The effect of dietary betaine in Eimeria acervulina-infected chicks

Two experiments were conducted to evaluate the effect of dietary betaine in broiler chicks with either chronic (CHR; 2.5 x 105 sporulated oocysts on Day 1,4,7, and 10) or acute (ACT; 1.0 x 106 sporulated oocysts on Day 1) Eimeria acervulina infections. Three hundred (Experiment 1) or 600 (Experiment 2), 4-d-old male chicks were used in the 14-d experiments. In both experiments, a 2 x 3 factorial arrangement of treatments was used: two levels of betaine (0 or 0.075%) and three levels of coccidiosis infection (uninfected, CHR, or ACT). Each treatment was replicated five (Experiment 1) or 10 (Experiment 2) times with 10 chicks per replicate. In Experiment 1, the ACT infection decreased (P \u3c 0.01) average daily gain and gain:feed, and the CHR infection decreased (P \u3c 0.02) average daily gain. The ACT and CHR infections decreased (P \u3c 0.06) Day 7 plasma carotenoids and Day 14 plasma total protein, and the ACT infection also decreased (P \u3c 0.06) Day 7 plasma total protein. Average daily gain and Day 7 plasma total protein were increased in CHR chicks fed betaine but were decreased in uninfected chicks fed betaine (CHR x betaine; P \u3c 0.09). Chicks fed betaine had decreased (P \u3c 0.06) Day 7 plasma carotenoids. In Experiment 2 the CHR and ACT infections decreased (P \u3c 0.01) average daily gain, average daily feed intake, grain:feed ratio, Days 7 and 14 plasma carotenoids, and Day 7 plasma total protein. Chicks fed betaine had increased (P \u3c 0.07) average daily gains, gain:feed ratios, and lesion scores. Day 14 plasma carotenoids and plasma total protein were decreased in uninfected chicks fed betaine but were increased in CHR chicks fed betaine (CHR x betaine; P \u3c 0.04); plasma carotenoids also were increased in ACT chicks fed betaine (ACT x betaine; P \u3c 0.05). Betaine did not consistently affect growth performance, plasma constituents, or lesion score in CHR or ACT coccidiosis-infected chicks

The effect of virginiamycin in diets with adequate or reduced dietary calcium or nonphytate phosphorus for broilers

Four experiments (EXP) were conducted to evaluate the effects of virginiamycin (Vm) in diets adequate or reduced in Ca or nonphytate P (nPP) levels on growth performance and bone response variables in chicks. All diets were corn-soybean meal (C-SBM) based, and all treatments were replicated 6 or 8 times with 5 or 6 chicks each. In EXP 1 and 2, the dietary treatments were 1) C-SBM with 1.00% Ca and 0.45% nPP (positive control; PC); 2) C-SBM with 0.80% Ca and 0.45% nPP (0.80Ca); 3) C-SBM with 1.00% Ca and 0.35% nPP (0.35nPP); and 4 to 6) Diets 1 to 3 with 11 (EXP 1) or 22 (EXP 2) ppm of Vm. In EXP 1, daily gain (ADG), feed intake (ADFI), bone breaking strength (BBS), milligrams of ash per gram of Ca intake (ASH/Ca), and BBS per gram of Ca (BBS/Ca) or nPP (BBS/nPP) intake were increased in chicks fed Vm (P \u3c 0.04 to 0.07). Chicks fed the 0.35nPP diet with Vm had increased ADG, ADFI, BBS, milligrams of tibia ash (ASH), BBS/Ca, and BBS/nPP (nPP x Vm, P \u3c 0.03 to 0.10). Chicks fed the 0.80Ca diet with Vm had increased ASH, milligrams of ASH per gram of nPP intake (ASH/nPP), and ASH/Ca (P \u3c 0.01 to 0.09). Tibia ash, BBS, gain:feed (G:F), BBS/nPP, and ASH/nPP were decreased in chicks fed the 0.80Ca diet (P \u3c 0.01 to 0.07). Bone ash percentage (BAP), BBS, BBS/Ca, ASH, and ASH/Ca were decreased in chicks fed the 0.35nPP diets (P \u3c 0.01); ASH/nPP was increased (P \u3c 0.01). In EXP 2, BAP, ASH, ASH/Ca, and ASH/nPP were increased in chicks fed Vm (P \u3c 0.02 to 0.07). Chicks fed the 0.80Ca diet had a decreased ASH/nPP (P \u3c 0.04) but an increased BBS/Ca and ASH/Ca (P \u3c 0.01 to 0.02). Chicks fed the 0.35nPP diet had decreased ADG, ADFI, G:F, BBS, BAP, ASH, ASH/Ca, and BBS/Ca (P \u3c 0.01 to 0.04), but BBS/nPP and ASH/nPP were increased (P \u3c 0.01 to 0.04). In EXP 3, the dietary treatments were 1) PC; 2) C-SBM with 0.70% Ca and 0.45% nPP (0.70Ca); 3) C-SBM with 1.00% Ca and 0.25% nPP (0.25nPP); 4 to 6) Diets 1 to 3 with 9 ppm of Vm. The addition of Vm to the 0.25nPP diet decreased BBS (nPP x Vm, P \u3c 0.06), but Vm increased BBS in the 0.70Ca and PC diets (P \u3c 0.02). Chicks fed the 0.25nPP diet had decreased ADG, ADFI, and BBS (P \u3c 0.01), and chicks fed the 0.70Ca diets had reduced ADFI, BBS, and G:F (P \u3c 0.03 to 0.10). In EXP 4, 4 levels of nPP (0.15, 0.25, 0.35, or 0.45%) and 3 levels of Vm supplementation (0, 11, or 22 ppm) in a 4 x 3 factorial arrangement were used. The addition of Vm increased ADG, BBS, ASH, ASH/Ca, and ASH/nPP only in chicks fed diets with 0.35 or 0.45% nPP (nPP x Vm, P \u3c 0.05). Daily gain, ADFI, G:F, BBS, BAP, BBS/Ca, and ASH were increased as nPP levels were increased (P \u3c 0.01), but BBS/nPP and ASH/nPP were decreased (P \u3c 0.01) as nPP levels were increased. The results obtained from these EXP indicate that Vm, regardless of supplementation level, can partially overcome an nPP deficiency when nPP levels are = 0.35%. ©2005 Poultry Science Association, Inc

Effects of glycine supplementation at varying levels of methionine and cystine on the growth performance of broilers fed reduced crude protein diets

Two experiments were conducted to investigate gly addition to reduced crude protein corn-soybean meal (C-SBM) diets with varying levels of TSAA achieved by varying Met and Cys. The experiments were conducted with female Ross 708 broilers in brooder batteries from 0 to 18 d posthatching. Treatments had 6 replicates with 6 broilers/pen. Diets in all experiments were fed without or with gly supplementation to contain 2.32% total gly + Ser. All diets were C-SBM based and formulated to contained 1.27% standardized ileal digestible Lys supplemented with 0.20% Lys (0.394% Lys·SO4) and to meet or exceed the requirement of all nutrients except Met and Cys where appropriate. Experiment 1 consisted of 8 dietary treatments. Three ratios of Met to Cys (60:40, 50:50, and 40:60) were used on a mole for mole basis to achieve 0.063 mol of TSAA/kg of feed and a positive control with Met:Cys of 50:50 at 0.76 TSAA:Lys. glycine supplementation did not affect ADg or ADFI; however, g:F was increased (P = 0.003) with gly supplementation. An increase in Cys and a decrease in Met resulted in a decrease (P = 0.028) in ADg but had no effect on ADFI or g:F. In experiment 2, Met was kept constant at a marginal level of 0.45% and Cys was increased in 0.05% increments from 0.35 to 0.50%. glycine supplementation had no main effect on ADg, ADFI, or g:F; however, gly increased g:F at the lower levels of Cys but not at the higher levels (gly × Cys, P = 0.031). A linear decrease (P = 0.071) was found in ADFI with increasing Cys supplementation. These data indicate that gly increased g:F in female broilers fed suboptimal levels of Met and Cys but not at Cys levels at or above the requirement. This implies that the synthesis of Cys accounts for a portion of the increased g:F observed from gly supplementation in female broilers fed reduced CP C-SBM diets. © 2011 Poultry Science Association Inc

The Pathway to Publishing: A Guide to Quantitative Writing in the Health Sciences

Writing manuscripts is central to the advance of scientific knowledge. For an early career aspiring scientist, writing first author manuscripts is an opportunity to develop critical skills and to credential their expertise. Writing manuscripts, however, is difficult, doubly so for scientists who use English as a second language. Many science students intentionally avoid a writing-intensive curriculum. Careful, thorough reviews of draft manuscripts are difficult to secure, and experienced scientific supervisors face more demands on their time than they have time available. Weak draft manuscripts discourage supervising scientists investing the time to coach revisions. It is easier for experienced scientists to ignore the request, or to simply rewrite the article. Early career scientists are motivated to address these barriers but specific advice is difficult to find, and much of this advice is behind a pay wall. This essential, open access text presents writing lessons organized as common errors, providing students and early-career researchers with an efficient way to learn, and mentors with a quick-reference guide to reviewing. Error descriptions include specific examples drawn from real-world experiences of other early-career writers, and suggestions for how to successfully address and avoid these in the future. Versions of this book have been used by Stanford University, UC Davis, Johns Hopkins, and numerous international institutions and organizations for over a decade.

Glycine supplementation to low protein, amino acid-supplemented diets supports optimal performance of broiler chicks

Six experiments were conducted to determine the effects of low CP in diets for broilers and to evaluate limiting essential and nonessential amino acids (AA) in these diets. All experiments were conducted with Ross x Ross broilers in brooder batteries from 0 to 17 or 18 d posthatch. Treatments were replicated with 6 pens of either 5 or 6 broilers each. In Experiment (Exp.) 1, corn-soybean meal diets were formulated to 16.18, 17.68, 19.18, 20.68, or 22.18% CP. The 22.18% CP diet provided 1.23% Lys and 0.89% TSAA, met or exceeded all nutrient requirements of young broilers, and served as the positive control (PC) diet in all experiments. Increasing dietary CP linearly increased final BW, daily gain (ADG), and gain:feed (G:F) (P \u3c 0.005). In Exp. 2, additions of crystalline essential (EAA) or nonessential AA (NEAA) were added to the low CP diet to simulate the AA profile of the PC. Daily gain, final BW, and G:F were decreased (P \u3c 0.01) when CP was reduced, but the addition of the NEAA increased final BW, ADG, and G:F (P \u3c 0.07) to the level of broilers fed the PC. Addition of EAA alone was without effect. In Exp. 3, chicks fed diets with supplemental Glu, Ala, Asp, or Pro had reduced daily feed intake (ADFI), ADG, and final BW (P \u3c 0.05) compared with the PC diet. Addition of Gly or the combination of Gly, Glu, Asp, Ala, and Pro to the low CP diet increased G:F (P \u3c 0.01) compared with chicks fed PC, and ADG was not different from that of broilers fed the PC diet. In Exp. 4, chicks were fed either the PC diet, the low CP diet with Gly + Ser concentrations of 1.23, 1.35, 1.47, 1.59, 1.71, 1.83, 1.95, or 2.07%, or a 10th diet that contained 1.23% Gly + Ser and with Glu to equal the N concentration of the 2.07% Gly + Ser diet. Final BW, ADG, and G:F were increased linearly (P \u3c 0.001) as the concentration of dietary Gly + Ser was increased. Chicks fed the low CP diet with 2.07% Gly + Ser had growth performance that was not different from that of chicks fed the PC. The addition of Glu to the low CP diet was without effect. In Exp. 5, chicks were fed the PC with additions of 0, 0.15, or 0.30% Gly or the low CP diet containing 1.60, 1.72, 1.84, 1.96, 2.08, 2.20, or 2.32% Gly + Ser. Glycine addition to the PC had no effect, but Gly addition to the low CP diet increased G:F linearly (P \u3c 0.001). Growth performance of chicks fed the low CP diet with 2.32% Gly + Ser was equal to that of chicks fed the PC diet. In Exp. 6, chicks were fed the PC or the low CP diet containing 1.80, 1.95, 2.10, 2.25, 2.40, 2.55, 2.70, 2.85, or 3.00% Gly + Ser. Glycine addition to the low CP diet increased G:F linearly (P \u3c 0.001). In summary, low CP diets result in optimal growth of broilers with Gly + Ser levels of 2.44%. ©2006 Poultry Science Association, Inc

Effect of protein and energy sources and bulk density of diets on growth performance of chicks

Four completely randomized designed experiments (EXP) were conducted to determine the effect of energy, amino acid (AA) levels, and bulk density of diets on growth performance of chicks fed diets containing corn (C) or cornstarch:dextrose (CD) as energy sources and soybean meal (SBM) or soy protein isolate (SPI) as protein sources. The chicks were fed C-SBM diets 6 to 8 d posthatching before allotment to treatment, and the assay periods ranged from 7 to 14 d. Initial weights were 86, 93, 94, and 71 g in EXP 1 to 4, respectively. Treatments were replicated 6 to 8 times with 4, 5, or 6 chicks per replicate. In EXP 1, the treatments were 1) CSBM (1.26% Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg); 2) CD-SPI (1.26% Lys and 3,460 kcal of ME/kg); 3) CD-SPI (1.36% Lys and 3,460 kcal of ME/kg); and 4) CD-SPI (1.26% Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg). The AA in all diets were increased in proportion to Lys. In EXP 2, chicks were fed C or CD as the energy source and SBM or SPI as the protein source in a 2 x 2 factorial arrangement. In EXP 3, the treatments were 1) C-SBM (1.26% Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg); 2) CD-SPI (1.26% Lys and 3,200 kcal of ME/kg); 3) Diet 1 limit-fed to chicks consuming 90% of Diet 2; 4) Diet 2 limit-fed to chicks consuming 90% of Diet 2. In EXP 4, Diets 1 and 2 were the same as Diets 1 and 2 in EXP 3, but fed in mash or pelleted form. In all EXP, chicks with access ad libitum to diets with SPI had decreased (P \u3c 0.02) average daily gain (ADG) and feed intake (ADFI) compared with those with access ad libitum to diets with SBM. In EXP 2, feeding C- or CD-dextrose as the energy source had no effect (P \u3e 0.05) on ADG, ADFI, or gain:feed. In EXP 3, ADG was decreased in chicks fed the diets with SPI relative to those fed diets with SBM, but the decrease was much greater in chicks that had access ad libitum to feed (protein source x feed intake, P \u3c 0.01) than in those limit-fed to the same feed intake. In EXP 4, ADG, ADFI, and gain:feed were decreased (P \u3c 0.01) in chicks fed diets with SPI as the protein source. Pelleting increased (P \u3c 0.01) ADG, ADFI, and gain:feed regardless of protein source, but the increase was much greater in chicks fed the diets with SPI (protein source x feed form, P \u3c 0.01). Results from these EXP indicate that diets with SPI compared with SBM do not result in maximum growth performance in commercial broilers, and the problem may be due somewhat to nutrient deficiency but more to the physical form of the diet. ©2005 Poultry Science Association, Inc

Micromagnetic simulations of interacting dipoles on a fcc lattice: Application to nanoparticle assemblies

Micromagnetic simulations are used to examine the effects of cubic and axial anisotropy, magnetostatic interactions and temperature on M-H loops for a collection of magnetic dipoles on fcc and sc lattices. We employ a simple model of interacting dipoles that represent single-domain particles in an attempt to explain recent experimental data on ordered arrays of magnetoferritin nanoparticles that demonstrate the crucial role of interactions between particles in a fcc lattice. Significant agreement between the simulation and experimental results is achieved, and the impact of intra-particle degrees of freedom and surface effects on thermal fluctuations are investigated.Comment: 10 pages, 9 figure

Magnetic interactions in AB-stacked kagome lattices: magnetic structure, symmetry, and duality

We present the results of an extensive study of the phase diagram and spin wave excitations for a general spin model on a hexagonal AB-stacked kagome system. The boundaries of the magnetic phases are determined via a combination of numerical (Monte Carlo) and analytical (Luttinger-Tisza) methods. We also determine the phase coexistence regions by considering the instabilities in the spin wave spectra. Depending on the strength of the spin-orbit coupling (SOC), some spin and lattice rotations become decoupled, leading to considerably larger symmetry groups than typical magnetic groups. Thus, we provide a detailed symmetry description of the magnetic Hamiltonian with negligible, weak, and intermediate strength of SOC. The spin symmetry in these three cases has a strong effect on the splittings observed in the spin excitation spectra. We further identify a number of self-duality transformations that map the Hamiltonian onto itself. These transformations describe the symmetry of the parameter space and provide an exact mapping between the properties of different magnetic orders and lead to accidental degeneracies. Finally, we discuss the physical relevance of our findings in the context of $\mathrm{Mn}_3X$ compounds