Journal Articles
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Item Standard metabolic rate variation among New Zealand Orthoptera(Elsevier B V, Amsterdam, 2024) Bulgarella M; Haywood J; Dowle EJ; Morgan-Richards M; Trewick SAStandard metabolic rates (SMR) of ectotherms reflect the energetic cost of self-maintenance and thus provide important information about life-history strategies of organisms. We examined variation in SMR among fifteen species of New Zealand orthopteran. These species represent a heterogeneous group with a wide geographic distribution, differing morphologies and life histories. Gathering original data on morphological and physiological traits of individual species is a first step towards understanding existing variability. Individual metabolic rates of ectotherms are one of the first traits to respond to climate change. Baseline SMR datasets are valuable for modeling current species distributions and their responses to a changing climate. At higher latitudes, the average environmental temperature decreases. The pattern that cold-adapted ectotherms display higher SMR at colder temperatures and greater thermal sensitivity to compensate for lower temperatures and the shorter growing and reproductive seasons is predicted from the metabolic cold adaptation (MCA) hypothesis. We predict higher SMR for the orthopteran species found at higher latitudes. We further compared the index of thermal sensitivity Q10 per species. We used closed-system respirometry to measure SMR, at two test temperatures (4 °C and 14 °C), for the fifteen species acclimated to the same conditions. As expected, we found significant differences in SMR among species. The rate of oxygen consumption was positively correlated with body mass. Our findings do not support the MCA hypothesis. In fact, we found evidence of co-gradient variation in SMR, whereby insects from higher elevations and latitudes presented lower SMR. We discuss our findings in relation to life histories and ecology of each species. The novel physiological data presented will aid in understanding potential responses of these unusual species to changing climatic conditions in Aotearoa/New Zealand.Item Incorporating hydrology into climate suitability models changes projections of malaria transmission in Africa.(Springer Nature Limited, 2020-08-28) Smith MW; Willis T; Alfieri L; James WHM; Trigg MA; Yamazaki D; Hardy AJ; Bisselink B; De Roo A; Macklin MG; Thomas CJContinental-scale models of malaria climate suitability typically couple well-established temperature-response models with basic estimates of vector habitat availability using rainfall as a proxy. Here we show that across continental Africa, the estimated geographic range of climatic suitability for malaria transmission is more sensitive to the precipitation threshold than the thermal response curve applied. To address this problem we use downscaled daily climate predictions from seven GCMs to run a continental-scale hydrological model for a process-based representation of mosquito breeding habitat availability. A more complex pattern of malaria suitability emerges as water is routed through drainage networks and river corridors serve as year-round transmission foci. The estimated hydro-climatically suitable area for stable malaria transmission is smaller than previous models suggest and shows only a very small increase in state-of-the-art future climate scenarios. However, bigger geographical shifts are observed than with most rainfall threshold models and the pattern of that shift is very different when using a hydrological model to estimate surface water availability for vector breeding.Item Phenological phase affects carrot seed production sensitivity to climate change - A panel data analysis(Elsevier BV, 2023-09-20) Godwin A; McGill C; Ward A; Sofkova-Bobcheva S; Pieralli S; Paoletti ENew Zealand is a major producer of carrot seeds globally. Carrots are an important nutritional crop for human consumption. Since the growth and development of carrot seed crops mainly depend on climatic factors, seed yield is extremely susceptible to climate change. This modeling study was undertaken using a panel data approach to determine the impact of the atmospheric conditions (proxied by maximum and minimum temperature) and precipitation during the critical growth stages for seed production in carrot, viz., juvenile phase, vernalization phase, floral development phase, and flowering and seed development phase on carrot seed yield. The panel dataset was created using cross-sections from 28 locations within the Canterbury and Hawke's Bay regions of New Zealand that cultivate carrot seed crops and time series from 2005 to 2022. Pre-diagnostic tests were performed to test the model assumptions, and a fixed effect model was selected subsequently. There was significant (p < 0.01) variability in temperature and rainfall throughout different growing phases, except for precipitation at the vernalization phase. The highest rate of changes in maximum temperature, minimum temperature, and precipitation were recorded during the vernalization phase (+0.254 °C per year), floral development phase (+0.18 °C per year), and juvenile phase (-6.508 mm per year), respectively. Based on marginal effect analysis, the highest significant influence of minimum (187.724 kg/ha of seed yield decrease for each 1 °C increment) and maximum temperature (1 °C rise increases seed yield by 132.728 kg/ha), and precipitation (1 mm increment of rainfall decreases the seed yield by 1.745 kg/ha) on carrot seed yield were reported at vernalization, and flowering and seed development, respectively. The minimum and maximum temperatures have a higher marginal effect on carrot seed production. Analysis of the panel data demonstrates that the production of carrot seeds will be vulnerable to climatic change.Item Understanding the Effects of Lactose Hydrolysis Modeling on the Main Oligosaccharides in Goat Milk Whey Permeate(MDPI (Basel, Switzerland), 2019-09-10) Thum C; Weinborn V; Barile D; McNabb WC; Roy NC; Leite Nobrega de Moura Bell JM; Moreno DA; Villaño DEnzymatic hydrolysis of lactose is a crucial step to improve the efficiency and selectivity of membrane-based separations toward the recovery of milk oligosaccharides free from simple sugars. Response surface methodology was used to investigate the effects temperature (25.9 to 54.1 °C) and amount of enzyme (0.17 to 0.32% w/w) at 1, 2, and 4 h of reaction on the efficiency of lactose hydrolysis by Aspergillus oryzae β-galactosidase, preservation of major goat whey oligosaccharides, and on the de-novo formation of oligosaccharides. Lactose hydrolysis above 99% was achieved at 1, 2, and 4 h, not being significantly affected by temperature and amount of enzyme within the tested conditions. Formation of 4 Hexose (Hex) and 4 Hex 1 Hex and an increased de-novo formation of 2 Hex 1 N-Acetyl-Neuraminic Acid (NeuAc) and 2 Hex 1 N-Glycolylneuraminic acid (NeuGc) was observed in all treatments. Overall, processing conditions using temperatures ≤40 °C and enzyme concentration ≤0.25% resulted in higher preservation/formation of goat whey oligosaccharides.Item Time lag effect on malaria transmission dynamics in an Amazonian Colombian municipality and importance for early warning systems.(Springer Nature Limited, 2023-10-30) Gonzalez-Daza W; Vivero-Gómez RJ; Altamiranda-Saavedra M; Muylaert RL; Landeiro VLMalaria remains a significant public health problem worldwide, particularly in low-income regions with limited access to healthcare. Despite the use of antimalarial drugs, transmission remains an issue in Colombia, especially among indigenous populations in remote areas. In this study, we used an SIR Ross MacDonald model that considered land use change, temperature, and precipitation to analyze eco epidemiological parameters and the impact of time lags on malaria transmission in La Pedrera-Amazonas municipality. We found changes in land use between 2007 and 2020, with increases in forested areas, urban infrastructure and water edges resulting in a constant increase in mosquito carrying capacity. Temperature and precipitation variables exhibited a fluctuating pattern that corresponded to rainy and dry seasons, respectively and a marked influence of the El Niño climatic phenomenon. Our findings suggest that elevated precipitation and temperature increase malaria infection risk in the following 2 months. The risk is influenced by the secondary vegetation and urban infrastructure near primary forest formation or water body edges. These results may help public health officials and policymakers develop effective malaria control strategies by monitoring precipitation, temperature, and land use variables to flag high-risk areas and critical periods, considering the time lag effect.Item Retrofitting solar air heaters in New Zealand schools – A randomized crossover intervention study(Elsevier B.V, 2024-06-15) Wang Y; Phipps R; Boulic M; Plagmann M; Cunningham C; Guyot GMost New Zealand (NZ) schools rely on natural ventilation and are often inadequately ventilated in winter. NZ school hours typically span from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. and are well aligned with optimum solar radiation. Existing classrooms could therefore be heated and ventilated using retrofitted solar energy applications. To investigate the suitability of a commercially available solar air heater (SAH) to improve ventilation, a randomized crossover intervention study was conducted in 12 classrooms from six primary schools in Palmerston North, NZ, during the winter of 2014. Typical performance results showed a mean (standard deviation, SD) SAH outlet air temperature of 29.2 (10.4) °C at a mean (SD) velocity of 0.7 (0.3) m·s-1. During most school periods (64–99%) classrooms maintained required thermal comfort. The concurrent use of the extant heaters was reduced, and carbon dioxide levels were improved, lowering exposure for occupants. This study confirmed that retrofitting SAHs contributed to improved classroom ventilation, increased thermal comfort and reduced energy use. Optimising performance would require design improvements to improve airflow in order to comply with NZ ventilation and indoor air quality requirements for schools.Item pH-dependent sedimentation and protein interactions in ultra-high-temperature-treated sheep skim milk(Elsevier Inc and Fass Inc on behalf of the American Dairy Science Association, 2023-03) Pan Z; Ye A; Dave A; Fraser K; Singh HSheep milk is considered unstable to UHT processing, but the instability mechanism has not been investigated. This study assessed the effect of UHT treatment (140°C/5 s) and milk pH values from 6.6 to 7.0 on the physical properties of sheep skim milk (SSM), including heat coagulation time, particle size, sedimentation, ionic calcium level, and changes in protein composition. Significant amounts of sediment were found in UHT-treated SSM at the natural pH (∼6.6) and pH 7.0, whereas lower amounts of sediment were observed at pH values of 6.7 to 6.9. The proteins in the sediment were mainly κ-casein (CN)-depleted casein micelles with low levels of whey proteins regardless of the pH. Both the pH and the ionic calcium level of the SSM at all pH values decreased after UHT treatment. The dissociation levels of κ-, β-, and αS2-CN increased with increasing pH of the SSM before and after heating. The protein content, ionic calcium level, and dissociation level of κ-CN were higher in the SSM than values reported previously in cow skim milk. These differences may contribute to the high amounts of sediment in the UHT-treated SSM at natural pH (∼6.6). Significantly higher levels of κ-, β-, and αS2-CN were detected in the serum phase after heating the SSM at pH 7.0, suggesting that less κ-CN was attached to the casein micelles and that more internal structures of the casein micelles may have been exposed during heating. This could, in turn, have destabilized the casein micelles, resulting in the formation of protein aggregates and high amounts of sediment after UHT treatment of the SSM at pH 7.0.Item High steam-conditioning temperature during the pelleting process impairs growth performance and nutrient utilization in broiler starters fed barley-based diets, regardless of carbohydrase supplementation(Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Poultry Science Association Inc., 2021-08) Perera WNU; Abdollahi MR; Zaefarian F; Wester TJ; Ravindran VThe influence of supplemental carbohydrase (Carb) and conditioning temperature (CT) on growth performance, nutrient utilization and intestinal morphometry of broilers (d 1–21) fed barley-based diets was examined in a 2 × 3 factorial arrangement, evaluating 2 levels of Carb (0 and 150 g/tonne of feed) and three CT (60, 74, and 88°C). A total of 288, 1-day-old male broilers (8 birds/cage; 6 cages/treatment) were used. The activities of endo-1,4-β- glucanase, endo-1,3 (4)-β-glucanase and endo-1,4-β-xylanase in the Carb were 800 BGU/g, 700 BGU/g and 2,700 XU/g, respectively. On d 21, ileal digesta was collected for the determination of nutrient digestibility. There was no significant interaction between Carb and CT for any tested parameter. Supplemental Carb, regardless of CT, increased weight gain (WG; P < 0.05) and reduced feed per gain (F/G; P < 0.001) by 30 g/bird and 6.5 points, respectively. Increasing CT to 88°C reduced (P < 0.05) WG, but increased (P < 0.05) F/G compared to the diets conditioned at 60° and 74°C. Regardless of CT, Carb enhanced (P < 0.05) the digestibility of starch and AMEn by 1.15% and 32 kcal/kg, respectively. Compared to the diets conditioned at 60° and 74°C, CT at 88°C reduced (P < 0.05) digestibility of dry matter, nitrogen, phosphorus, gross energy, and AMEn. Birds fed diets conditioned at 88°C showed lower (P < 0.05) starch digestibility compared to those fed diets conditioned at 60°C. Conditioning at 88°C increased (P < 0.05) jejunal digesta viscosity by 10.2% compared to diets conditioned at 60° and 74°C. Overall, Carb supplementation improved WG, F/G, starch digestibility and AMEn in broilers fed barley-based diets, irrespective of CT applied. Conditioning barley-based diets at 88°C impaired the ability of birds to utilize nitrogen, starch, phosphorus and energy, and consequently deteriorated WG and F/G. The lack of significant interactions between Carb and CT indicated that negative impacts caused by high CT on bird performance and nutrient utilization occurred regardless of Carb enzyme supplementation. Supplemental Carb per se could not remedy the adverse effects of high CT.Item Metabolizable energy and standardized ileal amino acid digestibility of full-fat soybeans for broilers are influenced by wet-heating, expansion temperature, and autoclaving time(Elsevier Inc. on behalf of Poultry Science Association Inc, 2022-09) Abdollahi MR; Wiltafsky-Martin M; Zaefarian F; Ravindran VThe influence of wet-heating (WH) and expansion temperature (ET), and autoclaving time (AT) on the nitrogen-corrected apparent metabolizable energy (AMEn) and standardized ileal digestibility (SID) of AA in full-fat soybeans (FFSB) for broilers was examined in 2 experiments. The AMEn and SID AA of FFSB were determined by the difference and direct methods, respectively. In Experiment 1, raw FFSB (K0) were either treated by WH at 80°C for 1 min and expanded at 115°C (K1-115) or 125°C (K1-125), WH at 100°C for 6 min and expanded at 115°C (K2-115) or 125°C (K2-125), or WH at 100°C for 16 min and expanded at 115°C (K3-115) or 125°C (K3-125). Wet-heating and ET significantly (P < 0.001) increased the AMEn in FFSB. Among heat-treated FFSB, K1-115 and K1-125 resulted in the lowest and highest AMEn values, respectively, with all samples wet-heated at 100°C being intermediate. The K3-125 had AMEn values similar (P > 0.05) to K1-125. Among heat-treated FFSB, the highest average SID AA was recorded for K3-125. In Experiment 2, K3-125 from experiment 1 was divided into 9 batches and autoclaved at 110°C for 15 (Z1), 30 (Z2), 45 (Z3), 60 (Z4), 120 (Z5), 180 (Z6), 240 (Z7), 300 (Z8), and 360 (Z9) min. A quadratic (P < 0.01) pattern was observed for the effects of AT on AMEn. The AMEn was unaffected until 300 min AT and then declined at 360 min. The AT quadratically (P < 0.001) affected the average SID AA where the SID increased from K3-125 to Z1, plateaued to Z5, and then declined to Z9. In conclusion, the results demonstrated that WH at 100°C for 16 min followed by expansion at 125°C as the most optimal wet-heating and expansion processing, associated with the highest SID AA. Autoclaving at 110°C for 30 min enhanced energy utilization and AA digestibility in FFSB, suggesting that further advantages may be achieved by short-time autoclaving of previously wet-heated and expanded FFSB samples.Item Aspects of the development of Ixodes anatis under different environmental conditions in the laboratory and in the field(BioMed Central Ltd, 2021-12) Bansal N; Pomroy WE; Heath ACG; Castro IBACKGROUND: Numerous laboratory and fewer field-based studies have found that ixodid ticks develop more quickly and survive better at temperatures between 18 °C and 26 °C and relative humidity (RH) between 75 and 94%. Ixodes anatis Chilton, 1904, is an endophilic, nidicolous species endemic to North Island brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) (NIBK) and the tokoeka (Apteryx australis), and little is known about the environmental conditions required for its development. The aims of this study were to determine and compare the conditions of temperature and RH that ensure the best survival of the kiwi tick and the shortest interstadial periods, in laboratory conditions and outdoors inside artificial kiwi burrows. METHODS: Free-walking engorged ticks were collected off wild kiwi hosts and placed in the laboratory under various fixed temperature and humidity regimes. In addition, sets of the collected ticks at different developmental stages were placed in artificial kiwi burrows. In both settings, we recorded the times taken for the ticks to moult to the next stage. RESULTS: Larvae and nymphs both showed optimum development at between 10 °C and 20 °C, which is lower than the optimum temperature for development in many other species of ixodid ticks. However, larvae moulted quicker and survived better when saturation deficits were < 1-2 mmHg (RH > 94%); in comparison, the optimum saturation deficits for nymph development were 1-10 mmHg. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that the kiwi tick has adapted to the stable, but relatively cool and humid conditions in kiwi burrows, reflecting the evolutionary consequences of its association with the kiwi.