Current Advancements of and Future Developments for Fourth Party Logistics in a Digital Future

This paper aims to analyze the potential future of the 4PL concept based on expert opinions with special regard to the influence of digitalization coming with a disruptive trans-formation of supply chains. Service arrangements, provider capabilities and benefits resulting from a 4PL partnership are compared in current and future configurations. The research follows an explorative mixed methods approach with semi structured interviews followed by an expert panel. This builds a basis for an online survey questionnaire to inquire on important future aspects for the 4PL concept by a sample of respondents from multinational companies. Our results show a clear trend away from simply organizing transportation and logistics activities towards the provision of an IT platform as well as further value-added service activities such as planning, analytics and monitoring. Along with this, IT capabilities appear to be an important differentiator for 4PL providers in the future. Moreover, relationships between 4PL providers and their clients become closer and more strategic, which leads to a customer valuing not only direct cost reductions but rather improvements resulting from optimized operations through superior analysis and planning functions

Effect of Dietary Zinc Oxide on Morphological Characteristics, Mucin Composition and Gene Expression in the Colon of Weaned Piglets

The trace element zinc is often used in the diet of weaned piglets, as high doses have resulted in positive effects on intestinal health. However, the majority of previous studies evaluated zinc supplementations for a short period only and focused on the small intestine. The hypothesis of the present study was that low, medium and high levels of dietary zinc (57, 164 and 2,425 mg Zn/kg from zinc oxide) would affect colonic morphology and innate host defense mechanisms across 4 weeks post-weaning. Histological examinations were conducted regarding the colonic morphology and neutral, acidic, sialylated and sulphated mucins. The mRNA expression levels of mucin (MUC) 1, 2, 13, 20, toll-like receptor (TLR) 2, 4, interleukin (IL)-1β, 8, 10, interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) were also measured. The colonic crypt area increased in an age-depending manner, and the greatest area was found with medium concentration of dietary zinc. With the high concentration of dietary zinc, the number of goblet cells containing mixed neutral-acidic mucins and total mucins increased. Sialomucin containing goblet cells increased age-dependently. The expression of MUC2 increased with age and reached the highest level at 47 days of age. The expression levels of TLR2 and 4 decreased with age. The mRNA expression of TLR4 and the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-8 were down-regulated with high dietary zinc treatment, while piglets fed with medium dietary zinc had the highest expression. It is concluded that dietary zinc level had a clear impact on colonic morphology, mucin profiles and immunological traits in piglets after weaning. Those changes might support local defense mechanisms and affect colonic physiology and contribute to the reported reduction of post-weaning diarrhea

Prebiotics and Dietary Fibers from Food Processing By-Products

The abundance of agricultural wastes or by-products from industrial and domesti- Q1 cated food processing is the main cause of environment problems. These by-products are generally managed by disposal or even sold at a cheaper price. Disposal of these underutilized by-products are commonly done in inappropriate ways, i.e. discharge effluent into rivers or by burning in the open, which may cause air and water pollutions. Presently, scientific investigation on the benefits or functional properties of waste and by-products from industrial food processing, which produces a large amount of by-products, is necessary in the search for possible ways for their utilization (Vanesa et al., 2011). Three main groups of by-product from food processing, classified according to their main chemical compositions, are carbohydrate and dietary fibers, protein and lipids. The most common by-products are generated by the food industry, in particular the beverage, starch and flour industries. These items are classified under carbohydrate and dietary fiber groups. They are further divided into four sub-groups: monosaccharides, disaccharides, oligosaccharides and polysaccharides. Dietary fibers are a class of non-starch polysaccharides (i.e. cellulose, dextrins, chitins, pectins, β-glucans and waxes) and lignin, which are able to modulate the transit time through the gut. Thus, it provides similar beneficial effects to those of inulin-type fructans. These compounds are commonly found in many foods such as cereal, nuts etc. They are also partially susceptible to bacterial fermentation and may induce changes in bacterial populations, particularly in the numerous bifidobacteria and lactobacilli. These soluble dietary fibers have been shown to exert additional beneficial effects, for instance by improving gut barrier function in vitro and in vivo, which could be partially a consequence of their effect on the microflora composition (Laparra and Sanz, 2010)

Increased butyrate formation in the pig colon by feeding raw potato starch leads to a reduction of colonocyte apoptosis and a shift to the stem cell compartment.

Der Einfluß der Ernährung auf den Gesundheitszustand sowohl des Menschen als auch von landwirtschaftlichen Nutztieren ist ein aktuelles Forschungsgebiet. Von hohem Interesse sind in diesem Zusammenhang Komponenten natürlich vorkommender Nahrungsmittel, welche fördernd auf den Gesundheitszustand des Organismus wirken. In der Tierernährung werden positive Effekte prae- als auch probiotischer Inhaltsstoffe diskutiert, um aufbauend auf ihrer prophylaktischen Wirkung den Einsatz von Antibiotika zu verringern. In der Humanernährung wird aufgrund epidemiologischer Studien der Rohfaser in der Nahrung eine hemmende Wirkung auf die Coloncarcinogenese zugesprochen. Eine besondere Bedeutung spielen in diesem Zusammenhang die Short Chain Fatty Acids (SCFA), welche im Dickdarm durch Fermentation praecaecal unverdaulicher Kohlenhydrate entstehen. So führen z.B. reduzierte Gehalte an SCFA zu degenerativen Erscheinungen an der Darmmucosa. Vor allem Butyrat spielt eine zentrale Rolle, denn die Infusion von Butyrat kann die Regeneration einer atrophischen Colonschleimhaut induzieren. Neben diesen regenerativen Eigenschaften wird angenommen, daß speziell Butyrat vor Dickdarmkrebs schützt. Um die Ursachen der von Butyrat bedingten Gewebsveränderungen zu klären, wurde in zahlreichen Studien die Wirkung von Butyrat auf die Proliferation, die Differenzierung der Zellen und die Apoptose untersucht. Dabei zeigte sich, daß sich die Wirkung von Butyrat im Vergleich von in vivo - und in vitro - Studien deutlich unterscheidet. So wird die Apoptose bei gesunden Geweben in vivo vermindert und bei neoplastischen Geweben in vitro erhöht. Die Ursachen dieses Phänomens als auch die Regulation der Apoptose unter Butyrat-einfluß in vivo konnten bisher nicht geklärt werden. Aus diesen Gründen wurde in dieser Arbeit der Einfluß von Butyrat auf Proliferationsprozesse des Colons untersucht. Schwerpunkt war in diesem Zusammenhang die Apoptose der Colonocyten und deren Regulation. Um eine erhöhte Butyratbildung im Colon von Schweinen zu erreichen, wurde resistente Kartoffelstärke verabreicht. Zur Klärung der Fragestellung wurden 18 männliche Kastraten der Rasse DL x Pietrain verwendet, welche in drei homogene Gruppen mit jeweils 6 Tieren aufgeteilt wurden. Die Kontrollgruppe erhielt in der 19-tägigen Hauptphase eine Ration mit Quellstärke (14,13 MJ ME und 173,5g XP/kg Trockensubstanz) als Hauptenergiequelle, welche eine hohe praecaecale Verdaulichkeit aufweist. Die Tiere der Behandlungsgruppe RS (resistant starch) erhielten eine Ration mit resistenter Kartoffelrohstärke als Hauptenergiequelle (11,28 MJME und 138,5 g XP/ kg DM) für einen Zeitraum von 19 Tagen. Kartoffelrohstärke weist eine niedrige praecaecale Verdaulichkeit auf und fördert im Dickdarm die Bildung von Butyrat. Da diese Tiere auch in der Vorphase die Ration mit Quellstärke verabreicht bekamen, wurde der 19-tägigen Hauptphase eine 5-tägige Adaptationsphase vorgeschaltet. In dieser Phase sollte sich die gastrointestinale Flora auf die Ration mit resistenter Stärke einstellen. Die Tiere der zweiten Behandlungsgruppe (RE für Realimentation) wurden identisch versorgt, jedoch war der Behandlungsphase eine dreitägige Hungerphase vorgeschaltet worden. Um eine ausgeglichene Nährstoffversorgung der Tiere zu gewährleisten, wurde den Behandlungsgruppen aufgrund der geringeren Energiedichte der Ration mit resistenter Stärke entsprechend mehr Futter verabreicht. Zur Erfassung der Effekte der unterschiedlichen Fütterung, wurden täglich Blut- und Kotproben gesammelt. Die Tiere wurden am Ende des Versuchs eingeschläfert und Gewebsmaterial aus dem Verdauungstrakt für immunocytochemische und histologische Fragestellungen sichergestellt. Die Verfütterung von resistenter Stärke führte im Vergleich zur Quellstärkeration zu einem Anstieg der Butyratkonzentration im Kot der Tiere um den Faktor 2,2. Um die Auswirkung dieses Butyratanstieges auf das Colonepithel zu erfassen, wurde das Colongewebe histologisch untersucht. Dabei wurde bei den mit resistenter Stärke gefütterten Tieren ein Epithelzuwachs (Zellzahl) von 20 % im Vergleich zur Kontrollgruppe festgestellt. Dieser Epithelzuwachs konnte, da sich die Mitoserate zwischen den Behandlungsgruppen nicht unterschied, eindeutig auf eine um ca. 40% verringerte Apoptoserate zurückgeführt werden. Diese allgemeine Reduzierung der Apoptoserate ging einher mit einer erhöhten Expression von EGF, denn die Werte der positiv gefärbten Mucusfläche der Becherzellen lag bei der RS Gruppe im Durchschnitt ca. 50% über den Werten der Kontrollgruppe. EGF scheint in diesem Zusammenhang an der Regulation der Apoptose im Colon beteiligt zu sein. Eine Reduzierung der Apoptose um ca. 40% würde bei gleicher Mitoserate einen höheren Epithelzuwachs erwarten lassen. Die Erklärung für den insgesamt geringen Zuwachs ist auf die Verschiebung der Apoptose entlang der Kryptenachse zurückzuführen, denn unter Butyrateinfluß waren etwa 39% der apoptotischen Zellen im basalen Bereich lokalisiert, in der Kontrollgruppe jedoch nur 17%. Diese Erhöhung der Apoptose in der Stammzellregion der Krypten führte zu einer Reduzierung der durchschnittlichen Lebensspanne der Zellen und ist somit für den unter den Erwartungen gebliebenen Epithelzuwachs verantwortlich. Die Verschiebung der Apoptose wird von den pro- und antiapoptotischen Vertretern der bcl-2 Familie geregelt, denn in den Colonkrypten der Tiere, welche unter verstärkten Butyrateinfluß standen, wurde parallel zur erhöhten Apoptoserate im basalen Kompartiment in mehr Zellen das proapoptotisch wirkende Protein Bak exprimiert. Der Faktor lag im proximalen Bereich bei 3,5. Gleichsinnig zu dieser Beobachtung wurde im luminalen Bereich der Krypten dieser Gruppen parallel zur verminderten Apoptose eine erhöhte Expression des antiapoptotisch wirkenden Proteins Bcl-2 (55%) beobachtet. Die Ergebnisse der beiden Behandlungsgruppen RS und RE unterschieden sich nur geringfügig. Die Gründe hierfür dürften in der relativ langen Behandlungsphase von 19 Tagen liegen, denn die Zellen in der Mucosa des Colons unterliegen einer hohen Turnoverrate. Die Effekte des Hungerns vor der Behandlungsphase scheinen somit durch die 19-tägige Fütterung von resistenter Stärke kompensiert worden zu sein. Die Hintergründe über die gesundheitsfördernde Wirkung von Butyrat bzw. über die unterschiedlichen Ergebnisse zwischen in - vivo und in ? vitro Studien konnten anhand der vorliegenden Arbeit nicht komplett geklärt werden, jedoch wurden wertvolle Erkenntnisse über Detailmechanismen der Apoptose in vivo erhalten.Effects of nutrition on health status were examined in numerous studies for human as well as animal species. The interest is mainly focused on those components which are known to exert a beneficial effect on health. Specifically prae- and probiotic substances are discussed to decrease the use of antibiotics in animal nutrition. Moreover epidemiological studies suggest that a higher fiber content reduces the risk for carcinogenesis. The effects seem to be mediated by short chain fatty acids (SCFA). SCFA are major products of microbial fermentation of fiber in the hindgut and are essential for normal colonic function. Butyrate has been shown to have the most significant effects on colonic epithelium. For example colonic recovery after mucosal atrophy is improved due to butyrate supply. To examine the principles of the butyrate dependent effects, in numerous studies the effects of butyrate on mitosis, cell differentiation, and apoptosis of epithelial cells were determined. It has been shown that butyrate increases proliferation of normal cells both in vitro and in vivo, but decreases proliferation in neoplastic cells in vitro. In addition the incubation of adenoma and tumour cell lines with butyrate induced apoptosis whereas the absence of butyrate from the incubation medium triggered apoptosis in guinea pig colonic mucosa. This antiapoptotic function of butyrate has been confirmed in the bovine ruminal epithelium. The reasons for these contradicting results and the regulation of butyrate mediated apoptosis have not been examined so far. In the present study, therefore, the effects of butyrate on colonic epithelium were investigated by feeding resistant potato starch. Effects were verified by determining immunocytochemical parameters. The experiments were performed with 18 castrated male pigs (German Landrace x Pietrain). They were divided into the control group, the resistant starch group (RS), and the realimentation group (RE). At the end of the feeding period the pigs were killed and tissue samples for immunocytochemical studies were obtained. The controls were fed during the whole treatment period (19d) with a ration containing pregelatinized starch with a high ileal digestibility (14,13 MJME and 173,5g XP / kg DM). The RS group received the same diet for 10 days. Thereafter a ration with a lower ileal digestibility containing raw potato starch (11,28 MJME and 138,5g XP/ kg DM) was fed for 5 days in the adaptation period and for 19 d in the treatment period. The pigs of the RE group were fed identically, however after the control diet a starvation period of 3 days was included. Due to the lower energy content of resistant starch compared to pregelatinized starch the average energy and protein content differed between the two rations. To ensure an equal energy and protein supply the RS and RE group received a higher amount of the resistant starch ration. For later analytical determination of pH and SCFA, representative amounts of fresh faeces were collected every morning. They were stored deep frozen (-20°C). At the end of the experimental period pigs were killed and colonic tissue samples were taken for histological and immunocytochemical analysis. Feeding of resistant starch led to a 2.2-fold increase of butyrate in faeces. The morphological results revealed a significant increase of crypt depth (20%) in the resistant starch groups. This difference, however, can not be explained by a different mitotic rate which was nearly identical in both groups. Thus the morphological difference has to be attributed to the differences in the apoptotic activity which was significantly lower (40%) in the groups fed with resistant starch. This decrease of apoptosis was paralleled by an increase of the mucus area of goblet cells which were shown to contain EGF (epidermal growth factor). The difference was about 50%. The results indicate a link between apoptosis and EGF in the colonic epithelium. A reduction of apoptosis by 40% and no change of mitotic rate should lead to higher differences in epithelial development. The low increase of crypt depth can be explained by the shift of apoptosis along the crypt axis. In the group with high butyrate levels 39% of the apoptotic cells were located in the basal compartment of the crypts, in the control-group, however, only 17%. This higher incidence of apoptosis in the stem-cell compartment led to an decrease of average lifespan of colonocytes and consequently to the relative low increase of epithelium. The compartmental distribution of apoptosis is regulated by pro- and antiapoptotic members of the bcl-2 family. Compared to the control group the higher apoptotic rate in the basal compartment of the butyrate group was paralleled by the higher expression (3,5- fold) of the proapoptotic protein Bak. In addition the expression of the antiapoptotic protein Bcl-2 was increased in the luminal compartment by 55%. The results of the RS and RE group did not differ significantly. Due to the treatment-period of 19 days and the high turnover-rate in the colon the effects of starvation seem to be compensated. In conclusion the results demonstrate that under in vivo conditions in the pig butyrate is an inhibitor of apoptosis, but additional mechanisms ensure that the resulting proliferation is limited

Linking actions and their perceivable consequences in the human brain

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