Effects of music stimulus on behavior response,cortisol level,and horizontal immunity of growing pigs

An enriched environment is widely used to improve domestic animals’ welfare and promote their natural behaviors. Music can reduce abnormal behavior in humans, nonhuman primates, and rodents. However, little is known about the effects of music on pigs. This study aims to explore the effects of repeated music stimulation on the behavior, physiology, and immunity of growing pigs. A total of 72 hybrid piglets (Large White × Duroc × Minpig) were randomly divided into three groups, including music (Mozart K.448, 60 to 70 dB), noise (recorded mechanical noise, 80 to 85 dB), and control (natural background sound, <40 dB), and 6 h sound stimulation was given per day (1000 to 1600 hours) from 40 to 100 d of age. The behavioral activities of the pigs were observed during the music stimulation, and their serum cortisol, salivary cortisol, and serum immune indices were also measured. Compared with the control group, the music group and noise group increased activity but decreased lying of pigs (P < 0.05). A significant increase in tail-wagging, playing, and exploring behaviors of pigs was found in the music group (P < 0.05), and the noise significantly increased the aggressive behavior of the pigs (P < 0.05). Tail-wagging, playing, exploring, manipulating, and aggressive behaviors decreased over time. Short-term (8 d) music stimulus had a lower cortisol level than that of the noise and control groups (P < 0.05), whereas long-term (60 d) music stimulus increased immunoglobulin G (IgG), interleukin-2 (IL-2), and interferon-gamma (IFN-γ) levels (P < 0.05) and decreased interleukin-4 (IL-4) level (P < 0.05). Long-term noise stimulus significantly reduced the level of IgG (P < 0.05) but did not affect the level of IL-2, IL-4, and IFN-γ levels (P > 0.05). In conclusion, short-term music stimulus (8 d) reduced the stress response, whereas long-term music stimulus (60 d) enhanced the immune responses. In addition, the noise increased the aggressive behavior, and long-term noise reduced the immunity of the growing pigs.     

A releaser pheromone that attracts methyltestosterone- treated immature fish in the urine of ovulated female rainbow trout

SUMMARY: Behavioral experiments concerning a releaser pheromone in the urine of female rainbow trout were performed using immature fish administered orally with 17α-methyltestosterone (MT) during the non-spawning season. The urine was collected by catheter. The frequency of entries of test fish was recorded in each channel scented by test and control solutions in a Y-maze trough. The behavior of both MT-treated and control fish demonstrated that they could not discriminate the differences between distilled and environmental water as control solutions. There was also no difference between MT-treated and control fish when distilled and environmental water were introduced. The MT-treated immature fish were attracted to the channel scented by ovulated female urine. Neither coelomic fluid nor the immature female urine had any effect on the behavioral responses of MT-treated fish, while immature control fish had no preference for the urine of ovulated females. These results suggest in rainbow trout that ovulated female urine contains a releaser pheromone to attract mature males, and that androgens are involved in the sensory mechanisms detecting the releaser pheromone in fish.     

Adverse impact of industrial animal agriculture on the health and welfare of farmed animals

Industrial animal agriculture is grounded in the concept of maximizing productivity and profit. Selective breeding for maximum productivity in one characteristic of the animal (e.g. milk yield in cows, or breast meat in broiler chickens) has resulted in genotypes and phenotypes that may predispose the animals to poor health and welfare. The conditions in which these individuals are kept may also frustrate many inherited behaviors that they are strongly motivated to perform. In order to curb the resulting harmful aberrant behaviors, such as feather‐pecking in chickens, we sometimes resort to mutilating the animals. In many places chickens are routinely de‐beaked by means of a hot metal guillotine. Compassion in World Farming (an international organization that promotes the humane treatment of farm animals) believes that it is unethical to treat sentient beings in such ways. We have a duty to respect farm animals' sentience by providing them with housing conditions that take their needs and wants into account, and by reverting to the use of dual‐purpose, slower‐growing breeds that have the potential for good welfare. Alternatives to current farming practices are available, and we owe it to the animals, and to our consciences, to pursue them.     

三阶时滞泛函微分方程解的渐近性

本文讨论一类三阶时滞泛函微分方程解的渐近性质,给出了若干解的有界性及解趋于零的判定准则.     

莫能菌素浓度对混合瘤胃微生物体外发酵的影响

本试验研究了莫能菌素对混合瘤胃微生物体外发酵的影响 ,以期确定莫能菌素在瘤胃内容物中的适宜添加浓度。混合瘤胃微生物由饲喂花生秧基础日粮的阉公牛瘤胃内容物和瘤胃液制备 ,用简易人工瘤胃装置测定莫能菌素浓度对产气量、瘤胃乙丙酸比例、粗纤维降解率和真蛋白产量的影响。结果表明 ,莫能菌素浓度强烈地抑制产气量 ,两者呈线性负相关(P<0.05);粗纤维降解率开始时随莫能菌素浓度的升高而增加 ,在浓度为0.078mg/L时达到最大值 ,两者呈二次幂函数关系 ;添加莫能菌素降低了瘤胃乙丙酸比例 ,但瘤胃乙丙酸比例随莫能菌素浓度的提高有逐渐增加的趋势 ;在莫能菌素浓度为0.1～2.0mg/L的范围内 ,添加莫能菌素对蛋白质的产量没有明显影响     

输气管道水化物堵塞的预防和处理

阐述了输气管道内水化物的成因，特性及游离水的来源，并对其进行了分析，根据分析结果，给出了预测管道内水化物形成区域的方法，提出了三项预防水化物的措施，（1）施工阶段避免过多使用弯管，（2）投产前增加吹扫次数，彻底清除水，（3）运行初期定期注入抑制剂，指出对已形成水化物的管道段，可采取尽快降低运行压力，加热，注醇和放空等措施进行处理。     

AN OBSERVATION STUDY ON BIOLOGICAL CHARACTERS AND MATING BEHAVIOR OF DAHURIAN CASEBEARER(COLEOPHORA DAHURICA FLKV.)ADULTS

Through rearing tests and observations under laboratory conditions,biologicalcharacters and mating behavior of Dahurian casebearer(Coleophora dahurica Flkv.)adultswere studied in this paper.Results discovered that the time of emergense of male adultswas 24h to 36h earlier than that of female adults.The peak of sex pheromone secretion ofthe female adults appeared of 24h to 42h after the emergence.The reaction of male adultson the sex pheromone was most sensitive during 30h to 48h after emerged,so the earlieremergence of the male adults was favorable to mating.The phenomenon of repeatedmating did not exist in female adults,but the male adults could mate for several times,with maximum of 4 times.There was a definite behavioral reaction during the matingperiod of male and female adults,and the certain period of feeding and mating times couldaffect the adults longervity to a certain degree.     

微生物谷氨酰胺转胺酶(MTG)分批发酵模型的建立

在本文中，以本实验优化好的工艺条件，建立了关于微生物谷氨酰胺转胺酶分批发酵的数学模型方程细胞生长的动力学方程、产物合成的动力学方程和底物消耗的动力学方程。并对所建立的动力学方程进行了生物统计分析，结果表明所建立的模型具有一定的可信度。     

Effect of ruminal dosing of mechanical stimulating brush on rumination time, ruminal passage rate and rumen fermentation status in Holstein steers fed a concentrate diet

This experiment was conducted to determine the effect of ruminal dosing of a mechanical stimulating brush on rumination time, ruminal passage rate and rumen fermentation status in steers fed a concentrate diet at maintenance level. Animals were dosed three Rumen Faibu (RF) per head through the rumen fistulae (RF treatment) and not dosed (control) in a change‐over design. The organic cell wall content of the concentrate diet was 12.7% of dry matter. Daily time spent on rumination was very short in both treatments with 24 min in RF treatment and 15 min in control. The turnover rate of ruminal fluid in RF treatment was higher than that in control. There were no differences in ruminal pH and total volatile fatty acid concentration between RF treatment and control. Acetic and butyric acid concentrations were not different between the treatments. Propionic acid concentration tended to be higher in the animals on RF treatment than in control animals. The RF dosing in Holstein steers fed a low fiber diet did not affect the rumination time, but increased rumen digesta passage rate and ruminal propionic acid production.