Amount Of Feed Research Articles

Understanding the impact of host plant factors on the oviposition behaviour of the cabbage stem flea beetle (Psylliodes chrysocephala)

AbstractFor many phytophagous insects, oviposition plays a key role in the selection of an appropriate host. A more comprehensive understanding of the factors influencing this behaviour in pest insects provides a basis for the development of new management strategies. Herein, the determinants of oviposition were assessed in the cabbage stem flea beetle, Psylliodes chrysocephala (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae), an insect specialized on the Brassicaceae family and a major pest of oilseed rape crops in Europe. To this end, a controlled condition experiment was conducted, in which a range of host plants exhibiting varying degrees of acceptability for feeding were presented to mature females. A superior host, Brassica rapa pekinensis, an intermediate one, Brassica napus, and a non‐host plant, Iberis amara, were used. An additional treatment involved wrapping the plants in micro‐perforated plastic bags to prevent feeding on aerial parts. The results demonstrated that contact with the host plant, and more particularly feeding, stimulated oviposition, with this effect being more pronounced in B. napus. Indeed, for the same amount of feeding, females laid significantly more eggs when feeding on B. napus than when feeding on B. rapa pekinensis. Additionally, a sequential experiment demonstrated that the intensity of oviposition is subject to rapid adaptive changes, as it is exclusively dependent on the current dietary conditions, with no influence of past dietary regimens. The quantification of macronutrients indicated the potential influence of plant‐digestible carbohydrates on these outcomes. Further investigation is required to determine the impact of the plant nutritional quality and defences on oviposition.

Micellar casein and sodium caseinate supramolecular structure differently impacts subsequent food intake in pigs.

Dietary protein reduces energy intake in following meals by signaling directly or indirectly to the brain. We recently observed differences in plasma amino acid kinetics and intra-gastric behavior between micellar casein (MC) and sodium caseinate (SC) in pigs, two factors that impact food intake. Our objective was to clarify whether the supramolecular structure of casein, given as a preload to pigs, impacts on subsequent food intake. Overnight fasted pigs were allowed to consume casein drinks differing in casein macromolecular structure (SC vs MC) within 5min in a cross-over study. Ad libitum intake of their regular feed was assessed during 1h, either 1 or 4h after casein drink ingestion. To evaluate the potential mechanisms at play, gastric emptying of the casein drinks radiolabeled with 99Tc-colloïd was followed using gamma-scintigraphy while plasma kinetics of ghrelin, GLP-1, insulin and free amino acids were evaluated. The amount of feed consumed 1, but not 4h, after SC ingestion was lower than the amount of feed consumed after MC ingestion (P=0.03). Gastric emptying parameters, plasma ghrelin, GLP-1 and insulin kinetics after both types of casein ingestion were not significantly different (P>0.05). However, plasma free amino acid concentrations, known to reduce food intake, increased after both SC and MC ingestion but was greater after SC than MC ingestion from 60 to 120min (P=0.009). In conclusion, casein supramolecular structure in a preload drink impacts differently subsequent energy intake, likely due to difference in amino acid bioavailability. Micellar casein exhibits less anorectic effect than sodium caseinate, a property that could benefit population with high protein need but low appetite such as elderly.

Potential of establishing a tourism entrance fee for the conservation management of St. Martin's Island, Bangladesh

<p>St. Martin's Island was declared an ecologically critical area of Bangladesh in 1999, but this has had limited effect on the conservation of the island's natural coral resources, on which a thriving tourism industry and the local inhabitants depend. The introduction of a tourism entrance fee can benefit conservation management on the island, but research on the amount that tourists are willing to pay is absent. The objective of this paper is to determine an appropriate entrance fee amount tourists would be willing to pay (WTP) for visiting St. Martin's Island using contingent valuation method questionnaire surveys and interviews of tourists on the island (n = 327) and the factors that influence their decision. Significance testing and regression analysis were used to assess survey data. A large majority of respondents suggested that they would be willing to pay between 0.78 and 7.8 USD; however, 24.5% said that they would pay nothing and indicated that such reluctance to pay was based on a belief that the responsibility should not fall on themselves as individuals, rather than a lack of financial capacity. Evidence suggests that even greater tourism entrance fees would still be accepted and amenable to tourists. If a fee of 4.29 USD was introduced, between 350,000 and 3.51 million USD, or 1.93 million USD, could be generated annually. The level of education, income, and a general concern for the environment significantly influenced WTP amounts. This study is aimed at assisting policy decision-makers and conservation managers of St. Martin's Island; required policy actions are briefly discussed.</p>

Renovation of JGC-30 Coal Feeding Belt in Thermal Power Plant

The coal feeder of our company's pulverizing system adopts JGC-30 weighing metering coal feeder. The raw coal in the raw coal hopper falls onto the coal feeder belt through the coal drop port by its own gravity. The existing design of high belt skirt on both sides is 40mm. A small amount of coal blocks falls off on both sides of the belt during the falling process. Due to the wind force of the coal feeder sealing wind and the operation of the belt, a small amount of coal blocks are scattered and stuck at the coal feeder weighing device. The inaccurate coal quantity measurement leads to large fluctuations in the coal feeding quantity of the pulverizing system, that will makes inducing abnormal vibration of the coal mill, insufficient coal powder output, large amount of slag discharge from the coal mill and other problems, which seriously affect the safe and stable operation of the pulverizing system. In this regard, the coal feeding belt was modified, and the skirts on both sides of the coal feeder were increased to 60mm. After the modification, it can be ensured that the raw coal does not fall from the skirts on both sides during the operation of the coal feeder, thereby solving the problem of inaccurate coal quantity measurement caused by coal blocks stuck in the weighing device. This study aims to address the problem by modifying the coal feeder belt, namely by increasing the skirt height on both sides of the belt from 40mm to 60mm. The method applied was to adjust the belt skirt design directly on the operating coal feeder, followed by operational testing to evaluate the effectiveness of the modification in preventing coal falling from the belt side. Results show that after increasing the height of the skirt belt, there is no more coal falling during coal feeder operation. Coal measurement became more accurate, which had a positive impact on coal feeding stability, reduced vibration in the coal mill, as well as increased fine coal output and reduced the amount of slag produced.

PRODUCTIVITY AND METABOLISM OF SUBSTANCES IN THE BODY OF BULLS BY OPTIMIZING THEIR PROTEIN NUTRITION

The issue of optimizing the protein nutrition of bulls by keeping them in the territory belonging to the III zone of radioactive contamination due to the Chernobyl accident is considered. Experimental studies on young cattle of the Ukrainian black-and-white dairy breed were conducted in the conditions of the physiological yard of the Institute of Agriculture of the Polissya NAAS. For the experiment, 2 groups of experimental animals were formed: Group I (control) – protein deficiency in the diet was provided by feeding 1.02 kg of pea shoots (Pisum sativum L.), and in Group II (experimental) – the same amount of field peas (Pisum sativum, var arvence). Since different types and amounts of feed were used for feeding the bulls, optimization of the nutritional value of the feed rations was carried out monthly. The experimental animals were kept in the same room according to the adopted technology – in stalls on a leash. The feeding and watering regime, microclimate parameters in both groups were the same. Optimization of protein nutrition of fattening bulls due to various high-protein feeds has a positive effect on productivity (875-1023 g) and feed conversion (103.0-120.4 MJ), does not have a negative effect on the slaughter qualities of animals. At the same time, the use of field peas compared to peas to ensure the normalized need of young cattle in digestible protein contributed to an increase in the average daily gain of live weight of animals by 16.9% (P>0.95) while reducing the expenditure of metabolic energy per unit of gain by 14.5%. The introduction of field peas into the diet of fattening bulls compared to the use of peas contributed to better digestion of dry matter by 0.2% abs., crude protein – 3.9 (P>0.95) and fiber – by 0.9% abs. Experimental animals of group II digested crude fat (by 1.4% abs.) and BER (by 0.3% abs.) somewhat worse than their peers of group I. At the same time, the Nitrogen balance in the body was better in the experimental group bulls compared to the control by 2.9%.

Possible involvement of up-regulated salt-dependent glucose transporter-5 (SGLT5) in high-fructose diet-induced hypertension.

Excessive fructose intake causes a variety of adverse conditions (e.g., obesity, hepatic steatosis, insulin resistance and uric acid overproduction). High fructose-induced hypertension is a particularly common and pathologically significant condition induced by excess fructose, but its underlying mechanisms remain unknown. We investigated these mechanisms in 7-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats fed normal rat food or a diet containing 60% glucose (GLU group) or 60% fructose (FRU group) for 3, 6, or 12 weeks. Daily food consumption was measured to avoid between-group discrepancies in caloric/salt intake, adjusting for feeding amounts. The mean blood pressure of FRU rats was significantly higher (12 weeks GLU: 94.8 ± 3.4 mmHg vs. 12 weeks FRU: 103.7 ± 1.2 mmHg), and fractional sodium excretion was significantly lower (12 weeks GLU: 0.084 ± 0.011% vs. 12 weeks FRU: 0.059 ± 0.08%), indicating that the high-fructose diet caused salt retention. The kidney weight and glomerular surface area were greater in FRU rats (12 weeks GLU: 7495 ± 181 vs. 12 weeks FRU: 9831 ± 164 μm2), suggesting that the high-fructose diet induced an increase in extracellular fluid volume. The expressions of GLUT5 and ketohexokinase, an enzyme required for fructose metabolism, were up-regulated in the FRU group rats (GLUT5 12 weeks GLU: 104.7 ± 15.4% vs. 12 weeks FLU: 309.0 ± 99.9%, ketohexokinase 12 weeks GLU: 129.6 ± 3.5% vs. 12 weeks FLU: 163.9 ± 13.0%). Cortical ATP levels were significantly lower in FRU rats (12 weeks GLU: 9.82 ± 1.26 nmol/mg protein vs. 12 weeks FRU: 7.59 ± 1.68 nmol/mg protein), possibly indicating ATP consumption due to fructose metabolism. Unlike in previous reports the high-fructose diet did not affect NHE3 expression (12 weeks GLU: 166.1 ± 6.3% vs. 12 weeks FLU: 142.0 ± 5.9%). A gene chip analysis conducted to identify susceptible molecules revealed that only Slc5a10 (corresponding to SGLT5) showed >two-fold up-regulation in FRU versus GLU rats. RT-PCR and in situ hybridization confirmed the SGLT5 up-regulation (12 weeks GLU: 75.0 ± 5.8% vs. 12 weeks FLU: 230.1 ± 16.0%). Our findings may indicate that the high-fructose diet increased sodium reabsorption principally through up-regulated SGLT5, finally causing salt-sensitive hypertension.

Utilization of Locally Available Feeds to Develop Sustainable Blue Swimming Crab (Portunus pelagicus) Farming in Central Java

The popularity of the blue swimming crab (Portunus pelagicus) has led to significant overfishing. Aquaculture offers a potential solution to reduce fishing pressure, given that P. pelagicus is relatively easy to hatch, has high fecundity, a short larval duration, and rapid growth. However, knowledge about feed preferences and feed-use efficiency in P. pelagicus is limited. This study compared the effectiveness of three locally available feeds. A total of 160 juvenile P. pelagicus were divided into five repetitions across four diet groups: PPV (shrimp pellets + Perna viridis flesh, crude protein = 45 %), PAI (shrimp pellets + Acetes indicus, crude protein = 45 %), P100 (shrimp pellets, crude protein = 30%), and P150 (shrimp pellets at 150% of the dry matter requirement, crude protein = 45%, iso-protein to both PPV & PAI). The experiment consisted of three phases: a one-week pre-trial to determine feeding rates, followed by a six-week culture period (Period-1) and an eight-week culture period (Period-2). Body weight and survival were measured biweekly, feed amounts were adjusted accordingly, and costs were recorded. Survival rates and feed conversion ratios were similar across all diets. Crab growth was lower in Period-2 than in Period-1 across treatments. The specific growth rates for PPV, PAI, and P150 were comparable, while P100 resulted in lower growth. The cost of PPV was higher than that of PAI, P100, and P150, with the economic feed conversion ratio for P100 and P150 outperforming PPV and PAI. Shrimp pellets proved to be an efficient feed for the grow-out phase of blue swimming crabs, though pellet size should match the crab’s size.

IoT Innovation and Entrepreneurship Education: Sustainable Tilapia Cultivation Optimization Strategy

Tilapia cultivation in Teratak Village, Central Lombok, faces problems in feed efficiency and limited market access. Lack of automation technology causes feed waste, while limited marketing knowledge limits farmers' competitiveness. This community service activity aims to overcome these problems through the application of Internet of Things (IoT) technology in the form of automatic feeders (smart feeders) and entrepreneurship training focused on digital marketing. The methods applied include the manufacture and installation of smart fish feeders that are controlled via an application to regulate the amount and frequency of feed. In addition, entrepreneurship training focuses on digital marketing strategies through social media and e-commerce platforms to expand market reach. The results of the activity show that smart feeders increase feed efficiency by up to 20%, reduce waste, and support more optimal fish growth. Digital marketing training helps farmers improve their online promotion skills, expand market networks, and significantly increase sales. In conclusion, the application of IoT technology and digital marketing-based entrepreneurship training has proven effective in increasing the efficiency of cultivation and market competitiveness of tilapia farmers in Teratak Village

Scalable Nickel Catalysts for Carbonylative Terpolymerization of Ethylene/α-Olefin with High Efficiency.

The carbonylative polymerization of olefin yields aliphatic polyketones, which are used as engineering plastics in the market due to their excellent mechanical strength, chemical resistance, and surface and barrier properties. However, the usage of precious palladium catalysts has restricted their extensive application as commodity materials. Herein, we present a series of phosphine-sulfonate Ni catalysts with a wide spectrum of electronic and steric substituents on the phosphorus moiety for the carbonylative polymerization of ethylene. Such efficient nickel-catalyzed copolymerization shows the on-demand transformation of ethylene/CO gas to polyketones with quantitative yield and product specificity. A remarkable productivity of up to 20 kg PK (g Ni)-1 was obtained during ethylene/propylene/CO terpolymerization, and the polymerization productivity is independent of the type and feeding amount of α-olefin. The resulting terpolymers show comparable crystallinity, thermal stability, and tensile properties with commercial POKETONE products from Hyosung. The nickel catalyst also features the advantages of using cheap raw material sources and simple synthetic procedures that can be scaled up easily, which enables it to be a promising candidate for industrial application.

PENGARUH KEBIJAKAN BIAYA MERCHANT DISCOUNT RATE QRIS TERHADAP OMZET DI KANTIN

Financial Technology (Fintech) has changed the way business actors access financial services, manage finances, and interact with potential buyers. The presence of the Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS) makes it easy to carry out non-cash payment transactions. However, unfortunately, using QRIS costs a Merchant Discount Rate (MDR) with the policy set by Bank Indonesia regarding MDR fees of 0.3% for every transaction > IDR 100,000 with QRIS payments as a payment channel for micro businesses. Micro business actors in the Brawijaya University Malang canteen must be prepared to face adjustments to the amount of MDR fees in the QRIS payment system. This researcher aims to determine the effect of MDR costs on turnover in the Brawijaya University Malang canteen. This research is quantitative research using simple linear regression analysis techniques for cross section data with a sample of 50 canteens at Brawijaya University, Malang. This research resulted in the conclusion that QRIS Merchant Discount Rate fees have no influence on turnover in the Brawijaya University Malang canteen. Keywords: Financial Technology, Merchant Discount Rate, Quick Response Code Indonesian Standard, Micro Business

Effect of Milk Replacer Feeding Level and Concentration on Feed Utilization, Growth Performance, and Blood Parameters of Hanwoo Calves.

This study aims to determine appropriate milk replacer feeding amounts and concentrations for artificial suckling of Hanwoo calves by analyzing growth and blood parameters in response to varying feeding levels and concentrations. A total of 90 Hanwoo calves (45 females; 45 males) (Mean weight 30.84 (3.61) kg; females 29.22 (3.47) kg; males 32.46 (2.99) kg) were allocated in the experiment. The treatment design consisted of a 3 × 3 factorial arrangement, resulting in 9 treatment groups based on milk replacer feeding levels and concentrations. Milk replacer feeding levels were set at 10, 20, and 30% of calf body weight, while concentrations were 15, 20, and 25%. The blood parameters, average daily gain, feed efficiency, diarrhea incidence, feed intake, and water intake were measured. Optimal feed intake was observed at milk replacer levels above 4.0% DM of BW (20% of body weight × 20% concentration) (p < 0.05). Maximum average daily gain was achieved with 4.5% DM of BW (30% of body weight × 15% concentration). The 25% milk replacer concentration showed reduced growth performance and increased diarrhea incidence compared with lower concentrations. Blood parameters remained unaffected across treatments. For 30-day-old Hanwoo calves, the ideal feeding regimen appears to be 4.5% DM of BW (30% of body weight × 15% concentration) divided into four daily feedings. However, for younger calves or when digestive issues are a concern, a two-phase approach is recommended: 3.0% DM of BW (20% of body weight × 15% concentration) for the first 10 days, followed by an increase to 4.5% DM of BW (30% of body weight × 15% concentration) thereafter. This feeding strategy aims to optimize growth performance while minimizing potential digestive disturbances during the critical early development stage of Hanwoo calves.

Fees for Providing Information in the Age of Digitalization

Abstract The article examines the principle of transparency as a cornerstone of the rule of law and a deterrent to power misuse. Effective and efficient means must be used to ensure access to government information. However, under EU and Czech law, persons legally bound to provide information are entitled to request reimbursements of their costs. Such fees may be requested in an amount specified by law, namely for excessive information search which usually form the most significant part of the fees charged. Contrarily, the Tromsø Convention does not allow for reimbursement of extensive search. This article investigates whether these fees impede access to information. The Czech Supreme Administrative Court’s and Constitutional Court’s case law defining the conditions under which reimbursement of costs may be requested is analysed. Further, current administrative practice of ministries and regional authorities is compared, highlighting considerable disparities in their fee schedules. The article scrutinizes the amount of fees collected, which is rather insignificant and posits that the principle of effectiveness, which initially justified these charges, has been superseded in the digital age. The research, which has both national and EU-wide implications, concludes that it would be beneficial to abolish all fees. This recommendation also applies to other countries with a similar approach to information access. The findings of this research offer valuable insights for both the scientific community and practical applications in the field of law.

The Impact of the New State Fee Regulations on Litigants in the Field of Intellectual Property

On January 1, 2024, the new State Fee Law No 213 of 31 July 2023 entered into force. According to the legislator, this Law strikes a balance between the expenses borne by the State to provide for a qualitative public service of access to justice and the obligation of litigants to contribute to the partial coverage of the expenses for the service they benefit from. This study aims to clarify the impact of the new state fees on litigants in the field of intellectual property when the holders, or other holders of exclusive rights, are faced with their infringement and decide to defend their rights acquired either by registration or by effect of the law, from the moment of creation by initiating proceedings to enforce their intellectual property rights using civil and infringement mechanisms. The impact of the new fees is presented through the analysis of concrete cases that highlight both the types of fees, the amounts of fees to be paid when fi ling lawsuits to establish the infringement of intellectual property rights and recover the damages, appeals, cessations, and the subjects who benefit from exemptions from paying the state fee in disputes involving intellectual property rights. The study also includes some considerations related to paid justice versus the fundamental right to free access to justice and the intrinsic right to a fair trial.

Research on palatability of bait for targeted control of Brandt's vole (Lasiopodomys brandtii) in typical steppes

Chemical control is still the primary means of controlling wild rodent pests in China's grasslands; however current rodenticides are broad-spectrum and pose a risk to several other grassland ecosystems. Improving the precision of grassland rodent pest control and reducing collateral damage to non-target animals is an urgent problem. One solution to this problem is to ensure that bait choices are preferred by specific rodent. However, most studies on the development of rodenticides have neglected bait choice. We focused on Brandt's voles (Lasiopodomys brandtii), the dominant rodent species in the typical steppes of China, in this study. By measuring the percentage of feeding amount (PFA) different baits in a cafeteria setting, we sought to test the palatability of different candidate baits. We found that one of our blend baits was as popular as the wheat bait among Brandt's voles under laboratory conditions. However, our blended bait was preferred to the wheat bait when rodenticide was added. Non-target animals Columba livia, Gallus domesticus, Ovis aries, and sympatric non-target rodents feed less on blended bait than on wheat. We also used field trials to test whether baits were removed by Brandt's voles or PFA of partially consumed baits. In the wild, the removal time and PFA of Brandt's voles for the rodenticide + blend bait were better than those for the rodenticide + wheat bait. Mixing the wheat baits with bromadiolone rodenticide made poisoned baits less attractive to prey species than unpoisoned baits; however, Brandt’s voles were more likely to take the tainted baits than the unpoisoned baits when bromadiolone was added to the blends. Our results suggested that blend bait with 80 % Allium polyrhizum+ 20 % Stipa krylovii was highly palatable to Brandt's voles, did not become less palatable when poisoned with rodenticide, and was less likely to be eaten by non-target species including Columba livia, Gallus domesticus, Cricetulus barabensis, Phodopus campbelli and Ovis aries. Thus, blend bait has the potential to improve the pest management of Brandt's voles in China.

Oxygen‐Assisted Tailoring of Evaporated PbS Hole Transport Layer for Highly Efficient Antimony Sulfide Solar Cells

AbstractAntimony sulfide (Sb2S3) is regarded as one of the potential candidates for the next generation of photovoltaic absorber due to its excellent photoelectric properties. However, the selection and optimization of the hole transport layer (HTL) is still a major challenge for efficiency breakthrough of the Sb2S3 solar cells. In this work, lead sulfide (PbS) is deposited as a HTL of the Sb2S3 device by thermal evaporation for the first time. A high quality PbS films is conformally coated on the Sb2S3 rear surface by regulating the feeding amount, which thanks to the mass transfer mechanism of Ostwald ripening by scrutinizing the film growth kinetics. Meanwhile, both the valence band maximum (VBM) and Fermi levels are shifted down by a deliberate oxygen doping under a low vacuum ambient, which effectively reduces the offset between Sb2S3 and carbon electrode and then accelerates hole collection. Finally, it delivers an impressive photovoltaic conversion efficiency of 6.63% for carbon‐based Sb2S3 solar cells, coupled with a Voc of 779 mV, Jsc of 14.9 mA cm−2 and FF of 57.13%, which is 13% higher than that under high vacuum condition.

무인자동 양식어류 급이공급 시스템 개발 및 검증

Unmanned automatic feeding systems are being actively distributed to automate land-based aquaculture farms. Currently, feed supply in aquaculture is primarily based on a fixed period and amount, depending on the predetermined feed quantity set by the operator, which does not consider the dynamic feed supply needs of fish. This can lead to under- or oversupply of feed, affecting the fish growth rate and water quality in aquaculture. To address this, a method is proposed in this paper to identify fish hunger levels using machine vision and predict the dissolved oxygen concentration in real time to prevent mass fish mortality due to water quality deterioration, even with additional feed supply. The method aims to verify its performance. Firstly, based on the observation that aquaculture farm operators estimate fish hunger levels by feeding time, a method is proposed to estimate hunger levels using machine vision and feeding time. Next, a combination of time series data decomposition model and pre-trained deep learning model is used to predict the dissolved oxygen concentration in real time.

A Practical Economic Order Quantity Model for Growing Items with Edible Yield and Constraints in Poultry Farming

Growing items like chicken broilers play a critical role in consumption baskets; however, their real characteristics have been neglected in the research focusing on inventory models such as economic order quantity (EOQ). Mainstream research conducted in this field considers an approximation of the edible rate of chicken broilers in cost analysis. On the other hand, this subject was the objective of other research, and the function that represents the relationship between the weight and age of broilers was derived through extensive research. This study proposes an EOQ model that considers a realistic function for extracting the exact value of edible parts of broilers and the correct form of feeding function that is dependent on their age. In other words, this study not only addresses the challenge arising in the estimation of the edible part of broilers but also introduces another function to obtain the correct amount of feeding and nurturing cost of broilers. Solution methodology encompasses these mathematical functions and then provides a straightforward framework to find the optimal solution. An exact heuristic solution is obtained that considers the real factors, and then the approach is applied to case studies, and insights are derived to manage real situations for corporations.

Use of Fermented Japanese Papaya (Cindoscolus Aconitifolius) Leaf Flour as an Alternative Feed to Increase the Production and Quality of Tilapia (Oreochromis Niloticus)

Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) is a type of aquaculture commodity that has high economic value as a freshwater consumption fish in the world. Efforts to increase the quantity and quality of commercial feed have an impact on the operational costs of intensive fish farming, namely more than (60-70%) of the total production costs. One effort to overcome dependence on imported feed raw materials is the use of local raw materials. The local raw materials used must have high nutritional value, be non-toxic, relatively cheap, very abundant and not compete with human needs, including Japanese papaya leaves. The use of Japanese papaya leaf flour as a source of carbohydrates and protein in fish feed cannot be done optimally because it contains high levels of fiber and tannin which can bind the minerals needed by fish.

Unbalance detection of threshing cylinder in non-stationary rotation based on variational mode extraction

The rotating speed of the threshing cylinder was hardly constant in practice due to transmission error and cylinder speed would change with feed quantity to ensure the grain threshing effect. This paper proposed a novel unbalance detection method for non-stationary rotation. Variational mode extraction (VME) was introduced to extract unbalanced vibration signal and the unbalance feature index (UFI) was constructed as a criterion of weighting factor selection. Moreover, the unbalance phase calculation method and phase reference in non-stationary were proposed, which could eliminate the influence of speed change. The advantages of VME and UFI were verified by simulation, and the effectiveness of proposed method was proved by experiment on multi-cylinder test rig and combine harvest. This method could realize the reconstruction of unbalanced vibration signal in time-varying speed with low computational cost, break the strict requirement of constant speed of the existing balancing method.

Effect of dietary supplementation with oregano oil premix on the antioxidant status, performance, and meat quality in slow-growth broiler chickens

This study investigated the influence of dietary supplementation with oregano oil premix on the antioxidant status, performance, and meat quality of slow-growth genotype chickens raised under a commercial production system. The study included two groups, with nine replicates: Group A) 54.000 broilers raised in free-range farms and fed the basal diet, and Group B) 27.000 broilers raised in free-range farms and fed the basal diet supplemented with oregano oil premix. Oregano oil was blended with a standard premix (120 g/ton), which was then mixed with the feed (amount adjusted on the growth stage). The results showed that serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) was significantly higher (p ≤ 0.05) in the non-supplemented group compared to the dietary-supplemented group with oregano oil premix. In contrast, thigh muscle total antioxidant capacity was significantly increased in the supplemented group compared to the non-supplemented group (p ≤ 0.05). There were no differences in serum and thigh muscle Thiobarbituric Acid Reactive Substances (TBARS) and performance parameters between the two groups. Chickens fed with the oregano oil premix exhibited increased protein and ash content, pH value, and higher smell, taste, and colour scores compared to the non-supplemented group. Summarising, our large-scale in field study showed that incorporating oregano oil premix in slow-growth and free-range chickens’ diet improves the thigh muscle total antioxidant capacity and meat quality. The results indicate that the oregano oil premix positively impacts the nutritional value of the final product. However, more research is needed under in field conditions to draw a safer conclusion.