bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An evaluation of forest decline based on field observations focussed on Norway spruce, Picea abies
Authors: Schulze E.-D. , Freer-Smith P. H.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

Forest decline in Europe is centred around areas where air pollution is heaviest. Although statistical relations are still debatable at the stand level, they are a basis for the discussion of mechanisms by which air pollutants affect forest health. The aetiologies of different syndromes of decline are discussed. Exposure to large concentrations of gaseous pollutants appears to have short-term rather than long-lasting effects, whereas pathogens seem to be of only secondary importance. The deposition of sulphur and nitrogen (nitrate and ammonium) pollutants has significantly modified soil chemistry and plant nutrition. In acidic low-pH soils spruce roots, instead of utilising nitrate, preferentially take up ammonium which interferes with the uptake of other cations, notably magnesium. The nitrate remaining in soil solution, as a result of the preferential uptake of ammonium, is leached together with sulphate to groundwater, accelerating soil acidification and further decreasing the calcium and/or magnesium to aluminium ratios in soil solution. Soil solution chemistry affects root development, and thus water and nutrient uptake. Canopy uptake of nitrogen, especially of ammonium, which is additional to root uptake, may occur and appears to stimulate growth inciting a nitrogen to cation imbalance with the consequential production of decline symptoms.
Larger fungi and some of earth's major catastrophies
Authors: Watling Roy
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

The agarics fruiting in natural and anthropogenic disturbed habitats are considered. The early colonists of such environments are species either able to utilise ephemeral resources or able to move nutrients quickly from one source to another. A suite of micro-characters uniting the species concerned is given. Attention is drawn to those agarics recorded from burns in various parts of the world, and from arctic-alpine areas. The concept of a geomorphological escalator is explored.
Redevelopment of biological activity in strip-mine spoils: saprotrophic fungal assemblages of grass roots
Authors: Zak John C.
Published: June 2019

Synopsis

The development of fungal assemblages on root-surfaces ofAgropyron trachycaulumgrowing in control, peat, fertiliser, or sewage-amended oil sand tailings was followed over a four-year period. Although the number of fungal species isolated from the root-surfaces differed significantly among the amendments, species numbers did not change significantly within treatments over the four years. The species composition of the assemblages, however, changed considerably from year to year. Species abundance distributions for fungal assemblages from the control, peat, and fertiliser amended spoil were best described by logarithmic functions. Distributions from the sewage-treated spoil were best fitted by exponential functions. Although species composition changed over time, the forms of the species abundance distributions were not altered. The observed structure and dynamic nature of fungal assemblages on root-surfaces may not be a consequence of disturbance, but may be a typical feature of such assemblages. High nutrient addition to mine spoils can result in altered species abundance patterns, and may lead to a decrease in community stability.
Short-text learning in social media: a review
Authors: Tommasel Antonela , Godoy Daniela
Published: June 2019

Social networks occupy a ubiquitous and pervasive place in the life of their users. The substantial amount of content generated and shared by social networking users offers new research opportunities across a wide variety of disciplines, including media and communication studies, linguistics, sociology, psychology, information and computer sciences, or education. This situation, in combination with the continuous growth of social media data, creates an imperative need for content organisation. Thus, large-scale text learning tasks in social environments arise as one of the most relevant problems in machine learning and data mining. Interestingly, social media data pose several challenges due to its sparse, high-dimensional and large-volume characteristics. This survey reviews the field of social media data learning, focusing on classification and clustering techniques, as they are two of the most frequent learning tasks. It reviews not only new techniques that have been developed to tackle the new challenges posed by short-texts, but also how traditional techniques can be adapted to overcome such challenges. Then, open issues and research opportunities for social media data learning are discussed.
Ecology and Biogeography of Living Classes
Authors: Meyer David L.
Published: June 2019

Trophic classification. Appreciation of the ecologic functions of echinoderms is derived from an understanding of the diverse feeding methods and food preferences found within the group. Echinoderms are dominantly benthonic marine organisms but exploit a wide variety of food resources on the bottom, within the sediment, and from the water masses near the bottom (Table 1). The only echinoderms that are not strictly benthonic are some of the elasipodid holothurians, which have been captured at the surface and swimming above the bottom at great depth (Barnes et al., 1976). By rhythmic undulations of a fan of oral tentacles these bizarre holothurians capture suspended food particles from the water mass near the sea floor. Their anomalous form and habits, so far removed from the typical sea cucumber, serve to emphasize that holothurians and all other echinoderms cannot be readily characterized by a single trophic classification for each group. Each major living group of echinoderms has diversified in feeding methods and/or food preferences.
Blastoidea
Authors: Macurda D. Bradford
Published: June 2019

The blastoids are a widespread and long ranged class of echinoderms. Their taxonomic diversity is low at their first appearance (M. Ordovician?; Silurian) and geographically restricted but they had become more diverse and cosmopolitan by the Devonian. They were widespread until the end of the Paleozoic. Approximately eighty genera and several hundred species are known. Most blastoids were attached to the substrate but several experimented with an eleutherozoic life style. Blastoids were passive filter feeders, usually living in shallow water (5–50m) communitites. The preservation of parts of most of the principal organ systems in the theca allows detailed studies of the evolution and functional morphology of blastoids.
Stromatoporoids: Geologic History
Authors: Stock Carl W.
Published: June 2019

The great majority of the published work on the paleontology of the stromatoporoids has appeared since 1950. This influx of information has made possible a fairly clear picture of their evolution. As mentioned earlier by Stearn, stromatoporoids were quite abundant in shallow marine environments from the Middle Ordovician through the Late Devonian. These are referred to as the “Paleozoic stromatoporoids.” The record of Carboniferous stromatoporoids is sparse, but they began to come back in the Permian, and were common again through much of the Mesozoic, until disappearing at the the end of the Cretaceous. The Permian through Cretaceous forms shall be referred to as the “Mesozoic stromatoporoids.”
The effect of alternative flock replacement strategies on the lifetime productivity of the ewe
Authors: Lloyd M. , FitzSimons J. , Phillips P. , Speedy A.W.
Published: June 2019

Sheep production economics are dominated by the overhead costs of maintaining the ewe and it lias been suggested that breeding from ewe lambs is an important means of increasing lifetime productivity and thus flock returns. Numerous trials have shown that ewe lambs can be successfully mated providing the animals achieve a threshold bodyweight within the breeding season. There is evidence to suggest that the subsequent performance of the ewe lamb is not impaired and may even be improved providing the nutritional management is adequate to sustain foetal and maternal tissue growth in pregnancy; the rearing burden and duration of lactation is restricted. A study of commercial flock records reveals great variation in performance and many doubt the validity of the practice on the basis of management difficulties and subsequent production. This trial looks at the effect of alternative management treatments on current and subsequent performance of ewe lambs.
Relationships between chemical and physical body composition in two lines of Large White pigs at five feeding levels
Authors: Rook A.J. , Ellis M. , Whittemore C.T. , Phillips P.
Published: June 2019

The ARC Nutrient Requirement of Pigs (1981) has highlighted a shortage of information which would allow factorial estimates of chemical body composition to be related to physical carcase composition and commercial grading characteristics. The present study aimed to provide estimates of these relationships.

Data related to weights of total carcass lean (Le), total carcass fat (TF), subcutaneous fat (SF), intermuscular fat (IF), total carcass bone (B), whole body crude protein (P), Lipid (Li), Ash (A) and Water (W) and backfat depths (P2, L2, shouTder(sh)) of 231 Newcastle selected (S) and control (C) boars.
Succinylcholine and halothane as a field test for the heterozygote at the halothane locus in pigs
Authors: Webb A.J. , Imlah P. , Carden A.E.
Published: June 2019

The halothane gene (HALn) has beneficial effects on lean yield, and adverse effects on stress susceptibility, meat quality and litter size. The gene appears additive for lean content, but largely recessive for halothane sensitivity and other traits. Manipulating the frequency of the gene can lead to a worthwhile improvement in performance. At present, complete elimination of the gene requires expensive test matings, and a cheap and accurate method is needed for detecting heterozygotes. Reaction to the muscle relaxant succinylcholine was therefore investigated as a possible method of distinguishing the heterozygote (Nn) from the normal homozygote (NN).
Variation in composition of cereals and in their nutritive value for growing pigs
Authors: Fuller M. F. , Cadenhead A. , Brown D.
Published: June 2019

Cereals are the most important ingredients of diets for pigs in Europe. They supply most of the feed energy and typically half to three quarters of the feed protein, and their nutritive value is correspondingly important to the economy of pig feeding. The purpose of the present work was to examine the interrelationships of yield, nitrogen content and nutritive value in wheat and barley including a number of new varieties.
An evaluation of the erythrocyte glutamate-oxaloacetate Transaminase activity coefficient as a biochemical indicator Of vitamin B-6 status in mature gilts
Authors: Russell L. E. , Easter R. A. , Bechtel P. J.
Published: June 2019

An experiment was conducted to evaluate the erythrocyte glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase activity coefficient (EGOT-Ac) as a biochemical indicator of vitamin B-6 status and to document clinical effects of a B-6 deficiency in mature swine. A 12% crude protein diet, formulated with cornstarch and an isolated soy protein, was analyzed to contain .24 ppm B-6. Sixty-one gilts, initially averaging 111 kg, were individually fed 1.9 kg daily of a diet providing .45, 1.8, or 90 mg B-6/d (treatments (Trt) 1, 2 and 3, respectively). In addition, another group of gilts was fed 90 mg B-6 for the initial 57 d then switched to the diet providing .45 mg B-6 for the remainder of the experiment (Trt 4). On d 0, 57 and 121 animals from each Trt were killed and samples of the semitendinosus (ST) and semimembranosus (SM) were collected. Following a 24-h chill, the entire SM and ST were dissected from the carcass and weighed Blood was sampled on d 0 and monthly thereafter. The EGOTAc was determined by measuring the glutamate-oxaloacetate transaminase (GOT) activity in isolated, hemolized erythrocytes with and without pyridoxal phosphate added to the reaction mixture.
Effect of zeranol implantation and dietary protein level on growth and blood hormones and metabolites of bulls
Authors: Galbraith H. , Paterson G.F.M. , Henderson G.D. , Hunter E.A.
Published: June 2019

Recent reports have suggested that growth in entire male cattle (bulls) may be increased by implantation with the growth promoter zeranol. It is well known that given similar nutrition bulls grow faster than castrate male cattle (steers). This effect may be attributed to the presence of testicular steroids in bulls which stimulate lean tissue deposition and hence greater live-weight gain. A major objective of this study was to provide further information on the effects of zeranol implantation on growth and blood concentrations of endogenous hormones and metabolites. Effects on concentrations of the endogenous steroids, testosterone and oestradiol-17β were of particular interest.
Fishmeal Supplementation of Grass Silage Diets for Growing Stock
Authors: Kay M. , Scott Lorna
Published: June 2019

Substituting a small proportion of barley with white fish meal has been shown to increase the daily gain cattle grown through the winter using diets based on grass silage. The object of this work was to determine iether offering fish meal during winter affected the performance of the animals at grass. The trial was made 7 farms and involved 280 cattle. They varied in live weight at the start of the trial from 140 to 370 kg. each farm there were two groups of cattle, one group was given barley and for the other group 0.25 kg/d rley was replaced by white fish meal. The cattle were weighed at the start of the trial after 90, 160 urnout) 220 and 300 days. The two latter weighings were made while the cattle were at grass.
Twin release of luteinizing hormone in progestagen - PMSG treated Finn x Dorset Horn ewes
Authors: Dingwall W.S. , Henderson G.D. , Robinson J.J. , Atkinson T.
Published: June 2019

The induction of early breeding in flocks of ewes under natural daylength conditions was made possible following the evolution of a modified progestagen - PMSG treatment (Gordon, 1971). However, lamb production from early bred ewes has invariably been lower than that achieved from ewes bred within the main breeding season. In attempting to elucidate the underlying determinants of the inferior fecundity of the early bred ewe, the present experiment was undertaken to compare the ovulatory and hormonal responses of ewes subjected to progestagen - PMSG treatment at different times of the breeding season.
Tethering as a cause of behavioural problems In pregnant sows
Authors: Appleby M.C. , Lawrence A.B.
Published: June 2019

Pregnant sows tethered in stalls frequently show high levels of stereotypic behaviour such as bar biting and chain chewing. This indicates chronic stress, with long-term effects similar to metabolic diseases (Broom, 1983; Cronin, 1985; Dantzer, 1985). Food restriction is a major cause, but sows restricted in food intake are variable in frequency of sterotypies (Appleby and Lawrence, 1987). Another possible cause of stress is the behaviour of neighbouring sows (Barnett, Hemsworth and Winfield, 1987). Here, the effect of stereotypic behaviour of neighbours on the development and performance of stereotypies is examined.
Metabolisable Energy Content of a Saponified Palm Fat Product for Ruminants
Authors: Givens D I , Everington Jeannie M , Shepperson N
Published: June 2019

Many experiments have shown (see Armstrong and Ross, 1968) that the addition of fats to ruminant diets can lead to a reduction in the digestibility of forage cell walls due to adverse affects on the rumen microflora. Jenkins and Palmquist (1982) showed in vitro that the formation of insoluble calcium soaps in rumen fluid could prevent this problem. Additionally, Jenkins and Palmquist (1984) reported that the feeding of the preformed calcium soaps of tallow and soya oil fatty acids to dairy cows allowed normal rumen digestion of fibre whereas non-saponified tallow fatty acids caused a reduction in fibre digestion.

The main aims of the present experiment were to examine a new calcium soap of palm fatty acids for its effects on whole tract digestibility of various feed fractions and to measure its effective metabolisable energy (ME) content at maintenance, the present United Kingdom standard.
Comparison of Dried Molassed and Unmolassed Sugar Beet Feed and Barley as Energy Supplements on Nutrient Digestion and Supply in Silage Fed Cows
Authors: D E Beever  , J D Sutton  , D J Thomson  , D J Napper  , D L Gale
Published: June 2019

In the previous paper, Sutton et al. (1985) examined the effect of concentrate type on the performance of lactating dairy cows and reported significant effects with respect to silage intake and milk protein concentration. In this experiment, conducted in parallel with that reported by Sutton et al. (1988), the effect of concentrate type on nutrient digestion in the rumen and protein supply to the tissues of lactating cows was examined, although the comparison was restricted to examination of the high protein diets only.
An Assessment of the Performance of a New Formulation of Soluble Phosphate Glass Bolus on the Copper and Selenium Status of Scottish-Blackface Ewes
Authors: Driver P.M. , Telfer S.B.
Published: June 2019

Soluble, phosphate glass boluses containing copper, cobalt and selenium have proved successful in elevating and maintaining blood levels of these trace minerals in sheep (Driver et al, 1985 & 1986). In 1983 these boluses were marketed as the trace mineral supplement COSECURE. Recently trials with glasses of various solubilities were carried out and one formulation (Code EX) proved superior to all glasses tested to date (Driver et al, 1988). Last year the performance of this more soluble glass was compared with that of the commercial product, COSECURE, on a site which in previous years had shown severe copper deficiency.

On day 0 (22 October), 20 Scottish-Blackface ewes each received one new (EX) bolus, another 20 received COSECURE boluses and a further 15 were left as untreated controls. Blood samples were taken at intervals over the following 330 days and assayed for plasma copper and serum caeruloplasmin for copper status and erythrocyte glutathione peroxidase (GSHPx) as a measure of selenium status. Boluses were recovered from culled ewes at 341 days after bolusing. The results were analysed by an analysis of variance.
The Effect of Food Intake During Lactation and Early Pregnancy on Plasma Progesterone Concentrations and Prolificacy in Multiparous sows
Authors: Prime G.R. , Varley M.A. , Symonds H.W.
Published: June 2019

High food intake in early pregnancy resulted in increased prenatal mortality and reduced subsequent litter size in many studies using gilts (den Hartog and Van Kempen, 1980). With multiparous sows there is generally no difference in the rate of embryo survival or litter size with high feeding in early pregnancy (Toplis et al, 1983, Dyck & Cole, 1986).

Limited evidence suggests that sows fed low levels in lactation and then a high level early in the following pregnancy may show increased rates of embryo mortality (Pike and Boaz, 1972; Hughes et al, 1984). The effect of high feeding may be due to low plasma progesterone concentrations (Hughes et al 1984; Dyck et al, 1980) in early pregnancy which may be associated with reduced embryo survival and litter size.

This study was designed to investigate the effects of high or low feed intake in lactation and early pregnancy on plasma progesterone concentrations in early pregnancy and subsequent litter size using multiparous sows.
The influence of straw quality and level of concentrate in a completely mixed diet on intake and growth rate in steers
Authors: Kay M. , Reid G. W. , Orskov E. R.
Published: June 2019

Results from a previous experiment with growing steers showed that straw from varieties of winter and spring barley or winter wheat supported different intakes and rates of gain. It was possible to identify those cereal straws most suitable for inclusion in low cost diets for beef cattle. The object of this work was to assess whether complete diets containing a minimum of 35% “good” straw could sustain a high rate of gain in finishing cattle. The trial used 45 Hereford cross steers that weighed 360 kg at the start. There were three types of straw examined; straw from the spring barley variety Corgi, untreated (UC) and ammonia treated (AC) together with ammonia treated winter wheat (AW) cv. Longbow;. Each straw type was included in a complete diet containing either 0.35 (L), 0.45 (M) or 0.55 (H) straw. Ammonia treatment was carried out in an oven with 0.03 anhydrous ammonia for 24 hours. The straw was processed through a tub grinder and the chopped material was transferred to a mixer wagon for diet preparation. All the diets contained fishmeal and urea and equal proportions of rolled barley and molassed sugar beet pulp substituted for the straw. The complete diets were offered ad libitum and the steers were weighed fortnightly until they were estimated to provide carcasses in MLC fat class 4L. Digestibility data for each diet was derived in a subsidary trial using cattle fed ad libitum. The digestibility coefficients for D11 were 0.67 UC; 0.68 AW; 0.69 AC and 0.66 H; 0.68 M; 0.70 L (S.E.D. ± 0.66).
The effect of winter feeding level and summer sward height on the performance of autumn calving beef cows and their calves
Authors: Wright I.A. , Whyte T.K. , Osoro K.
Published: June 2019

It has been demonstrated previously that sward height has a large effect on herbage intake and performance of spring calving cows and their calves (Wright and Russel, 1986) with maximum cow and calf live-weight gain occurring when sward height is maintained at 8 to 10 cm. No comparable information is available for autumn calving cows, and the aims of the present experiment were to examine the effect of sward height on cow and calf performance, in the pre- and post-weaning periods in cows that were turned out to pasture in late lactation at two levels of body condition.

The experiment was a 2 x 2 x 2 factorial, with two levels of winter feeding, two sward heights from turn-out to weaning, and two sward heights from weaning to housing. During the summer grazing periods there were two replicates. Thirty-nine Hereford x Friesian cows (mean calving date 17 Sept, 1986) with Charolais-cross calves were used. The experiment started on 30 October 1986 when the cows and calves were housed in two groups. One group (L) was fed silage alone and the other group (H) was fed silage plus barley. Estimated daily metabolisable energy intakes were 63 MJ (L) and 92 MJ (H). Calves were fed 1 kg barley/day plus hay ad 1ibitum. The cows were mated to Charolais bulls for 8 weeks from 15 November 1986.
Beta-agonists improve the carcass but may reduce meat quality in sheep
Authors: Warriss P D , Kestin S C
Published: June 2019

Various beta-agonists appear to be effective compounds to improve carcass quality. They do this by reducing fatness, repartitioning the energy into extra lean tissue and improving killing-out proportion. Potentially though, they could also have undesirable effects on meat quality since catecholamines can stimulate glycogenolysis ante-mortem and so reduce the potential for muscle acidification after death. However, in contrast to the large amount of work on the effects of beta-agonists on carcass quality there appears to be little on meat quality. In this work therefore we examined the influence of two beta-agonists on aspects of lean meat quality in sheep. Twenty-four castrated male sheep were divided into three groups and Individually fed a complete pelleted diet containing 12.9% protein. One group was a control, one was given Cimaterol (10 mg/kg diet) and one was fed Clenbuterol (2 mg/kg diet).
Genetic effect's on pork product composition and quality
Authors: Bovey M. , Bichard H. , Bruce E A
Published: June 2019

Genetic variation in pig meat composition and quality offers the possibility of manipulating both between and within line composition in order to Improve the end product. The extent of this variation has been evaluated on batches of PIC pigs sent to the Meat and Livestock Commission for carcass assessment and full side dissection. In the last two years, hind loin samples from these carcasses have gone to the Institute of Food Research, Bristol for taste panel assessment, chemical analysis, and measurements of fat firmness and androstenone concentration.

289 entire males of eight pure lines (20-55 per line) were slaughtered at 90-100 kg liveweight following performance test on ad libitum feeding from 33 kg. The ration contained 13.8 MJ DE, 200g crude protein and 10g lysine per kg. Standard MLC dissection procedures were followed. At IFR, the SOXHLET method was used to determine the concentrations of extractable fat, moisture, total nitrogen and ash In the m. longissimus.
Chemical Composition of Backfat in 58 kg Pig Carcasses Covering a Wide Range of Fat Thickness
Authors: Enser M. , Wood J.D. , Moncrieff C.B. , Kempster A.J.
Published: June 2019

The chemical composition of pig backfat determines its physical properties of firmness and cohesiveness as well as its nutritional value. The firmness of the tissue depends upon its content of saturated fatty acids, particularly stearic, which make it harder; and unsaturated fatty acids, particularly linoleic, which make it softer. Cohesiveness depends upon the connective tissue and fat content and the compositon of these; soft fat and low cohesiveness frequently being found together. Nutritional value may be judged by the energy content of the tissue, which increases in proportion to its lipid content, or by the ratio of polyunsaturated fatty acids to saturated fatty acids (P:S ratio), used by COMA to indicate the desirability of the fat as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. There is evidence that as fatness has been reduced in British pigs, composition has changed with consequences for these characteristics.
A survey of consumer's preference and demand for recreational enterprises on farms
Authors: Morrow H. J. , Burgess G. , English P. R.
Published: June 2019

Since 1970, farming income in the UK has declined by 36% in real terms (Gretton Report. CLA 1985). Over the same period there has been a marked increase in the production of all the main agricultural commodities in the EC. This has resulted in the supply exceeding demand at existing level of support prices. The cost to the EC commission and to the UK government of supporting this excess production is a serious burden. Over the last forty year3 there has been a huge expansion in countryside recreation in the UK with 84% of people visiting the country at least once a year (NCRS.1984). ‘The reason is not only more individual spare time and money for leisure pursuits but also an upsurge in demand for access to fresh air, fresh views and fresh activities’ (C.C. CCP.224 .1987). At present, the UK government is seeking to reduce the financial support for the production of agricultural commodities and to provide encouragement for alternative uses of land. Section 22 of the Agricultural Act 1986 makes grant aid available for ancillary businesses on or adjacent to farms.
The effect of supplementary nickel on urea metabolism in sheep given a low-protein diet
Authors: J.S. Milne  , F. G. Whitelaw  , J. Price
Published: June 2019

Rumen bacterial urease is known to be a nickel-dependent enzyme and work in USA has shown that the addition of Ni to ruminant diets can increase the activity of urease in rumen fluid (Spears et al., 1977) and in rumen epithelial tissue (Spears et al., 1979)- In practical feeding trials the addition of 5 ppm Ni has also been shown to increase growth rate and feed conversion efficiency in lambs and steers given high-energy low-protein diets (Spears et al., 1979; Spears, 1984). On the basis of these findings it has been suggested that Ni acts by virtue of its effect on rumen urease activity to enhance the recycling of urea-N to the rumen when dietary N supply is low (Spears, 1980). This hypothesis however does not appear to have been tested by direct measurements of the effect of Ni supplements on urea synthesis and degradation rates in ruminants given low protein diets.
Degradation Characteristics of Wheat, Barley and Oats Straws Untreated and Treated with Ammonia in an Oven
Authors: Everington Jeannie M , Givens D I
Published: June 2019

Compared with stack treatment the literature contains little information on the nutritive value of cereal straws treated with ammonia in “ovens” at elevated temperature. Recently,Mason et al (1987) and Givens et al (1987) have studied in vitro and in vivo respectively the effect on chemical composition, digestibility and energy value of treating barley, wheat and oat straws with ammonia by the oven method. Substantial changes in chemical composition and nutritive value were found as a result of treatment.

Reid and Ørskov (1987) have suggested that the dry matter (DM) degradation characteristics of straw as measured by the nylon bag technique provide a good prediction of its nutritive value. The aims of the experiment reported here were therefore to examine using the straws of Mason et al (1987), the effect of oven ammonia treatment on the DM degradation characteristics and to assess whether these parameters could be used to predict the metabolisable energy (ME) content of the straws.
The influence of the source of dietary fat on dairy cow performance
Authors: Abubakar M.M. , Rowlinson P. , Parker D.S. , Armstrong D.G.
Published: June 2019

It is well established that the dairy cow experiences a period of dietary energy deficit in early lactation. With its high energy density, fat has tremendous potential as a dietary supplement at this time providing it is included in a form and at a level which does not interfere with rumen function. The paper presents results from a trial investigating dairy cow performance when fed concentrates containing either a liquid (LF) or a dried protected fat (DF).
A Comparison of Methods to Convert Foreign Progeny Test Evaluations to Approximate United Kingdom Improved Contemporary Comparison Equivalents (Friesian/Holstein)
Authors: Swanson G.J.T. , Joanne Bellamy H. , Oliver G.
Published: June 2019

A major problem facing breeders interested in using bulls from other populations is that the foreign bull evaluations cannot be directly compared with the evaluations produced in the United Kingdom (UK). This is due to differences in the units of measurement, the base against which all bulls are compared and the method used to express the merit of the bulls. In order that selection is possible on an equal basis, it is necessary to be able to convert bull evaluations from the scale used in the country of export to that used in the importing country.

The general formula used to convert evaluations is of the form Y = a + bX where Y is the converted evaluation, X is the evaluation in the exporting country, a is the difference between the bases used for bull evaluations and b is the factor to take account of the differences in scale.
Masking the Taste of Rapeseed Meal in Dairy Compound Feeds
Authors: Frederick Gina , Forbes J.M. , Johnson C.L.
Published: June 2019

Oilseed rape meal is high in protein and available in the UK relatively cheaply. Toxic constituents limit its inclusion in feeds for pigs and poultry but this is not a problem with ruminant animals where microbial action in the rumen removes them. However, the bitter taste of rape meal has been thought to reduce its palatability for ruminant animals (Stedman and Hill, 1987) and it is recommended that its inclusion in compound feeds for cows should not exceed about 150kg/tonne; masking agents are incorporated to reduce this limitation.

The question to be addressed can be summarized as “can higher rates of inclusion of rape meal in dairy compound feeds be concealed by more mask?”. Twelve dry cows in late pregnancy were offered feeds with various levels of rape meal in combination with several levels of mask and rate of consumption was monitored.
The Influence of Probios or Tylosin on Growth of Pigs and Development of the Gastrointestinal Tract
Authors: Collington G.K. , Parker D.S. , Ellis M. , Armstrong D.G.
Published: June 2019

Both antibiotic and probiotic feed additives are in independent use in the pig industry. The modes of action of these two groups of growth-promoters remain to be established. The present study was designed to investigate the effect of inclusion of an antimicrobial feed additive (Tylosin) or a probiotic (ProbiosR, Pioneer Overseas Corporation) on growth rate and the development of intestinal structure and function of pigs from birth to 80 days of age.
Feed Intake, growth and carcass quality of improved genotypes of growing/finishing pigs
Authors: Chadd S.A. , Cole D.J.A.
Published: June 2019

There have been a number of reports that voluntary feed intake (VFI) of modern pig genotypes may be the limitation to their growth performance. It has been suggested that selection for leanness (Fowler et al. 1976) and breeding for faster growth may have reduced appetite.

In addition there is only limited information about the effect on VFI, performance and carcass characteristics of pigs fed ad libitum to liveweights greater than 100kg. A study was therefore undertaken to compare VFI and energy intake of improved genotypes with predicted intakes based on earlier genotypes (ARC, 1981). The associated effects on performance and carcass characteristics at heavier slaughter weights were also studied.
Detecting oestrus in maiden beef heifers using androgenised cows
Authors: Broadbent P. J. , Macdonald D. C. , Paterson G. , Dolman D. F. , Wilson G.
Published: June 2019

The ability to detect oestrus in cattle is important where artificial insemination, superovulation or embryo transfer techniques are being used. Even where oestrus is synchronised or controlled, knowlege of the occurrence of oestrus can increase success rates and reduce costs. A testosterone treated female fitted with a chinball marker (Signoret, 1975; Kiser, Britt and Ritchie, 1977) has been shown to be a useful aid to detection of oestrus. A preliminary experience using such females in conjunction with maiden heifers supported these claims and a subsequent trial provided a more formal evaluation of the technique.
Alternative sources of meat
Authors: Milne J.A. , Hamilton W.J. , Lippert M.
Published: June 2019

The possibility of farming deer and goats as alternatives to other forms of ruminant livestock for meat production in the UK has been investigated only relatively recently. The collaborative research between the Rowett Research Institute and the Hill Farming Research Organisation on red deer (Cervus elaphus) was initiated in 1970 and serious consideration of goats as a source of meat has only taken place in the last 5 years. Consequently there is considerably more research information on the red deer than the goat and this is reflected in the length of the discussion on each species in this paper. Moreover the number of red deer being farmed commercially in the UK, estimated to be approximately 7000 animals, is currently greater than the number of goats being reared for meat production. Goat meat is mainly a by-product of the production of milk.

Both species have the attributes of producing a lean carcass (5-10% fat), which is acceptable to the consumer, and of having the capability of being farmed over the whole spectrum of hill, upland and lowland swards. Systems of management are firstly described, followed by a discussion of the biological potential that could be exploited by further research and by a consideration of marketing and the economics of current production systems.
The Administration of a Probiotic Agent to Early-weaned Piglets
Authors: Varley M.A. , Royle H.
Published: June 2019

Low levels of antibiotics have been used in animal diets since the 1950’s to improve growth rates by stabilising the gut flora. At higher levels antibiotics have also been used as prophylactics against enteric diseases.

As a result of growing public concern of the the indiscriminate use of antibiotics in the animal industry there are now strict controls on their use. An alternative approach to the use of antibiotics in the control of the gut flora is the use of what have become known as probiotics. Probiotics include viable lactobacillus bacteria cultures and fermentation products which actively colonise the gut wall, and suppress further colonisation by potential pathogens such as virulent E. coli organisms. At times of stress in an animal’s life, such as weaning or re-grouping, the oral application of probiotic agents could be beneficial by both preventing disease and minimising the clinical use of antibiotics.

Early-weaned artificially-reared piglets are particularly at risk to enteric disease and therefore the purpose of the present study was to assess the efficacy of a probiotic agent in pigs weaned at 6 hours of age.
In Vitro Fertilization of Bovine Oocytes Matured In Vitro
Authors: Lu K.H. , Gordon I. , Boland M.P. , Crosby T.F.
Published: June 2019

The development of an efficient laboratory procedure which would enable cattle ovarian oocytes to be matured in vitro, fertilized and cultured in vitro to the blastocyst stage of development could have important practical and scientific implications. The commercial exploitation of certain embryo transfer techniques applicable in cattle (eg., twinning by embryo transfer) might be facilitated by the development of such a procedure and there would be many advantages to having a cheap source of embryos available for research purposes. The present report deals with some of the studies recently carried out in this laboratory aimed at utilising follicular oocytes recovered from the ovaries of cattle slaughtered for beef at the abattoir. Such studies have been undertaken over a period of almost twenty years, starting with the work of Sreenan (1968)* but it now realised that the oocytes of farm mammals are incapable of normal development until after the completion of complex changes during maturation.
Effects of a period of severely restricted feed intake and growth on subsequent appetite, growth and nitrogen balance of friesian steers
Authors: Williams P.E.V. , Macdearmid A.
Published: June 2019

It is generally accepted that although both plane of nutrition and chemical composition of the diet can have a major effect on body composition when comparisons are made between animals of the same age, these differences are substantially reduced when comparisons are made at the same body weight (Black 1974). There is considerable emphasis being placed on the production of lean meat for human consumption, while at the same time the retail trade is pressing for heavier carcass weights. These two requirements appear incompatible given the fact that the proportion of fat in weight gain increases as the live weight of the animal increases. We suggested (Williams and Macdearmid 1985) that compensatory growth may be used as a method of controlling body composition in beef cattle since the initial phase of compensation may be characterised by rapidly increased muscle growth combined with a reduction in the initial rate of fat deposition. Reports in the literature indicate that animals compensating after a period of feed restriction tend to have a greater appetite than animals of the same weight but grown continuously. The present experiment was designed : o compare and measure appetite and nitrogen balance in beef cattle which were fed continuously or allowed to realimentate after a period of feed restriction.
The effect of grinding and pelleting of roughages of known degradability on voluntary intake and digestibility by sheep
Authors: DeB. Hovell F. D. , Campos-Arceu R. , Kyle D. J.
Published: June 2019

There is a considerable literature on the effect of grinding and pelleting roughages on their intake and digestibility by ruminants. It is also well established that intake is correlated with digestibility, which parameters are themselves correlated with the rumen degradability of the roughages concerned (Hovell et al. (1986)). However there is little information in which the effect of processing on the intake and digestibility of roughages of known degradation characteristics has been examined. The objective of the experiment reported here was to examine the effect of grinding and pelleting on the voluntary intake and digestibility of two roughages whose degradation characteristics had been defined.

Four mature 63-69 kg Finn-Dorset ewes fitted with permanent rumen cannulae were used. The roughages were a hay (potential degradability 0.81), and a barley straw (potential degradability 0.57) given coarsely chopped, or ground and pelleted. The composition of the hay and straw is shown in Table 1, and the particle size distribution of the two forms is given in Fig. 1. Urea was added to the straw at 18 g/kg and to the hay at 3.6 g/kg (air dry), with 0.13 g sodium sulphate per g urea. A mineral/vitamin supplement was also given. The experimental design was a latin-square with 21 d periods. Food was offered to 10-15% excess of voluntary intake. Voluntary intakes and digestibility were measured during the last 7 d of each period.
The predicted and actual rates of intake of a high quality feed by Suffolk rams from 20-70 kg liveweight
Authors: Emmans G.C. , Dingwall W.S. , FitzSimons J. , Simm G.
Published: June 2019

ARC (1980), in its Chapter 2, gives a method for predicting the rate of feed intake of a sheep of a given weight, W, on a given feed (feed class and energy metabolisability, q). In its Chapter 3 a method is given for predicting the growth rate, GR, of a sheep of a given sex and W from its ME intake. Where GR and W are known the latter procedure can be used to predict the rate at which feed, needs to be eaten, from the ME content and q values of the feed, to support the observed GR. A third method is that of Emmans (1985), which predicts the rate of intake of a non-constraining feed with energy as the first limiting resource by a given animal in a given initial state in a thermally neutral environment; the animal is described by its mature protein weight, Pm kg, its mature lipid:protein ratio, LPRm, its Gompertz rate parameter for protein growth, B/day, and its fattening rate parameter, b, where (b + 1) is the allometric exponent for body lipid on body protein in potential growth.

The three methods were used to predict the intakes of Suffolk rams and the predictions compared with the intakes observed in an experiment.

The data were from 66 Suffolk rams born in mid-January, weaned at 8 weeks into single pens and given free and continuous access to the feed shown in Table 1. Their intakes and weights were recorded for successive periods of 2, 2, 2, 2, and 3 weeks from 20th March. The sheep were split into three groups on the basis of their weights on 20th March with mean values of 22, 27 and 33 kg. On the basis of their weights the second and third groups were judged to be 9 and 19 days respectively ahead of the first group.
The Influence of Fatness and Fat Change on the Performance of Breeding Gilts
Authors: Eastham P.R. , Whittemore C.T.
Published: June 2019

Weight gains can occur with substantial fat losses and therefore liveweight change is unlikely to form the basis of feeding strategies, whereas the fatness of the animal may be a more appropriate criterion. Eighty Large White x Landrace gilts were first mated at 123.5 kg ± 1.54 with a P2 of 14.5 mm ± 0.24 [Meritronics] and 12.7 mm ± 0.19 (Vetscan]. Half these gilts were fed to be fat [F] at parturition [target 20-24 mm P2) and half were fed to be thin [T] [target 10-14 mm P2). F gilts consumed more feed during pregnancy and gained more weight and backfat than T gilts [all differences between the 2 treatments were significant P˂0.001). The number of piglets born and the number of live births were not affected by feeding gilts to be fat or thin, but fat gilts produced significantly heavier piglets. After parturition, half of both F and T gilts were offered either 7 kg of food per day [H] or 3 kg per day [L] and half were sucked by litters of 5 piglets and half by litters of 10 piglets during a 28 day lactation. Piglets were not given creep feed. Fatness of the gilts at parturition, feed level during lactation and sucking litter size all significantly influenced both the absolute and the change in liveweight and backfat from farrowing to weaning. Weight and P2 changes are shown in Figures 1 and 2. The performance of the litter was also significantly affected by the fatness of the gilt at parturition and by the number of piglets sucking. Results for each treatment group are given in Table 1. Animals offered the high level of feed during lactation had a significantly shorter interval between weaning and conception. There were also positive relationships between readiness to rebreed and absolute liveweight and absolute fatness.
Space allowances for growing pigs on fully slatted floors
Authors: Edwardst S.A. , Armsby A.W. , Spechter H.H.
Published: June 2019

Crowding of pigs can adversely affect both performance and welfare of the individual animal, but high costs of buildings encourage increasing stocking rates in commercial practice. Current welfare codes (MAFF, 1983) recommend minimum lying space allowances for pigs but do not specify the total area which should be given. Conflicting experimental and commercial recommendations exist for the optimum space allowances for growing pigs in housing with fully slatted floors, when separation of lying and dunging areas is less important for hygiene and thermoregulation. This experiment was carried out to examine the effects of different space allowances in such housing on pig performance and carcass quality.
Grassland utilisation in england and wales 1984–5 and 1985–6
Authors: Poole A H , Mabey S J , Peel S
Published: June 2019

Animal performance from grassland is dependant both on the grass growth achieved and the efficiency of utilisation. The Grassland Research Institute and ADAS conducted a series of trials (GM 20) which showed grass growth to be mainly influenced by the available water capacity of the soil, summer rainfall and altitude. This gives a site class which together with the fertilizer used determines the quantity of herbage grown.

Less is known of the variation in utilisation of the grass grown. This analysis has been undertaken to assess the levels of grassland utilisation found on dairy farms of England and Wales.
Survey of Recent Work on St. Maximus the Confessor
Authors: Sherwood Dom Polycarp
Published: June 2019

The appearance of Hans Urs von Balthasar's corpus of Maximian studies in a new and reworked edition, after the lapse of more than twenty years, deserves more than usual attention. I must confess that I am a little embarrassed in undertaking the task. For, having myself written on Maximus after he had published his work, I had it constantly before me and more than once have criticized some of his positions, without fully grasping all that he wished to convey or the breadth of the background against which he was operating, even though, as he himself suggests (KL 14), we are in basic agreement in our understanding of Maximus and of the Maximian synthesis. Nonetheless, our approaches to Maximus do differ. A clear understanding of that difference will facilitate, I think, a surer appreciation of von Balthasar's own work and will also lead to a better grasp of the significance of Maximus and of the problems that confront the student of the Confessor. May their number increase!