Similar Initial Weight Research Articles

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24 male pigs of similar crosses and initial weight of 13.2±0.1 kg were used to determine the effect of sun-dried ensiled Tithonia diversifolia leaf meal (DETD) on their growth performance and nitrogen utilization at dietary inclusion of 10, 20 and 30%. All diets were isocaloric and contained about 19% crude protein. The animals were randomly assigned into four dietary treatments and individually housed. There was a significant reduction (P 0.05) from 96.03 g/day for pigs on the control diet to 102.67 g/day for pigs on diet with 30% DETD inclusion for feed intake, while FCR ranged from 0.67 for pigs on 10% DETD inclusion level to 1.0 for pigs on 30% DETD inclusion level. Nitrogen retention (NR) had the highest significant value (P>0.05) of 21.01 g/N/pig/day for pigs on 10 and 20% DETD. Protein efficiency ratio varied significantly (P>0.05) from 4.65 on 20% DETD inclusion to 6.45 on 10% DETD level. The potential value of DETD as novel feed resource was revealed and levels not exceeding 10% of DETD are supported for optimum growth performance and nitrogen utilization. Key words: Sun-dried ensiled Tithonia diversifolia leaf meal, growth performance, nitrogen studies

Effects of Bacillus preparations on immunity and antioxidant activities in grass carp (Ctenopharyngodon idellus)

This experiment was conducted to study the effects of Bacillus preparations on immunity and antioxidant activities in grass carp. A total of 315 grass carp, with similar initial weight (average weight of fish 45 g), were randomly divided into three groups with three replicates. The control group was fed the basal diet without Bacillus; treatment group 1 was added Bacillus preparation no. 1 with 1 × 10(8) cfu/m(3) per 7 days in culture water and also fed the basal diet; treatment group 2 was fed the basal diet mixed with 0.5 % Bacillus preparation no. 2, and the culture water was added 1 × 10(8) cfu/m(3) Bacillus preparation no. 1 per 7 days. After 4 weeks of culture, 12 grass carp from each replicate were taken randomly for the determination of immune response and oxidization resistance indices. The results showed that compared with control, the level of globulin and IgM of treatment group 2 was significantly increased (P < 0.05), which was also significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of group 1. For the non-specific immunity index, compared with control, the lysozyme activity and complement (C3) content of treatment group 1 significantly increased (P < 0.05), and the level of myeloperoxidase and C3 of treatment group 2 was significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of control, which was also significantly higher (P < 0.05) than that of group 1. In the serum, compared with the control, the level of total antioxidant activity (T-AOC), antisuperoxide anion free radical (ASAFR) and glutathione (GSH) of two treatment groups was significantly increased (P < 0.05); GSH content of treatment group 2 was significantly (P < 0.05) higher than that of treatment group 1 and control. There was no significant difference between T-AOC and ASAFR among the two treatment groups; no significant effect was found on glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) and maleic dialdehyde (MDA) among the three groups. In the liver, T-AOC, SOD, ASAFR, GSH-Px and GSH from two treatment groups were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of control; T-AOC, SOD and catalase from treatment group 2 were significantly higher (P < 0.05) than those of treatment group 1; and MDA of two treatment groups was significantly decreased (P < 0.05) as compared with the control. The results indicate that Bacillus preparations added into water can increase serum immunoglobulin levels and most of non-specific immune parameters content and enhance the antioxidant ability of grass carp, while adding Bacillus preparation into the water and feed is much better.

Rumen degradable protein supply affects microbial efficiency in continuous culture and growth in steers

We hypothesized that microbial efficiency and output from fermentation in the rumen would be optimized when peptide supply was balanced with peptide requirement of ruminal microflora. This study was conducted to measure response of varying rumen degradable peptide (RDPep) supply on ruminal fermentation characteristics and steer growth. A continuous culture experiment was conducted with diets formulated to achieve a predicted RDPep balance (RDPep supplied above RDPep required) of -0.30 to 1.45% CP with rumen degradable N (RDN) balance (RDN supplied above RDN required) above dietary ammonia-N requirement of microbes. Two additional treatments had RDPep balances of -0.30 and 0.78% CP with insufficient ammonia-N supply to meet microbial requirements. Single-flow fermenters (N = 24; n = 6) were inoculated with rumen fluid and maintained anaerobically at 39°C with a 0.06 h(-1) dilution rate. Inadequate RDN decreased OM digestion and microbial N flow, and increased rumen undegradable N (P < 0.01). Microbial efficiency decreased in RDN-deficient diets and was greatest when RDPep balance did not excessively exceed microbial requirement of RDPep predicted (P < 0.01). A growth study was conducted with 49 yearling, crossbred, Angus steers (initial BW 370 ± 34 kg). Animals were assigned to 1 of 4 treatment groups by BW and further divided into 3 pens with 4 steers per pen to achieve similar initial pen weights. Treatments consisted of 4 isonitrogenous diets balanced for RDN but varying in predicted RDPep balance (0.55%, -0.02%, -0.25%, and -0.65% CP). Animals were maintained on treatment for 70 d with individual BW taken on d 0, 1, 21, 42, 70, and 71. Final BW decreased linearly with decreasing RDPep (P = 0.05). Average daily gain and G:F displayed a quadratic effect with greater ADG and G:F at greater and lesser RDPep levels (P = 0.02). We concluded that balancing RDPep supply to predicted requirement improved fermentation efficiency and microbial output, which in turn improved animal performance.

Effect of insulin on dexamethasone-induced ultrastructural changes in skeletal and cardiac muscle

Glucocorticoids help animals respond to stressors but excessive glucocorticoids cause muscle atrophy, while insulin can promote anabolism and growth. In order to compare the glucocorticoids-induced ultrastructural changes between skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle, and investigate the preventive effects of insulin on the changes, eighteen male chicks with similar initial weight were randomly divided into three groups. The two test groups were respectively treated with high-dose dexamethasone alone or together with low-dose insulin by intraperitoneal injection, and the control group was treated with an equal volume of saline solution. The experiment lasted for ten days, and then the body weight, muscle size and ultrastructure in skeletal and cardiac muscles of twelve chicks were qualitatively or quantitatively analyzed. The results showed that high-dose dexamethasone induced obvious skeletal and cardiac muscle atrophy. The differences of ultrastructural changes between skeletal muscle and cardiac muscle (such as for the former or the latter, the intermyofibrillar-and-interfilamentary spaces reducing or enlarging, the mitochondria swelling seriously or enlarging lightly, the myofibril filaments compacting or loosing) suggested that dexamethasone induced skeletal and cardiac muscle atrophy by different mechanisms. Low-dose insulin did not affect the dexamethasone-induced decreases of body weight and skeletal muscle size, but alleviated lightly the dexamethasone-induced ultrastructural changes in skeletal muscle. Different from skeletal muscle, low-dose insulin almost resisted the dexamethasone-induced ultrastructural changes in cardiac muscle.

The effect of pitch type on ground reaction forces in the baseball swing

Coaches have identified the batter's weight shift as a critical component for promoting proper timing and balance in a baseball swing. Analysing the weight shift through maximum horizontal (Fx) and vertical (Fz) ground reaction forces (GRFs) of professional batters (N = 29; height = 185 ± 6 cm; mass = 92 ± 9 kg), the purpose of this study was to compare GRFs among swings against fastballs and changeups. General linear models were used to compare three conditions of interest: successful results against fastballs, successful results against changeups, and unsuccessful results against changeups. Batters had a similar loading mechanism and initial weight transfer from back foot to front foot regardless of pitch type, but peak front foot GRFx and GRFz occurred with significantly different magnitudes and at significantly different times, depending on the pitch type and hit result. Peak front foot GRFs were greater for successful swings against fastballs compared to both successful and unsuccessful swings against changeups. Peak front foot GRFs of unsuccessful swings against changeups occurred, on average, 15–20 ms earlier than successful swings against changeups and 30–35 ms earlier than successful swings against fastballs, quantifying how a changeup can disrupt the coordination of a hitter's weight shift.

Growth Performance, Carcass and Meat Characteristics of Black Goat Kids Fed Sesame Hulls and Prosopis juliflora Pods

Finding alternative feeds, such as sesame hulls and Prosopis juliflora species can attenuate difficulties of feed shortage and reduce the cost of animal feed in arid and semi-arid countries. Thirty-two Black male kids with similar initial weights (BW = 16.7±0.80 kg) and 120±5 d of age, were used to evaluate the effect of replacing barley grains and soybean meal with Prosopis juliflora pods (PJP) and sesame hulls (SH) on growth performance, digestibility and carcass and meat characteristics. Kids were equally divided into four dietary treatment groups for an 84-d fattening period. Treatment diets had similar crude protein (CP) and metabolizable energy (ME). The treatment groups were: (T1) no PJP nor SH, (T2) 10% PJP and 20% SH, (T3) 15% PJP and 15% SH, and (T4) 20% PJP and 10% SH. A tendency was detected (p<0.08) for dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP), organic matter (OM) and neutral detergent fiber (NDF) intakes that were greater for T2 than T3 and T4 while T1 was not different from all other treatment groups. Ether extract (EE) intake was the greatest (p<0.05) for T2 and the lowest for T1. Acid detergent fiber (ADF) intake was greater (p<0.05) for T2 than T1 while T3 and T4 were intermediate. Final live weight, average daily gain (ADG) and feed conversion ratio (FCR) were comparable among different treatment groups. Digestibility of DM, OM, CP, NDF and ADF were similar among all treatment groups, however, EE digestibility was the lowest (p<0.05) for T1 when compared to other treatments. In addition, nitrogen intake, nitrogen in urine and retained and retention percentages were similar among all treatment groups. However, N loss in feces was higher (p<0.05) for T2 than T3 and T4 while T1 was intermediate. No differences were observed among treatment groups with respect to fasting live weight, hot and cold carcass weights, dressing-out percentages, mesenteric fat, visceral organs, carcass cuts percentages and carcass linear dimensions. No differences were also observed for dissected loin, leg, rack and shoulder tissues except in the total bone % for loin cuts and in the meat to bone ratio for rack cuts. T3 has the greatest total bone % and the lowest meat to bone ratio when compared to all other treatment groups. No differences were observed between treatment groups in all quality characteristics of the longissimus muscle. The present study demonstrates the potential of using PJP and SH for growing kids without adverse effects on growth performance, carcass

P-Dichlorobenzene emission rates from moth repellents and leakage rates from cloth storage cases

Emission rates of p-dichlorobenzene (pDCB) from five kinds of commercially available moth repellents and leakage rates from six kinds of commercially available cloth storage cases were measured. The emission rates from moth repellents immediately after purchase (E(max)), which were obtained as the slope of the total emission amount vs. time elapsed, were 0.0033 to 0.035 g/h at 25 degrees C. Moth repellents from different manufacturers differed greatly in emission rates at 0.0033, 0.0060, and 0.011 g/h, even if the moth repellent pieces were of similar shape and initial weight. This is thought to be because emission rates depended on the diffusion resistance of the repellent packing material used by each manufacturer. Therefore, the manufacturer-specific apparent mass transfer coefficients (K) were calculated for each moth repellent from the measured emission rates and a calculated saturated concentration. The apparent mass transfer coefficient K and the concentration gradient between the in-case (inside a cloth storage case) bulk air and the air at the surface of a moth repellent (pDCB tablet) were used for the calculation of the general emission rates. The leakage rates, defined as the air-exchange rate for a cloth storage case, from six cloth storage cases ranged from 0.41 to 78/h. Despite the large difference (more than 100 times) in the leakage rates of the cloth storage cases, the differences in emission rates of pDCB from these cloth storage cases to the indoor environment were small (<30%). This is because the concentration gradients between the in-case bulk air and the air at the surface of a repellent piece were almost the same among the storage cases. This suggests that pDCB emissions from cloth storage cases into the indoor environment should be reduced by making the storage cases more tightly sealable so that the leakage rate is <0.01/h. The results of adsorption tests of pDCB onto woollen clothes showed that the adsorption of pDCB on the clothes was assumed to be very strong and the transfer between the gas phase and the cloth phase in the cloth storage case was assumed to be small. The use of pDCB provides benefits such as moth control and deodorizing, but on the other hand, poses potential risks to human health. There is a risk-benefit tradeoff, i.e. a tradeoff between risks of pDCB to human health and benefit of moth control effects. The pDCB concentration in the cloth storage case and in the indoor air can be estimated by using emission rates and the leakage rates obtained in this study. By comparing the concentration to the deterrent efficiency of pDCB, the risk for the use of pDCB moth repellents can be managed.

Changes of Porcine Growth Hormone and Pituitary Nitrogen Monoxide Production as a Response to Cadmium Toxicity

The present study was designed to investigate the effects of various cadmium concentrations on porcine growth hormone (GH) secretion in serum and cultured pituitary cells and to explore the possible mechanisms of cadmium toxicity. In feeding trial, 192 barrows (Duroc x Landrace x Yorkshire), with similar initial body weights, were randomly divided into four different treatment groups with three replicates for each treatment. The diets were supplemented for 83 days with 0, 0.5, 5.0, and 10.0 mg/kg cadmium (as CdCl2). For the cell culture trial, dispersed pituitary cells were incubated with graded doses of cadmium (0, 5, 10, 15, or 20 microM) for 24 h. Pigs treated with 10 mg/kg cadmium had significantly decreased serum GH content. 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide assay showed that Cd toxicity was dose-dependent. Cell viability was reduced to 50% at 15 microM concentration. Administration of cadmium significantly reduced GH secretion, whereas cellular NO content and inducible nitric oxide synthase activity increased to a certain extent. These findings suggest that the decrease of GH might be related to NO production and to a change of NO signal pathway caused by cadmium.

EFFECT OF DIETARY VITAMIN E SUPPLEMENTATION ON MEAT PRODUCTION RELATED TRAITS OF BARKI LAMBS

The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of dietary vitamin E supplementation (DVES) on the meat production traits. Ten Barki lambs, 8 months old, were randomly assigned into two equal groups with similar (P>0.05) initial body weights (29±2.63 kg). The first group (G0) received no supplement, while, the second group (G500) was orally administered 500 IU vitamin E/lamb/day. Both groups were fed concentrate mixture and wheat straw for 120 days before slaughter at 12 months of age. Meat production related traits involved those concerning lambs fatteners (average daily gain and final body weight), retailers (carcass weight, dressing percentage, total non-carcass fat partitioning between depots and meat pH) and consumers (physical and chemical characteristics). Color parameters (redness, yellowness and brightness) were assessed under two main factors; DVES level (0, 500 IU) and storage periods (2, 7, 14 days). DVES had no significant (P>0.05) effect on live performance traits, carcass weight and dressing percentage. Use of DVES enhanced the proportion of total noncarcass fat deposited in the tail and decreased that deposited around the kidneys and in the abdomen. The treatment boosted intramuscular fat percentage assessed chemically. Significant (P<0.05) interaction effect was found between DVES level and storage period on meat brightness, highlighting DVES to decrease the reduction in brightness during the first week of chill storage. While DVES significantly reduced meat yellowness, it did not change its redness regardless of storage period.

Effects of Fluoride Levels on Lipid Peroxidation and Antioxidant Systems of Growing/Finishing Pigs

Malondialdehyde (MDA) and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) levels, superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), catalase (CAT), glutathione transferase (GST) and xanthine oxidase (XOD) activities were analyzed in serum, livers and kidneys of pigs treated with graded doses of fluoride (as NaF). Ninety-six Duroc-Landrace-Yorkshire crossbred growing pigs (48 barrows and 48 gilts, respectively), with similar initial weight 24.14±1.12kg, were randomly assigned to four different treatments. These treatments containing the following added F: basal control; 50 mg/kg F; 100 mg/kg F and 150 mg/kg F were randomly assigned to four pens (three barrows and three gilts) each in a completely randomized design. The results showed pigs treated with 150 mg/kg F significantly decreased average daily gain (ADG) (p<0.05) and increased feed/gain ratio (F/G) (p<0.05) compared to the controls. In the groups treated with fluoride, the contents of MDA increased, T-AOC levels and the activities of SOD, GSH-PX, CAT, GST and XOD decreased, and most of which altered significantly (p<0.05). The study therefore indicated the mechanism of excess fluoride on the impairment of soft tissues involved in lipid peroxidation and decreased the activities of some enzymes associated with free radical metabolism. (Asian-Aust. J. Anim. Sci. 2005. Vol 18, No. 4 : 552-556)

Effects of Montmorillonite Nanocomposite on Mercury Residues in Growing/Finishing Pigs

The study was conducted to evaluate the effects of montmorillonite nanocomposite (MNC) on mercury residues in growing/finishing pigs. A total of 96 cross bred pigs (DurocxLandracexlarge white, 48 barrows and gilts respectively), with similar initial weight (27.87′1.15 kg), were used in this study. The animals were randomly assigned to two concentrations of mercury (0.1 and 0.3 ppm from HgCl 2 ) and two levels (0 and 0.3%) of MNC in a 2x2 factorial arrangement of treatments. Each group has 3 pens (replications), and each pen has 8 pigs (4 barrows and 4 gilts). The experiment lasted for 90 days. The results showed that pig growth performances were not affected significantly by inclusion of Hg and addition of MNC (p≥0.05). It indicated that the extent of intoxication in these pigs were not severe enough to impair growth performances. Both on the bases of 0.1 ppm and 0.3 ppm mercury supplementations, addition of 0.3% MNC markedly decreased mercury levels of blood, muscle, kidney and liver tissue (p<0.05). These results implied that the addition of non-nutritive sorptive material, MNC, could effectively reduce the gastrointestinal absorption of mercury via its specific adsorption, with a consequent reduction of mercury residues in body tissues. MNC had offered an encouraging solution to produce safe animal products with mercury contaminated feed.

Typology of individual growth in sea bass ( Dicentrarchus labrax)

The individual growth variability of passive integrated transponder tagged sea bass was studied using data sets from two different experiments. In experiment 1 ( n = 485), fish submitted to different photoperiod regimes were held in fourteen groups of individual weight of 88 ± 13 g (mean ± SD). In experiment 2 ( n = 748, initial weight 243 ± 30 g) fish were held in fifteen groups and had either free or restricted access to diets with three lipid levels. After adjustment for treatment and tank effects, individual growth curves were analysed using multivariate analysis (principal component analysis and clustering) and were modelled using the summary statistics technique. Different growth profiles where characterized. All of them appeared to be curvilinear. They differed in their level (initial and final weight), slope (slope, specific growth weight, gain) and especially the ratio of males, which showed sexual growth dimorphism. The fish with similar initial weight proved to have very different growth performances, regardless of the treatment effect. Within the same sex, part of the variability between the growth profiles could be explained by differences in the social interactions and in the genetic potential of growth among individuals.

Biostatistical implications of individual variability in growth in rainbow trout and Atlantic salmon

The relationship between specific growth rate and initial body weight in fish was analysed by multivariate analysis using data sets from growth studies on rainbow trout (initial weight between 10 and 30 g, n=546) and Atlantic salmon (initial weight between 10 and 20 g, n=355). We demonstrate that individuals can be pooled into different classes according to their growth characteristics. Classes with similar initial mean weight can have very different mean specific growth rate. Indeed, we found the mean specific growth rate ratio between classes with similar initial mean weight to be between 1.5 and 5.8 in rainbow trout and between 1.2 and 1.9 in Atlantic salmon. We conclude that the constitution of replicates with homogeneous initial weight is not assurance of homogeneous specific growth rate among replicates. The consequences of such variability in growth on experimental designs and power of analysis-of-variance models are discussed.

The shear degradation of high-molecular-weight flocculant solutions

Solutions of polyacrylamide and poly(acrylamide-co-sodium acrylate) flocculants with varying molecular weights were shear degraded under a range of mixing conditions. The viscosity and flocculant activity of the solutions generally decreased with time to limiting values dependent on the mixing intensity. The activity of 10 and 20% anionic flocculants displayed quite different trends from those for nonionic flocculants of equivalent molecular weight, with less apparent degradation due to mixing, particularly at low dosages. However, viscosity measurements on sheared solutions diluted with a salt buffer suggest that nonionic and anionic flocculants with similar initial molecular weights were degraded to the same degree. Multiangle laser light-scattering measurements were used to confirm that the shearing process resulted in a reduction in molecular weight which was independent of anionic character. The apparent shear resistance of anionic flocculation mechanisms for the nonionic and anionic flocculants.

Influence of production and postmortem technologies on composition and palatability of USDA Select grade beef

Improvement of USDA Select grade beef is essential for consumer acceptance of leaner beef. Seventy-two large- and medium-framed steer calves of mixed breeding were used in two experiments to evaluate feedlot performance, carcass composition, and beef palatability. Interactions of dietary energy level (corn concentrate or corn silage), breed type (Angus or Simmental), carcass electrical stimulation (ES) voltage (low or high), and chilling rate (normal or delayed) were determined. Grain-fed cattle had similar initial and slaughter weights, heavier carcasses, more marbling, higher quality grades, and higher dressing percentages (Exp. 2) compared with silage-fed cattle, even though all cattle were visually selected for a constant grade end point. Simmental cattle had heavier initial slaughter and warm carcass weights, larger loin eye area, less fat depth, and lower yield grade than Angus cattle. Percentage of lean in the 9-10-11th rib was lower and percentage of fat was higher for grain-fed and Angus steers than for silage-fed and Simmental steers, respectively. Neither diet nor breed influenced chemical composition of the edible portion, except that separable lean in Angus steers was higher in ether extract. No differences in palatability existed between Angus and Simmental steaks. High ES voltage compared with low voltage improved some tenderness characteristics and reduced some juiciness scores. The USDA Select grade beef of accepted palatability can be produced on either corn-grain or corn-silage diets, and only minor differences in beef palatability in such cattle are caused by ES voltage.

Performance of weaning and post-weaned steers fed partial or complete extruded diets

Extrusion-cooking has become a well established industrial technology with a number of food and feed applications. In addition to the usual benefits of heat processing, extrusion offers the possibility of modifying the functional properties of feed ingredients and/or of giving them a different texture (Cheftel, 1986). During the last 10-15 years significant advances have been made in the application of extrusion technology to the animal feed manufacturing. However there is a lack of information on the use of extruded products in starter diets for steers. The aim of this experiment was to evaluate the effects on the performance of weaning and post-weaned steers of the inclusion of several extruded ingredients in the diet.Thirty nine 1 to 2 week-old male friesian steers (mean body weight of 54 kg) were randomly assigned to 3 dietary treatments from outcome groups of similar initial weights.