Efficacy of turmeric (Curcuma longa) to ameliorate the adverse effects of T-2 toxin in broiler chicks

Abstract only availableA 3-wk feeding study was conducted to evaluate the efficacy of turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder (TMP), containing a known level of curcumin to ameliorate the adverse effects of T-2 toxin in broiler chicks. Five pen replicates of 5 chicks each were assigned to each of 6 dietary treatments. Dietary treatments evaluated include: 1) basal diet containing no T-2 toxin or TMP; 2) basal diet supplemented with 0.67% TMP containing 220 mg/kg total curcuminoids (TCMN); 3) basal diet supplemented with 1 mg/kg T-2; 4) basal diet supplemented with 1 mg/kg T-2 and 220 mg/kg TCMN; 5) basal diet supplemented with 2 mg/kg T-2; 6) and basal diet supplemented with 2 mg/kg T-2 and 220 mg/kg TCMN. The addition of T-2 toxin or TCMN to the diet had no effect (P > 0.05) on feed intake, body weight gain, or feed conversion which averaged 870g, 685g, and 1.29 g:g, respectively, across all treatments. Similarly, there was no effect (P > 0.05) of T-2 or TCMN on relative liver weight which averaged 3.07g across all treatments. Results indicate that 2 mg/kg T-2 was not toxic to broiler chicks fed dietary treatments for 3 weeks. Results also indicate that the addition of 220 mg/kg TCMN to the basal diet was not beneficial to chicks. It remains to be seen if T-2 toxin negatively affected the antioxidant status and hepatic gene expression of chicks, and if TCMN was beneficial in ameliorating any observed negative effects. Samples are currently being analyzed for antioxidant activity and changes in gene expression.Gyeongsang National Universit

Efficacy of curcumin in ameliorating the toxic effects of ochratoxin A and aflatoxin in young broilers [abstract]

Abstract only availableTwo experiments (hatch to 21 days) were conducted to evaluate the efficacy of curcumin to ameliorate the toxic effects of aflatoxin (AF; Exp.1) and ochratoxin A (OA; Exp. 2). Food grade turmeric powder (Curcuma longa) containing 2.55% (Exp. 1) and 1.90% (Exp. 2) total curcuminoids (TCMN) was the source of curcumin. In Exp. 1, six pen replicates of 5 chicks each were assigned to each of 6 dietary treatments: A) basal diet with no TCMN or AF (BD); B) BD plus 444 mg/kg TCMN;C) BD plus 1.0 mg/kg AF; D) BD plus 74 mg/kg TCMN and 1.0 mg/kg AF;E) BD plus 222 mg/kg TCMN and 1.0 mg/kg AF; and F) BD plus 444 mg/kg TCMN and 1.0 mg/kg AF. Compared with controls, the addition of 1 mg/kg AF to the basal diet decreased (P < 0.05) feed intake (FI) and weight gain (WG). The addition of 74 and 222 mg/kg TCMN to the AF diet improved (P < 0.05) WG. In Exp. 2, five pen replicates of 5 chicks each were assigned to each of 5 dietary treatments: A) basal diet with no TCMN or OA (BD); B) BD plus 2.5 mg OA/kg diet; C) BD plus 2.5 mg OA/kg and 75 mg/kg TCMN; D) BD plus 2.5 mg OA/kg and 150 mg/kg TCMN; and E) BD plus 2.5 mg OA/kg diet and 225 mg/kg TCMN. Compared to controls, chicks fed OA had reduced (P < 0.001) feed FI and WG. The addition of up to 225 mg/kg to the OA diet was not effective in preventing the toxic effects of OA. Addition of 222 mg/kg TCMN to the AF diet was partially effective in protecting chicks from the toxic effects of AF, but 225 mg/kg TCMN was not effective in protecting chicks from the toxic effects of OA.CAFNR On Campus Research Internshi

Efficacy of high levels of microbial phytase in improving phytate Phosphorus utilization by turkeys

Abstract only availableA 14-day study was conducted with 750 female turkey poults to determine the efficacy of high levels of phytase in improving turkey performance and percent and milligram toe ash. Six dietary treatments were assigned to five replicate pens of 25 poults each. A National Research Council (NRC) corn-soybean meal diet, adequate in all nutrients, was fed to all birds for the first week. Dietary treatments fed from 8 to 21 days of age included: 1) a positive control NRC diet (0.6% non-phytate phosphorus [npP] and 1.2% Ca); 2) a low P negative control basal diet (B) (0.36% npP and 1.01% Ca); 3) B + 250 U/kg phytase; 4) B + 500 U/kg phytase; 5) B + 10,000 U/kg phytase; and 6) B + 20,000 U/kg phytase. Feed intake and body weight gain were significantly higher (P .05) to the NRC positive control diet but significantly higher (P < .05) than the negative control birds (diet 2). Milligrams of toe ash was also significantly higher (P < .05) for the birds fed the highest two levels of phytase compared to the birds fed the other diets. Feeding high levels of phytase (≥10,000 U/kg) to turkeys was effective in increasing phytate phosphorus utilization and in improving growth performance above the birds fed the NRC control diet.F.B. Miller Undergraduate Research Program in Animal Science

Effect of phytase on phytate P utilization by turkeys

An in vitro method was developed for poultry to predict inorganic phosphorus release from maize-soya bean feeds containing supplemental phytase (E.C. 3.1.3.8), and to quantify the effect of acid phosphatase (E.C. 3.1,3.2.), fungal protease (E.C. 3.4.23.6) and Aspergillus niger cellulase (E.C. 3.2.1.4.) on phytate dephosphorylation. Pepsin and pancreatin digestion periods were preceded by a 30 min preincubation at pH 5.25 to simulate digestion in the crop of poultry. Pancreatin digestion was carried out in dialysis tubings, with a ratio of about 1:25 (v/v) between the digesta and dialyzing medium, to simulate gradient absorption from the duodenum. The feed/water ratio was kept within physiological limits and a constant feed weight to digestive enzymes was maintained. There was a linear response to increasing dosages of phytase up to 1000 FTU/kg feed, and to increasing phosphate concentration in feeds. In vivo validation was performed with growing turkeys (1-3 wk) fed diets containing 12 g/kg of calcium; 0, 500, 1000 FTU/kg of phytase in a factorial arrangement with 0, 1, 2, 3 g/kg of supplemental phosphate (from KH2PO4). After a simple transformation (variable/in vitro phosphorus = f (in vitro phosphorus)) amounts of phosphorus hydrolyzed from feed samples by in vitro digestions correlated with the 3 week body weight gains (R= 0.986 P [less than] 0.0001), toe ash (R=0.952 P [less than] 0.0001), feed intake (R=0.994 P [less than] 0.0001) and feed efficiency (R=0.992 P [less than] 0.0001). The dephosphorylating ability of phytase in vitro was significantly enhanced (P [less than] 0.05) by the addition of acid phosphatase. Fungal acid protease and Aspergillus niger cellulase also enhanced the dephosphorylation process in vitro.Project # G-2029-01 Agreement # 14-08-0001-G-2029-0

Monsters, black holes and the statistical mechanics of gravity

We review the construction of monsters in classical general relativity. Monsters have finite ADM mass and surface area, but potentially unbounded entropy. From the curved space perspective they are objects with large proper volume that can be glued on to an asymptotically flat space. At no point is the curvature or energy density required to be large in Planck units, and quantum gravitational effects are, in the conventional effective field theory framework, small everywhere. Since they can have more entropy than a black hole of equal mass, monsters are problematic for certain interpretations of black hole entropy and the AdS/CFT duality. In the second part of the paper we review recent developments in the foundations of statistical mechanics which make use of properties of high-dimensional (Hilbert) spaces. These results primarily depend on kinematics -- essentially, the geometry of Hilbert space -- and are relatively insensitive to dynamics. We discuss how this approach might be adopted as a basis for the statistical mechanics of gravity. Interestingly, monsters and other highly entropic configurations play an important role.Comment: 9 pages, 4 figures, revtex; invited Brief Review to be published in Modern Physics Letters

Efficacy of turmeric (Curcuma longa) to ameliorate the adverse effects of ochratoxin A in broiler chicks

Abstract only availableA 21-day feeding study was conducted to assess the effectiveness of turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder (TMP), containing a known level of curcumin to offset the adverse effects of ochratoxin A (OA) in broiler chicks. Five pen replicates of 5 chicks each were assigned to each of 6 dietary treatments. Dietary treatments evaluated include: 1) basal diet containing no OA or TMP; 2) basal diet supplemented with 0.67% TMP containing 220 mg/kg total curcuminoids (TCMN); 3) basal diet supplemented with 1 mg/kg OA; 4) basal diet supplemented with 1 mg/kg OA and 220 mg/kg TCMN; 5) basal diet supplemented with 2 mg/kg OA; 6) and basal diet supplemented with 2 mg/kg OA and 220 mg/kg TCMN. The addition of OA to the diet significantly reduced (P < 0.05) feed intake, body weight gain, and caused poor feed conversion . Similarly, there was a significant effect (P < 0.05) of OA on relative liver weight and relative kidney weight.. Results indicated that 220 mg/kg TCMN did not counteract any adverse effects in broiler chicks fed OA at levels of 1 mg/kg and 2 mg/kg. It remains to be seen if OA negatively affected antioxidant status and hepatic gene expression of chicks, and if TCMN will be beneficial in ameliorating any observed adverse effects. Samples are currently being analyzed for antioxidant activity and changes in gene expression.F.B. Miller Undergraduate Research Program in Animal Science

Simulations of Damped Lyman-Alpha and Lyman Limit Absorbers in Different Cosmologies: Implications for Structure Formation at High Redshift

We use hydrodynamic cosmological simulations to study damped Lyman-alpha (DLA) and Lyman limit (LL) absorption at redshifts z=2-4 in five variants of the cold dark matter scenario. Our standard simulations resolve the formation of dense concentrations of neutral gas in halos with circular velocity v_c roughly 140 km/s for Omega_m=1 and 90 km/s for Omega_m=0.4, at z=2; an additional LCDM simulation resolves halos down to v_c approximately 50 km/s at z=3. We find a clear relation between HI column density and projected distance to the center of the nearest galaxy, with DLA absorption usually confined to galactocentric radii less than 10-15 kpc and LL absorption arising out to projected separations of 30 kpc or more. Detailed examination provides evidence of non-equilibrium effects on absorption cross-section. If we consider only absorption in the halos resolved by our standard simulations, then all five models fall short of reproducing the observed abundance of DLA and LL systems at these redshifts. If we extrapolate to lower halo masses, we find all four models are consistent with the observed abundance of DLA systems if the the extrapolated behavior extends to circular velocities roughly 50-80 km/s, and they may produce too much absorption if the relation continues to 40 km/s. Our results suggest that LL absorption is closely akin to DLA absorption, arising in less massive halos or at larger galactocentric radii but not caused by processes acting on a radically different mass scale.Comment: 33 pages with 10 embedded EPS figures. Substantially revised and updated from original version. Includes new high-resolution simulations. Accepted for publication in the Ap