented the smaller percentage of the total variation with most of the values varying between 15 and 30%. The repeatability coefficient was generally high for tree within populations with values ranging between 0.23 and 0.78. Although genetic correlations cannot be accurately estimated, due to difficulties in separation from environmental effects, the results indicate that there is a very low genetic relation between the three kinds of traits, i.e., between those related to tree, those related to leaf and those related to fruit. Leaf and fruit size traits were positively and significantly correlated with rainfall, although tree circumference was negatively correlated with rainfall and the significantly larger shea trees were noted in the drier areas – an observation thought linked to human management of the parklands. Soil drainage and parkland density, however, did not explain differences between populations for fruit traits. This study offers preliminary information for the development of a breeding population for a shea tree improvement programme. The value of repeatability, the low correlation between sets of traits and the distribution of variation, suggest that selection of many individual trees within a few populations, would allow capture of large genetic gain especially for fruit traits.     

Cooking behavior of rice in relation to kernel physicochemical and structural properties

A set of 27 rice varieties were evaluated for their morphological grain characteristics (length, width, thickness, thousand kernel weight, TKW), chemical composition (amylose, protein, and ash content) and starch properties (gelatinization temperature and enthalpy, amylose-lipid complex). In addition, cell walls were characterized by the arabinoxylan and beta-glucan contents. A rapid method for determining optimum rice cooking time was developed based on the swelling ratio; a fixed value of 2.55 gave a gelatinization level of 95% assessed by differential scanning calorimetry and translucence testing. Optimum cooking time appears positively correlated with kernel thickness and TKW but also with ash content. Confocal laser and scanning electron microscope observation of uncooked rice grains revealed different structural features (cell size) and fracture behavior: for some cultivars, the fracture showed ruptured cells, whereas for others most cells were intact. These structural differences, which may be linked to pectin content, could partly explain rice kernel cooking behavior.