Initial Weight Research Articles

Genotype and Phenotype Association Analysis Based on Multi-omics Statistical Data

Background: When using clinical data for multi-omics analysis, there are issues such as the insufficient number of omics data types and relatively small sample size due to the protection of patients' privacy, the requirements of data management by various institutions, and the relatively large number of features of each omics data. This paper describes the analysis of multi-omics pathway relationships using statistical data in the absence of clinical data. Methods: We proposed a novel approach to exploit easily accessible statistics in public databases. This approach introduces phenotypic associations that are not included in the clinical data and uses these data to build a three-layer heterogeneous network. To simplify the analysis, we decomposed the three-layer network into double two-layer networks to predict the weights of the inter-layer associations. By adding a hyperparameter β, the weights of the two layers of the network were merged, and then k-fold cross-validation was used to evaluate the accuracy of this method. In calculating the weights of the two-layer networks, the RWR with fixed restart probability was combined with PBMDA and CIPHER to generate the PCRWR with biased weights and improved accuracy. Results: The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve was increased by approximately 7% in the case of the RWR with initial weights. Conclusion: Multi-omics statistical data were used to establish genotype and phenotype correlation networks for analysis, which was similar to the effect of clinical multi-omics analysis.

Biofloc based farming of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in tanks under different stocking densities

This experiment was conducted to optimize the stocking density of Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) in biofloc based farming system in tanks for a period of 90 days from 23 December to 22 March 2022 in Mohanpur upazilla, Rajshahi district, Bangladesh. The experiment was conducted in 5000 L cemented tanks (5m3) under three different of stocking densities (T1: 200 fishes/m3, T2: 150 fishes/m3 and T3: 100 fishes/m3) having three replicates each. The initial weight of fish was 11.50±0.35 g and fishes were fed (34% protein content) twice a day @ 5-3 % body weight. Among three treatments, a significantly higher (P<0.05) average daily gain (ADG) of 1.15±0.07 g with specific growth rate (SGR) of 2.44±0.09 % day-1 were recorded in T3 treatment but a significantly higher (P<0.05) average yield of 118907.70 and 114914.20 kg/ha/3 months were obtained in T1 and T2 treatment, respectively. Higher average net benefit of 1231671.90 BDT/ha/3 months and BCR of 0.12 were obtained in T2 treatment which is significantly higher (p<0.05) than T1 and T3 treatment. By an economical assessment, if the sales price is influenced by the final body weight, the reduced average harvest weight in higher stocking densities could lead to low profitability. Therefore, it is concluded that the use of intermediate stocking density, around 150 fishes/m3, has higher profitability since it produces a large proportion of harvested fish that reach high body weights, and possible high selling prices, combined with desirable biomass.

Optimizing asphalt foaming using neural network

AbstractThis study uses a three-layer backpropagation neural network combined with particle swarm optimization to control the foamed bitumen in cold recycling technology. The foaming process of bitumen is non-linear and depends on dynamic temperature. By developing a neural network model, this study effectively captures the complex relationships between temperature, water content, air pressure, and the expansion ratio and half-life of foamed bitumen. The integration of particle swarm optimization enhances the accuracy and convergence of the neural network model by optimizing the initial weights. This optimization process improves the model's ability to predict and control the quality of foamed bitumen accurately. It serves as a valuable tool for the rapid development of high-quality cold asphalt design.

Productive Performance of Layer Chickens Fed Diets Containing Enzyme Fortified Feather Meal

The research was conducted to investigate the replacement value of enzyme fortified feather meal (EFFM) for fish meal in the layer chicken diets. A total of one hundred and fifty (150) ISA Brown birds of thirty-five (35) weeks old were used for this study. The birds were randomly assigned to five treatment groups in a completely randomized design. Each treatment was replicated three times. In each experiment, 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 layer diets were formulated such that diet one (1) contained 0% of enzyme fortified feather meal, while diets 2, 3, 4 and 5 contain 1, 2, 3 and 4% levels of EFFM respectively. Each level of EFFM was used to partially replace fish meal in the experimental diet, while treatment effects were assessed over the experimental period. Results obtained showed that the initial weights were similar (P>0.05) between the treatment groups. However, final weight, weight gain and average daily feed intake differed significantly (P<0.05) between treatment groups. Birds on diet T5 had significantly lower egg number than the control, while maintaining similar egg length and shell weight with the control. The egg internal quality characteristics showed that the treatment effects for the yolk height and albumen weight were significantly (P<0.05) reduced in T5 and T4 birds compared to the other groups, while the rest were similar (P>0.05) with each other. Feeding of EFFM forced down (P<0.05) the cost of producing the layer diet per kg of feed with the lowest cost being recorded for T5 (4.00% EFFM). Similar trend was also observed for feed cost/kg of egg produced which was also reduced with increasing inclusion of EFFM in the diets. Thus, the returns from sales were increased as EFFM increased in the poultry diet.

Northern shrimp (Pandalus borealis) protein hydrolyzate and oil promote flesh pigmentation and growth in post-smolt Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar)

ABSTRACT This study investigated the use of alternative ingredients obtained from Pandalus borealis by-products on flesh pigmentation and growth in post-smolt Salmo salar (initial weight of ~ 300 g). Four experimental diets were fed to fish in triplicate tanks for 16 weeks: a control diet and three other diets containing either synthetic astaxanthin, shrimp hydrolyzate, or shrimp oil. Fish that were fed the shrimp hydrolyzate diet exhibited higher red hue (based on L*a*b* data) when compared to fish fed the two other pigmented diets and had higher final weight. In addition, shrimp oil was found to be as efficient as artificial astaxanthin to increase the intensity of flesh pigmentation in Atlantic salmon. The shrimp hydrolyzate tested in our study provides an excellent source of astaxanthin and protein for Atlantic salmon. Likewise, shrimp oil could also constitute a natural source of astaxanthin and oil to this species.

Evaluation of oral supplementation of free and nanoencapsulated Minthostachys verticillata essential oil on immunological, biochemical and antioxidants parameters and gut microbiota in weaned piglets.

Early weaning is an important stressor that impairs the piglet´s health, and essential oils appear as promising candidates to improve it instead of antibiotics. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of oral supplementation of free and nanoencapsulated Minthostachys verticillata essential oil (EO and NEO, respectively) on immunological, biochemical and antioxidants parameters as well as on gut microbiota in weaned piglets. EO was extracted by hydrodistillation and nanoencapsulation was performed by high-energy method using Tween 80 and Span 60 as surfactants. EO and NEO were chemically analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The cytotoxic effects of both EO and NEO was evaluated on Caco-2 cell line. For in vivo assay, male weaned piglets (age: 28 days, mean initial body weight: 11.63 ± 0.37kg) were randomly distributed in six groups of six animals each (n = 6) and received orally EO (10.0mg/kg/day) or NEO (2.5, 5.0 and 10.0mg/kg/day), named hereinafter as EO-10, NEO-2.5, NEO-5 and NEO-10, for 30 consecutive days. Animals not treated or treated with surfactants mixture were evaluated as control and vehicle control. Subsequently, histological, hematological and biochemical parameters, cytokines production, oxidative markers, CD4+/CD8+ T cells and gut microbiota were evaluated. GC-MS analysis was similar in both EO and NEO. The NEO was more toxic on Caco-2 cells than EO. Oral supplementation of EO-10 or NEO-10 improved growth performance compared to control group NEO-2.5 or NEO-5 (p < 0.05) groups. NEO-2.5, NEO-5 and NEO-10 did not alter the morpho-physiology of digestive organs and decreased malondialdehyde (MDA) levels in liver compared to control (p < 0.05) or EO-10 groups (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). In addition, NEO-10 showed an increase in CD4+/CD8+ T cells ratio (p < 0.001), and induced the highest serum levels of IL-10 (p < 0.01). Serum triglycerides levels were significantly lower in animals treated with EO-10 or NEO-2.5, NEO-5 and NEO-10 compared to control group (p < 0.001). Gut microbiota analysis showed that NEO-10 favor the development of beneficial intestinal microorganisms to improve parameters related to early weaning of piglets. In conclusion, EO and NEO improved parameters altered by early weaning in piglets however, NEO was safer and powerful. Therefore, NEO should be further studied to be applied in swine health.

The effect of fermentation modes on the efficiency of organic waste treatment in batch bioreactors

The amount of solid organic waste is constantly growing. This is caused by the growth of industrial and agricultural capacities, and the inefficiency of existing waste processing technologies. Biotechnologies can provide effective environmentally friendly solutions for waste treatment. Therefore, the goal of our work was to compare the efficiency of strictly anaerobic fermentation of multi-component solid organic waste with hydrogen synthesis and waste treatment with pulsed air access in batch bioreactors.During fermentation, the following parameters were controlled: pH, redox potential (Eh), concentration of dissolved organics, and the content of H2, O2, and CO2 in the gas phase. The efficiency was evaluated via the process duration, calculation of the ratio of the initial and final weight of waste (Кd), and the yield of molecular hydrogen. Obtained results revealed high efficiency of organic waste degradation in both variants. The weight of waste 83-fold and 86-fold decreased, respectively. The time required for fermentation in strictly anaerobic conditions was 4 days, whereas 7 days were required for the mode with pulsed air access. The first variant provided a 2.8-fold higher hydrogen yield (54±4,1 L/kg of waste), and the second one provided a decrease in the concentration of dissolved organic compounds in the fermentation fluid. Fermentation is the effective approach for accelerated degradation of solid organic waste. Strictly anaerobic fermentation appeared to be useful in the need to accelerate the process. The mode with the pulsed air access can provide not only degradation of solid waste but also purification of the fermentation fluid.

Dietary effects of Saccharomyces cerevisiae and Allium sativum on growth, antioxidant status, hepatic and intestinal histoarchitecture, expression of growth- and immune-related genes, and resistance of Oreochromis niloticus to Aeromonas sobria

This study investigated the benefits of yeast, Saccharomyces cerevisiae and/or garlic, Allium sativum supplementation in diets of Nile tilapia with regard to growth, antioxidant status, hepatic and intestinal histoarchitecture, expression of growth- and immune-related genes, and resistance to Aeromonas sobria infection. Fish (with an initial weight of 9.43 ± 0.08 g) were allocated to twelve hapas, organized into four triplicate treatment groups defined as control (no supplementation), yeast (4 g/kg diet), garlic (30 g/kg diet), and a mixture of both. This trial continued over a 60-day feeding period. Results revealed that combined treatment (yeast + garlic) demonstrated the most promising outcomes regarding growth, with significantly higher final body weights, weight gains, and specific growth rates compared to other groups. Moreover, this combination enhanced hepatic antioxidant status, as evidenced by elevated levels of reduced glutathione and activities of catalase and superoxide dismutase enzymes, reflecting improved defense against oxidative stress. Histological assessments of the livers and intestines demonstrated structural enhancements in yeast and garlic treatments, suggesting improvements in organ health. In comparison to the control, the gene expression analyses unveiled increased expression of growth-related (igf-1 and ghr1) and immune-related (il-10, lyz, and hep) genes in the test groups, indicating a possible reinforcement of the growth and immune responses. The combined treatment also showed the highest resistance to A. sobria infection, as evidenced by improved survival rates and lower mortality compared with the other groups. These findings highlight the benefits of a combination of both yeast and garlic as a dietary supplementation regimen. In conclusion, this study suggests that the combined treatment regimen could be considered an effective strategy to promote the health and productivity of Nile tilapia under production conditions.

Graphene Oxide as a Factor Modifying the Properties of Wood

This work carried out research to determine the possibilities of using graphene oxide to provide wood with new functional features. With the saturation parameters used and working liquid with a concentration of 0.004% graphene oxide, the retention of the nanomaterial in wood was 0.25 kg/m3. The presence of graphene oxide increased the crystallinity of the wood to 64% (compared with 57% for unmodified wood). The TG/DTG spectra of wood impregnated with graphene oxide and the control wood indicated that the initial weight loss of the samples observed at a temperature of 100 °C was similar and amounted to less than 4%. A second mass loss was observed in a temperature range of 270 to 380 °C. The mass loss in this temperature range reached 70% and was similar in the test and control samples. Wood modified with graphene oxide showed increased thermal stability in a temperature range of 360 to 660 °C compared with native wood. Given the results obtained, there were no statistically significant differences in the water absorption of modified or control wood. The presence of low concentrations of graphene oxide in the culture medium did not inhibit the growth of the fungus Trichoderma viride; however, a decrease in the growth activity of mycelial hyphae was observed with an increasing concentration of nanomaterial in the medium. It has been reported that graphene oxide, as a stress factor, initiates changes at the cellular level, characterized by the formation of structures called chlamydospores by the body.

Use of fermented malted barley by‐product as partial feed replacement and carbon source for rearing Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) juveniles

AbstractThe present research evaluates the performance of the Nile tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus) (initial weight 11.5 ± 0.07 g) with biofloc technology. For this purpose, spent grains (malted barley) from the brewing industry after aerobic fermentation were used, as both a carbon source (suspended solids) and partial substitute for the diets at 0, 10, 20, 30, and 40% levels (settleable solids). The partial 20% substitution of the diet did not have significant effects on the biological parameters: final body weight, weight gained, average body weight, specific growth rate, daily growth index, condition factor, feed conversion ratio, protein efficiency rate, and viscerosomatic and hepatosomatic indices. However, the dietary substitution showed a significant effect on the final biofloc chemical composition. Nitrogen compounds, NH4+, NO2−, and NO3−, were adequate for tilapia cultivation in all the treatments. No clear effect of partial dietary substitution was observed on meat quality parameters: pH, color, water holding capacity, and amino acid and fatty acid profile of fillet. The results suggest that a 20% substitution of the diet for malted barley is suitable for satisfactory biological parameters and Nile tilapia fillet quality.

Haematological and Serum Biochemical Parameters of Weaned Pigs Fed Maize Cob-Cassava Peel Mixture as Partial Replacement for Maize

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; This study was carried out to investigate the haematological and serum biochemical parameters of weaned pigs fed maize cob-cassava peel mixture as partial replacement for maize. A total of 36 crossbreed male piglets with initial body weight (6.07±0.02 kg) of about 7-8 weeks’ old were randomly distributed into four groups of nine animals per treatment. Each treatment was further divided into three replicates consisting of three pigs in a completely randomized design. Pigs in treatment 1 were fed 0 % maize cob-cassava peel mixture (CPMCM) while CPMCM was used to replace maize at 10 % (T2), 20 % (T3) and 30 % (T3). Phytochemical evaluation of CPMCM revealed the presence of alkaloids (19.10 mg/kg), tannins (8.17 mg/kg), saponins (9.11 mg/kg), cyanide (16.50 mg/kg), flavonoids (12.86 mg/kg) and phenol (7.72 mg/kg). All the haematological parameters: red blood cell, pack cell volume, haemoglobin, mean corpuscular haemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, mean corpuscular haemoglobin concentration, white blood cell, monocytes, basophils and lymphocytes were significantly (P&lt;0.05) influenced by the treatment except for platelet values (P&gt;0.05). Similarly, total protein, total bilirubin and gluscose levels were significantly different (P&lt;0.05) among the treatments except for cholesterol, urea, creatinine, activities of alkaline phosphatase, alanine transaminase and aspartate transaminase were not influenced by the treatment (P&gt;0.05). However, values were within the normal range for heathy weaner pigs. It was concluded that CPMCM can be used to partially replace maize up to 30 % without having any negative effect on the health status of pigs.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

The segmentation and intelligent recognition of structural surfaces in borehole images based on the U2-Net network.

Structural planes decrease the strength and stability of rock masses, severely affecting their mechanical properties and deformation and failure characteristics. Therefore, investigation and analysis of structural planes are crucial tasks in mining rock mechanics. The drilling camera obtains image information of deep structural planes of rock masses through high-definition camera methods, providing important data sources for the analysis of deep structural planes of rock masses. This paper addresses the problems of high workload, low efficiency, high subjectivity, and poor accuracy brought about by manual processing based on current borehole image analysis and conducts an intelligent segmentation study of borehole image structural planes based on the U2-Net network. By collecting data from 20 different borehole images in different lithological regions, a dataset consisting of 1,013 borehole images with structural plane type, lithology, and color was established. Data augmentation methods such as image flipping, color jittering, blurring, and mixup were applied to expand the dataset to 12,421 images, meeting the requirements for deep network training data. Based on the PyTorch deep learning framework, the initial U2-Net network weights were set, the learning rate was set to 0.001, the training batch was 4, and the Adam optimizer adaptively adjusted the learning rate during the training process. A dedicated network model for segmenting structural planes was obtained, and the model achieved a maximum F-measure value of 0.749 when the confidence threshold was set to 0.7, with an accuracy rate of up to 0.85 within the range of recall rate greater than 0.5. Overall, the model has high accuracy for segmenting structural planes and very low mean absolute error, indicating good segmentation accuracy and certain generalization of the network. The research method in this paper can serve as a reference for the study of intelligent identification of structural planes in borehole images.

Investigation of the suitability of 3 insect meals as protein sources for rainbow trout (Oncorhynchus mykiss).

An in vivo trial was conducted to determine the apparent digestibility coefficients (ADCs) of insect meals for rainbow trout, Oncorhynchus mykiss. Rainbow trout (approximately 370 g ± 23 g, mean ± SD initial weight) were stocked 25 per tank into 400-liter tanks. Fish were fed a reference diet, or 1 of 5 test diets created by blending the reference diet in a 70:30 ratio (dry-weight basis) with menhaden fish meal (MFM), 2 house cricket (Acheta domesticus) meals (cricket A and cricket B), Galleria mellonella meal, and yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) meal. Diets were assigned to 3 replicate tanks of fish and fed twice daily for 14 days prior to fecal collection. Ingredients, diets, and fecal matter were analyzed in duplicate for proximate, mineral, and amino acid composition. House cricket meals were 67.3% and 69.0% protein (CP) and 16.6% and 17.1% lipid (CL), for house cricket A and B, respectively. Yellow mealworm meal contained 56.5% CP and 27.7% CL, and G. mellonella larvae meal contained 32.5% CP and 54.2% CL. Protein ADCs were 78.9 for G. mellonella larvae meal, 78.0 for yellow mealworm meal, and 76.5 for house cricket A and not different from the MFM protein ADC of 76.6, while house cricket B protein ADC was 65.8 and was significantly lower than the MFM protein ADC (F = 7.39; df = 4,14; P = 0.0049). Together, these nutritional values suggest house crickets, and yellow mealworms show promise as alternative protein sources in salmonid feeds, with the potential of G. mellonella as an alternative lipid source.

TCN-GAWO: Genetic Algorithm Enhanced Weight Optimization for Temporal Convolutional Network

Abstract This article proposes a genetic algorithm (GA)-enhanced weight optimization method for temporal convolutional network (TCN-GAWO). TCN-GAWO combines the evolutionary process of the genetic algorithm with the gradient-based training and can achieve higher predication/fitting accuracy than traditional temporal convolutional network (TCN). Performances of TCN-GAWO are also more stable. In TCN-GAWO, multiple TCNs are generated with random initial weights first, then these TCNs are trained individually for given epochs, next the selection-crossover-mutation procedure is applied among TCNs to get the evolved offspring. Gradient-based training and selection-crossover-mutation are taken in turns until convergence. The TCN with the optimal performance is then selected. Performances of TCN-GAWO are thoroughly evaluated using realistic engineering data, including C-MAPSS dataset provided by NASA and jet engine lubrication oil dataset provided by airlines. Experimental results show that TCN-GAWO outperforms existing methods for both datasets, demonstrating the effectiveness and the wide range applicability of the proposed method in solving time series problems.

Effect of Moringa oleifera, Bacillus amyloliquefaciens, and Their Combination on Growth Performance, Digestive Enzymes, Immunity, and Microbiota in Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus)

To exploit aquatic animals’ feed resources and functional ingredients and additives, this experiment investigated the effects (a 2 × 2 factorial trial) and mechanism of woody plants and probiotics on Nile tilapia. Each treatment group was randomly assigned triplicate nets of 40 fish (initial body weight of 35.04 ± 0.01 g) in 12 tanks for 56 days. Fish were fed four diets, including a CON–CON diet (with no supplementation) and CON–Ba (basal diet + 1 × 107 CFU/g B. amyloliquefaciens), MO-CON (basal diet + 10% Moringa oleifera) and MO-Ba (basal diet + 1 × 107 CFU/g B. amyloliquefaciens + 10% Moringa oleifera) until apparent satiation (2 meals/day). The results showed that the MO diet had a lower feed conversion ratio than the non-MO diets (P&lt;0.05). The weight gain in the Ba group was significantly higher than those in the groups without Ba treatment (P&lt;0.05). Both MO and Ba improved the morphological indices when applied individually (P&lt;0.05). Ba supplementation improved the activities of digestive enzymes (P&lt;0.05). MO significantly upregulated the gene expression of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, and C3 in the spleen of Nile tilapia (P&lt;0.05), while Ba significantly upregulated the gene expression of IL-6 and C3 (P&lt;0.05). The microbiological analyses showed that the abundances of beneficial bacteria increased, and the relative abundances of pathogenic bacteria decreased in fish-fed MO. In conclusion, dietary MO and Ba can effectively improve the immunity of Nile tilapia, while Ba can enhance the activities of digestive enzymes. The synergistic effect of MO and Ba on the intestinal microbiota of Nile tilapia promotes growth, thus showing promising application prospects.

Evaluation of the dietary taurine requirement for early juvenile mud crab Scylla paramamosain

As a conditionally essential amino acid (CEAA), taurine plays an important role in the growth, development, and physiological metabolism of aquatic animals; however, its demand level in the mud crab Scylla paramamosain is still poorly understood. A 60-day growth trial was conducted to investigate the effects of different taurine levels (0% (T0.0), 0.2% (T0.2), 0.4% (T0.4), 0.8% (T0.8), and 1.6% (T1.6)) added to diet on the survival, growth, body composition, immunity, antioxidant and osmoregulatory capacity of early juvenile S. paramamosain (initial body weight 8.69 ± 0.19 mg). The results showed that dietary taurine levels >0.4% (inclusive) significantly increased the survival of early juvenile mud crabs. The growth performance (final body weight (FBW), weight gain (WG), specific growth rate (SGR)) of early juvenile mud crabs increased significantly with increasing dietary taurine levels, reaching a maximum in the T0.8 group, and the target of rapamycin (tor) gene transcription levels also peaked in the T0.8 group. The body composition of mud crabs was not affected by dietary treatments. Further, dietary taurine significantly increased digestive enzyme (trypsin, lipase, and amylase) activities and transcript levels of appetite-related genes (neuropeptide F1 (npf1) and neuropeptide F2 (npf2)) in early juvenile mud crabs. In addition, dietary taurine increased the expression levels of immune-related genes (prophenoloxidase (proPO), prophenoloxidase activating factor 1 (ppaf1), prophenoloxidase activating factor 2 (ppaf2), crustin antimicrobial peptide (crustin), lysozyme (lzm)) and antioxidant capacity (total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) activities) in early juvenile mud crabs. Finally, the results of the acute salinity challenge showed that the early juvenile mud crabs' survival in the T0.8 group was significantly higher than that of the other groups, while significantly higher Na+/K+-ATPase (NKA) activity and Na+/K+-ATPase α-subunit (nka-α) and Na+/K+/2Cl−-cotransporter (nkcc) gene expression levels were also detected in the T0.8 group. Together with growth performance, immunity, antioxidant capacity and osmoregulatory capacity, the present study concluded that the appropriate dietary taurine level for early juvenile mud crabs was 1.08%–1.33%.

93 Red clover as a functional feed: Effects on rumen microbiota of finishing ram lambs

Abstract Red clover (RC) contains bioactive isoflavones. Supplementing RC as a functional feed (as little as 7.5% of the total diet) has been shown to alter ruminal fermentation and improve feed efficiency in ram lambs fed high-concentrate finishing diets. The objectives of this study were to determine if reduced RC inclusion will produce similar rumen microbiological effects. It was hypothesized that RC supplementation below 7.5% RC will alter rumen microbial community composition during the finishing period. Sixteen individually housed Polypay ram lambs (age; 134 ± 2.5 d; initial body weight: 31 ± 0.53 kg) were used in a complete block design and fed one of four isocaloric and isonitrogenous diets (85:15 concentrate:roughage ratio; n = 4 rams diet1): a control diet in which the roughage component (15.0% wt/wt of total diet) consisted of orchardgrass hay, 2.5%-RC (roughage: 2.5% RC; 12.5% orchardgrass wt/wt), 5.0%-RC (roughage: 5.0% RC; 10% orchardgrass wt/wt), and 7.5%-RC (roughage: 7.5% RC; 7.5% orchardgrass wt/wt). Rumen fluid was collected via oral intubation at 0, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h post-feeding at the end of the adaptation period (14 d; all rams on control diet) and at 21-d intervals during the trial. Rumen functional bacterial guilds, including hyper-ammonia-producing bacteria (HAB), amylolytic, lactate-utilizing (LU), and cellulolytic bacteria were enumerated via serial dilution at 4 h post-feeding. Data were analyzed using PROC MIXED with repeated measures in SAS (v.9.4, SAS inst. Inc., Cary, NC). There were no differences between diets on d 0 for any variable (P &amp;gt; 0.05). At d 21, all RC-containing diets exhibited a 10- to 100-fold reduction in ruminal HAB compared with the control (P &amp;lt; 0.05). While suppression of HAB was no longer apparent by d 42 in 2.5%-RC, HAB had decreased 100-fold (109 to 107) in lambs fed the 5.0%-RC and 7.5%-RC diets (P &amp;lt; 0.01). No differences in amylolytic bacteria were detected on d 21 (P &amp;gt; 0.05), but were 10-fold less in all diets containing RC by d 42 in comparison with control (109 to 108; P = 0.08). In contrast, LU increased by d 21 and were 100-fold greater (106 to 108) by d 42 when compared with the control for all levels of RC supplementation (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Cellulolytic bacteria also increased across the study period in all lambs fed RC diets, with 100-fold greater cellulolytics (106 to 108) by d 42 (P &amp;lt; 0.05). Consistent with the hypothesis, supplementing RC at levels as low as 2.5% wt/wt of the total diet decreased protein-wasting HAB and amylolytic bacteria while coincidingly increasing LU and cellulolytic bacteria in the rumen. These results indicate that adding red clover to finishing diets has the potential to increase lamb growth and feed efficiency through a functional feed action.

119 Plasma metabolomics and feed behavior patterns in feed efficient or inefficient beef bulls

Abstract Residual feed intake (RFI) is a measure of feed efficiency (FE). Differences in plasma metabolites concentration found in animals with contrasting RFI are potential biomarkers of FE. Furthermore, feed behavior patterns could also be used to identify animals with contrasting RFI. We hypothesize that the integration of plasma metabolomics data and feed behavior can predict the future animal performance. We used 302 bulls subjected to an ad libitum diet for 56-d while allocated in pens equipped with GrowSafe System to evaluate RFI. Blood samples were collected for metabolomics analysis at the beginning (d 0) and at the end (d 56) of the trial. Feeding behavior metrics including feeding bout (FB), and eating time were estimated. Subsequently, the bulls were classified as low RFI (LRFI) and high RFI (HRFI). The performance test showed no differences between LRFI and HRFI animals in the initial body weight (LRFI: 408.62 ± 47.43 Kg; HRFI: 407.64 ± 60.22; P = 0.41), final body weight (LRFI: 510.33 ± 58.28; HRFI: 500.82 ± 72.23; P = 0.46), and average daily gain (LRFI: 1.67 ± 0.28; HRFI: 1.54 ± 0.36; P = 0.42). But the dry matter intake was less for LRFI (6.45 ± 1.78) in comparison with HRFI animals (8.81 ± 2.63; P &amp;lt; 0.001). Metabolomics analysis performed on the top and bottom 30 bulls based on RFI, reveled increased concentrations of 18 metabolites in LRFI bulls on d 0, and 12 different metabolites on d 56. Among these compounds, Cer(d18:1/23:0) level was statistically greater on both d 0 (LRFI: 0.233 ± 0.016 µM; HRFI: 0.187 ± 0.014 µM, P = 0.039) and d 56 (LRFI: 0.267 ± 0.016 µM; HRFI: 0.205 ± 0.013 µM, P = 0.02), emerging as a potential biomarker distinguished by the multivariate analysis, capable of discerning between LRFI and HRFI animals. On the other hand, FB (LRFI: 13 events/d; HRFI: 15 events/d; P = 0.019) and eating time LRFI: 119 min/d; HRFI: 153 min/d; P &amp;lt; 0.001) were different between the two groups. The more efficient animals (LRFI) were observed to visit the feed bunk less frequently and spend less time consuming feed compared with the less efficient animals (HRFI). In conclusion, further exploration of the metabolites’ pathways and their roles and recognition of feeding behavior patterns could provide valuable insights into the mechanisms contributing to FE.

104 Maternal pre- and post-partum supplementation of Bacillus-based DFM enhanced cow and calf performance

Abstract This study evaluated the effects of maternal supplementation of Bacillus-based direct-fed microbials (DFM) on physiology and growth performance of Bos indicus-influenced cow-calf pairs. On d 0 (~139 d before expected calving date), 72 fall-calving, Brangus crossbred beef heifers (25 to 37.5% Bos indicus; 20 to 22 mo of age) pregnant with their first offspring were stratified by their initial body weight (BW; 431 ± 31 kg) and body condition score (BCS; 6.0 ± 0.36; scale 1 to 9), and randomly allocated into 1 of 12 bahiagrass pastures (1 ha and 6 heifers per pasture). Treatments were randomly assigned to pastures (6 pastures per treatment) and consisted of heifers supplemented with 1 kg/d of soybean hulls dry matter (DM) added (BAC) or not (CON) with a Bacillus-based DFM mixture (BovacillusTM; Chr. Hansen A/S, Hørsholm, Denmark) from d 0 to 242 (139 ± 4 d prepartum to 104 ± 4 d postpartum). Calves were weaned on d 242 (96 ± 30 d of age) and then allocated into 1 of 16 drylot pens and limit-fed the same concentrate at 3.25% of BW until d 319. Maternal treatment effects were not detected (P ≥ 0.29) for herbage allowance, forage nutritive value, and heifer activity on pasture. Heifer BCS on d 39 and 63 tended (P ≤ 0.09) to be greater, whereas heifer BCS on d 91 was greater (P = 0.01) for BAC vs. CON heifers and did not differ (P ≥ 0.20) between treatments on d 179 and 242. Plasma concentrations of glucose did not differ from d 0 to 63 (P ≥ 0.14) but were greater (P = 0.005) on d 179 and tended (P = 0.09) to be greater on d 242 for BAC vs. CON heifers. First offspring BW at birth, ADG from birth to early weaning, and BW weaning did not differ (P ≥ 0.19), but BW at drylot exit (d 319) was greater (P = 0.05) for BAC vs. CON calves. Maternal treatment effects were not detected (P ≥ 0.42) for calf serum concentrations of IgG at birth, and post-vaccination plasma concentrations of glucose, cortisol and haptoglobin. However, serum titers against bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) were greater (P = 0.04) for BAC vs. CON calves on d 287, whereas seroconversion against parainfluenza 3 virus (PI-3) was greater (P &amp;lt; 0.01) for BAC vs. CON calves on d 271. Thus, maternal supplementation of Bacillus-based DFM increased prepartum BCS gain and postpartum plasma concentrations of glucose of heifers and led to positive carryover effects on post-weaning BW gain and some indicators of humoral immune response to vaccination in their first offspring.

Effects of rearing system on growth responses and saltwater tolerance in spring Chinook Salmon (Oncorhynchus tshawytscha)

Pacific salmon (Oncorhynchus spp.) produced in United States conservation hatcheries are commonly reared in tanks and raceways supplied with single-pass water. As controlled studies comparing water reuse vs. traditional single-pass aquaculture systems are limited, we conducted a 20-week growth trial followed by a one-week saltwater challenge to compare growth, survival and saltwater tolerance of juvenile spring Chinook salmon (O. tshawytscha, 5.2 g initial weight) reared in single-pass rectangular tanks (hereafter rectangular tanks), single-pass circular tanks (hereafter circular tanks), or in circular tanks of recirculating aquaculture systems (RAS, 3% constant makeup water on a flow basis) or partial recirculating aquaculture systems (PRAS, 20% constant makeup water on a flow basis). Water volume provided to rearing tanks did not differ among systems, but water velocities in the circular tanks and in the RAS and PRAS fish culture tanks were higher than in the rectangular tanks. Dissolved oxygen levels declined throughout the study in all systems and were significantly lower in RAS than in the single-pass systems. By week 16, ammonia levels were significantly reduced while nitrite‑nitrogen (NO2-N) and nitrate‑nitrogen (NO3-N) levels were significantly elevated in RAS compared with single-pass systems.Salmon grown in rectangular tanks exhibited significantly lower weight gain and feed efficiency (FE; g gain/g feed) compared with fish reared in the other systems. Survival of salmon grown in the rectangular tanks (99.1%) also was significantly lower than that of fish reared in circular tanks (100%) or PRAS (100%), but was not different from that of fish reared in RAS (99.8%). Survival during the saltwater challenge was significantly reduced in salmon that were reared during the growth trial in rectangular tanks (70%) compared with that of fish that were reared in the other systems (92–96%). Results of this study suggest lower growth and survival of salmon reared in rectangular tanks may be related to reduced water velocity and that RAS and PRAS may be appropriate for rearing spring Chinook salmon for conservation purposes.