8,037 research outputs found
TanDEM-X Water Indication Mask: Generation and First Evaluation Results
No full textThe German SAR interferometry mission TanDEM-X performed on two TerraSAR-X satellites flying in close formation will provide a global Digital Elevation Model (DEM). A by-product is so-called the Water Indication Mask (WAM). The purpose of this supplementary information layer is to support the DEM editing process. Water surfaces usually show lower coherence in an interferometric data set due to temporal de-correlation and low backscattering. Consequently the corresponding elevation values derived from the interferogram are random and produce a virtual relief. This paper introduces the operational water body detection workflow that synergistically evaluates amplitude and coherence information. The presented results of two test sites reveal that the methodology is globally applicable, classifications are highly accurate and the algorithm is appropriate for operational image processing. The water body detection consists of two steps: the Water Body Detection (WBD) derived of one single DEM scene and the mosaicking of multiple WBD to a single Water Indication Mask (WAM). The fusion strategy for the final TanDEM-X WAM considers all WBD acquired at different times in two global coverages and bases on a fusion by union containing the results of the amplitude and the coherence
Also By The Same Author: AKTiveAuthor, a Citation Graph Approach to Name Disambiguation
No full textThe desire for definitive data and the semantic web drive for inference over heterogeneous data sources requires co-reference resolution to be performed on those data. In particular, name disambiguation is required to allow accurate publication lists, citation counts and impact measures to be determined. This paper describes a graph-based approach to author disambiguation on large-scale citation networks. Using self-citation, co-authorship and document source analyses, AKTiveAuthor clusters papers, achieving precision of 0.997 and recall of 0.818 over a test group of eight surname clusters
Performance, intestinal microflora, and wall morphology of weanling pigs fed sodium butyrate
No full textAdding organic acids to piglet diets is known to be helpful in overcoming postweaning syndrome, and butyric acid is known to be the main energy source for the epithelial cells of the large intestine and the terminal ileum. This study investigated the effect of sodium butyrate (SB) on in vitro and in vivo swine microflora, piglet growth performance, and intestinal wall morphology. During a 24-h in vitro cecal fermentation, total gas production and maximal rate of gas production were reduced linearly by SB (P < 0.001). Ammonia in cecal liquor was increased linearly by SB after 4, 8, and 24 h of fermentation (P < 0.001). In the in vivo study, 48 piglets housed in individual crates were allotted to 4 treatment groups (12 animals per treatment) for 6 wk. Piglets received a basal diet with a) no addition (control), or with SB at b) 1,000 ppm, c) 2,000 ppm, or d) 4,000 ppm. After 6 wk, 6 animals per treatment were killed, and samples of intestinal content and mucosa were collected. Sodium butyrate did not improve the animal growth performance. In the cecum, SB increased pH and isobutyric acid concentration (linear, P < 0.05) and tended to increase ammonia concentration (P = 0.056). Intestinal counts of clostridia, enterobacteriaceae, and lactic acid bacteria as well as intestinal mucosal morphology were not affected by feeding SB. This study showed that SB influenced the cecal microflora in an in vitro system, reducing the total gas production but increasing ammonia concentrations. When fed to piglets, SB did not improve the animal growth performance, increased cecal pH, and tended to increase cecal ammonia concentrations. Further studies will be needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the effects observed when SB is fed to piglets. © 2007 American Society of Animal Science. All rights reserved
Effects of feeding free or microencapsulated gluconic acid on growth performance of weanling pigs
No full textOrganic acids belong to the supplements that can be used as an alternative to antibiotics fed to farm animals as growth promoters. Gluconic acid (GA) has been shown to reach the large intestine in rats where it can be fermented by the microflora (1). In piglets, when GA was fed at 0.3 and 0.6%, average daily gain of the animals was improved (2). Aim of this study was the evaluation of the effect of feeding GA in its free form or microencapsulated on piglet growth and intestinal microflora.
Methods: Immediately after weaning, 48 piglets were divided into 3 groups (16 animals per group, housed in individual cages) for a 32 d trial. Treatments were a commercial diet with a) no addition (control diet) or with b) 0.3% of microencapsulated GA (MGA), and c) 0.3% of free GA (FGA). Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Animals were weighed every week and feed consumption was recorded. At the end of the trial, 8 animals per group were killed. Samples of jejunum and caecum content were cultured for viable bacteria (coliforms, clostridia, enterococci, and lactobacilli) and the content and the mucosa from the middle section of the jejunum and from ileum and cecum were sampled for pH, ammonia and SCFA determination, and for intestinal mucosa morphology analysis.
Results: Feeding GA did not influence live weight, average daily gain (ADG), and daily feed intake of piglets. Feed to gain ratio (FG) was improved by GA between Day 14 and 21 (1.68, 1.44, and 1.34 for control, MGA, and FGA, respectively; P < 0.05) but differences were not significant in the period 0-32 d (Table 1). Intestinal counts of viable bacteria were not significantly influenced by treatment. Nevertheless, caecal clostridia showed a tendency towards a reduction when GA was fed (6.9, 6.4, and 6.2 log10 CFU/g for control, MGA, and FGA, respectively). Ammonia concentration in the caecum was higher when MGA was fed (P < 0.01). Compared with control, feeding MGA reduced the concentration of iso-butyric acid in jejunum and ileum (P < 0.10) but no other differences in SCFA intestinal concentrations were observed. Animals receiving the FGA diet had longer ileal villi (+ 18%; P < 0.10) and shorter caecal crypts ( 17%; P < 0.05) than control animals.
Conclusion: Despite the fact that during a previous study GA had improved piglets growth performances (2), both the free and the microencapsulated form of GA failed to enhance animal growth. Further studies will be needed to achieve a deeper understanding of the effect that GA has on growth and intestinal ecology and morphology of piglets.
1) ASANO, T, YUASA, K, YOSHIMURA, Y, TAKENAWA, S and FUKUBA, H (1997): J. Jpn. Soc. Nutr. Food Sci. 50, 287-294.
2) BIAGI, G., PIVA, A., MOSCHINI, M., VEZZALI, E., and ROTH, F. X. (2005): J. Anim. Sci. Accepted for publication
First Bistatic Spaceborne SAR Experiments with TanDEM-X
No full textTanDEM-X is a high-resolution interferometric mission
with the main goal of providing a global and unprecedentedly
accurate digital elevation model (DEM) of the Earth surface
by means of single-pass X-band SAR interferometry. Despite
its usual quasi-monostatic configuration, TanDEM-X is the first
genuinely bistatic SAR system in space. During its monostatic
commissioning phase, the system has been mainly operated in
pursuit monostatic mode. However, some pioneering bistatic SAR experiments with both satellites commanded in non-nominal modes have been conducted with the main purpose of validating the performance of both space and ground segments in very demanding scenarios. In particular, this letter reports about the first bistatic acquisition and the first single-pass interferometric (mono/bistatic) acquisition with TanDEM-X, addressing their innovative aspects and focussing on the analysis of the experimental results. Even in the absence of essential synchronisation and calibration information, bistatic images and interferograms with similar quality to pursuit monostatic have been obtained
The effect of sodium butyrate on growth and intestinal microflora of weanling pigs
No full textProc. Soc. Nutr. Physiol. (2005) 14
The effect of sodium butyrate on growth and intestinal microflora of weanling pigs (Einfluss von Na-Butyrat auf Wachstum und intestinale Mikroflora von Absetzferkeln). G. Biagi*, E. Vezzali, A. Piva and F.X. Roth – Bologna/Freising-Weihenstephan
The period of five to eight weeks after weaning is a critical stage in most pork production systems. In the recent past, these problems were counteracted with widespread use of antibiotic substances and auxinic agents that may select antibiotic-resistant genes in intestinal pathogens with the possibility of a cross spread to human pathogens. Adding organic acids to piglet diets has been reported to be helpful in overcoming problems of the post-weaning period (1). Butyric acid is known to be the main energy source of the hindgut mucosa and has shown positive effects on growth when fed to weaned pigs (2). Aim of this study was the evaluation of the effect of feeding sodium butyrate (SB) on piglet growth and intestinal microflora.
Methods: Immediately after weaning, 48 piglets were divided into four groups (12 animals per group, housed in individual cages) for a six week trial. Treatments were a commercial diet with a) no addition (control diet) or with b) 0.1%, c) 0.2%, and d) 0.4% of SB. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Animals were weighed every week and feed consumption was recorded. At the end of the trial, six animals per group were killed. Samples of jejunum and caecum content were cultured for viable bacteria and pH, ammonia and short-chain fatty acids (SCFA) were determined.
Results: Feeding SB at 0.4% improved piglet growth (P < 0.10). Intestinal bacterial counts and pH did not show any differences; lactobacilli in jejunum and lactobacilli, coliforms and clostridia in caecum averaged 6.1, 8.5, 6.6, and 6.2 log cfu/ml, respectively. Feeding 0.4% SB resulted in higher caecal ammonia than control (23.0 vs 15.9 mmol/l; P < 0.10) while ammonia in jejunum was not influenced by treatment. Iso-butyric acid in the jejunum was reduced by SB (-47%; P < 0.10). Interestingly, caecal iso-butyric acid was reduced by SB at 0.1% (-24%; P < 0.10) but increased by SB at 0.4% (+40%; P < 0.05). The other SCFA in jejunum and caecum were not affected by SB.
Table 1. Live weight, average daily gain (ADG), daily feed intake and feed conversion rate (FCR) of piglets in the six weeks after weaning. Values are means of 12 animals ± SD.
Final live weight ADG Daily feed intake FCR
(kg) (g/d) (g/d)
Control 26.81 ± 3.86 480 ± 73 773 ± 105 1.62 ± 0.07
Sodium butyrate 0.1% 27.98 ± 4.96 508 ± 104 805 ± 141 1.60 ± 0.08
Sodium butyrate 0.2% 27.45 ± 3.37 493 ± 65 777 ± 97 1.58 ± 0.06
Sodium butyrate 0.4% 28.85 ± 2,64* 528 ± 53* 835 ± 97 1.58 ± 0.05
*Different from control by P < 0.10.
Conclusion: The present results show an improvement of animal growth when SB is fed at 0.4%. At the same time, SB at 0.4% increased caecal ammonia and iso-butyric acid concentrations, the both being metabolites resulting from bacterial proteolysis, but this effect was not observed when SB was fed at lower doses. Feeding SB to weaned pigs seems to have a positive effect on animal growth but further studies will be needed to better understand how SB influences animal performances and health.
1) ROTH, FX and KIRCHGESSNER, M (1998): J. Anim. Feed Sci. 7 (Suppl. 1), 25-33.
2) PIVA, A, MORLACCHINI, M, CASADEI, G, GATTA, PP, BIAGI, G and PRANDINI, A (2002): Ital. J. Anim. Sci. 1, 35-41.
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*Department of Physiology and Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, I-40064 Ozzano Emili
Effect of gluconic acid on piglet growth performance, intestinal microflora, and intestinal wall morphology.
No full textGluconic acid (GA) derives from the incomplete oxidation of glucose by some Gluconobacter strains. When fed to monogastric animals, GA is only poorly absorbed in the small intestine and it is primarly fermented to butyric acid in the lower gut. This study investigated the effect of GA on in vitro growth response and metabolism of swine cecal microflora and on animal growth performance, intestinal wall morphology and intestinal microflora. During a 24-h in vitro cecal fermentation, total gas production and maximum rate of gas production were increased by GA (linear, P < 0.001). Ammonia in cecal liquor was reduced by GA after 4 h, 8 h and 24 h of fermentation (quadratic, P < 0.01). After 24 h of fermentation, total short-chain fatty acids(SCFA), acetic acid, propionic acid, n-butyric acid, acetic to propionic acid ratio, and acetic + butyric to propionic acid ratio were linearly increased by GA (P < 0.001). In the vivo study, 48 piglets were divided into four groups and housed in individual cages for six weeks. Piglets received a basal diet with a) no addition (control) or with GA at b) 3,000 ppm, c) 6,000 ppm, and d) 12,000 ppm. After six weeks, four animals per treatment were killed and samples of intestinal content and mucosa were collected. Compared with control, GA tended to increase average daily gain ( +13% and +14% for GA at 3,000 and 6,000 ppm, respectively; P of the model = 0.11; quadratic, P < 0.05). Daily feed consumption and gain to feed ratio were not influenced by GA. Intestinal counts of clostridia, enterobacteriaceae, and lactic acid bacteria were not affected by feeding GA. Gluconic acid tended to increase total SCFA in the jejunum (+174%, +87%, and +74% for GA at 3,000, 6,000, and 12,000 ppm, respectively; P of the model = 0.07; quadratic, P = 0.07).The morphological evaluations of the intestinal mucosa samples from jejunum, ileum and cecum did not show any significant differences among treatments. This study showed that feeding GA has an influence on the composition and the activity of the intestinal microflora and may improve the growth performance of piglets after weaning
The effect of gluconic acid on growth and intestinal microflora of weanling pigs
No full textThe effect of gluconic acid on growth and intestinal microflora of weanling pigs (Einfluss von Gluconsäure auf Wachstum und intestinale Mikroflora von Absetzferkeln). G. Biagi*, E. Vezzali, A. Piva and F.X. Roth – Bologna/Freising-Weihenstephan
The finding that antibiotics fed to farm animals as growth promoters can be responsible for the spreading of resistant bacteria and the consumer demands for a food chain free of drugs determine the need to study alternative strategies to control microbial activity in the gastrointestinal system of monogastric animals. Gluconic acid (GA) has been shown to reach the large intestine in rats where it can be fermented by the microflora (1). Aim of this study was the evaluation of the effect of feeding GA on piglet growth and intestinal microflora.
Methods: Immediately after weaning, 48 piglets were divided into 4 groups (12 animals per group, housed in individual cages) for a 6 week trial. Treatments were a commercial diet with a) no addition (control diet) or with b) 0.3%, c) 0.6%, and d) 1.2% of GA. Feed and water were provided ad libitum. Animals were weighed every week and feed consumption was recorded. At day 10 and 31, faecal samples were collected from 6 animals per group and cultured for viable bacteria (coliforms, clostridia and lactobacilli). At the end of the trial, 4 animals per group were killed. Samples of jejunum and caecum content were cultured for viable bacteria and their ammonia and volatile fatty acids (VFA) content as well as pH were determined.
Results: Feeding 0.3 and 0.6% of gluconic acid increased average daily gain (ADG) compared to control (P < 0,10), while gain to feed ratio (GF) was not influenced by treatments (Table 1). Faecal bacterial counts after 2 weeks did not show any differences. At week 5, coliforms were markedly reduced by the 0.3% GA treatment compared to control (P < 0.10) and all GA diets showed a tendential increase of the number of lactobacilli. In the caecum, clostridia were significantly reduced by GA at 0.6 and 1.2% (P < 0,10). As previously observed in the faeces, lactobacilli were tendentially increased in the caecum by GA. Ammonia concentration in the intestinal samples was not influenced by treatments. VFA in the intestine were increased by GA, but the differences observed did not reach the significance level due to the high variability. Interestingly, GA mainly increased acetic acid in the jejunum and butyric acid in the caecum.
Table 1. Live weight, average daily gain (ADG), daily feed intake and feed to gain ratio (FG) of piglets in the 6 weeks after weaning. Values are means of 12 animals ± SD.
Final live weight ADG Daily feed intake FG
(kg) (g/d) (g/d)
Control 25.08 ± 3,09 423 ± 67 704 ± 121 1.67 ± 0.06
Gluconic acid 0.3% 26.73 ± 2,73* 464 ± 55* 754 ± 108 1.62 ± 0.07
Gluconic acid 0.6% 26.85 ± 2,95* 466 ± 71* 749 ± 94 1.62 ± 0.08
Gluconic acid 1.2% 25.25 ± 2,22 428 ± 52 696 ± 68 1.63 ± 0.06
*Different from control by P < 0.10.
Conclusion: The present results show how feeding GA can improve the growth performances of piglets after weaning. Nevertheless, when used at a high concentration (1.2 %) the positive effect of GA was not observed. The bacterial counts and the VFA analyses show that GA may influence the composition and the activity of the intestinal microflora. Further studies will be needed to achieve a better understanding of the mode of action of GA in pigs.
1) ASANO, T, YUASA, K, YOSHIMURA, Y, TAKENAWA, S and FUKUBA, H (1997): J. Jpn. Soc. Nutr. Food Sci. 50, 287-294.
_______________________
*Department of Physiology and Animal Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Bologna, Via Tolara di Sopra 50, I-40064 Ozzano Emili
Barronopsis floridensis Roth 1954
No full textBarronopsis floridensis (Roth 1954) Figs. 43 –44, 69 Agelenopsis (Barronopsis) barrowsi Chamberlin & Ivie 1941: 602, 623; Plate VII, figs. 43–45 (male). Agelenopsis (Barronopsis) floridensis Roth 1954: 3 –4, figs. 5-6 (male). Barronopsis floridensis Roth & Brame 1972: 41, figs. 55–56 (male, female). Brignoli 1983: 470. Roth & Brown 1986: 5. Platnick 1989: 401. Platnick 1997: 618. Platnick 2009. Types. Male holotype and paratype from Levy County, Florida (H.K. Wallace, 1949), in AMNH (holotype examined). Remarks. Roth (1954: 3) did not examine specimens used by Chamberlin & Ivie (1941) in their description of B. barrowsi, but felt that their figures 43–45 were of Agelenopsis (Barronopsis) floridensis. Diagnosis. Characters as for males of B. texana, except for apical section of embolus. In B. floridensis upper and lower lamellae of second coil incompletely merge and twist over each other subdistally forming a trough that narrows to a blunt tip (Figs. 43–44). Tip also has smoothly curved 90 ° elbow. No fine sculpting of embolus tip at 400 X and no truncated lamellae with intervening membrane are evident (present in B. texana and B. jeffersi). Females diagnosed as members of B. texana group by tooth-like epigynal projections and copulatory duct twist with a slight distal enlargement where twist begins. Females not readily separated from other B. texana group females, except weakly from B. jeffersi and B. texana respectively by lack of ovate pale patches on the cephalothoracic junction surrounded by ring of black pigment, and by distribution. Description. Tab. 2–5. Male: n= 13. TW 2.20–3.57 (2.81 ± 0.47), CW 1.22–1.86 (1.52 ± 0.24), DSL 3.19– 4.94 (4.02 ± 0.64), ITL 2.43–3.69 (3.07 ± 0.42). Male holotype: TW 2.81; CW 1.52; DSL 4.10; TL 3.42. Female: n= 38. TW 1.82–3.27 (2.56 ± 0.32), CW 1.06–1.94 (1.46 ± 0.18), DSL 2.96–4.83 (3.76 ± 0.45), ITL 1.98–3.34 (2.52 ± 0.32). Distribution. Collection label data suggest that B. floridensis is restricted to Florida south of roughly 30 ° N (where it is sympatric with B. barrowsi and to South Bimini Island, Bahamas, approximately 150 km east of Miami, Florida. Natural history. Collection label data from South Bimini specimens, as well as some Florida data, suggest that B. floridensis has a slightly different phenology than other Barronopsis species. From Bimini, one penultimate male was collected in May 1951 and, numerous adult females and juveniles (one of which matured as a male in mid-June) were collected in February. Labels from probable B. floridensis female specimens collected in south Florida suggest that females, at least, are present well into April. Material examined. United States. FLORIDA: Hillsborough County, N of Tampa (Ivie), 26 August 1933: 2 males (AMNH). Levy County, (Wallace), 15 November 1949: 1 male. Manatee County, Bradenton, in nursery (Chancy), 9 December 1963: 1 male (FS). Marion County, Ocala National Forest, W of Central Tower (Edwards & Choate), 29 November 1979: 1 male, 2 females (FS). Martin County, Port Mayacca (Pinter), 29 December 1965: 1 male (MCZ). Putnam County, University of Florida Conservation Reservation (HKW), 4 December 1952: 1 male (FS). Sarasota County, Myakka State Park (Roth), 14 February 1970: 4 males, 27 females (CAS); 6 F (AMNH). Seminole County, 16km SE Sanford, hole on cement post on Florida highway 46, 7 December 1950: 2 males, 1 female (FS). Bahamas, South Bimini, subadult male 17 February 1970 (Roth), adult molt 12 June 1970: 1 M (CAS). South Bimini. (Roth), 17 February 1970: 5 females (CAS).Published as part of Stocks, Ian Christopher, 2009, Systematics and natural history of Barronopsis (Araneae: Agelenidae), with description of a new species, pp. 1-38 in Zootaxa 2270 on pages 33-34, DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19092
Vom Umgang mit Schuld in der Kirche - Zur Soziologie der Sünde
No full textKaufmann F-X. Vom Umgang mit Schuld in der Kirche - Zur Soziologie der Sünde. In: Meyer-Blanck M, Roth U, Seip J, Spielberg B, eds. Sündenpredigt. Ökumenische Studien zur Predigt. Vol 8. München: Don Bosco; 2012: 159-176
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