The politics of punishment in colonial Mauritius, 1766-1887

The history of imprisonment in British colonial Mauritius is intertwined with its political economy, most especially the relationship between metropolitan government and plantation owners. Whether labour was predominantly enslaved, apprenticed or indentured, incarceration was part of a broader process through which the regulation of the colonial workforce was taken from the private to the public sphere and became associated with economic development. Nevertheless, prisoners both challenged and used prison regimes as vehicles for the improvement of their lives. Mauritian jails were intensely political arenas in which the changing nature of colonial relations and the regulation of labour was both expressed and contested

Regulation of protein synthesis in mammary glands of lactating dairy cows by starch and amino acids

The objective of this study was to evaluate local molecular adaptations proposed to regulate protein synthesis in the mammary glands. It was hypothesized that AA and energy-yielding substrates independently regulate AA metabolism and protein synthesis in mammary glands by a combination of systemic and local mechanisms. Six primiparous mid-lactation Holstein cows with ruminal cannulas were randomly assigned to 4 treatment sequences in a replicated incomplete 4 x 4 Latin square design experiment. Treatments were abomasal infusions of casein and starch in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. All animals received the same basal diet (17.6% crude protein and 6.61 MJ of net energy for lactation/kg of DM) throughout the study. Cows were restricted to 70% of ad libitum intake and abomasally infused for 36 h with water, casein (0.86 kg/d), starch (2 kg/d), or a combination (2 kg/d starch + 0.86 kg/d casein) using peristaltic pumps. Milk yields and composition were assessed throughout the study. Arterial and venous plasma samples were collected every 20 min during the last 8 h of infusion to assess mammary uptake. Mammary biopsy samples were collected at the end of each infusion and assessed for the phosphorylation state of selected intracellular signaling molecules that regulate protein synthesis. Animals infused with casein had increased arterial concentrations of AA, increased mammary extraction of AA from plasma, either no change or a trend for reduced mammary AA clearance rates, and no change in milk protein yield. Animals infused with starch had increased milk and milk protein yields, increased mammary plasma flow, reduced arterial concentrations of AA, and increased mammary clearance rates and net uptake of some AA. Infusions of starch increased plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-I. Starch infusions increased phosphorylation of ribosomal protein S6 and endothelial nitric oxide synthase, consistent with changes in milk protein yields and plasma flow, respectively. Phosphorylation of the mammalian target of rapamycin was increased in response to starch only when casein was also infused. Thus, cell signaling molecules involved in the regulation of protein synthesis differentially responded to these nutritional stimuli. The hypothesized independent effects of casein and starch on animal metabolism and cell signaling were not observed, presumably because of the lack of a milk protein response to infused casein

Methane and nitrous oxide emissions from Canadian dairy farms and mitigation options: An updated review

This review examined methane (CH4) and nitrous oxide (N2O) mitigation strategies for Canadian dairy farms. The primary focus was research conducted in Canada and cold climatic regions with similar dairy systems. Meta-analyses were conducted to assess the impact of a given strategy when sufficient data were available. Results indicated that options to reduce enteric CH4 from dairy cows were increasing the dietary starch content and dietary lipid supplementation. Replacing barley or alfalfa silage with corn silage with higher starch content decreased enteric CH4 per unit of milk by 6%. Increasing dietary lipids from 3% to 6% of dry matter (DM) reduced enteric CH4 yield by 9%. Strategies such as nitrate supplementation and 3-nitrooxypropanol additive indicated potential for reducing enteric CH4 by about 30% but require extensive research on toxicology and consumer acceptance. Strategies to reduce emissions from manure are anaerobic digestion, composting, solid-liquid separation, covering slurry storage and flaring CH4, and reducing methanogen inoculum by complete emptying of slurry storage at spring application. These strategies have potential to reduce emissions from manure by up to 50%. An integrated approach of combining strategies through diet and manure management is necessary for significant GHG mitigation and lowering carbon footprint of milk produced in Canada

Beginning to offer drinking water at birth increases the species richness and the abundance of Faecalibacterium and Bifidobacterium in the gut of preweaned dairy calves

We previously demonstrated that dairy calves having access to drinking water since birth (W0) achieved greater body weight, fiber digestibility, and feed efficiency than those that first received drinking water at 17 d of age (W17). Since gut microbiota composition could be linked to growth and development of animals, the objective of this study was to examine the effect of offering drinking water to newborn calves on composition of bacteria in the gut using a fecal microbiota analysis. Fresh feces were collected directly from the rectum of calves in W0 (n = 14) and W17 (n = 15) at 2, 6, and 10 wk of age. All of the calves were fed pasteurized waste milk, weaned at 7 wk of age, and offered tap water according to the treatment. The DNA was sequenced using 16S rRNA gene-amplicon sequencing on an Illumina MiSeq system (Illumina Inc., San Diego, CA). The sequences were clustered into operational taxonomic units (OTU) with a 99% similarity threshold. Treatment effects on α-diversity indices and relative abundance of the 10 most abundant genera were analyzed using GLIMMIX procedure of SAS (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC). Statistical significance (q-value) of treatment effects on the 50 most abundant OTU was determined with a false discovery rate analysis. At 2 wk of age, W0 had a greater number of observed OTU (5,908 vs. 4,698) and species richness (Chao 1 index) than W17. The number of OTU and richness indices increased from wk 2 to 6, but the increment of W17 was greater than that of W0. The Shannon and inverse-Simpson indices increased linearly with age, but no difference was observed between W0 and W17 at any time point. The Firmicutes to Bacteroidetes ratios were also similar at every time point but decreased markedly when calves were weaned. The relative abundance of genera Faecalibacterium and Bacteroides was greater in W0 than W17 at 2 wk of age. The genus Faecalibacterium continued to be more abundant in W0 than W17 at 6 wk of age but had similar abundance 3 wk after weaning (10 wk of age). The abundance of Faecalibacterium at wk 6 was positively correlated with apparent total-tract digestibility of acid detergent fiber at 10 wk of age. Calves receiving water since birth had greater abundance of OTU related to Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, and Bifidobacterium breve at 6 wk of age (q \u3c 0.085). These species are known to improve growth in preweaned calves. The abundance of none of the genera and OTU was different between W0 at W17 at 10 wk of age (q \u3e 0.100). Overall, beginning to offer drinking water at birth has a potential to modulate gut microbiota composition and thereby positively affect performance of young dairy heifer calves (≤10 wk of age)

A mathematical model for determining age-specific diabetes incidence and prevalence using body mass index

PurposeFew models have been developed specifically for the epidemiology of diabetes. Diabetes incidence is critical in predicting diabetes prevalence. However, reliable estimates of disease incidence rates are difficult to obtain. The aim of this study was to propose a mathematical framework for predicting diabetes prevalence using incidence rates estimated within the model using body mass index (BMI) data.MethodsA generic mechanistic model was proposed considering birth, death, migration, aging, and diabetes incidence dynamics. Diabetes incidence rates were determined within the model using their relationships with BMI represented by the Hill equation. The Hill equation parameters were estimated by fitting the model to National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999-2010 data and used to predict diabetes prevalence pertaining to each NHANES survey year. The prevalences were also predicted using diabetes incidence rates calculated from the NHANES data themselves. The model was used to estimate death rate parameters and to quantify sensitivities of prevalence to each population dynamic.ResultsThe model using incidence rate estimates from the Hill equations successfully predicted diabetes prevalence of younger, middle-aged, and older adults (prediction error, 20.0%, 9.64%, and 7.58% respectively). Diabetes prevalence was positively associated with diabetes incidence in every age group, but the associations among younger adults were stronger. In contrast, diabetes prevalence was more sensitive to death rates in older adults than younger adults. Both diabetes incidence and prevalence were strongly sensitive to BMI at younger ages, but sensitivity gradually declined as age progressed. Younger and middle aged adults diagnosed with diabetes had at least a two-fold greater risk of death than their nondiabetic counterparts. Nondiabetic older adults were found to be under slightly higher death risk (0.079) than those diagnosed with diabetes (0.073).ConclusionsThe proposed model predicts diagnosed diabetes incidence and prevalence reasonably well using the link between BMI and diabetes development risk. Ethnic group and gender-specific model parameter estimates could further improve predictions. Model prediction accuracy and applicability need to be comprehensively evaluated with independent data sets

We should not be complacent about our population-based public health response to the first influenza pandemic of the 21st century

Background: More than a year after an influenza pandemic was declared in June 2009, the World Health Organization declared the pandemic to be over. Evaluations of the pandemic response are beginning to appear in the public domain. Discussion. We argue that, despite the enormous effort made to control the pandemic, it is now time to acknowledge that many of the population-based public health interventions may not have been well considered. Prior to the pandemic, there was limited scientific evidence to support border control measures. In particular no border screening measures would have detected prodromal or asymptomatic infections, and asymptomatic infections with pandemic influenza were common. School closures, when they were partial or of short duration, would not have interrupted spread of the virus in school-aged children, the group with the highest rate of infection worldwide. In most countries where they were available, neuraminidase inhibitors were not distributed quickly enough to have had an effect at the population level, although they will have benefited individuals, and prophylaxis within closed communities will have been effective. A pandemic specific vaccine will have protected the people who received it, although in most countries only a small minority was vaccinated, and often a small minority of those most at risk. The pandemic vaccine was generally not available early enough to have influenced the shape of the first pandemic wave and it is likely that any future pandemic vaccine manufactured using current technology will also be available too late, at least in one hemisphere. Summary. Border screening, school closure, widespread anti-viral prophylaxis and a pandemic-specific vaccine were unlikely to have been effective during a pandemic which was less severe than anticipated in the pandemic plans of many countries. These were cornerstones of the population-based public health response. Similar responses would be even less likely to be effective in a more severe pandemic. We agree with the recommendation from the World Health Organisation that pandemic preparedness plans need review

Effects of diet and exercise interventions on diabetes risk factors in adults without diabetes: meta-analyses of controlled trials

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Fasting insulin (FI), fasting glucose (FG), systolic blood pressure (SBP), high density lipoproteins (HDL), triacylglycerides (TAG), and body mass index (BMI) are well-known risk factors for type 2 diabetes. Reliable estimates of lifestyle intervention effects on these factors allow diabetes risk to be predicted accurately. The present meta-analyses were conducted to quantitatively summarize effects of diet and exercise intervention programs on FI, FG, SBP, HDL, TAG and BMI in adults without diabetes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched to find studies involving diet plus exercise interventions. Studies were required to use adults not diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, involve both dietary and exercise counseling, and include changes in diabetes risk factors as outcome measures. Data from 18, 24, 23, 30, 29 and 29 studies were used for the analyses of FI, FG, SBP, HDL, TAG and BMI, respectively. About 60% of the studies included exclusively overweight or obese adults. Mean age and BMI of participants at baseline were 48 years and 30.1 kg/m(2). Heterogeneity of intervention effects was first estimated using random-effect models and explained further with mixed-effects models. RESULTS: Adults receiving diet and exercise education for approximately one year experienced significant (P <0.001) reductions in FI (-2.56 ± 0.58 mU/L), FG (-0.18 ± 0.04 mmol/L), SBP (-2.77 ± 0.56 mm Hg), TAG (-0.258 ± 0.037 mmol/L) and BMI (-1.61 ± 0.13 kg/m(2)). These risk factor changes were related to a mean calorie intake reduction of 273 kcal/d, a mean total fat intake reduction of 6.3%, and 40 minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise four times a week. Lifestyle intervention did not have an impact on HDL. More than 99% of total variability in the intervention effects was due to heterogeneity. Variability in calorie and fat intake restrictions, exercise type and duration, length of the intervention period, and the presence or absence of glucose, insulin, or lipid abnormalities explained 23-63% of the heterogeneity. CONCLUSIONS: Calorie and total fat intake restrictions coupled with moderate intensity aerobic exercises significantly improved diabetes risk factors in healthy normoglycemic adults although normoglycemic adults with glucose, insulin, and lipid abnormalities appear to benefit more

Estimated breeding values and association mapping for persistency and total milk yield using natural cubic smoothing splines

BackgroundFor dairy producers, a reliable description of lactation curves is a valuable tool for management and selection. From a breeding and production viewpoint, milk yield persistency and total milk yield are important traits. Understanding the genetic drivers for the phenotypic variation of both these traits could provide a means for improving these traits in commercial production.MethodsIt has been shown that Natural Cubic Smoothing Splines (NCSS) can model the features of lactation curves with greater flexibility than the traditional parametric methods. NCSS were used to model the sire effect on the lactation curves of cows. The sire solutions for persistency and total milk yield were derived using NCSS and a whole-genome approach based on a hierarchical model was developed for a large association study using single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP).ResultsEstimated sire breeding values (EBV) for persistency and milk yield were calculated using NCSS. Persistency EBV were correlated with peak yield but not with total milk yield. Several SNP were found to be associated with both traits and these were used to identify candidate genes for further investigation.ConclusionNCSS can be used to estimate EBV for lactation persistency and total milk yield, which in turn can be used in whole-genome association studies.Klara L. Verbyla and Arunas P. Verbyl

Bovine Host Genetic Variation Influences Rumen Microbial Methane Production with Best Selection Criterion for Low Methane Emitting and Efficiently Feed Converting Hosts based on Metagenomic Gene Abundance

Methane produced by methanogenic archaea in ruminants contributes significantly to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. The host genetic link controlling microbial methane production is unknown and appropriate genetic selection strategies are not developed. We used sire progeny group differences to estimate the host genetic influence on rumen microbial methane production in a factorial experiment consisting of crossbred breed types and diets. Rumen metagenomic profiling was undertaken to investigate links between microbial genes and methane emissions or feed conversion efficiency. Sire progeny groups differed significantly in their methane emissions measured in respiration chambers. Ranking of the sire progeny groups based on methane emissions or relative archaeal abundance was consistent overall and within diet, suggesting that archaeal abundance in ruminal digesta is under host genetic control and can be used to genetically select animals without measuring methane directly. In the metagenomic analysis of rumen contents, we identified 3970 microbial genes of which 20 and 49 genes were significantly associated with methane emissions and feed conversion efficiency respectively. These explained 81% and 86% of the respective variation and were clustered in distinct functional gene networks. Methanogenesis genes (e.g. mcrA and fmdB) were associated with methane emissions, whilst host-microbiome cross talk genes (e.g. TSTA3 and FucI) were associated with feed conversion efficiency. These results strengthen the idea that the host animal controls its own microbiota to a significant extent and open up the implementation of effective breeding strategies using rumen microbial gene abundance as a predictor for difficult-to-measure traits on a large number of hosts. Generally, the results provide a proof of principle to use the relative abundance of microbial genes in the gastrointestinal tract of different species to predict their influence on traits e.g. human metabolism, health and behaviour, as well as to understand the genetic link between host and microbiome