Fecal pH and Microbial Populations in Thoroughbred Horses During Transition from Pasture to Concentrate Feeding

Abrupt dietary transitions and feeding of rapidly fermentable diets are common practices in the horse industry and have been associated with digestive and metabolic disorders that can impair the performance of horses. The present study investigated the effect of dietary transition from pasture grazing to confinement with concentrate feeding, and back, on fecal pH and bacterial populations of Streptococcus spp and Lactobacillus spp. Six Thoroughbred fillies, previously grazing perennial ryegrass and white clover-based pasture, were housed in individual stalls and fed an increasing ratio of concentrate to conserved forages for 13 days (days 1-13), followed by an abrupt transition back to only pasture-grazing for 3 days (days 14-16). The concentrate was initially offered at 0.83 kg dry matter (DM)/d and increased to 5 kg DM/d, whereas ensiled alfalfa was initially offered at 0.61 kg DM/d, increasing to 1.22 kg DM/d. Meadow hay was initially offered at 6.73 kg DM/d, decreasing to 1.6 kg DM/d. Fecal specimens were collected daily for determination of pH, and every 2 days for quantitative analysis of Streptococcus spp and Lactobacillus spp. Mean fecal pH increased significantly from pasture baseline values (pH 6.18) during the initial confinement and supplementation on day 1 (6.37), day 2 (6.52), day 3 (6.58), and day 4 (6.43) (standard error of mean [SEM]: 0.056; P < .001). By day 5, mean fecal pH values had decreased to, and remained at, baseline values until the horses returned to pasture, when another increase occurred at day 15 (6.45). Fecal colony forming units (cfu) of Streptococcus spp and Lactobacillus spp increased linearly (r = 0.94; P < .001) from 6.0 and 6.1 log₁₀ cfu/g on day -4, to 7.8 log₁₀ cfu/g on day 14 (SEM: 0.2 P < .001), respectively. Fecal cfu decreased on return to a pasture-only diet (P < .001). In this study, the increment of bacterial populations was associated with a relatively stable fecal pH and highlights the difficulty in identifying the effects of dietary transition on the equine hindgut health, without microbial culture.     

Parental participation in progeny and effective population sizes in experimental seed orchards of wild cherry Prunus avium L. (Batsch)

Parents and progenies genetic diversity, and male and female contributions to the seed crop were assessed in three experimental Prunus avium seed orchards. Collected data were used to compare different effective population sizes, based on phenological, seed crop and paternity analysis. Our results did not show any difference of genetic diversity between parents and progenies. A limited pollen pollution was detected. We showed that distance and coflowering among clones had a significant effect on effective pollination, and a significant effect of the production of flowers was revealed in one of the seed orchards. Our study also revealed a quite low number of effective size of fathers per mother, but high effective sizes of mothers, fathers and parents at the level of the seed orchard. Finally, the calculation of effective size of mothers, fathers and parents was not highly modified when having the complete information based on the paternity analysis.     

Impact of casein gel microstructure on self-diffusion coefficient of molecular probes measured by 1H PFG-NMR

The translational dynamics of poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) polymers with molecular weights (Mw) varying from 6x10(2) to 5x10(5) were investigated by pulsed field gradient NMR in casein suspensions and in gels induced by acidification, enzyme action, and a combination of both. For molecules with Mwor=8000, there was strong dependence of diffusion on PEG size and on the casein network structure as revealed by scanning electron microscopy images. The diffusion coefficients of the two largest PEGs were increased after coagulation by amounts that depended on the internal structure of the gel. In addition, the 527,000 g/mol PEG was found to deviate from Gaussian diffusion behavior to greater or lesser extents according to the casein concentration and the sample microstructure. The results are discussed in terms of network rearrangements.     

Interpreting realized pollen flow in terms of pollinator travel paths and land-use resistance in heterogeneous landscapes

Widespread ecosystem change has led to declines in species world-wide. The loss of pollinators in particular constitutes a problem for ecosystem function and crop production. Understanding how landscape change affects pollinator movement, effective pollen flow, and plant and pollinator survival is therefore a global priority. In this study we investigated patterns of effective pollen flow, using wild cherry tree (Prunus avium) progeny arrays, to address two questions in three case studies: Do land-use types present different resistances to pollinator movement? Which pollinator travel path best explains the pollination data (straight lines, weighted straight lines, least cost paths or pair-wise resistance)? Trees and progeny arrays were genotyped and effective pollen flow and pollinator movement were estimated using the spatially explicit mating model. We found that pollinators did modify their travel paths in response to land-use type and arrangement, but the travel path that best described pollinator movement and the resistance rank of the land uses depended on the type and size of land-use patches and the landscape context. We propose a novel theoretical framework rooted in behavioural ecology, the resource model, for interpreting pollinator behaviour in heterogeneous landscapes. We conclude by discussing the importance and practicality of conservation and management strategies in which native and non-native land-use types together provide functional habitat and support ecosystem services across economic landscapes.     

NMR signal analysis to characterize solid, aqueous, and lipid phases in baked cakes

Proton mobility was studied in molecular fractions of some model systems and of cake using a 1H nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) relaxation technique. For cake, five spin-spin relaxation times (T2) were obtained from transverse relaxation curves: T2 (1) approximately 20 micros, T2 (2) approximately 0.2 ms, T2 (3) approximately 3 ms, T2 (4) approximately 50 ms, and T2 (2) approximately 165 ms. The faster component was attributed to the solid phase, components 2 and 3 were associated with the aqueous phase, and the two slowest components were linked to the lipid phase. After cooking, the crust contained more fat but less water than the center part of the cake. The amount of gelatinized starch was lower in the crust, and water was more mobile due to less interaction with macromolecules. This preliminary study revealed different effects of storage on the center and crust.     

Substrate-controlled succession of marine bacterioplankton populations induced by a phytoplankton bloom

Phytoplankton blooms characterize temperate ocean margin zones in spring. We investigated the bacterioplankton response to a diatom bloom in the North Sea and observed a dynamic succession of populations at genus-level resolution. Taxonomically distinct expressions of carbohydrate-active enzymes (transporters; in particular, TonB-dependent transporters) and phosphate acquisition strategies were found, indicating that distinct populations of Bacteroidetes, Gammaproteobacteria, and Alphaproteobacteria are specialized for successive decomposition of algal-derived organic matter. Our results suggest that algal substrate availability provided a series of ecological niches in which specialized populations could bloom. This reveals how planktonic species, despite their seemingly homogeneous habitat, can evade extinction by direct competition.     

RADIOGRAPHY AND IMAGE-INTENSIFIED FLUOROSCOPY OF BARIUM PASSAGE THROUGH THE GASTROINTESTINAL TRACT IN SIX HEALTHY AMAZON PARROTS (AMAZONA AESTIVA)

Gastrointestinal contrast studies were performed in six clinically healthy blue-fronted Amazon parrots (Amazona aestiva) using radiography and image-intensified fluoroscopy. During examination, the birds were confined in a perspex cage. The quality of the lateral radiographs was adequate for assessment of the contrast medium-filled gastrointestinal tract. Thirty minutes after administration of 20 mL/kg of a 25% barium sulphate suspension directly in the crop, in all birds the ventriculus was totally outlined by barium. After 60 min, the small intestine was filled in five of six birds. After 180 min, the crop was empty in all birds. The barium-outlined ventriculus had differences in shape on radiographs of individual birds and also between birds. The colon and cloaca had further filling after 120 to 300 min. With image-intensified fluoroscopy, gastrointestinal motility was evaluated. Contractions of the crop were seen, and boluses of contrast medium passing through the esophagus toward the proventriculus were easily identified. Proventricular contractions were rarely noted, but ventriculus motility was present and clearly defined. The ventriculus had a mean of 3.7 contraction cycles/min. In the duodenum and small intestine, rapid antegrade and retrograde peristaltic movements in combination with segmental contractions were seen. In the colon, occasionally very slow peristaltic activity, mainly of segmental nature, was present. During the examinations, no defeacation was recorded. Confinement in a small perspex cage provides an adequate and handy radiological set-up for evaluation of gastrointestinal passage and motility in birds, minimizing the influences of stress and anesthesia.     

Factors determining the nutrition transition in two Mediterranean islands: Sardinia and Malta

OBJECTIVE: To examine and analyse consumption changes over time of 24 food items between Sardinia and Malta. SETTING: The data were collected in 2001 in Sardinia and 2002 in Malta. DESIGN: A structured qualitative questionnaire, articulated around four main themes: food supply, transformation, preparation and consumption habits, was administered by face-to-face interviews with the help of a local person. It encompassed mainly open-ended questions, which allowed us to measure factors contributing to change. SUBJECTS: Thirty mother-daughter pairs were interviewed in each insular territory. RESULTS: Despite a common trend revealing a shift away from cereals, pulses and potatoes to the benefit of meat products, fats and sugar, our results showed contrasting evolutions in food consumption between both insular societies. Fruit and vegetables, olive oil and fish, which are part of the main features of the Mediterranean diet, were among the top foods for which consumption frequency has increased in Sardinia. In Malta, besides an increase in olive oil and vegetable consumption, cheeses and desserts showed the highest increase. Along with modernity and improved living conditions, enhanced commercial availability and increased diversity of food preparation were also identified as factors contributing to food consumption changes. CONCLUSIONS: Although the Sardo-Mediterranean model is evolving under the impact of modernisation, it is not disappearing. In Malta, however, modernity has led to a more sudden shift from a state of food shortage to one of affluence, but in a cultural context where the identity is no longer Mediterranean but Anglo-Saxon.     

COMPUTED TOMOGRAPHY OF CHOLESTERINIC GRANLOMAS IN THE CHOROID PLEXUS OF HORSES

Cholesterinic granulomas are tumor-like masses in the choroid plexuses of horses. This report describes the computed tomographic findings in four horses with cholesterinic granulomas, including the clinical and the pathologic features. All four horses had bilateral cholesterinic granulomas in the lateral ventricles. Computed tomographic images clearly delineated the masses, the opacity of the granulomas, and the enhancement pattern after intravenous bolus injection of contrast medium; these factors varied considerably. Additional CT findings were symmetric or asymmetric widening of the lateral ventricles.