Effect of extruded full-fat soybeans on conjugated linoleic acid content of intramuscular,intermuscular, and subcutaneous fat in beef steers

Crossbred Angus steers (n = 30) were used to determine whether the conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) content of beef fat could be increased by feeding varying levels of extruded full-fat soybeans as a source of polyunsaturated fatty acids for rumen biohydrogenation. Diets were as follows: 1) control, 2) 12.7% extruded full-fat soybeans (LESB), and 3) 25.6% extruded full-fat soybeans (HE SB). Steers were individually housed and fed the diets for 111 d during the finishing period. Over the experimental period, treatment groups were similar in ADG (1.7 +/- 0.1 kg/d) and had a similar slaughter weight (603 +/- 11.6 kg). Dressing percentage averaged 61.6% and carcass composition averaged 14.3% protein, 30.9% lipid, and 54.8% water. At slaughter, the intramuscular, intermuscular, and subcutaneous fat depots were sampled from the rib longissimus, eye of round, and chuck tender muscles. Across all fat depots, the CLA content differed (P < 0.05), averaging 6.6, 6.7, and 7.7 mg/g of fatty acids for the control, LESB, and HESB diets, respectively. There were significant differences in CLA content between fat depots within a cut, but differences were relatively small and the hierarchy in fat depots was not consistent among cuts. The cis-9, trans-11 isomer was the predominant CLA isomer and its content in fat was related to trans-11 C18:1 content (r = 0.53; P < 0.001). There was substantial individual variation in CLA content and this varied from 2.6 to 17.0 mg/g fatty acids across all treatments and fat depots. Overall, results demonstrated that including extruded full-fat soybeans in the diet of finishing steers increased the CLA content of beef fat. Differences were relatively small and the relationship of this to rumen fermentation and endogenous synthesis of CLA is considered.     

Effects of birth weight and postnatal nutrition on neonatal sheep: III. Regulation of energy metabolism

This study investigated effects of birth weight and postnatal nutrition on regulation of energy metabolism in the neonatal lamb. Low (mean +/- SD 2.289 +/- 0.341 kg, n = 28) and high (4.840 +/- 0.446 kg, n = 20) birth weight male Suffolk x (Finnsheep x Dorset) lambs were individually reared on a liquid diet to grow rapidly (ad libitum fed, ADG = 337 g, n = 20) or slowly (ADG = 150 g, n = 20) from birth to live weights (LW) up to approximately 20 kg. At birth, small newborns had higher plasma concentrations of urea nitrogen (mean +/- SEM 8.31 +/- 0.25 vs 6.39 +/- 0.32 mM, P = 0.002) and somatotropin (ST, 49.1 +/- 17.0 vs 10.8 +/- 4.3 ng/mL, P = .045) and lower IGF-I (36.1 +/- 6.8 vs 157.7 +/- 21.8 ng/mL, P < 0.001) than large newborns. Plasma glucose (1.42 +/- 0.23 vs 2.63 +/- 0.95 mM, P = 0.147) and insulin (0.09 +/- 0.02 vs 0.13 +/- 0.06 ng/mL, P = 0.264) concentrations did not differ. Urea nitrogen concentration in plasma peaked and then declined rapidly in all lambs during the first week postpartum, and plasma ST declined on a body-weight-related basis from birth. During rearing to 20 kg LW, plasma insulin was higher in low- vs high-birth-weight lambs. Lambs fed ad libitum had greater plasma concentrations of glucose, urea nitrogen, insulin, and IGF-I compared to those fed a restricted diet (ADG = 150 g). The results suggest that during the early postpartum period, newborn lambs exhibit the fetal characteristic of high rates of amino acid oxidation. The results also support the notion that, at birth, low-birth-weight lambs are less mature than high-birth-weight lambs in aspects of metabolic and endocrine development, which may enhance their capacity to utilize amino acids for energy production and to support gluconeogenesis during the immediate postpartum period. Being small at birth also resulted in elevated plasma insulin concentrations when adequate nutriment to support moderate or rapid growth was provided postpartum, although it remains to be elucidated whether this more chronic effect persists in the longer term.     

Dose-response relationships between porcine somatotropin, muscle composition, muscle fiber characteristics and pork quality

The dose-dependent effects of porcine somatotropin (pST) on cellular aspects of skeletal muscle growth, muscle composition and measures of pork quality were investigated in growing barrows and gilts. Eighty crossbred pigs weighing 46 kg were assigned randomly to receive daily subcutaneous injections of 0, 30, 60, 120 or 200 micrograms pST/kg BW until they weighed 100 kg. Semitendinosus muscle weights were increased with pST dose (linear, P less than .001) by 21%. Percentage of type I and type II muscle fibers was not changed with pST, but cross-sectional area of type I and type II fibers was increased in parallel with muscle weight. Percentage of moisture increased (P less than .01) and percentage of lipid decreased (P less than .01) as pST dose increased. The pH of the longissimus 24 h postmortem increased (P less than .01) .1 to .2 units with increasing pST dose, but subjective evaluation for color, firmness and wateriness of the longissimus indicated no discernible treatment effect. Gardner color difference meter "Rd" and "A" values decreased (P less than .01) with a pST dose of 60 micrograms/kg or more, signifying a slightly darker and less red color, respectively, of the longissimus muscle. Weight loss of loin chops 2.54 cm thick cooked to 71 degrees C (20.3% to 23.7%) and shear force of cores 1.27 cm in diameter (2.89 to 3.76 kg) were not related to pST treatment or dose.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Asymmetric scattering of polarized electrons by organized organic films of chiral molecules

Electron transmission experiments demonstrate a large asymmetry in the scattering probability of polarized electrons by thin organized films of chiral molecules. This large asymmetry results from the interaction of the electron's wavefunction with many scatterers (molecules) in the organized monolayer structure and represents a manifestation of quantum interference on the scale of supramolecular lengths.     

Quebrada jaguay: early south american maritime adaptations

Excavations at Quebrada Jaguay 280 (QJ-280) (16 degrees30'S) in south coastal Peru demonstrated that Paleoindian-age people of the Terminal Pleistocene (about 11,100 to 10,000 carbon-14 years before the present or about 13,000 to 11,000 calibrated years before the present) in South America relied on marine resources while resident on the coast, which extends the South American record of maritime exploitation by a millennium. This site supports recent evidence that Paleoindian-age people had diverse subsistence systems. The presence of obsidian at QJ-280 shows that the inhabitants had contact with the adjacent Andean highlands during the Terminal Pleistocene.     

The Solar Acoustic Spectrum and Eigenmode Parameters

The Global Oscillation Network Group (GONG) project estimates the frequencies, amplitudes, and linewidths of more than 250,000 acoustic resonances of the sun from data sets lasting 36 days. The frequency resolution of a single data set is 0.321 microhertz. For frequencies averaged over the azimuthal order m, the median formal error is 0.044 microhertz, and the associated median fractional error is 1.6 x 10(-5). For a 3-year data set, the fractional error is expected to be 3 x 10(-6). The GONG m-averaged frequency measurements differ from other helioseismic data sets by 0.03 to 0.08 microhertz. The differences arise from a combination of systematic errors, random errors, and possible changes in solar structure.     

Different Culture Media Requirements of IVF and Nuclear Transfer Bovine Embryos

Important differences exist between in vitro fertilized (IVF) and nuclear transfer (NT) bovine embryos. Studies have shown that although in vitro development is comparable, post-implantation survival is greatly reduced in NT embryos. In this study, we compare serum and bovine serum albumin (BSA) supplementation during oocyte maturation and embryo culture of IVF and NT embryos. In experiment 1, oocytes and embryos were randomly distributed into different treatment groups consisting of synthetic oviductal fluid (SOF) medium supplemented with either serum, fatty acid-free BSA (FAF) or fraction V BSA during maturation and/or culture to assess IVF embryo development. In experiment 2, oocytes were matured in SOF + serum or SOF + FAF and reconstructed embryos were cultured in SOF + FAF to assess NT embryo development. Among the IVF treatment groups, a greater number of blastocysts were observed in the steer serum (SER) group (IVM and IVC in SOF + serum) on day 6; however, no significant differences were seen in blastocyst development from day 8 onwards. Hatching frequencies on days 8 and 9 were significantly greater in groups with serum, with the exception of FAF (IVM and IVC in SOF + FAF) on day 9. For the NT treatment groups, the presence of serum during IVM resulted in a higher proportion of MII oocytes and increased blastocyst development and hatching rates were compared with supplementation of FAF. These results indicate that both serum and FAF provide comparable embryo development for IVF but not for NT bovine embryos.     

Subcutaneous granuloma caused by Mycobacterium avium complex infection in a cat

A localised subcutaneous swelling developed on the nasal bridge of a cat receiving chemotherapy for alimentary tract lymphosarcoma. Cytological and histological examination of representative samples of the lesion demonstrated pyogranulomatous inflammation and abundant acid-fast bacilli. A Mycobacterium sp was cultured from tissue excised from the lesion. Extensive testing at three reference laboratories indicated the strain was a member of the Mycobacterium avium complex. The infection was treated successfully by cytoreductive surgery and a 6 weeks course of orally administered clofazimine.