Mathematical models describing disappearance of Lucerne hay in the rumen using the nylon bag technique

It is essential to study the dynamics of rumen degradation of feeds before their potential use in formulating diets for ruminants. Various mathematical models have been developed to describe this degradation. The non-lagged exponential model (Model I), the lagged exponential model (Model II), the Gompertz model (Model III), and the generalized Mitscherlich model (Model IV) were examined using two alternative software (SAS and MATLAB) to determine their efficacy in accounting for variation in ruminal disappearance of dry matter (DM) and crude protein (CP) of lucerne hay from three cuttings. All models described DM degradability well (R2 >0.98). Only Models I and II converged when fitted to CP degradability data (R2 >0.98). It was concluded that any of these models could be used to describe the degradation of DM, whereas only Models I and II could be used to describe the degradation of CP from three cuttings of Lucerne hay. All the models that were fitted to the DM degradation data performed reasonably well, with only minor differences in goodness of fit. However, these models differed in values of the parameter estimates. Additionally, SAS failed to converge in the analyses of CP with Models III and IV, and MATLAB converged to nonsensical values with Model III. Model I might be recommended because it fitted the data well and required estimates of the fewest parameters Keywords: alfalfa hay, in situ digestion, model selection, nonlinear regressio

Effects of organic acid treated legume forages on in vitro degradability values

In this context, we aimed to investigate the effects of varying levels of Fumaric Acid (Fu), Malic Acid (Ma), Formic Acid (Fo), and their combinations on in-vitro degradability parameters, organic matter digestibility (OMD), metabolizable energy (ME) and net energy lactation (NEL) of alfalfa (Medicago polymorphia), white clover (Trifolium repens) and hairy vetch (Vicia villosa). Obtained data were analyzed as a completely randomized 3×8 factorial design, with GLM using SAS 9.4. The effects of legume forages and their interacion with organic acid were significant on ME, NEL and OMD values (p<0.05, p<0.01). in such a way that fumaric acid was led to an increase NEL. All of the parameters, except ME and OMD, were affected by organic acids (p<0.01). To conclude, utilization of organic acids could increase NEL, reduce the fermentation of insoluble fraction (b) and potential extent of gas production (a+b) from ruminants and reduce rapidly soluble fraction (a) (malic acid treatment only)

Sedation and Analgesia in Intensive Care: A Comparison of Fentanyl and Remifentanil

Optimal sedation and analgesia are of key importance in intensive care. The aim of this study was to assess the quality of sedoanalgesia and outcome parameters in regimens containing midazolam and either fentanyl or remifentanil. A prospective, randomized, open-label, controlled trial was carried out in the ICU unit of a large teaching hospital in Istanbul over a 9-month period. Thirty-four patients were randomly allocated to receive either a remifentanil-midazolam regimen (R group, n = 17) or a fentanyl-midazolam regimen (F group, n = 17). A strong correlation between Riker Sedation-Agitation Scale (SAS) and Ramsey Scale (RS) measurements was observed. Comparatively, remifentanil provided significantly more potent and rapid analgesia based on Behavioral-Physiological Scale (BPS) measurements and a statistically nonsignificantly shorter time to discharge. On the other hand, remifentanil also caused a significantly sharper fall in heart rate within the first six hours of treatment

A study to investigate the anti-methanogenic properties of black tea waste in dairy cows in order to achieve a cleaner environment

In this study, the authors substituted alfalfa hay with factory black tea waste (FBTW) in dairy cattle total mixed ration (TMR) and subsequently tested its effects on in-vitro carbon dioxide and methane production, metabolizable energy (ME), organic matter digestibility (OMD), net energy lactation (NEL), microbial protein production (MP) and Daisy incubator digestibility parame-ters. Experimental diets included 0% (TW0), 25% (TW1), 50% (TW2) and 75% (TW3) FBTW sub-stituted alfalfa hay in dairy cattle TMR rations. Substitution of alfalfa hay with FBTW in TMR linearly decreased in-vitro GP, methane, ME, NEL and OMD values (P<0.05), and linearly in-creased true dry matter digestibility (TDMD), partition factor (PF) and microbial protein pro-duction efficiency (MPSE) values (p<0.05). Organic matter (IVOMD), in-vitro true dry matter (IVTDMD), and NDF digestibility (IVNDFD) values, determined in the Daisy II incubator, were decreased by substituting FBTW for alfalfa hay in TMR (p<0.05). Substitution of alfalfa hay by FBTW up to 50% in TMR as an alternative roughage source in ruminant animal nutrition can be beneficial yet in-vivo studies are required for a solid conclusion

Effects of different raising systems on colour and quality characteristics of Turkish Pekin duck meats

The current trial was conducted to determine the influence of different raising systems on the meat quality properties of male Turkish Pekin ducks. Ninety male ducklings were randomly allocated to three experimental groups: an animal-fish integrated farming group (IG), a non-animal-fish integrated farming group (NIG) and a poultry house group (PHG). All ducklings were fed a starter diet from weeks 2 to 6 and a finisher diet from weeks 6 to 10. Feed and water were offered ad libitum. At the end of the trial all ducks were slaughtered and the carcasses were stored at 3 °C for 24 hours, after which L*, a* and b* values of the carcass skins were measured. After standard dissection of carcasses, pectoralis muscles were obtained on which pH, colour (L*, a*, b*, C and H), total aerobic mesophilic, total aerobic psychrotrophic, lactic acid bacteria, Micrococcus/Staphylococcus, yeast-mould and Enterobacteriaceae counts were determined. The different raising systems of the ducks had significant effects on the pH, total aerobic mesophilic, Enterobacteriaceae, and L* and b* values of the pectoralis muscle. The lowest pH, total aerobic mesophilic and Enterobacteriaceae counts were found in the PHG group. The lowest L* values for the pectoralis muscle were found in the IG group while the highest a* value was recorded in the IG group. Significant differences in skin colour were observed between the experimental groups. For all production groups, all microbial counts were found to be within acceptable ranges. However, pH, total aerobic mesophilic and Enterobacteriaceae results were found to be lower in the PHG group than in the other groups. Different raising systems were thus found to affect the meat and skin colour of ducks, which may influence the preference of consumers. Keywords: Pekin duck, integrated farming, carcass and meat colour, microbial propertiesSouth African Journal of Animal Science Vol. 38 (3) 2008: pp. 217-22

Usability of Gazelle Form Beech Tree (Fagus Orientalis L.) leaves as an alternative roughage source in dairy cattle: using in vitro gas production method

An evaluation was conducted to determine whether beech tree leaves can be used as an alternative forage source for dairy cattle in TMR rations and their anti-methanogenic properties. The TMR rations were altered by substituting 0, 25, 50, 75, and 100% of gazelle form beech leaf for dry meadow grass. As a result, significant differences were found between experimental groups in terms of estimated parameters, total gas, dry matter, organic matter, NDF, ADF, protein digestion values, TUFA, acetic, propionic, and butyric acid values (P<0.05). As a result of substituting beech leaves for the entire dry meadow grass, in vitro TDMD, MPP, MPSE, TDD values improved and decreased propionic and butyric acid levels. Using beech leaves as a roughage source reduced in vitro methane production numerically. Therefore, it was concluded that tree leaves in the form of gazelle can be used as a source of roughage in dairy cattle TMR instead of the whole dry meadow grass, and further studies are needed to clarify this issue

Effect of Government Expenditure on GDP in the Turkish Economy

The objective of this article is to investigate the effect of government expenditure on GDP in Turkey from 2000Q1-2015Q4 by the superexogeneity test. As a consequence of satisfying both conditions of weak exogeneity and structural invariance, government expenditure is super exogenous to GDP which implies that the policy regime shift for the period of the Global Financial Crisis in Turkey did not cause structural variance in government expenditure. Indeed, the Lucas Critique which indicates that policy regime shifts cause structural breaks, appears to be refuted

Worldwide emergence of fluconazole-resistant Candida parapsilosis: current framework and future research roadmap

Candida parapsilosis is one of the most commen causes of life-threatening candidaemia, particularly in premature neonates, individuals with cancer of the haematopoietic system, and recipients of organ transplants. Historically, drug-susceptible strains have been linked to clonal outbreaks. However, worldwide studies started since 2018 have reported severe outbreaks among adults caused by fluconazole-resistant strains. Outbreaks caused by fluconazoleresistant strains are associated with high mortality rates and can persist despite strict infection control strategies. The emergence of resistance threatens the efficacy of azoles, which is the most widely used class of antifungals and the only available oral treatment option for candidaemia. The fact that most patients infected with fluconazole-resistant strains are azole-naive underscores the high potential adaptability of fluconazole-resistant strains to diverse hosts, environmental niches, and reservoirs. Another concern is the multidrug-resistant and echinocandin-tolerant C parapsilosis isolates, which emerged in 2020. Raising awareness, establishing effective clinical interventions, and understanding the biology and pathogenesis of fluconazole-resistant C parapsilosis are urgently needed to improve treatment strategies and outcomes.CJN is a cofounder of BioSynesis, a company developing diagnostics and therapeutics for biofilm infections. MH reports grants and research funding from Astellas Pharma, Gilead Sciences, MSD, Pfizer, Euroimmun, F2G, Pulmocide, IMMY, Mundipharma, and Scynexis, outside the submitted work. TG acknowledges support from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (PID2021–126067NB-I00), cofounded by European Regional Development Fund, the Catalan Research Agency (AGAUR) SGR423, the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme (ERC-2016–724173); the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF9742), the La Caixa foundation (LCF/PR/HR21/00737), and the Instituto de Salud Carlos III (IMPACT Grant IMP/00019, and CIBERINFEC CB21/13/00061- ISCIII-SGEFI/ERDF). BZ acknowledges support from the National Key Research and Development Program of China 2021YFA0911300. All other authors declare no competing interests.Peer Reviewed"Article signat per 15 autors/es: Farnaz Daneshnia, João N de Almeida Júnior, Prof Macit Ilkit, Lisa Lombardi, Austin M Perry, Marilyn Gao, Clarissa J Nobile, Matthias Egger, Prof David S Perlin, Bing Zhai, Prof Tobias M Hohl, Prof Toni Gabaldón, Prof Arnaldo Lopes Colombo, Prof Martin Hoenigl, Amir Arastehfar"Postprint (published version

TECHNICAL AND ECONOMIC EFFICIENCY ANALYSES OF THE PRODUCTIVE PERFORMANCE AND EGG QUALITY PARAMETERS IN LAYING HENS FED BY DIETS CONTAINING RAW AND TREATED COMMON VETCH SEED AT DIFFERENT LEVELS

ABSTRACT The aim of the study was to determine the technical and economic optimum levels of raw and treated common vetch seed (CVS) on the productive performance and egg quality traits in laying hens. One hundred and sixty-eight White (Lohmann) layers, 30 weeks of age were randomly assigned to seven groups, each with six replicate cages of four hens. Control diet (C) and basal diets supplemented with 12.5 and 25% raw CVS (%12.5 Raw Common Vetch Seed: RCVSI and %25 Raw Common Vetch Seed: RCVSII), 12.5% and 25% soaking CVS (%12.5 Soaking Common Vetch Seed: SCVSI and %25 Soaking Common Vetch Seed: SCVSII) and 12.5% and 25% autoclaving CVS (%12.5 Autoclaving Common Vetch Seed: ACVSI and %25 Autoclaving Common Vetch Seed: ACVSII) were offered for 18 wks. Production elasticity (E p ) and the equation of marginal value of physical product (MVPP) and marginal resources cost (MRC) were used to determine technical and economic production levels, respectively. The most effective technical and economic optimum with 60.17 and 63.54 g EW (egg weight) in laying hens were obtained from 117.29 and 106.68 g SCVSI feed intakes, respectively. On the other hand, the highest technical optimum levels were obtained by 2.51 kg cm -2 SS (shell strength) and 89.56 HU (Haugh unit) per 90.91 g ACVSII and 103.97 g RCVSII feed intakes, respectively. The growers could reach to the highest technical and economic optimum levels in laying hens by preferring dietary CVS supplementation vs. C, and thus could provide a major benefit with the effective usage of the scarce source