Effect of dietary mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris L.) and pine needle powder (Pinus densiflora) on growth performance, serum cholesterol levels, and meat quality in broilers

The effects of dietary mugwort and pine needle powder supplementation on growth performance, serum cholesterol, and meat quality of broilers were evaluated in a 35 days feed trial. 200 one day old broilers were randomly allocated to five dietary treatments (0, 1 and 2% mugwort or 1 and 2% pine needle powder) with four replicate pens of 10 birds per treatment. During the experimental period, growth performance did not differ among treatments (P > 0.05). The additives with mugwort and pine needle showed lower crude fat content of thigh muscle compared with the control (P < 0.05); however, no significant differences were detected for moisture, crude protein and crude ash content of thigh muscle. Compared with the control, total phenol content and 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging activity were significantly increased (P < 0.05) with the inclusion of mugwort and pine needle powder level in the broilers’ diets, whereas pH values decreased (P < 0.05). Serum cholesterol and triglyceride concentrations were significantly decreased (P < 0.05) by the increased mugwort and pine needle powder level in the diet, except for high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol concentrations. For thigh meat color, inclusion of mugwort and pine needle powder decreased L* and b* values and increased a* values in thigh muscle of broilers compared with the controls (P < 0.05). Overall, the present study indicates the beneficial effect of using 1 or 2% mugwort and pine needle powder in reducing serum cholesterol and improving meat quality.Key words: Mugwort, pine needle powder, serum cholesterol, meat quality

Electrical and ferroelectric properties of rare-earth-doped Na0.5Bi4.0RE0.5Ti4O15 (RE = Eu, Gd and Dy) thin films

A study of the structural, electrical and ferroelectric properties of layered Aurivillius-type Na0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15 (NaBTi) and Na0.5Bi4.0RE0.5Ti4O15 (RE = Eu, Gd and Dy) thin films is reported. These films were fabricated on Pt-coated Si(100) substrates by using a chemical solution deposition method followed by a heat treatment. The rare-earth elements used as dopants, such as Eu, Gd and Dy, were found to be effective in improving the leakage current densities and the ferroelectric properties of the layered Na0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15 thin films without affecting their original Aurivillius structures. Based on the measured ferroelectric polarization-electric field (P−E) hysteresis loops, we found that the Gd-doped NaBTi thin film, among all the films, exhibited the highest ferroelectric remnant polarization of 2Pr = 37.4 μC/cm2 and a low coercive electric field of 2Ec = 187 kV/cm at an applied electric field of 475 kV/cm. Furthermore, the lowest value of the leakage current density of 6.12×107 A/cm2 at an applied electric field of 100 kV/cm was measured for the Gd-doped NaBTi thin film

IGF-1 Concentration at a Young Age is Associated with Feed Efficiency in Pigs

The concentration of IGF-I in blood of young pigs has previously been found to be genetically associated with feed efficiency and performance in pigs. To test these associations, data from the ISU selection line for residual feed intake (RFI) were used. Compared to controls, in the line selected for increased efficiency through reduced RFI, a correlated response in the expected downwards direction was observed for juvenile IGF-I. Genetic correlations of IGF-I were 0.63 with RFI and 0.78 with feed conversion ratio. These results confirm that juvenile IGF-I is a good physiological indicator of genetic merit for economically important efficiency traits, particularly since it is measured early in an animal’s life

Hadron widths in mixed-phase matter

We derive classically an expression for a hadron width in a two-phase region of hadron gas and quark-gluon plasma (QGP). The presence of QGP gives hadrons larger widths than they would have in a pure hadron gas. We find that the $\phi$ width observed in a central Au+Au collision at $\sqrt{s}=200$ GeV/nucleon is a few MeV greater than the width in a pure hadron gas. The part of observed hadron widths due to QGP is approximately proportional to $(dN/dy)^{-1/3}$.Comment: 8 pages, latex, no figures, KSUCNR-002-9

Current reversal with type-I intermittency in deterministic inertia ratchets

The intermittency is investigated when the current reversal occurs in a deterministic inertia ratchet system. To determine which type the intermittency belongs to, we obtain the return map of velocities of particle using stroboscopic recording, and numerically calculate the distribution of average laminar length ${}$. The distribution follows the scaling law of ${} \propto {\epsilon}^{-1/2}$, the characteristic relation of type-I intermittency.Comment: 4 pages, 7 figure