Novel one bath application of oil and water repellent finish with environment friendly cross-linker for cotton

The performance of the fluorocarbon based acrylate polymer, Genguard, was evaluated on cotton fabric. Genguard treated fabric exhibited good oil and water repellency rating before washing. However, rating was lost immediately after washing. In order to enhance the washing durability of the Genguard finish, citric acid was incorporated into the recipe as a formaldehyde free cross-linker. The combination of citric acid with fluorocarbon exhibited good improvement in the durability of the oil and water repellency rating after multiple washings. In addition, fabric treated with this novel combination demonstrated excellent increase in the easy care performance. Scanning electron microscope (SEM) was used to examine the surface of the fabric treated with Genguard and citric acid as a cross-linker.     

The afferent innervation of the face of sheep and goats

The sensory innervation of the maxillary hairy skin and buccal mucous membrane was studied in anaesthetised sheep and goats. An electrophysiological technique isolated 47 single afferent units from the infraorbital nerve under chloralose or halothane anaesthesia. Mechanoreceptors of hairy skin were located in association with the following features: sinus hairs (n = 9); central primary hairs (n = 18); clear marginal hairs (n = 7) and skin-not-hair (n = 3). Units responded to hair tip displacement of 35 to 50 microm. Afferent units were also located in the mucous membrane of the cheek either associated with conical papillae (n = 8), or unassociated with papillae (n = 1). Receptor responses associated with hairs were classified as rapidly adapting (n = 18) and slowly adapting (n = 18) mechanoreceptor responses during sustained hair deflection. Seven mechanoreceptors of hairy skin and mucous membrane were excited by a fall in surface temperature. Two specific cold thermoreceptors were found: one in hairy skin and one in the mucous membrane. These units had phasic discharges during abrupt thermal depression and static discharges at constant surface temperatures. All afferent units had myelinated axons as indicated by their conduction velocities (range 20 to 57 m sec-1, mean 34 m sec-1). It is concluded that the mechanoreceptors identified had similarities with those of other mammalian species and some distinct differences. An interesting feature of mechanoreceptors in the buccal mucosa was their cold sensitivity. They therefore shared characteristics with mechanoreceptors in the penile mucosa of the ram and tongue of the sheep.     

Soft wheat instead of hard wheat in pelleted diets results in high starch digestibility in broiler chickens

(1) The aim of the experiment was to re-examine variations in digestibilities of food components in 3-week-old broiler chickens fed on pelleted diets based on wheats differing in lipase activity and hardness. Fourteen wheat (Triticum aestivum) samples, each from a different cultivar, were included at 550 g/kg in 14 different diets given to male Ross broiler chicks from 7 d of age. The other main ingredients consisted of soyabean meal (353 g/kg) and rapeseed oil (55 g/kg). A 15th diet containing durum wheat (Triticum durum) was also tested. (2) Hardness of wheats (Triticum aestivum) varied between 14 (very soft) and 88 (very hard), and lipase activity of wheats varied from 1 to 13.1 (relative scale). No significant correlation was found between in vitro viscosities and other parameters such as hardness, particle size of wheat flours and lipase. Hardness was correlated with the mean particle size of wheat flours and durability of pellets. (3) Individual lipid digestibilities were negatively correlated with in vitro viscosities of wheats. (4) Individual starch digestibilities were negatively correlated with wheat hardness, particle size of wheat flour before pelleting, and pellet durability. The ratio of measured AME(N) to predicted AME(N) was also negatively correlated with wheat hardness. Simple regression calculation showed that a 100-point increase in wheat hardness resulted in a 3% decrease in the AME(N) value of diets. Multiple regression calculation showed the food/gain ratio (d 10 to d 21) to be positively related to wheat hardness and negatively related to pellet durability. (5) Wheat lipase activity was positively correlated with individual starch digestibility, which was the reverse of a result obtained in a previous experiment. Thus, wheat lipase activity did not seem consistent for predicting starch digestibility and AME(N) values. (6) Among all wheat samples, durum wheat showed the highest protein content and the lowest content of water-insoluble cell-wall. Starch digestibility of durum wheat tended to be lower than that of other wheats (0.916 vs 0.936). However, no significant difference in AME(N) was observed between the durum wheat sample and other wheats. (7) Gut morphometric data measured at d 24 did not show significant differences between dietary treatments.     

Fungal colonization and failure of a long-term gastrostomy tube in a cat

Candida krusei was isolated from a gastrostomy tube that failed 175 d after placement in a 13-year-old cat. Fungal colonization of gastrostomy tubes is common in humans and a contributor to tube failure. Veterinarians should be aware of this phenomenon in patients that have long-term indwelling feeding tubes.     

Effects of different cereal grains and ractopamine hydrochloride on performance, carcass characteristics, and fat quality in late-finishing pigs

Forty-eight barrows and forty-eight gilts (PIC 337 sires x PIC C22 dams) were evaluated to determine the effects of feeding ractopamine hydrochloride (RAC) and different cereal grains on the carcass and fat quality in late finishing pigs. The study was carried out using four replicates with 24 animals in each replicate (four pigs per pen, six pens per replicate, two replicates per slaughter date, 12 pens per slaughter date). Treatments for the experiment included corn, wheat, and barley (early finisher period); and corn, corn + RAC, wheat, wheat + RAC, barley, and barley + RAC for the late finisher period. Ractopamine was fed at the level of 10 mg/kg (as-fed basis) of feed. Pigs were allotted to early finisher period treatments at approximately 45 kg BW. Pigs were then given late finisher period treatments at approximately 80 kg BW and fed for 28 d. The dietary digestible lysine level for all diets was maintained at 2.7 g/Mcal of ME. Pigs fed the wheat and corn diets during the late finisher period had a greater (P <0.05) G:F than those fed the barley diets. Pigs fed diets with RAC had lower (P <0.05) leaf fat weights, 10th-rib fat, last-rib fat, and belly firmness and had improved (P <0.05) dressing percents and loin muscle areas compared with those not receiving RAC. Pigs fed the wheat diets had a greater (P <0.05) dressing percent than those receiving the barley diets, but pigs fed the barley diets had a higher (P <0.05) Minolta L* for fat color than pigs fed wheat. Pigs fed diets containing RAC produced pork that was less tender (P <0.05) compared with pigs that did not receive RAC. Linoleic acid percent values were higher (P <0.05) for pigs fed diets with RAC than in those that did not. Feeding RAC improved G:F and lowered feed intake of pigs during the late finisher period (P <0.05). Feeding diets equal in lysine (2.7 g/Mcal of ME) but varying in ME, whether based on corn, wheat, or barley with or without RAC, had little to no effect on carcass, meat, or fat quality attributes.     

Analysis of variability in nutrient digestibilities in broiler chickens

1. Forty commercial broiler chickens from two different breeding origins were used for individual measurements of growth performance from d 7 to d 21. From d 21 to d 24 a balance experiment was carried out for the measurement of metabolisable energy (ME), digestibilities of lipids, starch and amino acids, viscosity of excreta water-extract, and amount of water loss. After this, the weight and length of the different parts of the gastrointestinal tract were measured for each bird. During the experiment, the birds were fed with an experimental diet containing 5 g/kg of guar gum in order to increase the variability of responses. 2. There were no significant (P < 0.05) differences between the two breeds in 21 d live weight, food:gain ratio, ME value or the digestibilities of lipids, starch and total amino acids. Significant (P < 0.05) differences between the two breeds were observed for caecal size, excreta guar gum degradation measured using viscosity measurements, and vent score. 3. Pooling all the individual data, individual ME values were correlated (r2 = 0.33) with individual food:gain ratios, which shows that a great part of ME variation was associated with individual variation. 4. Several significant (P < 0.05) correlations were observed between individual digestibilities and individual anatomical characteristics of the gastrointestinal tract. The most significant were concerned with the duodenum weight:length ratio correlated with ME (r = 0.474) and the caeca weight:body weight ratio correlated with guar gum degradation (r = 0.495). Covariance analyses were carried out when correlations were significant and did not show significant interactions with the breeding origin of chickens.