bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Use of LH-RH agonists in the treatment of breast disease
Authors: Nicholson R. I. , Walker K. J.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

The effects of LH-RH agonists in advanced breast cancer patients are reviewed and compared to the efficacy of surgical ablation of the ovaries and X-ray induced menopause in the treatment of this disease. In both pre- and postmenopausal women, LH-RH agonists produce pituitary gland desensitisation and a fall in concentrations of LH and FSH. In premenopausal patients plasma progesterone and oestradiol levels fall to the castrate or postmenopausal range within three to four weeks. Tumour remissions have been observed in approximately 30% of premenopausal women (50% ER-positive) and approximately 10% of postmenopausal patients. The mechanism of action of LH-RH agonists is discussed and their current application to combined endocrine therapy, early breast cancer and mastalgia briefly outlined.
Aromatase inhibitors in human breast cancer
Authors: Coombes R. C. , Stein R. C. , Dowsett M.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

The results of a phase I/II study in advanced breast cancer in postmenopausal women of the aromatase inhibitors 4-hydroxyandrostenedione (40HA), miconazole and CGS16949A are described. 40HA, a steroidal compound which is an irreversible inhibitor of aromatase, has been administered to 131 patients by weekly (500 mg) or fortnightly (250 mg) i.m. injections, and daily (500 mg) by mouth. The overall response rate (complete regression (CR) and partial regression (PR)) was 33%; all three dose schedules had similar clinical efficacy. Oestradiol levels were suppressed to a mean of 37–45% of pretreatment values with oral and with weekly i.m. 40HA; suppression was marginally suboptimal with 250 mg i.m. fortnightly. 40HA was well tolerated, especially when administered by fortnightly injections; this dose schedule is to be preferred to weekly injections.

Significant oestradiol suppression and clinical responses did not occur with the imidazole antifungal, miconazole, which was administered to twenty-two patients at doses of 500–1000 mg daily. The non-steroidal aromatase inhibitor, CGS16949A, induced comparable oestradiol suppression to 40HA at doses of 0.6–4 mg daily; 0.6 mg daily appears to be suboptimal. Five of thirty-one patients treated had objective responses, and disease stabilised for at least six months in nine patients. Some suppression of aldosterone occurred with doses of 2 and 4 mg daily, but clinical toxicity of the compound was minor.
Conservation of Scottish estuaries
Authors: Raffaelli Dave
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

This paper reviews the physical and biological characteristics of Scottish estuaries. A case is made for the conservation of a range of habitats, including sand dunes, saltmarshes and intertidal flats, although it is recognised that the large-scale protection of estuarine intertidal areas may depend more on their perceived importance as feeding areas for shorebirds and fish, rather than their very real intrinsic value. Contamination by metals and hydrocarbons, organic enrichment by sewage, agricultural run-off, land-claim and sea-level rise are identified as major threats posed to Scottish estuaries. Land-claim and sea level rise both lead to large-scale and permanent loss of intertidal area and they are considered the most pressing conservation problems.
Towards a strategy for the conservation of marine fish in Scotland
Authors: Poxton M. G.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

This paper reviews the status of marine fish populations in Scottish waters and considers current and potential threats. The inshore environments considered (shallow sandy bays, deeper and muddier areas, sea lochs, estuaries and firths) can be characterised by fish communities of 20-50 species, with some 20 species being present at any one locality. All of them functioned as nursery areas for commercial species and as habitats for smaller non-commercial residents. As few as 3-5 species were dominant, in terms of both numbers and biomass, in each habitat. More species occurred on the open shelf (over 200 ?) with up to 90 being taken regularly, but only 10 species accounted for 90% of both total biomass (in each of three North Sea areas) and commercial landings in Scotland by U.K. vessels. Mackerel (32.3%), herring (20.4%) and haddock (14.7%) dominated the landings. Both coastal fish communities and shelf stocks of commercial species have historically suffered from over-exploitation, a situation that has continued to date despite changes in management leading to their supposed protection. Other threats are identified, as is the need for conservation, while some legislative and research recommendations are made.
Competitive Interactions Between Bryozoans and Other Organisms
Authors: Jackson J. B. C.
Published: June 2019

A fundamental morphological and ecological division among sessile colonial invertebrates and sponges is that between encrusting and erect growth habits. The distributions of such organisms results both from their patterns of larval recruitment onto the substratum and their subsequent growth and interactions (Buss 1979b; Jackson 1979a). Sessile encrusting organisms [runners, sheets, and mounds of Jackson (1979a)] grow primarily out over the substratum. Such growth sets no special mechanical constraints for colony support and growth is potentially infinite, although limited by extrinsic factors such as the extent of the substratum, interactions with other organisms, or physical environmental factors. The alternative pattern is one of growth primarily up or away from the substratum surface [plates, vines, and trees of Jackson (1979a)]. This may set overall size constraints relative to mechanical support and attachment (Cheetham 1971; Cheetham et al. 1981; Cheetham and Thomsen 1981; Schopf et al. 1980), often with approximately determinate growth as for solitary animals (Jackson 1977a, 1979a).
Biostratigraphy of Bryozoa
Authors: Gilmour Ernest H.
Published: June 2019

Many taxonomic studies of bryozoans have been published since the late 19th century and most of these studies contain biostratigraphic information about the occurrences of the bryozoans described. Unfortunately, very few attempts have been made to arrange this information into usuable zonation schemes at either the provincial or worldwide level. Most published studies are faunal studies of a particular stratigraphic unit and are concerned primarily with taxonomy.
Living Habits of Ancient Articulate Brachiopods
Authors: Grant Richard E.
Published: June 2019

Methods of interpretation of living habits of ancient brachiopods.–The most obvious means to interpret life habits of ancient brachiopods is by analogy with living ones. Increased knowledge of the living ones, however, is revealing progressively more pitfalls in the path of using their examples to arrive at easy conclusions regarding the ancient ones. As the analogies are applied to ever more ancient forms, the similarities decrease and the interpretations become increasingly tenuous. Even the supposed “safe” interpretations of ancient terebratulids and rhynchonellids on the basis of analogy with their living relatives are being challenged by new research. Formerly, presence of a pedicle foramen was considered prima facie evidence that the shell lived attached to a substrate of some kind, but this can no longer be assumed, and further evidence for attachment must be sought.
Physiology of the Brachiopod Digestive System
Authors: McCammon Helen M.
Published: June 2019

The present state of knowledge permits only the grossest assessment of nutritional physiology of living brachiopods since most of the knowledge available on brachiopods is not addressed from this aspect and when it is, much of the information is derived from studies made without the use of modern investigative methods. Additionally, of the few studies that have been made on the physiology of the brachiopod digestive system, most have been on the genus Lingula. Unfortunately, this is one of only 2 genera that occupy an infaunal habitat, all other living genera are epifaunal forms (Table 1). The geographic distribution, habitat preference, and digestive modifications suggest that there are some differences in dietary characteristics between the infaunal and epifaunal brachiopods. With these limitations in mind, studies on physiology of digestive systems in other phyla will be used for comparison.
Ecology of Benthic Foraminifera
Authors: Gupta Barun K. Sen
Published: June 2019

Benthic foraminifera live in a wide variety of marine habitats, from marshes to abyssal plains. Both epifaunal and infaunal adaptations are present. The distribution of species is controlled by a complex of abiotic and biotic variables of the environment, usually resulting in a depth-zonation of assemblages on continental margins.

The composition of the substrate may have a direct or indirect influence on the constitution of the assemblage. Laboratory studies and field observations demonstrate the effects of temperature and salinity variations, particularly on nearshore species. Many calcareous species have algal or chloroplast symbionts; their distribution is partly controlled by light tolerance.

Benthic foraminifera are omnivorous and feed mainly by the pseudopodia. Large supply of nutrients, as in areas of upwelling or water mixing, may give rise to large blooms of opportunistic species.

Marine marshes of diverse geographic locations support some common species. Deep bathyal or abyssal species are widespread, but dominance patterns are apparently associated with identifiable water masses, although causal relations are unclear.
Biogeography of Modern Benthic Foraminifera
Authors: Buzas Martin A. , Culver Stephen J.
Published: June 2019

Biogeography is concerned with recording and explaining the distribution of organisms in space and time. In their search for patterns of distribution, biogeographers have classified the surface of the earth into a hierarchical scheme of ecological units (e.g. Kauffman and Scott, 1976). The basic biogeographic units are realms and provinces. A faunal realm is a large area about the size of a continent while provinces are subdivisions within a realm. An appreciation of the scale involved is gained by considering a current classification of the terrestial world (Udvardy, 1975) which contains 8 realms and 172 provinces.
Mesozoic Planktic Foraminifera
Authors: Frerichs William E.
Published: June 2019

The evolutionary development of Mesozoic planktic foraminifera is almost exclusively restricted to the Cretaceous Period. Diversity is relatively low until the Late Cretaceous (Turonian to Maastrichtian) when numerous architectural forms are found in the record. Just as remarkable, and more so to this author, is the nearly complete extinction of the group at the end of the Maastrichtian. My purpose will be to attempt to briefly categorize the major areas of study and to describe the numerous problems yet to be solved by workers in the field.
North American Paleozoic Agglutinate Foraminifera
Authors: Conkin James E. , Conkin Barbara M.
Published: June 2019

Literature on foraminifera in general is quite accessible and useable. Cushman's (1948) textbook, combined with the treatise of Loeblich and Tappan (1964), suffices for most generic definitions. Loeblich and Tappan's (1964) work is, in addition, the most comprehensive treatment of the general biology, ecology, classification, and stratigraphic distribution of the foraminifera. On a specific level, the preeminent reference works on the foraminifera are Ellis and Messina's (1940–1982) Catalogue of the Foraminifera, Sherborn's (1888) Bibliography of the Foraminifera from 1765–1888 and his (1893–1896) Index to Genera and Species of the Foraminifera, and Cushman's (1950) Card Catalogue on microfilm. Important as well are Brady's Challenger report (1884), Cushman's (1910–1916) monograph on the North Pacific Ocean foraminifera and his (1918–1931) Foraminifera of the Atlantic Ocean, to mention a few of the works on the Recent foraminifera; a knowledge of Recent foraminifera is important, for a large number of agglutinate foraminiferal genera have stratigraphic ranges from Paleozoic to Recent. Brady's (1876) monograph of Carboniferous and Permian foraminifera is also important.
Mammalian Diversity and Structure
Authors: Gingerich Philip D.
Published: June 2019

Mammalia constitute one of the five major classes of vertebrates (the others being Pisces, Amphibia, Reptilia, and Aves). There are, at latest count, some 4,170 species of mammals living today, classified in about 1010 genera, 130–140 families, and 18 orders (Corbet and Hill, 1980; Honacki et al., 1982). In addition, sixteen orders and uncounted genera and species of mammals are known to be extinct (see synoptic classification in Table 1). While most living mammals are terrestrial like their Mesozoic ancestors, one large progressive group has invaded the air (bats, represented by about 150 living genera and 920 species). Two other smaller groups are fully aquatic (whales, including some 40 genera and 80 species; and sirenians, 3 genera and 5 species). Mammals occupy all of the continents, and all of the larger oceanic islands. Faunal diversity is greatest in lowland tropical forests, woodlands, and savannas, decreasing rapidly at high elevations and latitudes.
Families of Marsupials: Relationships, Evolution and Biogeography
Authors: Woodburne Michael O.
Published: June 2019

There are three living infraclasses of Mammalia: Prototheria (Monotremes), Metatheria (Marsupials), and Eutheria (Placentals). The egg-laying, poison-spurred and in other ways morphologically reptile-like monotremes now inhabit Australia and New Guinea. Whereas discussion of their past history (Miocene and Pleistocene of Australia; Woodburne and Tedford, 1975) would be a fascinating topic, that group will not be discussed further here.
Why Was There a “Marsupial-Placental Dichotomy?”
Authors: Lillegraven Jason A.
Published: June 2019

Living mammals are divided into three groups: (1) monotremes (“prototherians”, three genera of egg-layers of the Australian realm); (2) marsupials (“metatherians”, the diverse “pouched mammals” of the Australian realm and the Americas); and (3) eutherians (“placentals”, the rest of us, with the greatest taxonomic and adaptive complexity, and having nearly cosmopolitan distribution). The marsupials plus eutherians are referred to as “therians,” a subclass that has a rich history of diversity of extinct varieties in addition to the living orders (Cassiliano and Clemens, 1979; Kraus, 1979; Kielan-Jaworowska, Eaton and Bown, 1979). The phylogenetic relationship between monotremes and modern therians is contested. Traditional wisdom had it that monotremes have been distinct from therians since virtually the beginnings of mammalian history (e.g., Marshall, 1979) in the Late Triassic or Early Jurassic. Kemp (1983), however, favored a closer relationship between monotremes and therians, with their presumed divergence at some later, but paleontologically undefined, time.
Mammalian Evolution in the Paleocene: Beginning of an Era
Authors: Krause David W.
Published: June 2019

The Paleocene (approximately 65 to 55 million years ago) is the first epoch of the Cenozoic Era; it is also the beginning of an era in which mammals underwent a major adaptive radiation and became dominant land animals. It was a fascinating and exciting era of transition in mammalian evolution between the dark ages of the Cretaceous, when mammals were few and small and lived in the shadow of the great, “ruling reptiles”, and the explosive ages of the Eocene, when mammals were diverse and in full blossom. In the Late Cretaceous there were approximately eight families of marsupials and placentals; by the early Eocene over 70 had come into being. Were mammals from the Paleocene totally unknown, creationists would surely have plenty of grist for their missing-link mills. But Paleocene mammals are now known from five continents and they give evidence of archaic groups of mammals that were unleashed from the constraining suppression of dinosaurs. Paleocene mammals evolved rapidly and included “evolutionary experiments” that failed soon thereafter but also groups that were at the base of enormously successful adaptive radiations later in the Cenozoic. In fact, more than one-third of the known orders of the Cenozoic had their beginnings, or origins, in the Paleocene. Origins are captivating. At one time or another every one of us has pondered the origin of the universe, the origin of life, the origin of humankind, etc. Without knowledge of Paleocene mammals, many basic questions concerning the origin and evolution of mammalian adaptations would not be answerable.
Plant Taphonomy in Fluvial and Lacustrine Systems
Authors: Spicer Robert A. , Greer Anthony G.
Published: June 2019

Plant fossil assemblages are biased samples of the capacity of the once living source vegetation to produce litter (leaves, flowers, pollen, spores, fruits, seeds, twigs, branches, trunks, roots etc.). The “image” that the depositional system “sees” of the vegetation is in terms of isolated plant organs (or parts of organs) that are produced in greater or lesser quantities depending on the organ type. For instance throughout the life of a tree hundreds of thousands of leaves, many millions of pollen grains but only one trunk are produced. Only very rarely do plant fossil assemblages consist of entire or nearly entire plants. Instead assemblages consist of a mixture of organs in various states of completeness derived from a number of different taxa (each of which produces different organs in different relative amounts) growing at various distances from the depositional site.
Late Paleozoic Non-Peat Accumulating Floras
Authors: Mapes Gene , Gastaldo Robert A.
Published: June 2019

Upland floras (Chaloner, 1958), clastic substrate inhabitors (Dimichele et al., 1985), extrabasinal floras (Pfefferkorn, 1980), dryland floras (Havlena, 1960), seamforming Flöznahe and more distant Flözfremde (Daber, 1959; Havlena, 1961) mesophilous and xerophilous floras (Havlena, 1971), Callipteris-Walchia assemblage (Gothan and Gimm, 1930; Gothan and Remy, 1957), Megalopteris-Cordaites assemblage (Cross, 1977; Leary, 1981; Read and Mamay, 1964), Gigantopteris flora and Callipteris flora (Read and Mamay, 1964), early Permian floras (White, 1934), roof nodule floras (Stopes and Watson, 1907), the Mesophytic flora (Frederiksen, 1972), and “Permian” aspect (Elias, 1936a,b), are some of the terms that have been devised in recognition of the observation that many Late Paleozoic plant communities did not form coal swamp peats and their vegetational composition changed in response to global tectonism. The peat swamps clearly changed floral composition through time (Phillips, et al., 1974; Phillips, 1981; Dapples and Hopkins, 1969), but can be reasonably easily characterized, because “coal” swamp plants were commonly deposited in situ, or very near their sites of growth.
Late Paleozoic Floras of the Southern Hemisphere: Distribution, Composition, Paleoecology
Authors: Archangelsky Sergio
Published: June 2019

The paleobotanical literature contains frequent references to paleofloristic regions (often called “floral provinces”) for the Late Paleozoic. Halle (1937) published an early map showing the distribution of four different floral associations in Asia, viz. the Glossopteris Flora, the Angara Flora, the European Permo-Carboniferous Flora and the Cathaysia Flora. Gothan and Weylan (1954) completed this map by adding information from different parts of the world. In 1962 Wagner published a general map showing a Permo-Carboniferous Equatorial Belt separating the northern hemisphere Angara Flora from the southern hemisphere Gondwana Flora. The diagrammatic representation by Meyen (1969) shows the increasing diversifications of these floras with geological time. A later version (Meyen in Chaloner and Meyen, 1973, and in Vakhrameiev, et al., 1978) shows an early differentation into two major units, i.e., the Arcto-Carboniferous Kingdom and the Gondwana Kingdom. The former would be subdivided into the Euramerican and Angara areas, to be distinguished from the Early Carboniferous onwards.
The Early Mesozoic Land Flora of the Northern Hemisphere
Authors: Ash Sidney
Published: June 2019

In this chapter the, early Mesozoic land flora of the northern hemisphere is discussed briefly, and some of the subtle but significant evolutionary changes that took place during the time are summarized. Comments about climatic implications of the fossils are also included as well as comments about the environments of deposition of the fossils. Representative plant megafossils of the Early Mesozoic are illustrated. The Early Mesozoic as used here includes all of the Triassic and Jurassic Periods and the Neocomian Stage of the Cretaceous.
Prokaryotes and Protists
Authors: Lipps Jere H.
Published: June 2019

Perhaps two of the most important groups of fossils are the prokaryotes and protists, both single-celled organisms. They are not spectacular fossils and so may be less interesting to students than the more complicated metazoans and metaphytes, yet these two groups not only dominate life on Earth today, but they contribute enormously to our understanding of Earth and life history. Prokaryotes dominated the fossil record of Earth from 3.5 to nearly .5 billion years ago (Knoll, 1985). For the last 1.5 billion years, protists have been an important element in marine and probably other ecosystems.
Calcareous Nannoplankton
Authors: Siesser William G. , Haq Bilal U.
Published: June 2019

Calcareous nannoplankton are minute plant-like protists that live in the marine photic zone. There has been an exponential increase in nannoplankton studies in the last two decades, largely owing to the recognition of the usefulness of this group for biostratigraphic and paleoenvironmental interpretations.
Diatoms
Authors: Barron John A.
Published: June 2019

Diatoms are unicellular golden brown algae, that are characterized by an external box-like skeleton (or frustule) of opaline silica. Diatom frustules are commonly very intricate and varied, and the patterns and types of ornamentation of the frustule form the basis of nearly all diatom taxonomy. The size of diatom frustules ranges from less than one μm (micro-meter) to over 1000 μm, but most frustules occur in the 10–100 μm size range. Thus, diatoms are comparable in size to dinoflagellates but generally larger than calcareous nannofossils. Unlike calcareous nannoplankton and dinoflagellates, however, the vegetative cell of diatoms lacks flagella, although many diatoms produce flagellated gametes during their brief period of sexual reproduction. Consequently, planktonic diatoms are subject to passive current-related dispersal in the surface layers of the ocean. Adaptations that promote flotation include frustule shapes and processes which increase the ratio of surface area to volume, formation of colonies, and storage of fats or oils in the cell which reduce its overall specific gravity.
Foraminifera
Authors: Culver Stephen J.
Published: June 2019

Foraminifera are testate protozoans that exhibit a bewildering variety of test composition and morphology (Figure 1). They inhabit all marine environments from the intertidal zone to the deep ocean floor, they range from the poles to the tropics, and they can be planktonic or benthonic. Their abundance in sediment samples may reach tens of thousands per square meter and their diversity in tropical environments may exceed 60 or 70 species in a sample of 300 individuals. A geological range stretching from the very earliest Cambrian through to the present day is characterized by varying patterns of evolution and extinction that have proven to be of considerable biological and geological significance.
Protists and Phanerozoic Evolution in the Oceans
Authors: Knoll Andrew H.
Published: June 2019

In an essay published in 1977, S.J. Gould argued that three major questions have dominated paleontological thinking for more than a century. Does the history of life have direction? What is the motor of evolutionary change? And, what is the tempo of change? Certainly, these “eternal metaphors” have figured prominently in the research of invertebrate paleontologists during the past decade. Temporal pattern has been sought in changing morphologies within lineages, the changing structure and composition of communities, trends in taxonomic diversity, and even the occurrence of mass extinctions. Drifting continents, changing climates and oceanic circulation patterns, biological interactions, and extraterrestrial influences have all been championed as significant determinants of evolutionary change. The punctuation/gradualism debate has generated an impressive body of stratigraphic and morphological data, if not an unambiguous resolution of the issue.
Body composition changes in cattle during compensatory growth
Authors: Wright I.A. , Russel A.J.F.
Published: June 2019

It is well known that cattle can exhibit compensatory growth following a period of food restriction. The cause of the phenomenon has been attributed to reduced maintenance requirements, increased food intake and changes in the composition of the tissue gained. It is not clear whether changes in the composition of tissue gained occur independently of the other possible causative factors.
Efficient and effective cow feeding
Authors: Wright I.A. , Russel A.J.F.
Published: June 2019

The financial success of beef cow enterprises depends to a large extent on efficient control of cow feeding. The fact that the single suckled beef cow has to be maintained for a whole year to produce one calf means that the cost of feeding the cow represents the biggest single variable cost. Thus winter feeding must be controlled to ensure the correct balance between feed inputs and cow and calf performance, and summer grazing management must be designed to ensure high animal performance, high output per hectare and efficient grassland utilization.

Eighty percent of foetal growth occurs during the last 3 months of pregnancy and so any effect of energy restriction on calf birth weight should be most evident at that time. Russel et al (1979) showed that relatively severe levels of undernutrition were required to reduce calf birth weight by 10-15% and that subsequent calf viability and growth rate were unimpaired.
Once-bred heifer systems
Authors: Rigby I
Published: June 2019

Major changes are taking place in the UK beef industry, as a result of the reduction in dairy cow numbers due to milk quotas. Similar reductions are taking place throughout Europe and have resulted in a strong export market for UK calves. Consequently in 1988 there were 800,000 fewer calves available for beef production than there were when quotas were introduced. This downward trend is forecast to continue and by 1990 the EEC will no longer be self-sufficient for veal and beef.

At times of calf shortages the concept of once-bred heifer beef (producing one calf out of a heifer otherwise destined for slaughter as clean beef, and then slaughtering her shortly after calving) has been considered as a way of generating extra calves and meeting the shortfall. Historically low fertility in young heifers, and high levels of dystokia have limited the commercial uptake of the technique. In addition returns have been low because heifers that have produced a calf are not eligible for Variable Beef Premium payments and, being unfamiliar with this type of slaughter animal the meat trade has regarded tham as cull cows and paid a reduced price.
The Potential for increasing slaughter weight of suckled calves
Authors: Spedding A W
Published: June 2019

Milk quotas have resulted in a reduction in dairy cow numbers between 1983 and 1987 which represents a loss of almost 250,000 calves for beef rearing. Increasing slaughter weights is one way to make up for some of the consequent shortfall in beef production. However slaughter weights will not increase unless it is profitable to the producer.

MLC investigations are showing that differences in performance within a group of finishing cattle means that there is extra profit in keeping faster growers longer than average. Table 1 shows slaughter weights of a group of Charolais cross male suckled calves at different ranges of daily gain. Optimised slaughter weights for each sub-group and the extra gross margin after interest which should have accrued if they had been sold at the optimised weights are also given. Within the group the fastest growing bulls should have been kept longest and would have shown the biggest increase in margins.
Intrauterine insemination in superovulated ewes:- the effects of depositing semen in one versus two uterine horns at 48 or 60 hours after progestagen withdrawal
Authors: Wallace J. M. , Robinson J. J. , Aitken R. P.
Published: June 2019

The deposition of semen under laparoscopic visualisation directly into the uterine lumen alleviates the problem of low fertility in superovulated ewes. However, we have recently demonstrated that intrauterine insemination when carried out at 52 h after progestagen pessary withdrawal results in a significant reduction in the percentage of embryos recovered. This observation seemed to suggest that intrauterine insemination, the timing of which was chosen to coincide with ovulation, is interfering with collection of the oocytes by the fimbria or altering the rate of oocyte transport. The present experiment was carried out to test this hypothesis by assessing ovum recovery and fertilization rates following intrauterine insemination unilaterally in the right horn only or bilaterally, at either 48 or 60 h after progestagen pessary withdrawal.

Twenty-five Finnish Landrace x Dorset Horn ewes were studied during seasonal anoestrus in May 1988. Ewes were individually penned under natural lighting conditions (57°N 2°W) and were offered 1.4 kg per day of a complete diet supplying 9 MJ of metabolizable energy/kg.
Influence of volume of food intake on blood flow in the portal vein and the clearance of progesterone from plasma in gilts
Authors: Symonds H.W. , Prime G.
Published: June 2019

One hypothesis for the adverse effect which a high food intake in early pregnancy has on early embryo mortality in gilts is that it increases blood flow through the liver and in consequence the rate of removal of progesterone from the blood. To study this aspect the metabolic clearance rate of progesterone (MCR) from plasma and the rate of blood flow in the portal vein were measured concurrently during 14 hour periods in six ovariectomised gilts, weighing 70 to 80 kg, when their food intake was 1 and 3 kg/day. To determine the MCR, progesterone was infused into a jugular vein at 70 ug/minute for 36 hours. The concentration of progesterone was determined in plasma samples collected from a cannula in the posterior vena cava at 20 minute intervals during the last 14 hours of infusion when an equilibrium had established between the rates of infusion and clearance. Because ovariectomy removed the principal endogenous source of progesterone, body fat became depleted of the steroid. Therefore, a priming dose of approximately 100 mg of progesterone in arachis oil was given intramuscularly 48 and 24 hours before each infusion started.
Genetic relationships between carcass and meat/eating quality traits in pigs
Authors: Cameron N.D. , Warriss P.D.
Published: June 2019

The main selection objective in pig breeding is efficient lean meat production. Selection for leaner meat has been associated with reduced meat quality (Kempster et al, 1986) and with reduced eating quality, but the latter was not substantiated in the study of Wood et al (1986). The genetic relationships between carcass traits and meat/eating quality traits need to be quantified, so that calculation of selection Indices for increased efficiency of lean meat production can take account of correlated changes in meat and eating quality traits.

Duroc and halothane negative British Landrace pigs were performance tested on ad-libitum or restricted (0.75 g/g of ad-libitum) feeding, with like-sexed, non-littermate groups of one, two, three and four pigs per pen. Pigs started performance test at a within pen average weight of 30 (±3) kg and finished test at either a within pen average weight of 80 (±5) kg for pigs fed ad-libitum or after 70 days on test for restricted fed pigs. Half carcasses were dissected and shoulder joints and loin chops were used for objective measurements of meat quality and trained taste panel assessment of eating quality.
Energy metabolism studies in pigs fed diets containing sugar beet pulp
Authors: Close W.H. , Longland A.C. , Low A.G.
Published: June 2019

In recent years there has been an increasing interest in the feeding of high fibre diets to pigs. The potential use of these diets will depend upon the extent to which the fibrous components are fermented and the subsequent capacity of the products of fermentation, that is volatile fatty acids, to meet the energy needs of the animals. One fibrous feed that has considerable potential for inclusion in diets of pigs is sugar beet pulp and the present experiments were designed to study the extent to which diets containing varying proportions of plain sugar beet pulp influenced nutrient partition and the efficiency of energy utilisation of growing pigs.

The experiment was designed as a 4 x 2 factorial arrangement and involved 4 diets containing 0, 150, 300 and 450 g plain sugar beet pulp/kg, each fed to pigs between 20 and 90 kg bodyweight at 2 levels so that the animals received either 1.5 or 3.0 times their maintenance energy requirement (M), where M = 440 kJ ME/kg bodywelght 0.75 per day. The diets were formulated to be iso-energetic (13.8 MJ DE/kg) and iso-lysinic (9.5 g/kg) and were based on barley, wheat, soyabean and fishmeal with plain sugar beet pulp largely replacing cereals at the appropriate rates.
Intake and performance of growing pigs fed diets containing 0, 150, 300 or 450 g/kg molassed or plain sugar beet pulp
Authors: Bulman J. C. , Longland A. C. , Low A. G. , Keal H. D. , Harland J. I.
Published: June 2019

The energy value of feedstuffs with a high content of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) has rarely been measured accurately. The aim of this study was to measure the intake, performance and carcass characteristics of growing pigs given 0, 150, 300 or 450 g plain (P) or molassed (M) sugar beet pulp per kg diet (using substitution for barley). This NSP source was chosen because it is known to be highly digestible by pigs (Longland et al., 1988) and because it is widely available. This work forms part of our programme to evaluate fibrous feeds which may be useful, without or with modification, as alternatives to cereal grains.

Each diet was given to twelve Large White x Landrace pigs. Equal numbers of entire male and female pigs were given each diet. Their initial weight was 18 kg and the pigs were killed two days after their weight exceeded 77.5 kg. The pigs were kept Individually, without straw, at a temperature of 20 ± 3°C.
An empirical model for estimating feed allowances for breeding sows
Authors: Whittemore C T
Published: June 2019

Provision of nutrient allowances for sows necessitates a view of requirements for growth and reproductive efficacy, and a method to predict response to the nutrients provided. An experiment involving 102 Large White x Landrace sows given a diet of 13.2MJ DE and 162g CP per kg over 4 parities has been used to derive some of the necessary model components. If live weight and fatness at first conception are 125kg and 14mm P2 respectively, and maternal body weight at term parity 4 is 250kg, and when weaning to oestrus interval (days) = 27(±5) - 1.3(±0.4)P2(mm) at weaning: then the equations, change in P2(mm) in 28-day lactation = -0.28(±0.82) - 0.27(±0.03)P2 at parturition +0.037(±0.003) lactation feed intake - 0.50(±0.06) number of piglets at weaning, and change in maternal live weight (kg) in 28-day lactation = -3.8(±4.6) - 0.15(±0.02) maternal weight at parturition + 0.36 (±0.02) lactation feed intake - 3.3(±0.3) number of piglets at weaning, can be used to predict fat and live weight changes in lactation.
Future trends in animal products marketing
Authors: Harrington Geoff
Published: June 2019

A conventional forecasting paper would begin with an account of the demographic trends, the likely developments in the economy and therefore disposable income, the social changes with particular reference to household and family size and structure, the trends in food preparation in the factory and the home, eating out habits, the influence of the multiples in the retail sector and the likely impact of political decisions. I shall take much of that as read.

Only one aspect needs to be brought out. This is the effect of changing life-styles, family structure, shopping, cooking and eating habits on consumer requirements. Our industries need to grasp these issues more positively and carry out more product development work and associated marketing activity if not to be totally outsmarted by poultry, fish and non-animal-based convenience foods. The potentials are very great, because the great majority of consumers are still looking for cheap, lean, nutritions tasty meat and convenient products - whatever the technology.

But I suggest that for our industry the biggest imponderables in forecasting and planning are whether there is or will be a significant resistance from consumers to technological advance (both on the farm and in the processing plant) and whether there is or will be a significant rejection of exploitation of animals for food.
New products from milk
Authors: White Nigel
Published: June 2019

The starting point for looking at new products from milk must be to look towards the market place for the ideas and for technology to solve them. Too often in the past industries have gone the reverse route and developed the technologies and then tried to find a use for them. It is therefore necessary to understand the key elements for change in our society that affect lifestyles and purchasing decisions.
1992 Implications for the health and welfare of livestock in the U.K.
Authors: Alexander T.J.L.
Published: June 2019

Farm livestock in the U.K. (i.e. Scotland, Wales, and England) enjoys a higher and less vulnerable health status than any country in the European Community (E.C.) other than Denmark and Ireland (Eire and Ulster). There are three main reasons for this. First, the physical barriers of the sea. Only Foot and Mouth disease (F.M.D.) is known to be able to blow across the Channel and then only under very limited climatic conditions. Second, the expertise of the veterinary arm of A.D.A.S., supported by laboratories such as the A.V.R.I, at Pirbright and the C.V.L. at Weybridge. Their ability to eradicate and/or control infectious disease has been well proven over many years. Third, the national control exercised over imports of live animals and animal products. Until now, of course, M.A.F.F. has been able to exercise an efficient safeguard.

To maintain this privileged position, all three factors would have to be maintained intact. The first, the barrier of the sea, would be difficult to erode. The channel tunnel will barely dent it.
Effects of replacing rolled barley with either molassed sugar beet feed or lucerne meal in complete pelleted diets for young calves
Authors: Frost A. I. , Innes G. M. , Williams P. E. V.
Published: June 2019

The majority of calves in Britain (2-3 m a year) are artificially reared and receive less milk than they would if suckled. It is therefore important that calves should develop early in life the ability to consume and digest solid food. Traditionally, calf starter diets are formulated to contain rapidly fermentable cereals as the major energy source, which is adult cattle cause a depression in rumen pH to below 5.5 and inhibits food intake (Fulton, Klopfenstein and Britton, 1979). In experiments which have demonstrated a beneficial effect on food intake from the inclusion of roughages in all pelleted diets based on cereals appear to be associated with the concurrent increase in rumen buffering capacity (Thomas and Hinks, 1982). The appetite of the calf may have been constrained by low fibre digestion (Williams, Innes, Brewer and Magadi, 1985) and the bulky characteristics of the roughage. Two experiments are reported in examining the potential of replacing the energy source, of calf diets, supplied by cereals with materials of high buffering ability, but without the bulky and indigestible characteristics of roughages. Expt 1 examined the effects of replacing rolled barley (RB) with molassed sugar beet feed (MSBF) or lucerne meal (LM). Expt 2 examined the factorial replacement of RB with MSBF.
The influence of beta-adrenergic agonists and exogenous growth hormone on lean meat quality
Authors: Warriss P D
Published: June 2019

Quality can be described under various headings. Deficiencies in muscle colour and structure lead in the extreme to pale, soft, exudative (PSE) or dark, firm, dry (DFO) meat. Intramuscular fat content (marbling) may be important but this varies between species. Eating quality relates to three major components. Texture is most important, followed by juiciness and flavour intensity. Flavour becomes more important when associated with unusual or ‘off’ odours.

The conversion of muscle to meat is accompanied by two major changes, the onset and resolution of rigor mortis and acidification of the tissue. Both the rate and extent of acidification may vary. If the rate is rapid, so that the pH reaches a low value when the temperature of the carcass is still high, PSE meat can result. The rate of acidification is largely determined by the degree of muscle stimulation immediately before and at slaughter.
Growth enhancers and their use in practice political considerations
Authors: Buckwell Allan
Published: June 2019

The growth and manner of the use of the five hormone products in the European Community will be reviewed.

The circumstances leading to the decision by the European Council to ban the use of steroid hormones in beef production will be discussed. This will include reference to the Lamming report and to the attempts by the UK government and the Agro-chemical industry to have the decision reversed.
Evaluation of swede varieties with high, medium and low dry matter content in finishing systems for crossbred lambs from hill ewes
Authors: Vipond J.E. , King M.E. , Wetherill G.Z.
Published: June 2019

The first objective of this trial was to evaluate swedes of different dry matter content developed by the Scottish Crop Research Institute in particular to determine whether dry matter content and related hardness were appropriate for the grazing situation. The second objective was to study the performance of Highland Mule wether lambs (Bluefaced Leicester x Blackface) (BFLX) compared to Suffolk x Blackface (SX) and Cheviot (C) wether lambs. The Highland Mule wether lamb is a by-product in the production of Highland Mule ewe lambs for breeding and the specific interest was in whether there was any deleterious effect on finishing performance associated with the Bluefaced Leicester sire.

Representative lambs of the genotypes involved were purchased in September and run on grass and stubbles until the start of the swede feeding period (2 November) with the aim of maintaining liveweight. Liveweight was 33, 33 and 36 kg for BFLX, S and C respectively on 2 November. Adjacent plots of the swede varieties Dryden (D), Melfort (M) and Doon Major (DO) were grown in one field (two replicates) and 33 lambs of each genotype grouped and allocated to each variety.
The influence of changes in tissue shape on muscle: bone ratio in growing sheep
Authors: Young Mark J.
Published: June 2019

Muscle: bone ratio is a term commonly used in studies of growth and meat production. It is perceived to affect carcass value (Kempster et al., 1982) even though it is positively correlated with the fat: muscle ratio. Both ratios increase during post-natal growth but the literature is lacking in a detailed description of how this occurs.

Bone and muscle are closely related due to their roles in movement. Much evidence exists to support the hypothesis of Hooper (1978) that bone is the “pacemaker” for muscle growth. Certainly, muscle appears to display a more passive role in growth, responding to changes in length or loading by altering its length and diameter (eg. Holly et al., 1980; Sivachelvan and Davies, 1986), while bone growth in length is progressive and finite, appearing to follow a genetically determined plan. Thus the fundamental importance of bone to growth of muscle cannot be over-emphasized.

Relatively greater increases in diameter than in length occur during post-natal growth of bone and muscle. The relative magnitude of these changes has been little studied due, in part, to the difficulty in definition of shape. Consequently conformation has normally been quantified subjectively or indirectly in terms of weight.
The Energy Metabolism of Twin Bearing Cows
Authors: Williams P. E. V. , Broadbent P. J. , Macdearmid A. , Mollison G. S.
Published: June 2019

Multiple ovulation and embryo transfer techniques increase the possibility of improving the reproductive efficiency of beef cows by twinning. However, the gestation length of cows carrying twin calves is approximately 10 days shorter than cows carrying a single foetus and twin calves at birth are lighter (0.85 of controls) and growth rate to weaning is less (0.85 of controls) compared with single born calves (Dickerson and Anderson 1988). Changes in gestation length and the low birth weight of the twin calf may partly be associated with changes in the nutritional status of the dam and the increased nutrient requirement. It is important to define the nutritional requirements of twin bearing cows if twin calves are to be successfully produced and reared.

The cows were a mixture of Hereford and Charolais cross Friesian suckler cows and heifers. Animals used for the measurement of heat production were paired where possible according to parity and live weight, one member of each pair carrying a single calf and the other twins.
Factors affecting silage intake of dairy cows fed low levels of compound
Authors: Davies O D , Theobald V J
Published: June 2019

When autumn calving dairy cows are offered low levels of compound supplement, milk production and subsequent profitability depends not only on silage quality but also the quantity of silage consumed. Silage quality and palatability are undoubtably related but when grass silage contributes in excess of 75% of total dry matter intake, some silages which, to date, would be defined as being of good quality, appear comparatively less palatable than their chemical analyses would initially suggest, To enable accurate ration formulation in dairy feeding systems based on ad libitum grass silage, a prediction of silage dry matter intake is essential. In this experiment nine silages, all with a high digestibility and crude protein content, but varying in their fermentation characteristics, were offered ad libitum to individually fed October calving dairy cows receiving 3 kg of a 160 g/kg crude protein cereal based compound supplement daily.
Response of modern hybrid pigs to dietary energy concentration
Authors: Chadd S.A. , Cole D.J.A.
Published: June 2019

In a recent experiment using the same improved genotype, pigs over the liveweight range 25 to 120 kg were found to have modest voluntary energy intakes (Chadd and Cole, 1988) particularly when compared with former intake prediction equations. It follows that the response of such pigs in terms of voluntary feed intake behaviour when provided with diets differing in energy concentration may have also changed. Diets that are formulated to be low in energy density and therefore bulky in nature are likely to represent more of a limitation to voluntary feed intake than previously. Former experiments designed to examine the pig's ability to adjust feed intake in order to maintain a constant energy intake have produced results varying from complete to incomplete compensation.

A study was undertaken to examine the response of a modern genotype in terms of voluntary feed intake, digestible energy (DE) intake, growth performance and associated carcass characteristics, when offered a range of dietary energy concentrations ad libitum and taken to a heavy slaughter weight.