bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Behavioural mechanisms influencing use of plants with secondary metabolites by herbivores
Authors: Provenza Frederick D. 
Published: June 2019

SummaryDiets and habitats that allow animals to select among alternatives enable individuals to better meet needs for nutrients and to better cope with toxins. All plants contain toxins, and the amount of toxin an animal can ingest depends on the kinds and amounts of nutrients and toxins in the forages on offer. Nutrients and toxins both cause animals to satiate, and excesses of nutrients, nutrient imbalances, and toxins all limit food intake. Thus, individuals can better meet their needs for nutrients and regulate their intake of toxins when offered a variety of foods that differ in nutrients and toxins than when constrained to a single food, even if the food is “nutritionally balanced.” Food intake and preference also depend on differences in how individual animals are built morphologically and how they function physiologically, and marked variation is common even among closely related animals in needs for nutrients and abilities to cope with toxins. Transient food aversions compound the inefficiency of single–food diets – whether in confinement, on pastures, or on rangelands – by depressing intake among individual animals, even if they are suited “on average” to that nutrient or toxin profile. Thus, feeding and grazing practices that allow producers to capitalize on the individuality of animals are likely to improve performance of the herd by enabling the uniqueness of individuals to become manifest. Finally, past experiences play a crucial role in an animal's propensity to learn to eat different foods. When herbivores are allowed to eat only the most preferred plants, they are not likely to learn to mix foods high in nutrients with foods that contain toxins. Conversely, herbivores encouraged to eat all plants in an area are more likely to learn to eat mixes of plants that mitigate toxicity. Experienced animals that have learned to eat a variety of foods that differ in nutrients and toxins do so even when nutritious alternatives are available, whereas naive animals familiar only with the nutritious alternatives eat only that subset of familiar foods. Different systems of management alter how animals forage. Continuous grazing at low stock densities encourages selectivity and reduces diet and habitat breadth, whereas short-duration grazing at high stock densities increases diet and habitat breadth. Thus, what was traditionally considered proper grazing management – rotational grazing at low stock densities – may have trained generations of livestock to “eat the best and leave the rest” thus inadvertently accelerating a decline in biodiversity and an increase in the abundance of less desirable plant species.
Upgrading tannin-rich forages by supplementing ruminants with Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
Authors: Perevolotsky A. , Landau S. , Silanikove N. , Provenza F. 
Published: June 2019

SummaryThe paper reviews the scientific information concerning the utilisation of tannin-rich forages by livestock and examines methods to improve it. Findings on the impact of tannins on diet selection, forage intake and livestock performance are presented. The paper elaborates on the application of polyethylene glycol (PEG) in mitigating the adverse effects of tannins and the potential improvement in livestock production. The use of PEG as part of a regular management scheme, including self-regulation of its consumption by the animals, is discussed based on the findings of controlled and field experiments. Topics for future research on relationships between livestock-forage-PEGenvironment-economy are also defined
Chemical and biological assays for quantification of major plant secondary metabolites
Authors: Makkar Harinder P.S. 
Published: June 2019

SummaryDuring grazing, animals interact with many compounds in the diet. Plant secondary metabolites (PSM) such as tannins, saponins, cyanogenic glycosides, mimosine. could have wide ranging effects –beneficial or harmful, depending on the nature, quantity in the plant, and amount and rate of ingestion of the PSM. A wide range of methods is available to quantify these PSM. The methods presented for tannins are based on the oxidation-reduction, metal complexing, polyethylene glycol binding and protein precipitation/binding principles of tannins. A tannin bioassay based onin vitrogas production using a medium containing rumen microbes, and incubation of the plant sample with and without polyethylene glycol (a tannin-inactivating agent) is also discussed. Saponins have haemolitic activity, and a qualitative and a quantitative assay are based on this property are described, in addition to a spectrophotometric assay. Cyanogenic glycosides are measured using picric acid methods with and without distillation. The methods described for mimosine determination are based on its reaction with ferric chloride and diazotised p-nitroaniline. Alkaloids are a chemically heterogeneous group of compounds. Therefore, it is difficult to assay alkaloids using a single method. An approach, for qualitative assessment of alkaloids in feeds and forages, based on the use of various spray reagents on the developed TLC plate or a paper chromatographic paper is presented.
Nutritional characteristics of browse species from Northeastern Mexico consumed by small ruminants
Authors: Ramírez-Lozano Roque G. 
Published: June 2019

SummaryMany browse plants that grow in northeastern Mexico are consumed by domestic and wild range small ruminants. However, their nutritional value is determined by their chemical composition and digestibility. Chemical composition depends on the nature of the plant, but climatic conditions determine leaf maturity. Thus, studies to estimate the seasonality of the nutrient profiles of forages from shrubs are necessary. This paper has the objective to discuss the nutrient profiles and the organic matter digestion from the forage of 32 browse plants (13 legumes and 19 non legumes), that grow in northeastern México, and which are consumed by range small ruminants. Browses such as Acacia berlandieri (L.) Wild Acacia rigidula Benth., Ziziphus obtusifolia T and G., Desmanthus virgathus L. and Cercidium macrum I.M. Johnst. are the most abundant in the range, and also are the most selected by ruminants. The seasonal crude protein (CP) content in browse species varied within a range of 4.0 to 22.0%. The cell wall (from 24 to 53%) and its components: cellulose (from 5 to 31%) and hemicellulose (from 2 to 28%) also varied, and in most evaluated shrubs were lower than Medicago sativa hay. Seasonal lignin content also varied among plants species (from 1 to 24%; annual mean), and was higher than Medicago sativa hay. Condensed tannins were low and seasonally variable in most plants (from 0 to 23%). In general, during winter OMD (ranging from 30 to 68%) was higher than in other seasons. Lignin and condensed tannins negatively affected OMD (r = -0.40; P<0.01 and r = -0.53; P<0.001, respectively). The most selected shrubs were those with the highest tannin content. All plants were low in P and Na relative to the needs of adult goats, sheep and white-tailed deer. It is concluded that the chemical composition and OMD of browse plants were very similar among seasons. Because of their high CP, low cell wall, high mineral content and OMD in all plants, these could be considered as good protein supplements for range small grazing ruminants. However, they must be supplemented with P and Na throughout the year.
Field evidence of metabolic stress in dairy cows?
Authors: Ward W. R. , Parker C. S. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe authors review their experiences of metabolic profiles in dairy herds, with a view to assessing whether metabolic stress is a problem in Great Britain at present. Many cows show elevated blood beta-hydroxybutyrate concentration, indicating energy deficit, or elevated urea levels, indicating an imbalance between energy and protein in the rumen but at present there is no evidence that high-yielding cows in commercial herds show more metabolic stress than low-yielding cows. The authors suggest that more cows could suffer metabolic stress in the future, unless farmers’ ability to feed and manage dairy cows develops as rapidly as genetic selection for high milk yield.
Options to reduce vulnerability to metabolic stress by genetic selection
Authors: Pryce J. E. , Løvendahl P. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractGenetic selection for milk production has been very successful. However to achieve high yields, the metabolic load on dairy cows is believed to be substantial. If the size of this load is large enough then the animal may become ‘metabolically stressed’. Signs of this may include some sort of distortion of normal physiological function. There is evidence from both population studies and research herds to suggest that intense selection for milk yield has led to a deterioration in some aspects of health and fertility. Genetic correlation estimates between production and measures of fertility are unfavourable. As an example, calving intervals of high merit animals from Langhill are on average 12 days longer than those of average genetic merit, which is mostly due to a delay in days to first heat. It is suggested that some aspects of health and fertility problems in high genetic merit animals are a consequence, in part, of so-called metabolic stress. Future breeding goals should be broadened to include a broad spectrum of traits related to efficient milk production, in addition to either health and fertility traits themselves, or traits believed to be precursors of them, such as those related to metabolic stress. The complexity and subjectivity of metabolic stress and its components makes it very difficult to include in future breeding goals. However, traits related to energy balance, such as some measures of condition score, dry-matter intake and live weight may be useful in breeding programmes where one of the goals is to alleviate metabolic stress.
A veterinary model for the induction of primary nutritional ketosis in dairy cattle
Authors: Whay H. R. , Whitaker D. A. , Mottram T. T. , Dowell A. M. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractA method for inducing primary nutritional ketosis in dairy cattle was developed in order to evaluate a novel technique for the monitoring of the development of ketosis through to clinical disease state. Six freshly calved, multiparous Holstein-Friesian cows were given a 500 g/kg crude protein pellet in small but frequent meals through an out-of-parlour feeder in conjunction with an allowance of grass silage restricted to 20 kg wet weight per day. Development of the disease was monitored through clinical signs, body condition scoring, weight change measures and metabolic profiling of plasma samples with particular reference to beta-hydroxybutyrate, non-esterified fatty acid and glucose levels. Four animals within the disease model group became clinically ketotic with the remaining two animals showing signs of subclinical ketosis. A further four newly calved cows, which were maintained on a normal production ration to act as a control group, did not develop signs of ketosis.
A centre for the control of animal health and its management: veterinary field studies of dairy cows in Belgium
Authors: Detilleux J. , Arendt J. , Dewaele A. , Lomba F. , Doyen C. , Brumagne L. , Simon D. , Condis F. , Triffoy P. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractIn 1998, the European Community, the Region Wallonne, and the Province du Hainaut funded the project known as the Centre for the control of animal health and its management (CESAM). This project was initiated in the Hainaut province of Belgium to answer problems encountered by cattle producers. Its overall goal is the identification of stages in the entire bovine production process where economic efficiency can be increased. A part of this project aims principally at the study of the impact of health-related problems on dairy production. For this part of the project, 32 veterinarians and 51 farmers started collecting data in the field. The methodology for data collection was based mainly on the harmony between the farmer and the veterinarian. Therefore, several procedures were implemented to ensure adequate motivation of both farmers and veterinarians. Farmers note all events of their livestock using a list, which contains disease events, preventive treatments, reasons for culling, and management practices. A veterinarian visits farms monthly to validate collected data and to discuss specific problems. During these farm visits, veterinarians collect body condition scores on adult cows. Veterinarians record also information on health problems they encounter during their normal practice using an international health data recording nomenclature. A national organization provides unique animal identification system. Production data will be recorded and feeding practices, milking procedures and barn comfort indices will be regularly investigated. All data will be collected on pre-printed documents, scanned at CESAM and centralized in a relational computer database. Criteria to evaluate the quality of the proposed methodology are presented.
“France's (Kinder, Gentler) Extremist”: Marine Le Pen, Intersectionality, and Media Framing of Female Populist Radical Right Leaders
Authors: Snipes Alexandra , Mudde Cas 
Published: June 2019

AbstractAlthough the populist radical right is generally seen as a particularly masculine and misogynist phenomenon, several of its parties have female leaders. The most prominent is Marine Le Pen, president of the French National Rally (formerly the National Front) and unofficial leader of the European populist radical right. Using insights from intersectionality theory, we posit that Marine Le Pen, as a female populist radical right politician, faces qualitatively different media coverage than both her female and her radical right counterparts. In this study, we analyze her media framing in two French (Le FigaroandLe Monde) and two U.S. (New York TimesandWall Street Journal) newspapers, focusing on the application of gender and populist radical right frames. We find that the “harder” populist radical right frame dominates the “softer” gender frame in all four newspapers, but, paradoxically, the combination of the two frames leads to overall less biased coverage of Marine Le Pen compared with both other female and other populist radical right politicians. In the conclusion, we discuss some of the consequences of the findings for the broader study of female politicians, most notably, theories of intersectionality and the double bind for women in leadership.
Epidemiological evidence of effects of EDC on ruminant reproduction
Authors: Kruip Th.A.M. , Meijer G.A.L. , Boerjan M. 
Published: June 2019

Fifty percent of Dutch dairy farmers use surface water as the main source of drinking water for their cows during the grazing season. In many locations this surface water is in direct contact with a sewerage overflow. Belfroid and coworkers (1999) have demonstrated that this sewerage overflow surface water contains EDC, in particular xeno-oestrogens. The concentration of conjugated ethinyl-oestradiol, for example, in sewerage water was 0.02 mg/l. During the last decade the fertility of dairy cows has decreased dramatically. There is an increased incidence of cystic ovaries, an increase in the interval from calving to first insemination, an increase in the number of inseminations per pregnancy and more abortions have been recorded. These observations raise the possibility that EDC’s adversely affect reproduction in dairy cows. Meijer et al. (1999) compared the production and fertility of cows on 397 farms that used normal surface water with the production and fertility of cows on 60 farms that used water in direct contact with sewerage overflow. The results showed clearly that cows drinking water that was in direct contact with sewerage overflow produced less milk and had a greater age at first calving. Moreover they exhibited a tendency towards a longer interval between calving and first succesful insemination and tended to have a higher rate of abortions. Boerjan et al. (2001) have recently addressed the issues of concentrations of xeno-estrogens present in soil, in plants, in water and in cow tissues, milk and blood, in order to assess the potential risk to ruminants of xeno-estrogen exposure through soil and water ingestion. Although data are sparse and concentrations of EDC in feed and water of ruminant animals are low, under certain circumstances such as sewerage overflow and sludge-fertilized pasture, they concluded that rates of ingestion of certain xeno-oestrogens may exceed levels at which there is no effect. Since most EDC’s are lipophilic and become concentrated in adipose tissue, the mobilisation of fat during onset of lactation and pregnancy can expose animals to much higher concentrations of xeno-estrogens than are present normally in the environment. Important questions are:
1)how much of the EDC’s stored in fat cells will enter the blood under certain circumstances2)how much of the EDC’s in soil, water and plants will pass the rumen and enter also the blood and3)how potent are the different EDC’s i.e. what is the dose response relationship? In order to answer the last question an in vivo animal-model is urgently needed.We have developed an animal-model, based on the genital tract of an ovariectomized cow; the height and organisation of the endometrial lumen-epithelium, the rate of oedema in the stratum compactum and the electrical resistance of the cervical mucus are sensitive measures of oestrogenic activity.
The public and agriculture: the consumer perspective
Authors: McKechnie Sheila 
Published: June 2019

Consumers’ Association (CA) campaigns on behalf of all UK consumers. CA is a not-for-profit organisation, funded through the sale of our Which? range of consumer information and products. We are founder members of BEUC, the European consumer organisation and Consumers International (CI), the international federation of consumer organisations.Food has always been one of our main campaigning areas because it is so central to people’s lives. We have been key players in debates around food policy over the last twenty years and successfully campaigned for the establishment of the Food Standards Agency, following a succession of food scares and a breakdown in consumer confidence in the way that food issues were handled. The over-arching aim of our food campaign is ‘for all consumers to have access to food that is safe, nutritious of good quality and affordable, and to make healthy lifestyle and informed food choices.’ Our current campaigns, focusing on areas where we consider there to be significant consumer detriment, include: food labelling and claims, genetically modified foods, prior approval of food premises in order to help reduce food poisoning, and meat safety.
“Comfort-foods” chronic intake has different behavioral and neurobiological effects in male rats exposed or not to early-life stress
Authors: Cunha ACA , Dalle Molle R , Laureano DP , Reis AR , Corrêa C , Matte US , Silveira PP , Machado TD 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe ability of “comfort-food” (CF) diet to revert long-term effects of early-life stress (ELS) is less well known. The objective of this study was to verify if the chronic exposure to CF diet in animals submitted to ELS could relief the stress response at behavioral, neuroendocrine, and neurobiochemical levels, via differences in glucocorticoid receptors expression in brain areas involved in the stress response. From the second day of life, litters of Wistar rats and their mothers were submitted to the reduced nesting material protocol (ELS). In adult life, ELS and a control group were exposed chronically to two diet schemes: standard rat chow only or both “CF” diet, containing fat (34%) and sugar (20%) and a diet similar to the standard diet. Anxiety-like behavior, neuroendocrine response stress, leptin, GR, SOCS-3, pSTAT3, and the abdominal fat were evaluated. The anxiety-like behavior results showed that ELS group when exposed to comfort food were not different from the others groups. Chronic exposure to CF diet induced an anxiety-like behavior in the control group. Groups chronically exposed to CF diet had lower levels of corticosterone over time independent of the neonatal group. The ELS group exposed to the “CF” diet had higher levels of hippocampal GR, lower levels of hypothalamic SOCS-3 and greater accumulation of abdominal fat. Chronic CF diet consumption is able to reduce corticosterone levels independent of the neonatal history, but is associated with anxiety-like behavior in animals without previous history of trauma. Metabolic disturbances like increased adiposity and altered SOCS-3 seem to be a result of multiple insults (neonatal trauma followed by chronic CF diet). We highlight that the Control-chow and ELS-chow data were previously published, and are included in this study for comparative analysis.
Breastfeeding duration is associated with offspring’s adherence to prudent dietary pattern in adulthood: results from the Nutritionist’s Health Study
Authors: Eshriqui Ilana , Folchetti Luciana Dias , Valente Angélica Marques Martins , de Almeida-Pititto Bianca , Ferreira Sandra Roberta G. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractLittle is known about the long-term effect of breastfeeding on dietary habits. We examined the association between breastfeeding duration and adherence to current dietary patterns of young women. This was a cross-sectional analysis of 587 healthy women aged ≤45 years, undergraduates or nutrition graduates. Maternal characteristics and breastfeeding duration [<6; 6–<12; ≥12 months (reference)] were recalled. Diet was assessed using a food frequency questionnaire and patterns were identified using factor analysis by principal component. Adherence to patterns was categorized in tertiles; the first (T1 = reference) was compared to T2 + T3 (moderate-to-high adherence). Logistic regression was performed considering the minimal sufficient adjustment recommended by the directed acyclic graph. Median age was 22 (interquartile range (IQR) 20; 27) years and body mass index (BMI) 22.2 (IQR 20.4; 25.0) kg/m2. The four dietary patterns identified (Processed, Prudent, Brazilian and Lacto-vegetarian) explained 27% of diet variance. Women breastfed for <6 months showed lower chance of moderate-to-high adherence to the Prudent pattern (odds ratio (OR) = 0.53, p = 0.04). Breastfeeding was not associated with the other patterns. Maternal pre-pregnancy BMI was directly associated with moderate-to-high adherence to the Processed pattern (OR = 2.01, p = 0.03) and inversely to the Prudent pattern (OR = 0.52, p = 0.02). Higher adherence to the Brazilian pattern was associated with proxies of low socioeconomic status and the Lacto-vegetarian pattern with the opposite. Confirmation in prospective studies of the association found in this study between breastfeeding with the Prudent pattern in adult offspring could suggest that early feeding practices influence long-term dietary habits, which could then affect the risk of nutrition-related diseases.