Bound States and Instabilities of Vortices

We examine the spectrum of small perturbations around global and local (gauge) abelian vortices, using simple numerical matrix techniques. The results are of interest for both cosmic strings and for their condensed matter analogues, superfluid and superconducting vortices. We tabulate the instabilities of higher winding number vortices, and find several bound states. These localised oscillations of the order parameter can be thought of as particle states trapped in the core of the string.Comment: Latex, 20 pages, 6 uuencoded figure

The effects of medium-oil dried distillers grains with solubles on growth performance and carcass traits in finishing pigs

An experiment was conducted to determine the effects of increasing medium-oil dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS; 7.4% fat, 28.1% CP, 10.8% ADF, and 25.6% NDF) on growth performance and carcass traits in finishing pigs. A total of 288 pigs (PIC 327 × 1050; initially 151.8 lb) were allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments. Treatments consisted of a corn-soybean meal control diet or the control diet with 15, 30, or 45% medium-oil DDGS, with 8 pigs per pen and 8 replications per treatment. Increasing medium-oil DDGS decreased (linear, P < 0.01) ADG and worsened (linear, P < 0.02) F/G. In addition, final BW, HCW, carcass yield, and loin-eye depth decreased (linear, P < 0.03), and jowl iodine value (IV) increased (linear, P < 0.001) with increasing medium-oil DDGS. When pigs are fed traditional DDGS containing >10.5% fat, each 10% DDGS added to the diet increases jowl IV approximately 2 mg/g; however, feeding increasing medium-oil DDGS increased jowl IV only about 1.4 units per each 10% DDGS. In conclusion, swine producers must be aware of the negative ramifications on growth performance of using medium-oil DDGS in swine diets

Effects of added Zn in diets with Ractopamine HCl on growth performance and carcass quality of finishing pigs in a commercial environment

The experiment was conducted in a commercial facility to determine the effects of added Zn on the performance of finishing pigs fed Ractopamine HCl (RAC; Paylean®; Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN). Pigs were randomly assigned to pens based on gender (14 barrow pens, 11 gilt pens, and 23 mixed-gender pens), with 25 to 28 pigs per pen. Previously, pens of pigs were assigned to treatments containing 0, 7.5, or 15% bakery by-product in a completely randomized design while balancing for initial BW and gender. On d 75, treatments were implemented to determine the effects of adding 50 ppm Zn from ZnO on finishing pig performance. A total of 1,234 pigs (PIC 337 × 1050; average BW 224.6 lb) were used in a 28-d study. Pens of pigs were randomly assigned to diets with and without 50 ppm added Zn from zinc oxide (ZnO) and balanced by BW, bakery by-product, and gender. All diets contained 5 ppm RAC and 83 ppm Zn from ZnO provided by the trace mineral premix. There were 24 pens per treatment. Overall (d 75 to 102), no differences (P > 0.22) in growth performance or carcass characteristics were observed when pigs were fed diets with 50 ppm added Zn compared with the RAC control. For pigs subsampled on d 84, pigs fed diets with 50 ppm added Zn had decreased (P < 0.05) edge belly thickness compared with pigs fed the control. For pigs subsampled on d 102, pigs fed diets with 50 ppm added Zn had decreased (P < 0.02) backfat thickness, belly weight, and edge belly thickness; a tendency for decreased (P < 0.07) middle belly thickness; and increased (P < 0.01) percentage lean compared with pigs fed the RAC control. In contrast with our previous research, these data indicate that adding 50 ppm Zn from ZnO to finishing pig diets containing RAC did not improve overall performance. Consistent with the earlier research, income over feed cost (IOFC) was numerically increased with the addition of Zn

The interactive effects of high-fiber diets and Ractopamine HCl on finishing pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, carcass fat quality, and intestinal weights

In previous research, feeding pigs high amounts of dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS) and wheat middlings (midds) has been shown to reduce carcass yield and negatively affect iodine value (IV). The influence of Ractopamine HCl (RAC; Paylean, Elanco Animal Health, Greenfield, IN) on this response is not known; therefore, a total of 575 finishing pigs (PIC 327 × 1050, initially 123 lb) were used in two consecutive 73-d trials to determine the effects of DDGS and midds (high fiber) withdrawal 24 d before harvest in diets with or without RAC on finishing pig growth performance, carcass characteristics, and fat quality. From d 0 to 49, pigs were allotted to 1 of 2 dietary treatments in a completely randomized design based on initial pen weight. The dietary treatments included a corn-soybean meal–based control diet or diets with 30% DDGS and 19% wheat midds. Twelve pens of pigs were fed the corn-soybean meal control diet, and 24 pens were fed the high-fiber diet. During this 49 d period, pigs fed the corn-soybean meal diets had improved (P < 0.0001) ADG and F/G compared with those fed the high-fiber diets. On d 49, pens of pigs were re-allotted to 1 of 6 dietary treatments; pigs remained on the corn-soybean meal diets, switched from the high-fiber diet to corn-soybean meal (withdrawal diet), or were maintained on the high-fiber diet. These 3 regimens were fed with or without 9 g/ton RAC

Effect of fish meal source on nursery pig performance

Citation: Jones, A. M., Woodworth, J. C., Goodband, R. D., Tokach, M. D., Dritz, S. S., & DeRouchey, J. M. (2016). Effect of fish meal source on nursery pig performance. Journal of Animal Science, 94, 94-94. doi:10.2527/msasas2016-199A total of 350 pigs (DNA Line 200 × 400; initially 6.5 ± 0.09 kg BW; 21 d of age) were used in a 14-d experiment to determine the effects of fish meal source on nursery pig performance. Pigs were randomly allotted to pens at weaning (d 0) and were fed a common starter diet for 7 d. On d 7, pens of pigs were randomly allotted by BW to 1 of 7 dietary treatments (10 pens/treatment and 5 pigs/pen) in a 2 × 3 + 1 factorial. Diets were corn-soybean meal-based that contained 10% dried whey and none (Control) or 3 or 6% fish meal from 1 of 3 sources (IPC 790 Fish Meal, The Scoular Company, Minneapolis, MN; Special Select Menhaden Fish Meal, Omega Proteins, Houston, TX; and Daybrook LT Prime Menhaden Fish Meal, Daybrook Fisheries, Morristown, NJ). All fish meal sources were from the 2014 catch year. All samples of fish meal contained less than 0.15% total volatile N suggesting high quality. A source × level interaction (P < 0.05) for ADG and final BW was observed as increasing levels of IPC 790 improved ADG; however, pigs fed Special Select and LT Prime fish meal only saw improvement when 3% was included. While no differences were observed between treatments for ADFI, there was a source × level interaction for G:F (Linear P = 0.005). This was a result of G:F linearly improving as IPC 790 increased, with pigs fed 3% Special Select or LT Prime having similar performance to 6% IPC 790, but no further improvement thereafter. In conclusion, adding 3% of any fish meal source improved ADG and G:F; however, only pigs fed IPC 790 had a further improvement in ADG when 6% was fed

Effects of increasing pantothenic acid on growth performance and carcass characteristics of finish pigs reared in a commercial environment

A total of 1080 pigs (PIC), initially 89.0 ± 5.1 lb were used to determine the effects of increasing pantothenic acid on growth performance and carcass characteristics of growfinish pigs. Pigs were blocked by weight and gender, and were randomly allotted to treatment. Pigs were fed, in meal form, the experimental corn-soybean meal, added-fat diets in four phases. Dietary treatments consisted of a control diet (no added pantothenic acid), or the control diet with 22.5, 45.0, or 90.0 ppm added pantothenic acid from d-calcium pantothenate. Dietary treatments were fed from d 0 to 98 (89.0 to 272.5 lb). The first three dietary phases contained 5% choice white grease, and all diets contained 0.15% L-lysine HCl, trace mineral premix, and a standard vitamin premix manufactured with no pantothenic acid. Vitamins in the vitamin premix were supplemented at 300% of NRC guidelines. Added pantothenic acid had no effect on ADG, ADFI, or F/G, regardless of rate, and no significant differences were observed in carcass traits, including hot-carcass weight, dressing percentage, fat-free-lean index (FFLI), average backfat, and loin depth. In our experiment, added pantothenic acid did not influence growth performance or carcass composition of pigs reared in a commercial environment

An evaluation of dietary natural zeolite or humic acid substances and sulfate water on nursery pig performance

A total of 350 nursery pigs (PIC 1050 barrows, initially 21 d of age) were used in a 21-d study to determine the effects of high-sulfate water, dietary natural zeolite, and dietary humic substances on growth performance and fecal consistency of nursery pigs. Ten treatments were arranged as a 2 × 5 factorial with 2 water treatments (control or water with 2,000 ppm sodium sulfate) and 5 dietary treatments (control, 1 or 2% zeolite, 1% humic acid substance [HA], or 1% humic and fulvic acid blended substance [HFB]). Water treatments remained the same from d 0 to 21 and all diets were fed in 2 phases, with diets containing feed additives at the same inclusion rate in both phases. Phase 1 diets were fed in a pellet form from d 0 to 8 after weaning; Phase 2 diets were fed in meal form from d 8 to 21. Fecal samples were collected on d 5, 8, 15, and 21. These samples were visually assessed and scored on a scale of 1 to 5 to determine consistency of the fecal samples, then analyzed for DM

Effect of initial sorting and amount of added fat on performance of growing-finishing pigs reared in a commercial facility

Swine research, 2005 is known as Swine day, 2005Two studies were conducted to determine whether the amount of dietary energy fed to pigs of different weight categories influenced growth performance, market weight, and economic return in a commercial grow-finish facility. In Experiment 1, a total of 1,032 pigs with initial weight of 67.7 lb were individually weighed, fitted with electronic ear tags, and sorted into ten, 5-lb weight categories. Pigs were then allotted to pens lighter and heavier then the barn mean or to pens remixed to create a normal distribution around the mean. To complete the 2 × 3 factorial, pigs were fed corn-soybean meal diets, with or without 6% choice white grease. For the overall trial, there were no fat × weight-category interactions (P>0.15). Pigs fed 6% added fat tended (P0.15) SD or CV of gain for the overall trial. For weight category, regardless of diet, heavy pigs grew faster (P<0.01, 1.83, 1.72, and 1.76 lb) than either the light or mixed pigs, respectively. In Experiment 2, 1,176 pigs with an initial weight of 77.4 lb were tagged and visually sorted into five weight categories. Pigs (28 per pen) were then allotted to pens lighter and heavier than the barn mean or remixed to create a normal distribution around the mean. To complete the 2 × 3 factorial, pigs were fed corn-soybean meal diets, with or without 6% choice white grease. For the overall trial, there were no fat × weight-category interactions (P>0.25). Pigs fed 6% added fat had greater (P0.61) in SD or CV for ADG during the overall study. For weight category, regardless of diet, heavy pigs grew faster (P<0.02, 1.96, 1.92, and 1.94 lb) than either the light or mixed pigs, respectively. Although no interactions existed for growth or carcass data, there was a fat × weight-category interaction (P<0.07) for the financial response of margin over feed cost (MOF). Heavy pigs in both studies had greater (P<0.01) MOF than either light or mixed pigs; when comparing 0 and 6% added fat within weight category, however, the increase in MOF was greater for light pigs fed added fat than for heavy pigs fed added fat. These studies indicate that adding 6% added fat does not increase variation within or across a population. Because adding fat to the diets of lightweight pigs improves their growth rate, dietary fat can be used selectively in the barn to increase the weight of the lightest 50% of the pigs

Effects of standardized ileal digestible tryptophan:lysine ratio in diets containing 30% dried distiller grains with solubles on the growth performance and carcass characteristics of finishing pigs in a commercial environment

Two experiments were performed to determine the effects of increasing standardized ileal digestible (SID) tryptophan to lysine (trp:lys) ratio in growing-finishing pig diets containing 30% dried distillers grains with solubles (DDGS). In both experiments, soybean meal replaced crystalline lysine and threonine to alter the dietary SID trp:lys concentrations while maintaining minimum ratios of other amino acids. In Exp. 1, a total of 638 pigs (PIC 1050 × 337, initially 80.0 lb) were used in a 105-d trial with 26 to 27 pigs per pen and 6 pens per treatment. Pens of pigs were randomly allotted to 1 of 4 dietary treatments with standardized ileal digestible trp:lys ratios of 14.0, 15.0, 16.5, and 18.0%. All diets were fed in meal form and treatments were fed in 4 phases. For the overall trial, ADG and ADFI increased (linear; P < 0.001) as trp:lys increased through 18%; however, the response tended to be quadratic from d 0 to 42, with optimal ADG and ADFI at 16.5% SID trp:lys. Feed efficiency was not influenced by SID trp:lys ratio. Although feed cost per pig increased (linear; P < 0.001) as SID trp:lys ratio increased, so did (linear; P < 0.04) final live weight, HCW, income per pig, and income over feed cost (IOFC). The results of this experiment indicated the optimal SID trp:lys ratio was 16.5% from 80 to 160 lb, but at least 18% from 160 to 265 lb. In Exp. 2, a total of 1,214 pigs (PIC 1050 × 337, initially 146.2 lb) were used in a 73-d finishing trial with 25 to 28 pigs per pen and 9 pens per treatment. Pens of pigs were randomly allotted to 1 of 5 treatment groups. Pigs were fed common diets before the start of the experiment. Dietary treatments included corn-soybean meal-based diets with SID trp:lys ratios of 15.0, 16.5, 18.0, and 19.5, and the 15.0% diet with L-tryptophan added to achieve 18.0% SID trp:lys ratio. Overall (d 0 to 73), ADG, ADFI, F/G, final weight, and HCW improved (linear; P < 0.03) as dietary SID trp:lys increased through 19.5%. Increasing SID trp:lys increased (linear; P < 0.001) feed cost per pig, but also increased (P < 0.01) total income per pig. While there were no differences on an IOFC basis, pigs fed the highest level of SID trp:lys had numerically the greatest IOFC. Overall, there were no significant differences between the diet with 18.0% SID trp:lys and the diet with 15.0% SID trp:lys with added L-tryptophan to 18.0%. These experiments demonstrate there is opportunity to improve growth performance in late-finishing pigs with increased SID trp:lys ratios in diets containing high amounts of DDGS

Determining the accuracy of gestation feed drops

An experiment was conducted to determine the accuracy of three different gestation feed drops. Each drop was tested at three different angles (90, 75, 60°) from the feed line. Feed was collected and weighed at feeder settings of 2, 4, 6, 8, and 10 lb for the Econo- Drop and Accu-Drop feed dispensers. Samples were taken at 2, 4, 6, and 8 lb for the Ultra- Drop feed dispenser due to a smaller storage capacity for feed with this feed drop. There were five replications (five drops of each type) at each feed setting. There was a drop type by angle interaction (P<0.01) for the feed dispenser settings versus the actual pounds of feed dropped. At angles of 90 or 60 degrees, the Accu-Drop and the Ultra-Drop feed dispensers more (P<0.10) accurately dropped the correct amount of feed at the respective feeder settings. The amount of feed dropped at each dispenser setting was influenced more by angle to the feed line with the Econo-Drop than with the Accu-Drop or Ultra- Drop feed dispensers. This study demonstrated that the Accu-Drop and the Ultra-Drop feed dispensers are more accurate than the Econo-Drop feed dispenser. Therefore, producers should consider the additional feed cost over the lifetime of the feed drops and not rely solely on initial price