bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
The Use of Ostracods in Palaeoenvironmental Studies, or What can you do with an Ostracod Shell?
Authors: Boomer Ian , Horne David J. , Slipper Ian J. 
Published: June 2019

Over recent decades ostracods have become established indicators of ecosystem health, biodiversity and environmental change. With applications ranging across the earth sciences (from modern pollution studies to sea-level change, basin evolution, plate tectonics, palaeoceanography) and related disciplines such as archaeology, ecology and genetics, their utility extends to almost every aquatic and semi-aquatic habitat, from the deep ocean to high mountain springs. Their temporal range is now known to cover the last 500 million years of earth history.The study of fossil ostracod assemblages follows traditional palaeontological lines of investigation, including taphonomy, morphometries and diversity, but there are a number of methodological approaches, specific to the ostracods, that render them potentially one of the most versatile organisms in the fossil record. Ostracods have been employed on a range oftemporal and spatial scales to reconstruct past environments, from world-wide, geological-scale global events in the deep-sea through to smaller-scale studies of lakes and their archives of local environmental change over recent centuries.Much information can be obtained from ostracod assemblages but it is particularly through recent advances in the chemical and physical study of single shells or carapaces that the utility of these organisms has been brought to the fore. In this paper the potential palaeoenvironmental information derived from an ostracod assemblage, a single species, or an individual shell is reviewed. The main applications for ostracods are outlined for marine and non-marine ecosystems. Finally, the role of the ostracods in detailing the recent history of the Aral Sea is outlined.
Cold pressor pain and gambling disorder: implications for the opioid system
Authors: Grant Jon E. , Chamberlain Samuel R. 
Published: June 2019

ObjectiveGambling disorder (GD) is a common, disabling condition that often is exacerbated by stressful life events. Under stress, the sympathetic nervous system and the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis are activated. The question, therefore, arises as to whether an abnormal sympathetic response can be found in individuals with GD.MethodAdult individuals with GD and no current co-occurring mental disorders were enrolled. Participants completed impulsivity and gambling-related questionnaires and underwent cold pressor evaluation. GD participants were compared with controls on measures of heart rate, blood pressure, and pain.ResultsFifteen people with GD and 18 controls completed the study. Kaplan–Meier analysis indicated that the GD group withdrew their hand from the painful stimulus more rapidly than controls (Wilcoxon chi-square = 3.87, p = 0.049), suggestive of lesser pain tolerance. Subjective pain ratings and cardiovascular measurements did not significantly differ between groups.ConclusionsIndividuals with GD manifested a relative intolerance to pain on the cold pressor paradigm, even though they physiologically did not seem to experience greater pain. Given the role of the opioid system in pain processing, it would be valuable in future work to examine whether cold pressor measures can predict response to treatments in GD, including with opioid antagonists.
Edmund Burke and the Anglo-American Tradition of Liberty
Authors: Espada João Carlos 
Published: June 2019

It is proper for more reasons than the most obvious one that I should open this talk by quoting a former President of the Royal Institute of Philosophy, Lord Quinton, whose works on political philosophy I have so much enjoyed—and learnt from.In a chapter on political philosophy, which he contributed to the Oxford History of Western Philosophy, Lord Quinton says that ‘the effect of the importation of Locke's doctrines in to France was much like that of alcohol in an empty stomach’. In Britain, Lord Quinton adds, Locke's principles ‘served to endorse a largely conservative revolution against absolutist innovation’, whereas in France the importation of Locke's ideas would lead to the radicalism of the French revolution. Why was this so?
25-Hydroxyvitamin D and the risk of incident diabetes in Hong Kong Chinese
Authors: Leung Raymond YH , Cheung Bernard MY , Tan Kathryn CB , Kung Annie WC , Cheung Ching-Lung 
Published: June 2019

AbstractObjective:To investigate the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) and risk of incident diabetes in Hong Kong Chinese, after accounting for the effect of multiple bone- and mineral-related markers.Design:We conducted a retrospective study on the Hong Kong Osteoporosis Study cohort. Incident diabetes was ascertained using electronic medical records. Serum 25(OH)D was measured at baseline and its association with incident diabetes was evaluated using multivariable Cox proportional-hazard regression.Participants:Individuals (n 4342) aged 20 years or above (1395 men, 2947 women; mean age 54·3 (sd 16·5) years) from the Hong Kong Osteoporosis Study, who were free of diabetes at baseline, were included.Results:During 40 124·7 person-years of follow-up (a median of 9·2 years), 443 participants developed diabetes. Mean 25(OH)D was 63·34 (sd 13·07) nmol/l. Age-, sex- and BMI-adjusted Cox proportional-hazard regression showed no significant difference in the risk of incident diabetes between the lowest and the highest quintiles of 25(OH)D. In the analysis of the interaction effect between 25(OH)D and serum Ca, the interaction term did not affect the risk of incident diabetes significantly (P = 0·694). Similarly, there was no significant interaction of different subgroups (age, sex, BMI, femoral-neck T-score, serum Ca levels) with serum 25(OH)D.Conclusions:The present study finds that serum vitamin D level is not associated with the risk of incident diabetes in Hong Kong Chinese and this relationship is not modified by serum Ca level.
The amount of rumen fluid influences the composition of short chain fatty acids produced in vitro
Authors: Muetzel S. , Mauricio R.M. , Becker K. 
Published: June 2019

SummaryIn vitro rumen incubation systems are widely used to determine substrate degradation and the amount of fermentation products like gases, short chain fatty acids and the microbial biomass produced. Here we compare the influence of the amount of inoculum used for preparing the incubation medium on short chain fatty acid production and composition. Treatments were 10% and 30% (v/v) of filtered rumen fluid used for inoculation. In a series of experiments it was demonstrated that the two treatments did not alter the gas production or the amount of substrate truly degraded. However, SCFA production (especially acetate) was significantly reduced when only 10% of inoculum were used for incubation. We propose that acetate was taken up by rumen microorganisms as a precursor for growth, although it cannot be excluded that an altered microbial composition contributed to the observed differences.
Predicting the digestibility of Sahelian roughage feeds from the crude protein content in faeces of cattle, sheep and goats using an established first-order exponential function
Authors: Schlecht Eva , Susenbeth Andreas 
Published: June 2019

SummaryAn equation predicting organic matter digestibility (OMD) of the diet from faecal crude protein content (FCP) was established by Lukas (2002) with data from cows fed various diets based on roughage of temperate origin. The suitability of this equation to predict OMD of tropical roughages was tested with data from grazing and stall-fed cattle, sheep and goats. The correlation between measured OMD and that estimated from the average FCP of a group of animals consuming the same diet was r=0.91, and the deviation between estimated and measured values averaged 6%. Poor estimates were obtained for feeds with high biological tannin activity. Using the equation provides an easy assessment of OMD of tropical roughages that do not contain biologically traceable amounts of anti-nutrients.
Effects of tannins in goats infected with gastrointestinal nematodes
Authors: Paolini V. , Hoste H. 
Published: June 2019

SummaryInfections of the gastrointestinal tract with nematodes remains one of the main pathological constraints associated with outdoor breeding of goats both in temperate and tropical areas. The usual mode of control of these parasitic infections is based on the repeated use of chemical anthelmintics, but the prevalence and diffusion of anthelmintic resistances in nematode populations is particularly high in goats, and the sustainability of the system is now questioned. Therefore, there is a deep interest to seek and explore alternative solutions to chemotherapy. Among those, tannins and tanniferous plants represent one of the most promising options. However, information on the effects of these polyphenolic compounds on nematode infection in goats is far less abundant than in sheep. This review presents data obtained from both outdoor and indoor studies aiming at examining the relationship between the consumption of tannins or tanniferous plants, particularly those composing the vegetation of rangeland and the resistance and resilience of goats to trichostrongyle infections. Results from in vitro studies with extracts from different plants which are grazed or browsed by goats are also discussed in relation with the possible mechanisms of action of tannin in goats. These results are compared to those acquired in sheep and are discussed in relation with the physiological adaptation of goats to tannin consumption. Further research perspectives and possible applications for the control of nematode infections in goats are also briefly evoked.
Content of secondary metabolites of some indigenous browse legumes from the Yucatan Peninsula, with particular reference to phenolic compounds
Authors: Armendáriz-Yáñez I. R. , Rivera-Lorca J. A. 
Published: June 2019

SummaryData on the chemical composition and gas production from some indigenous fodder plants from Yucatán and Quintana Roo are shown in order to demonstrate the potential of these species as supplements for livestock However, contents of polyphenols but above all, their reactivity, present a serious constraint on their use in large proportions. Gas production techniques seem to be a good assay for estimating the reactivity of phenolic compounds since the closed environment used in the technique might exacerbate the negative effects of the reactive fraction of polyphenols on microbial population and enzymes.
Leguminosae diversity in the Yucatan Peninsula and its importance for sheep and goat feeding
Authors: Flores José Salvador , Vermont-Ricalde Rita M. , Kantún-Balam Jesús Martín 
Published: June 2019

SummaryIn this paper the diversity of the Leguminosae family in the Yucatán Peninsula is presented, explaining it by subfamilies, genus and species and in each of the three states of the Peninsula, as well as the distribution of the family in the different vegetation types and associations and in the secondary vegetation derived from both of them. The forage species that can be used combined with graminae to feed cattle like goats and sheep are also presented.
Coping with metabolic stress in wild and domesticated animals
Authors: Pond C. M. , Newsholme E. A. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractEthological and ecological studies of wild animals are producing evidence for metabolic stress during courtship, breeding and parental care comparable with that of domestic livestock. Resistance to disease may be compromised by the demand for fatty acids and proteins during reproduction and even more during lactation. The adipose tissue around major lymph nodes is indistinguishable histologically from that in larger depots.In vitroand invivostudies reveal that it is specialized to respond to lipolytic agonists secreted by lymphoid cells butisinsensitive to the endocrine conditions of short-term fasting. These properties enable it to provision adjacent immune cells. Such adipose tissue may act as a forum for competing demands of mammary glands, muscles etc. and local defences against pathogens. Glutamine is essential to the nutrition of the immune system and is used by the mammary gland. Muscle is the best known source but adipose tissue also participates in glutamine metabolism and may become more important in animals in which the musculature is wasted through prolonged lactation.
Metabolic loads to be expected from different genotypes under different systems
Authors: Knight C. H. , Beever D. E. , Sorensen A. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThe strategy most widely adopted to improve milk production efficiency is to increase yield per cow. To date, this has been achieved primarily through genetic selection and improved nutrition. Achievement of very high individual yield has had its down-side, especially in terms of reduced reproductive efficiency and there is now quite widespread concern that the high genetic merit cow is at greater risk of metabolic disease than her unimproved counterpart. To quote from the recent Farm Animal Welfare Council Report on Dairy Cow Welfare (FAWC, 1997): ‘High metabolic turnover in cows can be associated with a greater risk of mastitis, lameness, infertility and other production diseases…’. Whilst there can be little doubt that metabolic turn-over is indeed higher in high merit cows, it is not safe to assume that this necessarily equates with more risk; metabolic turn-over is higher in an elephant than in a mouse but risk is certainly not. Metabolic load might be a better term to use. If we think, simplistically, of this being the ‘strain’ on a system it is logical to expect an inverse relationship between metabolic load and health. The extrapolation to high genetic merit cows being at greater risk then presupposes that they experience an increased metabolic load but there has been no rigorous evaluation of whether this is so. In this review we will consider what is meant by metabolic load, examine in qualitative theoretical terms what degree of load might be expected from different commercial systems and present some recently obtained data which addresses directly the question, is metabolic load greater in high genetic merit cows?
Advances in methodology for utilizing sequential records
Authors: Hill W. G. , Brotherstone S. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThere have been substantial advances in recent years in methods for genetic analysis of traits that are expressed repeatedly over time, for example milk yield on successive test days during lactation. The background to the methods, notably random regression, covariance functions and splines, are outlined. The utility of these methods for analysing functional data on which individual records on cows are few but sire family records that span the lactation, is reviewed. Methods of analyses for measures of herd life are discussed and that being adopted in the UK is outlined.
Genetics of lactation persistency
Authors: Swalve H. H. , Gengler N. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractLactation persistency, often simply called persistency, in general can be defined as the ability to maintain yields during the lactation. Persistency has an impact on food costs, health, and fertility. Of these three components affected by persistency, the impact of persistency on health, i.e. metabolic stress of the cow leading to health problems, may be most important nowadays. Numerous suggestions for criteria of persistency exist. Often simple ratios of part-lactation yields, e.g. the ratio of yield in the first and last 100 days of lactation, have been used. New approaches have used results from the application of random regression test day models developed for the genetic evaluation of yield traits. Many studies unfortunately have neglected the effect of gestation on persistency but acknowledged that an improved persistency should lead to an improved reproductive performance. Both relationships should be considered in genetic analyses and recommendations for improvement of management decisions. Today the correct description of persistency plays a prominent rôle to obtain correct genetic evaluations based on test day yields. But, although apparently trivial, a direct genetic analysis of lactation persistency and even more an inclusion of this trait into selection programmes clearly is a complicated task. A reason for this, amongst others, is that management strategies for feeding during the lactation and handling of the reproductive performance that are most often not recorded, are likely to mask the real persistency. Future studies on the genetics of persistency should also seek a strong interaction of geneticists and physiologists as persistency is fundamentally confounded with the problem of metabolic stress. Today, a recommendation of the inclusion of persistency in selection programmes appears to be premature and more studies, e. g. on the association of persistency with longevity, could aid in this process.
Relationships between body weight, body measurements and milk yield in Holstein heifers
Authors: Koenen E. P. C. , van der Linde C. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractFive size traits (body weight, heart girth, hip height, body depth and rump width) and three yield traits (milk, fat and protein) of 7192 heifers were analysed on a monthly and 305-day lactation basis. The additive genetic variation was moderate to high and changed over time. Correlations between observations measured in different months were all >0.89. Covariance methodology was used to reduce the number of parameters to estimate the variance components. Correlations between size and yield traits ranged from -0.14 to 0.26; this study did not indicate that these correlations were time-dependent.
Expression of extracellular matrix proteins in solear tissues of Holstein-Friesian dairy cattle
Authors: Crespo R. , Galbraith H. , Finn D. 
Published: June 2019

AbstractHorizontal and vertical histological sections were prepared from cores taken post mortem at the sole/bulb junction of the distal surface of the claw of Holstein-Friesian cattle. Immunohistochemistry was performed on the sections using the Vectastain Elite® (anti-mouse IgG) peroxidase ABC method (Vector Laboratories Ltd) using 3, 3′-diaminobenzidine as substrate and mouse-derived primary antibodies against collagen I (bovine); collagen VII (human), collagen IV (human) and fibronectin (human). The sections were counterstained with toluidine blue. Captured colour images were prepared and transformed for presentation into 256 shades of grey using Openlab software (Improvion Ltd). The staining of the tissue sections, on comparison with negative controls, produced typical evidence of expression of collagens I, IV and fibronectin distributed throughout the upper dermis and dermal papillae. In contrast, the collagen VII signal was localized at the dermal/epidermal junction consistent with its rôle in the fibril network that attaches the basement membrane to the dermis. Collagens and fibronectin are recognized to have important rôles in maintaining structural integrity and function in other tissues. Following this identification, their rôle in the development of lesions in the bovine claw will be investigated further.
There and Back Again: Zeitoper and the Transatlantic Search for a Uniquely American Opera in the 1920s
Authors: GABRIEL JOHN 
Published: June 2019

AbstractThis article argues that in the late 1920s, the German genre of Zeitoper paradoxically became an essential component of the search for a new kind of uniquely American opera, resulting in a transatlantic cycle of mutual influence. This influence was possible because Germans and Americans alike saw the United States as the embodiment of modern life and technology. American producers and composers thus adapted German Zeitoper to bring it more in line with Americans’ self-image. I examine this dynamic by juxtaposing two German and two American Zeitopern, looking specifically at their engagement with jazz, film, race, and American popular musical theater: Paul Hindemith's Hin und zurück, Marc Blitzstein's Triple-Sec (inspired by Hindemith's opera), Ernst Krenek's Jonny spielt auf in the United States, and the unsuccessful effort to stage George Antheil's Transatlantic (modeled on Jonny and revised under the mentorship of Krenek) in New York. Both Germans’ image of America and Americans’ self-image were as much real as imagined, and although the similarities between them facilitated this cultural exchange, their differences also impeded it.
The effect of equi-molar dietary betaine and choline addition on performance and carcass quality of pigs
Authors: Siljander-Rasi H. , Tiihonen K. , Peuranen S. , Simmins P.H. 
Published: June 2019

Betaine has three chemically reactive methyl groups attached to the nitrogen atom of the glycine molecule. Therefore, it can be used as a methyl group donor partially to replace methionine in poultry and pig diets. Recent work also suggests that betaine has an energy sparing role by reducing maintenance requirement of the pig (Schrama and Gerrits, 2000). Betaine has improved performance and carcass leanness in some studies but the results are variable and seem to depend on age and sex of the animal, feeding level and diet composition.Choline can also be used as methyl donor in animal feeds. In poultry, methyl groups are available after the conversion to betaine in the liver. However, dietary betaine is twice as efficient as the equi-molar dietary choline for increasing liver betaine levels in broiler chick (Saarinen et al., 2000). The aim of this study was to compare the response of pigs fed equi-molar betaine and choline in terms of pig performance and carcass characteristics.
Meat Structure and Quality
Authors: Purslow Peter 
Published: June 2019

This abstract is built from the work of many members of our research group in Copenhagen. The names in brackets indicate the main people involved in each element of the reported resultsFor most common meats, the most important aspects of eating quality that determine overall acceptability are taste (flavour), texture (especially toughness/tenderness) and juiciness (water-holding). Unexplained variations in tenderness and water-holding are two of the consistent problems in the industry and sources of consumer dissatisfaction. A basic understanding of the causes of variability in toughness and water-holding is therefore important to the meat industry, because an understanding of the mechanisms controlling these aspects of eating and processing quality is desirable if we are to reduce undesirable variations and ensure high acceptability. Despite considerable research in the last century, we have met with only partial success in explaining the causes of such variations. This warns us that the complete picture is multivariate and complex. Toughness and water-holding are in fact both properties determined at several levels of structure within muscle tissue, from the molecular, through to macroscopic. Our current programme of research contains several related areas of work which aim to further our understanding of the structural mechanisms at several levels of organisation which cause variations in tenderness and water-holding of whole meat.
Animal Rights and Wrongs
Authors: Scruton R 
Published: June 2019

Animals are an object of concern, and, as we extend our control over the earth’s resources, ever more so.The old way of distinguishing humans from other animals - in terms of the soul, God’s purpose, and the after-life - is no longer universally accepted, and the Darwinian theory of species has unsettled people’s moral perceptions. Is there any way of making the distinction between humans and other animals, therefore, that could recommend itself to modern, secular, sceptical people who believe nevertheless in the difference between right and wrong?