How Will South Africa Benefit from Joining the BRICS

This paper aims to discuss how South Africa’s accession to the BRICS will impact on the development of South Africa ’s infrastructure development. It is a well know fact among development scholars and experts that in order for sustainable economic development a country’s infrastructure needs to be on point and flourish. The South African government has realised the importance of this and in the National Development Plan the government highlights infrastructure development in South Africa as one of the key areas of growth and development for job creation and economic development. Discourse around the BRICS is discussed, who and what they are, a brief history on each country is also provided in the paper. It has also been said that South Africa ’s accession to the BRICS will be valuable for the rest of Africa as well because South Africa is seen as a gateway to other African countries. The relationship between Africa and China is one that is highly contested by the west however it seems that it still continues to flourish and this shall be briefly discussed in the paper. Talks of a BRICS development bank is an area that will also be touched on, this bank is set to fund infrastructure projects especially in Africa amongst its other duties. The main objective of this paper is to access whether or not South Africa will benefit from entering the BRICS in December 2011 and this is explored in the paper.     

The rapid growth in China and its major consequences an analysis on the imbalances

The objective of this paper is to unveil the imbalances currently present in the Chinese economy and society that were generated from the fast growth experienced by the country since the beginning of the reforms in 1978 and got even more accentuated after the ascension to the WTO after 2001.The large inflow of investment and disparities of progress between rural and urban zones are definitely a decisive point to the government in order to provide effective policies to reduce growth and coordinate the shift from an export-led economy into a self sustainable economy pushed by consumption and uniform development.     

Lhasa introduced in the best improved chicken for promoting modem animal husbandry

According to the annual reports of listed feed companies in the first half year, it can be seen that the sale of aquatic feed was positive in this period and many enterprises got profit from it.     

The puzzlement of quality broiler breeding and the possible solution

一、Problems facing quality chicken breeding1.Too many mixeditems of breeding company make different quality According to ourp reliminary statistics,ther ewere47enterprises specialized in superior chicken's breeding and promoting advertised in Poultry industry science and technology and China Poultry in 2003 and the first half year of 2004.In the whole country ,it is sure that these enterprises are a small amount of them.Too many enterprises make difficulties in management and levels are obv…     

COFCO investing 4 billion yuan in a live pig breeding base in Tianjin

It is learnt from Tianjin Baodi District that COFCO, one of the world＇s top 500 enterprises, invests RMB 4 billion yuan in live pig ecological breeding project and the first stage construction has started.     

Muyang Looks to Set ：p Animal Feed Plant in Kenya

Chinese feed machinery company, Muyang, has expressed interest in partnering with the Bungoma County government in Kenya, inthe building of an animal feed processing company in region. Muyang Company, based in Yangzhou China, intends to set up the feed plant in the area at a cost of KES 165 million （US$1.9 million）, which will make use of sugarcane and maize waste products that are abundant in the region, if they are able to strike a deal with the county government. If the feed plant gets of the ground, it is expected to created an estimated 2,000jobs in the region, according to Bencher Yi, Muyang＇s Deputy President. Muyang intends to provide the feed machinery to set up the animal feed mill, along with providing technical support, training and guaranteeing 2 years of maintenance for all machinery. The company has been set up in Africa since 2008 and has extensive operations in Africa, with similar companies in Tanzania, South Africa and Mozambique. It plans to extend the same to Kenya and Bungoma is among one of the three selected County＇s together with Kiambu and Murang＇a Counties.     

The dark side of technological advances in analysis of microbial ecosystems

Recent technological advances mean that samples from animal experiments may be analysed more cheaply, more easily and with a much greater return of data than previously. Research groups are frequently faced with a choice of continuing to use established technology in which they may have made a significant investment of time and resources, and have significant amounts of reference data, or switching to new technology where reference data may be limited. Apart from cost, the choice needs to be based on a comparison between the increase in data available from future experiments by switching and the value of comparison with reference data from historical experiments analysed with earlier technology. One approach to this problem is to ensure that sufficient quantity and variety of samples are taken from each experiment and appropriately stored to allow re-establishment of a sufficiently large reference set and to avoid the need to repeat animal experiments. The establishment of ‘biobanks' of experimental material will require funding for infrastructure, consistent storage of metadata and, importantly,horizon-scanning to ensure that samples are taken appropriately for techniques which will become accessible in future. Such biobanks are a recognised resource in human medicine, where the value of samples increases as more analysis is carried out and added to the metadata.     

The influences of SE infection on layers’ production performance,egg quality and blood biochemical indicators

Background： Salmonella enterica serovar Enteritidis （SE）, as a major cause of foodborn illness, infects humans mainly through the egg. However, the symptom of laying hens usually is not typical and hard to diagnosis. In the present study, it is studied that the influences of SE infection on layers＇ performance, egg quality and blood biochemical indicators. It will help us to improve the strategy to control SE infection in commercial layers. One hundred layers at 20 wk of age were divided into 2 groups, 60 hens for experiment and others for control. The experiment group was fed with the dosage of 108 CFU SE per hen. The specific PCR was used to detect the deposition of SE. On the 8 d after SE infection, 10 hens from the control group and 30 hens from the experimenta group were slaughtered to detect the SE colonization. The production performance, egg quality and blood biochemical indices were also analyzed. Results： The results showed that the colonization rate of SE was highest in caecum contents （55.17%） and lowest in vagina （17.24%）. For the eggs the detection rate of SE was highest on the eggshell （80.00%） and lowest in yolk （18.81%）. SE infection had no significant influence on production performance and egg qualities （P 〉 0.05）. The difference of laying rate between the experimental and control groups was less than 0.30%, and both were approximately equal to 82.00%. The blood analysis showed that the aspartic aminotransferase （AST） and alanine aminotransferase （ALT） of experimental group was significantly higher than those of control group （P 〈 0.05）. For experimental and control groups AST values were 236.22 U/I and 211.84 U/I respectively, and ALT values were 32.19 U/I and 24.55 U/I. All of coefficients were less than 20%. The colonization of SE in organs increases the enzyme activities of AST and ALT in blood. Conclusions： SE in feed could invade the oviduct and infect the forming eggs. It significantly increased the concentration of ALT and AST in blood. Ho     

Yak rumen microbiome elevates fiber degradation ability and alters rumen fermentation pattern to increase feed efficiency

Rumen microbes play an important role in ruminant energy supply and animal performance. Previous studies showed that yak (Bos grunniens) rumen microbiome and fermentation differ from other ruminants. However,little is understood about the features of the rumen microbiome that make yak adapted to their unique environmental and dietary conditions. This study was to investigate the rumen microbiome and metabolome to understand how yak adapt to the coarse forage and harsh environment in the Qinghai-...     

Fiber effects in nutrition and gut health in pigs

Dietary fiber is associated with impaired nutrient utilization and reduced net energy values. However, fiber has to be included in the diet to maintain normal physiological functions in the digestive tract. Moreover, the negative impact of dietary fiber will be determined by the fiber properties and may differ considerably between fiber sources. Various techniques can be applied to enhance nutritional value and utilization of available feed resources. In addition, the extent of fiber utilization is affected by the age of the pig and the pig breed. The use of potential prebiotic effects of dietary fiber is an attractive way to stimulate gut health and thereby minimize the use of anti-microbial growth promoters. Inclusion of soluble non-starch polysaccharides （NSP） in the diet can stimulate the growth of commensal gut microbes, inclusion of NSP from chicory results in changes in gut micro-environment and gut morphology of pigs, while growth performance remains unaffected and digestibility was only marginally reduced. The fermentation products and pH in digesta responded to diet type and were correlated with shifts in the microbiota. Interestingly, fiber intake will have an impact on the expression of intestinal epithelial heat-shock proteins in the pig. Heat-shock proteins have an important physiological role in the gut and carry out crucial housekeeping functions in order to maintain the mucosal barrier integrity. Thus, there are increasing evidence showing that fiber can have prebiotic effects in pigs due to interactions with the gut micro-environment and the gut associated immune system.     

Reliability of the Brownish-flanked Bush Warbler’s soft song in male-male conflict

Background: Soft song is a low-amplitude song produced by many birds. Recent studies have confirmed that soft song is an aggressive signal. For example, the Brownish-flanked Bush Warblers Cettia fortipes use soft song in male-male conflicts, particularly prior to attacks. Although stable signaling systems require that signals be honest on average,models predict that cheating is an acceptable strategy for some individuals or in some contexts.Methods: This study aimed to test the reliability of soft song as an aggressive signal in the brownish-flanked bush warbler. We used mounted specimens accompanied by broadcast songs or soft songs to simulate a male attempting to invade an existing territory.Results: We found the mounted specimen that coupled playback of soft songs suffered more and quicker attacks from the territory owner and that the relationship between soft song and subsequent attack in the territory owner was far from perfect. We observed territory owners that both over-signaled(i.e., produced soft song but did not attack) and under-signaled(i.e., attacked without producing soft song). Under-signaling territory owners were relatively more commonly than were over-signaling territory owners, particularly in simulated intrusion that coupled playback of soft song with a mount specimen.Conclusions: We discuss the cost of producing soft song and the potential benefit of the unreliable use of soft song and propose a new hypothesis for under-signaling with soft song; i.e., under-signaling territory owners might benefit from taking the initiative in fights.     

A novel method for rapid and reliable detection of complex vertebral malformation and bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency in Holstein cattle

Background: Complex vertebral malformation (CVM) and bovine leukocyte adhesion deficiency (BLAD) are two autosomal recessive lethal genetic defects frequently occurring in Holstein cattle, identifiable by single nucleotide polymorphisms. The objective of this study is to develop a rapid and reliable genotyping assay to screen the active Holstein sires and determine the carrier frequency of CVM and BLAD in Chinese dairy cattle population. Results: We developed real-time PCR-based assays for discrimination of wild-type and defective alleles, so that carriers can be detected. Only one step was required after the DNA extraction from the sample and time consumption was about 2 hours. A total of 587 Chinese Holstein bulls were assayed, and fifty-six CVM-carriers and eight BLAD-carriers were identified, corresponding to heterozygote carrier frequencies of 9.54% and 1.36%, respectively. The pedigree analysis showed that most of the carriers could be traced back to the common ancestry, Osborndale Ivanhoe for BLAD and Pennstate Ivanhoe Star for CVM. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that real-time PCR is a simple, rapid and reliable assay for BLAD and CVM defective allele detection. The high frequency of the CVM allele suggests that implementing a routine testing system is necessary to gradually eradicate the deleterious gene from the Chinese Holstein population.     

肉鸡球虫病控制方法现状

Happily, I can say that we have more approaches to coccidiosis control than ever before.Unfortunately,coccidiosis still is and will continue to be a major concern both in bird health and economics. The main reasons coccidiosis is still a problem include : 　　1. Our inability to manage all factors that contribute to the incidence of coccidiosis. 　　……     

The immune modifying effects of amino acids on gut-associated lymphoid tissue

The intestine and the gut-associated lymphoid tissue（GALT） are essential components of whole body immune defense,protecting the body from foreign antigens and pathogens,while allowing tolerance to commensal bacteria and dietary antigens.The requirement for protein to support the immune system is well established.Less is known regarding the immune modifying properties of individual amino acids,particularly on the GALT.Both oral and parenteral feeding studies have established convincing evidence that not only the total protein intake,but the availability of specific dietary amino acids（in particular glutamine,glutamate,and arginine,and perhaps methionine,cysteine and threonine） are essential to optimizing the immune functions of the intestine and the proximal resident immune cells.These amino acids each have unique properties that include,maintaining the integrity,growth and function of the intestine,as well as normalizing inflammatory cytokine secretion and improving T-lymphocyte numbers,specific T cell functions,and the secretion of IgA by lamina propria cells.Our understanding of this area has come from studies that have supplemented single amino acids to a mixed protein diet and measuring the effect on specific immune parameters.Future studies should be designed using amino acid mixtures that target a number of specific functions of GALT in order to optimize immune function in domestic animals and humans during critical periods of development and various disease states.     

GMOs in animal agriculture: time to consider both costs and benefits in regulatory evaluations

In 2012, genetically engineered （GE） crops were grown by 17.3 million farmers on over 170 million hectares. Over 70% of harvested GE biomass is fed to food producing animals, making them the major consumers of GE crops for the past 15 plus years. Prior to commercialization, GE crops go through an extensive regulatory evaluation. Over one hundred regulatory submissions have shown compositional equivalence, and comparable levels of safety, between GE crops and their conventional counterparts. One component of regulatory compliance is whole GE food/feed animal feeding studies. Both regulatory studies and independent peer-reviewed studies have shown that GE crops can be safely used in animal feed, and rDNA fragments have never been detected in products （e.g. milk, meat, eggs） derived from animals that consumed GE feed. Despite the fact that the scientific weight of evidence from these hundreds of studies have not revealed unique risks associated with GE feed, some groups are calling for more animal feeding studies, including long-term rodent studies and studies in target livestock species for the approval of GE crops. It is an opportune time to review the results of such studies as have been done to date to evaluate the value of the additional information obtained. Requiring long-term and target animal feeding studies would sharply increase regulatory compliance costs and prolong the regulatory process associated with the commercialization of GE crops. Such costs may impede the development of feed crops with enhanced nutritional characteristics and durability, particularly in the local varieties in small and poor developing countries. More generally it is time for regulatory evaluations to more explicitly consider both the reasonable and unique risks and benefits associated with the use of both GE plants and animals in agricultural systems, and weigh them against those associated with existing systems, and those of regulatory inaction. This would represent a shift away from a GE evaluation process that currently focuses only on risk assessment and identifying ever diminishing marginal hazards, to a regulatory approach that more objectively evaluates and communicates the likely impact of approving a new GE plant or animal on agricultural production systems.     

Hepatic steatosis is associated with dysregulated cholesterol metabolism and altered protein acetylation dynamics in chickensOA

Background Hepatic steatosis is a prevalent manifestation of fatty liver, that has detrimental effect on the health and productivity of laying hens, resulting in economic losses to the poultry industry. Here, we aimed to systematically investigate the genetic regulatory mechanisms of hepatic steatosis in laying hens.Methods Ninety individuals with the most prominent characteristics were selected from 686 laying hens according to the accumulation of lipid droplets in the liver, and were graded in...     

Heat stress in pigs and broilers:role of gut dysbiosis in the impairment of the gut-liver axis and restoration of these effects by probiotics,prebiotics and synbioticsOA

Heat stress is one of the most challenging stressors for animal production due to high economic losses resulting from impaired animal’s productivity,health and welfare.Despite the fact that all farm animal species are susceptible to heat stress,birds and pigs are particularly sensitive to heat stress due to either lacking or non-functional sweat glands.Convincing evidence in the literature exists that gut dysbiosis,a term used to describe a perturbation of commensal gut microbiota,develops in br...     

Intestinal microbiota and its interaction to intestinal health in nursery pigs

The intestinal microbiota has gained increased attention from researchers within the swine industry due to its role in promoting intestinal maturation,immune system modulation,and consequently the enhancement of the health and growth performance of the host.This review aimed to provide updated scientific information on the interaction among intestinal microbiota,dietary components,and intestinal health of pigs.The small intestine is a key site to evaluate the interaction of the microbiota,diet,and host because it is the main site for digestion and absorption of nutrients and plays an important role within the immune system.The diet and its associated components such as feed additives are the main factors affecting the microbial composition and is central in stimulating a beneficial population of microbiota.The microbiotaehost interaction modulates the immune system,and,concurrently,the immune system helps to modulate the microbiota composition.The direct interaction between the microbiota and the host is an indication that the mucosa-associated microbiota can be more effective in evaluating its effect on health parameters.It was demonstrated that the mucosa-associated microbiota should be evaluated when analyzing the interaction among diets,microbiota,and health.In addition,supplementation of feed additives aimed to promote the intestinal health of pigs should consider their roles in the modulation of mucosa-associated microbiota as biomarkers to predict the response of growth performance to dietary interventions.