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Psittacines are often classified as seed eaters despite studies that have established great diversity in food habits in the wild. While seeds are consumed, so are flowers, buds, leaves, fruits and cambium. Some psittacines consume part of greater than 80 species of grasses, forbs, shrubs and trees. In addition, insects may be important. Although there are few controlled studies of the requirements of psittacines, it is probable that most nutrient needs are comparable to those of domesticated precocial birds that have been thoroughly studied. Commercial seed mixes for psittacines commonly contain corn, sunflower, safflower, pumpkin and squash seeds, wheat, peanuts, millet, oat groats and buckwheat, although other seeds may be present. Because hulls/shells comprise 18-69% of these seeds and they are removed before swallowing, a significant proportion of typical seed mixtures is waste. Some of the seeds also are very high in fat and promote obesity. Common nutrient deficiencies of decorticated seeds include lysine, calcium, available phosphorus, sodium, manganese, zinc, iron, iodine, selenium, vitamins A, D, E and K, riboflavin, pantothenic acid, available niacin, vitamin B-12 and choline. Attempts to correct these deficiencies by incorporating pellets into seed mixes are usually thwarted by rejection of the pellets and disproportionate consumption of items that are more highly favored. An extruded diet formulated to meet the projected nutrient needs of psittacines was fed with fruits and vegetables to eight species of psittacines for 1 y. Fledging percentage was increased to 90% from the 66% observed during the previous 2 y when these psittacines were fed seeds, fruits and vegetables. Although this extruded diet was well accepted in a mixture of fruits and vegetables and met nutrient needs, analyses have shown that not all commercial formulated diets are of equal merit.

What emerges from an analysis of current internationalization directions is the complexity of the relationship between internationalization and the conflicting ideologies underpinning globalization. Nursing can play a key role within universities to ensure that varying viewpoints are debated and the implications of varying internationalization decisions are understood.

This review discusses aspects of feeding ecology, nutrition, and dietary husbandry that are particularly relevant to reproductive success in wild animals. Emphasis has been placed on recently published literature. Special attention has been given to requirements for energy and protein and the unique roles of essential amino acids, essential fatty acids, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, copper, selenium, and vitamins A, C, D, and E. Information has been drawn from research with mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish, including the domestic and laboratory species that play such a large role in elucidating mechanisms connecting nutrition and reproduction.

We found that vitamin C is an essential nutrient for an Amazonian ornamental fish, the oscar (Astronotus ocellatus). This was demonstrated by the absence of L-gulonolactone oxidase activity, the enzyme responsible for the biosynthesis of vitamin C, in liver or kidney of oscars and by a feeding trial in which oscars without vitamin C dietary supplementation developed clinical deficiency signs. Fish weighing 29.2 +/- 1.9 g were divided into four groups, and each group was fed a casein-based semipurified diet containing 0, 25, 75 or 200 mg ascorbic acid equivalent (AA)/kg diet for 26 wk. Vitamin C was supplemented in the diets as L-ascorbyl-2-polyphosphate, a mixture of phosphate esters of ascorbate, which is more stable to oxidation than AA. At the end of 26 wk, fish fed no AA had significantly lower weight gain than fish fed the AA-supplemented diets (P < 0.05). Oscars without dietary AA supplementation gained only 37% of their initial weight, compared with 112, 102 and 91% gained by fish fed 25, 75 and 200 mg AA/kg diet, respectively. After 25 wk without dietary supplementation of AA, fish began to develop clinical deficiency signs, including deformed opercula and jaws, hemorrhage in the eyes and fins, and lordosis. Histology indicated that fish without AA supplementation had deformed gill filament support cartilage and atrophied muscle fibers. Collagen content of the vertebral column was significantly lower in fish devoid of dietary AA (P < 0.05). Liver AA concentration varied in proportion to dietary concentration of AA. The minimum dietary AA concentration tested in this study, 25 mg AA/kg diet, was sufficient to prevent growth reduction and AA deficiency signs in oscars.

This paper discusses the role of the occupational therapist in the treatment of chronic pain. It begins with a critical evaluation of our current theoretical understanding of pain, concentrating on the link between physical and psychological factors. A unit for the treatment of patients with chronic pain is described and assessment and practical treatment approaches are outlined. Emphasis is placed on a functional approach which maximizes the individual's control over his own pain.

Zoo animal nutritionists need to make decisions about diet composition for a wide variety of vertebrate species, including those with very specialized diets (dietary specialists). For some zoo species it is common to refer to the published literature on the nutrient requirements of analogous domestic animals, such as cattle, horses and cats, as well as human beings (Allen & Oftedal, 1996). When this information is combined with knowledge of natural history, feeding patterns, composition of foods consumed in the wild and gastrointestinal tract morphology, it is possible to develop a sound foundation for a successful feeding programme for many zoo animals.

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