Growth and reproductive performance of two rabbit breeds reared under intensive system in Ghana

A study on the growth and reproductive performance of two rabbit breeds was undertaken. Data on 588 kits and 97 does of California White and 574 kits and 90 does of New Zealand White rabbits reared under hot and humid environment in Ghana were taken. The reproductive performance of the two breeds, in terms of litter size at birth and weaning, litter weight at birth and weaning, kindling interval, age at sexual maturity, and gestation length as influenced by breed, season of kindling (rainy and dry), year of kindling (2005–2012), and parity (first to sixth and over) were determined. The performance of California White in terms of litter size at birth, at weaning, kit weight at birth, and age at first kindling was 5.9?±?0.2, 4.6?±?0.1, 54.7?±?0.4 g, and 159.8?±?0.2 days, respectively. That of New Zealand White was 5.9?±?0.1, 5.1?±?0.1, 55.2?±?1.0 g, and 159.9?±?0.2 days, respectively. The results obtained also showed a significant breed effects on kit weight at birth, litter weight at weaning, and mortality; whereas no significant differences (p?>?0.05) were observed between the two breeds regarding the other traits measured. Parity had significant effects (p?<?0.05) on all the growth and reproductive parameters measured with the exception of age at first kindling. Year of kindling also had significant effect on litter weight at birth, kit weight at birth, and at weaning (p?<?0.05) but did not have any significant effect on the age at sexual maturity and mortality. Season also had significant (p?<?0.05) effects on kit weight at birth, gestation length, kindling interval, and mortality with better performance experienced during the rainy season.

     

B‐Mode and Doppler Sonography of the Mammary Glands in Dairy Goats for Mastitis Diagnosis

This study aimed to evaluate the sonographic characteristics of the udder and teats and to determine the Doppler indexes of mammary artery in healthy and undergoing subclinical and clinical mastitis goats. Thirty animals among Saanen and Alpine Brown goats were arranged in three groups, healthy goats (HG), goats with subclinical mastitis (SMG) and goats with clinical mastitis (CMG). Using the B‐mode, the sonographic characteristics (echotexture and echogenicity) and biometry (diameter and area of the udder cistern, diameter and area of the teat cistern and thickness of the teat wall) were evaluated. Using Doppler ultrasonography, the vascular indexes of the mammary artery were obtained. It was observed hyperechogenicity with solid component in the gland cistern when comparing animals with clinical mastitis and healthy mammary tissue. Regarding the echotexture of the breast tissue, there was heterogeneity in the mammary parenchyma on the three groups, for the milk, it was observed homogeneity for animals on HG and SMG and heterogeneity for animals on CMG. Grey‐scale quantitative assessment revealed increase in echogenicity (mean value) for all the structures when comparing the three groups. Biometry did not reveal statistical difference between groups, for none of the evaluated structures. Doppler examination of the mammary artery showed the decrease of end diastolic velocity and raise of pulsatility index between groups. The association of B‐mode and Doppler ultrasonography is useful for the evaluation of the udder of dairy goats with mastitis. It is a sensitive and specific method for the study of this disease. Doppler mode was unable to establish reliable criteria for diagnosis of subclinical mastitis. Moreover, the quantification of echogenicity is a useful technique for the evaluation of the milk in animals with mastitis; therefore, it is suggested that it can be used as complementary technique for the diagnosis of mastitis in goats.     

Cryopreservation of Piau‐Breed Wild Boar Sperm: Assessment of Cooling Curves and Centrifugation Regimes

This study aimed to assess the effects of different cooling curves and centrifugation regimes used in cryopreservation protocols on the post‐thaw viability of Piau‐breed wild boar (Sus scrofa) sperm using in vitro assessment tests. Two centrifugations (800  g for 10 min and 2400  g for 3 min) and two cooling curves (conventional cooling using nitrogen vapour – freezing 1 and automated cooling using a programmed freezing machine – freezing 2) were tested. Therefore, the treatments were divided into M3 – centrifugation at 2400  g for 3 min and freezing 2; M10 – centrifugation at 800  g for 10 min and freezing 2; R3 – centrifugation at 2400  g for 3 min and freezing 1; and R10 – centrifugation at 800  g for 10 min and freezing 1. No significant differences (p > 0.05) between treatments occurred post‐thawing regarding the total sperm motility means recorded. The mean values of the different treatments were not different from each other regarding the supravital staining (SV), hypo‐osmotic test (HO), sperm–egg binding assay or sperm morphology. This study showed that both the cooling curve and the centrifugation regime affected the quality of post‐thaw sperm, and centrifugation for shorter times and cooling curves using automated cooling are the most suitable for minimizing sperm injury.     

A microwave tomographic system for wood characterization in the forest products industry

Abstract

Nondestructive testing and evaluation techniques able to extract information about the internal structure of the samples under test are very important in the wood industry. Microwave imaging systems have been considered for a long time promising apparatuses for this task. In this framework, approaches exploiting the full scattering phenomena for creating images of the distributions of the dielectric properties of the targets have been developed in the last few years. In this paper, a prototype of microwave tomographic system is presented and several experimental validation confirming its suitability for the use in the wood and forest product industry are reported.     

Methane emissions and δ13C composition from beef steers consuming increasing proportions of sericea lespedeza hay on bermudagrass hay diets

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the effects of different proportions of ‘Au Grazer’ sericea lespedeza [SL, Lespedeza cuneata (Dum. Cours.) G. Don], a legume rich in condensed tannins (CT), on nutrient intake and digestibility, and to estimate methane (CH₄) emissions and ¹³C isotopic composition (δ¹³C_CH4) from beef steers consuming a forage-based diet. Twenty-five Angus-crossbred steers were distributed in a randomized complete block design (344 ± 48 kg initial BW), and randomly assigned to one of five treatments: 0SL, 25SL, 50SL, 75SL, and 100SL, diets containing 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% of SL hay, respectively, mixed with ‘Tifton-85’ bermudagrass hay (Cynodon spp.). The study was carried out for two experimental periods of 21-d each. The statistical model included the fixed effect of treatment and random effects of block, experimental period, and their interaction. Apparent total tract digestibility of crude protein, neutral detergent fiber, and acid detergent fiber was linearly decreased (P < 0.001) by the inclusion of SL. No effects were observed for total CH₄ emissions per day, nor for CH₄ relative to organic matter intake or digestible organic matter with the inclusion of SL. However, emission of CH₄ in relation to intake of CT was affected by treatment (P < 0.001). A linear (P < 0.001) decrease and a quadratic effect (P < 0.001) were observed for δ¹³C of diets and gas, respectively, in which diets and enteric CH₄ with greater inclusion of SL were more depleted in ¹³C. Moreover, the difference in δ¹³C between diets and gas (Δδ¹³C) had a linear decrease (P = 0.001) with the inclusion of SL. The model developed to predict the C₃ proportions in the enteric CH₄ fitted to predicted values (P < 0.0001). Therefore, greater proportions of SL resulted in lesser CH₄ emission when CT intake was considered and the isotopic composition from enteric CH₄ was able to predict the contribution of SL in the emissions.     

Lipoperoxidation and cyclooxygenases 1 and 2 inhibitory compounds from Iryanthera juruensis

Plants from Iryanthera genus have been traditionally used as food supplements by South American Indians. The MeOH extract of leaves of Iryanthera juruensis, one of the plants endemic to the Amazon region and consumed in Brazil, and the hexane extract from its seeds inhibited lipid peroxidation (LPO) and cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and -2)) enzymes in in vitro assays. Further analyses of these extracts yielded 5-deoxyflavones (1-5) from the leaf extract and sargachromenol (6), sargaquinoic acid (7), a novel juruenolic acid (8), omega-arylalkanoic acids (9a-c), and the lignan guaiacin (10) from the seed extract. Compounds 3-5 inhibited LPO by 86%, 77%, and 88% at 10 ppm, respectively, and compounds 6 and 9a-c showed inhibition at 76% and 78% at 100 ppm, respectively. However, compounds 7 and 8 were inactive and lignan 10 exhibited LPO inhibitory activity by 99% at 100 ppm compared to commercial antioxidants butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA), butylated hydroxytoluene (BHT), and vitamin E. The flavones 1-5 also inhibited COX-1 and -2 enzymes by 50-65% at 100 ppm. Compound 6 showed high but nonselective inhibition of COX-1 and COX-2 enzymes, when compared to aspirin and Celebrex, a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID). Compounds 7 and 10 inhibited COX-1 by 60% and 65% and COX-2 by 37% and 18%, respectively, whereas compounds 8 and 9a-c showed little or no activity against these enzymes.     

Anthocyanins present in selected tropical fruits: acerola, jambolão, jussara, and guajiru

Many tropical fruits are rich in anthocyanins, though limited information is available about the characterization and quantification of these anthocyanins. The identification and quantification of anthocyanin pigments in four tropical fruits were determined by HPLC-MS/MS. Fruits studied included acerola (Malphigia emarginata), jussara (Euterpe edulis), jambol?o (Syzygium cumini), and guajiru (Chrysobalanus icaco). All four fruits were found to contain anthocyanin pigments. Anthocyanidin backbones included cyanidin, delphinidin, peonidin, pelargonidin, petunidin, and malvidin. Guajiru contained several acylated forms, while acerola, jussara, and jambol?o contained only nonacylated glycosides. These results demonstrate that these tropical fruits are rich in anthocyanins and that the anthocyanins are widely ranging in anthocyanidin backbone, glycosylation, and acylation.     

Mini‐cutting technique application in Corymbia and Eucalyptus: effects of mini‐tunnel use across seasons of the year

New Forests - The forestry sector has been able to sustainably satisfy the increasing global demand for forest products, thereby positively impacting the economy, while mitigating climate change....