pinecone/core-2020-05-10-deduplication huggingface dataset:
Comparative digestion studies in wild suids at Rotterdam Zoo

Among the artiodactyla, the suids are a group whose digestive physiology has hardly been investigated. The apparent digestibilities (aD) of macronutrients were measured in captive specimens of warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), red river hog (Potamochoerus porcus), and Visayan warty pigs (Sus cebifrons), and compared with those reported for babirusa (Babyrousa babyrussa) from the same facility on a similar diet. The animals were fed mixed diets of pelleted feed, grains, fruits, and vegetables; dietary neutral detergent fiber (NDF) ranged from 17 to 26% dry matter. aD of organic matter and protein ranged from 72 to 89 and 70 to 82%, respectively. Although red river hogs and warty pigs achieved aD of NDF of 41-54%, this value was higher both in warthogs (63-66%) and babirusa (61-63%). aD of acid detergent fiber was comparatively low in red river hogs (4%), warty pigs (22%), and babirusa (13-25%) but high in warthog (59-62%). Comparison with additional literature data (including peccaries) indicates that in spite of differences in digestive anatomy, suids and peccaries are similar, and resemble other herbivores in fundamental characteristics, such as the negative influence of fiber on overall digestibility, or the positive influence of dietary protein on protein digestion. Although the existing data are equivocal as to a superior fiber digestion in peccaries as compared with other wild suids, the results suggest that warthogs are more efficient than other wild suids or peccaries in terms of fiber digestion
Diet composition, food intake, body condition, and fecal consistency in captive tapirs (Tapirus spp.) in UK collections

Intake measurements were carried out in 22 tapirs from seven UK zoological collections. Dry matter intake (DMI) ranged from 48 to 86 g/kg0.75/d. Across collections, the highest proportion of the ingested diet consisted of pelleted feeds (including grains and bread) at 46 ± 17 %DMI, followed by commercial produce at 26 ± 12 %DMI, roughage (excluding browse) at 17 ± 11 %DMI, and browse at 11±11 %DMI. The proportion of roughage, crude protein, crude fiber and neutral detergent fiber levels in the diets investigated were well below levels recommended for domestic horses and other ungulates. Intakes of digestible energy as estimated from food nutrients using of a standard equation for domestic horses ranged from 0.58 to 0.88 MJ DE/kg0.75/d, with many individuals exceeding the assumed maintenance requirement of 0.6 MJ DE/kg0.75/d for hindgut fermenters. At values exceeding this DE intake, animals had higher than ideal body condition scores (BCS). Animals with higher BCS (i.e. more obese animals) generally had higher fecal scores (FS) (i.e. softer feces), and both BCS and FS were positively correlated to DMI and calculated DE intake. This suggests that the population studied was generally overfed, with resulting obesity and softer fecal consistency. The use of highly digestible feeds such as commercial produce and pelleted feeds should be restricted in the diets of these animals and roughage intake promoted in order to attempt to achieve normal BCS and FS in this captive population
Feeding live prey to zoo animals: response of zoo visitors in Switzerland

In summer 2007, with the help of a written questionnaire, the attitudes of more than 400 visitors to the zoological garden of Zurich, Switzerland, toward the idea of feeding live insects to lizards, live fish to otters, and live rabbits to tigers were investigated. The majority of Swiss zoo visitors agreed with the idea of feeding live prey (invertebrates and vertebrates) to zoo animals, both off- and on-exhibit, except in the case of feeding live rabbits to tigers on-exhibit. Women and frequent visitors of the zoo disagreed more often with the on-exhibit feeding of live rabbits to tigers. Study participants with a higher level of education were more likely to agree with the idea of feeding live invertebrates and vertebrates to zoo animals\ud
off-exhibit. In comparison to an earlier study undertaken in Scotland, zoo visitors in Switzerland were more often in favor of the live feeding of vertebrates. Feeding live prey can counter the loss of hunting skills of carnivores and improve the animals’ well-being. However, feeding enrichments have to strike a balance between optimal living conditions of animals and the quality of visitor experience.\ud
Our results show that such a balance can be found, especially when live feeding of mammals is carried out off-exhibit. A good interpretation of food enrichment might help zoos to win more support for the issue, and for re-introduction programs and conservation
Body size development of captive and free-ranging Leopard tortoises (Geochelone pardalis)

The growth and weight development of Leopard tortoise hatchings (Geochelone pardalis) kept at the Al Wabra Wildlife Preservation (AWWP), Qatar, was observed for more than four years, and compared to data in literature for freeranging animals on body weight or carapace measurements. The results document a distinctively faster growth in the captive animals. Indications for the same phenomenon in other tortoise species (Galapagos giant tortoises, G. nigra; Spurthighed tortoises, Testudo graeca; Desert tortoises, Gopherus agassizi) were found in the literature. The cause of the high growth rate most likely is the constant provision with highly digestible food of low fiber content. Increased growth rates are suspected to have negative consequences such as obesity, high mortality, gastrointestinal illnesses, renal diseases, ‘‘pyramiding,’’ fibrous osteodystrophy or metabolic bone disease. The apparently widespread occurrence of high growth rates in intensively managed tortoises underlines how easily ectothermic animals can be oversupplemented with nutrients
Carnivorous mammals: nutrient digestibility and energy evaluation

Estimating the energy content is the first step in diet formulation, as it determines the amount of food eaten and hence the concentration of nutrients required to meet the animal’s requirements. Additionally, being able to estimate the energy content of a diet empirically known to maintain body condition in an animal will facilitate an estimation of maintenance energy requirements. We collated data on nutrient composition of diets fed to captive wild canids, felids, hyenids, mustelids, pinnipeds, and ursids and the digestibility coefficients from the literature (45 species, 74 publications) to test whether differences in protein and fat digestibility could be detected between species groups, and whether approaches suggested for the estimation of dietary metabolizable energy (ME) content in domestic carnivores (NRC [2006] Nutrient requirements of dogs and cats. Washington, DC: National Academy Press.) can be applied to wild carnivores as well. Regressions of digestible protein or fat content vs. the crude protein (CP) or fat content indicated no relevant differences in the digestive physiology between the carnivore groups. For diets based on raw meat, fish, or whole prey, applying the calculation of ME using ‘‘Atwater factors’’ (16.7 kJ/g CP; 16.7 kJ/g nitrogen-free extracts; 37.7 kJ/g crude fat) provided estimates that compared well to experimental results. This study suggests that ME estimation in such diets is feasible without additional digestion trials. For comparative nutrition research, the study implicates that highly digestible diets typically fed in zoos offer little potential to elucidate differences between species or carnivore groups, but research on diets with higher proportions of difficult-to-digest components (fiber,connective tissues) is lacking
Captive breeding does not alter brain volume in a marsupial over a few generations

Many marsupials are listed as either endangered or critically endangered in\ud
Australia, and captive breeding has been identified as a major strategy in the\ud
conservation and management of some of these species [e.g. Wilson et al., 2003].\ud
It is thus very important to determine the effects of captive breeding on the\ud
marsupial brain.\ud
Here, we investigate the impacts of short-term captive breeding (up to seven\ud
generations) on brain size in a small dasyurid marsupial, the stripe-faced dunnart\ud
(Sminthopsis macroura), to determine the suitability of captive breeding as a source\ud
of animals for marsupial reintroductions
Digestive physiology of the plains viscacha (Lagostomus maximus): a large herbivorous hystricomorph rodent

Plains viscachas (Lagostomus maximus) are large South American, fossorial rodents susceptible to diabetic cataracts. Various aspects of their digestive physiology were studied in three different experiments with 9 male and 7 female adult animals and 6 different diets (total n of feeding trials = 35). Viscachas achieved mean retention times of 23-31h, which is of a magnitude also recorded in horses; these did not differ for solute or small particle (<2mm) markers. Secondary marker excretion peaks indicated coprophagy, and were rarer on high-protein as compared to grass hay-only diets. Mean resting metabolic rate was, at 229 kJ/kg0.75/d, lower than expected for a mammal of this size. Digestible energy requirement for maintenance was 445 kJ/kg0.75/d. At 1.6-2.7 L/d, viscachas produced more methane than expected for a hindgut fermenter of their size. On diets that included concentrate feeds, viscachas excreted glucose in their urine, corroborating reports on the susceptibility of this species for diabetes when kept on energy-dense food. Viscachas had a similar apparent digestibility of protein, lipids, and macrominerals as other rodents, rabbits, or domestic horses. This suggests that whether or not a species practices coprophagy does not have a major influence on these measures. Viscachas resemble other hindgut fermenters in their high apparent calcium digestibility. With respect to a digestibility-reducing effect of dietary fiber, viscachas differed from rabbits and guinea pigs but were similar to horses, suggesting that small body size needs not necessarily be linked to lower digestive efficiency on high-fiber diets
Comparison of the genetic variation of captive ring-tailed lemurs with a wild population in Madagascar

Genetic variability among captive and wild ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) was assessed using mitochondrial and nuclear DNA data. A 529 bp segment of mtDNA was sequenced and 9 microsatellite loci were genotyped for 286 ring-tailed lemurs. Samples were obtained from the well-studied L. catta population at the Bezà Mahafaly Special Reserve and from captive animals at six institutions worldwide. We found evidence of possible patrilineal contribution but the absence of matrilineal contribution from the Bezà area, and haplotypes not found in Bezà but present in Ambohimahavelona, Andringitra Massif, and other unknown locations, in the sampled captive population, indicating that the founders of the captive population originated from a wide geographic range. Total genetic variation and relatedness in captive L. catta in the six institutions were similar in extent to that of the wild population in Bezà. Based on the diverse origins of the captive population founders our results suggest the erosion of genetic diversity in the captive population. Sampled individuals from the same institution were more closely related to each other than members of a social group in the wild. Individuals housed at different institutions were less closely related than those of different social groups at Bezà, indicating lower genetic exchange between captive institutions than between social groups in a locality in the wild. Our findings underscore the usefulness of genotyping in determining the geographic origin of captive population founders, obtaining pedigree information if paternity is uncertain, and in maximizing preservation of extant genetic diversity in captivity
A global survey of banteng (Bos javanicus) housing and husbandry

Banteng (Bos javanicus) are an example of a species of conservation concern without current “best practice” guidance, as they have been the focus of little applied husbandry research. Despite their elevated conservation status, and established, increasing global captive population, zoos do not yet have information on optimal husbandry. To help address this problem, a husbandry survey was distributed to all global holders of banteng. Questions focused on herd demographic structure, exhibit features (including mixed-species exhibition), dietary provision, and behavioral management. Completed surveys from 16 zoos enabled analysis of contemporary practice between institutions. Results indicate differences in enclosure size between zoos, and that herd size is unlikely to predict enclosure size. Herd sizes are smaller than wild examples, and enclosure space (per animal) is significantly smaller than a potential wild range. Banteng are frequently maintained successfully in mixed species exhibits alongside a wide range of other taxa. Nutrient analysis focused on fiber and protein, and although provision of these nutrients appears comparable between zoos, more work is needed on browse and forage intake to determine overall diet suitability. Behavior management shows variation between zoos, with numerous collections providing browse but only a minority undertaking training, and not all providing enrichment. The overall diversity in findings between zoos suggest future research areas that should focus on key aspects of behavioral ecology, such as wild foraging behavior, food plant selection and day/night activity patterns, which may help underpin husbandry guidelines and excellent animal welfare
Observational asteroseismology of hot subdwarf stars

Hot subdwarf stars are particularly challenging for asteroseismology due to
their rapid pulsation periods, intrinsic faintness and relative rarity both in
the field and in clusters. These features have ensured that the preferred
method of observation up to now has been white-light photometry, and all
asteroseismological solutions to date have been made by model fitting of the
frequency spectrum. Several attempts have been made to perform asteroseismology
using time-resolved spectroscopy on the brightest of these stars, but with
modest results. A few attempts at simultaneous multi-color photometry have also
been made to identify modes with the amplitude ratio method. We will review the
most recent observational results and progress in improving the observational
methods for ground-based asteroseismology of these compact pulsators.Comment: 8 pages, to appear in Astronomische Nachrichten, Vol. 331, 102
Matchings and Δ-Matroids with Coefficients

AbstractΔ-matroids are set systemsM=(E, F) for a finite setEand ∅≠F⊆P(E) which may be characterized by some variant of the Greedy algorithm for solving optimization problems. This paper is devoted to the examination of the particular subclass of Δ-matroids induced by simple graphs. It is shown that these Δ-matroids are representable over fields of any characteristic and that weightings defined on the edge set and with values in some linearly ordered abelian group give rise to valuated Δ-matroids; these may also be characterized by some different variant of the Greedy algorithm. Moreover, the structure of the Tutte group of Δ-matroids induced by graphs is completely determined
Optimal Adaptive Policies for Sequential Allocation Problems

AbstractConsider the problem of sequential sampling frommstatistical populations to maximize the expected sum of outcomes in the long run. Under suitable assumptions on the unknown parameters[formula], it is shown that there exists a classCRof adaptive policies with the following properties: (i) The expectednhorizon reward[formula]under any policy π0inCRis equal to[formula], asn→∞, where[formula]is the largest population mean and[formula]is a constant. (ii) Policies inCRare asymptotically optimal within a larger classCUFof “uniformly fast convergent” policies in the sense that[formula], for any π∈CUFand any[formula]such that[formula]. Policies inCRare specified via easily computable indices, defined as unique solutions to dual problems that arise naturally from the functional form of[formula]. In addition, the assumptions are verified for populations specified by nonparametric discrete univariate distributions with finite support. In the case of normal populations with unknown means and variances, we leave as an open problem the verification of one assumption
MacMahon's Master Theorem, Double Tableau Polynomials, and Representations of Groups

AbstractIt is shown that MacMahon's master theorem gives the diagonal elements of a class of irreducible representations of the general linear group,Gl(n,C), and hence the trace of these representations, or the group characters. These representations are unitary under restriction to the unitary subgroup and constitute the so-called totally symmetric representations. A generalization of MacMahon's master theorem that generates the elements of the representation matrix themselves is given. These relations for groups are, in fact, more general in that they apply to arbitrary matrices of indeterminates. These results are proved by using the properties of a class of Young–Weyl tableau polynomials defined overn2indeterminates. Forn=2, two sets of basic polynomials are defined in terms of Young–Weyl tableaux. The first set corresponds to the unitary irreducible representations of U(2), as defined in the physics literature and whose properties comprise a substantive part of what is known as the quantum theory of angular momentum; the second set is Rota's double standard tableau polynomials. These two sets of polynomials span the same space, and a comprehensive set of relations between them is given. A further generalization of MacMahon's master theorem pertaining to the general polynomial representations ofGL(n,C), as enumerated by partitions, is conjectured and is shown to contain the classical Schur function generating function as a special case
Partial Fields and Matroid Representation

AbstractA partial fieldPis an algebraic structure that behaves very much like a field except that addition is a partial binary operation, that is, for somea,b∈P,a+bmay not be defined. We develop a theory of matroid representation over partial fields. It is shown that many important classes of matroids arise as the class of matroids representable over a partial field. The matroids representable over a partial field are closed under standard matroid operations such as the taking of minors, duals, direct sums, and 2-sums. Homomorphisms of partial fields are defined. It is shown that if ϕ:P1→P2is a non-trivial partial-field homomorphism, then every matroid representable overP1is representable overP2. The connection with Dowling group geometries is examined. It is shown that ifGis a finite abelian group, andr>2, then there exists a partial field over which the rank-rDowling group geometry is representable if and only ifGhas at most one element of order 2, that is, ifGis a group in which the identity has at most two square roots
On Ascertaining Inductively the Dimension of the Joint Kernel of Certain Commuting Linear Operators

AbstractGiven an index setX, a collection3of subsets ofX(all of the same cardinality), and a collection {lx}x∈Xof commuting linear maps on some linear space, the family of linear operators whose joint kernelK=K(4) is sought consists of alllA≔∏a∈AlawithAany subset ofXwhich intersects everyB∈5. The goal is to establish conditions, on6andl, which ensure that dimK(7)=∑B∈8dimK({B}), or, at least, one or the other of the two inequalities contained in this equality. Concrete instances of this problem arise in box spline theory, and specific conditions onlwere given by Dahmen and Micchelli for the case that9consists of the bases of a matroid. We give a new approach to this problem and establish the inequalities and the equality under various rather weak conditions on10andl. These conditions involve the solvability of certain linear systems of the formlb?=φb,b∈B, withB∈11, and the existence of “placeable” elements ofX, i.e., ofx∈Xfor which everyB∈12not containingxhas all but one element in common with someB′∈13containingx
On Multivariate Splines, Matroids, and the Ext-Functor

AbstractVarious important issues in the theory of multivariate splines lead to the following problem. Given some family of commuting endomorphismsLx,x∈X, on some vector spaceS, determine the dimension of the intersection of null spaces of certain products ∏v∈VLλvv,V⊂X, of these endomorphisms. In this paper we reinterpret such problems in the general framework of homological algebra. This allows us not only to rederive the results by Dahmen and Micchelli (Adv. in Math.76,1989, 33–93), as well as some related recent results by de Boor and Ron, Shen, Jia, and Riemenschneider, but also to extend them in various directions that are not accessible by the techniques employed in these papers
An Involution of the Variety of Flags Fixed by a Unipotent Linear Transformation

AbstractLetFbe the variety of full flags in2nand letG=GLn(3). Supposeuis a unipotent element inGand letFudenote the subvariety ofFconsisting of flags fixed byu. We define an involution, ρ, ofFu, and investigate its properties. It is known that ifuis in Jordan form, then there is a right cell,C, inSncanonically associated withu, and thatCindexes the irreducible components ofFu. In this paper, the elements inCare characterized in several ways. These characterizations are used to determine the action of ρ on the set of irreducible components ofFuand to show that ρ is the restriction toCof an involution of the generic Hecke algebra defined by Mathas. It is also shown that ρ intertwines maps fromFuto the set of standard Young tableaux defined by Spaltenstein and Steinberg
Matroids with No (q+2)-Point-Line Minors

AbstractIt is known that a geometry with rankrand no minor isomorphic to the (q+2)-point line has at most (qr−1)/(q−1) points, with strictly fewer points ifr>3 andqis not a prime power. Forqnot a prime power andr>3, we show thatqr−1−1 is an upper bound. Forqa prime power andr>3, we show that any rank-rgeometry with at leastqr−1points and no (q+2)-point-line minor is representable overGF(q). We strengthen these bounds toqr−1−(qr−2−1)/(q−1)−1 andqr−1−(qr−2−1)/(q−1) respectively whenqis odd. We give an application to unique representability and a new proof of Tutte's theorem: A matroid is binary if and only if the 4-point line is not a minor
Multidimensional Cooley–Tukey Algorithms Revisited

AbstractThe representation theory of Abelian groups is used to obtain an algebraic divide-and-conquer algorithm for computing the finite Fourier transform. The algorithm computes the Fourier transform of a finite Abelian group in terms of the Fourier transforms of an arbitrary subgroup and its quotient. From this algebraic algorithm a procedure is derived for obtaining concrete factorizations of the Fourier transform matrix in terms of smaller Fourier transform matrices, diagonal multiplications, and permutations. For cyclic groups this gives as special cases the Cooley–Tukey and Good–Thomas algorithms. For groups with several generators, the procedure gives a variety of multidimensional Cooley–Tukey type algorithms. This method of designing multidimensional fast Fourier transform algorithms gives different data flow patterns from the standard “row–column” approaches. We present some experimental evidence that suggests that in hierarchical memory environments these data flows are more efficient