Utilization of distillers grains from the fermentation of sorghum or corn in diets for finishing beef and lactating dairy cattle

Beef finishing and dairy lactation experiments were conducted to evaluate the nutritional value of distillers grains (DG) from sorghum or corn fermentation, in both wet (35.4% DM) and dry (92.2% DM) form (dairy trial only). In the finishing experiment, 60 yearling steers were used in a completely randomized design with three diets that were fed for 127 d: 1) control diet with 86% (DM basis) dry-rolled corn and no DG; 2) 30% of ration DM as wet corn DG in place of dry-rolled corn; and 3) 30% of ration DM as wet sorghum DG in place of dry-rolled corn. All diets contained a minimum of 6.8% degradable intake protein and 13.0% CP. Steers fed DG had 10% greater ADG (< 0.01) and 8% greater efficiency of gain (P < 0.01) than steers fed the control diet. Wet corn and sorghum DG resulted in similar ADG and efficiency of gain. Hot carcass weights, fat thickness, and yield grades were greater for steers fed DG than for controls (P < 0.07). Improvements in ADG and feed efficiency observed when DG replaced dry-rolled corn indicated that the NEg content of wet DG is approximately 29% greater than that of dry-rolled corn. In the dairy lactation experiment, 16 lactating Holstein cows (eight multiparous, including four fistulated) were used in a replicated 4 x 4 Latin square design with 4-wk periods. Corn and sorghum DG were fed at 15% of the ration DM in either wet or dry form. Diets were fed as total mixed rations that contained 50% of a 1:1 mixture of alfalfa and corn silages, 24.3% ground corn, and 9.1% soybean meal (DM basis). There was no effect of source or form of DG on DMI, ruminal pH and VFA, or in situ digestion kinetics of NDF from DG. Efficiency of milk production was unaffected by diet. Corn and sorghum DG resulted in relatively similar performance when fed to beef or dairy cattle in this study.     

Effect of corn processing on starch digestion and bacterial crude protein flow in finishing cattle

Six ruminally and duodenally cannulated yearling steers (523 kg) were used in a replicated 3 x 3 Latin square design experiment to study the effects of corn processing on nutrient digestion, bacterial CP production, and ruminal fermentation. Dietary treatments consisted of 90% concentrate diets that were based on dry-rolled (DRC), high-moisture (HMC), or steam-flaked (SFC) corn. Each diet contained 2.0% urea (DM basis) as the sole source of supplemental nitrogen. Each period lasted 17 d, with d 1 through 14 for diet adaptation and d 15 through 17 for fecal, duodenal, and ruminal sampling. Dry matter and OM intakes were similar for DRC and SFC but were approximately 15% higher (P < 0.05) for HMC. True ruminal OM digestibilities were 18 and 10% greater (P < 0.05) for HMC than for DRC or SFC, respectively. Ruminal starch digestibilities were similar between HMC and SFC and were approximately 19% greater (P < 0.05) than DRC. Postruminal OM digestibility was similar among treatments; however, postruminal starch digestibility was 15% greater (P < 0.05) for SFC than for DRC or HMC, which were similar. Total-tract DM and OM digestibilities were similar between HMC and SFC and were 4% greater (P < 0.05) than DRC. Likewise, total-tract starch digestibilities were similar between HMC and SFC and were 3% greater (P < 0.05) than DRC. Bacterial CP flow to the duodenum was 29% greater (P < 0.05) for HMC than for DRC or SFC, which were similar. Bacterial N efficiencies were similar among treatments. Based on bacterial CP flow from the rumen, we estimate that dietary DIP requirements are approximately 12% higher for HMC-based diets than for DRC or SFC-based diets, which were similar.     

Severity and persistence of footrot in Merino sheep experimentally infected with a protease thermostable strain of Dichelobacter nodosus at five sites

Objective To test the hypothesis that ovine footrot associated with a thermostable protease strain of Dichelobacter nodosus undergoes self cure or is sustained as an annually recurring disease, depending on the environment.
Design and procedure Forty Merino sheep from a single blood line were infected with a protease thermostable strain of D nodosus a t each of five sites in Western Australia. Footrot lesions and microscopic evidence of D nodosus were recorded every fortnight for 2.5 years, supplemented by laboratory culture. Rainfall, soil and air temperature, pasture quantity and composition and soil types were also recorded. Flocks that apparently self cured were relocated to a more favourable site for footrot in the final spring season.
Results The maximum prevalence of feet with clinical footrot lesions was 80.6, 1.3, 14.4, 3.8 and 88.1% at the five sites. Severe footrot occurred for three consecutive spring seasons at one site that had clay loam soil and at least 3500 kg/ha total pasture dry matter annually. However, the infection was asymptomatic for up to 10 weeks between outbreaks. D nodosus was isolated from flocks for 2.5 years at only two sites, although there was microscopic evidence of the organism at other sites in the final year. A thermolabile variant (strain U6) of D nodosus was isolated from the two sites where footrot persisted.
Conclusion Depending on time and location, ovine footrot induced by a protease thermostable strain of D nodosus either self cured or persisted as annual outbreaks interspersed with periods of asymptomatic infection.     

Acute cortisol responses of calves to four methods of dehorning by amputation

Objective To measure the plasma cortisol response in calves dehorned by four different methods (scoop, guillotine shears, saw, embryotomy wire) for 9 h after dehorning.
Design A physiological study with controls.
Procedure Horn amputation was carried out on calves restrained manually in a race.
Results The four methods of dehorning provoked similarly increased cortisol responses which lasted for 6 h. During the first hour after dehorning the plasma cortisol concentrations were similar to those following ACTH injection. The overall cortisol response to control handling was about 30% of the responses to dehorning.
Conclusions The similarity of the cortisol responses produced by the four methods of dehorning suggests that the distress experienced by calves following dehorning by amputation is similar regardless of method used.     

Effect of Insemination–Ovulation Interval and Addition of Seminal Plasma on Sow Fertility to Insemination of Cryopreserved Sperm

In swine, the use of frozen-thawed (FT) sperm for artificial insemination (AI) is limited because of poor sow fertility, possibly associated with a post-thaw capacitation-like status resulting in fewer fully viable sperm. Sow fertility to AI with FT sperm may improve with deeper deposition of sperm within the female tract, insemination very close to ovulation, or reversal of cryocapacitation by seminal plasma (SP). We performed two experiments to examine these suggestions. In experiment 1, 122 multiparous Yorkshire sows received 600 IU equine chorionic gonadotrophin at weaning and 5 mg pLH 80 h later to control time of ovulation. The predicted time of ovulation (PTO) was 38 h after pLH injection. Thereafter, sows were assigned on the basis of parity to a single AI of FT sperm at 2 h before PTO, or at 12 h before PTO, or FT sperm supplemented with 10% SP at 12 h before PTO. Control sows received fresh semen at 12 h before PTO. All semen doses were adjusted to 3 x 10(9) live cells and deposited into the cervix. Experiment 2 employed 99 multiparous crossbred sows and repeated the treatments of experiment 1 except that all FT inseminations were intrauterine. In both experiments, farrowing rates were lower (p < 0.01) following FT inseminations with no effect of time of insemination or of supplemental SP. In experiment 1, litter size was smaller following FT insemination (p < 0.05), but no effect on litter size was evident in experiment 2. Supplemental SP had no effect on litter size in either experiment. The lack of effect of either SP or timing of FT insemination on sow fertility suggests that the non-lethal sperm cryoinjury affecting fertility involves more than just cryocapacitation.     

Effect of breed of cattle on innate resistance to infection with <i>Babesia bovis, B bigemina and Anaplasma marginale

Objective To assess the innate resistance of naive Bos taurus, Bos taurus cross Bos indicus and Bos indicus cattle to virulent Babesia bovis, B bigemina and Anaplasma marginale parasites. Design Groups of 10, pure B indicus, fi B indicus cross,/B indicus cross and pure B taurus steers were infected with virulent B bovis, B bigemina and A marginale parasites. Procedure Sequential infections were carried out by intravenous inoculation of infected blood containing 1 times 10⁸ parasites of B bovis, followed by B bigemina and then A marginale. To assess resistance, measurements were made of parasitaemia, rectal temperature, packed cell volume and the number within a group requiring chemotherapy to control infection. There was a recovery period between each infection. Results Infection with B bovis showed that pure B indicus steers were significantly more resistant to B bovis infection than the other groups, with none of this group requiring treatment. There was no significant difference between fi B indicus cross and/B indicus cross with 30% and 20%, respectively, of steers in these groups requiring treatment. The pure B taurus steers were significantly more affected then those in the other three groups with 80% requiring treatment. Infections of B bigemina produced a mild response in comparison to that of B bovis and none of the steers required treatment. However, the pure B taurus group was significantly more affected than the other three groups for all other measurements. After the A marginale infection, B indicus steers were moderately affected with 50% requiring treatment, whereas 70% of the fi B indicus group, 80% of the /B indicus cross group and 100% of the pure B taurus group required treatment. Conclusions All breeds of cattle, ranging from pure B indicus to pure B taurus may be at risk of severe disease if exposed to virulent A marginale. The results confirm that pure B indicus cattle are relatively resistant to B bovis, but there could be a significant risk of severe mortalities if cross-bred herds are exposed to virulent infection.     

A "Schrodinger Cat" Superposition State of an Atom

A "Schrodinger cat"-like state of matter was generated at the single atom level. A trapped 9Be+ ion was laser-cooled to the zero-point energy and then prepared in a superposition of spatially separated coherent harmonic oscillator states. This state was created by application of a sequence of laser pulses, which entangles internal (electronic) and external (motional) states of the ion. The Schrodinger cat superposition was verified by detection of the quantum mechanical interference between the localized wave packets. This mesoscopic system may provide insight into the fuzzy boundary between the classical and quantum worlds by allowing controlled studies of quantum measurement and quantum decoherence.