The effect of dietary calcium concentration and particle size on performance, eggshell quality, bone mechanical properties and tibia mineral contents in moulted laying hens

1. A total of 72 H&;N Brown Nick laying hens, 76 weeks of age (moulted at 60 weeks of age), were randomly assigned into a 3?×?3 factorial arrangement with three limestone particle sizes and three dietary Ca concentrations (30, 36 and 42?g/kg Ca); with 8 replicates per treatments, and one hen (individual) per experimental unit.

2. Particle sizes of the limestone were: distributions smaller than 2?mm (Fine), between 2 to 5?mm (Medium), and larger than 5?mm (Large). The fine, medium and large limestone particles were all obtained from the same source, and sieve sizes used had screen sizes 2?mm and 5?mm.

3. The different concentrations of dietary Ca, particle size or interactions had no significant effect on egg production, egg weight, egg mass, feed intake or feed conversion ratio.

4. The concentrations of dietary Ca and particle sizes had no significant effect on egg breaking strength, eggshell as % by weight of whole egg or eggshell thickness. The interactions between Ca concentrations and particle sizes had a significant effect on eggshell breaking strength, but not on other parameters.

5. Different dietary particle sizes had no significant effect on the Ca, P and Mg mineral contents of eggshell. While the different concentrations of Ca in diets had a significant effect on the P content of eggshell, they had no significant effect on Ca and Mg contents.

6. Different dietary concentrations of Ca had a significant effect on shear stress, and Ca and Mg contents of tibiae, but not other parameters. Also, dietary particle sizes had a significant effect on shear stress and Ca contents of tibiae. The interaction between Ca concentrations and particle sizes had a significant effect on tibia shear force and Ca content.

7. According to the results of this study, moulted brown laying hens should be fed 36?g/kg Ca and a medium limestone particle size (2–5?mm) in the diet to maintain performance, eggshell and bone quality.     

Kinesin walks hand-over-hand

Kinesin is a processive motor that takes 8.3-nm center-of-mass steps along microtubules for each adenosine triphosphate hydrolyzed. Whether kinesin moves by a "hand-over-hand" or an "inchworm" model has been controversial. We have labeled a single head of the kinesin dimer with a Cy3 fluorophore and localized the position of the dye to within 2 nm before and after a step. We observed that single kinesin heads take steps of 17.3 +/- 3.3 nm. A kinetic analysis of the dwell times between steps shows that the 17-nm steps alternate with 0-nm steps. These results strongly support a hand-over-hand mechanism, and not an inchworm mechanism. In addition, our results suggest that kinesin is bound by both heads to the microtubule while it waits for adenosine triphosphate in between steps.     

Effects of meal and body sizes on gastric evacuation of the endangered Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) fed on either live or artificial diets: Using radiography technique

The effects of body and meals sizes on gastric evacuation (GE) of the endangered Siberian sturgeon (Acipenser baerii) were parameterized (at temperatures ranging from 16.8 to 17.6°C) using radiography technique. GE experiments were performed using different body sizes A. baerii ranged from 1.5 kg to 5 kg fed on meal sizes of 4.6 g to 47.6 g composed of either commercial pellets or live food (fish prey, whiting). The commercial pellets used in these experiments had barium sulphate at concentrations of 20%, while the same amount was injected into the body of live food for radiography technique monitoring. The course of GE in A. baerii was best described by the square root model independently of meal size. The effects of body mass and temperature on GE rates were described by power model and simple exponential model respectively. GE rates of A. baerii fed on live food could be summarized by (g/hr), while for commercial pellets, where S_t is the stomach contents mass (g), W is fish wet weight (cm), T is temperature (°C), and t is time (hr). These summarized models could estimate the time required for a meal to be evacuated from the stomach of A. baerii or determine the stomach fullness at postprandial time t. These results will assess the planning of feeding regime for A. baerii to avoid their overfeeding and underfeeding.     

Chemical and physiological responses of four Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) provenances to cold temperature treatments

Determining the adaptability to abiotic conditions and potential establishment success of tree species needs to be conducted before attempting to use a species in large-scale afforestation programs. In this study, the chemical and physiological performance of four Turkish red pine (Pinus brutia Ten.) provenances was investigated after exposure to artificial cold temperature treatments to determine their adaptability to cold environment for potential use in afforestation programs. Seeds were sown and raised for 24, 28, and 32 weeks and exposed to decreasing temperatures in an artificial freezer. Relative electrolyte leakage, chlorophyll fluorescence, and carbohydrate concentrations were measured to determine the variability between provenances. Results showed that diameter and height growth did not vary with origin for each of the three growth stages measured. Root electrolyte leakage values differed between provenances, confirming that cold stress was effectively causing physiological damages when plants were exposed to temperature at ?15 °C and below. The variability observed in the relationship between provenances and cold hardiness responses can be attributed to tree-to-tree variability within provenances and microsites conditions. There was generally no significant difference in chlorophyll fluorescence between provenances, also attributed to low genetic variation between provenances. Carbohydrate concentrations were also very variable and varied significantly among growth stages and provenances. High-altitude provenances had higher soluble carbohydrates concentrations in several cases, suggesting a relationship between altitude, soluble sugars, and cold hardiness. However, these trends were not consistent; therefore, we suggest that such hypotheses be confirmed through more comprehensive further studies.     

Comparison of 5th- and 14th-year Douglas-fir and understory vegetation responses to selective vegetation removal

The effects of early vegetation management on the survival and growth of Douglas-fir [Pseudotsuga menziesii (Mirb.) Franco] were examined 5 and 15 years after planting in the Oregon Coast Range. Our first objective was to document the effects of vegetation species competition upon key ecosystem properties. The second objective was to document the effects of vegetation removal during early Douglas-fir stand establishment upon long-term tree growth and on biomass production by vegetation components. Seven levels of manual vegetation removal were maintained for the first 5 years after planting: 0%, 25%, 50%, 75%, and 100% shrub removal; and 100% shrub removal combined with 50% or 100% herbaceous vegetation removal. Shrub and herb removal did not affect Douglas-fir survival at year five, but treatments providing less than 75% shrub removal significantly reduced Douglas-fir survival by year 15. Removing shrubs and herbs completely (100S + 100H) during the 5 years following tree planting allowed successful tree establishment, with a 366% increase in biomass accumulation per hectare for Douglas-fir in that treatment at the end of 14 years of growth. At 15 years stand age, even with shrub removal alone, a 304% gain in tree biomass per hectare was obtained compared to no vegetation removal (NVR). By stand age 15 years, any increase in the degree of understory removal beyond 75% did not contribute significantly to additional tree survival and growth. The understory vegetation on NVR treatment plots and the herbaceous vegetation on 100% shrub removal (100S) treatment plots, contained >90% and >80% of aboveground biomass N at 5 years, respectively, indicating possible competition for soil N. Soil moisture was not different among treatments at 5 years. Complete vegetation removal (100S + 100H) for 5 years resulted in a significant increase in soil bulk density (P < 0.05), a significant decrease in total soil C (P < 0.05) and no change in total soil N in the upper 15 cm of the mineral soil. By 14 years, however, only the soil bulk density remained greater (P < 0.05) on the 100S + 100H treatment. We conclude that greater tree survival and growth occurred with at least 75% shrub removal. Our results suggest that managers may have substantial flexibility in maintaining a partial understory component suitable for ecosystem productivity, canopy cover and wildlife habitat, while maintaining forests productive for timber resources.     

Improving the Traditional Acacia Senegal-Crop System in Sudan: The Effect of Tree Density on Water Use, Gum Production and Crop Yields

The traditional Acacia senegal bush-fallow in North Kordofan, Sudan, was disrupted and the traditional rotational fallow cultivation cycle has been shortened or completely abandoned, causing decline in soil fertility and crop and gum yields. An agroforestry system may give reasonable crop and gum yields, and be more appealing to farmers. We studied the effect of tree density (266 or 433 trees ha⁻¹) on two traditional crops; sorghum (Sorghum bicolor) early maturing variety and karkadeh (Hibiscus sabdariffa), with regard to physiological interactions, yields and soil water depletion. There was little evidence of complementarity of resource sharing between trees and crops, since both trees and field crops competed for soil water from the same depth. Intercropping significantly affected the soil water status, photosynthesis and stomatal conductance in trees and crops. Gum production per unit area increased when sorghum was intercropped with trees in low or high density. However, karkadeh reduced the gum yield significantly at high tree density. Yields of sorghum and karkadeh planted within trees of high density diminished by 44 and 55% compared to sole crops, respectively. Intercropping increased the rain use efficiency significantly compared to trees and field crops grown solely. Karkadeh appears to be more appropriate for intercropping with A. senegal than sorghum and particularly recommendable in combination with low tree density. Modification of tree density can be used as a management tool to mitigate competitive interaction in the intercropping system.     

Parameters affecting shoot production and rooting of cuttings from lodgepole pine hedges

By propagating lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta) cuttings in vivo, we obtained after 7 growing cycles (ca 3.5 years) in a greenhouse, sufficient number of cuttings from most families to establish clonal progeny tests. Twenty-one full-sib families with approximately 20 clones per family were studied for five years. Years when cuttings were set, families within latitude and clones within families differed significantly in rooting percentages, with the variance components 4.2%, 8.2% and 9.5%, respectively. One way to get a frequent and uniform rooting is to take cuttings from non-leading shoots since they have higher rooting percentage than leading shoots. Neither total length of the cuttings nor length of the primary needles were significantly correlated to rooting percentage. With appropriate management of the ortets and the cuttings during rooting, most clones could be included in a cutting propagation program.     

Environmental Impact of using actinium (228Ac)-contaminated sludge as soil conditioner and sand substitute

Low-level actinium contamination (²²⁸Ac) of petroleum sludge is reported. The sludge is earmarked for road-building and soil enrichment, hence long-term radiation in low doses is not desirable. We subsequently investigated the distribution of this radioactivity over a one-year period. Collection was conducted at different sites, and the sludge was subjected to high-resolution gamma-ray measurement with a Geenlarge this page detector. Samples of 1 kg dry weight were prepared in suitable Marinelli beakers and counted for 12 h. The approximate literature guideline for this radioistope in soil and regular sludge is about 60 Bq/kg. The levels in many of our samples were several times higher, and activities up to 600 Bq/kg were observed. The general distribution was studied; and suggestions for possible preventative remediation to deplete the activity levels in the sludge prior to its use as a building material and on sludge-farms are outlined. The study, therefore, formed an interesting contribution to research associated with radioactivity in the environment.     

Iron derivatives from casein hydrolysates as a potential source in the treatment of iron deficiency

The properties of an Fe(3+)-peptide complex containing 5.6% Fe, obtained by the reaction of ferric chloride with an enzymatic hydrolysate of casein, are described. The major site of iron binding corresponds primarily to the carboxylate groups and to a lesser extent to the peptide bonds. The Fe(3+)-peptide complex is insoluble at acid pH and completely soluble at neutral to alkaline pH. When soluble, the Fe(3+) is tightly bound to the complex peptide mixture but can be displaced and complexed by a low molecular weight ligand such as cysteine. Its efficacy in relation to iron sulfate was compared in rats. Both iron sources were administrated in Milli-Q water by gastric gavage to male Wistar rats (180-200 g) after an 18 h fast with water ad libitum. Fe(3+) from the Fe(3+)-peptide complex was transferred to the blood in a dose-dependent manner (1-8 mg of Fe/kg), and the serum iron levels were significantly higher (p < 0.001) than in a similar group of rats treated with iron sulfate. In the comparative kinetics experiments, the rats received 4 mg of Fe/kg. Both iron sources presented maximum absorption, as indicated by the elevation of serum iron levels, 30 min after administration, and the AUC(0)(-->2h) of the Fe(3+)-peptide complex was significantly higher (p < 0.05) than that observed with iron sulfate. The simultaneous administration of free peptides (0-192 mg) with the Fe(3+)-peptide complex or iron sulfate did not modify the extent of absorption of iron from both sources, suggesting that the absorption is due to the complex formed and probably not to exchange reactions in the gastrointestinal tract. In the hemoglobin repletion experiments carried out on newly weaned rats with anemia induced by a low-iron diet, supplementation of the diet with the the Fe(3+)-peptide complex was as efficient as supplementation with iron sulfate in the conversion from diet to hemoglobin iron. These results, taken together, suggest that the Fe(3+)-peptide complex is a potential compound for use as an iron source in biological situations.