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.     

波尔山羊胚胎数量、质量与受体移植妊娠率的关系

本文就波尔山羊胚胎数量，质量与受体移植妊娠率的关系进行了探讨。结果表明：胚胎质量优劣是直接影响胚胎移植成功率的关键因素。移植胚胎数量因品种不同有差异。移植双胚，奶山羊受体胚胎成羔率53．4％，明显高于成都麻羊胚胎成羔率36．3％，成都麻羊单胚成羔率为66．7％。     

水平连续铸钢凝固过程数值模拟

本文在分析水平连铸传热特征的基础上，给出了一维情况下，计算结晶器出口处铸坯凝固层厚度的解析式，建立了计及轴向传热的连续坯凝固模拟模型。进行了连续坯二维传热的凝固数值模拟，其模拟结果与实验结果吻合较好，具有普遍应用价值。     

金属热防护系统多层隔热材料的传热分析及参数优化

采用能量平衡方程和离散坐标法近似地建立了金属热防护系统多层隔热材料的一维稳态传热的数学模型，并利用遗传算法和纤维隔热材料的有效导热系数试验数据求解传热反问题，从而得到了模型中的纤维隔热材料的辐射衰减系数、反照率和隔热屏表面辐射发射系数。最后，由实验测得了多层隔热材料的有效导热系数，验证了采用优化参数后，多层隔热材料的传热模型的正确性。     

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.     

影响体细胞核移植效率的因素

哺乳动物体细胞核移植 (克隆 )是近年来迅速发展起来的一项新技术 ,对濒危动物保护、优良种畜快速扩群以及核质关系的研究、药物试验等诸多领域都具有重大意义。但体细胞核移植是一项程序繁杂的工作 ,每一步操作所采用的试剂、材料和方案等都会影响到核移植效率 ,因而其影响因素十分众多。文章根据目前已有资料 ,论述了卵母细胞来源、卵母细胞与供体细胞的胞质容量、卵母细胞的去核方案、体细胞供体动物的年龄、供体细胞的组织来源与传代次数及供体细胞的冷藏、冷冻和所处的细胞周期阶段对核移植效率的影响。另外 ,对重组胚的融合 -激活方案、核移植方案及重构胚的培养方案对核移植效率的影响也作了简要论述。     

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.     

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。