Accelerated Growth Rate Induced by Neonatal High-Protein Milk Formula Is Not Supported by Increased Tissue Protein Synthesis in Low-Birth-Weight Piglets

Low-birth-weight neonates are routinely fed a high-protein formula to promote catch-up growth and antibiotics are usually associated to prevent infection. Yet the effects of such practices on tissue protein metabolism are unknown. Baby pigs were fed from age 2 to 7 or 28 d with high protein formula with or without amoxicillin supplementation, in parallel with normal protein formula, to determine tissue protein metabolism modifications. Feeding high protein formula increased growth rate between 2 and 28 days of age when antibiotic was administered early in the first week of life. This could be explained by the occurrence of diarrhea when piglets were fed the high protein formula alone. Higher growth rate was associated with higher feed conversion and reduced protein synthesis rate in the small intestine, muscle and carcass, whereas proteolytic enzyme activities measured in these tissues were unchanged. In conclusion, accelerated growth rate caused by high protein formula and antibiotics was not supported by increased protein synthesis in muscle and carcass

Hydrologically driven seasonal changes in the sources and production mechanisms of dissolved organic carbon in a small lowland catchment

International audienceTo obtain better constraints on the control of seasonal hydrological variations on dissolved organic carbon (DOC) dynamics in headwater catchments, we combined hydrometric monitoring with high-frequency analyses of DOC concentration and DOC chemical composition (specific UV adsorption, 13C) in soil and stream waters during one complete hydrological cycle in a small lowland catchment of western France. We observed a succession of four hydrological periods, each corresponding to specific DOC signatures. In particular, the rise of the upland water table at the end of the rewetting period yielded to a strong increase of the specific UV absorbance (from 2.5 to 4.0 L mg C 1 m 1) and of the 13C values (from 29 to 27%) of the soil DOC. Another striking feature was the release of large amounts of DOC during reduction of soil Fe-oxyhydroxides at the end of the highflow period. Comparison of hydrometric data with DOC composition metrics showed that soils from the upland domains were rapidly DOC depleted after the rise of the water table in these domains, whereas wetland soils acted as quasi-infinite DOC sources. Results from this study showed that the composition and ultimate source of the DOC exported to the stream will depend on the period within the annual hydrological cycle. However, we found that the aromatic DOC component identified during the high-flow period will likely represent the dominant DOC component in stream waters on an annual basis, because most of the annual stream DOC flux is exported during such periods

Spatial and Temporal Dependence of the 13C and 14C Isotopes of Wine Ethanols

From the 15th International Radiocarbon Conference held in Glasgow, Scotland, August 15-19, 1994.More than 1000 authentic samples of ethanols were extracted by quantitative distillation from vintage wines and brandies prepared from grapes harvested in well-defined regions and years. The 13C contents of these ethanols were determined by isotope ratio mass spectrometry (IRMS) and the 14C activity of most of these samples was determined by liquid scintillation counting (ISC). We show that the 13C content of a C3 plant such as grape vine, which strongly depends on water availability, spans nearly a 10 per mil range worldwide. The efficiency of the 14C content of grape ethanols as a tracer of the CO2 turnover after the peak of the nuclear test in the 1960s is also discussed in terms of geographical effects. Finally, the necessity of a multi-isotopic approach, including 13C and 14C isotopes, for detecting sophisticated adulterations is illustrated in the case of wines and brandies.This material was digitized as part of a cooperative project between Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries.The Radiocarbon archives are made available by Radiocarbon and the University of Arizona Libraries. Contact [email protected] for further information.Migrated from OJS platform February 202

Carbon isotopes as tracers of dissolved organic carbon sources and water pathways in headwater catchments

AgrohydrologieInternational audienc

New insights in the use of carbon isotopes as tracers of DOC sources and water pathways in headwater catchments

International audienceDespite the significant importance of dissolved organic carbon (DOC) in aquatics ecosystems, the processes controlling DOC delivery to stream waters at the catchment scale are still poorly understood, in particular with regards to the relative importance of riparian versus upland soils as DOC sources. In this respect, the stable carbon isotopic composition of DOC (δ13CDOC) appears to be a promising tool as different δ13CDOC values are anticipated between wetland and upland soil DOC, because of differences in soil oxygenation, soil humidity and soil organic matter degradation scheme However, care must be exercised because of the possible occurrence of seasonal variations in the δ13CDOC values of both riparian and upland DOC , and because also of the possible mixing of DOC coming from spatially distinct sources. The markedly different isotopic patterns obtained during high resolution monitoring ( 2 δ units), while others showed no, or much more restricted isotopic variations. A comparison of these results with previously published data revealed that this temporal variability of intra-storm δ13CDOC values is the exact transposition of the temporal variability of δ13CDOC values that was found in the riparian soil waters of this catchment during the same period. The latter variability has been shown to arise from the combined effect of changes in the production mechanisms and ultimate sources of riparian DOC and of the lateral input in the riparian domains of an isotopically heavier DOC component coming from more upland areas. Overall, results from this study confirm that upland domains may be significant contributors of stream DOC flux in headwater catchments. They also show that upland soils behave as a size-limited reservoir with respect to DOC production, whereas more highly productive soils in the wetland domains act as a near-infinite reservoir. Through this study, we show that the isotopic composition of DOC is an extremely powerful tool for tracing DOC sources and DOC transport mechanisms in headwater catchments, demonstrating in the meantime that the use of this tool requires that the temporal and spatial variability of the isotopic signatures of all potential DOC sources in the catchment is known accurately. Providing that this condition is fulfilled, the isotopic tool can allow up to quantify the proportions of DOC - and of corresponding water flows - coming from different contributing areas which may be of great importance for better understanding and better modeling of DOC transfer and water routing through the landscape

Validation of the measurement of glucose appearance rate with [6,6-2H2]glucose in lactating dairy cows

The aim of this study was to validate the measurement of glucose appearance rate using [6,6-2H2]glucose i.v. infusion in lactating dairy cows. Sample enrichments were analysed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry. Linearity (enriched solutions) and specificity (enriched plasma) were good: for enrichments ranging between 1.6 and 6.3 mol% excess, the slopes were about 1 and the ordinates at the origin were not different from zero. For a plasma enriched at 3.74 mol% excess, repeatability and long term intralaboratory reproducibility coefficients of variation were 1.31 and 1.90%, respectively. The appearance rates were calculated by two models. The values provided by the steady-state model were not different from those provided by the non-steady-state Steele model. Both models can be used because the treatment effects were similarly discriminated regardless of the model. In our experiments analysing the nutritional effects on Ra in mid-lactating cows, the precision of the method (1.90%) was not the limiting factor to detect a significant difference in Ra compared to the statistical precision obtained with the experimental scheme (4 × 4 and 5 × 5 Latin square design). We conclude that in lactating dairy cows, the measurement of glucose fluxes with this method is relevant and minimally invasive for the animals

Use of simulations to study herbicide site specific spraying

International audienceSite-specific weed management is one of the potential ways to reduce the chemical amount required to control crop weeds. Sources of optimization were investigated with spray width from an individual nozzle or a boom section width and spray deposition patterns were applied to different spatial coverage rates of weeds. The objective was to quantify herbicide saving possibilities as well as potential under-application areas. Simulations were performed with a collection of virtual weed infestation maps and an actual infestation map derived from aerial images. Results issued from the computation were expressed in terms of three indicators: i) the ratio between herbicide amount in the case of a site-specific application and the amount deposited in the case of an application on the full field surface area, ii) the proportion of weed coverage on which the application rate is higher than 85% of the rated dosage, iii) the proportion of the weed surface on which the deposited application rate is lower than 50% of the rated dosage. The interest in reducing the section width depends on weed spatial distribution and aggregation degree. Moreover, in the case of uniformly dispersed small patches and the use of narrow sections (1 to 4 nozzles) equipped with triangular spray pattern nozzles, attention should be put on the increase of under-dosing areas

Chapitre 10: Le désherbage de précision

International audienceTrop longtemps dépendante des seuls herbicides, l'agriculture doit évoluer vers une gestion des plantes adventices, ou " mauvaises herbes ", s'appuyant sur un ensemble de pratiques culturales et de régulations écologiques, avec l'objectif de limiter l'abondance des adventices, de garantir le revenu des agriculteurs, tout en préservant la biodiversité et la qualité de l'environnement. Cet ouvrage explore les moyens et stratégies de gestion durable des communautés adventices faisant appel aux principes de la protection intégrée et à une démarche " agroécologique "