Aspects of dietary management and dynamics of the faecal microbiota of horses and ponies (Equus caballus) in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

The following were removed for copyright reasons but may be accessed via their sources listed in the Bibliography: Fig 2.2 p. 19 (=Fig 1), 2.3 p. 29 (=Fig 15 p. 414 & Fig 11 p. 410); 2.6 p. 45 (=Fig 2); 2.7 p. 54 (=Fig 3); 2.8 p. 57 (=Fig 4); Fig 2.9 p. 62 (=Fig 2); 2.10 p. 66 (=Fig 2A); 2.11 p. 67 (=Fig 2); and Table 2.5 p. 46 (=Table 4); 2.6 p. 46 (=Table 2); 2.7 p. 47 (=Table 3); 2.8 p. 48 (=Table 1). The following published articles were removed from Appendix G for copyright reasons: G-2 (pp. 421-431), G-3, G-4, G-5 (pp. 447-451).The aim of this thesis was to explore aspects of the dietary management of horses and ponies in New Zealand, and to investigate the association between dietary management and faecal microbiota. To achieve this aim, a series of observational and intervention studies were conducted. The first two studies were cross-sectional surveys of feeding, health and management practices, which showed that most horses and ponies in New Zealand were managed continuously on pasture all year round, with no seasonal differences in the hours allowed for grazing. In addition to pasture, many owners fed their animals a combination of premixed feeds, cereals (oats) and conserved forages. Most horses and ponies kept on pasture were reported to be healthy. Among nutrition-related health issues reported by the owner, obesity, colic, laminitis and grass staggers were most commonly reported (12-14%). Using a standard body condition scoring chart, 22% of owners indicated that their horse or pony was overweight (scored ≥ 7 on a 1-9 scale). Horses and ponies kept on pasture maintained body weight and a higher body condition (median score of 6 on a 1-9 scale) through spring and autumn. A high proportion of pony breeds were observed in this population, and these ponies remained ‘fat’ despite the seasonal fluctuation in the quantity and quality of pasture. Owners tended to underestimate the body condition of their horses, especially ponies, and this finding indicated why a higher percentage of overweight animals may be present in the Pony Club population. The next two studies were observational investigations that characterised the faecal microbiota of forage-fed horses. The faecal microbiota in a cohort of yearling Thoroughbred horses that were abruptly transitioned from an ensiled chopped forage-based diet to pasture was diet-specific and responded rapidly to dietary change within four days. The faecal microbiota profile was dominated by two phyla, Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, which comprised of several bacterial genera. The abundance of bacterial genera fluctuated over the three-week observation period, when kept at pasture. Similarly, the faecal microbiota of a cohort of mature adult Thoroughbred and Standardbred horses kept on pasture was diet-specific. The abundances of the bacterial genera were influenced by the nutrient composition of the pasture, which was also correlated with seasonal changes in climate (rainfall and temperature) over the one year observation period. This latter finding indicated that the fluctuations observed in the previous study may also be due to changes in pasture composition. The inclusion of hay in the diet appeared to buffer the changes occurring in the faecal microbiota as a result of the seasonal fluctuations in pasture composition, but there was also a large degree of variation between individual horses. The final study was a randomised controlled trial using adult Thoroughbred horses that were kept in loose boxes and fed four forage-based diets. The first phase of the trial identified that the mean retention time of digesta was associated with the dry matter intake of the feed consumed. There was a significant difference in the quantity of feed consumed by individual horses, which appeared to be driven by the moisture content in the forage diets. The second phase of the trial showed that the population of the faecal microbiota was resilient following abrupt dietary transition between four forage-based diets. These findings indicated why the horses in the previous study may have maintained body weight and condition, despite the seasonal fluctuation in the quantity and quality of pasture. This thesis highlights the complexity of the equine faecal microbiota, and demonstrates that the relationship of dietary dry matter intake and mean retention time of digesta in the gastrointestinal tract influences the population dynamics of the faecal bacterial community

Grafting luminescent metal-organic species into mesoporous MCM-41 silica from europium(III)tetramethylheptanedionate, Eu(thd)3

Mixed systems with Eu(III) β-diketonates as optically active guest species, and mesoporous silicas MCM-41 as a host matrix have been investigated. The grafting of europium(III) onto the inner walls of unmodified MCM-41 has been achieved starting from Eu(thd)3 (thd = 2,2,6,6- tetramethyl-3,5-heptanedionate), using two routes: wet impregnation (WI) at room temperature,and chemical vapour infiltration (CVI) at 185 °C. In received hybrids, denoted Eu(thd)x@MCM- 41, the same maximum yield [Eu]/[Si] = 8.2 at% on average has been achieved with either methods. The molar ratio x = [thd]/[Eu] is 0.6 on average for WI samples, and 1.5 for CVI samples. In the latter, higher contents in thd compensate lower contents in silanols with respect to the former. Rationalizing the possible bonds exchanged at the silica surface leads to a great diversity of possible co-ordination schemes according to the expression Σ[Si(OH)nx (O)xEu(thd)3-x] (where Σ means that surface species are considered). Chromophore neutral ligands phenanthroline (phen) or bipyridine (bipy) have been added to induce efficient Eu3+ luminescence under 270–280 nm excitation, via the antenna effect. For the most favourable case, (phen)yEu(thd)x@MCM-41, the emission intensity at 612 nm under excitation at 270 nm is 2/3 that for the genuine heteroleptic complex Eu(thd)3(phen). Moreover the hybrid material is stable up to 440 °C

Parents' experience of children with acquired brain injury undergoing neurorehabilitation:a systematic review

BACKGROUND: This systematic review aims to synthesise the qualitative evidence exploring parents' experiences of children with acquired brain injury (ABI) undergoing neurorehabilitation during the first year post-injury.METHODS: A systematic review of qualitative research was conducted using thematic synthesis with Thomas and Harden's approach. The population, exposure and outcome model was used for the search strategy. The electronic databases Ovid Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus and PsycINFO were searched from 2009 to 2023. The review included qualitative and mixed-method studies published in English only. Grey literature was excluded. There were no geographical restrictions. Reporting within the review followed the Enhancing Transparency in Reporting the Synthesis of Qualitative Research guideline. The studies' quality was appraised using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme tool.RESULTS: Three studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the synthesis, representing the experiences of 30 parents. The quality assessment showed that the three included studies met most quality indicators. Following thematic synthesis, four analytical themes were identified: school unpreparedness, parents as advocates and navigators, parents as monitors, and parents recognising the impact of ABI on their child. The reviewers proposed a group of recommendations for services reviewing their parental support.CONCLUSION: This review highlights some challenges parents of children diagnosed with ABI experience during their child's neurorehabilitation journey. This review has suggested potential improvements that could be made in paediatric neurorehabilitation services when reviewing their parental support and care pathways. These will ultimately influence parents' and children's experience of paediatric neurorehabilitation services.</p

The contribution of up-cycled food waste to a balanced diet of low-income households

This paper focuses on the contribution of an upcycling food organization to a balanced diet, which rescues and redistributes fresh or freshly cooked food to low-income households. To determine the nutritional balance of food hampers provided by our case study organization, according to the Portuguese food guidelines, we have weighed all items of food hampers in three weighing rounds over a period of four months. The results suggest that upcycled foods can contribute to a more balanced diet in terms of “Potato, Cereal and Cereal Products”, “Vegetables”, “Meat, Fish, Seafood and Eggs” and “Fruits”, both according to the Portuguese Food Wheel and compared to that of the general Portuguese population. The novelty of this study is the evaluation of the contribution to the balanced diet of the population in a vulnerable situation, of perishable foods such as freshly cooked, in traditional restaurants, cafes, bakeries, and hotels, or is naturally fresh (fruit and vegetables food aid services) up-cycled by a food aid organization.This work was supported by Portuguese national funds through FCT—Foundation for Science and Technology, under project UIDP/00713/2020.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The nutritional content of rescued food conveyed by a food aid organization

The number of food-insecure families in the European Union has increased, resulting in an increasing number of households depending on food assistance programs. The aim in this study was to evaluate the nutrient content of food rescued by a food aid organization that rescues and redistributes fresh or freshly cooked food to low-income households. Methods: To determine the nutritional content of food hampers provided by our case study organization, we weighed all items of food hampers in three weighing rounds over a period of four months. The Food Insecurity Experience Scale (FIES) was applied to measure households’ food insecurity. Results: Our results show that, at our case study food aid organization, food donations substantially contribute to energy, macro, and micronutrient dietary recommendation intake (DRI). Conclusions: When evaluating how these nutrients contribute to alleviating food insecurity of the beneficiary households, we found that the perception of food insecurity is independent of the amount of nutrients served. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study measuring the nutritional content of fresh or freshly cooked rescued food conveyed by a food aid organization.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

El computador en la clase de Matemáticas: desde lo dinámico y lo semiótico

En esta investigación se utilizó un enfoque que permitió explorar los conceptos propios del curso de ecuaciones diferenciales ordinarias, ofrecido para los estudiantes de la Facultad de Ingeniería de la Pontificia Universidad Javeriana, Cali, Colombia, considerando los modelos teóricos propuesto por Godino y Batanero; la propuesta de Vergnaud, y los esquemas de representación de Brown. Se utiliza el computador como “instrumento mediador” (soportado en las potencialidades del software MatLab) que favoreció trabajar con instancias de modelación de las ecuaciones diferenciales en contextos propios de la Ingeniería, desde una perspectiva dinámica de las ecuaciones y otra semiótica desde el diseño de actividades para los estudiantes

Evolução da taxa de juros Selic e taxas do crédito rural subsidiado e suas relações com a despesa financeira no cultivo de soja no estado de Mato Grosso

Orientador: Dr. Bruno César GurskiArtigo (especialização) - Universidade Federal do Paraná, Setor de Ciências Agrárias, Curso de Especialização MBA em Gestão do Agronegócio.Inclui referênciasResumo: A produção de soja no mundo vem crescendo devido ao mercado aquecido pelas demandas dos diferentes produtos derivados do grão e da sua utilização como fonte de proteína na pecuária, principalmente. Com vistas a este mercado, são realizados muitos investimentos para ampliação da produtividade, porém, para o produtor o fator de maior relevância não é necessariamente a produtividade, mas sim a rentabilidade. Um dos fatores para a melhoria da rentabilidade é a gestão do custo. Neste trabalho discute-se um dos componentes do custo de produção de soja: a despesa financeira, especificamente no estado de Mato Grosso. O estudo foi realizado através de pesquisa bibliográfica. Observou-se no histórico dos últimos dez anos o comportamento desta despesa frente à taxa Selic e às taxas do crédito rural subsidiado pelas políticas de incentivo agrícola. Por fim, conclui-se que a política monetária, que determinada a taxa Selic, tem maior influência sobre a despesa financeira desta atividade do que a própria política de incentivo agrícola.The soybean production in the world is increasing because of the Market, that is extended with the demand of different products base made of soybean and its use as protein source for livestock, mainly. Looking for this Market, many investments are made to increase productivity, but, for the producer the most relevant factor is not necessarily productivity, but profitability. One of the factors for improving profitability is cost management, in this article one of the components of the soybean production’s cost is discussed: financial expenditure, specifically in Mato Grosso state. The study was carried out through bibliographic research. We have observed in the history of the last ten years the behavior of financial expense in relation to Selic rate and rural credit rates subsidized by the agricultural incentive policy. Finally, we conclude that monetary policy, that’s determines the Selic rate, has more influence on the financial expense of this activity than the agricultural incentive policies

SEED GERMINATION AND SEEDLING FORMATION OF Eugenia stictopetala (MYRTACEAE) UNDER DIFFERENT ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS

The species Eugenia stictopetala, known as “cambucá” or dog-tongue, is found in areas of Cerrado and produces fruits in the form of drupe, black when mature and much consumed by the fauna. Despite its potential for use, there is no information about its germination processes and for this reason, the objective of this work was to evaluate its germination and seedling formation at different temperatures, besides its germination after initial storage. Newly collected seeds from the Cerrado area were evaluated at six temperatures (20, 25, 30, 35, 20-30 and 25-35 °C) and after 35 days of storage in different environmental conditions in a completely randomized design. The results indicated that the seeds have a high water content and the temperature of 30 °C being the most suitable for germination and seedling formation. After storage, loss of water content occurs, leading to a reduction in germination rates, indicating a characteristic of recalcitrant seeds.

Complete genome sequence of the novel phage MG-B1 infecting bacillus weihenstephanensis

Here, we describe a novel virulent bacteriophage that infects Bacillus weihenstephanensis, isolated from soil in Austria. It is the first phage to be discovered that infects this species. Here, we present the complete genome sequence of this podovirus