Showing papers by "Rowett Research Institute published in 2019"

Characterisation of the effect of day length, and associated differences in dietary intake, on the gut microbiota of Soay sheep.

Abstract: Differences in the rumen bacterial community have been previously reported for Soay sheep housed under different day length conditions. This study extends this previous investigation to other organs of the digestive tract, as well as the analysis of ciliated protozoa and anaerobic fungi. The detectable concentrations of ciliated protozoa and anaerobic fungi decreased with increased day length in both the rumen and large colon, unlike those of bacteria where no effect was observed. Conversely, bacterial community composition was affected by day length in both the rumen and large colon, but the community composition of the detectable ciliated protozoa and anaerobic fungi was not affected. Day length-associated differences in the bacterial community composition extended to all of the organs examined, with the exception of the duodenum and the jejunum. It is proposed that differences in rumen fill and ruminal ‘by-pass’ nutrients together with endocrinological changes cause the observed effects of day length on the different gut microbial communities.

The evolution of online co-production groups and its effects on content quality

Abstract: What types of social processes generate strong online co-production groups? How do these groups evolve to reach peak performance? How does the quality of the products generated by the groups co-vary with the evolution of their social systems over time? The paper analyzes the entire English and French Wikipedia editorial histories, from their inception until 2015, identifying the specific phases through which two different massive online production systems grew. By tracking the emergence of the high contribution group across two different online spaces on a fine-grained level, the paper uncovers their temporal evolutions and impacts on the organization of social systems. Furthermore, the paper reveals how the quality of the content co-evolves with the emergence of the production groups through each growth phase.