Survey among Belgian pig producers about the introduction of group housing systems for gestating sows

There is a global move from individual to group housing of gestating sows. In the European Union, individual gestating stalls will be banned by 2013. Just like in other industrialized regions, these stalls have been the standard housing system for intensively kept sows from the 1960s onward in the Flemish region of Belgium. Because the socioeconomic consequences for the pig industry may be far-reaching and because farmer attitude may influence the realization of the hoped-for improvement in animal welfare in practice, we conducted a survey from 2003 until 2009 among representative samples of Flemish pig producers every 2 yr. The share of farms with group housing increased from 10.5% in 2003 to 29.8% in 2007, but then dropped to 24.6% in 2009. It appears that after 2005 users of old group housing systems in particular stopped farming. Because sow herd size increased more on farms with vs. without group housing and because the proportion of the herd that was group-housed also tended to increase between 2003 to 2009, the change to group housing took place faster when expressed at the level of the sow (from 9.1% in 2003 to 34.1% in 2009) instead of farm. The percentage of farmers planning to convert to group housing within 2 yr was 4.1% in 2003, and 6 to 7% thereafter. These were typically young farmers (P = 0.006) with a large sow herd (P < 0.001) and with a likely successor (P = 0.03). Free access stalls were the most common group housing system (31% of farms, 37% of sows). Their popularity is expected to increase further at the expense of electronic feeding stations, ad libitum feeding, and stalls/troughs with manual feed delivery. User satisfaction was generally high but depended on whether or not all gestating sows were kept in group (P < 0.001), the provisioning of environmental enrichment (P = 0.057), and the age (P = 0.012) and type (P = 0.016) of system. The main criteria for choosing a certain group housing system were the investment costs and sow health and welfare. The importance of economic reasons (P = 0.007) and type of labor (P = 0.043) decreased with the age of the system. In 2003 and 2005 the main reason for not having converted to group housing was that farmers would stop keeping sows by 2013. In 2007 and 2009 the reasons mainly concerned uncertainty about the future and maximally delaying the conversion. Belgium is one of the European Union countries where the pig industry is expected to undergo drastic changes during the few years remaining before the ban on individual housing

The role of macrofauna in the functioning of a sea floor: is there any seasonal, density or functional identity effect?

Macrobenthos influences rates and intensities of benthic processes. The way in which these processes are affected depends on their densities and functional characteristics in terms of sediment reworking (bioturbation and bio-irrigation). This study focuses on the importance of three different functional groups (FG) of macrobenthos in the ecosystem processes of the Western Coastal Banks area (Belgian Part of the North Sea). Macrobenthic activity depends on temperature and food availability. Therefore two lab experiments were performed: one before sedimentation of the phytoplankton bloom (spring: low food availability and temperature) and one when organic matter had been settled on the sea bottom (late summer: high food availability and higher temperatures). Single - species treatments of key-species belonging to three different functional groups were added to microcosms at three density levels (average natural, lower and very low) to account for possible density declines. These species are the bivalve Abra alba (FG: biodiffuser), the tube-building polychaete Lanice conchilega (FG: piston-pumper) andthe predatory polychaete Nephthy sp. (FG: regenerator/gallery-diffuser).In both winter - and summertime, L. conchilega had a more pronounced influence on oxygen consumption and release Nephtys sp.. Abra alba appeared to be a more effective sediment reworker than Nephtys sp. in both seasons. In addition, ecosystem functioning (as oxygen consumption by the sediment community and bioturbation) seems to be related to animal densities. As such, a decline of densities (due to anthropogenic or natural disturbances) most probably will decrease the rates of ecosystem functioning in theWestern Coastal Banks area

Fine mapping of Rha2 in barley reveals candidate genes for resistance against cereal cyst nematode

Key Message: The cereal cyst nematode resistance locus Rha2 was mapped to a 978 kbp region on the long arm of barley chromosome 2H. Three candidate genes are discussed. Abstract: The cereal cyst nematode (CCN) Heterodera avenae is a soil-borne obligate parasite that can cause severe damage to cereals. This research involved fine mapping of Rha2, a CCN resistance locus on chromosome 2H of barley. Rha2 was previously mapped relative to restriction fragment length polymorphisms (RFLPs) in two mapping populations. Anchoring of flanking RFLP clone sequences to the barley genome assembly defined an interval of 5077 kbp. Genotyping-by-sequencing of resistant and susceptible materials led to the discovery of potentially useful single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Assays were designed for these SNPs and applied to mapping populations. This narrowed the region of interest to 3966 kbp. Further fine mapping was pursued by crossing and backcrossing the resistant cultivar Sloop SA to its susceptible ancestor Sloop. Evaluation of F₂ progeny confirmed that the resistance segregates as a single dominant gene. Genotyping of 9003 BC₂F₂ progeny identified recombinants. Evaluation of recombinant BC₂F₃ progeny narrowed the region of interest to 978 kbp. Two of the SNPs within this region proved to be diagnostic of CCN resistance across a wide range of barley germplasm. Fluorescence-based and gel-based assays were developed for these SNPs for use in marker-assisted selection. Within the candidate region of the reference genome, there are nine high-confidence predicted genes. Three of these, one that encodes RAR1 (a cysteine- and histidine-rich domain-containing protein), one that is predicted to encode an acetylglutamate kinase and one that is predicted to encode a tonoplast intrinsic protein, are discussed as candidate genes for CCN resistance.Bart Van Gansbeke; Kelvin H.P. Khoo; John G. Lewis; Kenneth J. Chalmers; Diane E. Mathe

Deposition of Nacystelyn from a dry powder inhaler in healthy volunteers and cystic fibrosis patients

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TOMODENSITOMETRIE HELICOIDALE DES CALCIFICATIONS PANCREATIQUES

Chronic pancreatitis is characterized by the formation of intraductal precipitates that may later grow and calcify, forming large stones. These calcified stones, representing almost all the calcifications visible in chronic pancreatitis, are located in the major pancreatic duct or in the secondary branches. During the past 10 years, new sophisticated endoscopic techniques have been developed to remove obstructing calculi from the main pancreatic duct. These techniques require an accurate evaluation of the location of the calculi, since calculi cannot be removed from secondary branches. Therefore, a new radiological approach has been developed, based on helicoidal scanning and multiplanar and tridimensional reconstructions of the calculi layout.SCOPUS: sh.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Role of the double-contrast barium enema in rectal stenosis due to suppositories containing paracetamol and acetylsalicylic acid

Self-treatment of chronic headache with suppositories containing paracetamol and acetylsalicylic acid may lead to serious complications. We report the radiological features of five cases of rectal stenosis following the use of such suppositories. The role of the double-contrast barium enema in suggesting the diagnosis of this complication of a chronic and often unrecognized self-treatment is emphasized.Case ReportsJournal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe